Sep 24 1971
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos 440 from Plesetsk into orbit with 789-km (490.3-mi) apogee, 271-km (168.4-mi) perigee, 95.2- min period, and 70.9° inclination; (GSFC SSR, 9/30/71; SBD, 10/1/71, 101)
Tenth flight of M2-F3 lifting body, piloted by NASA test pilot William H. Dana, was prematurely terminated when ignition malfunction in two of four rocket engines caused shutdown of remaining engines. Small fire that started in base area of vehicle during fuel jettison was extinguished when jettisoning was stopped. Vehicle made hard landing at emergency site on Rosamond Dry Lake. Purpose of flight was to evaluate stability and control at mach 1.0 and to evaluate reaction control augmentation system. (NASA Proj Off)
White House announced President Nixon's approval of U.S.-U.S.S.R. agreements negotiated at SALT to reduce risk of outbreak of nuclear war and to improve and modernize Washington-Moscow direct communications link. Both nations would guard against accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons, arrange for rapid communication should danger of nuclear war arise, and notify each other in advance of certain planned missile launches. Two satellite circuits would be established, one by each nation, as well as multiple terminals to increase reliability of link. U.S.S.R. would provide circuit through its own satellite system and U.S. would arrange for channel through INTELSAT system. Agreements were to be signed in Washington Sept. 30. (PD, 9/27/71, 1318-9)
Skylab payload shroud (nosecone) was delivered by McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. to MSFC. Shroud, 18.3 m (60 ft) long with 6.7-m (22-ft) diameter, weighed almost 12 000 kg (26 000 lbs), and was first major piece of Skylab hardware to be delivered to NASA. (MSFC Release 71-162; MSFC PIO )
Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences published Statements by Presidents of the United States on International Cooperation in Space-A Chronology: October 1957-August 1971 (Sen. Doc. 92-40). Statements by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon had been compiled by Dr. Eugene M. Emme, NASA Historian. In letter of transmittal to Committee Chairman Sen. Clinton P. Anderson (D-N. Mex.), Committee Staff Director James J. Gehrig said statements revealed "unanimous agreement that space research and exploration should be an international undertaking." (Text)
Determination of crystallization ages for six Apollo 14 lunar rocks was described in Science by Dr. Liaquat Husain, Dr. John F. Sutter, and Dr. Oliver A. Schaeffer, State Univ. of New York at Stony Brook scientists. Rocks, from Fra Mauro region, had been dated by measuring argon ratios in mass spectrometer. All six rocks gave age of 3.62 to 3.92 billion yrs, same as that of fragmental rocks from Fra Mauro. Scientists had concluded that Imbrium impact-one of last major events in evolution of pre-mare lunar surface-and crystallization of significant portion of pre-Imbrian basalts were "essentially contemporaneous." (Science, 9/24/71, 1235-6)
Senate rejected by vote of 39 to 12 modification of amendment proposed by Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minn.) to H.R. 8687, FY 1972 military procurement bill. Amendment called for placement of funds for MIRY in special Treasury Dept. account to be used only when President and Congress jointly determined that Soviet activity in MIRY field necessitated further U.S. testing and deployment. (CR, 9/24/71,S15020-68)
Appointment of James T. Murphy as Director of FAA Office of Air Transportation Security was announced by FAA Administrator John H. Shaffer. Murphy, former FBI special agent, had been serving on acting basis since May 1971. (FAA Release 71-153)
September 24-25: Apollo 15 Astronauts David R. Scott, James B. Irwin, and Alfred M. Worden were honored by USAF Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo., with parade and special civic day. They received USAF Distinguished Service Medals from Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., Secretary of the Air Force. (NASA Activities, 10/15/71, 172)
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