May 3 1962
From The Space Library
Two GSFC scientific sounding rockets launched from Wallops Station. An Iris research rocket launched with test instrumentation did not achieve programed altitude and landed 175 statute miles downrange. A four-stage Argo D-4 launch vehicle carried 78-lb payload to an altitude of almost 530 statute miles to record the intensity and distribution of radio noise above the ionosphere at extremely low frequencies.
Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., and Cosmonaut Gherman S. Titov visited the White House and toured the Mall in Washington, D.C. At joint press conference at the National Academy of Sciences, Glenn and Titov both spoke about possible international cooperation in manned space flight, Titov suggesting that the diplomats would first have to reach agreement on disarmament. Titov said that the Soviet press conference on August 14, 1961, held at Ludnicki, at which the President of the Soviet Academy of Sciences Matislav Keldysh discussed the rocket boosters of VOSTOK II, contained all useful information available on the Soviet rockets. Titov also said that the released photograph of VOSTOK II was of a mockup.
House of Representatives passed the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 by a vote of 354 to 9, one creating machinery to operate the U.S. portion of a worldwide communications satellite system. Act (H.R. 11040) declared that it is the policy of the U.S. "to establish as soon as practicable a commercial communications satellite system . . . in conjunction and cooperation with other countries . . . to be responsible to public needs and national objectives, serve the communications needs of the United States and other countries, and contribute to world peace and understanding." Act created a private corporation, one half of whose stock would be public owned, the remainder by communications companies. Three directors are to be appointed by the President, six elected by public stockholders and six by industry stockholders.
Soviet Academician Anatoli A. Blagonravov told the press in Washington that U.S.–U.S.S.R. talks on space cooperation would be resumed at Geneva during the meeting of the subcommittee of the U.N. Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on May 28.
Prof. Vassily V. Parin of the Soviet Academy of Sciences reported that fruit flies carried aloft in Soviet spacecraft had shown a "considerable increase in gene mutations," in a report on space biology to COSPAR meeting in Washington. Evident to some observers was that the Russians have conducted a wide range of biological experiments in their satellite program.
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