Mar 4 1966
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (2MB PDF)
NASA had signed supplemental agreement with Boeing Co. converting Saturn V 1st stage (S-IC) contract from fixed-price to incentive-fee. Contract, currently valued at $850,114,303, was first Saturn stage contract to be converted to incentive type. ‘‘(MSFC Release 66-49; NASA Release 66-48)’’
Five NAA Rocketdyne J-2 engines designed to power Saturn V’s S-II stage successfully underwent second consecutive full-duration test firing aboard “battleship” test vehicle at Santa Susana, Calif. Engines were fired for 360 sec. and developed 650,000-lbs. thrust-comparable to 1,000,000-lbs. thrust in flight operation. ‘‘(NAA Skywriter, 3/11/66, 1)’’
Prof. Emilio Segre of Univ. of California, Berkeley, reviewed postwar physics in Science: “. . . many illustrious men of science, physicists in particular, have made the mistake of thinking that the end of physics was in sight. They have consistently been proved wrong by the opening up of completely new fields. . . . Space exploration and the study of the interior of the earth are new departures. Here we do not yet see any new phenomena, but we are penetrating in unexplored regions. It is possible that these regions will not yield anything extraordinary, such as extraterrestrial life. However, they present phenomena on scales impossible to reproduce in the laboratory, and a change in orders of magnitude is a well-known source of surprises. Furthermore, we must not forget that particle physics originated with the study of cosmic rays.” ‘‘(Science, 3/4/66, 1052-5)’’
US. and other scientifically advanced nations have a solemn and urgent duty to help less-developed countries on their way by providing both knowledge and materials, wrote Frederick Seitz, president of National Academy of Sciences, in Science, but the ‘‘success of this partnership . . . will ultimately depend on the extent to which those in the less-developed lands are willing to sacrifice themselves and their way of life to the pursuit of technological development. One of Homi Bhabha’s [late director of Tata Institute, Bombay] great contributions to India lies in the willingness he had to mold old traditions to new patterns of development.” ‘‘(Seitz, Science, 3/4/66)’’
Astronauts Elliot M. See, Jr. (Cdr., USNR), and Charles A. Bassett II (Maj., USAF), killed-Feb. 28 when their T-38 jet training plane crashed in St. Louis, were buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors in two separate ceremonies. Fifteen astronauts attended, 12 of whom served as pallbearers. See and Bassett had been selected as prime crew for the GEMINI IX mission scheduled for spring 1966. ‘‘(Hoagland, Wash. Post, 3/5/66, B1; AP, NYT, 3/5/66, 9)’’
FAX would advance from Oct. 15 to Sept. 1, 1966, date for submission of final design proposals by two airframe and two engine manufacturers participating in supersonic transport (SST) development program, announced B/G J. C. Maxwell, director of FAA SST Development. FAA expected to complete its evaluation of the competing designs by Dec. 31 as scheduled. Boeing Co. and Lockheed Aircraft Corp. were competing. for airframe contract; General Electric Co. and Pratt & Whitney Div. of United Aircraft Corp., for engine contract. ‘‘(FAA Release 66-23)’’
Launch Umbilical Tower No. 3 at KSC was lifted by crawler transporter and moved to Pad A of Launch Complex 39 -three miles away -for placement on pedestals in checkout of procedures for Saturn V launch operations. ‘‘(KSC Historian)’’
Dr. Norman F. Ness of GSFC Laboratory for Space Sciences described in Science the new view of earth’s magnetic field afforded by satellite mapping. Among developments in space physics, he pointed out studies in planetary magnetism leading to comparison of earth with a “magnetic comet” and results obtained by MARINERS II and IV indicating the unique strength of earth’s magnetic field, compared with those of Venus and Mars. He noted the importance of these data and other satellite measurements for paleomagnetic research. ‘‘(Science, 3/4/66, 1041-52)’’
FCC authorized ITT World Communications, Inc., to provide live television coverage of recovery operations for March 15 Gemini VIII mission. A portable station aboard U.S.S. Boxer would use EARLY BIRD 1 comsat as it did for GEMINI VII and VI recoveries. ‘‘(UPI, NYT, 3/5/66, 13)’’
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