Sep 16 1968
From The Space Library
At White House press conference NASA Administrator James E. Webb announced his resignation, effective Oct. 7, his 62nd birthday. He wished to retire to devote his time to interests in education and foreign and urban affairs after 25 yr in Government and nearly 8 yr as NASA chief. President Johnson would name Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA Deputy Administrator, to succeed him as Acting Administrator. Webb would remain as consultant to Dr. Paine until Jan. 20, 1969. Webb told press: "I leave NASA well prepared and with a conservative financial structure to carry out the missions that have been approved. They will go forward. What we have not been able to do under the pressures on the budget has been to fund new missions for the 1970's. So, there is going to be a period when there will be fewer flights than would, in my view, have been important to do. . . . We planned, with the President's leadership in 1961 and his recommenda- tions to President Kennedy to develop an ability to fly six Saturn V's per year and six Saturn I's per year. . . Under the reductions in the budget beginning in 1964 . .. we have reduced that anticipated flight schedule, or production schedule, [until] we have now cancelled the production lines on both these boosters. . . what we will have to do is develop a new base of technology for the next generation of boosters [and] . . . the country will have to look with great care into what it is it wants to do with those boosters that will be in storage." Answering query, Webb said, "I am not satisfied with the program. I am not satisfied that we as a nation have not been able to go forward to achieve a first position in space. What this really means is that we are going to be in a second position for some time to come. . . . I am satisfied with what we have developed in every field and that we have been flying three successful generations of spacecraft. . . . I think now the question is what will the fourth . . . be. We have a vast amount of capability. As the U.S.S.R. proceeds to fly and remains in the number one position, we will have the capability to start new programs as the need is clearly indicated. . . . We have worked up to a work force of 420,000 people. At the end of this fiscal year, we will be down to just over 200,000. So we have shown the administrative capability to build up and then to reduce without losing pace in the program." Webb said NASA had decided to man third Saturn V flight in December. "We did calculate that we needed 15 Saturn V's in program to make sure we would do the Lunar landing. We have funded eight.. . Now we can only fly seven. So the real question is can we make the landing by number seven?" A good many people, Webb said, have tended to use space program "as a sort of whipping boy. . . . But in essence, if it were not for the fiscal problems faced by the President and the Director of the Budget I would believe that the program would have been supported in the Congress and in the country at a higher level than it has been." Webb thought U.S. had reached parity with U.S.S.R. 21/2 yr earlier except in large boosters and spacecraft. If U.S. could have had 12 Saturns a year in late 1967 or 1968, "I think we would have forged ahead." Instead, "while we are reducing down to half to two-thirds of our program, they are still increasing." Webb said current U.S space program had created capability that could be used for major efforts in exploration if adequately funded. "Any danger to the United States that would come from the Russian program would be visible in time to use this capability to start out. But they are going to have the reality and the image of being out in front for a number of years to come. How dangerous that is, you will have to judge yourself." (Transcript; Sheehan, NYT, 9/17/68, 1; Kilpatrick, O'Toole, IV Post, 9/17/68, Al; Dobbin, B Sun, 9/17/68, A9)
U.S.S.R. successfully launched Cosmos CCXLI into orbit with 326-km (202.6-mi) apogee, 198-km (123-mi) perigee, 89.7-min period, and 65.4° inclination. Satellite reentered Sept. 24. (C Trib, 9/17/68; GSFC SSR, 9/30/68)
NASA launched series of three sounding rockets from NASA Wallops Station. First Nike-Cajun carried GSFC experiment to 42.6-mi (68.6-km) altitude to determine ozone concentration and water vapor distribution as a function of altitude and obtain finite data during parachute de- scent from 43.4-mi (70-km) altitude. Basic payload design proved operational. Rocket performance was good; peak altitude was 6% below predicted. Instrumentation's tone ranging was lost after payload despin and new AB signal replacing FM signal slowly deteriorated after liftoff. Radar tracked all systems from liftoff to impact. Although parachute was not fully deployed during descent and aluminum oxide hydrometer failed to project because of spring malfunction, key events occurred within two seconds of predicted times and significant data were obtained. Midair-retrieval attempt was not successful, but payload and parachute were recovered. Second Nike-Cajun carried GSFC payload to 73.1-mi (117.6-km) altitude to obtain vertical profile of temperature, pressure density, and wind data between 21.8- and 59-mi (35- and 95-km) altitudes by detonating 19 grenades and recording their sound arrivals at ground. Rocket performed satisfactorily. Grenade timer malfunctioned and instead of ejecting 19 grenades during ascent, vehicle ejected 1 grenade after apogee during descent and 12-14 grenades which detonated at sporadic intervals during descent. Final destruct grenade destroyed payload before impact. Some significant data could be correlated from ground arrivals. Arcas sounding rocket carried U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station payload to 34.5-mi (55.5-km) altitude to measure ozone concentration at 18.6- to 37.5-mi (30- to 60-km) altitudes by observing solar UV light attenuation by ozone during parachute descent. Rocket performed nominally; altitude achieved was within 10,000 ft of predicted. Instruments performed satisfactorily and good data were obtained. Parachute deployed properly and payload was tracked by radar and retrieved in midair. (NASA Rpts SRL)
Aerobee 150 sounding rocket launched by NASA from portable launcher at WSMR carried GSFC experiment to 3.14-mi (5.05-km) altitude to: (1) flight-qualify production lot of VAM-20 variboosters, (2) demonstrate feasibility of Aerobee rail launch, (3) determine exit loads, (4) establish rail-launching procedures, and (5) verify boost-phase dispersion calculations. System was ballasted with water and lead to produce mass and mass distribution of fully loaded rocket with 200-lb net payload. Rocket and instruments performed satisfactorily. Booster web burning time, booster pressure, acceleration, velocity, and system impact occurred as predicted. (NASA Rpt SRL)
German scicntists at Max Planck Institute-using U.S., U.K., and French rockets-had shown that borders of magnetic energy extending from earth could be made visible directly to persons on earth, New York Times reported. Release of barium clouds in space produced glowing, colored filaments outlining magnetic field. Technique showed influence of electric fields in space. Preparations were being made to release barium cloud in heart of inner radiation belt around earth before year's end. Cloud would inscribe in space magnetic lines of force which held radiation belt in place. ESRO had prepared Highly Eccentric Orbiting Satellite (HEOS) for launch by U.S. booster in experiment which would be too high for naked eye to observe. Telescopic Schmidt cameras were to be used. (NYT, 9/17/68, 1)
NASA awarded $3,290,500 contract to Pittsburgh Des Moines Steel Co. for fabrication and installation of heavy steel test chambers and related systems as part of second phase in expansion of Propulsion Systems Laboratory at LeRC. (LeRC Release 68-56)
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