Feb 6 1973
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(New page: Marshall Space Flight Center announced establishment of the Large Space Telescope Task Force to direct planning and preliminary design of the LST to be launched by the [[space sh...)
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Marshall Space Flight Center announced establishment of the Large Space Telescope Task Force to direct planning and preliminary design of the LST to be launched by the space shuttle in the 1980s. The LST-to be capable of looking at galaxies 100 times farther than those seen by the most powerful ground-based telescope-would study energy processes that occurred in galactic nuclei, study early stellar and solar system stages, and observe supernova remnants and white dwarfs. The LST Task Force would be managed by James A. Downey III, Associate Director for Science in the Program Development Directorate. (MSFC Release 73-15)
Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Development, Space, Science, Veterans, proposed to the Senate a counterbudget that would cut $4 billion from the President's $268.7-billion FY 1974 U.S. budget request. The counterbudget would reduce the $3.1-billion space budget by $500 million. "The prime candidate for cutting is the space shuttle, which this year will cost us $400 million. . . . I think Skylab, where spending of $315 million is scheduled, could be stretched out and postponed. Additional savings could be made in a much more vigorous effort to substitute unmanned for manned space efforts. Scientists tell us that unmanned flights can be as productive as manned flights at roughly half the cost.” (CR, 2/6/73, 52108-10)
The Senate passed S.J.R. 37 with an amendment and sent it to the House. The bill would redesignate the Manned Spacecraft Center the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The amendment substituted the word "space" for "science" in the resolution preamble. (CR, 2/6/73, 52229-30)
The Federal Aviation Administration put into effect Phase II of the tightened airport security measures announced Dec. 5, 1972. An armed guard would be stationed at every departure gate of every U.S. air carrier airport; every passenger would be screened before boarding aircraft; and all baggage would be inspected before being carried aboard. (DOT Release)
Sen. Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (R-Conn.), told the press in Washington, D.C., that a hold had been ordered on the Air Force AX tactical fighter plane contract with Fairchild Industries, Inc. The Air Force had said Fairchild had won a $14-million contract to build 10 prototypes by outbidding Northrop Corp. but congressional critics had disagreed, saying Northrop could build the same aircraft more cheaply. The Air Force would conduct its own investigation. (AP, W Star & News, 2/7/73, A7)
President Nixon designated Dr. Dixy Lee Ray Atomic Energy Commission Chairman, succeeding Dr. James R. Schlesinger. Dr. Schlesinger had become Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in January.
Dr. Ray, former Univ. of Washington zoologist and Director of the Pacific Science Center, had become the first woman nominated as a member of AEC in July 1972. The nomination had been confirmed in October 1972. (PD, 7/17/72, 1148-9; 7/24/72, 1165; 2/12/73, 124)
NASA launched a Nike-Tomahawk sounding rocket from Andoeya, Norway, carrying a Norwegian Defense Research Establishment magnetospheric physics experiment to a 254.3-km (158-mi) altitude. The rocket and instrumentation performed satisfactorily. (GSFC proj off)
The Army announced award of a $1969 269 firm-fixed-price contract to Industrial Contractors, Inc., for modification of the acoustic model engine test facility at Marshall Space Flight Center. (DOD Release 63-73)
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