Oct 18 1974
From The Space Library
The first few space shuttle flights would land at Flight Research Center, Or. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, announced in a talk before the Antelope Valley Board of Trade, Lancaster, Calif. First horizontal test flights would be made from FRC and first orbital test flights would return there because of added safety margins and good weather conditions. FRC would also be a secondary landing site for operational shuttle flights when weather or other conditions made it desirable. (NASA Release 74-279)
Plans almost to double spending for the European Space Research Organization's Ariane launch vehicle program in 1975 were made at an Ariane Program Board meeting in Paris. Spending authority would exceed $71 million, up from 1974's $37-million budget, and obligational authority was proposed at about $110 million instead of $71 million proposed earlier, in authorizations expected to be approved at the 26 Nov. Board meeting.
The Board-made up of officials from ESROv and 10 European countries financing Ariane development-met to review budget and development following France's confirmation that she would continue to con-tribute 62.5% of the financing. The development schedule would still call for flight trials of the launcher in 1979 and 1980.
The Board also was informed that the Societe Europ‚ene de Propulsion (SEP) had sold a production license for the Ariane's Viking rocket motors to the Indian Space Research Organization for ISRO's SLV-3 vehicle, under development for launching future educational broadcast satellites. (Av Wk, 28 Oct 74, 19)
Federal scientists and engineers decreased by three percent in 1973, reducing employment in that category to the lowest level since 1968, the National Science Foundation reported. Nonprofessional scientific and technical personnel declined by six percent, reducing the number below even the 1968 level. The 1973 drop was the second decrease in Federal civilian scientists and engineers since comparable figures were first kept in 1954.
Within NASA, total scientific and technical personnel decreased by almost five per cent. While the number of scientists increased margin-ally, the number of engineers decreased by more than five percent and the nonprofessionals decreased by more than seven percent. (NSF High-lights, 18 Oct 74)
The Dept. of Defense announced award of a $29 509 671 cost-plus-award-fee contract to General Dynamics Corp. Electronics Div. to develop, produce, and operate the Phase I control and user system segments of the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System [see During August]. (DOD Release 793-74)
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