Apr 28 1972
From The Space Library
Soviet President Nikolay V. Podgorny sent message congratulating President Nixon on successful completion of Apollo 16 mission and safe return of astronauts. He asked President to convey "best of wishes to the members of the spaceship crew, courageous cosmonauts John Young, Charles Duke and Thomas Mattingly." (FBIS-Sov, 4/28/72, G2)
Dr. Charles A. Berry, NASA Director of Life Sciences, told press at Manned Spacecraft Center briefing Apollo 16 astronauts had returned from mission in excellent condition. "They could walk well. And there wasn't any obvious effect . . . on the ability to stand up well without having blood pressure drop. And . . . there was no motion sickness" even though astronauts had spent about 30 min in spacecraft in fairly rough sea after splashdown. All three astronauts had minor irritation around sensor attachments on the skin. All three had normal white blood cell counts rather than increased counts usually seen on previous missions. Their response to postflight tests showed they were in "better shape" than Apollo 15 crew had been. Cardiac silhouette size appeared to have decreased; only astronaut to have cardiac arrythmic contractions was Charles M. Duke, Jr., who had three. Data on potassium levels was not yet available. Astronauts would be on rigid diet and undergo extensive tests for three days so doctors could compare postflight medical measurements with those taken during three-day preflight controlled diet period. (Transcript)
U.S. press commented on safe April 27 return of Apollo 16 astronauts. New York Times: Mission had "reminded us once again that man's study of the moon is but in its infancy, and that the great bulk of the moon's territory is still completely unexplored." Yet, "only one more manned lunar mission is now scheduled." As Apollo program ended, "its enormous successes underline the opportunities on the moon and compel all men to lift their eyes to the heavens if they would under-stand whence and how our species, our world and our solar system came into being." (NYT, 4/28/72)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: "These three strong young men are heros in the truest sense of the term. They have pitted their courage, their physical strength and their minds against a multiplicity of awe-some forces which singularly or collectively could totally obliterate them. And they did it for the noblest of reasons-the pursuit of knowledge. If mankind has any claim to greatness, surely it is men like this that give it credence." Editorial also approved space funding: "It is appropriate to note, just when the next-to-last planned Apollo spacecraft is safely home from the moon, that a few days ago the U.S. House voted approval of a $3.4 billion space agency budget bill. Part of the money will go for the development of a space shuttle, the next logical step in the great adventure of exploring space. The technological advances that are part of the space program have already proven themselves of value here on earth. It's likely that this kind of extra technical dividend will continue to lead to break-through areas not even related to space." (Atlanta IC, 4/28/72)
San Francisco Examiner: "... Apollo 16 may well turn out to be the most rewarding of all our moon expeditions. All Americans can take pride in a feat so remarkably compounded of scientific precision and human courage." (SF Exam, 4/28/72)
Chicago Daily News: "With experience, the crews and the thousands of technical experts supporting them from the Earth have learned to correct the minor flaws and juggle the entire intricate timetable when necessary. It seems a pity that much of the experience so dearly gained is soon to be put on the shelf. . . . But the lessons of Apollo can be applied at least in part to the portions of the space program that will remain. . , And if the pioneering aspects of the space program are about over, its benefits will continue-most spectacularly in the weather and communication satellites, but extending also into more mundane improvements in daily living." (C Daily News, 4/28/72)
Proposed general reorganization of Flight Research Center was approved by Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator. Under new organization FRC would be divided into four directorates and subdivided into divisions and branches. (FRC X-Press, 5/12/72, 2)
Existence of 10th planet in solar system, three times as large as Saturn and twice as far as Neptune from sun, was suggested by scientists from Univ. of California's Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. Mathematician Joseph L. Brady told press team had used computer to process mathematical observations on deviations in orbit of Halley's Comet. Presence of 10th planet, far beyond Pluto, had been predicted from mathematical computations. (UPI, W Post, 4/29/72, A3; Publications of the Astronautical Society of the Pacific, 5/72)
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