Dec 24 1962
From The Space Library
Edgar M. Cortright, NASA Deputy Director of Space Sciences, said in press interview that stringent rules on sterilization of spacecraft components constituted one of the greatest problems in Project Ranger. NASA policy to prevent contamination of the moon by terrestrial germs did not require sterilization "to the point of jeopardizing reliability," Cortright said, but rejection rate on many spacecraft components became much higher as result of the policy; some components would not operate properly after being subjected to sterilization processes (including alcohol, ethylene oxide, ultraviolet rays, and heat). Relaxation of strict sterilization rules for Ranger spacecraft was one of the changes being considered in "re-orientation" of Project Ranger, Cortright indicated.
Japanese Meteorological Observatory reported abnormal atmospheric pressures from a Soviet nuclear blast, apparently one of two recorded also by Uppsala University in Sweden. Japanese agency estimated the strength of the blast at 20 megatons. It said the abnormal pressure lasted from 40 to 100 minutes. Two blasts registered at the seismological institute in Sweden were listed at 19 megatons and 8 megatons. The geodetic institution of the Technological High School at Stockholm, Sweden, registered another gravitational disturbance which may have been a third Russian nuclear test, one which had a force of about 10 megatons. During the past 10 days, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission had announced that the Russians have conducted at least four nuclear tests.
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