Oct 24 1963
From The Space Library
NASA press conference in Washington on results of EXPLORER XVI meteoroid hazard experiments. Principal conclusion expressed by Dr. Fred L. Whipple, Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, was that in its 71/2 months of useful lifetime EXPLORER XVI demonstrated that most of the meteoroids in space were bits of "fluff" in existence since the formation of the solar system some 4.6 billion years ago and not, as feared, small rocks that would cause major impact damage to satellites. While the rock type meteoroids do exist, they are so rare as to make collision chances very remote. (NASA Release; Myler, Wash,. Post, 10/25/63)
Dr. Jerome B. Wiesner, Director of White House Office of Science and Technology, testified before the House Subcommittee on Science, Research and Development on the NASA-DOD agreement on joint study and recommendations on National Oral Space Station (NOSS) : "We have finally made a good start. Now, we are going in the right direction." He also Said that much of NASA's R&D was work that DOD would have to do for itself if not done by NASA, that DOD's R&D budget was leveling off and would continue to do so because the U.S. was no longer behind U.S.S.R. in weapon systems Such as the ICBM. (Space Bus. Daily, 10/25/63,145)
NASA announced it would negotiate with Linde Co. and Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., for final selection of the contractor to supply liquid hydrogen to the NASA test Sites at Mississippi Test Operations and MSFC for the Saturn launch vehicle test program. Supplier would have to have the capability of producing as much as 115 million pounds of liquid hydrogen from April 1965-Dec. 1970. (NASA Release 63-239)
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson defended the space program as a major bulwark of U.S. posture. In a speech to the Massachusetts Associated Industries in Boston, the Vice President said: "If we want to maintain the credibility of our claim to the Superiority of a free political system-and a free private enterprise system we cannot seriously entertain the thought of precipitating now so massive a disillusionment as would follow a political default on our commitments in space exploration." (AP, Wash,. Post, 10/25/63)
DOD confirmed that Australia would buy 24 TFX aircraft from the U.S., with delivery beginning in 1967. In the meantime, the U.S. would make available two squadrons of B-47 aircraft to replace Australia's obsolete Canberra bombers. (DOD Release 1415-63)
DOD officials see very few applications of laser for military purposes in the near future, according to Space Business Daily. Use of laser within the earth's atmosphere would be hampered by absorption and diffusion of many frequencies even though the light is coherent. Greatest use seems to be in space, although size of power source may be a problem here. NASA was said to be taking more interest in laser for space applications, perhaps raising R&D investment to $7 or 8 million per year. Space Bus. Daily, 10/25/63,147)
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