Feb 26 1964
From The Space Library
NASA Aerobee 150 sounding rocket with Johns Hopkins Univ. instrumented payload was launched from Ft. Churchill, Canada, to 100-mi. altitude. Rocket carried spectrophotometric instrumentation which measured absolute intensity of certain spectral features in the far ultra-violet region of the airglow during an aurora. Although rocket did not reach predicted 157-mi. altitude, the experiment provided general confirmation of the only previous experiment in that region, and with much higher resolution. (NASA Rpt. SRL)
NASA announced purchase from Douglas Aircraft Co. of eight more Delta launch vehicles, some of which would be the Thrust-Augmented Delta (TAD) capable of placing 1,000-lb. payload into low earth orbit as compared to 800 lbs. for standard Delta. (NASA Release 64-46)
A. O. Tischler, NASA. Director of Chemical Propulsion, Office of Advanced Research and Technology, discussed 1.5-million-lb.-thrust hydrogen-oxygen M-1 engine and the large solid-propulsion rocket motor before Subcommittee on Advanced Research and Tracking, House Committee on Science and Astronautics: "Last year this engine project [M-1], which was originally planned for completion in the late 60's, was slowed down to a minimum level of effort consistent with such a development program. It is our intent to maintain the low level of funding during the present critical years of the manned lunar landing program and then to accelerate this development for completion in the early 70's.. . "The M-1 can be a team-mate of the large solid propellant motors. Potentially these two, if used in vehicle systems together, can provide the United States with increased payload capability at reduced cost during the 1970's. . . . . . . the large solid motor demonstrations have heretofore been funded by the Department of Defense and have been carried out by the Air Force in compliance with NASA-defined requirements.... This year NASA is requesting funds for the continuation of the contracted work on the 260" diameter solid propellant motors. . . . "Each contractor (Thiokol Chemical Corp. and Aerojet-General Corp.) will fire a half-length solid motor during the fiscal year.. . each half-length motor will produce three million pounds of thrust, about double the thrust of the Saturn I booster. The full-length motor, for which we would intend to contract if the half-length motor firings are successful, will produce about six million pounds of thrust." (Testimony)
Dr. George M. Knauf, NASA Acting Director of Space Medicine, described before Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics the procedures which NASA had followed for coordinating with USAF in bioastronautics-space medicine programs. Upon suggestions of this Subcommittee, NASA had "made a determined effort to coordinate our program with that of the Department of Defense so that all unwarranted duplication of effort would be eliminated." Further, to assure that the coordination would be on a continuing basis, NASA established Space Medicine Liaison Office at Aerospace Medical Div., Brooks AFB. NASA also obtained assurances from Army, USN, FAA, and U.S. Public Health Service that NASA was not duplicating work being carried out by those agencies. (Testimony)
Lockheed-California Co. released details of its recommendations to NASA Manned Spacecraft Center on a scientific space station program. Lockheed study concluded manned station with crew of 24 could be orbiting the earth in 1968. Total cost of program-including logistics spacecraft and ground support-for five years' operation was estimated at $2.6 billion. Study recommended launching the unmanned station into orbit with a Saturn V launch vehicle, then launching manned logistics vehicle to rendezvous and dock at the station. (Maloney, Houston Post, 2/27/64; MSC Roundup, 3/4/64., 8)
MSC announced issuing requests for proposals for six-month study of how astronaut on the moon could conduct selenodetic measurements (lunar surface surveys), making maximum use of scientific equipment already planned for Apollo's Lunar Excursion Module and Command Module. Proposals for the study were due March 5. (MSC Release 64 37)
Sonny Liston-Cassius Clay heavyweight title match was first championship fight to be telecast via communications satellite; video tape of the match was transmitted to 11 European countries shortly after 1:00 a.m. EST via NASA'S RELAY II communications satellite. (NASA Release 64 44)
Amendment to $17 billion military procurement and R&D authorization bill to cut $52 million for development of new manned bomber was offered by Senators George McGovern (D.- S. Dak.), Gaylord Nelson (D. Wis.), and William Proxmire (D.-Wis.). Senator McGovern quoted minority report by the dissenting members of the House Armed Services Committee which pointed out that "the $52 million is just the beginning of a program which will cost close to $5 billion before it is completed," said his amendment would "reduce the bomber funds to the $5 million level requested by the President and the Secretary of Defense." (CR, 2/26/64,3602-04)
FAA disclosed it Was requesting Coordinating Research Council of New York City to study comparative safety features of the two most commonly used aircraft fuels-kerosene and JP-4. (Hudson, NYT, 2/26/64,21)
John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA, announced 14,760 visitors to the facility during 1963. (KSC Release 16-64)
FAA announced Irish International Airlines had reserved two delivery positions for U.S. supersonic transport aircraft. (FAA Release 64-18)
Jack Anderson, writing in Drew Pearson's "The Washington Merry-Go--Round" column in the Washington Post, charged that two documents existed "revealing how Texas's lanky, laconic Congressman Albert Thomas used his influence to get the telephone contract at the Houston Space Center for Southwestern Bell." The documents, Anderson charged, were: (1) a confidential memo to NASA Administrator James E. Webb from his executive assistant recounting a telephone call from Rep. Thomas, in which Thomas recommended Southwestern Bell over the other bidder, General Telephone, stating that General Telephone had a reputation in the Houston area for poor service; and (2) a Southwestern Bell memo to employees acknowledging Rep. Thomas as "extremely helpful to our company-providing necessary information and other assistance-during the negotiations for the space lab communications contract." ( Wash. Post, 2/26/64, D13)
Party of scientists led by Nikolai Yerpylev, scientific secretary of Soviet Academy of Sciences, left Moscow for Cuba to "start the preliminary stage of the work" to establish Soviet satellite observation station on the island. Tass said equipment for the station already had been sent to Cuba. (UPI, NYT, 2/27/64, 12)
USAF fired Titan II ICBM from Cape Kennedy on successful flight down the Atlantic Missile Range. (M&R, 3/2/64,12)
Douglas Aircraft Co. made public its company-funded evaluation of its "Icarus" concept (Intercontinental Aerospacecraft, Range Unlimited System) that could transport 132 tons of cargo or 1,200 fully-equipped troops at speeds of 17,000 mph. Concept featured liquid-hydrogen propellant tanks that could be jettisoned after takeoff boost and recovered intact. Douglas spokesmen said Icarus could be operational in little more than a decade. (SBD, 2/26/64, 305)
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