Aug 5 1963
From The Space Library
NASA announced SYNCOM II communications satellite, now drifting westward over Atlantic Ocean at 22,800-mi. altitude, would be stopped when it reached desired position at 55° west longitude. At this location SYNCOM II would be lowered into precise synchronous orbit, so that it would appear to trace elongated figure-8 pattern along 55°meridian to points 33° north and south of the equator, period 1,463 min., perigee 22,221 mi., apogee 22,912 mi., drift rate (degrees per day westward) 6.8. (NASA Release 63-168; GSFC Historian)
TIROS VI, still orbiting the earth and still providing excellent quality photographs, exceeded durability record of 302 days set by its predecessor TIROS V. Launched Sept. 18, 1962, TIROS VI provided 58,589 pictures (several hundred more than TIROS V), of which about 90 per cent were usable. TIROS VII, launched June 19, 1963, continue to operate in conjunction with TIROS VI. (NASA Release 63-174)
Static test-firing of first. Saturn S-IV flight stage conducted by Douglas Aircraft Co. at Sacramento, the cluster of six RL-10 engines generating the full 90,000 lbs. of thrust for more than one minute. The stage was slated for Saturn SA-5 launch vehicle, to be flight-tested later this year. (Marshall Star, 8/7/63, 1)
Some historic achievements of NASA Langley Research Center, NASA's installation specializing in basic aeronautical and space research, reported in press: invention of world's first transonic wind tunnels; discovery of the "area rule," a design principle regarded as key to practical supersonic flight; invention of automatically inflatable satellites, leading to development of world's first communications satellite (Echo) ; development of first all solid fuel launch vehicle (Scout) to place U.S. satellite in orbit. (W. Warwick, R.I., Pawtuxet Valley Times, 8/5/63)
Richard Tereselic, Lewis engineer, described hydraulic press intensifier which he designed at a considerable savings. The device cost approximately $4,000 and can obtain pressures up to 100,000 pounds per square inch. A similar system purchased commercially would cost $60,000. (LRC Release 63-62, Lewis Chronology, 7)
At Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, treaty banning nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, and under water was signed by Secretary of State Dean Rusk for the United States, Foreign Secretary the Earl of Home for U.K., and Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko for U.S.S.R. (NYT, 8/6/63, 12)
On test ban treaty, U.S. News and World Report said: "Nuclear test ban does not mean disarmament. Nuclear weapons still will be the weapons of future war. Weapon testing will not come to a full stop. "Tests will continue underground. France will go on testing in the air. Red China will test in the air, too, if and when she gets the bomb . . . . "Test agreement, now being entered into, favors Russia. Russia, behind in smaller nuclear weapons, can catch up by testing underground. United States, behind in bigger weapons and in an antimissile missile, will be hindered in her effort to catch up by the bar against testing in the atmosphere .... "Just as long as Russia is a closed country, ruled by a dictatorship, possessed of weapons capable of destroying United States, there can be no real disarmament, no real end to the arms race without great danger . . . ." (U.S. News, 8/5/63, in CR, 7/31/63,13060)
Rep. Melvin R. Laird (R.-Wis.) introduced resolution (H. Res. 473) to create select committee for investigating expenditures for research programs conducted by or sponsored by Government departments and agencies; proposal was referred to House Committee on Rules. (NASA Leg. Act. Rpt. It/119) )
French plans to establish tracking network, to be integrated later into European network, reported in Missiles and Rockets. French network would include tracking stations in Canary Islands and South Africa, four telemetering stations in Africa. (M&R, 8/5/63,9)
USAF launched Minuteman ICBM from Cape Canaveral underground silo, but malfunction caused missile to fall short of expected target area. (M&R, 8/12/63, 11)
August 5-9: Desert survival training for NASA's nine Gemini/Apollo astronauts conducted at Stead AFB and Carson Sink, Nev., the astronauts participating in lecture sessions, field demonstrations, and actual survival practice. (MSC Response to Query)
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