Oct 25 1962
From The Space Library
At annual NASA awards ceremony, NASA Administrator James E. Webb presented Group Achievement Awards: to four groups at NASA Manned Spacecraft Center's Assistant Directorate for Engineering and Development, Preflight Operations Division, Mercury Project Office, and Flight Operations Office; and to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Directorate for Tracking and Data Systems. NASA Deputy Administrator Dr. Hugh L. Dryden presented Exceptional Scientific Achievement Awards to Robert E. Bourdeau and John C. Lindsay, both of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA Associate Administrator Robert C. Seamans, Jr., presented Outstanding Leadership Awards to Maxime A. Faget, Assistant Director for Engineering and Development, MSC; George B. Graves, Jr., Assistant Director for Information and Control Systems, MSC; George M. Low, Director of Spacecraft and Flight Missions, Office of Manned Space Flight ; and John W. Townsend, Jr., Assistant Director for Space Science at GSFC.
Maj. Virgil I. Grissom (USAF) was first astronaut to pilot paraglider in test at Edwards, Calif., in development tests for Gemini manned spacecraft landings. Kite-like paraglider was towed aloft by biplane and released to glide downward. Maj. Grissom landed the paraglider upright, although the craft's nose wheel crumpled upon hitting the ground.
An S-IV stage for the two-stage Saturn began three-week, 3,500-mi. trip via barge from Douglas Aircraft Co. in Santa Monica, Calif., to NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., for dynamic testing.
London Times reported that Manchester University team conducting photographic survey of the moon, working at Pic-du-Midi Observatory in the French Pyrenees, and similar Japanese team, working at Kwasan Observatory, Kyoto, would be joined by a third observing station in California. Eight-hour time difference between France and Japan enables the two stations to photograph the moon for 16 hours of night; the California station would be a central point in time between the other observatories, making possible the first round-the-clock photographic survey of the moon. Manchester University program is sponsored by USAF, while Kyoto University program operates under NASA research grant.
$16,280,069 contract for construction of F-1 rocket engine test stands was awarded to Santa Fe Engineers, M. M. Sundt Construction Co., and Stolte, Inc., by Army Corps of Engineers as agent for NASA. Complex of three test stands and control center would be built at Edwards AFB, Calif.
First live two-way radio broadcast via TELSTAR was conducted by Armed Forces Radio Network. TELSTAR relayed conversations of representatives of Conseil International du Sport Militaire (Military Olympics) between Annapolis, -Md., and Germany.
NASA Administrator James E. Webb announced first nationwide conference of scientists and educators would be held in Chicago November 1-3 to study the relationship between NASA and universities in meeting national space goals.
United Auto Workers employed by North American Aviation, Inc., voted to defeat union shop proposal. IAM workers at General Dynamics/Convair and UAW workers at Ryan Aeronautical Co. would also vote on the proposal.
Republic Aviation Corp. selected RCA to design and build data acquisition and communications subsystem for Project Fire, NASA program to study re-entry heating of spacecraft. Two Project Fire spacecraft will be launched late 1963.
Washington Post reported comparative scores of U.S. and Soviet nuclear tests (through Oct. 22, 1962): U.S., 239 tests with about 143-megaton total yield; U.S.S.R., 121 tests with about 305-megaton total yield.
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