Nov 6 1967
From The Space Library
In its resolution #2260, U.N. General Assembly urged its Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space to elaborate on "agreement on liability for damage caused by the launching of objects into outer space and an agreement on assistance to and return of astronauts and space vehicles." On July 17, Legal Subcommittee of Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, meeting in Geneva, had reached such provisional agreement. On July 26, 1966, US. and U.S.S.R. had agreed is principle that countries were internationally liable for damage caused to other states by objects they launched into outer space. Other concerns of the resolution were education and training for space exploration, feasibility of communications for direct broadcast from satellites, and applied satellite technology of benefit to man. On Jan. 18, 1966, Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space had proposed a world conference on outer space to be held in New York. This conference should examine the impact of space data on education and communications-issues of major importance even to poor and economically retarded states [see NASA SP-4007, 201. (Text, NASA SP-4007, 20, 250)
Joint Committee on Atomic Energy's Military Applications Subcommittee held hearings on ABM systems and U.S. defense against ballistic missile attack; Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul H. Nitze and DOD's Director of Research and Engineering Dr. John S. Foster, Jr., presented DOD position that no system capable of defending against a. heavy Soviet attack was now technologically and financially feasible. Foster said: "In 1966, a new threat appeared-the probability that [Communist Chinese] were developing an ICBM. This is obviously vastly different from the Soviet threat . . . [not materializing until early 1970s, and relatively unsophisticated and] . . . against this [Communist Chinese] threat we have high assurance of providing damage denial for the whole country. Furthermore, we think we can maintain this capability against a growing [Communist] Chinese threat at least until the 1980s." (Testimony)
Rep. Craig Hosmer (R-Calif.), member, Joint Committee on Atomic Energy's Military Applications Subcommittee, during its House hearings on ABM systems, offered reply to Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara's announcement on Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) : The weapon would "suppress our manned bombers by catching them on the ground with only a 3-minute attack warning . . . destroy the acquisition radar of any [ABM] system we might install . . . [and] destroy our retaliatory ICBM's in their silos." Hosmer noted that Soviets call FOBS by code name Scrag, and said the May 29, 1967, issue of the American Security Council's Washington Report contained an article "written by the exceptionally well-informed Dr. Stefan T. Possony, of the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace at Stanford University." Hosmer stated: "A most vital disclosure by Possony is that the Scrag. . . would have a 30-megaton warhead, presumably sufficient to penetrate our hardened ICBM silos, ruin our ICBM missiles and thus destroy our retaliatory capacity. Despite Soviet capabilities with this size warhead and larger. . . McNamara continues to insist that Scrag warhead yields are only in the 1-to 3-megaton range. I believe he does so less with assured knowledge of the yield than he does wishfully, to support his continued claims that we do not need an ICBM system for protection because our missile silos are so strong they cannot be penetrated." (Testimony; CR, 11/6/67, H14638-9)
NASA's Apollo 4 (AS-501), which would be launched by Saturn V in three days, had the power to place astronauts on moon, or telescopes in orbit beyond earth's atmosphere; American capability for major strides toward the unknown had arrived when interest in these endeavors had reached a new and understandable low, Albert Sehlstedt, Jr., reported in Baltimore Sun. Along with the new era of less than major interest in space had come the high-priority problems of the Southeast Asia war and the urban riots. Aviation Week for Aug. 7 had said "An era ended for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration last week when Congress voted a $234,000,000 cut in the agency's budget authorization for fiscal 1968." Many people during recent months had looked toward the achievement of social as well as scientific goals, reappraisement of both being called for by Congress. Because AS-501 would be one of the highest achievements in space, the question was no longer whether man could reach into space, but ". . . . with what urgency it should be done in the light of all the needs on earth." (Sehlstadt, B Sun, 11/7/67, 6)
Detailed information on French space budget for 1968, expected to be approved soon by National Assembly, was reported to total $141 million, increased about $36 million over 1967 budget. It would include $121.5 million for research and operations and $19.3 million for facilities and administration under spending plan being developed by Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) . Research and operations funds would be divided, $87.8 million for French programs and $33.7 million for ELDO and ESRO projects. About $1 million also had been allocated for bilateral space research projects outside ELDO and ESRO. Major items of budget included: development costs for ELDO Europa 1/PAS launch vehicle and Diamant B launch vehicle; R&D costs for two Roseau radio observatory satellites (scheduled for U.S.S.R. launch in 1971); planning costs for two Symphonie communications satellites (joint French-West German venture with one spacecraft structure group and two avionics groups to be chosen from competing groups in both countries); construction costs for Kourou launch complex in French Guiana; and partial costs of new Toulouse complex for satellite development and balloon sounding projects. Budget also contained funds for future studies for second phase of France's space program, according to CNES officials. French fifth financial plan committed about $408 million in 1965 for the first phase through 1969. (Fink, Av Wk, 11/6/67,24)
Some US. experts believed Soviets planned further missions : rendezvous and docking of manned Soyuz-class spacecraft in near-earth orbit for long-duration flights; circumlunar flight, fully automated, with animal payload to test reaction to reentering earth's atmosphere at trans-lunar return speeds; manned circumlunar flight; and manned lunar landing. Aviation Week stated, "Although there is disagreement among US. government and industry on some details, many feel that the Soviets have successfully overcome serious gaps in technology which had slowed their progress. . . ." (Av Wk, 11/6/67,16)
November 6-7: National Academy of Sciences steering committee for Long Duration Manned Mission Study held first meeting at NAS with UCLA Prof. Donald B. Lindsley as chairman. Committee would study psychological and physiological stresses on astronaut crews traveling in space for up to 700 days. Different parts of overall study would be investigated by small task groups. One would review what is known about the dynamics of small groups. Another would review all available information on psychological, physiological, and performance effects of isolation, confinement, and other stresses. (NAS-NRC-NAE News Report, 12/67,1-2)
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