Jul 30 1973
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(New page: Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, praised NASA's successful efforts to save the Skylab 1-2 mission during testimony before the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space S...)
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Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, praised NASA's successful efforts to save the Skylab 1-2 mission during testimony before the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Science hearing to review the Skylab Investigation Report [see July 13] : "We were able to save Skylab because of the tremendous depth and breadth of the NASA team and the dedication and skills of thousands of people on that team. There certainly isn't another country that could have reacted as we did. I doubt whether there is another team within this country that could have re-acted in this manner. Our team could do it because of years of training, working hard on highly exacting projects, and working as a team to drive toward a technical objective. The performance of the team on the ground, and of course the magnificent performance, skill and courage of the astronauts, saved Skylab. I would hope that this is remembered as the real story of Skylab, not the failure which caused it to happen." NASA was "taking all the steps we know how to prevent a future failure due to similar causes in other programs." Director Bruce T. Lundin of Lewis Research Center testified that, throughout six years of reviews and certifications, "the principal attention devoted to the meteoroid shield was that of achieving a satisfactory deployment. Never did the matter of aerodynamic loads on the shield or aeroelastic interactions between the shield and its external pressure environment during launch receive the attention and understanding during the design and review process which in retrospect it deserved. The omission had not been surprising. "From the beginning, a basic design concept and requirement was that the shield be tight to the tank." The question of whether the shield would remain tight against the tank under the dynamics of flight through the atmosphere "was simply not considered in any coordinated manner." Possibly contributing to the oversight "was the basic view of the meteoroid shield as a piece of structure." No full-time subsystem engineer had been assigned to the shield. "While it is recognized that one cannot have a full-time engineer on every piece of equipment, it is . . . possible that the complex interactions and integration of aerodynamics, structure, rigging procedures, ordnance, deployment mechanisms, and thermal requirements of the meteoroid shield would have been enhanced by such an arrangement." (Testimony)
Navy development of hydrofoils and surface effect ships (SESs) with speeds to 177 km (110 mi) per hr was seeking to make the Soviet navy obsolete, the Washington Star-News reported. R/A George G. Halvorson, Director of the USN's Surface Ship Acquisition Div., had said the USN was already ahead of the U.S.S.R. in "fast navy" technology. "We are now on the verge of the biggest advance in ships since the change from sail to steam." Four hydrofoils and two SESs of patrol size were already in Navy service and the first of two destroyer-size SESs, with speeds to 177 km per hr, was to be added by 1978. The USN was buying 2 of 30 hydrofoil patrol boats planned for Italian, German, and U.S. fleets in Europe. From the success of test ships, Adm. Halvorson could visualize a nuclear-powered, 177-km-per-hr aircraft carrier. Existing destroyers and carriers had a top speed of 64 km (40 mi) per hr. Hydrofoils rode above the water on stilts supported by underwater wings. A jet aircraft engine powered a pump to force water from jets below the stern to drive the ship. SEAS, or hovercraft, glided on a cushion of air. Their sides extended underwater where propellers or water jets drove the ships. (W Star-News, 7/30/73, 31)
President Nixon presented the Distinguished Service Medal to Gen. John D. Ryan, Air Force Chief of Staff, during a White House ceremony. Gen. Ryan was retiring after 35 yrs of service. (PD, 8/6/73, 955)
Rep. Harold L. Runnels (D-N. Mex.) introduced H.R. 9606 to establish an Office of Solar Energy Research in the Dept. of the Interior. Rep. Richard G. Shoup (R-Mont.) introduced H.R. 9691 to authorize additional funds for the National Science Foundation for research in geothermal and solar energy. (CR, 7/30/73, 116897, E5208)
An Aviation Week & Space Technology editorial commented on the July 23 anniversary of the launch of NASA's ERTS 1 Earth Resources Technology Satellite. Its first year of operation "has proved that space technology has produced yet another useful tool for man to improve his life on earth. The ERTS experiment has shown-at a relatively modest cost of $160 million-that it is feasible to measure, catalogue and monitor the contents of the earth's crust." It had also yielded "more pertinent information faster and cheaper than all previous methods of tackling this job in the limited areas where it was possible." ERTS 1s most important contribution probably would be "the tremendous capability it can provide for man to detect, monitor and control the sources of pollution that are poisoning his environment." (Hotz, Av Wk, 7/30/73, 7)
July 30-August 3: Wallops Station used a Boeing 737 jet aircraft from Langley Research Center to measure aircraft noise characteristics for comparison with existing noise prediction techniques. The primary objective of the study-part of a Federal effort to understand and reduce aircraft noise pollution-was to obtain data on noise from aircraft landing and takeoff procedures close in and at long distances from airports. The data would be used to update existing analytical techniques. (Wallops Release 73-8)
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