May 27 1971
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(New page: Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, announced in released statement he had approved launch of Mariner-I Mars probe: "I have reviewed the results of the Mariner H failure ana...)
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Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, announced in released statement he had approved launch of Mariner-I Mars probe: "I have reviewed the results of the Mariner H failure analysis, and of the Mariner I Launch Readiness Review. I am satisfied that a complete and thorough job has been done, that the failure has been identified, and that proper corrective action has been taken. At the same time, I fully recognize that the Atlas-Centaur is an extremely complex vehicle, that there are literally thousands of parts and components that must function perfectly, and that a finite probability of failure must exist on each launch." Failure of Mariner-H May 8 had been traced to integrated circuit in Centaur booster. (NASA Release 71-92)
U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos 423 from Plesetsk into orbit with 489-km (303.9-mi) apogee, 279-km (173.4-mi) perigee, 91.9-min period, and 71° inclination. Satellite reentered Nov. 26. (GSFC SSR, 5/31/71; 11/30/71; SBD, 6/2/71, 169)
Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, met with MSC officials during his first official visit to Center. Later, at press conference, he said NASA'S image could not rest on "absolutely fantastic achievement" of first lunar landing by man. NASA needed to convince taxpayers of basic technology that had been developed on way to moon. Each part of NASA program "has to be defended as a separate piece." (Maloney, H Post, 5/28/71)
Growing climate in U.S. of "irrational hostility" toward science and technology was scored by Dr. Wernher von Braun, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Planning, in speech before Washington, D.C., chapter of Aviation/Space Writers Assn.: "It is irrational precisely because those most vocal .. are the very ones professing the greatest concern about poverty, poor housing, hunger, and the quality of the environment. All of these problems of society depend in varying degree upon our technological capabilities, and certainly on increased productivity for their solutions. Some . . require advanced research into the nature of the environment and ecological interactions." Anti-science and anti-technology voices were doing U.S. "great disservice. The problems they are rightly anxious and concerned about cannot be solved by a return-to- nature cult." Resources of knowledge that awaited man in space had "great significance to man, to Earth environment, and to the ecology. We are learning of the relationships between Earth and Sun and their effects on our lives which could be learned in no other way save by means of the rocket and spacecraft." (Text)
LeRC announced NASA had awarded Air Research Manufacturing Co. of Garrett Corp. $4.5-million, 40- mo, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to build four turbine-alternator compressors (TAC) for experimental nuclear power generation system. System was to produce up to 100 kw as part of LeRC Brayton cycle power conversion system. (LeRC Release 71-23; NASA Release 71-93)
Soviet scientist Anatoly Fedoseyev, head of Soviet delegation to Paris Air Show, defected to West, according to French sources later quoted by UPI. (UPI, W Post, 6/20/71, Al)
Lockheed Aircraft Corp. had said settlements with U.S. Government on military contracts and other problems had resulted in net loss of $86.3 million in 1970 and $96.6 million in fourth quarter of 1970, Wall Street Journal reported. (WSJ, 5/27/71, 3)
May 27-June 6: Twenty-ninth Paris International Air Show was held at Le Bourget Airport. More than one million visitors to world's largest air show viewed Soviet Tu-144 supersonic transport in its first appearance in West; Anglo-French supersonic airliners, Concorde 001 and 002; Soviet Mi-12, world's largest helicopter; Lockheed C- 5A Galaxy, world's largest aircraft; Lockheed 1011 TriStar; and more than 200 private aircraft in total exhibition of 600 aircraft. U.S. Pavilion exhibited Apollo moon rocks. Canadian Pavilion contained mockup of integrated STOL system envisaging 10-min air hops between suburban shopping areas and city centers. (B Sun, 5/26/71, 5/31/71; Hess, NYT, 5/26/71)
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