Apr 20 1970
From The Space Library
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House leaders of both parties urged that U.S. push ahead with space exploration despite Apollo 13 abort. Speaker John W. McCormack (D-Mass.) said in floor speech, "There may be a small minority who will urge that we pull back our space efforts. This is not my position. Neither am I convinced it will be the view of the Congress or the overwhelming majority of American people." House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford (R-Mich.) said he concurred. Chairman George P. Miller (D-Calif.) of House Committee on Science and Astronautics said committee would not conduct investigation of Apollo 13 accident but would review findings of NASA inquiry board. (CR, 4/20/70, H3247, 3276; UPI, W Post, 4/2/70)
Astronauts James A. Lovell, Jr., Fred W. Haise, Jr., and John L. Swigert, Jr., were debriefed on Apollo 13 mission at MSC tape-recording details for almost eight hours. NASA released 61/2-min 15-mm movie of mission, including scenes of astronauts after SM explosion. Film showed Lovell rubbing his hands vigorously as if trying to warm them, Haise sleeping with his hands folded inside his spacesuit to keep them from floating free in weightlessness, and Swigert studying flight plan. (AP; W Post, 4/21/ 70, A4)
Max Lerner described reactions to Apollo 13 accident in Philadelphia Evening Bulletin: "What was I doing, glued to the TV screen like a zombie with the blood drained out me . . .? What was wrong with me-and with millions of others? ... we had all played the game of apathy up to that moment . . . confident that Apollo 13 was just one more sure-thing deployment of what man already proved he can do. The flight reports had to compete for newspaper space and, in some newspapers, were slipping into the inside pages." After news of oxygen tank explosion "astronauts were no longer either three invincible heroes or three stooges for 'the Establishment,' but simply three human beings caught in space a quarter-million miles from home . . . . Through the plight of our proxies . . . we caught a glimpse of how perilous man's whole enterprise is, how tragic, in fact, his whole existence is in this shaky cosmos that runs by laws until you hit the unexplainable." Apollo 13 was "a tiny, mobile version of the earth, with a power failure and the shortage of water and a danger of polluted air and the erratic fortunes of communicating and the image of three men having to read their instruments with a flashlight in the darkness of the cabin." (P Bull, 4/20/70)
Apollo 13 editorials: National Observer: "At a time when Americans were becoming bored with successful flights to the moon, the ordeal of Apollo 13 reminded the nation of the dangers and difficulties of space. But because of courage, care, and uncommon resourcefulness-because, in fact, of history's most dramatic field expedient-the astronauts made their way safely back to earth. The first walk on the moon was a wonder of wonders, but the return of Apollo 13 was the gladdest moment of them all." (National Observer, 4/20/70)
Wall Street Journal: "Assuming all feasible precautions are taken, then, the issue of death potential should not really be a major factor in assessing the space program, and particularly the very costly moon program. That program should be judged on whether any gains from it are proportionate to the totality of its costs. Some scientists and laymen believe the costs are disproportionate. At any rate, that is the proper criterion for weighing the future of space exploration, not the admitted and awesome danger of death in eternal orbit." (WSJ, 4/20/70)
ComSatCorp Chairman James McCormack submitted annual Report to the President and the Congress, including information reported to ComSatCorp shareholders March 9. (Text)
NASA announced appointment of Assistant Administrator for Legislative Affairs Robert F. Allnutt as Assistant to Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA Administrator, and as member of Apollo 13 Accident Review Board. Allnutt would be succeeded by H. Dale Grubb, President's Special Assistant for Legislative Affairs. (NASA Release 70-60)
Firemen in Evendale, Ohio, had worked two years to perfect new firefighting uniform of aluminum-beta glass, material used in astronauts space suits, UPI said. (W News, 4/20/70, 4)
Flow-visualization technique using laser as light source was enabling AFSC engineers to obtain cross-sectional view of entire flow field around scale model aircraft in wind tunnels at Arnold Engineering Development Center at Tullahoma, Tenn., AFSC announced. Technique, using saturated air and continuous-wave ruby laser, had been used to photograph shock waves around "hypersonic cruise vehicle --theoretical aircraft that would fly twice as fast as fastest jet-powered research aircraft. (ASFC Release 113.70)
Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird discussed "basic asymmetry" between U.S. and U.S.S.R. efforts in nuclear weapons field at AP annual luncheon in New York: From 1965 to 1967 U.S.S.R. had more than tripled its inventory of strategic offensive nuclear weapon launchers-from 500 to 1700, including 200 heavy bombers-and quadrupled total megatonnage in its strategic offensive force. U.S. in same period had not increased established level of 1710 strategic nuclear missile launchers, had reduced heavy bomber strength of 780 by over 200, and had reduced megatonnage by more than 40% "Except for the minimum 'hedge' that SAFEGUARD will provide, we have not responded to the Soviet strategic offensive buildup with new deployment programs. We did not respond in past years because the United States deliberately chose to assume that the Soviet buildup was aimed at achieving a deterrent posture comparable to that of the United States. We have not responded this year because... we fervently hope that SALT can render such a response unnecessary," (Text)
April 20-24: American Geophysical Union held annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Cal Tech physicist Dr. Gerald J. Wasserburg said detailed studies of Apollo 12 moon rocks had shown preliminary estimates of their age to be off by some 800 million yrs. Evidence from Apollo 11 and 12 lunar sample studies indicated moon-and possibly earth and some major planets-had at least one period of sustained turbulence, lasting about 300 million yrs and beginning some billion years after moon and rest of solar system originated. Solar system was estimated to be 4.6 billion yrs old. At news conference following meeting, Dr. Wasserburg said he and collaborator, Cal Tech physicist Dr. D. A. Papanastassiou, had found age of lava-born Apollo 12 rocks to be 3.4 billion yrs, rather than preliminary estimate of 2.6 billion yrs. Apollo 11 rocks were found to be 3.65 billion yrs old. Evidence indicated both areas of moon had been formed from same sustained process lasting some 300 million yrs. There was "widespread outpouring" of lava over sea regions of moon about 3.5 billion yrs ago. Evidence suggested Sea of Storms, where Apollo 12 rocks were found, had almost same age as Sea of Tranquility, Apollo 11 lunar site. (AP, LA Times, 4/23/70)
Dr. Rhodes W. Fairbridge, Columbia Univ. geologist, reported finding territory which was earth's south polar region in Upper Ordovician period, about 450 million yrs ago, in middle of Sahara desert. Finding supported belief that phenomenon of sliding land masses known as continental drift had occurred. (Blakeslee, NYT, 4/21/ 70,1)
At closing session scientists, with exception of ESSA's Dr. S. Fred Singer, maintained earth and moon had simultaneous and similar origin despite differences between lunar rocks and those of earth. Dr. Singer agreed moon had most likely been captured in earth's gravitational field "very shortly" after earth's formation about 4.6 billion yrs. ago. Dr. John A. O'Keefe of GSFC thought earth and moon were once single planet that broke apart. Dr. A. G. W. Cameron of Yeshiva Univ. felt earth and moon had formed in same gaseous cloud. (UPI, NYT, 4/27/70)
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