Dec 14 1966
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R. had successfully completed series of carrier rocket tests in the Pacific 16 days early, Tass reported. Nov. 20 Tass statement had said that tests would continue until Dec. 30. (AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 12/14/66, D11)
USAF launched unidentified satellite with Titan III-B-Agena booster from WTR. (US. Aeron. & Space Act., 1966, 159)
NASC Executive Secretary Dr. Edward 6. Welsh spoke at the dedication of Boeing Co.'s Industrial Research Center in Huntsville, Ala. "I believe that the next decade will find us marrying more closely the. major features of aeronautics and astronautics so that manned spacecraft will take off and return to spaceports with reusable propulsion systems and reusable spacecraft. The near future will find us engaged in the exploration of the lunar surface, the development of manned earth orbiting permanent space stations, unmanned and then possibly manned travel to the planets, as well as in the progressive utilization of space technology in such fields as communications, navigation, meteorology, and observation. "In addition, I believe the next decade holds great promise for the utilization of space systems technology in the solution of many of the economic and social problems of this complex civilization. . . ." (Text)
NASA Hq. released LUNAR ORBITER II photo of Ocean of Storms which confirmed moon's history of volcanic activity. Taken Nov. 25 from an oblique angle at 28-mi. altitude, photo showed an array of lunar dunes 2-10 mi. in diameter and about 1,000-1,500 ft. high which resembled volcanic domes of northern California and Oregon. Scientists believed they had been caused by upwelling of molten rock from moon's interior "which warped the overlying rock and in some cases spilled out on the surface as lava." Dr. Lawrence Rowan, U.S. Geological Survey, commented: "It is the most spectacular evidence of volcanism that we've had yet." (O'Toole, Wash. Post, 12/15/66, E2; UPI, NYT, 12/15/66, 34; Tech. Wk., 12/9/66, 19)
Skin from three Soviet researchers had been orbited in special sterilized bottles onboard LAMBDA satellite Aug. 19, 1960, and successfully grafted back three days later to test effects of space travel, Trud reported. Experiment had convinced Soviet scientists that human organisms would not be dangerously affected by cosmic rays. (Reuters, Wash. Post, 12/15/66, El)
December 14-1 7: NASA's BIOSATELLITE I (Biosatellite A) carrying more than 10-million tiny living organisms was successfully launched from ETR by two-stage Thrust-Augmented Improved Thor-Delta booster on mission to study effects of weightlessness and space radiation on growth of plants and animals. Orbital parameters: 197-mi. (317-km.) apogee; 191-mi. (308-km.) perigee; 91 min. 16 sec. period; and 33.5ΓΈ inclination. After 47 orbits, satellite had been scheduled to reenter earth's atmosphere over the Pacific, deploy a parachute, and be recovered aerially for return to NASA laboratories. Retrorocket failed to fire, however, and satellite remained in orbit. First of three spacecraft in NASA's Biosatellite program, 936.5 lb. BIOSATELLITE I carried 13 biological experiments to study physiological effects of weightlessness at three different levels: (1) growth and form of entire plants and animals; (2) structure and growth of cells and tissues; and (3) basic biochemistry of the cell. Mission also studied effects of radiation on organisms in weightless environment. Biosatellite program was managed by ARC under OSSA direction. (NASA Proj. Off.; NASA Release 66-312; AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 12/15/66, A3; AP, NYT, 12/18/66, 86; WI, NYT, 12/19/66, 66)
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