Apr 22 1963

From The Space Library

In letter to FCC Chairman Newton N. Minow, Director of National Center for Atmospheric Research Walter Orr Roberts urged that Channel 37 not be opened to television broadcasting but be reserved for radioastronomy uses. "I hope you will con­tinue your study of this critically important question until a clear decision is reached on the public interest. If the channel is lost for research purposes, I believe that science will be significantly harmed . " (Letter, 4/22/63, in CR, 5/1/63, 7123-24)

U.S.S.R. placed COSMOS XV scientific earth satellite in orbit (apogee 317 km.; perigee, 173 km.; period, 89.77 min.; inclination to equator, 651). Tass said onboard the satellite was "scientific equipment intended for continuing the space research according to the program announced by Tass on 16 March 1962." Onboard equipment was functioning normally. (Tass, Pravda, 4/23/63, AFSS-T Trans.)

"Faith 7" Mercury spacecraft was installed on Atlas booster at Cape Canaveral, in preparation for Astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper's MA-9 flight.. (UPI, NYT, 4/23/63)

USAF canceled Project Stargazer (manned balloon astronomy ex­periments) because of lack of funds. (Chic. Trib., 4/23/63)

Astronaut John H. Glenn said in speech before annual luncheon meeting of Associated Press: "As a result of the space program, tremendous and vast new areas of information appear on the hori­zon and are increasing daily. Consequently, this space pro­gram will undoubtedly serve as a catalyst toward an expansion of information that will dwarf anything we have known heretofore . . . "What we need is a national repository for information, or­ganized not along traditional library-type lines, but designed to utilize all the techniques at our disposal for sorting, cataloguing, analyzing, storing and making readily accessible, new informa­tion as it, becomes available . . . . "In short, I propose that we lose no time in establishing a National Information Center. Control of such an institution could be by government, private interests, or a combination of appropriate interests . . . ." (Text)

Three men entered compression chamber at Naval Gun Factory for eight-day experiment in living under 45 lbs. of pressure. (Wash. Daily News, 4/23/63)

John L. Sloop, Director of Propulsion and Power Generation in NASA Office of Advanced Research and Technology, testified on NASA high-energy propellant program before House Committee on Science and Astronautics' Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight "Our interest in high energy propellants dates back to the middle­forties. A large amount of research on high energy propellants was conducted by NACA. This research contributed to the develop­ment of the RL-10 engine. It also led to the choice of oxygen ­hydrogen for the upper stages of Saturn I and Saturn V . . "Let me assure you, however, that we are not thinking or dealing in the past. I firmly believe there are many opportunities ahead to use high energy propellants in space exploration . . . . One phase of high energy propellant research in the 1953-1959 period is just beginning to reach fruition and offers significant potential gains in payload for existing vehicles and future vehicles. More work remains to be done . . . ." (Testimony)

Invention of edible structural material by Dr. Sidney Schwartz, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. physiologist, was reported in Aviation Week and Space Technology. Harder than tempered masonite, the edible structure could "reduce the need for backup food in space flights," Dr. Schwartz said. (Av. Wk., 4/22/63,34)

General Telephone and Electronics Corp. filed application with FCC for authority to purchase stock in Communications Satellite Corp. (AP, NYT, 4/23/63)

Activities of Amateur Rocketeers of America (ARA) at National Amateur Missile Analysis Center (NAMAC) near Indianapolis were described in National Observer. NAMAC was built by ARA, national organization of high school-age rocket enthusiasts, and put into use in autumn 1962. Completion was planned for summer 1963. (National Observer, 4/22/63)

National Academy of Sciences presented its awards during the 100th Annual Meeting of the Academy, in Washington. Draper Medal for investigations in astronomical physics was presented to Dr. Richard Tousey of NRL in honor of his achieve­ments in solar spectroscopy, a principal source of information about the chemical and physical structure of the sun. Under Dr. Tousey's direction, series of high-altitude probes beginning in 1946 with use of captured German V-2 rockets produced the first detailed record of solar radiations in the far ultraviolet region of the spectrum. (NAS Release)

April 22-24: American Physical Society meeting held in Washington. At meeting. Dr. William A. Fowler. Cal Tech astronomer, pre­sented photographic evidence he believed supported theory that gigantic galactic explosions occur regularly in the universe. With D r. Fred Hoyle, Cambridge Univ. astronomer, Dr. Fowler con­tended that such explosions were only explanation for the ex­tremely powerful radio emissions detected in select points of distant universe. (NYT, 4/28/63, 67)

Dr. Donald Clayton, Cal Tech physicist, described new method of dating creation of physical substances, at meeting of American Physical Society in Washington. Studying osmium ­187 and osmium-186, Dr. Clayton concluded that iron and other heavy substances were formed 6-10 billion years before formation of our solar system, scattering into interstellar space with explo­sions of supernovae. These elements mixed with hydrogen clouds, from one of which the solar system was eventually formed. (Wash. Eve. Star, 4/23/63; NYT, 4/23/63,17)

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and NASA Co­sponsored second Manned Space Flight Meeting, in Dallas, Tex. (Advance Program)

Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter described flight experiences in Project Mercury at the AIAA Second Manned Space Flight Meeting, Dallas, and concluded: "I think this philosophy sums up our attitude toward manned space flight.. It is the increasing importance of man in the system that is going to characterize our space flights of the future. We will need skilled pilots to fly these missions, and we are in the process of developing those skills now. "The era of manned space flight is just beginning, however, and Project Mercury is only the first step. We are convinced that it has been a very profitable step and that succeeding pro­grams in manned space flight will continue to expand our knowl­edge of the universe, hopefully for the benefit of all mankind." (Text)

Apr 23 1963