Nov 24 1972
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
Twenty-fifth anniversary of first launch of Aerobee sounding rocket on Nov. 24, 1947, from White Sands Missile Range. Launch had been unsuccessful; rocket carrying Johns Hopkins Univ. payload had veered off course and had been destroyed. But since then arrow-shaped Aerobee had been busiest booster in U.S. space program, with launch rate of almost one per week and few failures out of 900 launches to date. Aerobees carrying scientific payloads to altitudes as high as 480 km (300 mi) had been launched by NASA, Air Force, Navy, and Federal scientific groups. Launches were mainly from NASA's Wallops Station, White Sands Missile Range, and Fort Churchill Range in Manitoba, Canada. Aerobee - most widely used rocket in astronomy-had carried delicate instruments through blanket of air and dirt surrounding earth to area of greater visibility. Instruments launched June 13, 1969, by NASA on Aerobee 150 from Natal, Brazil, had detected x-ray star only 16 km (10 mi) wide that weighed as much as sun. Scientists at Univ. of California who conducted experiment had said stellar object might be first direct evidence of neutron star and first time size of x-ray source from deep space could be determined. Other scientific payloads aboard Aerobees had measured Crab Nebula, collected micrometeoroids, taken temperatures aloft, and recorded air densities. In 1952 Air Force Aerobee carried two monkeys and two mice in biomedical experiments. Rocket originally weighed 700 kg (1600 lbs), was 5.8 m (19 ft) long, and carried payloads under 45 kg (100 Ibs). Over years Aerobee had grown to be 15 m (50 ft) long, powered by four clustered, liquid-fuel engines and solid-fuel booster. Largest Aerobee could blast 400-kg (900-lb) payload to altitude of 200 km (125 mi). (Lyons, NYT, 11/26/72, 39; A&A 1915-1950)
Dr. Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., Manned Spacecraft Center Director and former MSC Director of Flight Operations, reviewed Apollo program in Associated Press interview published in Baltimore Sun. Apollo 8 (launched Dec. 21, 1968) had been program's pivotal mission. "It proved so many things that had a bearing on the progress of the program-things that it might have disproved. The navigation to and from the moon, the ability of the spacecraft systems to perform, the ability of man to survive the deep space environment, all hinged on the Apollo 8 mission." Mission also had changed competitive position of U.S. and U.S.S.R. in space. "I really believed the Russians planned to fly a circumlunar mission, sending a manned spacecraft looping around and returning it without orbiting the moon. That way they could say they sent the first man to the vicinity of the moon. And when we ... decided to fly Apollo 8 as a moon-orbit mission, there was nothing left for them to do." There was no major technological field that "hasn't been materially changed or had some reflection of not only Apollo but of the whole space program." Space technology had been important to maintenance of U.S. position as leading nation in world. Five manned lunar landing flights had produced greater scientific return than envisioned. "We have done just about all we should have done with the Apollo program in terms of lunar exploration. This is a good time to stop, evaluate what we have and use our resources to do other things in the space program." (B Sun, 11/24/72, Al0)
At least seven major U.S. companies had asked to lease part of Canadian telecommunications satellite system, Telesat, Washington Post reported. Negotiations were not final, but it was probable that at least one company would decide to use Canadian system until comparable U.S. systems were ready. Canadian system used U.S. designed and manufactured satellites launched by NASA under contract with Telesat Canada, first of which, Anik 1, had been launched Nov. 9. (Samuelson, W Post, 11/24/72)
Former Congressman H. Allen Smith of California was quoted as having said in letters to Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Cal Tech that he would not seek to enforce law passed Oct. 21 to change Jet Propulsion Laboratory|JPL]] name to H. Allen Smith Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Smith had written: "I have no intention of bringing any lawsuit or any other action to force this name change. There are many laws on the federal books which are not en-forced." Fall Street Journal said it was "doubtful" that Congress would reverse itself on measure. NASA officials had already found House Committee on Science and Astronautics "unwilling to help provide relief." (WSJ, 11/24/72)
Nov. 24-Dec. 8: U.S.-U.S.S.R. Working Groups 2 and 4, meeting at Manned Space Center on Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), defined antenna locations on Soyuz and confirmed that U.S.S.R. would build antennas; negotiated interface signal characteristics for radio communication and ranging systems and confirmed 428-km (266-mi) ranging capability; agreed on end-to-end compatibility tests of radio and hardline communications; resolved U.S. very-high- frequency amplitude-modulation implementation requirements for Soyuz systems, defined design of cable communications systems including cable lengths, junction boxes, and Soviet supply responsibilities; and discussed intercenter control communications, establishing basis for March negotiations. (NASA proj off)
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