Feb 16 1962
From The Space Library
Following an early morning weather briefing, Mercury Operations Director Walter C. Williams advised that weather conditions again precluded a launch attempt of the MA-6 mission. February 20 was announced as the earliest possible launch date. Notified of the decision at 12:50 AM, Astronaut Glenn said: "I guess it was to be expected. We all knew the weather was marginal." Dr. Robert C. Seamans, NASA Associate Administrator, outlined NASA’s views of solid-propellant Nova-class motors in a letter to John H. Rubel, Deputy Director, Defense Research and Engineering: "NASA has a strong interest in the technology of solid-propellant rockets and hopes to make use of them in NASA vehicles when the appropriate feasibility is demonstrated . . ." NASA interest was expressed for motors with thrust levels of "about 2.5 million and 5 million lbs. and burning times of approximately 115 seconds." "The higher thrust level produced by motors about 240 inches in diameter by about 100 feet long is especially attractive from a long-range, payload growth viewpoint. In addition, the greater thrust and impulse per motor results in designs with fewer motors per stage, and thus with greater potential for reliability. . . ." Congressman V. Anfuso and Senator H. Humphrey introduced similar bills (H.R. 10203 and S. 2349) to provide for research into and development of practical means for the utilization of solar energy.
Hartley A. Soulé of NASA's Langley Research Center retired after 34 years' service at Langley. Soulé was instrumental in establishment of what is now the NASA Flight Research Center at Edwards, California, and directed the research on the X-1 (which in October 1947 first broke the speed of sound) and the X-15. More recently he was NASA Project Director for the multimillion-dollar Project Mercury worldwide tracking and ground instrumentation system.
SAC combat missile crew launched successful Atlas ICBM from Vandenberg AFB, California.
USAF awarded contract to Martin-Marietta Corp. for study of design criteria for a Titan III standardized space launch vehicle.
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