Sep 22 1970
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos CCCLXIV from Plesetsk into orbit with 294-km (182.7-mi) apogee, 201-km (124.9-mi) perigee, 89.4-min period, and 65.4° inclination. Satellite reentered Oct. 2. (GSFC SSR, 9/30/70; SBA 9/28/70, 118)
NASA launched two sounding rockets from WSMR. Nike-Apache carried Univ. of Colorado experiment to study airglow, but mission did not meet minimum scientific requirements. Aerobee 170 carried GSFC experiment to study x-ray spectra. Rocket and instruments functioned satisfactorily. (SR list)
Soviet press and radio underlined importance of Luna XVI mission. Tass carried interview with unidentified deputy chief designer of spacecraft, who demonstrated prototype of drill used to obtain lunar samples and said similar device "will bring one day rock samples from Venus, Mars, and other planets of our solar system to earth. Man will go to other planets sometime in the future, but before this is possible, these planets will have to be explored for a long time by automatic stations. At present, an apparatus of a radically new type has been designed in principle. In the long run it will be modified to suit specific tasks.... A flight to Mars will require somewhat different technical solutions than a flight to the moon. But the main complex elements of Luna 16-its ability to take off in the directors of a desired celestial body, make a soft-landing on the surface of the planet, operate on it and then start off in the direction of the earth or the planet from which it started-will remain unshakable." In Izvestia Georgy I. Petrov, head of Soviet Institute for Space Research, said man would still play a role in lunar research, but only in limited way. He said short visits by man appeared useful but he proposed manned orbiting moon stations equipped with automatic spacecraft capable of descending to moon, moving over surface, conducting scientific research, and returning to orbiting station. (Gwertzman, NYT, 9/23/70, 11)
Search by USCG aircraft and cutters of 12.5-million-hectare area (50 000 sq mi) of Newfoundland failed to produce trace of missing balloon or crew attempting first transatlantic balloon crossing in 24m (80-ft) balloon. (W Post, 9/25/70, A5)
House Ways and Means Committee in Executive session agreed basically with revenue aspects of President Nixon's anti-hijacking proposal and agreed to creation of special force of 2500 air marshals through June 30, 1972. (CR, 9/22/70, D1040)
Washington Airways, Inc., had told CAB it was abandoning its application for helicopter route approval between downtown Washington, D.C., and Washington's three major airports, Washington Post reported. District zoning commission had refused to act on request by consortium of nine airlines to amend zoning law to permit rooftop heli-pads. (W Post, 9/22/70, C1)
Formation of Convair Aerospace Div. and Electro Dynamic Div. was announced by Roger Lewis, General Dynamics Corp. President. Both new divisions would report to Dr. George E. Mueller, former NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight who had joined General Dynamics as Senior Vice President in December 1969. (General Dynamics Release 1537)
Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, AEC Chairman, addressed Fourteenth General IAEA Conference in Vienna: "The industrial and technological advances being made in the world are creating increasing demands for electric power that is cheap, abundant, safe, reliable and clean. In my country, the estimated total electrical generating capacity for 1970 is about 300 000 megawatts. I believe that a realistic estimate of the projected growth of our electrical generating capacity by the year 2000 is about 2 100 000 megawatts, which will require adding the equivalent of a total of 1800 power plants of 1000 megawatts capacity each." On global scale, "some 5000 new electric generating plants of 1000 megawatts capacity each would be needed over the next 30 years." (Text)
September 22-23 Meetings were held at MSFC to select requirements for main engine design of proposed Space Shuttle. Dr. Karl Reinhold of ELDO attended. (MSFC Release 70-193)
September 22-25 Eurospace, organization of European industries concerned with space, sponsored conference on cooperation in space in Venice, Italy. Theo Lefevre; Belgian Minister for Scientific Policy and Planning and head of European Space Conference, reported on his Sept: 16-17 negotiations with U.S. Government. He confirmed that, in return for European commitment to participate in development of Space Shuttle and related hardware U.S. would launch European spacecraft until shuttle was available. Charge for each launch would not exceed cost of rocket and its firing. Predominant theme of conference, was that reusable shuttles would substantially lessen cost of practical uses of space. There was little talk of manned space stations or exploration of other planets. Discussions centered on use of satellites for communications, air traffic control, and weather forecasting. European public had become "cool to manned space flight," New York Times said. ESRO head, Dr. Herman Bondi, said at conference, "We have grown up with the impression that everything in space is devilishly expensive." Belgian aerospace executive Maurice Desirant said European efforts at joint space programs had been handicapped by pressures to perform national feats. Now, however, European countries had become "more and more aware of the dangers." They had seen money wasted on duplicated efforts which had achieved limited results. Lefevre said that, to be effective, European contribution to major space effort must be under leadership strong enough to override any differences arising from "divergent technical points of view, reasons of industrial competition, economic whims for national politics or finances." NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight Dale D. Myers outlined shuttle plans. Payload of 22 680 k (50 000 lbs) had been halved. (Sullivan, NYT, 9/23-24/70; NYT, 9/2670, 11)
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