Dec 21 1967
From The Space Library
USAF launched an experimental reentry vehicle by Atlas-F booster from Vandenberg AFB as part of Advanced Ballistic Reentry Systems (ABRES) program. (Aero Tech, 1/1/68, 13)
Communications with NASA's MARINER IV Mars probe, launched Nov. 28, 1964, were terminated because of greatly reduced telemetry availability. Spacecraft had responded to series of commands Oct. 25-27 and had continued operating satisfactorily until it exhausted its gas supply in the attitude control system Dec. 7 and began to pitch, roll, and yaw. On Dee. 10 and 11 MARINER IV recorded 83 micrometeoroid hits which apparently induced severe perturbations in pitch and yaw causing degraded signal strength. During its 3.06-yr lifetime, MARINER IV had traveled more than 1.5 billion mi in heliocentric orbit, taken world's first closeup photos of Mars from 5,500-mi altitude, and returned excellent data. (NASA Proj Off; AI?, B Sun, 12/23/67; W Post, 12/23/67, A5)
FAA proposed that all civil turbojet aircraft be required to carry altitude warning devices to signal pilots visually and aurally when they were approaching or deviating from a preselected altitude. Signals were preset when device was installed and activated at a point within a prescribed band as aircraft approached a preset altitude. Device was aimed primarily at alerting pilots' sense of altitude awareness, particularly during high-speed climb and descent maneuvers. (FAA Release 67-87)
Hughes Aircraft Go. had completed negotiations with the government of Brazil on a $3.8-million contract for construction of a comsat earth station at Itaborai, near Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian Telecommunications Co. (EMBRATEL) would spend an additional $1 million or more for site preparation and buildings. Station, which would initially handle TV and 120 two-way telephone conversations via INTELSAT satellites over the Atlantic, would be completed within one year. (Hughes Release; Montgomery, NYT, 12/22/67,63)
Aerospace industry sales in 1967 would total $27.3 billion-a 13% increase over 1966 sales-and in 1968 would reach $29.2 billion, Aerospace Industries Assn. (AIA) predicted. Commercial transport aircraft production and DOD procurement had increased significantly in 1967, while NASA sales had declined from $4.9 billion to $4.1 billion. (AIA Release 67-55)
Existence of a secret three-station system which would have enabled SAC to broadcast final messages to its surviving bomber and missile forces in event of a general nuclear attack on US. was revealed by Howard Silber in the Omaha World-Herald. System, operational since July 1963, had completed its mission and was being superseded by newer devices. Located near West Point, Wisner, and Tekamah, Neb., each constantly manned station had consisted of a guard house and three trailer-vehicles housing launch control equipment, electronics equipment, and a Blue Scout Junior rocket. The three-stage rockets were to have been launched in sequence so their messages could be sounded at specific prearranged intervals at altitudes of more than 100 mi. (Omaha W-H, 12/21/67,1; AP, NYT, 12/22/67,31)
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