October 1962
From The Space Library
In letter report to House Committee on Science and Astronautics, NASA Deputy Administrator Dr. Hugh L. Dryden disclosed problems in the Centaur launch vehicle program: Atlas-Centaur capability to carry heavy payloads under severe wind conditions must be studied in greater detail; quality of fabrication must be improved to reach desired level of quality control; guidance system requires further development to achieve necessary accuracy and reliability; tank fabrication requires better welding techniques; Atlas-Centaur inflight separation requires further analysis; nose cone and insulation panels must be further tested to prove their aerodynamic-load resistance. Report said about $100 million would be spent on Centaur in FY 1963 to accelerate development. NASA Lewis Research Center would study use of Centaur in combination with Titan II, Saturn C-1, and Saturn C-1B boosters.
Program testing astronaut tolerance to space flight conditions was initiated with order of motion-simulator platform from Textron Electronics, Inc., MB Electronics Div. The platform, to be installed at Wright-Patterson AFB, will move in six directions—pitch, roll, yaw, up-and-down, side-to-side, and back-to-forward.
NASA acquired from the Army a ship basin adjacent to Michoud Operations facility for loading and unloading space vehicles at the Saturn fabrication plant. Plans called for construction of ship dock at the. basin and dredging of vessel-turning area.
Senator Hubert Humphrey, in hearings of the Subcommittee on Reorganization and International Organizations of the Senate Committee on Government Operations, told Melvin S. Day, Director of NASA Office of Scientific and Technical Information: "Mr. Day, I want to commend you for blueprinting one of the finest. intra-agency systems in the Federal government today in the information field and, of course, I speak of NASA. While the work is being done by private contractor, it is you who have set the high standards for performance. . . . We feel what has been done within the agency, from our limited examination, is an outstanding job, and we want to compliment you on it." During October: Geophysical Institute of University of Alaska reported to NASA that specially instrumented sounding rockets would be desirable for measuring extent of solar cosmic rays associated with ionization of the upper atmosphere. Auroral-zone absorption disturbances make ground measurements difficult.
Three scientists at Boeing Company made seven-day simulated space trip to the moon in a cylinder-shaped capsule 8 ft. in diameter and 6 ft., 4 in. high.
Atlantic Research Corporation introduced new Archer solid-propellant sounding rocket for use during International Year of the Quiet Sun (IQSY), 1964-65. Archer successfully completed its initial flight to 75–mi. altitude carrying 35-lb. payload, at Pt. Mugu, California. Flight testing would be completed early in 1963.
USAF announced completion of network of 71 "gravity base measuring stations" throughout the U.S. Exceedingly accurate and sensitive gravity meters at each location would establish a base value of gravity. This knowledge was expected to contribute to missile accuracy, to geophysical exploration for new sources of minerals, and to assist future researchers in determining whether gravity values for a given location change with time.
USAF prepared proposed FY 1964 budget requesting $23.5 billion, including funds for construction of eight RS-70 reconnaissance bombers and for expanded development of space weapons. Also considered in budget preparation was long-range proposal to use NASA’s Gemini two-man spacecraft as a stepping stone toward developing military manned space flight capability.
Space General Corp. reported development of aspect-insensitive antenna system for satellites and spacecraft. System, which automatically points toward its transmission source on earth, could reduce number of communications satellites in worldwide network "by a factor of four or five," according to Space General.
International Association of Machinists voted to ratify new three-year contract with General Dynamics Corp., thus leaving Lockheed Aircraft Corp. as the only aerospace company that had not reached contract settlement with union workers.
George M. Kohler of General Electric Co. suggested to the IAF meeting in Bulgaria that a worldwide, intensive program be established to use asteroids as scientific bases for space exploration. Kohler estimated that between 10 million and 10 billion objects 30 ft. to 300 ft. in diameter pass within 20 million mi. of the earth each year, and that a good number of them probably come much closer—perhaps within several thousand miles. He called for (1) careful search for closer asteroids with special electronic telescopes; (2) landing unmanned spacecraft on asteroids; and (3) steering asteroids into earth orbit, to be hollowed out and used as manned satellite bases.
Czech scientist Adeneck Dobrichovskv, writing in a Prague technical journal, said the U.S.S.R. would launch a four-man space observatory for two-month orbit in 1965-66.
- October
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