Feb 15 1966
From The Space Library
President Johnson announced he would send Astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Jr., and Frank Borman, command pilots of the Dec. 4-18 GEMINI VII/VI mission, on a three-week, eight-country tour of the Far East to demonstrate scientific, technological, and educational values of US. space program and to visit Far Eastern countries which had cooperated with US. in space programs. Astronauts would leave Feb. 21, and visit Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. The President had sent GEMINI IV Astronauts James A. McDivitt and Edward H. White II, to the Paris Air Show in June 1965; GEMINI V Astronauts Leroy Gordon Cooper and Charles Conrad, Jr., on an African tour in September 1965; and John H. Glenn, first American to achieve orbit, on a European tour in October 1965. ‘‘(Pres. Doc., 2/21/66, 221; NYT, 2/16/66, 54)’’
NASA converted its contract with Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. for development of Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) from cost-plus-fixed-fee to cost-plus-incentive-fee. Under new four-year contract, which would bring total cost to $1.42 billion, Grumman would deliver 15 flight articles -four more than in previous contract -10 test articles, and two mission simulators. ‘‘(NASA Release 66-37)’’
USAF launched three unidentified satellites with Atlas-Agena D booster from WTR. (U.S. Aeron. & Space Act., 1966, 148)’’
Rep. Albert Thomas (D-Tex.), Chairman of House Committee on Appropriations’ Independent Offices Subcommittee, died of cancer. A member of the House for almost 30 yrs., Thomas had been deeply interested in Congressional funding for NACA, NSF, and NASA. ‘‘(Wash. Eve. Star, 2/15/66, B8)’’
In speech at Univ. of Missouri on impact of Federal research and development expenditures on American colleges and universities, Leo S. Tonkin, Executive Director of D.C. Commissioners’ Council on Higher Education, cited statement by two NASA employees on problems involved in awarding research grants. Dr. Thomas P. Murphy, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Legal Affairs, and Dr. Thomas W. Adams, Socio-Political Specialist for Office of Policy Planning, said in a paper presented at 1965 annual APSA meeting: “Can a mission-oriented agency use geography as a criterion in awarding grants, recognizing full well that it concomitantly will sacrifice time, quality, and money in the process? When grants are given to one institution on grounds other than merit, there is little basis for denying similar grants to other universities which would not normally merit them.” ‘‘(Text, CR, 2/23/66)’’
Two gallons of fuel exploded inside drum near Saturn I-B launch pad at ETR, but there were no injuries and no damage to the booster or launch complex, AP reported. Saturn I-B was scheduled to launch unmanned Apollo spacecraft on Feb. 22. ‘‘(AP, NYT, 2/16/66, 52)’’
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
