Jan 20 1967
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (2MB PDF)
Saturn V 3rd stage (S-IVB) was completely destroyed in explosion 10 min before it was scheduled to be ignited in test at Douglas Aircraft Corp.'s Sacramento plant. NASA later determined accident had been caused by faulty welding in high-pressure helium sphere. (UPI, W Post, 1/27/67, A2; UPI, NYT, 1/22/67,29; UPI, W Post, 1/28/67, A7)
NASA should prepare a list of priorities for its future programs to guide Congress in making any budget cuts required by the Vietnam war, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences Clinton Anderson (D-N. Mex.) told Baltimore Sun reporter Albert Sehlstedt, Jr. Senator Anderson insisted he was not necessarily predicting cuts in the FY 1968 budget, but observed that "something might have to give a little" while so much was being spent on the war. (Sehlstedt, Jr., B Sun, 1/21/67)
F-111A aircraft, lent by USAF to NASA to obtain basic flight research data for the design and development of advanced variable sweep wings, was delivered to FRC. (NASA Release 67-7)
MSFC awarded $100,000 six-month contract to Bell Aerosystems Co. for flight testing of Bell's "pogo stick" one-man flying vehicle at LaRC'S 1/6 gravity test facility. Pogo stick was being evaluated for Apollo lunar surface mission use. (MSFC Release 67-12; Marshall Star, 1/25/67, 3)
ComSatCorp advised FCC of plans to award four-month study contracts- one to Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. for $272,000; one to Hughes Aircraft Co. for $299,000-for research on multi-purpose synchronous comsats. Lockheed had proposed an inertia-wheel stabilization concept, and Hughes a spin-stabilized approach for stabilizing a spacecraft in synchronous orbit. (ComSatCorp Release)
Theory that chlorophyll-a key compound of terrestrial life-exists in outer space was proposed by Dr. Fred M. Johnson of Electro-Optical Systems, Inc., at Univ. of California science symposium. Dr. Johnson said that light absorption patterns of interstellar dust obtained by spectroscopic examination had clearly demonstrated the presence of chlorophyll. Confirmation of his theory could indicate that life in forms familiar to man exists on other planets both in the earth`s galaxy and throughout the universe. (NYT, 1/21/67,9)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
