Oct 28 1963
From The Space Library
NASA Administrator James E. Webb, speaking to the Chamber of Commerce, Billings, Mont., noted that President Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which brought much of the state of Montana within the boundaries of the U.S., was criticized at the time as a "prodigal waste of `the public monies."' Similarly the space program had been criticized. But Mr. Webb predicted that "the decisions for a dynamic national space program made by the Congress, by President Eisenhower, and by President Kennedy during the past five years will earn a place in history that in significance will go far beyond Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase and many of the other major decisions which have characterized turning points in our national history." (Text)
NASA's Langley Research Center asked 36 companies for proposals on Project Scanner, a spacecraft that would establish the radiation characteristics of the Earth's horizon and develop horizon scanning techniques. Program would involve two flight models complete with re-entry heat shield, plus one backup. (,Space Bus. Daily, 10/29/63, 165)
Final approval for contracting the military Medium Altitude Communications Satellite (MACS) was being delayed by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara pending a reply from ComSatCorp as to whether a civilian comsat could handle military traffic under wartime conditions, according to Aviation Week. It was anticipated that the answer would be that several of the military requirements-jam-resistant channels, protection against attack, transportable receiving stations-would not be met by the civilian system. (Av. Wk., 10/28/63, 25)
Development of the Apollo spacesuit and backpack was entering the manned test phase of the prototypes. Under a 3-phase program, Hamilton-Standard Div. of United Aircraft Corp. and International Latex Corp. were now well into the second phase. The first phase had been design; the second called for development of prototypes of three suit designs, each building on test data from its predecessors. Prototypes of first suit were finished in August; prototypes of the second suit were nearing completion. The third phase, to be concurrent with the second phase, would include environmental and physiological tests. (Av. Wk., 10/28/63, 49)
Rep. James Weaver (R.-Pa.) spoke on the space race following Premier Khrushchev's statement that Russia was not sending a man to the moon: "This `moondoggle' has been a wrong objective in a race with the Soviet Union that never existed and has resulted in a space gap which threatens our national security. "Therefore, it becomes imperative that we immediately realine [sic] our space objectives to national security and eliminate this gap. I call upon James E. Webb, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to carry out this objective. If he cannot immediately reevaluate and report frankly and honestly to this Congress that this has been accomplished, then I feel it is our responsibility to demand his resignation. The Congress and the public can no longer tolerate public relations gimmicks and double-talk concerning the space program and our space gap when our national security is threatened." (CR,10/28/63,19365 )
October 28-29: Ames Research Center held regional contest of high school scientists, with the three winners to compete in the National Science Youth Congress finals in Washington, D.C. National Science Youth Congress is sponsored by NASA and National Science Teachers Association. (Ames Release 63-42)
October 28-30: Symposium on the Physics of Solar Flares was held at GSFC, sponsored by NASA and the American Astronomical Society. (GSFC Hist.)
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