Aug 22 1962
From The Space Library
In regular press conference, President Kennedy announced that the U.S.S. Skate and U.S.S. Seadragon, nuclear-powered submarines based in different oceans, had made underwater rendezvous beneath the ice at the North Pole.
In answer to questions on the present and future significance of the flights of VOSTOK III and IV, President Kennedy said: "Well, we are second to the Soviet Union in long-range boosters. I have said from the beginning—we started late; we've been behind. It's a tremendous job to build a booster of the size that the Soviet Union is talking about, and also of the much larger size which we're presently engaged in the Saturn Program.
"So we are behind. We're going to be behind for a while. But I believe that before the end of this decade is out, that the United States will be ahead. But it's costing us a tremendous amount of money. We're putting a tremendous effort in research and development; but we just might as well realize that when we started—we started late.
"Last year, as you know, we made a decision to go to the moon, with bipartisan support, and it's going to take us quite a while to catch up with a very advanced program which the Soviets are directing . . . there's no indication the Soviets are going to quit. . . .
"But we're in for some further periods when we're going to be behind. And anybody who attempts to suggest that we're not behind misleads the American people—we're well behind—but we are making a tremendous effort.
"We increased, after I took office, after four months, we increased the budget for space by 50 per cent over that of my predecessor. The fact of the matter is that this year we submitted a space budget which was greater than the combined eight space budgets of the previous eight years " . . . we are spending for military purposes in space three times what we were in 1960—about $1,500,000,000. The two, at least at present, the two important points that should be kept in mind are the ability to build a large booster which can put a large satellite into atmosphere. That is being done. NASA is doing that, though there has been, of course, under Titan III contract, a booster program for the military.
"In addition, the guidance, navigation, etc., that's extremely important. That we are making a major effort in. And so that I recognize that there are those who oppose this program and then suddenly a month later say we ought to suddenly go ahead on a different basis.
The fact of the matter is that 40 per cent of the R and D funds in this country are being spent for space. That's a tremendous amount of money and a tremendous concentration of our scientific effort.
"I'm not saying that we can't always do better. But I think the American people ought to understand it's billions of dollars we're talking about which I believe a month ago a prominent—mentioned as a great boondoggle.
"I think it's important, vital and there is a great interrelationship between military and peaceful uses of space. But we're concentrating on the peaceful use of space which will also help us protect our security if that becomes essential. . ."
U.S. District Judge Clarence W. Allgood ordered striking electricians back to work at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. President of the AFL-CIO International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Gordon Freeman, also directed the workers to return to their jobs.
French government announced first satellite, weighing 150 lbs., would be launched in March 1965 and would be followed by others three and four times as large.
National Aeronautic Association announced that U.S. Astronaut Alan B. Shepard would receive FAI medal on September 28 for his suborbital space-flight records May 5, 1961. Also to receive medals: U.S.S.R. Cosmonauts Yuri A. Gagarin and Gherman S. Titov, for their record-setting orbital flights in 1961. Another American, Lt. Col. R. G. Robinson (USMC), would receive award for closed-course, aircraft speed record of 1,606.5 mph in F4H over Edwards AFB, Calif., November 22, 1961.
IAS announced the 1962 Guggenheim International Astronautics Award would be made to Dr. James A. Van Allen, head of State Univ. of Iowa physics and astronomy department and discoverer of earth's radiation belts.
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