Nov 8 1972
From The Space Library
Operational control of NOAA 2 Improved Tiros operational weather satellite, launched by NASA Oct. 15, was officially transferred to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Environmental Satellite Service. (NASA Release 72-221)
NASA announced signing of $64-million, cost-plus-fixed-fee award-fee contract with North American Rockwell Corp. for design, development, and test of docking module, docking system, and modification of Apollo command and service module (CSM) for Apollo Soyuz Test Project. Hardware would be used in joint U.S.- U.S.S.R. rendezvous and docking mission scheduled for summer of 1975. (NASA Release 72-218)
Designation of two new, lightweight, fighter prototype aircraft as YF-16 and YF-17 was announced by Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr. YF-16, powered by one Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine, had swept-wing, under-fuselage inlet, single vertical tail, and forebody strakes. YF-17, powered by two General Electric YJ101 turbojet engines, had twin tail, highly-swept-wing leading-edge extensions, and underwing side fuselage inlets. Both aircraft were expected to fly in early 1974. Air Force had no commitment to production. (DOD Release 763-72)
United Kingdom Minister for Aerospace Michael R. D. Heseltine, at Paris meeting of science ministers of European Space Conference countries, urged creation of European space agency to achieve common policy as prerequisite for participation in post- Apollo space program. (SF, 1/73, 1)
NASA launched Aerobee 170 sounding rocket from White Sands Missile Range, carrying Goddard Space Flight Center payload to measure spectrum of planetary atmosphere. Rocket and instrumentation performed satisfactorily. (SR list)
Appointment of Dr. Robert L. Hirsch, Acting Director of Atomic Energy Commission's Div. of Controlled Thermonuclear Research, to position of Director was announced by AEC. Dr. Hirsch would succeed Dr. Roy W. Gould, who had returned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology in August. Dr. Hirsch would direct program to develop major new and environmentally attractive source of energy from nuclear fusion reactions. (AEC Release P-368)
Los Angeles Times editorial criticized Jet Propulsion Laboratory name change; "While the alteration may meet with some approval in parts of the 20th Congressional District, it has gone over with a thud at the laboratory and on the Pasadena campus of Caltech." Scientists and teachers were asking "why the nonpolitical space lab has to be saddled with the name of a retiring congressman, especially one with no distinction in the technology of space .... Congress could reconsider; it should." (LA Times, 11/8/72)
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