May 1 1973

From The Space Library

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Current revision

The joint NASA-Navy board investigating the April 12 mid-air collision of NASA's instrumented Convair 990 aircraft Galileo and a Navy P-3C Orion antisubmarine aircraft over Moffett Field, Calif., completed its investigation, forwarded its report to NASA and the Navy, and issued a statement: Both aircraft had been under visual flight rules (VFR) at the time of the accident; the P-3C was in the local landing pattern making touch-and-go landings and the Convair 990 was making a straight-in approach. "At initial contact with the control tower, the Convair 990 was cleared to continue for Runway 32 Right. At seven miles [11 km] the Convair 990 was again cleared to continue approach for the right runway. About three miles [5 km] out, the con-trol tower operator cleared the Convair to land on Runway 32 Left. The Convair pilot acknowledged the new runway assignment. The control tower operator also cleared the P-3C to continue his approach to Runway 32 Left. It was the tower operator's intention to land the Convair 990 on Runway 32 Right, but he mistakenly called the wrong runway." There was no evidence that either pilot or the tower personnel were aware of the impending collision. (NASA Release 73-88)

Explorer 47 Interplanetary Monitoring Platform (launched Sept. 22, 1972) was adjudged a success. It had met prelaunch objectives of making detailed and continuous studies of the interplanetary environment and studying particle and field interactions in the distant magneto tail. Twelve of thirteen scientific instruments were operational and providing good data. Failure of the ultralow-energy telescope would reduce total scientific return from that experiment 10% `'(NASA prog off)

NASA's RM Radiation/Meteoroid Satellite-launched Nov. 9, 1970, with Ofo Orbiting Frog Otolith-was adjudged a success. It had substantially met mission objectives and the minimum mission duration of 90 days had been achieved by the time RM had reentered Feb. 7, 1971. The radiation experiment was partially successful, measuring the pulse-height distribution of electrons and of low-energy protons for spectral mapping of the South Atlantic magnetic anomaly. Above 50 mev the solid-state spectrometers malfunctioned. The meteoroid experiment had successfully measured meteoroid velocities and impacting flux despite damage to 40% of the front-plane and 10% of the rear-plane impact sensors during the first three weeks in orbit. (NASA prog off)

The West German government announced it was withdrawing from the multinational European Launcher Development Organization (ELDO). ELDO had been building the Europa 11 launcher to launch a communications satellite into earth orbit Oct. l, but the project collapsed with West Germany's defection. (Kent, LATNS, M Her, 6/1/73)

U.S. Patent No. 3 730 287 was granted to NASA and to aerospace designer Edward Hryniewiecki of Comprehensive Designers, Inc., a Jet Propulsion Laboratory subcontractor, for a vehicle designed to explore planets with difficult terrain. Each of four legs with triangular wheels would have its own motive power for movement by walking, by turning wheels, or on tires revolving around the wheels like endless tracks. The vehicle had been planned for unmanned, remotely controlled exploration of Mars, but NASA was willing to license manufacture for oil and mineral exploration and rescue operations. (Pat Off Pio; Jones, NYT, 5/5/73, 45)

Award of separate $10 000 contracts to nine aerospace companies for studies leading to advanced technology for highly maneuverable aircraft was announced by Flight Research Center. Boeing Co., Development Sciences, Inc., General Dynamics Corp., Grumman Aerospace Corp., Lockheed-California Co., LTv Aerospace Corp., Northrop Corp., Rockwell International Corp., and Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical Corp. would have three months to define design concepts and prepare a preliminary plan for developing design technology. Several contractors might then be selected for further contracts of $200 000 each for preliminary design of their concepts. (FRC Release 10-73; FRC PIO)

A laser to transmit 1 billion bits of data per second between satellites was being developed for the Air Force by GTE Sylvania, Inc., United Press International reported. The system, using peripheral equipment with lighter weight and less power than present satellite radio networks, would send more information faster and would operate on a narrow bandwidth to reduce interference and interception. (LA Times, 5/5/73)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists were using a new technique to map the sun's magnetic "weather"-constantly changing lines of magnetic-polarity reversal related to sunspots, solar flares, or storms, and configuration of the solar corona-NOAA announced. Developed by Patrick S. McIntosh Of NOAA's Space Environmental Laboratory, the technique allowed observers to infer magnetic lines of force and magnetic polarities from hydrogen alpha photos of the sun made through a telescope with a light filter. The filter excluded all light except that in the red wavelength emitted by hydrogen. The inexpensive technique permitted even the smallest observatories to study magnetic fields. (NOAA Release 73-71)

The proposal to redesignate Cape Kennedy Cape Canaveral was killed for the current session by the General Legislation Committee of the Florida State Legislature. The bill had cleared the Florida Senate March 22, but House opponents had said it would be disrespectful to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. (O Sen, 5/2/73, 7A)

Science & Government Report quoted the response of an unidentified alumnus of the President's Office of Science and Technology when asked if OST had participated in the Watergate episode: "No, they didn't trust us enough for anything as important as that. If we had been involved, do you think they'd have been using stone age electronics?" (referring to eavesdropping devices found in Democratic Party head-quarters). (Sci & Gov Rpt, 5/1/73, 1)

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