December 1964
From The Space Library
Click here to listen to an official year-end report from NASA for 1964.
Boeing Co. was named systems integration contractor for NASA's three-stage Saturn V booster. Work would be performed at the firm's launch systems branch at New Orleans under an $85 million supplement to its contract as prime contractor for the booster's first stage. Systems and engineering integration would be conducted in three major areas: the vehicle, systems documentation, and systems development breadboard facility. On the vehicle itself, Boeing would be responsible for mechanical interface engineering, instrumentation and telemetry systems, aerodynamics and flight mechanics, flight evaluation and operation, atmospheric environmental design criteria, malfunction detection system, structural heating and environmental control system, structural dynamics, and vehicle assembly documentation. (M&R, 1/4/65, 10)
National Weather Satellite Center was seeking sources for services and material for advanced development models of water-borne automatic unmanned weather stations by January 14, 1965. Companies with moor-ing and static meteorology sensor technology and design capabilities were being sought. (M&R, 12/21/64, 8)
NASA announced that its Office of Technology Utilization had issued Technical Briefs describing two instruments for measuring the rates of human respiration and heartbeat. The devices were a pneumotachometer (Tech Brief 64-10259) which would measure respiration rates per minute on a breath-to-breath basis and a cardiometer (Tech Brief 64-10258) which would compute the heartbeat rate from the wave-form output of an electrocardiograph (EKG) and visually display the data in beats per minute. Both were developed in connection with NASA's manned space flight program. (NASA Release 64-311)
A NASA technology utilization report described the effects of extremely low temperatures on structural metals. Based on studies at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, the report outlined some of NASA's experience with various metallic materials and their capabilities at cryogenic temperatures. (NASA Release 64-325)
NASA Tech Brief 64-10006 described a speed-sensing device to help power crane operators judge payload movements more precisely. Visual and audible signals would be produced in the crane cab to indicate the rate of load movement. The device would eliminate the necessity of a relay man to transmit hand signals to the crane operator. (NASA Release 64-300)
NASA Flight Research Center completed the first series of flight tests of the Bell Aerosystems Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV). Program officials observed that the LLRV could simulate many nonaerodynamic space-flight maneuvers in addition to the lunar landing for which it was primarily designed and asked for a full year of experimentation with the craft. (M&R, 12/14/64, 10)
NASA Kennedy Space Center awarded a $1.5-million contract to Monitor Systems, Inc., of Fort Washington, Pa., for two digital telemetry systems to be installed at KSC's Central Instrumentation Facility on Merritt Island. The systems would be used as intermediate data converters and processors during Apollo/Saturn V rocket launches from Merritt Island. (KSC Release 220-64)
Paul G. Johnson, of the AEC-NASA Space Nuclear Propulsion Office, said in an article in Astronautics and Aeronautics that solid-core nuclear rockets would power the next generation of manned space vehicles. "The exact way in which nuclear rockets will be used in the space program will depend on many factors other than payload comparisons. One of the primary influences will be the relative emphasis placed on manned operations in earth orbit, on the moon, and to the near planets. An equally strong influence will be the experience in the nuclear-rocket development program, which will indicate the possible characteristics and availability dates of propulsion systems." (A&A, 12/64, 22-28)
In the British Interplanetary Society's Spaceflight, Brian J. Ford suggested that the first men on the moon might be imperiled by the residue of an electric charge which he said formed its craters. Mr. Ford proposed the theory that the moon's craters were caused by a gigantic electrical discharge when the earth and moon were still hot and close together, and said that he had reproduced the theoretical conditions in miniature in a laboratory. He had found that electrical discharge created craters which showed the characteristic central peak of a lunar crater and formed other corroborating detail. He suggested that the moon might still carry an electrostatic charge from this original discharge which "might seriously imperil" the first men to land there. (UPI, Chic. Trib., 12/28/64)
In a report to the Atomic Industrial Forum, Frank Deluzio, staff director of the Senate Aeronautical and Space Sciences Committee, called for increased funds for Kiwi and Nerva and also urged that the suspended Rift nuclear rocket program be reactivated. He suggested that studies be begun to substitute a nuclear reactor for the chemical engines in the giant Saturn V rocket. "While it is admitted that nuclear propulsion comes into its own in the large scale manned missions to the planets," Deluzio said, ". . . nuclear stages should be committed to earlier pro-grams, such as lunar landings late in the Apollo program. The integration of a nuclear stage with the Saturn launch vehicle should be done at the earliest possible moment so that proper experience and confidence can be obtained . . . This will increase the utility of the Saturn for a great number of years; it means a high return to the nation for its investment in the Saturn, its ground support, related systems, and industrial capabilities." Deluzio also urged that nuclear rocket development remain the province of AEC. (McHugh, Copley News Service, San Diego Union, 12/21/64)
In an Astronautics and Aeronautics editorial, Burton I. Edelson, Chairman of the AIAA Communications Committee, said: "In applying earth satellites to practical tasks, we have long passed the stage of demonstration. Now as we approach the stage of extensive operations, we face another major challenge in what industry terms a "market survey." We must be alert to the possibility of entirely new markets which evolve once an initial experiment demonstrates capability. The professional community can and should make major contributions to the prompt exploitation of its brain-childs." (A&A, 12/64, 13)
In Fortune article on "Khrushchev's Paper Bear," Charles J. B. Murphy reviewed the background of U.S. intelligence concerning Soviet missile development as related to the first ICBM's, the first Sputniks, the high-altitude U-2 operations, and the so-called "missile gap." He related these to American decisions and politics. Author submitted that Soviets failed to exploit early lead in missiles and that U.S. miscalculated relative missile strength in 1960. (Fortune, 12/64, 114f.)
Karl G. Harr, Jr., Pres. of Aerospace Industries Assn., editorialized: "To those familiar with the technical achievements of the past few years there is no doubt that aviation is on the threshold of its brightest era. . . . Enough is known of the potential of the new aeronautical technology to predict that all types of aviation-military, air-line, and general aviation-will be completely transformed in the next two decades. The day of the manned military airplane is far from over. Today's civil jet transports, which enjoy a high reputation, are far from the ultimate in economical flying machines. The usefulness of all types of aircraft will be vastly improved, and they will be much cheaper to operate in the future. "Perhaps even more important will be the widespread benefits of the new aeronautical technology outside of aviation. In the past, aeronautical technology, which has provided major advances in high performance engines, efficient air flow design, lightweight structures and material, and high reliability, was put to Wide use after it was given in aviation.. . . This pattern of transfer of aeronautical technology will not change. In fact, the opportunity should be greater in the future because the jump in efficiency now considered possible for aircraft structure and powerplant technology is greater than anything yet experienced. . . . " (Aerospace, Winter 64 8 9)
- December
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