May 11 1972
From The Space Library
Senate passed H.R. 14070, $3.444-billion NASA FY 1973 authorization bill, after adopting amendment by Sen. Howard W. Cannon (D-Nev.) that increased allocation for aeronautical research and development by $24 million. Increase included $21 million for program to design and demonstrate certifiable modifications to retrofit existing civil aircraft for quieter performance and $3 million for aircraft collision avoidance. Senate rejected, by vote of 61 to 21, amendment by Sen. Walter F. Mondale (D-Minn.) to delete $228 million requested for space shuttle development. (CR, 5/11/72, S7698-7763)
NASA-developed battery technology had been used by McCulloch Electronics Corp. to design high-energy-output batteries for sure, fast starts for power tools and sports equipment. Medical and photographic applications were also being developed. New batteries could be re- charged 90 to 100 times faster than existing batteries-15 to 20 min instead of 14 to 16 hrs. (NASA Release 72-95)
Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.) sent letter to NASA Hq. requesting NASA comments on General Accounting Office report that recommended Manned Spacecraft Center contracting officer "devote more attention" to performance of NASA contractor Service Technology Corp. Firm, subsidiary of Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc., had received average annual income of $12 million from extensions to $16-million contract signed with NASA in 1967. STC work included building and ground maintenance, engineering design and construction of hardware, technical writing and editing, and publications distribution service. GAO had found STC practices "doubtful." (H Post, 5/14/72)
Dr. Aleksander P. Vinogradov, Vice President of Soviet Academy of Sciences, presented report on Luna 20 samples to Academy. He had earlier, on May 4, published data on soil sample in Pravda. Luna 20 had landed near moon's Apollonius Crater in mountainous area between Sea of Crises and Sea of Fertility and returned to earth with lunar samples. Luna 20 soil was light grey, porous consertal (of texture in which irregular crystals interlocked) material containing fewer glassy, fused particles than Luna 16 samples from Sea of Fertility. Average particle size was 70-80 millimicrometers with largest particle in excess of one millimeter. Albedo value was higher than for samples returned by Luna 16, Apollo 11, or Apollo 12. Basic mass of particles were anorthositic rock containing large amount of feldspar, metallic iron, and olivine. "The lunar samples' surprise proved to be the presence of pulverized metallic iron, which ... does not oxidize, as distinct from terrestrial iron. This discovery may be of great practical significance. We have shown experimentally that under certain conditions it is possible to obtain such iron in the laboratory from basalts. If we succeeded in developing cheap technology for the industrial production of inoxidizable iron, this would give technology a magnificient construction material." Understanding nature of formation of anorthosites would be of even greater significance. "Perhaps it will even elucidate the most ancient history of our planet. A popular hypothesis once existed among geologists that the earth's crust originally consisted of anorthosite rocks. Now it has unexpectedly received strong `corroboration' from the moon. "After study of the lunar rock the nocturnal luminary appears before us as a 'twofaced Janus.' On the moon's visible side vast territories are occupied by basaltic seas, while the entire far side is practically a solid continent, apparently formed from anorthositic rocks. Such a sharp difference is one of the moon's most exciting secrets." (Izvestiya, FBIS-Sov, 5/17/72, Ll; Sov Rpt, 5/19/72, 1)
Astronaut Stuart A. Roosa was named chairman of Manned Spacecraft Center board to investigate cause of May 10 T-38 aircraft accident in which Astronaut Charles Conrad, Jr., parachuted to safety at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Tex. (MSC Release 72- 100)
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