Oct 7 1971
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos 443 from Plesetsk into orbit with 297-km (184.6-mi) apogee, 201-km (124.9-mi) perigee, 89.4- min period, and 65.4° inclination. Satellite reentered Oct. 19. (GFSC SSR, 10/13/71; SF, 4/72, 132)
Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, enumerated major factors relevant to NASA FY 1973 budget request in speech before AIAA National Capital Section: 1. "Program continuity must be maintained." NASA could not "shut down major programs for several years and then start them up again efficiently," 2. NASA programs had helped stabilize U.S. aerospace industry. "This is a very significant reason for maintaining NASA programs up to or near current levels at this time." 3. NASA would reach minimum "institutional base" requirement for efficient management of approved programs in current fiscal year. "I will strongly resist any further reductions." 4. Space shuttle was "next logical step to develop our national capabilities for using space more economically and more effectively with manned and unmanned spacecraft, for both civilian and defense purposes." 5. U.S. was lagging behind in development of new technology for commercial and military aviation. "We killed the SST while Britain and France went ahead to build the Concorde, and the Soviet Union built a competing version. The Europeans-and our Canadian neighbors- are ahead of us in Short Take Off and Landing Aircraft. The question must be asked, how long can we, as a great nation, afford to be mere spectators while others move ahead in aircraft technology?" NASA did not intend "to shift the gears of our space program into the `park' position; we are geared up for continued steady and impressive progress in those areas of space activity which we consider most rewarding scientifically or most important to our national security." Within few years "there will be no time of day or night, year in and year out, when men are not working in orbit above the earth. And it is up to us, in decisions to be made this year in this capital, whether the men in orbit will include Americans." (Text)
NASA announced six-month delay in development of space shuttle to give contractors more time to study in detail alternatives resulting from current studies. Under new schedule, North American Rockwell Corp., McDonnell Douglas Co., Lockheed Missiles & Space Co., and Grumman Aerospace Corp. would study designs until April 30, 1972, rather than concluding at end of October. Selection of sites for shuttle development and operational flights would be deferred until overall system characteristics were defined. (NASA Release 71-199)
Skylab multiple docking adapter (MDA) trainer arrived at MSC from Martin Marietta Corp. facility at Denver, Colo. MDA trainer was flown to MSC aboard NASA Super Guppy aircraft. (NASA Release 71-187; MSC Pm)
Dr. Wernher von Braun, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Planning, said significance of man's movement into space with both "auto-mated, unmanned spacecraft and manned vehicles," ought to be grasped by every nation and every individual. Speaking at "Report on America" dinner sponsored in Washington, D.C., by Time magazine for group of European businessmen, he added : "Man has left Earth. There is as great an awesome potential in that simple statement as there is in the fact, man appeared on Earth. Human destiny now has another door opened to it that previously was firmly locked." Satellite investigations and space probes had advanced human knowledge about earth, moon, and planets. "Astronomers now are able to view across the entire electro-magnetic spectrum to obtain information about the birth, evolution, and extinction of celestial objects previously beyond reach of the most powerful telescope. Space is, in fact, a vast laboratory in which to experiment with weightlessness, hard vacuum, solar plasmas, and extremely high cosmic ray particles. "The potential value of space technology for Earth applications alone, including long-range weather forecasting, earth resources surveys, and communications, has been estimated . at billions of dollars annually to the world." (NASA Activities, 11/15/71, 182)
San Francisco Bay area was being surveyed and photographed by U-2 reconnaissance aircraft in U.S. Geological Survey project to gather continuous information fast and accurately on urban development, m i reported. Project also covered Phoenix-Tucson area in Arizona and Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area as basis for more thorough, nation-wide study of 27 urban regions. In 1972 NASA ERTS satellite would provide constant check on urban growth patterns and development. (NYT, 10/7/71, 55)
Small "quasi-moon" 1.6 to 3.2 km (1 to 2 mi) in diameter was gravitationally linked to earth and moon in three-body team of celestial objects orbiting sun, Dr. Hannes O. Alfven of Univ. of California at San Diego said in telephone interview with New York Times. Although little asteroid, named Toro, was discovered in 1964, computer calculations showing it was locked with earth and moon had not been reported until September at Nobel Conference in Stockholm, Toro came within 15 million km (9.3 million mi) of earth every eight years. Discovery was first indication that another celestial object was part of earth-moon system. (Rensberger, NYT, 10/8/71, 24)
DOD spokesman Jerry W. Friedheim announced that 22 additional C-5s were being grounded as safety precaution pending additional tests to find cause of Sept. 29 incident at Altus AFB, Okla., in which engine and pylon mounting fell from aircraft during engine warmup for takeoff. (Getler, W Post, 10/8/71, Al)
Dr. Jerome B. Wiesner was installed as 13th President of MIT at ceremonies in Cambridge, Mass. Dr. Wiesner had been science adviser to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. (NYT, 10/8/71, 25; MIT PTO)
President Nixon issued statement on Oct. 6 death of Rep. James G. Fulton. Rep. Fulton would be "especially remembered for his unfailing support of our space program." (PD, 10/11/71, 1382; Weil, W Post, 10/8/71, B8)
Mrs. Leatrice M. Pendray - early rocket experimenter, syndicated columnist, and public relations executive-died in Princeton, N.J., at age 66 following long illness. She had been cofounder of American Interplanetary Society in 1930. Society had been renamed American Rocket Society and was later merged with Institute of Aerospace Science to form American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. (NYT, 10/9/71, 30; A&A 1963)
Charles H. Hubbell, well-known artist-historian of air age-who in 1930s began painting winners of annual Thompson Trophy Race- died at age 72. More than 375 "Hubbells" were painted for TRW Aviation Calendar series and quarter of million lithographic reproductions had been published. Hubbell's pictures had hung in White House, museums, palaces, libraries, and homes of aviation buffs. (TRw Calendar, 1972)
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