May 10 1966
From The Space Library
House passed Independent Offices Appropriation Bill (H.R. 14521) for FY 1967 appropriating $4.95 billion for NASA. Amounts were those recommended by Appropriations Committee May 5. An amendment proposed by Rep. H. R. Gross (R-Iowa) to deny funds for Lunar Sample Receiving Laboratory at MSC was defeated by a voice vote. (NASA LAR V/77)
First perfect dual countdown rehearsal in Gemini series conducted at KSC in preparation for May 17 GEMINI IX mission. (AP, NYT, 5/11/66, 16; AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 5/11/66, A6; Wash. Post, 5/11/66, A7)
Accelerated programs for launching communications satellites had improved prospects of earning profit in 1967, reported ComSatCorp president Dr. Joseph V. Charyk at annual shareholders’ meeting in Washington, D.C. Predicting a 100-fold increase in ComSatCorp’s revenue potential during five-year development plan, Dr. Charyk said: “. . . we have taken firm steps for the development of even larger and more versatile satellites for deployment on a global basis in 1968. These spacecraft will weigh approximately 240 pounds in orbit and will have a capacity for 1,200 two-way telephone circuits or four television channels.,’ He also noted ComSatCorp had proposed to ESSA that it conduct joint feasibility study with IBM to develop satellites to collect, process, and disseminate weather data on a global basis. (Vartan, NYT, 5/11/66, 65; Fouquet, Wash. Post, 5/11/66, E6)
Alex P. Aven, owner of an Oklahoma City, Okla., petroleum consulting firm, was sworn in by NASA Administrator James E. Webb as consultant to the Administrator on management. (NASA Release 66-112)
May 10-13: NASA successfully launched 18 Arcas and Hasp meteorological sounding rockets to 200,000-ft. altitudes at intervals ranging from four minutes to six hours to investigate daily cycle of wind and temperature variations in upper atmosphere, compare results of various rocket and balloon measuring systems, and study effects of radiation from the sun on meteorological instruments. Instrumented payloads descending by parachute transmitted atmospheric temperature, density, and pressure data, and ten specially instrumented high-altitude weather balloons, interspersed among rocket firings, transmitted information as they rose to 130,000 ft. Radar tracked both balloon and rocket payloads to determine speed and direction of high-altitude winds. Launches were managed by NASA Langley Research Center and sponsored by NASA, USA, USN, USAF, and ESSA. (NASA Release 66-118; Wallops Release 66-25)
May 10-19: 1966 Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) meeting was held in Vienna. National Academy of Sciences delegate Dr. Richard W. Porter, summarizing activities of 1965 US. space program, said a manned lunar landing by 1970 would be a “difficult goal” but US. had made “substantial progress.” Dr. Porter presented an analysis of data transmitted by NASA MARINER IV Mars probe which appeared to support theory that earth sometimes has comet-like tail stretching past orbit of Mars. On Feb. 5, 1965, a peculiarly timed solar eruption sent series of intense proton clouds into space, five of which were detected within 48 hrs. by MARINER IV and two other US. satellites in near-earth orbit. Second and third clouds were reported by MARINER IV three to five hours prior to their detection near earth, possibly because solar eruption had blown earth’s tail to enormous length, forcing two clouds to detour through tail in order to penetrate earth’s magnetic field. (Sullivan, NYT, 5/11/66, 16; Toth, Wash. Post, 5/12/66, A14)
Chief Soviet delegate Anatoli A. Blagonravov summarized 1965 U.S.S.R. space program, and said LUNA X, which entered lunar orbit April 3, had recorded radiation pattern from lunar surface similar to that from basaltic part of earth’s crust. Apparently lunar surface exhibited no differentiation equivalent to granite on earth, indicating that earth and moon were created separately. LUNA X had found level of moon’s magnetic field barely above that of interplanetary space; small increase was attributed to moon’s passing through earth’s magnetic tail at time of measurement. Implication was that moon is cold throughout, since liquid metal core would produce large magnetic field. Report suggested that new minerals would be found on the moon because of unusual chemical reactions caused by its extreme temperature range, the impacts of micrometeorites, and rains of high-energy radiation. (Sullivan, NYT, 5/11/66, 16; Toth, Wash. Post, 5/12/66, A14)
Soviet delegate A. G. Prishchep, in a joint paper with colleague V. I. Vashkov, revealed that U.S.S.R. planetary probes were assembled in clean rooms and sterilized with two-fold process involving moist heat to prevent dryness and a gas mixture, harmless to the skin, which might have important surgical applications. Gas mixture contained 50% ethylene oxide-extremely poisonous substance which is dangerously explosive when combined with oxygen-diluted with 40% methyl bromide for safety reasons. General Electric scientists H. G. Lorsch and M. G. Koesterer reported that current sterilization cycles varied from treatment at 320° for three hours to baking at 200°F for 14 days. They argued that no more than 10 billion microbes should exist within a spacecraft prior to beginning of sterilization if reasonable chance of killing virtually all of them was to be assured. (Sullivan, NYT, 5/12/66, 79; Beller, M&R, 5/16/66, 17-18)
Drs. Herbert Friedman and R. W. Kreplin, Naval Research Laboratory, reported that solar radiation level would probably exceed highest ever recorded in 100 yrs. during 1969-1970-time of first projected manned lunar landing. Basing their prediction on measurements of solar x-ray emissions taken by EXPLORER XXX (IQSY Solar Explorer) satellite, Friedman and Kreplin explained that x-rays, which could not penetrate earth‘s atmosphere, warned of approaching sunspots before they could be seen. Solar activities in the form of sunspots and gaseous flares occurred in 11-12 yr. cycles, but there was also a gross cycle which reaches its greatest intensity every 80 to 100 yrs. (Sullivan, NYT, 5/13/66, 19; Toth, Wash. Post, 5/13/66, A12)
Dr. Bessel Kok, Research Institute for Advanced Studies, described a small instrument which could determine the existence of life when landing on another planet. Designed on the assumption that even the simplest forms of life use water and such common chemical compounds as phosphates and nitrates, device would trace the transfer of nonradioactive isotope-Oxygen 18-from these chemicals to water. (Wash. Post, 5/13/66, A12)
Reports on little-publicized efforts were presented to the meeting: (1) Italy’s platform for launching San Marco earth satellite at sea was in African port of Mombasa and would be towed shortly to site where US. Scout booster would launch satellite into equatorial orbit; (2) Pakistan was conducting monthly firings of rockets that injected copper chaff into stratosphere to disclose winds in that region over subtropics; (3) U.S.S.R. had fired 150 meteorological rockets-almost half from shipboard-and US. was firing about 120 monthly; (4) Romania had used orbital data from Washington and Cambridge, Mass., to photograph ECHO I and ECHO II comsats in coordination with Soviet expeditionary stations in Egypt and Mali; (5) Sweden, Finland, Russia, and East Europeans had joined in observing orbital flight changes of ECHO I and ECHO II attributable to density variations in wisps of air at satellite altitude; and (6) East German scientists reported their conclusions on upper air structure derived from real-time transmissions from NASA EXPLORER XXII satellite. It was estimated that 60 stations in various parts of the world were monitoring satellites that sent out “blind” data. (Sullivan, NYT, 5/15/66, 10E; Sullivan, NYT, 5/16/66, 88)
Dr. A. I. Lebedensky, Soviet Academy of Sciences, reported that LUNA IX photos revealed lunar surface was steadily eroding, at least in some places. He suggested that erosion could be caused by solar winds or impact of micrometeorites. Lebedensky pointed out two peculiar features on LUNA IX’s photos which supported his theory. First was series of streaks, resembling mineral veins in earth’s bedrock, on floor of crater where LUNA IX had landed. It had previously been assumed that moon’s surface was buried deep in debris churned up by meteorite impacts. Second was presence of rock-like objects on small pedestals similar to those on earth where soft but rock-strewn surface had been eroded. Stones, which ranged in size from one foot to less than one inch across and whose pedestals appeared as high as they were wide, “were the most unexpected and important result of the flight,” Lebedensky said. “Our conclusion is that the stone is harder than the ground around it and screens the ground underneath from the erosion effects of solar winds and micrometeorites.” Lebedensky admitted the possibility that erosion was peculiar to the crater or a particular region of the moon, but saw no obvious reason why this should be true. (Sullivan, NYT, 5/17/66, 28; Toth, Wash. Post, 5/17/66, A17)
Radio occultation measurements from MARINER IV’s July 14, 1965, Mars flyby indicated that regions on the surface of Mars might vary in height by three miles (five kilometers), JPL scientist Dr. Arvydas J. Kliore reported. (JPL Release)
Venus was rotating clockwise only once every 243 days, but during that period it seemed to be synchronized with earth, Dr. Richard Goldstein, chief of JPL Communications Systems Research, told the meeting. Dr. Goldstein also reported that radar probes of winter 1965 when Venus was nearest earth indicated prominences with the ability to depolarize microwaves. “They may well be mountain ranges,” Dr. Goldstein said, “although large fields of boulders would also depolarize microwaves. On earth, of course, such areas usually indicate the presence of nearby mountains.” (JPL Release)
Chief Soviet delegate Anatoli A. Blagonravov, addressing the annual COSPAR press conference, said France and U.S.S.R. had been negotiating -within the framework of COSPAR -On cooperation in space research which might extend to incorporation of French instruments in Soviet satellites “if this should be asked for.” Asked if he could imagine similar close cooperation between US. and U.S.S.R., Blagonravov said there was no need for it; if the situation arose, it would be better for them to cooperate in processing data obtained from their own satellites. (Reuters, Wash. Post, 5/20/66, A5)
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