Sep 5 1962
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (2MB PDF)
NASA Administrator Webb reported that the U.S.S.R. had tried to send four probes to Venus and two to Mars since October 10, 1958. In letter to chairmen of the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences and the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, Mr. Webb said Venus attempts were made on February 4, 1961; August 25, 1962; and September 1, 1962; and each time the launch vehicle achieved parking orbit but failed to send probes on escape trajectory. The one partially successful Venus probe, launched February 12, 1961, achieved proper flight path but its radio transmission failed when probe was 4.5 million miles from earth. Mars attempts were made October 10 and 14, 1960, and each time the launch vehicle failed to achieve parking orbit.
Agreement establishing U.S.-Italy cooperative space program, signed in May, was confirmed in Rome by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and Italian Foreign Minister Attilio Piccioni. The Memorandum of Understanding between NASA and the Italian Space Commission provided for three-phase program, expected to culminate in launching of a scientific satellite into equatorial orbit. Generally, NASA would provide the Scout rockets and personnel training; Italians would launch the vehicle with its Italian payload and would be responsible for data acquisition as well as for towable launch platform located in equatorial waters.
NASA announced it would negotiate with three companies to conduct three-month studies of a lunar logistics system. Negotiations with Space Technology Laboratories, Inc., related to $150,000 study of types of spacecraft which could carry supplies to manned Apollo landing site on the moon; negotiations with Northrop Space Laboratories and Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. related to $75,000 studies and operational analyses of possible cargoes for the lunar logistics spacecraft. Various NASA centers Simultaneously would study lunar logistics system trajectories, launch vehicle adaptation, scheduling, alternate spacecraft propulsion concepts, lunar landing touchdown dynamics, and use of roving vehicles on the lunar surface.
White House announced President Kennedy would visit military and civilian missile and rocket installations at Cape Canaveral, Fla.; Huntsville, Ala.; Houston, Tex.; and St. Louis, Mo., on September 11-12. President Kennedy would be accompanied by Vice President Johnson, Secretary of Defense McNamara, NASA Administrator Webb, non director David E. Bell, and several Congressmen. Purpose of trip was "to study the work being done in this most important area and in connection with the preparation of the fiscal year 1964 budget. . . ." 13-min. radio program relayed from New York via TELSTAR satellite to Europe, where it was broadcast by Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty to audiences in U.S.S.R. and Communist-bloc countries. Program featured message on U.S.-U.S.S.R. nuclear disarmament by Senator Hubert H. Humphrey.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell L. Gilpatric, addressing representatives of Midwest industries and universities in South Bend, Ind., said: "The United States believes that it is highly desirable for its own security and for the security of the world that the arms race should not be extended into outer space, and we are seeking in every feasible way to achieve this purpose. Today there is no doubt that either the United States or the Soviet Union could place thermonuclear weapons in orbit. . . .
"We have no program to place any weapons of mass destruction into orbit. An arms race in space will not contribute to our security. . . ." He added that U.S. military space program has two objectives: "First, as part of our overall Defense effort, we have continuing programs to ensure that the United States will be able to cope with any military challenge in outer space. Our programs in this area are under constant review, and this review indicates that our present rate of effort is entirely adequate.
"Second, as a part of our national space program, we in the Defense Department, along with NASA, are actively exploring the potentialities of outer space as a useful part of our expanding universe. We are developing through activities in space and observations from space our ability to improve our capabilities in fields such as communications, navigation, meteorology, mapping and geodesy. Many branches of industry are contributing to this endeavor by improving propulsion, electronic, photographic, communications and other components of systems for space research and utilization. These programs have great significance not only for our military forces but for the economic and scientific advance of the United States and of the whole world. The progress that they represent, like all scientific advances, is neutral in its political and moral content,. . . ." NASA announced that nine companies had submitted proposals to develop lunar excursion module (LEM), one of three modules comprising the Apollo spacecraft. After evaluating proposals, NASA would award contract "within six to eight weeks," according to the Wall Street Journal.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center announced award of $4,673,327-contract to Ets-Hokin and Galvin, Tue., of San Francisco, for construction of main structural portion of Advanced Saturn test stand at MSFC, Huntsville, Ala. When completed, the 405-ft.-high test tower would be used for static-firing the 7.5-million-lb.-thrust first stage of Advanced Saturn.
Re-entry and disintegration of SPUTNIK IV reported by Edward A. Hallbach director of Milwaukee Astronomical Society. Habach and others observed the satellite as it broke into about 24 pieces, most of which fell from orbit toward Green Bay, Wisc., area and Lake Michigan. Law officers in a wide area of northern Wisconsin reported seeing objects at about the same time. SPUTNIK IV was launched by U.S.S.R. on May 15, 1960.
Chunk of metal, too hot to touch, was discovered in Manitowoc, Wisc., street by two policemen. Considered as possibly part of SPUTNIK IV, the 20-lb. object was sent by local members of nationwide Moonwatch tracking network to Moonwatch hq. at Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Mass., where fragment would be analysed.
Hughes Research Laboratories announced development of high-power amplifier tube that could eliminate spacecraft radio blackouts such as those experienced by astronauts during atmospheric re-entry. Tubes produce about 10 times the continuous power output of any previous tubes and could pierce heat-induced ion shields to transmit messages.
General Mills launched balloon, trailing 315-ft.-long reflectorized polyethelene tube in test to improve long-range communications, from GM's research center at New Brighton, Minn. The cylinder, 23 ft. in diameter, was designed as a relay device to receive commercial TV signals from WKBT—TV, La Crosse, Wisc., and relay them 260 mi. to USAF base, Wadena, Minn.
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