Dec 11 1972
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(New page: Soviet news agency Tass announced "the perfect execution" of Apollo 17 lunar landing "at 22 hours 55 minutes Moscow time in the north-eastern part of the visible side." Announcement wa...)
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Soviet news agency Tass announced "the perfect execution" of Apollo 17 lunar landing "at 22 hours 55 minutes Moscow time in the north-eastern part of the visible side." Announcement was made five minutes after landing. [See Dec. 7- 19.] (FBIS-SOV, 12/12/72, 01; Agence France-Presse, NYT, 12/12/72)
Space program costs were recounted for press by unidentified NASA spokesman at Manned Spacecraft Center. U.S. had spent more than $26.657 billion on manned space program in past 15 yrs and planned to spend $8.85 billion in next 5 yrs. Apollo series-most expensive program-would cost $25 billion through completion of Apollo 17. Gemini program had cost $1283.4 million and Mercury, $392.1 million. Skylab was expected to cost $2.6 billion, and early estimates for space shuttle program were $6.1 billion. NASA had saved $1.5 billion by eliminating Apollo 18, 19, and 20. (UPI, NYT, 12/12/72, 38)
Historians would have difficult time explaining decision to abandon Apollo program, Time magazine article said. "Having trained the men, perfected the techniques and designed the equipment to explore the earth's own satellite, having achieved the ability to learn more about man's place in the universe, Americans lost the will and the vision to press on. Barely three years after the first lunar landing, the nation that made it all possible has turned its thoughts inward and away from space." Though U.S. spent $5.9 billion to develop Apollo rocket system, "production of Saturn boosters has been halted. The painstakingly assembled team of skilled technicians, engineers and scientists that made Apollo possible is slowly being disbanded." Those who had branded lunar landings propaganda ploys or technological stunts were "prisoners of limited vision who cannot comprehend, or do not care, that Neil Armstrong's step in the lunar dust will be well remembered when most of today's burning issues have become mere footnotes to history." (Time, 12/11/72, 35)
U.S. would continue to use most of Kennedy Space Center's $1 billion worth of launch facilities despite windup of Apollo program and reduced manned space-flight effort, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. KSC Deputy Director Miles Ross had said current 13 500 contractor and Civil Service employees would grow slightly until April 30, 1973, when Skylab would be launched, and taper to out 10 000 by launch of Apollo-Soyuz mission July 15, 1975. At October 1968 peak KSC had employed about 23 000 contract workers and 3000 civil servants. December roster was 11000 contract employees and 2400 Government employees. NASA anticipated that brunt of future cuts would be borne by contractors and that civil service employment would remain steady. (Av Wk, 12/11/72, 17)
Navy announced it had exercised option to procure 48 F-14 aircraft from Grumman Aerospace Corp. in accordance with terms of original contract. Grumman issued statement same day saying costs had risen to point where it would go bankrupt producing aircraft at originally agreed-upon price of $16.8 million each. Its Board of Directors had decided against making any further deliveries. Washington Post reported later that original contract had called for delivery by Grumman of 313 F-14s at total cost of $5.3 billion, or $16.8 million each. Question was "whether the Nixon Administration will stand behind the Navy or give Grumman special aid." (Wilson, W Post, 12/12/72, Al; DOD rio; Grumman release)
NASA launched Aerobee 170 sounding rocket from White Sands Missile Range carrying Johns Hopkins Univ. payload to measure brightness of sun. Rocket performed satisfactorily but scientific objectives were not met. (SR list)
Any future development program for U.S. supersonic transport was expected to be given to NASA rather than Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. FAA, under retiring Dept. of Transportation Secretary John A. Volpe, had "lost so much of its authority" that "it no longer asserts itself" within Dept. of Transportation. (Av Wk, 12/11/72, 11)
Indian Space Research Organization hoped to launch communications satellite in 1982, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. Launch would be part of national effort to establish communications network to reach greater portion of population, 80% of which was "incommunicado." (Av Wk, 12/11/72, 20)
Dept. of Defense officials had approved long-range plans to purchase additional Defense Satellite Communications System Phase 2 (DSCS 2) satellites, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. First two had been launched in 1971. Plan called for eventual simultaneous deployment of four DSCS 2 spacecraft in orbit with the fourth satellite as a spare to handle special emergencies. Plans also called for spare DSCS 2 satellites and Air Force Titan IIIC launch vehicle on ground for fast orbit of replacement satellites. (Klass, Av Wk, 12/11/72, M. 7)
Future of France's Kourou, French Guiana, Space Center was uncertain because of uncertainty over European space programs, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. Center plans had not materialized because of delays in European launcher program and 18- to 20-month hiatus in French Diamant B launcher program. Only 1972 launches from Kourou had been 8 to 10 sounding rockets. French officials had discussed possibility of shutting down major portions of center between launches. Maintenance cost about $20 million annually. (Av Wk, 12/11/72, 18)
Soviet delegation had visited Boeing Co. second time and had revived discussions of possible U.S. certification and marketing of Soviet Yak-40 short-haul transport aircraft by Boeing, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. U.S.S.R. also had discussed Yak-40 with North American Corp. and World Airways Inc. [see Oct. 27]. (Av Wk, 12/11/72, 9)
There was "much reason to suspect that sooner than most Americans realize there will be Soviet cosmonauts striding and riding on the moon's surface," New York Times article said. But U.S.S.R. was "no more capable of fully exploring the moon and achieving monopoly control of the lunar surface than the United States." It would take "resources of all nations to finance, equip and staff the permanent manned bases on the moon which will be needed if the moon's scientific, economic and other potentials are to be fully exploited." (Schwartz, NYT, 12/11/72, 39)
Aviation Week & Space Technology editorial commented on Apollo program: Six lunar landings had marked "historic watershed in the annals of man." They had been "boldest, most imaginative and technically complex achievements of man" and had "added a dimension to the human spirit that cannot be fully measured for decades." Among Apollo's most important benefits were: (1) "Development of new technology faster, and on a far broader front than is generally realized. The spearhead technology spawned . . . is not just confined to aerospace but has spilled over into other broader areas such as medicine, communications and education." (2) "Creation of a cooperative blend of engineering and scientific effort that appears to have begun bridging a divisive gulf and providing a pattern for more fruitful future work." Apollo 17 "with its first scientist-astronaut crewmember, foreshadows the increasing opportunity for scientists to work in space as Skylab and the space shuttle provide sufficient capacity for non-flight crew specialists." (3) "Creation of a management capacity in both government and industry for marshaling vast resources to focus on a specific goal to achieve results within a limited time. Hopefully, these techniques can be applied to other complex problems facing modern society" (Hotz, Av Wk, 12/11/72, 7)
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