May 31 1965
From The Space Library
All technical problems threatening the scheduled launching of Gemini IV on June 3 had been cleared up, NASA said. One problem involved what had been thought to be a malfunction in the water management system of the spacecraft which would provide water for drinking and cooling, Instead of a leak, technicians found that a valve had been left open in error. A second problem, rupture of an underseas communications cable 10 mi, south of San Salvador in the Bahamas, was sidestepped when USAF rented a commercial cable from Puerto Rico to West Palm Beach to replace the severed line. (, Wash, Daily News, 5/31/65; Appel, NYT, 6/1/65, 16; AP, Wash, Post, 6/1/65)
Students at West Bend High School near Milwaukee and at Lycee Henri IV in Paris talked for 40 min, via a two-way circuit on EARLY BIRD in the first transatlantic linkup of classrooms by live television. The exchange was conceived by the Univ. of Wisconsin's educational television station, WHA-TV, in cooperation with Radiodiffusion-Television Francaise, Sound and picture transmission were excellent. (NYT, 5/1/65, 32)
Members of the International Association of Machinists struck AerojetGeneral Corp,'s rocket-engine and torpedo plant at Azusa, Calif, because of a wage dispute. (AP, NYT, 6/1/65, 25)
"Along with the development of a nuclear weapon, Communist China has also conducted a program to develop rockets," wrote Cheng Chu-yuan in Military Review, He continued: "Since early 1956, when Peking mapped out the 12-year plan for the development of science and technology, jet propulsion has been listed as one of the 12 major tasks, exceeded only by the use of nuclear energy. The project is under the supervision of the Institute of Mechanics in the CAS. "In 1958 several new institutes were set up within the Academy-an Institute of Upper Atmosphere Physics in Wuhan; and an Institute of Automation and Remote Control and an Institute of Mechanics and Electronics both in Peking. All of these institutes participate in the rocket program. ... "The Science and Technology University of the CAS, the Tsinghua University in Peking, and the Peking Aeronautical Engineering College are the three important centers for training engineers and technicians in rocketry, During the past ten years, more than 3,000 college students, specialists in aeronautical engineering, have been graduated. In 1963 the China Aeronautical Engineering Society was formally established, indicating the rapid growth of technical manpower in this field. "Since Communist China has several capable men with long years of experience in the rocket field, and since China began her rocket project almost in the same period with the nuclear weapons program, the development of a rocket booster might soon be anticipated. It is quite possible that China may launch her first rocket within the next two or three years." (Military Review, 5/65, 10F)
Aerobee 150A sounding rocket, launched from Wallops Station, Va., attained peak altitude of 90.5 mi. (145 km,) . Primary experimental objective was to measure spectral irradiance of the stars Spica and Alkaid in the wavelength interval from 1,100 A to 4,000 A. Instrumentation consisted of an ultraviolet stellar spectrometer with photometers and optical telescope. Attitude control was obtained with a modified Attitude Control System (ACS), a roll-stabilized gyro platform, and an optical tracker-the combination known as Strap. The Strap system performed correctly, Due to an incorrect gain setting, the star-tracker failed to lock-on throughout most of the flight. The telescope and spectrometer functioned properly, but obtained no data due to the failure to lock-on. Experiment was conducted by GSFC. (NASA Rpt, SRL)
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