Oct 26 1963
From The Space Library
Premier Nikita Khrushchev, in an interview with Communist newsmen published in Izvestia, said: "At the present time we do not plan flights of cosmonauts to the moon. "I have read a report that the Americans wish to land a man on the moon by 1970. Well, let's wish them success. "And we will see how they will fly there, and how they will land there or to be more correct `moon' there. "And most important-how they will get up and come back. "We will take their experience into account. "We do not wish to compete in sending people to the moon without thorough preparation. "It is obvious there would be no benefit from such competition. "On the contrary it would do harm since it would lead to the destruction of people. "It is a joke in our country to say `Who is impatient on earth, let him go to the moon.' "For us it is good enough on earth. But if we are to talk seriously we will have to work a lot and prepare well in order to complete a successful flight of man to the moon." (UPI, NYT, 10/27/63,1)
NASA Administrator James E. Webb, asked for his reaction to Premier Khrushchev's statement that U.S.S.R. was not competing to land a man on the moon, said it was "useful to have an authoritative statement" on Soviet plans but that "we will have to think a long time before modifying our program. "We will not want to change the status of our program until we determine precisely what the statement means and what is in our national interest." (NYT,10/27/63,12)
Administration reactions to Premier Khrushchev's statement that Russia would not attempt to land a man on the moon indicated strong reservations on Russian motivations. Dr. Edward C. Welsh, Executive Secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council, said the Russian withdrawal announcement was "a very wise pronouncement. Whether they planned to go to the moon or not, they have sensed some slackening of support for the moon program here and have made a strategic move to capitalize on this situation." Another official said: "All during the moratorium on nuclear testing the Soviets secretly prepared for an intensive series of tests. How can we be certain that they won't do the same thing in space?" (Wash. Post, 10/27/63)
The Rosman, N.C., tracking and data acquisition facility was dedicated by NASA. A key station in NASA's Satellite Tracking and Data Acquisition Network (STADAN), the 85-ft.-diameter parabolic antenna at Rosman would be used to track and receive the large flow of telemetered data from the large orbiting observatories and would relay the data by telephone and radio to GSFC for processing and analysis. (NASA Release 63-240)
AEC announced an underground nuclear test of 12 kt had taken place at Fallon, Nevada, some 1,200 ft. underground. Part of Project Shoal, the test was made in conjunction with ARPA in the effort to improve instrumentation for distinguishing between underground nuclear tests and natural earthquakes. (AEC-DOD Release F-221)
Polaris A-3 missile was launched from a submerged submarine for the first time. The submarine U.S.S. Andrew Jackson was cruising submerged about 30 miles off Cape Canaveral; the Polaris flew successfully down the AMR. (DOD Release 1428-63)
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