September 1965
From The Space Library
First useful photograph of the nightglow was recorded aboard a NASA Aerobee 150 sounding rocket launched from White Sands Missile Range, Rocket was at 173-km. (106.8-mi,) altitude; distance from the earth's horizon to the center of the nightglow was 90 km. (55.9 mi,), Tri-X film was used. (M&R, 9/27/65, 15)
44 of the 107 pages of "Opportunities for Participation in Space Flight Investigations"-NASA's semi-annual publication inviting scientists to propose spaceflight experiments-were devoted to Apollo manned missions, some of which were under study. Detailed descriptions and timetables covering a wide range of NASA flight projects, manned and unmanned, were provided in the publication, Flight dates generally covered the period from 1966 through 1972, Proposals would be reviewed and evaluated for scientific merit and technological feasibility, the competence and experience of the investigator, assurance of institutional support, and the scientific adequacy of proposed apparatus. (NASA Release 65-284)
A "caloric water and protein balance study" was in progress at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, under guidance of NASA Manned Spacecraft Center's Dr. Paul LaChance, to verify hardware and procedures for waste management proposed for the 14-day Gemini VII mission in late December. According to Missiles and Rockets, four volunteers would be sustained on a controlled diet of bite-sized rehydratable food over a six-week period. Midway through the study, they would enter an altitude chamber for two weeks. This would be followed by two weeks of "post-flight" checks. Careful measurement of calcium intake and loss through body fluids-one of the Gemini VII medical experiments-would be made on each subject. (M&R, 9/27/65, 9)
A light metal sphere found in a remote part of Australia was described in a paper by Peter M. Twiss in Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets. The paper analyzed the likely reentry history of the sphere during decay from circular orbit, and concluded the sphere came from a U.S. spacecraft in orbit. (Twiss, J/Spacecraft & Rockets, 9/10/65, 660-663)
USAF had developed and proved a new method enabling recovery and consequent reuse of expensive research balloons. Developed by James Payne of AFCRL, the recovery system employed two parachutes in tandem-the lower one to return the scientific payload and the upper one to return the balloon, Following controlled deflation of the balloon, the upper parachute-with an opening in its center through which the neck of the balloon would be fitted-would ride up the balloon's neck as it was deflated. The center hole would have a nylon sleeve attached to it. The sleeve would envelop the balloon material as it would deflate and literally wrap it in a protective nylon package for its return to earth and later reuse. (AOAR Release 9-65-1)
Paris newspaper Le Monde reported that first launch of a satellite by the Diamant booster might come at the end of November, before the December 5 presidential election, and might include an attempt to put the A-1 satellite-an 80-lb, experimental spacecraft with an orbital life of several weeks-in orbit. In case of an A-1 failure, Le Monde added, a second launch might take place before Dec, 5. Mid-January was quoted as the deadline for orbiting the D-1 satellite, and D-IB might be launched at an earlier date. (Av. Wk, 9/20/65, 29; M&R, 9/27/65, 9)
According to a report in a West German publication, Luftfahrttechnik Raumfahrttechnik, Soviet communications satellite MOLNIYA I transmitted color television programs for nine hours in May 1965. Quality of the transmissions was good. (Luftfahrttechnik Raumfahrttechnik, 9/65, 237)
Evaluating the controversy on manned versus unmanned exploration of space, Robert Colburn said in International Science and Technology: "I see no meaningful issue between (unmanned) space science and (manned) space exploration. The real question is what sort of space science contributes best to the success of space exploration. More concretely, the question is not whether to investigate the moon with an unmanned Surveyor shot or a manned Apollo; it's whether an extra Surveyor mission now would significantly reduce the cost or danger of the eventual Apollo mission and, if not, whether it may be wasteful to send a Surveyor now when the same information can be had more easily later, once there is a man on the moon to help." Rep. Olin Teague (D-Tex.), member of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, inserted Colburn's editorial in the Congressional Record. (CR, 9/14/65)
NASA's Technology Utilization Div. published a 66-page illustrated book outlining potential uses of space telemetry techniques in the biological and medical fields. (NASA Release 65-309)
U.S. Army Engineer Geodesy, Intelligence and Mapping Research and Development Agency (GIMRADA) awarded $557,000 contract to Cubic Corp, for four additional Secor (Sequential Collation of Range) satellites for use in gathering information on the exact location of land bodies. Although similar to the Secor satellites presently in orbit, the four new satellites would have a transponder capable of operating at higher altitudes, Delivery of the first of the four was scheduled for next February. ( GIMRADA Release)
Commenting on "race" between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to be first on the moon, Soviet Cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev said: "I simply don't understand such appeals. As far as I know, we have no intention of competing in this area," Lt. Gen. Nikolai Kamanin said: "In a space research program, haste is out of place. Each space flight, especially with a cosmonaut aboard, must be the product of a sustained effort that may take months, Improvisation is impermissable in space research; we don't believe in crash programming," Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov said: "I also think that all this talk of getting to the moon first is nonsense, What we must do is work toward that goal calmly and thoroughly and without any rush. I think that those who work that way will be first on the moon." (Soviet Life, 9/65, 28-29)
North American Aviation, Inc, transportation study which warned that within 50 yrs. the demand in California for transportation of people and commodities might increase 500% and 700% respectively, received comment from California Governor Edmund (Pat) Brown: "North American Aviation's report on transportation makes the answer unanimous: systems engineering is not only a sound approach to social problems, it may well be the only approach, "... The idea of transferring talented systems engineers from the field of space hardware to the broader field of human need is, in itself, a breakthrough of significant proportion. The talent has been there for some time. It just took us awhile to see its tremendous proportion. . . ." (NAA S&ID Skywriter, 10/1/65, 1, 2)
Dr. Robert G. Loewy, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Sciences, Univ. of Rochester, was named Chief Scientist of USAF. (Av. Wk., 10/11/65)
- September
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