Feb 5 1974
From The Space Library
Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, presented NASA'S $3.247-billion FY 1975 budget request and program [see 4 Feb.] to the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences to open hearings on the NASA authorization bill. In a review of FY 1974 accomplishments Dr. Fletcher pointed out that as the Skylab program came to an end the three crews had traveled some 113 million km and orbited the earth 2475 times in a working scientific laboratory chalking up "about 100 miles per gallon of fuel." Skylab had focused on the sun, the earth, and man. "Apollo extended man's reach to the moon; Skylab added near-Earth to man's domain."
In answer to questions Dr. Fletcher said the principal difference between NASA'S minimum request to the Office of Management and Budget and the final figures sent to Congress by the President was the $89 million subtracted from the shuttle program, causing a four- to six-month delay. Other differences brought a total decrease of $124 million below "what we could have gotten by with without any major changes" in NASA's program. The proposed minimum budget would not have restored any of the programs NASA had had to drop because of FY 1974 budget cuts and therefore had been "well below the constant level" envisaged for NASA in FY 1973. Of $7.9 million cut from aeronautics programs, the chief reduction was in the quiet propulsion lift technology program, deleting the system integration model effort. Deletion of $1 million from the requested technology utilization increase canceled proposed increases in numbers of dissemination centers and reduced buildup of support to state and local governments. A $5.7-million cut in the amount requested for earth observations instruments had deferred their development.
Dr. George M. Low, Deputy Administrator, said there had been "some discussions during the past several months" of an OMB proposal to consolidate weather satellite programs under the Department of Defense. NASA, DOD, OMB, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had decided "to keep separate systems for the DOD and NASA [with NOAA], but we will make maximum use" of hardware commonality in building satellites for them. (Transcript)
Dr. James R. Schlesinger, Secretary of Defense, said in FY 1975 budget hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee that, although it was the first time in more than a decade the budget did not reflect support of U.S. forces in combat, it had to support a minimum peacetime defense and deterrence posture. The $85.5-billion budget appeared large because of inflation, increased military and civilian pay, and increased retirement benefits.
An FY 1974 supplemental request of $6.2 billion included $480 million in increased fuel prices and $231 million for extra costs of arms for Israel during the October 1973 Mid-East war.
The FY 1975 budget included programs to maintain and improve ballistic missile systems; continue strategic systems research; increase the active air defense of the U.S.; and increase the total airlift and sealift capability. (Testimony)
5-22 February: Mariner 10, launched 3 Nov. 1973, passed within 5800 km of Venus-within 15 km of the planned aim point-at 1:01 pm EDT 5 Feb. The encounter sequence was accomplished according to plan and data were transmitted over the 45 million km between the earth and Venus at a rate of 117.6 kilobits per sec. Excellent ultraviolet cloud-structure pictures and new data on particle environment and mass, density, and shape of the planet were returned.
Because Mariner 10 approached Venus on the dark side, the TV sequence was not begun until shortly before the encounter, at 12:21 pm EDT. The spacecraft flew behind Venus at 1:07 pm EDT for 20 min; TV signals were stored on tape and recovered without difficulty after Mariner 10 emerged from the occultation zone. During occultation, the space-craft's radio antenna was aimed toward the edge of the planet so that the radio signals were bent around Venus by the extremely dense atmosphere and sent on to the earth.
All science instruments functioned normally except the scanning electrostatic analyzer. The TV sequence was completed 13 Feb. after some 4165 pictures were returned to the earth. During the flyby, the 503-kg spacecraft used the gravitational field of Venus to slow its speed and direct the flight path toward a 29 March encounter with Mercury. By 22 Feb. Mariner 10-its speed increasing as it came nearer the sun-was travelling 3 million km per day toward the planet.
Preliminary science results were presented at a press briefing 7 Feb. at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr. Herbert S. Bridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist, said the solar wind was interacting with the ionosphere of Venus, producing a magnetic tail that could be detected as a modified plasma flow as far out from the planet as 500 Venus radii. Dr. James A. Dunne, Mariner project scientist, said the magnetic field doubled just before radio occultation but that no evidence of an intrinsic planetary magnetic field was found. Preliminary radio science results indicated that Venus was very round, 100 times less oblate than the earth, and confirmed that Venus had a dayside ionosphere. The mass of the planet was slightly less than that derived from previous data. Hydrogen was a major element of the Venus cloud deck, possibly present in droplets of sulfuric acid as well as water vapor. Mariner 10 found no evidence of deuterium on the planet, indicating that the hydrogen had originated from the solar wind. Helium, carbon, and atomic oxygen were found in the atmosphere, with possible traces of argon and neon. Outer atmosphere temperature of 590 K (600°F) was suggested.
TV data indicated a uniform main cloud deck with three or four layers and a stratified haze layer. TV pictures in uv showed a classical "Y" feature that originated in the equatorial region and spiraled toward the pole. Clear circulation patterns could be seen at the poles, caused by rising gas transporting excess solar heat from the equatorial zone by convection. The atmosphere was smooth, with no swirling storms. (NASA MOR, 11 March 74; Briefing transcript; Sullivan, NYT, 5 Feb. 74, 18; 6 Feb. 74, 1; Miles, LA Times, 6 Feb 74)
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