Mar 14 1970
From The Space Library
Apollo 13 Astronauts James A. Lovell, Jr., Thomas K. Mattingly II, and Fred W. Haise, Jr., held press conference at MSC. Lovell announced final code names for LM and CM had been selected according to theme of mythology. LM would be called "Aquarius'" after mythical Egyptian water carrier who brought fertility and knowledge to Nile Valley. Code name originally selected for CM-"Auriga," for constellation Auriga-had been dropped in favor of "Odyssey," epic Greek poem about long adventures and wanderings of Odysseus in Greek mythology. Lovell said Apollo 13 crew had "already had quite an odyssey just getting trained" for mission. Landing of Aquarius on moon would be different from previous landings, Lovell said. Key to landing was Cone Crater on Fra Mauro. LM was "being targeted for a spot that we don't want to land at," uprange about 1/2 km from desired site; "we're not sure of the actual height of this ridge [of Cone Crater] ... so we're targeting uprange to make sure we get over it." Reason for going to Fra Mauro was "its peculiar geologic formations there and... a place called the Mare Imbrium... a large circular basin that was formed early in the moon's history... by a large impact. In the formation of this impact it made hummocky ridges, radiating outward from the center of the impact down into... Fra Mauro.. . . Now, by going to Fra Mauro, we hope to... bring back some of the basin type material that was thrown out by this catastrophe." (Transcript; UPI, C Trib, 3/15/70)
Click here to listen to Apollo 13 Pre-flight Press Conference
Aerobee 150 sounding rocket was launched by NASA from WSMR carrying NRL experiment for stellar studies. Mission did not meet minimum scientific requirements, but instruments on board rocket detected molecular hydrogen in interstellar space for first time. Although much indirect evidence for presence of large amounts of molecular hydrogen in space had been accumulated, detection by Aerobee 150 was first direct measurement. (SR list; Naval Research Reviews, 7/70, 31)
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin editorial commented on President's space goal message: "President Nixon's 'low profile' space program represents a realistic appraisal of the American temper at this time. Without the Russians nipping at our heels, apparently, there is little public pressure to keep space exploration and development going at better than a jog. It's worth noting, however, that although Mr. Nixon has accepted implicit funding limitations reflecting both his own anti-inflation drive and public opinion, he hasn't really slammed any doors." (P Bull, 3114/70)
The Economist commented: "Nasa's future plans may not brighten the back of cereal boxes but they are solid, varied and balanced. The dangers from now-on are not likely to be financial but technical: the Space Shuttle will be hard to make." (Economist, 3/14/70, 53)
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