Jul 26 1973

From The Space Library

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Current revision

The Skylab 3 astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center to prepare for their July 28 launch to join the Skylab Orbital Workshop (launched into earth orbit May 14) for a 59-day mission. During a press briefing at Patrick Air Force Base, Astronaut Bean said, "We're very anxious to get up there and put out 100 percent of what we have to do." (O'Toole, W Post, 7/27/73, Al)

Skylab science and medical briefings were held by NASA at Johnson Space Center. Results from the first Orbital Workshop mission, Skylab 1-2 (launched May 14 and May 25), were discussed and science plans for the Skylab 3 mission, scheduled for launch July 28, were announced. At an Apollo Telescope Mount briefing Dr. Robert A. MacQueen, a Skylab principal investigator and High Altitude Observatory scientist, said that a first look at available data indicated that the objectives-to examine the solar corona on a regular basis, deduce the three-dimensional structure and geometry of the corona, understand the evolution of the corona and its relationship to the solar disk, and understand the outflow of the solar wind from the corona-would be met. The most important conclusion drawn was that "in appearance the corona is now a less dynamic subject than other solar phenomena." Dr. Edward M. Reeves, Harvard College Observatory scientist, said that an ATM scanner had observed "velocity changes in whole large areas of the Sun in lines of the transition region and the corona which have never before been seen in this part of the spectrum." At the medical science briefing, Dr. Michael W. Whittle, Principal Coordinating Scientist, said that the weight losses of the three Skylab 2 astronauts-l.8 kg (4 lbs) for Charles Conrad, Jr., 2.7 kg (6 lbs) for Dr. Joseph P. Kerwin, and 3.6 kg (8 lbs) for Paul J. Weitz-were "pure and simple adaptation to weightlessness. . . . Increased nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus, the major constituents of muscle tissue, had appeared in the urine and indicated the muscle loss. Dr. Stephen L. Kimsey, a Skylab principal investigator, said that experiments had shown "no abnormal changes in red cell metabolism" in amount of energy stored, change in the integrity of the cell membrane, or change in the red cells' ability to transfer oxygen from the lungs to the tissue. Dr. Verl R. Wilmarth, earth resources experiment package project scientist, said during an EREP briefing that the objective of mapping the depression of the sea surface of the Puerto Rican trench using altimeter data had been met. At a briefing on the corollary experiments Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, Associate Director for Science at Marshall Space Flight Center, said that the materials processing and welding experiments would help verify methods of construction and assembly in weightless conditions. Among the first things built in space might be a reflector for microwave energy, to transmit large amounts of energy from one point of the earth to another. A reflector of the size needed could not be launched in one piece but would have to be assembled in space. Dr. Robert A. Parker, astronaut and Skylab program scientist, said new experiments that would be flown on Skylab 3 included a vehicle disturbance experiment; a survey of celestial sources of x-rays; two circadian rhythm experiments, one with vinegar gnats and the other with desert mice; movement tests of astronauts with two different extravehicular activity backpacks; a gallium arsenide crystal growth experiment; observation of cellular mechanisms and metabolism in zero g; observations of the earth's ozone and airglow in the upper atmosphere; the collection of micrometeoroids; and an evaluation of the spectral capability of the human eye while observing earth resources from space. (Transcripts)

Tenth anniversary of NASA'S July 26, 1963, launch of Syncom 2, the first communications satellite to relay digital data, telephone conversations, picture facsimile, and TV programs from synchronous earth orbit. The first telephone conversations were between President John F. Kennedy and Nigerian Prime Minister Sir Abubaker Tafawa Balewa and other messages between U.S., Nigerian, and United Nations officials, Aug. 23, 1963. Transmission on Syncom 1 (launched Feb. 14, 1963) had failed on insertion into synchronous orbit. Syncom 3 was launched successfully Aug. 19, 1964. (NASA Release 73-140; A&A 1963)

A House-Senate Conference Committee favorably reported a compromise version of H.R. 8825, the FY 1974 Dept. of Housing and Urban Development-Space-Science-Veterans appropriation bill that included a $3.002-billion NASA appropriation. NASA funds were $13.9 million below the budget request and $62.4 million below the $3.0645-billion FY 1974 authorization [see July 23]. The compromise appropriation was similar to the bill approved by the Senate June 30 and $13 million above the $2.989 billion approved by the House June 22. (CR, 7/26/73, H6754; H Rpt 93-411)

The American Museum-Hayden Planetarium in New York commemorated the fourth anniversary of the July 20, 1969, first manned lunar landing, by Apollo 11 (launched July 16, 1969). The Planetarium exhibited the Goddard Memorial Collection of autographed pencil portraits of out-standing contributors to the U.S. space effort by artist William J. Numeroff and showed "The Salvage of Skylab 1," films and narration of the Skylab 2 astronauts' repair in space of Skylab 1 spacecraft anomalies [see May 14-June 23]. Participants in the program included Skylab 2 backup commander Astronaut Russell L. Schweickart; Mrs. Robert H. Goddard, widow of the U.S. rocket pioneer; and author Arthur C. Clarke. (American Museum Release; PIO)

President Nixon submitted to the Senate the nomination of William D. Ruckelshaus to be Deputy Attorney General and the nomination of Russell E. Train, Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, to succeed Ruckelshaus as Administrator of the Environmental Protec-tion Agency. (PD, 7/30/73, 931, 936)

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