Mar 5 1974
From The Space Library
The U.S.S.R. launched Meteor 16 meteorological satellite from Plesetsk to collect information for weather forecasts. Orbital parameters were 892-km apogee, 830-km perigee, 102.2-min period, and 81.2° inclination. The satellite carried instruments to photograph the clouds and snow cover on day and night sides of the globe and to collect data on the heat reflected by the earth and its atmosphere. (GSFC Wkly SSR, 28 Feb-6 March 74; Tass. FBIS-Sov, 6 March 74, Ul; SF, Sept 74, 355)
The X-24B lifting body successfully completed its first supersonic flight near Flight Research Center, in the joint NASA-Air Force program to develop a hypersonic vehicle for reentry from space and technology for future aircraft capable of sustained cruise at hypersonic speeds. Piloted by John A. Manke and launched from a B-52 aircraft at 13 700 m, the research vehicle reached an altitude of 18 400 m and speed of mach 1.09. The powered flight satisfied the primary objectives of obtaining stability and control data at mach 1.1 for power-off and power-on conditions, performance and longitudinal trim data at mach 0.8 and 0.9, and pressure data on both fins for identification of asymmetric flow. (NASA, X--24B Flash Rpt, 5 March 74; NASA Release 73-130; Dryden FRC Release, "NASA Facts," March 1976)
Major reorganizations were announced at NASA Hq. and Marshall Space Flight Center by Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, and Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, MSFC Director.
Dr. Fletcher said the Headquarters reorganization and key personnel appointments would consolidate planning and direction of research and development programs under the Associate Administrator and overall planning and direction of the field center operations under the newly created position of Associate Administrator for Center Operations. Dr. Petrone was named Associate Administrator. He would remain as MSFC Director until early summer when he would be replaced by Dr. William R. Lucas, MSFC Deputy Director. Dr. John E. Naugle, Associate Administrator for Space Science, was appointed Deputy Associate Administrator. He would also continue as Acting Associate Administrator for Space Science until a successor was named. Dr. George M. Low, in addition to his duties as Deputy Administrator, would serve as Acting Associate Administrator for Center Operations until the new position was filled. He would be assisted by Edwin C. Kilgore, Deputy Associate Administrator for Management in the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology. Gen. Bruce K. Holloway (USAF, Ret.) , who would also continue as the Assistant Administrator for Dept. of Defense and Inter-agency Affairs, was named Acting Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Technology. Bernard Moritz was appointed Associate Administrator for Organization and Management.
The reorganization, effective 15 March, followed completion of the Apollo and Skylab programs and would provide mechanisms for the phaseover from conventional launch vehicles to the space shuttle and new programs, Dr. Fletcher said.
At MSFC, Dr. Petrone said that the reorganization, effective 30 May, would enable the Center to fulfill requirements of its varied assigned programs and improve its competitive position to obtain new assignments. The major changes were in the Science and Engineering Directorate. A Deputy for Operations and a Deputy for Systems had been established. Business operations and control of all resources had been consolidated into a centralized office at the directorate level. Elements under the S&E Directorate included two associate directors, an Associate Director of Engineering and an Associate Director of Management; two offices, Reliability and Quality Assurance and Research and Technology; and eight laboratories. The laboratories were being restructured to emphasize system engineering and integration, analysis, design, and testing. The in-house capability to manufacture, inspect, and check out major hardware projects had been eliminated, with the associated sup-ply, warehousing, and procurement capability.
Reorganization in MSFC's Administration and Program Support Directorate included consolidation of Center-wide automatic data-processing functions within A&PS. Offices under A&PS would include Technology Utilization, Manpower, Financial Management, Facilities, Procurement, Management, Services, Logistics, and Computer Services. (NASA Ann, 5 March 74; NASA Release 74-76; MSFC Release 74-31)
Edward Z. Gray, NASA Assistant Administrator for Industry Affairs and Technology Utilization, and a number of users of NASA technology testified in FY 1975 NASA authorization hearings before the House Commit-tee on Science and Astronautics' Subcommittee on Aeronautics and Space Technology: In the past year NASA had developed programs with the Environmental Protection Agency in instrument development and testing, with the Dept. of Interior's Bureau of Mines in mine safety, with the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development in fire and lead-paint detection, and with the Dept. of Transportation in highway and rail safety.
Medical applications of NASA-developed technology included a stethoscope for diagnosing respiratory diseases, developed from technology used to analyze aircraft and rocket engine sounds; a low-friction replacement for arthritic human ball-and-socket joints; magnetometers to analyze orthopedic diseases, a method to measure heart action with the computer technology used to enhance Mariner spacecraft TV pictures of Mars; and an isolation garment to protect patients from infection. (Transcript)
5-6 March: NASA Spacelab Program Director Douglas R. Lord testified 5 March during FY 1975 NASA authorization hearings before the House Committee on Science and Astronautics' Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight that, with the European commitment to develop Spacelab, the program had become international. Two parallel structures, the NASA Spacelab Program Office headed by Lord and a European Space Research Organization Spacelab Program Office under Jean-Pierre Causse, directed the program on either side of the Atlantic. Activities were coordinated by the Joint Spacelab Working Group, which met monthly, cochaired by Lord and Causse.
Causse testified that the ESRO Spacelab employment level was at 60 and would reach 100 by December 1974. ESRO member countries, except Sweden, had committed $369.6 million to the Spacelab effort, in the following proportions: West Germany, 54.1%; Italy, 18%; France, 10%; United Kingdom, 6.3%; Belgium, 4.2%; Spain, 2.8%; The Netherlands, 2.1%; Denmark, 1.5%; and Switzerland, 1%. ESRO would attempt to spend in each country an amount proportional to that country's contribution. Phase B studies-to provide a data base for program commitment and the final go-ahead-had been completed and one of the two competing firms, Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm and ERN° Raumfahrttechnik GmbH, would be selected as prime contractor in June.
MSG Robert H. Curtin (USAF, Ret.) , Director of the Office of Facilities, testified 6 March that shuttle construction projects totaled $86 020 000 and included $71 950 000 for launch and landing facilities, $7 480 000 for ground-test facilities, and $6 590 000 for solid-fueled rocket booster production and test facilities. (Transcript)
The House Committee on Science and Astronautics' Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications held hearings on the FY 1975 NASA authorization. Dr. William Nordberg, Chief of Goddard Space Flight Center's Laboratory for Meteorology and Earth Sciences, said data from
ERTS 1 Earth Resources Technology Satellite (launched 23 July 1972) had demonstrated savings in land use planning and regulation of 10 to 100 times conventional costs in both dollars and personnel. Every cloud-free photo taken by the satellite had been sold to the general public at least once. One photo of an Alaskan naval petroleum reserve showed a striking alignment of lakes indicating that the deposits might extend the known petroleum area.
Dr. Warren A. Hovis, GSFC scientist, testified that the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) satellite to be launched in 1977 would use a thermal mapper, with a resolution of 0.5 km in optimum orbit, to deter-mine maximum daily temperature variations and thermal inertia of surface material, identify mineral resources, map natural and man-made thermal effluent, and investigate geothermal source location by remote sensing.
Data from the SEASAT-A satellite to be launched in 1978- or from one of its follow-on systems-would provide optimum, minimum-time ship routing around storms and away from adverse wind, waves, currents, and ice conditions, Dr. John R. Apel, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist, testified 6 March. The savings from a one-day decrease in transatlantic crossing time could amount to millions of dollars each year for shipping interests. (Transcript)
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