May 25 1972
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NASA's Mariner 9 spacecraft, in its seventh month in Mars orbit, was in period of both sun occultation (April 2-June 4) and earth occultation (May 6-June 24) for short periods of each orbit. Sun occultations-when spacecraft passed into shadow of Mars and was powered by onboard battery-were declining from peak total time of 97 min. Only data from celestial mechanics and earth occultation experiments and engineering telemetry were being received. Battery was recharging satisfactorily twice daily and spacecraft was in good condition. Earth occultation-when Mars was between spacecraft and earth- varied from 43 to 90 min orbit. Resumption of limited data acquisition from scientific instruments would begin in June to conserve attitude control gas. (NASA Special Release)
NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft, en route to Jupiter, crossed orbit of Mars and entered space never before visited by spacecraft. Pioneer 10 had safely crossed region of "Great Galactic Ghoul" 209 million km (130 million mi) from sun where two Mars-bound spacecraft had been lost and third had stopped transmitting for seven hours, apparently because of impact of high-velocity meteoroids. Since launch March 2 Pioneer 10 had traveled 249 million km (155 million mi) on its 998-million-km (620-million-mi) flight path to Jupiter and was 75 million km (47 million mi) straight- line distance from earth. It would enter Asteroid Belt in early July, reach Jupiter in December 1973, and cross orbit of Pluto in about 15 yrs. (NASA Release 72-111)
Air Force launched unidentified reconnaissance satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 11:41 am PDT by Thorad-Agena booster. Satellite entered orbit with 259-km (161-mi) apogee, 154- km (96-mi) perigee, 89,2-min period, and 96.4° inclination. Satellite reentered June 4. (Pres Rpt 73; Av Wk, 6/5/72, 14)
U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos 491 from Baikonur into orbit with 369-km (229.3-mi) apogee, 173-km (107.5-mi) perigee, 89.9-min period, and 64.9° inclination. Satellite reentered June 8. (GSFC SSR, 5/31/72; 6/30/72; SBD, 5/30/72, 153)
NASA test pilot Gary E. Krier flew modified F-8 jet fighter equipped with digital-fly-by-wire control system from Flight Research Center in first flight test of aircraft that was completely dependent on electronic control system. Aircraft had no mechanical backup control system. Purpose of flight, limited to maximum speed of 680 km per hr (425 mph) and maximum altitude of 6000 m (20 000 ft), was to check out aircraft's primary and secondary flight control system. Fly-by-wire system with digital computer and inertial measuring unit had been developed originally for Apollo lunar module and was designated for future use in space shuttle to ensure smoother flight. (NASA Release 72-112)
Apollo 16 astronauts were honored with luncheon and hour-long ceremony at Kennedy Space Center. Astronauts greeted KSC employees who had worked to make mission successful. (0 Sen, 5/18/72; KSC PAO)
British Overseas Airways Corp. placed first firm order for Anglo-French Concorde supersonic transport. British national airline would take delivery of first of five Concordes early in 1975. Total cost would be $299 million. (W Post, 5/26/72, A21)
Sen. George S. McGovern (D-S. Dak.) addressed aerospace workers in presidential campaign speech at Redondo Beach, Calif. He felt "American people are getting sour" on science. "They're weary of watching billions of dollars going into what they see as exotic projects, when their basic needs and concerns are still not being met. They're tired of hearing about `spin-offs.' And they're wondering why we can't go after some of these problems directly instead of just hoping for beneficial effects from other projects to do the job." (McGovern Release)
Symposium on use of electronic computing machines in production management was held in Moscow by Soviet specialists and U.S. engineers from Digital Equipment Corp. Digital Equipment Corp. Vice President Theodore Johnson later told Tass correspondent that agreements signed between U.S. and U.S.S.R. in science and technology May 24 would widen firm's contacts in U.S.S.R. (FBIS-Sov, 5/26/72, Li)
First-year, full-time graduate science enrollment in doctorate-granting institutions had decreased 5% between 1970 and 1971 after decrease of 2% in 1969, National Science Foundation reported. First-year, full-time enrollment at "top 20" graduate institutions had decreased at greatest rate 8%. Reductions had been experienced in all areas of science and number of full-time graduate students supported primarily by fellowships and traineeships had declined nearly 10% from 1970 to 1971. Proportion receiving primary support from Federal Government had declined from 37% in 1969 to 32% in 1971. (NSF Highlights, 5/25/72, 1)
Newspaper editorials commented on U.S.-U.S.S.R. space cooperation agreement. New York Times: "In effect it announces to the world that the leaders of the two nations expect their relations to be sufficiently amicable that each is prepared to open its space installations to the other and let Soviet cosmonauts be trained in this country and their American opposite numbers in the Soviet Union." Corollary was "growing likelihood that the chief dividends from space programs will be political gains here on earth. Born in the mad competition for status characteristic of the cold war, manned and unmanned space research has taught both sides how puny are man's resources in facing the mystery and challenge of the universe. As that lesson has sunk in, both sides have come to understand the advantages of cooperation as against useless and wasteful rivalry." (NYT, 5/25/72, 42)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Cooperation in solving medical and environmental problems and the exchange of personnel and information in space research should stand as predecessors for other joint efforts at solving problems faced by both nations. And it should go without saying that the more both countries pursue common objectives together, the more they ought to trust each other and the less likely they should be to resort to rash belligerency." (St Louis P-D, 5/25/72)
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