Jul 22 1964
From The Space Library
NASA and ESRO announced signing Memorandum of Understanding for project involving two scientific satellites. Under the agreement, NASA would launch into orbit two satellites, ESRI 1 and ESRO 2, for the nine-nation West European organization. Both satellites would be launched on NASA Scout rocket boosters into near-polar eccentric orbits and were tentatively scheduled during 1967 from Western Test Range. (NASA Release 64-178)
USAF successfully sent a delta-winged Asset glider through a 12,000-mph re-entry test in an experiment designed to gather data on the conditions that future manned spacecraft might encounter when returning to earth from space missions-including skin heating as high as 4,000¦ F. The 1,150-lb. spacecraft was lifted to an altitude of 44 mi. aboard a Thor-Delta booster launched from Cape Kennedy, then was fired downward for a 1,650-mi. glide through the atmosphere. The glider, the third in this series of experiments, was recovered in the Atlantic Ocean by frogmen. (UPI, NYT, 7/23/64, 46; Wash. Post, 7/23/64; Wash. Eve- Star, 7/22/64)
The White House and Communications Satellite Corp. announced television coverage of the Olympic Games from Tokyo to the U.S. and Canada would be attempted via communications satellite. Project would be carried out with cooperation of NASA and DOD and with Gov-ernment of Japan and Japan Broadcasting Corp. NASA's Syncom 3 experimental communications satellite, planned for launch into synchro-nous orbit during August, would be made available for transmission of TV coverage of the Games, which would take place Oct. 10-24. (ComSatCorp Release; Finney, NYT, 7/23/64, 42)
Details of method to be used in first U.S. attempt, to rendezvous a manned and unmanned spacecraft in space were disclosed by NASA Manned Spacecraft Center. Launch of Atlas-Agena into orbit would be followed 95 min. later by launch of Titan II with two-man Gemini spacecraft. Five hours after Titan II launch, rendezvous and docking Gemini spacecraft and Agena stage would be accomplished. (AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 7/22/64)
Results of experimental drop tests down elevator shaft of Cleveland's Terminal Tower showed that styrofoam could be used successfully as a deceleration medium, according to NASA Lewis Research Center design engineer Terrence E. Russell. Purpose of the deceleration tests, con-ducted by LRC last May, was to verify use of styrofoam as filler in cart used to "catch" free-falling test packages at LRC's new 500-ft. zero-gravity facility. (LRC Release 64-64)
NASA announced Univ. of Arizona would receive $1,200,000 NASA grant to construct Space Sciences Center on the campus at Tucson. The four-story structure would "further the University of Arizona's multi-disciplinary program that is proving invaluable to the national space effort," NASA Administrator James E. Webb said. (NASA Release 64-183)
NASA selected Philco Corp. for negotiation of contract for feasibility and preliminary design studies for automated biological laboratory (ABL) to detect and describe indigenous life on the planet Mars. The one-year study would define life-detection payloads for Voyager-class mis-sions, which were under study by NASA Office of Space Science and Applications. (NASA Release 64-182)
Japan launched its first meteorological sounding rocket from the National Space Development Center's testing range on Iwo Jima Island. The two-stage rocket reached 68.2-mi. altitude. (AP, NYT, 7/23/64, 46; AP, Wash. Post, 7/23/64)
House passed H.R. 11611, a bill to establish a National Commission on Technology, Automation, and Economic Progress. Bill was then referred to Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. (NASA LAR 111/140)
William B. Bergen, president of Martin Baltimore, said U.S. had closed the so-called "space gap" of Russian competition "without fanfare, and almost without knowing it ourselves." Addressing National Space Club in Washington, Bergen said that, with all the "Hollywoodian propa-ganda" about enormous Soviet satellites, "there seems little doubt that the objective part of the scientific world is now convinced that our modest-sized couriers into space have brought back far more useful information than has been collected by the Russians' more massive messengers." (AP, Houston Post, 7/23/64)
FAA awarded $975,000 contract to Bunker-Ramo Corp- for study of all-weather landing instrumentation of modern jet passenger aircraft- (FAA Release 64-72)
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