Apr 25 1972
From The Space Library
Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences approved H.R. 14070, $3.420-billion FY 1973 NASA authorization bill after inserting amendment that decreased by $9 million authorization of $3.429 billion passed by House April 20. As approved by Senate Committee, authorization was $41 million above original NASA budget request of $3.379 billion and $12.5 million above amended budget request of $3.420 billion. Bill, reported to Senate May 3, allocated $2.613 billion for research and development (R&D), $77.3 million for construction of facilities, and $729.5 million for research and pro-gram management. House recommendation of $211.9 million for aeronautical research and technology was reduced to NASA request level of $163.4 million. In Senate report, Committee praised increase in aeronautical R&D motivated by 1971 Civil Aviation Research and Development (CARD) Policy Study of NASA and Dept, of Transportation, but said it doubted additional funding of $48.5 million approved by House could profitably be spent during FY 1973.
Committee disapproved cancellation of development of 333 600- newton (75 000-lb) -thrust rocket engine in Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA) program and recommended new authorization of $8.5 million as requested by NASA, plus allocation of $16.5 million in unused FY 1972 funds, for engine's development in FY 1973. Senate bill restored $4 million deleted by House from funds for High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAD) and allocated total of $156.6 million-NASA-requested level-for Physics and Astronomy program. Bill added $12.5 million to NASA request of $194.7 million for space applications and stipulated $5 million out of total of $207.2 million be used for small applications technology satellite project. But it disapproved $4 million House had added for Earth Observatory Satellite project. Committee recommended that NASA present space shuttle as separate program item on FY 1973 budget request, restructure manned space flight budget for "better visibility of total effort," and formulate vigorous program to study development of terrestrial uses of solar energy. (S Rpt 92-779; Com Off)
Newspaper editorials continued comment on Apollo 16 mission, as astronauts headed back to earth from lunar surface. Christian Science Monitor commented on efficiency with which emergencies had been handled: "We very much appreciate the fine job the Apollo 16 crew has done. Nevertheless, for us, the star of the mission has been the impersonal intelligence expressed throughout the Apollo program. This is what underlies Apollo 16's success and has added another important reference point to our growing knowledge of the moon." (CSM, 4/25/72)
Chicago Daily News: "This expedition, the fifth and next to last of the moon landings, revealed growing confidence and ability to improvise, and an increasing breadth of engineering genius that will carry over into many Earthbound projects. The advance in `pure science'-mainly in knowledge as to how the universe is put together-is impossible to estimate. Somewhere down the line, whatever is learned on the moon trips should add to man's ability to cope with his environment. Once more, gratitude is due to the courageous astronauts ... who carried out their assignment so superbly." (C Daily News, 4/25/72)
West German pilot Hans-Werner Grosse set new world record in long- distance straight-line glider flying with 12-hr, 1450-km (900-mi) flight from Luebeck Airport, West Germany, to Biarritz on Spanish border. Flight, in ASW-12 all-plastic glider, was 273.5 km (170 mi) longer than previous record set by U.S. pilot Wallace Scott. Grosse cruised at altitudes to 2300 m (7500 ft) pushed by 56-km- per-hr (35-mph) winds. (Stueck, NYT, 5/28/72, 42)
House passed by vote of 329 to 16 H.R. 14108, $673.8-million National Science Foundation FY 1973 authorization. Bill included additional $7 million in foreign currencies for expenses incurred outside U.S. (CR, 4/25/72, H3494 3508)
Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe announced award of two Federal Aviation Administration contracts for development of plans for quiet, short-haul air transportation system. Battelle Memorial Institute was awarded $243 600 for structured program planning based on wide range of viewpoints within public and private sectors. Urban Systems Research and Engineering, Inc., was awarded $202 400 to analyze strategies for development of vertical or short takeoff and landing (v/STOL) aircraft system in terms of decision making under uncertain conditions. (FAA Release 72-71)
Federal Aviation Administration released aviation forecasts for FY 1972 through FY 1983: U.S. passenger emplanements would increase from 170 million in FY 1971 to 174.9 million in FY 1972 and 189.7 million in FY 1973-gain of about 3% in FY 1972 and almost 9% in FY 1973. By end of 1983, emplanements were expected to reach 475.5 million-almost three times FY 1971 level. Revenue passenger-miles recorded by U.S. airlines were expected to grow at annual rate of about 10.5%, to reach 445 billion in FY 1983, more than three times total of 132.4 billion in FY 1971. Total hours flown by general-aviation aircraft was expected to increase almost 4% in FY 1972 and 5% in FY 1973, to 28.8 million. By 1983, total hours were expected to reach 46.2 million. General-aviation fleet was expected to grow from 131 407 aircraft in January 1971 to 212 000 in January 1983. (FAA Release 72-67)
National Science Foundation reported rise in share of Federal research and development (R&D) expenditures on functions other than space and defense. During 1963-1973, 10 other budget functions shifted upward in R&D program emphasis. Until 1966 space research and national defense spent 90% of Federal R&D total. Joint share of these two functions was expected to be 77% in FY 1973. Share of other 10 functions had risen 5% between 1970 and 1973 alone. (NSF High-lights, 4/25/72, 1)
Importance of high technology to U.S. future was discussed by Dr. Karl G. Harr, Jr., President of Aerospace Industries Assn. of America, Inc., in speech before Aero Club of Washington, D.C.: "If we as a nation are to continue to base our national security on modern forces-in-being, relying on qualitatively superior weaponry, then we must adequately fund both research & development and procurement." In space exploration "our national willingness or unwillingness to proceed with this effort so rich in demonstrated benefits of all kinds, will foretell our spiritual strength to face the future." (Text)
Environmental Action, group of 31 scientists and professionals, issued statement in Washington, D.C., urging Congress to deny Administration's request for $500 million to build demonstration model of nuclear breeder reactor to generate electricity. Group, which included Nobel Prize winners Dr. Harold C. Urey (physicist) and Dr. Linus C. Pauling (chemist), questioned safety of nuclear reactors and favored concentration of coal to generate power. (Cowan, NYT, 4/26/72, 7)
April 25-27: Good-quality TV pictures of receding moon from inside CM and of lunar surface from LRV on moon were transmitted between 227 and 229 GET. At 243:35 GET (3:43 pm EST April 25) Mattingly left CSM for inflight EVA to retrieve panoramic and mapping camera film cassettes from SIM on SM. Mattingly made two trips, during which he observed condition of instruments, reported that insulation paint near rocket nozzle was blistered, and deployed and exposed microbial ecological evaluation device (HEED) experiment for 10 min. He reentered CSM after 1 hr 24 min. Scheduled TV press conference began at 268:13 GET and ended at 268:31 GET. Astronauts briefly described moon's far side, including crater Guyot, which seemed to be so full of material that it overflowed and spilled down side of the crater.
CM separated from SM at 290:08 GET, 15 min before entry interface at 121 900-m (400 000-ft) altitude. Drogue and main parachutes deployed normally and CM splashed down and flipped upside-down in mid-Pacific about 5 km (3 mi) from recovery ship U.S.S. Ticonderoga at 2:44 pm EST April 27, after 11-day 2-hr (265-hr 51-min) mission. After flipping spacecraft upright by inflating air bags, astronauts, wearing fresh flight suits, left CM and were carried by helicopter to biomed area on recovery ship for postflight examinations. After being declared in excellent condition, astronauts were flown on following day to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and to Ellington AFB, Tex. Young had lost 31/2 kg (71/2 lbs) ; Mattingly, 3 kg (61/2 lbs); and Duke, 21/2 kg (51/2 lbs), but all were "euphoric, hungry and thirsty, and walking well." CM was retrieved and placed in dolly on board recovery ship. Lunar samples, data, and equipment were flown to Ellington AFB and CM was off-loaded at San Diego.
Mission achieved primary Apollo 16 objectives: to make selenological survey and sampling of materials in preselected area of Descartes region; emplace and activate surface experiments; evaluate capability of Apollo equipment to provide extended lunar surface stay time, increased EVA operations, and surface mobility; and conduct inflight experiments and photographic tasks from lunar orbit. Launch vehicle and spacecraft systems performance were near nominal except for lack of rate feedback in thrust vector control and yaw oscillations that delayed lunar landing, caused revision of lunar surface activities, and necessitated end of mission one day earlier than planned. All anomalies were quickly analyzed and resolved or compensated for by work-around procedures developed to permit mission to continue. Flight crew performance was excellent. Minor errors made by crew were attributed to fatigue and did not preclude mission success. Mission was officially judged a success.
Accomplishments included largest payload (34 518 kg; 76 100 lbs) placed in lunar orbit, first cosmic ray detector deployed on lunar surface, first use of far-uv camera on lunar surface, longest lunar surface stay time (71 hrs 14 min), longest lunar surface EVA (20 hrs 15 min), and largest amount of lunar samples brought to earth (96.6 kg; 213 lbs). In addition, astronauts returned 3793.5 m (12 446 ft) of exposed film used on lunar surface and in lunar orbit.
Apollo 16 was 13th Apollo mission to date, 10th manned Apollo mission, and 5th successful manned lunar landing mission. Apollo 15 had been conducted July 26-Aug. 7, 1971. Apollo program was directed by NASA Office of Manned Space Flight. Manned Spacecraft Center was responsible for Apollo spacecraft development, Marshall Space Flight Center for Saturn V launch vehicle, and Kennedy Space Center for launch operations. Tracking and data acquisition was managed by Goddard Space Flight Center under overall direction of Office of Tracking and Data Acquisition. (NASA proj off; NASA Release 72-64K; NYT, 4/16- 30/72; W Post, 4/16-28/72; W Star, 4/16-28/72; B Sun, 4/18/72, Al; AP, New Haven Register, 4/21/72)
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