Feb 23 1974
From The Space Library
The U.S. Postal Service announced the design of a 10-cent stamp to commemorate the Skylab program. To be issued 14 May on the first anniversary of the launch of the Skylab 1 Orbital Workshop, the stamp would depict the 7 June 1973 two-man spacewalk that freed the jammed solar panel during the Skylab 2 mission (25 May to 22 June 1973) . The horizontal stamp was designed by Robert T. McCall of Arizona. (USPS Release 11)
A Washington Post editorial commented on solar heating legislation: There was "enough sunshine in this country . . . to supply twice the energy needed to heat and cool all our buildings." Technically, solar heating was simple. Solar cooling was more complicated, but within the grasp of a determined engineering effort. The problem was psycho-economic rather than technical. Industry did not want to produce hardware because they were not sure people would buy it. A bill [H.R. 11864] passed in the House by a 253-to-2 vote [see 13 Feb.] would make $50 million available for a national demonstration of solar heating in 4000 homes in various parts of the country. The Senate would begin hearings on a similar measure [ S. 2658], and companion measures would encourage solar heating and cooling with tax incentives and mortgage rule changes. We need "a wide-open, long-range determined public energy policy . . . and we need it in all areas that promise to help free us of our dependence on shrinking oil resources. The new solar-heating legislation is a welcome step in this direction." ( W Post, 23 Feb 74, A16)
Dr. George A. Van Biesbroeck, Univ. of Arizona astronomer noted for his work with twin stars, asteroids, and comets, died in Arizona at the age of 94. Dr. Van Biesbroeck had charted the orbit of Neptune's second satellite, published catalogs of double stars, and discovered 11 asteroids and 2 comets. In the 1930s he had been instrumental in establishing the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, Tex. Dr. Van Biesbroeck had won the Franklin L. Burr Award from the National Geographic Society in 1952 for finding new proof of the bending of light from stars in support of the Einstein theory of relativity. (AP, NYT, 26 Feb 74, 36)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
