Oct 13 1967
From The Space Library
President Johnson presented Harmon International Aviation Trophies for 1967 to Astronauts James A. Lovell, Jr. (Capt., USN), and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. (L/c, USAF) , and Alvin S. White, former NAA test pilot. Lovell and Aldrin were cited for successful Gemini XII mission (Nov. 11-15, 1966) during which Aldrin spent 5 hrs 28 min outside spacecraft. White was cited for mach 3 XB-70 flights. British aviatrix Sheila Scott, scheduled to receive award for her record-setting solo flight around the world in a single engine aircraft, was unable to attend ceremony. (PD, 10/16/67, 1436-7; AP, NYT, 10/14/67, 7)
NASA Arcas sounding rocket was launched from Barking Sands, Hawaii, to 37-mi (59-km) altitude, fourth in NOTS series to measure incident polar uv irradiance in direct support of Ogo IV`s mission. Excellent data were obtained. Rocket and payload performed satisfactorily. (NASA Rpt SRL)
NASA announced it had asked Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. to deliver second Lunar Module (LM-2) in unmanned configuration, changing earlier plan for manned configuration. With the change, NASA could provide a backup for the Apollo V launch scheduled for early 1968 without a wait for modifications. If backup for LM-2 was not needed, manned launch would make use of LM-2 at later date. (NASA Release 67-266; Transcript)
NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications (Engineering) George Hage was named Deputy Director (Engineering) of the Apollo Program, OMSF. (NASA Ann, 10/13/67)
Inquiry into economic impact of building SST was made by Dael Wolfle in Science editorial. Congressional arguments on whether to build SST "illustrate why members of Congress want to increase congressional competence to assess the consequences of technological developments and proposals. . . . What Congress needs in deciding about the SST or other technological matters is essentially what it needs in deciding about taxes, military affairs, education, or other matters with which it deals: ability to ask the right questions and ability to evaluate critically the information it receives from advocates and opponents of proposed actions." (Wolfle, Science, 10/13/67)
In its fourth year of full operation ESRO was entering a more expensive and ambitious phase and consequently was encountering financial, political, and organizational difficulties, John Walsh reported in Science. ESRO was currently appraising its eight-year program and seeking ways to coordinate its activities with ELDO, European Conference on Communications Satellites (GETS), and new European Space Conference. According to 1962 convention which became effective in 1964, ESRO was to have launched 300 sounding rockets and 10-12 satellites within eight years under $300-million budget. Although ESRO council was empowered to adjust budget authorization in response to major scientific and technical developments, it lacked unanimity necessary for change. As a result, Walsh noted, scheduled number of satellites-including $170-million Large Astronomical Satellite (LAS) -would probably not be launched. Expenditures for buildings and equipment for ESRO's new four-station satellite tracking, telemetry, and telecommand network, and its five main research installations had been particularly heavy. European Space Technology Center (ESTEC) , for example, responsible for applied research and payload development, had a 456-man staff-nearly half of total ESRO staff-which was expected to reach 1,000 by the end of 1967. In addition to financial problems caused by expansion, Walsh said, ESRO had to overcome a sensitivity to what national aerospace industries would get back in relation to national contributions, differences over selection of projects, and lack of unity and coordinated effort. Differences of opinion between larger countries such as U.K., Germany, and France, which contributed 23.13%, 24.31%, and 20.17%, respectively, to ESRO budget, and smaller countries such as Denmark, which contributed 2.15%, had to be resolved before a real sense of purpose could be acquired, Walsh said. "ESRO until now has been primarily an agency providing technical services and support for university scientists who prepare actual experiments. As experiments grow more complex, more work .will be done in ESRO labs and by industry," and new dimensions would be added to its tasks. (Walsh, Science, 10/13/67, 2424)
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