Oct 9 1970
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
Cosmos CCCLXX was launched by U.S.S.R. from Baikonur into orbit with 264-km (164.0-mi) apogee; 185-km (115.0-mi) perigee, 88.9-min period, and 64.9° inclination. Satellite reentered Oct. 22. (GSFC SSR, 10/31/70; SF, 4/71, 138)
NASA launched 1384.4-kg (3052-lb) SPED (Supersonic Planetary Entry Decelerator) experiment from Wallops Station at 1:57 pin EDT, by one-stage Castor booster with two Recruit rockets strapped on. Payload separated from booster at 72.4-km (45-mi) altitude and coasted to 91.7-km (57-mi) altitude before descending. At 70.8-km (44-mi) altitude the conical aeroshell, 4.6-m (15-ft) in diameter, popped open like a parasol to simulate Mars entry spacecraft speeding through thin atmosphere. Aeroshell splashed down in Atlantic and was recovered by USNS Range Recoverer. Onboard cameras and test equipment parachuted toward earth 112.7 km (70 mi) from Wallops and were recovered in midair by helicopter. (NASA Release 70-171)
Discovery of tektite glass in Apollo 12 sample 12013, reported June 5th by GSFC scientist Dr. John A. O'Keefe, was debated in Science by Dr. O'Keefe, Univ. of Houston geologist Elbert A. King, Jr., and LRL scientists R. Martin and Weldon B. Nance. Analyses of sample by King, Martin, and Nance had led them to conclude that "there is no existing chemical or mineralogical observation or data that uniquely support the idea that tektites originate from the moon. There are abundant chemical data that support a close genetic relationship between tektites and terrestrial rock materials. These data have been presented or summarized by numerous authors. Tektite glass has not been found in samples from Apollo 12 (or Apollo 11)." Dr. O'Keefe responded: "They find that the material is crystalline rather than glassy. The crystals are, however, evidently rather fine; from statistical considerations it can be judged that the agreement of the two major-element analyses given for samples of only a few tens of millograms is likely only if the crystals are of the order of 100p m ;0.04 in] or smaller in diameter. This raises the question whether they are the products of devitrefication. In any case, the former existence of a liquid of this composition seems to be implied. Evidence of somewhat similar liquids was found in the Apollo 11 sample." (Science, 1019/70, 199-200)
Analyses of argon in Apollo 11 crystalline rocks at LRL were reported in Science by MSC scientist Dr. Donald D. Bogard, State Univ. of New York scientists Dr. Oliver A. Schaeffer and Dr. John G. Funkhouser, and Max Planck scientist Dr. Josef Zaehringer. Crystalline rocks from Sea of Tranquility had yielded potassium-argon dates as old as 3.8 billion yrs. Crystalline rocks from Ocean of Storms gave potassium-argon ages as old as 2.8 billion yrs. Scientists concluded that maria were ancient lunar features. Potassium argon ages of rocks from Ocean of Storms showed more argon loss than rocks from Sea of Tranquility, indicating Ocean of Storms rocks had experienced more severe shock effects or longer cooling rates. (Science, 10/9/70, 161-2)
Thermal properties of lunar magnetic rocks at high temperatures were evaluated in Science by Univ. of Oregon volcanologists Tsutomu Murase and Alexander R. McBirney "Thermal conductivity of a synthetic lunar rock in its melting range is about half that of a terrestrial basalt. The low conductivity and increased efficiency of insulating crusts on lunar laves will enable flows to cover great distances without being quenched by high radiant heat losses from the surface. For a given rate of heat production, the thermal gradient of the moon would be significantly. steeper than that of earth." (Science, 10/9/70, 165-7)
Implications of failure of Mariner VI and VII UV experiments to detect emissions associated with nitrogen in Martian atmosphere were discussed in Science by Harvard College Observatory and SAO astronomer A. Dalgarno and M. B. McElroy of Kitt Peak National Observatory. Examination of physical and chemical processes causing nitrogen emission in Martian airglow had shown that if atmosphere was uniformly mixed, mixing ratio of nitrogen to carbon dioxide of 5% was consistent with observational data on UV dayglow of Mars. If magnitude of the eddy coefficient in atmosphere was similar to that for earth, this limit was reduced to less than 0.5%. (Science, 10/9/70, 167-8)
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