May 19 1963

From The Space Library

Astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper, accompanied by NASA Asso­ciate Administrator Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Director Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, and MSC Dep­uty Director for Flight Operations Walter C. Williams, held press conference at Cape Canaveral carried on nation-wide TV. Major Cooper presented orbit-by-orbit account of his MA-9 space flight. Asked about possibility of MA-10 flight, Dr. Seamans said: "It is quite unlikely that we will have another Mercury flight," but final decision on MA-10 would be made "within a week or so." (NYT, 5/20/63, 24; New York Herald Trib., 5/20/63)

Presidential Boeing 707 jet airliner flew nonstop from Washington to Moscow in 8 hours 38 minutes and 42 seconds, claiming 15 speed records. Piloted by Col. James B. Swindal (USAF), air­ plane brought AEC Chairman Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg and his party to Moscow to conclude nuclear cooperation agreement with So­viet officials. (NYT, 5/20/63,1, 3)

With publication of first NASA Applications Note ("Welding Tips"), NASA inaugurated new phase of its technology utilization program-disseminating information on results of NASA techno­logical research in Applications Notes (containing innovations not thoroughly documented and evaluated) and Applications Reports (presenting comprehensive descriptions of single developments of significant industrial potential). (NASA Release 63-103)

Atlantic Research Corp announced development of solid rocket pro­pellants containing beryllium to provide increased thrust. Stud­ies leading to this development were sponsored by DOD. (NYT, 5/20/63,46)

Tass reported Soviet scientists had synthetically produced isotope with atomic number 256. Produced by irradiating uranium-238 with beam of accelerated neon-22 ions, isotope had half-life of eight seconds, "many tens of times" greater than expected. (Reuters, NYT, 5/21/63, 3)

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