Nov 9 1962
From The Space Library
In emergency landing of X-15 No. 2, piloted by NASA’s John B. McKay, it went out of control when nosewheel broke off, the craft skidding nose down and sideways, then stopping in upside-down position. McKay sustained only superficial injuries; X-15 nose gear, wings, and tail were damaged. Flight was supposed to have reached 120,000-ft. altitude in test of stability during re-entry into earth's atmosphere, but engine failed to develop power when X-15 was released from B-52 mother ship at 45,000 ft. and McKay glided to emergency landing at Mud Lake, Nev. Flight was 31st made in X-15 No. 2, seventh in X-15 by McKay, and first X-15 flight involving any injury to personnel.
Soviet space probe MARS I was 1,677,704 mi. from earth and "continuing satisfactorily" on its flight to Mars, Prof. Vsevoldod Fedynsky of Moscow Univ. said in Tass interview.
NASA S-27 Project Officer reported Canadian ALOUETTE topside-sounder satellite was performing as expected. Launched Sept. 28, ALOUETTE was considered "a very successful experiment since it is producing not only ionospheric data but also information about the earth's magnetic field. . . . Operation of the satellite continues to be normal. . . ." S-I stage of Saturn C-1 space. vehicle was static-fired for full duration at full thrust (1.5 million lbs.) for first time, at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Previous full-duration firings bad attained 1.3 million-lb. thrust.
Scientists at Jodrell Bank Experimental Station announced they had measured part of Milky Way's magnetic field, marking first time positive evidence had been obtained of the field's existence. Milky Way's magnetic field measured 25 millionths of a gauss (earth surface's magnetic field measures about half a gauss). Led by Dr. Rodney D. Davies, research team had spent 20,000 hours over past four years on the experiment, involving radiotelescopic measurement of light from a star cluster 1,000 light years away.
Floyd L. Thompson, Director of NASA Langley Research Center, announced construction of $12.3-million space radiation effects laboratory would begin in March and would be completed in about two years. Facility, to be operated by NASA and three -Virginia colleges, would be used to study effects of radiation on space vehicle materials and components; it would simulate radiation hazards astronauts and spacecraft would encounter in space. Facility would be used also in graduate studies program in conjunction with the three colleges—Univ. of Virginia, College of William and Mary, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
Hughes Aircraft Co. reported final assembly of Syncom synchronous communications satellite had been completed. Spacecraft was undergoing final checkout before delivery to NASA at Cape Canaveral, where it would be launched early 196:3.
Univ. of Illinois radiotelescope at Vermilion River Observatory was dedicated. The radiotelescope, world's largest, included 400' x 600' x 65' parabolic reflector. Prof. George W. Swenson, Jr., Univ. of Illinois project engineer for the observatory, said radio-telescope's first job would be to map Milky Way. The $871,650 telescope was financed mainly with grants from Office of Naval Research (ONR), with supplemental grants from National Science Foundation (NSF) and Univ. of Illinois.
Use of missiles and earth-orbiting satellites in forest-fire detection was forecast by R. C. Howard of British Columbia Forest Products, Ltd., speaking in Vancouver to annual convention of Canadian Institute of Forestry. Howard said satellites would report fires to computer center which would evaluate the fire, permitting foresters to dispatch missile with built-in-fire extinguisher.
Washington Post reported that Thrust-Augmented Thor (TAT) booster would be used with Agena D upper stage to orbit first of new Discoverer satellite Series.
British Institute for Strategic Studies estimate reported that the Free World has more than six times as many ICBM’s as the Soviet Union, but that the Soviet Union has far more IRBM’s than the Free World.
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