Nov 7 1973
From The Space Library
A five-day delay in the launch of Skylab 4, third and final manned Skylab mission, was announced by Skylab Program Director William C. Schneider at a Kennedy Space Center press briefing. The delay was caused by the discovery of cracks in the Saturn 113 launch vehicle fins [see Nov. 6]. The earliest rescheduled launch time would be 9:27 am EST Nov. 15. Director of Launch Operations at KSC Walter J. Kapryan said the 3.8-cm-long (1.5-in-long) cracks probably were caused by stress erosion-exposure of the material to the elements combined with stress from the weight of the fueled vehicle-and would have caused the breakup of the vehicle at 12 000 m (40 000 ft), where the rocket underwent maximum aerodynamic stress. All eight fins would be replaced. New fins were being shipped from Michoud Assembly Facility for replacement on the launch pad. (Transcript; O'Toole, W Post, 11/8/73, A3)
NASA Associate Administrator for Applications Charles W. Mathews testified on the scheduled spring 1974 launch of the Synchronous Meteorological Satellite (SMS) during House Committee on Science and Astronautics' Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications hearings on research into short-term weather phenomena. Based on utility demonstrated by Applications Technology Satellites for storm monitoring, the first operational prototype geostationary meteorological satellite was a forerunner of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system. Once the satellites were placed in orbit and checked out by NASA, they would be turned over to NOAA as a part of the operational system, which could observe the earth's surface day and night, using visible-light and infrared sensors, and acquire in situ data from ocean buoys, aircraft, ships, river stage stations, and other ground-based remote stations. The GOES system-of two satellites in geostationary orbit viewing the western U.S. and Pacific Ocean area and the eastern U.S. and Atlantic area-would provide near-continuous surveillance of all tropical Atlantic storms, all tropical storms of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, and all storms of observable size within the limits of the U.S., its territories, and its surrounding coastal waters, except Alaska. Improved sensors were expected to provide new and improved data on severe storm causes and development. (Transcript)
Sen. Frank E. Moss (D-Utah), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, told Senate colleagues and the press that he had learned of consideration in the Executive branch of a proposal to transfer authority over all U.S. weather satellites from civilian to military control. He believed plans also were under consideration for placing all earth observation satellites under military control. He called for "serious reflection" over any such plans, noting that civilian control of peaceful space activities had been a standing U.S. policy for 15 yrs. (Sen Moss Release 73-304)
President Nixon addressed himself to the energy crisis in a speech over nationwide radio and TV: "We are heading toward the most acute shortages of energy since World War II. Our supply of petroleum this winter will be at least 10 percent short of our anticipated demands, and it could fall short by as much as 17 percent. Now, even before war broke out in the Middle East, these prospective shortages were the subject of intensive discussions among members of my Administration, leaders of the Congress, Governors, mayors, and other groups. From these discussions has emerged a broad agreement that we, as a Nation, must now set upon a new course. In the short run, this course means that we must use less energy-that means less heat, less electricity, less gasoline. In the long run, it means that we must develop new sources of energy which will give us the capacity to meet our needs without relying on any foreign nation." The President announced steps to lower energy consumption. He asked the Atomic Energy Commission to speed licensing and construction of nuclear plants and would ask development of an emergency energy act. (PD, 11/12/73, 1312-8)
The first direct TV transmission from the U.S.S.R. to Cuba was made. The Soviet Red Square Parade, telecast from Moscow, was transmitted via a Molniya satellite and a ground station in eastern Cuba. Regular TV and communications traffic was expected to begin in 1974. (Av Wk, 11/12/73, 9)
Rockwell International Corp, Rocketdyne Div. had received an $8.7-million Air Force contract for production and support services for Atlas propul-sion systems, the Wall Street Journal reported. The systems would launch communications satellites for Communications Satellite Corp. (WSJ, 11/7/73, 10)
McDonnell Douglas Corp. had confirmed that it was offering three ad-ditional versions of its DC-10 wide-bodied jet airliner, increasing available versions to eight, the Wall Street Journal reported. Four ver-sions already were in production; orders had not been placed for the others. (WSJ, 11/7/73, 14)
NASA launched an Aerobee 170 sounding rocket from Woomera, Australia, carrying a Massachusetts Institute of Technology astronomy experiment to a 167.4-km (104-mi) altitude. The rocket and instrumentation per-formed satisfactorily. (GSFC prof off)
November 7-8: Scientists from the European Space Research Organization (ESRO), NASA Hq., Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and four U.S. univer-sities met at Marshall Space Flight Center on project SOREL, a sun-orbiting relativity experiment. SOREL, a satellite to orbit the sun and measure relativistic gravity phenomena, had been proposed by ESRO in 1970. Final results of the mission definition study and SOREL's scientific merits and technical feasibility were discussed. (MSFC Release 73-161; MSFC PAO)
A symposium at Goddard Space Flight Center sought to define critical measurements needed to determine interrelationships of solar and meteorological activity, the mechanisms needed to explain them, and the measurements that could best be made from space. The symposium was sponsored by GSFC with the University Corp. for Atmospheric Research and the American Meteorological Society. (NASA Release 73- 240 ; GSFC PAO)
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