Jun 17 1965
From The Space Library
Charles W. Mathews, manager of the Gemini program, and Astronauts James A. McDivitt (Maj., USAF) and Edward H. White II (Maj. USAF) received NASA's Exceptional Service Award from President Johnson in a special White House ceremony. Introducing the President, NASA Administrator James E. Webb said: "... we . , should never forget that at the beginning of the space age, in 1957, the challenge of this new frontier which was laid down to us was first met by the man who is now the President of the United States and who has so graciously invited us here today to indicate again his interest in, and the importance he attaches to, the new systems we have developed for building our national competence in space and using the science and technologies acquired to work toward a peaceful world and a better world. "This great leader of our nation, and of the Free World, is still pioneering, this time on an even more difficult frontier where we must learn to master the restrained but decisive use of the powers which technology gives our nation. Those of us who are responsible for the build-up of our new base of technology believe that power, based on advanced technology, can provide new means to hold back those ruthless forces which answer not to the need of all men for security, freedom, dignity, and opportunity. The pioneering which President Johnson is engaged in today on this new frontier is, if anything, more important than his pioneering actions in 1958 to create our national program in aeronautics and space. "Seldom in the history of the world has one man had to play so vital a role in developing the tools of modern science and technology and then in the development of a national capability to use them to achieve cooperation toward a world consistent with our own ideals and those we have sought for others as well as ourselves." Accompanying citations noted "outstanding contributions" and singled out Major White as "the first man to engage in self-propelled extra-vehicular activity." Terming the three "the Christopher Columbuses of the 20th century," Mr. Johnson said their work had nudged the world toward greater international cooperation, "Men who have worked together to reach the stars are not likely to descend together into the depths of war and desolation," he said. Later, the recipients were guests at a luncheon held by Vice President Humphrey and received accolades in both the House and Senate. A crowd estimated at 50,000 applauded the motorcade as Mathews and the astronauts rode to the Capitol. In the evening, Majors White (USAF) and McDivitt (USAF) narrated a 20-min. film of the GEMINI IV flight for the chiefs of foreign diplomatic missions, President Johnson, in a surprise appearance, told the astronauts to "take the Presidential plane and travel outside this country again." He said: "Many people in many lands were thrilled by what you have done. I want you to join our delegation in Paris and go out among the friendly peoples of the earth to share with them the excitement and thrills of your experience," Astronauts White and McDivitt then returned to the White House where provisions had been made for them and their families to remain overnight. (Text; Clopton, Wash, Post, 6/18/65, Al, A3; PI, N.Y, Her. Trib., 6/18/65; Semple, NYT, 6/18/65, 1, 13; Sehlstedt, Balt. Sun, 6/18/65)
X-15 No. 1 flown by pilot Milton Thompson (NASA) to 108,523 ft. altitude at maximum speed of 3,541 mph (mach 5.145) to measure and record infrared radiation and to conduct further flight checkouts on the new inertial guidance system. (NASA X-15 Proj, Off.; X-15 Flight Log)
President Johnson said during a Washington press conference that "we are going to build" a supersonic passenger airliner to compete in the world market against a supersonic transport being developed jointly by British and French interests and one the Russians intended to enter in the competition, Mr. Johnson told reporters he wanted the best plane possible, one that the airlines would buy as an economically attractive investment. (Transcript, NYT, 6/18/65, 14)
A Nike-Apache sounding rocket was launched from Wallops Sta., Va., to peak altitude of 109.9 mi. (176.8 km,) in an experiment to measure electron densities. Good signals were received on all telemetry channels throughout the flight; indications were that good data were obtained. Instrumentation was provided by GCA Corp. (NASA Rpt, SRL)
USAF's attempt to launch Titan III-C was unsuccessful when a series of minor technical problems and then bad weather were encountered. Two of thee technical holds were attributed to faulty instrumentation. The third hold was caused by a drop in pressure in the second stage oxidizer tank. (Ubell, N.Y. Her, Trib., 6/18/65)
F-4C Phantom jet pilots downed two attacking Communist Korean War vintage MiG-17's about 80 mi. south of Hanoi. (AP, NYT, 7/11/65)
The Senate, in a 46-20 vote, gave final Congressional approval to a bill waiving the restriction barring military men from the post of Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency, clearing the way for President Johnson to appoint Gen. William F. McKee (USAF, Ret,) of NASA. (CR, 6/17/65, 13541; WSJ, 6/18/65, 8)
Sen. Wayne Morse (D-Ore.) introducing a bill to amend the NASA Space Act of 1958 regarding patent rights to inventions, said the bill had two objectives: "The first is to reestablish congressional control over the disposition of patent rights by the national aeronautics and space agency [sic], and the second is to provide that private companies desiring to acquire interests in such patents and processes repay the taxpayers of this country fair market value pursuant to the so-called Morse formula." (CR, 6/17/65)
Commenting on anxiety about the Soviet Union's capability of delivering strategic weapons from near space, Dr. S. Fred Singer said in an article in Reporter: "If a bomb is released from a satellite without giving it any propulsion, it will stay with the satellite and simply blow it up. For a bomb from a satellite to be directed to a point on earth, it must be propelled not only with a lot of rocket power but also with exceedingly fine guidance, In principle, this can be done from a satellite or from the moon or even from the planet Pluto; but the cost and complexity is enormously greater than that of an equally effective ICBM buried deep in the earth itself." (Reporter, 6/17/65, 14)
In what he termed "Coming of Age in Houston," William Hines wrote in the Washington Evening Star of "a new, mature outlook on the part of NASA," He said: "There was a conscious effort to deglamorize (but not depersonalize) the [[[Gemini IV]]] astronauts, and to focus attention on the mission rather than on celebrities who would subsequently tell their stories in Life. The decision not to give the spacecraft a name and to use the radio call sign 'Gemini IV' was a step in this direction, "The determination of NASA to rid itself of what has been called the 'Hollywood syndrome' and handle space flights as transcendental news events instead of tawdry theatrical productions did not come easily, or without prodding from the outside, But once the decision had been made not to try any longer to fool all the people all the time, a new era in public understanding of space dawned." (Hines, Wash. Eve, Star, 6/17/65)
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