Apr 1 1976
From The Space Library
Dr. Bruce C. Murray, professor of planetary science at California Institute of Technology and geologist by training, succeeded Dr. William H. Pickering as director of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. After earning bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degrees at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Murray became a geologist and later served in the Air Force. At the USAF Cambridge Research Lab., trying to expand knowledge of the earth's shape and gravity field by the use of earth satellites, he became interested in space technology. First faculty appointee at Caltech in the field of planetary astronomy in 1960, Dr. Murray and Prof. James Westphal were in 1962 the first observers of infrared emission from an object outside the solar system (a star) and did infrared mapping of the moon, Venus, and Jupiter. Dr. Murray was the author or coauthor of 4 books and more than 60 scientific papers, including the recent book "Navigating the Future." (Pasadena StarNews, 1 Apr 76, 1; Glendale News-Press, 1 Apr 76, 1; Montrose Ledger, 1 Apr 76, 1)
Images from NASA's Landsat-1 earth-resources survey satellite helped Alaskan Indians to choose the best areas of timberland and mineral deposits in compliance with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, NASA announced. The act set aside 99 million acres from federal public lands so that more than 200 native village corporations and 12 native regional corporations-representing about 100,000 Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts-could settle claims going back to the U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. A regional corporation-Doyon, Inc.-asked the Univ. of Alaska to recommend the best land out of inaccessible, irregularly shaped tracts scattered over the huge state. Though known to be rich in minerals and commercially profitable forests, the area had no detailed maps and few settlements, roads, or airfields. Scientists at the university's Geophysical Inst. used Landsat images, combined with limited ground and aerial data, to map 7 million acres of which Doyon chose 2 million. The Doyon selections were based heavily on the Landsat maps; the university reported that application of Landsat data "at least doubled the value of the land selected . . ." (NASA Release 76-63)
Egypt and the Federal Republic of Germany had agreed that Germany would supply Egypt with a ground station for receiving transmissions from the Symphonie 1 and Symphonie 2 comsats jointly operated by FRG and France, the MENA news service from Cairo announced. The stations would use 200 lines initially for telephone contacts between Egypt and "each of Germany and France," as well as between Egypt and any other Arab state in which a similar station would be established. The stations would also be used for television transmissions between France or Germany and Egypt. Egyptians would be sent to FRG for training in operating the proposed station, and steps toward establishing the. stations would begin in 1976. (FBIS, MENA in English, 1 Apr 76)
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