Jul 5 1969

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Apollo 11 Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong (commander), Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. (M pilot), and Michael Collins (CM pilot) held press conference at NASA HQ. Astronauts were seated 50 ft from nearest newsmen and were partially enclosed in plastic booth as part of plan to limit crew's contacts during 21 days immediately preceding flight and prevent development of illness. Press pool questions were asked by Rhett Turner. Collins told press that from CM viewpoint, Apollo 11 should not be very different from previous manned Apollo missions. He did not feel "slightest bit frustrated" about going to moon without landing on it: "I'm going 99.9 percent of the way there, and that suits me fine." LM flight plan would pick up where Apollo 10 left off with phasing maneuver, Aldrin explained. There would be number of "firsts": "the ultimate test," actual touchdown; 1/6 g environment; new thermal conditions; two-man EVA on lunar surface; sleeping in LM on moon; star sighting technique with alignment telescope on lunar surface; and powered ascent from moon with seven-minute engine burn. One of important early activities after exiting from LM on moon would be determining best pace for moving about: ". . . there have been several different techniques employed in the partial zero gravity training. And, it looks like you can walk conventionally one foot after another. It also looks as though you can do a two-footed hop-kangaroo style." In training in aircraft flown at 1/6 g, "a fairly rapid pace" appeared quite easy to perform. "It looks like we shouldn't have too much difficulty in moving at something like 6, 8, or 10 miles per hour." Armstrong said crew would use "somewhat hybrid methods of manual and automatic" for descent to moon. "The predicted method at this point, although we have a great deal of flexibility and choice, based on the situation at the time, would be to maintain manual control of attitude and automatic control of throttle through the final descent from an altitude of somewhere between 500 and 1000 feet until such time as the automatic throttle rated descent was unsatisfactory, at which time we'll go full manual on the throttle . . flying it in a manner like a normal VTOL machine." Code names for CM and LM had been selected as "representative of the flight, the nation's hope," Armstrong revealed. LM would be called "Eagle" for U.S. national emblem, and CM would be called "Columbia" for U.S. symbol, statue on top of Capitol, and Jules Verne's fictional spacecraft, "Columbiad," which flew to moon 100 yrs ago. (Transcript; O'Toole, W Post, 7/6/69, Al)

Listen to Michael Collins interview on this day

Listen to Neil A. Armstrong interview on this day

Listen to Edwin Buzz Aldrin interview on this day

July 5-6: In Moscow Apollo 8 Astronaut Frank Borman placed wreaths at tombs of Vladimir I. Lenin, founder of Soviet state; rocket designer Sergey Korolev; and Cosmonauts Yuri A. Gagarin and Vladimir M. Komarov. Later he placed wreath at tomb of Soviet Unknown Soldier. Borman and family visited Star City, home of cosmonauts outside Moscow, where he presented color film of Apollo 8. Cosmonauts presented Borman with model of Vostok I, first manned spacecraft. Later Borman toured major space tracking station at Eupatoria near Yalta in Crimea. (AP, W Star, 7/5/69, A13; UPI, W Star, 7/7/69, A2)

July

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August

Space/Aeronautics said: "Reshaping of the budget, in combination with a flurry of new activity among NASA, the Air Force and the President's in-house and specially commissioned science advisors, has left no doubt that the Administration favors continuation of a strong manned space flight program and a total space effort much more national in character than the current one. The latter point involves greater pressure on the Air Force and NASA to bring their future programs together, particularly in the space station and support areas. "Although manned space flight was the clear victor in the Republican amendments to the NASA budget, the surgery on the unmanned sectors was artfully performed." Although $41 million was cut from OSSA, none of it came from Earth Resources Survey satellite program. Although $14 million was cut from OART, none came at expense of NERVA program. Only notable individual reductions in areas other than manned space flight came in deferral of Sunblazer program, cancellation of Biosatellite-F, and deferral for one year of new Planetary Explorer project. In net increase in OMSF, NASA essentially traded off slippage in AA program for resumption of Saturn V production and insurance that lunar exploration would continue into early 1970s. (S/A, 5/69, 31-6)

NAS-NRC Space Science Board had formed 13-member standing Committee on Space Medicine to respond to requests from NASA on problems in manned aspects of national space effort, NAS-NRC-NAE News Report said. Chairman was Dr. Shields Warren of Cancer Research Institute of New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, who was noted for his work on effects of radiation. (NAS-NRC-NAE News Rpt, 5/69, 1)

OAR Research Review summarized 1968 research activities of Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories: During 1968 AFCRL scientists had "placed more instruments on board more research vehicles than any other research group" in U.S. Experiments included 46 research rockets, 75 small meteorological rockets, 110 research balloons, and 374 research flights by 6 flying laboratories. Eight of nine satellite experiments were successfully orbited; most significant was 600-lb OV I-16 ("Cannonball") low-altitude-density satellite launched July 11 to measure atmospheric density. (OAR Research Review, 5-6/69, 9)

NSF published R&D in the Aircraft and Missiles Industry, 1957-68 (NSF 69-15). In 1967 aircraft and missiles industry spent record $5.6 billion for R&D-34% of all industrial R&D spending and 116% increase from 1957 level of $2.6 billion. Federal Government had continued to finance more than 80% of industry R&D. In 1967 this was $4.5 billion, of which estimated $2.7 billion was supplied by DOD, $1.6 billion by NASA, and $0.2 billion by all other Federal agencies combined. However, Federal spending in 1967 was $100 million less than in 1964. Companies' own R&D funds rose from $445 million in 1964 to $1.1 billion in 1967, with growing emphasis on nonmilitary and nonspace areas, particularly commercial aircraft and general-aviation fields. (Text)

Flying magazine issued special report on F-111, including "The People vs. the F-111 " by John Fricker and "The F-111 -a Pilot's Verdict" by Richard B. Weeghman. Fricker called F-111 "not guilty" of charges that concept of commonality was invalid, that selection of General Dynamics Corp. instead of Boeing Co. as prime contractor was result of "political consideration," that F-111 suffered from excessive flight restrictions, that it was unsafe, and that it was "operational flop." To charge that cost escalation of F-111 program had been excessive, Fricker delivered verdict "Guilty, with mitigating circumstances"-factory, engineering, and research costs had risen twice as much as originally estimated. (Flying, 5/69)

Copy of original tape recording of excited voices of astronomers as they discovered first optical pulsar on night of Jan. 15-16 had been deposited in Niels Bohr Library, American Institute of Physics Newsletter noted. Tape, made accidentally during moment when optical pulses from Crab Nebula were discovered, had been preserved by discovery team, W. J. Cooke, M. J. Disney, and D. J. Taylor at Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona. (AIP Newsletter, 5/69)

In Communist Party cultural weekly Kultura, Warsaw, Janusz Wilhelm said: "Once more the world is experiencing a sense of exultation over the universe. Man's latest cosmic achievements have caused talk, writing and speculation everywhere. Moreover they are almost personally experienced by all." Exultation over man's ability to cope with universe "surpasses all national and political boundaries." It was rare for people to react "just as human beings without any special differences or distinctions." Moon flight was not going to solve "dramatic problems and conflicts besetting earth," but exultation represented "the essence of rationalism and pragmatism to a much greater extent than most of our emotions." What we felt was "the unity (or oneness) of humanity. . . . So it carried with it a hope." (Atlas, 5/69, 23)

“A Most Fantastic Voyage: The Story of Apollo 8's Rendezvous With the Moon” and “And Now to Touch the Moon's Forbidding Face” articles appear in National Geographic Magazine

Apollo 10 mission is flown.

Click here to listen to Apollo 10 highlights part 1 May 1969