Sep 25 1973
From The Space Library
President Nixon sent a message to Skylab 3 Astronauts Alan L. Bean, Dr. Owen K. Garriott, and Jack R. Lousma following their splashdown ending the record July 28-Sept. 25 mission: "The record of your Skylab mission combines the traditions of those great explorers of history who have faced the uncharted reaches of the physical unknown with the traditions of those men of science who have unlocked the secrets of the universe and have thus opened the doors to man's future progress. By your scientific endeavor and your physical endurance, you have converted a space vehicle into a repository of more scientific knowledge than mankind can immediately consume. In doing so, you have provided the basis for a quantum jump in human knowledge." (PD, 10/1/73, 1197)
The Skylab 3 astronauts rested aboard recovery ship U.S.S. New Orleans following their splashdown [see July 28-Sept. 25]. Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, told the press at Johnson Space Center that their 59-day mission had proved man's usefulness in earth orbit as the Apollo missions had proved his use of the moon. "In the 15 years since its founding, NASA has successfully placed more than 250 pay-loads in earth orbit. Of all these, the mission that we completed today will perhaps prove to be the most fruitful of all." Skylab 3 had proved "how great an advantage it is to, have the human mind on the scene to make judgments, to observe, to respond to unexpected developments, and to effect corrective measures. All these were demonstrated on Skylab." Skylab Program Director William C. Schneider said the Skylab 3 astronauts had surpassed their scientific objectives by 150%. "The mission can only be described in superlatives." (O'Toole, W Post, 9/26/73, 1A; AP, B Sun, 9/26/73)
NASA announced the signing at Johnson Space Center of a $6 618 500 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with IBM Federal Systems Div. to design, develop, and maintain avionics software for the space shuttle orbiter data system. The contract would be effective through April 10, 1975. IBM also was selected by Rockwell International Corp. to develop and produce two other key electronic units for the orbiter-an orbiter general-purpose avionics computer and an input-output unit to work with the computer. The two contracts had raised IBM's new business in August to nearly $22 million. (NASA Release 73-192)
Johnson Space Center was evaluating a Lockheed Aircraft Corp. proposal to test the feasibility of using a C-5A aircraft to ferry the space shuttle orbiter. Lockheed had proposed to mount a scale model of the orbiter in latest configuration on a C-5A scale model for tests in its low-speed tunnel. (NASA Release 73-193)
A technique of predicting probabilities that had been "absolutely mandatory" to the success of NASA's Apollo program was being used by the Atomic Energy Commission to help determine the risk to the public of nuclear power plants, AEC member and Apollo 8 Astronaut William A. Anders said in testimony before the Congressional Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. The complicated technique of forecasting the reliability of mechanical systems and human beings using available data from similar activity components and subsystems was described by Massachusetts Institute of Technology nuclear engineer Dr. Norman C. Rasmussen during the nuclear reactor safety hearing. (Willard, W Post, 9/26/73)
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