Jun 8 1973
From The Space Library
The U.S.S.R. launched eight Cosmos satellites-believed by Western specialists to be a military communications data-relay system-on a single booster from Plesetsk. The satellites entered earth orbit: Cosmos 564, with a 1482-km (920.9-mi) apogee, 1397-km (868.1-mi) perigee, 114.6-min period, and 74.0° inclination. Cosmos 565, with a 1493-km (927.7-mi) apogee, 1448-km (899.7-mi) perigee, 115.3-min period, and 74.0° inclination. Cosmos 566, with a 1484-km (922.1-mi) apogee, 1435-km (891.7-mi) perigee, 115.0-min period, and 74.0° inclination. Cosmos 567, with a 1486-km (923.4-mi) apogee, 1413-km (878.0-mi) perigee, 114.8-min period, and 74.0° inclination. Cosmos 568, with a 1483-km (921.5-mi) apogee, 1377-km (855.6-mi) perigee, 114.4-min period, and 74.0° inclination. Cosmos 569, with a 1480-km (919.6-mi) apogee, 1361-km (845.7-mi) perigee, 114.2-min period, and 74.0° inclination. Cosmos 570, with a 1482-km (920.9-mi) apogee, 1340-km (832.6-mi) perigee, 114.0-min period, and 74.0° inclination. Cosmos 571, with a 1480-km (919.6-mi) apogee, 1322-km (821.5-mi) perigee, 113.7-min period, and 74.0° inclination. (GSFC SSR, 6/30/73; SBD, 6/12/73, 233; Shabad, NYT, 6/10/73, 41)
Sen. Frank E. Moss (D-Utah), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, telegraphed congressional congratulations to Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, for the Skylab 2 astronauts' achievements in repairing the solar array on the Skylab Workshop (launched May 14) : "The magnificence of this accomplishment and the significance of this achievement is nearly impossible to put into perspective." Congress sent congratulations to the astronauts, NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight Dale D. Myers and his team, and "all of your group who work in complete anonymity but under the intensive examination of history." (CR, 6/8/73, $10691)
President Nixon praised U.S. space technology in a commencement ad-dress at Florida Technological Univ. in Orlando: "The genius that could send men to the moon, the genius that could produce the Skylab, the genius that built America into the strongest and most productive nation in the world, the science, scientists, the technicians, all the engineers, all of those who could do that, certainly they can find the way to clean the air, and clean the water, and do the other things that will build a better environment in America." (PD, 6/11/73, 747)
Life in weightlessness in the Skylab Workshop, orbited May 14, was described by a Wall Street Journal article as the Skylab 2 crew began its 15th day on board the space station. Commander Charles Conrad, Jr., had reported, after attempting to eat canned tomatoes, that he was "flinging tomatoes all over the place." He had warned, "You've got to eat the whole tomato." Dr. Joseph P. Kerwin had told Mission Control: "I don't use the salt much. It tends to bounce off the food a lot." Later he had reported a minor kitchen disaster with a bag of dehydrated corn. "The bag failed at its seam. . . . We've got corn powder all over everything." Kerwin said taking a shower was pleasant, but the water didn't "fly through the air, it sticks to whatever is there, mostly you and partly the walls. It takes forever to dry both one's self and the walls . . . even using that inadequate little vacuum cleaner that we've got." The crew recommended allotting an hour for taking a shower on future missions. The astronauts were being awakened by the noise of the suction fan when the toilet was used at night. They found themselves growing hoarse from shouting at each other across the roomy Workshop during the day. Kerwin had found himself unable to whistle in zero g, but Astronaut Paul J. Weitz had assured him he could learn after a few days' practice. "You've got to hold your lips a little farther apart." (Bishop, WSJ, 6/8/73, 1)
An Atlanta Journal editorial commented on space program spinoff as the Skylab 2 astronauts began routine business after having freed the stuck solar array wing on Skylab 1 (launched May 14) : "The ambitious and expensive Skylab program is in trouble and daring measures are being taken to stabilize the planned programs it was to introduce. Before the screams of those who would dissolve the space program reach the astronauts aboard Skylab, it might be well to consider some spinoffs from the space program that preserve and lengthen the lives of those who cry for its cessation." Spinoffs included noise abatement, smog detection, medical devices, and fabric fireproofing. "The value of the space program is not up in the air; an awful lot of it is down to earth." (Atlanta JC, 6/8/73)
The launch of Explorer 49 Radio Astronomy Explorer, scheduled for June 9, was postponed until June 10 following discovery of a sensitivity loss in 16 frequency channels of redundant burst receivers in the dipole experiment. A recalibration indicated the anomaly would not affect the mission seriously; the V antennas, when deployed, would provide data with higher sensitivity. (NASA prog off)
Wallops Station announced it would negotiate with Computer Sciences Corp. for a two-year, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract worth approximately $1.9 million for engineering support and related services. The contract. effective July 1, would include support in range and airport instrumentation, spacecraft-system and sounding-rocket-payload-system design and development, development of aeronautical and earth resources programs, development of reliability and quality assurance plans, and environmental testing procedures, safety engineering, and data analysis and computation. (Wallops Release 73-4)
The Federal Communications Commission authorized American Telephone & Telegraph Co. to lease 396 additional satellite circuits from Communications Satellite Corp. for service to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The circuits brought to 1450 the number leased from ComSatCorp by AT&T, at an annual $48.6-million charge. (Di, W Star & News, 6/19/ 73; FCC PIO)
A Washington Star and Daily News editorial commented on the June 3 crash of the Soviet Tu-144 supersonic transport aircraft during the May 24-June 3 Paris Air Show: "Coming on the heels of a series of Soviet air disasters which have killed more than 600 people in the last 18 months and many failures of its space program, the image of Soviet technology at this point is not so reassuring. . . . The crash of the Russian SST is certain to affect the commercial prospects of the Concorde as well." (W Star & News, 6/8/73, A18)
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