Oct 6 1970
From The Space Library
Termination of manned space flight within three years was urged at Washington, D.C., press conference by four Senators and space scientists Dr. James A. Van Allen of Univ. of Iowa and Dr. Thomas Gold of Cornell Univ. Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.) said, "I want to shift spending from space extravaganzas to needy programs." Sen. Clifford P. Case (R-N.J.) said, "The Space Shuttle. . .should not be allowed to go forward until the proper role of manned versus, unmanned exploration has received a fuller examination than it has to date." Both Senators, with Sen. Jacob K. Javits (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Walter F. Mondale (D-Minn.), favored continuation of four remaining Apollo flights and three-mission Skylab program but called for ending manned flight on their completion. Dr. Van Allen advocated unmanned space program after Skylab that would devote two thirds of its funds to direct applications of space with remainder devoted to "scientific experiments to examine the solar system." Dr. Gold said, "If we fritter away our limited resources on unwanted further demonstrations of manned flights [U.S.S.R.] may, with much smaller means, get way ahead in all the areas that really count." He predicted that, if space station was built, it would be "focal point of anti-science and anti-intellectualism which is very much in predominance today." (Lyons, NYT, 10/7/70,21)
Mark IV eddy current proximity gauge developed by MSFC engineers for space use was being used by Pennsylvania Highway Dept. in experiment to measure new highway thicknesses, MSFC reported. Instrument, designed to measure paint thickness on launch vehicles and foam insulation thickness on Saturn V 2nd stage, was placed atop wet concrete and over embedded metal target strips to measure distance of strips from top surface. Other potential application for device was to detect firearms or grenades in airline passenger luggage to prevent hijacking of aircraft. (MSFC Release 70-206)
President Nixon signed E.O. 1564, implementing Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970 that established National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Dept. of Commerce [see Oct. 3]. Order transferred to Secretary of Commerce functions of DOD's Oceanographic Instrumentation Center, Ocean Station Vessel Meteorological Program, Trust Territories Upper Air Observation Program, and DoT's National Data Buoy Development Project. (PD, 10/12/70, 1344-5)
Afghanistan was allowing New Mexico State Univ. team to track satellites from mobile tracking station in area near Kabul that bordered on U.S.S.R. and Communist China, AP said, Project, sup ported by AID, had begun after U.S. closed base in Peshawar on orders from Pakistan government in November 1969. Embassy spokesman had said project was directed by Afghan Cartographic Institute and data collected was "probably available to the Russians." (AP, C Trib, 10/7/70)
Pravda said Soviet test pilot Lt. Valentin I. Danilovich had been killed after ejection from supersonic aircraft at high altitude while testing new supersonic catapult system. Danilovich had helped develop techniques for world's first space walk, by Soviet Cosmonaut Aleksey A. Leonov during Voskhod II mission, March 18-19,1965. (UPI, W Post, 10/7/70)
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