1968

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Johnson Space Center Press Releases. (5MB PDF)

In 1968 U.S. orbited 64 spacecraft and U.S.S.R., 74. U.S. total included 43 launched by DOD. NASA's 21 included satellite orbited as secondary payload. Highlight of NASA's 10th anniversary year was success in carefully planned series of Apollo missions-including first two manned flights in Apollo lunar landing program. Unmanned Apollo 5 and Apollo 6 completed inflight tests of all major pieces of Apollo hardware. First manned mission, Apollo 7, carried three astronauts around earth for 11 days, verifying spacecraft operation before splashing down precisely on target. Mission included live TV transmission from space, largest number of inflight restarts of SPS to date, and new record of 781 man-hours in space.

Listen to an interview with Kurt Debus in 1968

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Apollo program climaxed Dec. 21-27 with highly successful six-day Apollo 8 mission on which three-man crew demonstrated operation of spacecraft systems in lunar environment while world watched live TV coverage via satellite. Spacecraft orbited moon 10 times, providing man with his first trip out of earth's gravitational field and first look at moon's far side and proving capability of crew, spacecraft, and support and control systems to operate out to lunar distances and return through earth's atmosphere at lunar-return velocity. Unmanned Surveyor VII, NASA's first launch in 1968 and last spacecraft in Surveyor series, softlanded on moon, conducted on-site analyses of lunar soil, and took part in laser-detection communications experiment.

Applications satellites launched included Intelsat III F-2 comsat for ComSatCorp and ESSA VII and VIII meteorological satellites for ESSA. Scientific achievements included orbiting of NASA'S OGO V, Aao II, Explorer XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XL satellites and Naval Research Laboratory's Explorer XXXVII. OAO II -heaviest and most complicated U.S. automated spacecraft ever launched-took first UV photos of stars, returning previously unobtainable data. Explorer XXXVI was successfully used by GSFC as target in first daylight operational laser tracking. Pioneer IX, launched into solar orbit, carried Tetr II pickaback and ejected it into earth orbit where it served as tracking target for NASA's Manned Space Flight Network.

Some 157 meteorological sounding rockets and 100 scientific sounding rockets were launched, and RAM C-II spacecraft was launched on suborbital mission to obtain data on radio attenuation during reentry. X-15 rocket research aircraft made 13 flights, ending its flight program with 199 missions, including 154 at mach 4 or greater, 109 at mach 5 or above, and 4 at greater than mach 6. NASA-USAF flight research continued with 13 flights of XB-70 supersonic aircraft. USAF's C-5A, world's largest military cargo aircraft, made its maiden flight and three of the aircraft completed 31 flights for 88-hr total flying time. Design of SST was reevaluated and program was delayed until new fixed-wing design was selected, with prototype construction expected to begin in 1969.

NASA'S HL-10 lifting-body vehicle completed 12 successful glide flights and first powered flight. DOD space program included orbiting of 8 IDCSP comsats, 1 Lincoln Experimental Satellite, 5 Orbiting Vehicle research satellites, and 2 environmental research satellites; static test-firings of Titan III-M 1st stage; and near completion of MOL launch complex at Vandenberg AFB. In joint NASA-AEC effort, propulsion technology highlights included power tests of Phoebus 2A nuclear reactor, first tests of cold-flow test engine in flight configuration in new test stand, and first test-firings of Pewee 1 fuel element test-bed reactor. U.S.S.R. launched 74 payloads, including 64 Cosmos satellites, 1 Luna, 1 Proton, 3 Zond, and 2 Soyuz spacecraft, and 3 Molniya I comsats. Manned Soyuz III rendezvoused but did not dock with un- manned Soyuz II launched one day earlier. Unmanned Zond V and VI completed circumlunar flights and were recovered. Zond IV circled moon and apparently crashlanded U.S.S.R.'s Tu-144 delta-wing supersonic transport successfully made 38-min maiden flight. (Pres Rpt 68; NASA Release 68-219; B Sun, 1/18/69, 28; Shabad, NYT, 1/1/69, 1; UPI, W Star, 1/1/69 A7)

Major administrative events affecting NASA and its role in space were resignation of Administrator James E. Webb in October, after 71/2 yr as NASA'S head, and budget cuts necessitating program and personnel reductions. Press marked Webb retirement with praise for many accomplishments of U.S. space program during his leadership. Webb, planning to devote time to interests in education and urban and foreign affairs, continued to serve as consultant to Acting Administrator Dr. Thomas O. Paine. NASA FY 1969 budget request of $4.37 billion, already smallest since 1963 and $700 million below FY 1968 request, was further trimmed by Congress because of urgent national needs in other areas, particularly Vietnam war and urban problems. Authorization of $4.013 billion was lowered to appropriation of $3.995 billion-$375.12 million below original request. Revenue and Expenditure Control Act of 1968 again reduced NASA funds, as well as funds for DOD and other agencies. Dr. Paine in October announced NASA interim operating plan limited to $3.85 billion for FY 1969. Cutbacks included "sharply limited and deferred" Apollo Applications program, end to Saturn IB and V booster production, 50% cut in advanced mission studies, reduced lunar and planetary exploration program, one-year delay in NERVA development, slips in Biosatellite program, and reductions in astronomy, physics, and basic research. In November Dr. Paine said that below $4-billion level NASA could no longer "hold together our hard-won capabilities and utilize them effectively in critical programs; some of them would have to be dropped entirely." (EH)

In its international cooperation program, NASA successfully launched three satellites for European Space Research Organization: International Radiation Investigation Satellite Iris I (Esro II-B), Aurorae (Esro I) to study aurora borealis and related polar ionosphere phenomena, and Highly Eccentric Orbiting Satellite Heos A for interplanetary physics research. From eight nations, 35 investigators were selected to carry out experiments with first lunar surface material to be retrieved by NASA. Four nations contributed experiments flown on NASA spacecraft and 122 sounding rockets were launched in scientific programs with eight countries. Geodetic satellite observations were carried out with 34 countries; aeronautical research was conducted with 4 countries; and 52 countries had APT facilities to receive cloud cover pictures from U.S. satellites. (NASA Releases 68-219, 68-204; Pres Rpt 68)

Uspekhi SSSR v Issledovanii Kosmicheskogo Prostranstva. Pervoye Kosmicheskoye Desyatiletiye 1957-1967 [U.S.S.R. Achievements in Space Research (First Decade in Space, 1957-1967) ] was published as Sputnik anniversary edition by Nauka Publishing House, Moscow. Dr. Anatoly A. Blagonravov, Academician and chief editor, wrote introduction. Text included results of scientific studies, experiments, and exploration. Appendix listed satellites, spacecraft, and their characteristics. Joint Publications Research Service of U.S. Dept of Commerce published translation, JPRS 47,311, on Jan. 24, 1969. (Texts)