Dec 14 1967
From The Space Library
NASA Surveyor V spacecraft on the moon responded to turn-on commands from Goldstone, Calif., station at beginning of its fourth lunar day. Spacecraft had operated during its second lunar day but had failed to respond during third. Battery was still functioning, and camera and alpha-scattering instrument were responding to commands. (NASA Proj Off; W News, 12/15/67,5)
NASA's OSO IV, launched from ETR Oct. 18, had achieved its primary and secondary objectives and was continuing to operate satisfactorily. Although anomalies occurred in some of the nine experiments, and three were turned off, all of the pointed experiments had operated as planned for more than one solar rotation, and the wheel experiments had obtained useful data. (NASA Proj off)
Surveyor VI briefing was held at NASA Hq. Dr. Leonard D. Jaffe, JPL Surveyor Project Scientist, said Surveyor VI had discovered or confirmed that: (1) lunar maria were covered primarily with very fine, 0.001-in-dia particles but also with "some coarse particles and rocks up to a yard across"; (2) particles stuck together weakly and were not suspended above lunar surface; (3) radar return was from surface and not from subsurface layer; (4) strength of lunar maria was three to eight pounds psi at one-to two-inch depth; (5) composition of rock was basic and basaltic with very little meteoritic iron on the surface; (6) surface was extremely uniform; and (7) particles were cohesive and adhesive, but there was %o need for concern" about manned spacecraft's sinking or being covered by sticky soil in maria sites investigated. simultaneous operation of Surveyors V and VI would permit measurement of moon's "wobble" or physical libration by obtaining spacecraft's range and range rate, Dr. John A. O'Keefe, Assistant Chief of GSFC's Laboratory for Theoretical Studies, explained. "The moon has a sort of a nose [Sinus Medii, landing site of Surveyor VI] that sticks out in front. The earth's gravity takes hold of that nose and wiggles it . . . back and forth as the earth slightly moves either way." Although scientists had a fairly good idea of the size of the "nose" and how firmly earth could grab it, they did not know how the moon responded to the pull, he said. Response depended on whether lunar mass was concentrated toward the center, in which case it would yield easily, or toward the outside, in which case moon's inertia would be much stronger. Dr. O'Keefe also showed Surveyor VI photos of lunar surface lit by sunshine. In one, corona was traceable out to a distance of 30 solar radii from the sun-furthest ever traced. Another revealed persistence of a line of light after the instant of true sunset. Line, which had appeared less clearly in previous Surveyor photos, he said, could be explained either as a layer of 0.001-in-thick particles or as lunar material floating a short distance from surface because of electrostatic charges. Surveyor VI mission represented "the completion of two major milestones of lunar surface exploration-the investigation and certification of four prime candidates for future manned landings and the scientific evaluation of four . . . widely separated regions in the moon's equatorial belts," Surveyor Program Manager Benjamin Milwitzky asserted. To maximize the scientific value of the last Surveyor mission in the series, NASA had established a group of scientists to study and recommend possible landing sites for Surveyor G. As a result of group's recommendations, NASA had selected Tycho crater, south of the equator, as primary target, and Fra Mauro, north of the equator, as an alternate. Highland Tycho area was "risky as a landing site," he said, because it was covered by ridges, grooves, and rocks, but it would provide scientific data for comparison with data from previous lowland maria landing sites. Surveyor G, scheduled for launch Jan. 7, 1968, would be equipped with surface sampler, TV cameras, alpha-scattering instrument, and minor payload items such as magnets on footpads and surface sampler SCOOP and special mirrors. (Transcript; Reistrup, W Post, 12/15/67, MO; W Star, 12/15/67, A7)
Stanford Univ. School of Medicine biochemists Drs. Arthur Kornberg and Merhven Goulian successfully synthesized a simple, biologically-active form of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from inert materials. The man-made DNA virus-a basic molecule of life--was capable of reproducing itself and generating new viruses. Discovery could eventually make it possible to create artificial viruses that could attack diseases such as cancer and leukemia; modify genes and produce specific biological change; and cure hereditary defects such as diabetes, hemophilia, and mental retardation. President Johnson, speaking at Smithsonian Institution ceremony marking 200th anniversary of Encyclopedia Britannica, cited creation of active DNA as "a spectacular breakthrough in human knowledge. . . These men have unlocked a fundamental secret of life. It opens a wide door to new discoveries in fighting disease and building much healthier human beings." (W Post, 12/15/67, A10; Randal, W Star, 12/15/67,1; O'Toole, W Post, 12/15/67, Al; PO, 1.2/18/67,1712-5)
Three Soviet scientists confined in a small chamber for 70 days suffered hallucinations and "psychological changes," Tass announced. Scientists, who subsisted on "dehydrated meat, cottage cheese, various tinned food and concentrates," lost weight, and their muscle tone deteriorated despite daily exercise on a bicycle stand. All three recovered. (W Post, 12/15/67, A20; SBD, 12/15/67,236)
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