Jun 26 1970
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R. launched two satellites: Molniya I-14 comsat entered orbit with 39 233-km (24 378.2-mi) apogee, 468-km (290.8-mi) perigee, 704.5-min period, and 65.4° inclination. Cosmos CCCL entered orbit with 249-km (154.7-mi) apogee, 200-km (124.3-mi) perigee, 89.0-min :period, and 51.7° inclination and reentered July 8. (GSFC SSR, 6/30/70; 7/31/70)
Aurorae (ESRO I) satellite, launched by NASA for ESRO Oct. 3, 1968, reentered atmosphere after investigating auroras and related phenomena for 21 mos. Satellite-designed, developed, and constructed by ESRO-was, second ESRO spacecraft launched under NASA/ESRO agreement. (NASA Proj Off; GSFC SSR, 6/30/70)
NASA-developed fire-proofing materials were "stirring great-hopes among professionals in the field of fire prevention and soon may be in widespread 'use," AP reported. Airline industry was "excited" about materials to reduce fire hazards in aircraft cabins. USAF had asked NASA for advice in fire-proofing T-39 jet trainers and light transports. International Assn. of Firefighters had asked NASA help in developing new firefighting apparel. Post Office Dept. was seeking fireproof mailbags. National Assn. of Home Builders, with HUD, was preparing for advance use of new fire-resistant materials in home construction. (P Inq, 6/27/70)
Harry H. Gorman had accepted, in permanent capacity, position of NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight (Management) to which he acceded in October 1969, MSFC announced. Richard W. Cook had been named to fill Gorman's former post as MSFC Deputy Director, Management, pending Hq. approval. (MSFC Release 70-129)
President Nixon in San Clemente, Calif., announced intention to nominate Clay T, Whitehead, Special Assistant to the President and White House contact for INTELSAT, as first Director of Office of Telecommunications. Nomination was submitted to Senate June 29. (PD, 6/29/70, 822; 7/6/70, 871)
NASA announced award by LaRC of $1077 000 contract to General Electric Co. Space Div. for flight experiment to make year-long global measurements of carbon monoxide concentrations using advanced spaceborne sensor. By mapping portions of earth's atmosphere with high, low, and average concentrations of poisonous gas, scientists hoped to identify "removal sinks" in which carbon monoxide was changed into another compound. By defining removal mechanisms, scientists hoped to be able to predict whether carbon monoxide concentration would increase in future and to what degree. (NASA Release 70-102)
NASA announced it had issued $8 965 000 supplemental agreement to $57-million Delta procurement contract with McDonnell Douglas Corp. to incorporate Delta inertial guidance system (DIGS) to replace radio inertial system in Delta rocket. DIGS system would use Apollo LM abort sensor package and computer developed for Centaur vehicle and would increase overall vehicle performance by eliminating need to select Delta trajectories within sight of ground command stations while radio guidance system was steering rocket. (NASA Release 70-106)
MSFC announced issuance of RFPS for study of inflight venting of Space Shuttle vehicles to identify areas of vehicle requiring venting, establish venting schemes, outline data requirements for venting analyses, and develop test program to analyze shuttle vehicles during launch and reentry. Proposals were due July 17. (MSFC Release 70-126)
Discovery that velocity of sound waves through Apollo 11 and 12 moon rocks was roughly one third that through earth's rocks was reported in Science by Edward Schreiber of Queens College, City Univ. of New York, and Orson L. Anderson of Lamont-Doherty Observatory. Scientists compared sound velocity in various earth materials with that of lunar samples. Materials which exhibited "compressional velocities that are in consonance with those measured for lunar rocks" included provolone, emmenthal, muenster, and cheddar cheese-"which leads us to suspect that perhaps old hypotheses are best, after all, and should not be lightly discarded." (Science, 6/26/70, 1579-80)
Nixon Administration policy toward Federal graduate aid was discussed in Science by John Walsh: There were signs "the Administration is veering away from a policy-of changing the primary form of direct federal support to graduate education from fellowships and training grants to guaranteed loans. For those who feared that the prevailing system of federal grants was to be supplanted there is some consolation that the grants are headed down but not out." While NASA had liquidated sustaining university programs, agency would still provide indirect support of graduate students through research assistantships financed under $75 million in research grants to universities approved in past budgets. (Science, 6/26/70, 1559-61)
Possible pollution of stratosphere by SST was discussed in Science: "An environment issue that has been intensifying in recent weeks is the question of whether exhaust products added to the stratosphere by the SST could produce significant environmental changes." Most meteorologists agreed gaseous exhaust products other than water would present no special problems. Water was "more likely to be a problem because stratospheric water concentrations are generally low as the result of condensation in the troposphere." Water accumulated in troposphere could change radiation balance of earth; initiate cloud formation, thus increasing amount of solar energy reflected into space; or lead to decrease in ozone concentration of stratosphere, "thereby allowing more ultraviolet radiation to reach the earth's surface." However, there was not enough information available to predict whether persistent clouds would form, since no research flights had been made in cold areas of tropical tropopause and above Arctic and Antarctic, which were believed to be saturated. (Nuessle, Holcomb, Science, 6/26/70, 1562)
Molecular oxygen supply in atmosphere and open ocean were not threatened by man's activities in foreseeable future, Columbia Univ. geologist Dr. Wallace S. Broecker said in Science. "Molecular oxygen is one resource that is virtually unlimited.... We are faced with so many real environmental crises that there is no need to increase the public concern by bringing out bogeymen." (Science, 6/26/70, 1537-8)
Pravda said new 3-m (10-ft) wide telescopic mirror being installed at Zelenchuk Observatory in northern Caucasus could pick up glimmer of candle 24 900 km (15 500 mi) from earth and enable astronomers to see parts of universe never before viewed by man. Largest of its kind, mirror was cut from 64-metric-ton (70-short-ton) mass of glass and was cooled in furnace from 518 K (472°F) to room temperature during 18-mo casting period. (Reuters, B Sun, 6/27/70)
MIT oceanographer Dr. Henry Stommel commented in Science, on prospects for physical oceanography: "Is the dynamics of the ocean similar to or fundamentally different from that of the atmosphere? Only measurement will tell, and it will have to be measurement at a level of technological sophistication quite beyond the present level and beyond that proposed for routine monitoring. Access to somebody's monitoring system, or to a few years of ship time, will not suffice to obtain the kind of information the scientist needs about the oceanic velocity field. Some carefully designed measurement programs are going to be needed-on a scale larger than an oceanographic institution can manage but smaller than the space program. To be useful scientifically, these programs will have to give first priority to questions of hydrodynamics. To date there is little indication they will do so." (Science, 6/26/70, 1531-6)
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