Sep 11 1972
From The Space Library
NASA released prints from infrared photos of New York area taken by ERTS 1 (launched July 23). Black-and-white photo of New York City taken from 915-km (569-mi) altitude covering area 185 km (115 mi) square was covered by clouds, but was valuable as a general test of ERTS 1 instrumentation. Images of infrared radiation from which prints had been made clearly showed distribution of vegetation in New Jersey. Dr. Paul D. Lowman of Goddard Space Flight Center said in inter-view that pictures of other areas had been of higher quality. "Our first discovery from ERTS is that all our maps, topographic as well as geologic, are out of date." In California's Monterey Bay area, scientists had discovered "a whole series of unsuspected faults" in earth's crust. While major earthquake faults ran northwest and southeast, newly discovered faults ran at right angles to mountains, northeast and southeast. About 15 faults, each extending about 16 km (10 mi), had been discovered in Monterey region and about 12 faults had been discovered near Lake Tahoe, Calif. Satellite picture of Dallas-Fort Worth area showed many new roads, reservoirs, suburbs, and airports that were not on area's most recent map, made three years before. (NASA Photos 72-HC-711, 72-4-241; Wilford, NYT, 9/12/72, 26)
Mission officials for Viking Mars mission were concerned about tenuous values of dielectric constant (measure of electrical charge a substance could withstand at a given electrical field strength) estimated from radar observations of Mars surface, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. Massachusetts Institute of Technology investigators had found strong signal in 2-5 dielectric- constant range and weaker signal above that. Values suggested Mars had either hard bedrock surface impenetrable by spacecraft sampling equipment or deep dust surface that could not support landing vehicle. (Av Wk, 9/11/72, 11)
Apollo 11 Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., was inducted into Aerospace Primus Club of Air Force Systems Command by Gen. George S. Brown, AFSC Commander, in ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Aldrin, retired Air Force colonel, became 28th member of club restricted to military and civilian members of Air Force who had accomplished significant aerospace firsts. He was recognized for his historic flight to moon as pilot of Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle July 16-24, 1969. (AFSC Newsreview, 10/72/16)
Gen. Thomas D. White Space Trophy for 1971 was presented to L/G Samuel C. Phillips (USAF) for his achievements as Commander of Air Force Space and Missile Systems Organization (SAMSO). Trophy was awarded annually by National Geographic Society to Air Force member who made most outstanding contribution to U.S. progress in aerospace. Gen. Phillips had been Apollo Program Director in NASA and was currently Director of National Security Agency. (MSC Release 72-197)
Reassignment of Apollo 15 Astronaut Alfred M. Worden from Astronaut Office at Manned Spacecraft Center to Airborne Science Office, Space Science Div., at Ames Research Center became effective. (MSC Release 72-197)
Director Robert R. Wilson of National Accelerator Laboratory told 16th Rochester. International Conference on High Energy Physics in Batavia, Ill., that $250-million accelerator at Batavia had reached 300-bev proton energy level during August. Figure was four times the energy level of world's second most powerful atom smasher at Serpukhov in U.S.S.R. (Sullivan, NYT, 9/12/72, 23)
Switzerland had dropped plans to purchase U.S. or French fighter- bomber aircraft, Swiss Defense Minister Rudolf Gnaegi said at Berne press conference. Reuters said later that announcement had ended weeks of uncertainty over whether Swiss would buy U.S. A- 7G Corsairs or French Dassault 1Vfilans. (Reuters, NYT, 9/12/72, 4)
Huntsville (Ala.) Times editorial criticized attitude of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. George S. McGovern (D-S. Dak.) toward U.S. space program: "The McGovern space-budget figure of $2 billion may not seem a paltry sum to many taxpayers and voters. But it becomes a piddling figure . . . when compared with massive governmental outlays for farm price-supports and other questionable multi-billion-dollar expenditures. And even in endorsing this minimal space effort, Senator McGovern stresses the negative aspect of not wanting to see additional thousands of aerospace employees thrown out of work, rather than emphasizing the positive contributions of space to the expansion of man's scientific knowledge, to the strengthening of the technological know-how of American industry, and to the enhancement of the nation's image throughout the world." (Huntsville Times, 9/11/72)
September 11-12: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and American Astronautical Society sponsored Astrodynamics Conference in Palo Alto, Calif. Langley Research Center scientist David R. Brooks said in paper that LaRC was studying precursor flyby mission to examine two asteroids and periodic comet Forbes in 1977 to gain support for planetary program in 1980s. Since mission would require only exceptionally low velocities it could be accomplished at minimum cost and risk with modified Pioneer-F and Pioneer-G spacecraft. (Text)
September 11-13; American Society of Mechanical Engineers held annual Aerospace Div. Conference at Anaheim, Calif. Application of aerospace technology to societal problems and future of space exploration were discussed by officials of NASA; National Science Foundation; Depts. of Commerce, Transportation, and Interior; state and local governments; industry; and education. Aviation's role in earth resources surveys was described in paper by Deputy Director Clarence A. Syvertson and Airborne Science Office Chief Donald R. Mulholland of Ames Research Center: "At the present time, 275 companies are engaged in aerial surveys, but less than 50 of these are equipped for nonphotographic remote sensing. New sensor technology growing from and stimulated by the space program has made it possible to obtain vastly improved data." Federal Aviation Administration data showed that in 1971 "some 230 aircraft were used for aerial surveys and another 31 for patrolling." ARC used general-aviation, high-altitude research, and four engine jet transportation craft. Remote sensing from aircraft provided data to improve environment, conserve natural resources, and contribute to economic growth. "The sensors required ... are evolving rapidly, in part from well- established aerial reconnaissance technology, and in part from technology developed for the space program." ASME Spirit of St. Louis Award was presented to Apollo 11 Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, first man on moon, for "meritorious service in the advancement of aeronautics and astronautics." (ASME Release 7/18/72; NASA Activities, 10/15/72, 207-10)
September 11-October 1; Series of six stratospheric balloons were launched to altitudes from 38 000 to 41 000 m (125 000 to 135 000 ft) from Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport, Mo., in project directed by Navy's Office of Naval Research and Raven Industries, Inc., in cooperation with four universities and NASA. Balloons, with volumes from 310 000 to 937 000 cu m (11 000 000 to 33 100 000 cu ft) , achieved all flight objectives. Sept. 11 flight carried instruments from Univ. of New Hampshire to study charge and isotopical composition of cosmic radiation particles and two ionization chambers from Atomic Energy Commission and Rice Univ. Sept. 14 flight carried Washington Univ., St. Louis, experiments, including one to measure isotopic abundances of silicon, sulfur, calcium, and iron nuclei. On Sept. 14 and 24, Enrico Fermi Institute, Chicago Univ., counter experiments were launched to measure nuclear composition of very-high-energy cosmic rays. Univ. of California, at Riverside experiment was launched Sept. 19 to measure albedo neutrons from earth and solar neutrons from solar flares and quiet sun. Sixth flight, Oct. 1, carried Goddard Space Flight Center experiment to measure flux of very-high-energy cosmic rays. (Navy, ONR Field Representative [Navy Balloon Proj])
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