May 26 1972
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
U.S.-U.S.S.R. Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems and Interim Agreement With Respect to the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms were signed in Moscow by President Nixon and Communist Party Leader Leonid I. Brezhnev. ABM treaty- requiring Senate ratification-limited each country to two ABM deployment areas with radius of 150 km (93 mi) each and with no more than 100 ABMs in each. One area would be centered on national capital and one would protect field of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Each country was permitted six modern ABM radar complexes within capital area. Interim agreement froze production of ICBMs for five years or until full treaty was negotiated, if earlier. Possession of ICBMS was limited to those already deployed or under construction-1054 for U.S. and 1618 for U.S.S.R. Agreement also froze construction of submarine-launched ballistic missiles for nuclear submarines beyond those already begun. New construction of ICBMS, submarine missiles, or modern ballistic missile submarines would require dismantling equal number of older ones. Agreements left both nations with near-parity in nuclear weapon strength. U.S. would lead in strategic bombers with 460, with 140 for U.S.S.R.; both countries would have 2500 delivery vehicles; and Soviet megatonnage would be triple that of U.S. but U.S. would have some advantage in warheads. Each country would use "national technical means of verification," rather than on-site means, to monitor compliance with treaty terms. Baltimore Sun said later that means intended were "obviously spy satellites that use photographic and other means to check on developments in each country." Statement released by White House Press Secretary in Moscow following signing of agreements said President Nixon was "deeply gratified that now, for first time since the advent of nuclear weapons a generation ago, the two most powerful nations . have taken the lead in a direction away from wasteful, dangerous, and self-perpetuating competition in armaments and toward a mutual restraint on weapons systems." President intended "to press ahead . . . in building on that foundation laid down by this initial SALT {Strategic Arms Limitation Talks] accord, and to seek both further progress in the limitation of offensive weapons, and more comprehensive agreements across the whole range of issues confronting our two countries." (PD, 6/5/72, 925-37; Kumpa, B Sun, 5/27/72, Al)
NASA announced retirement of Dr. Wernher von Braun, Deputy Associate Administrator for Planning, effective July 1 when he would become Corporate Vice President for Engineering and Development at Fairchild Industries. Dr. von Braun had joined NASA in 1960 when Army Ballistic Missile Agency development team which he headed was transferred to NASA and formed nucleus of Marshall Space Flight Center. Born in Germany, Dr. von Braun became director of German army portion of Peenemuende Rocket Center. Near end of World War II he led group of scientists to West, surrendering to allies. In 1945 he went to U.S. under contract to U.S. Army to direct high- altitude firings of V-2 long-range ballistic missile at White Sands Missile Range. As Director of Development Operations Div. of ABMA, Dr. von Braun led development of Pershing Army missile and Jupiter intermediate- range ballistic missile, whose nosecone reentry test vehicle Jupiter-C was used to launch first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1 (Jan. 31, 1958). Dr. von Braun was MSFC Director from July 1960 to February 1970, when he assumed his current position. He had received numerous awards and honors, including Dept. of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award, Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, British Interplanetary Society Gold Medal, Hermann Oberth Award, NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership, Galabert International Astronautical Prize, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers Man of the Year Award, and Associated Press Man of the Year in Science Award. Dr. von Braun said he would leave NASA "with a deep feeling of gratitude for the wonderful and unique opportunities the agency has given me during the last 12 years . [and] with the knowledge that NASA has enough well thought out plans to keep it moving ahead for many years to come." Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, said Dr. von Braun's retirement was "a source of regret to all of us.... For more than a quarter of a century, he has served the United States as a leader in space rocket development. His efforts first put the United States in space" with Explorer 1 and as director of MSFC "he directed the development of the world's most powerful rocket, the Saturn V. All of us at NASA will miss the daily stimulation of his presence, but we are confident that we will continue to have the benefit of his inspiration and counsel in the continuing exploration and use of space." (NASA Release 72- 113; NASA biographical data)
Soviet Premier Aleksey N. Kosygin said in toast to President Nixon at Moscow dinner party given by President: "A number of Soviet- American agreements, bound to serve peaceful aims, have been signed. . . We have agreed . . . on pooling the efforts of our countries in environmental protection, in peaceful exploration and mastering of outer space, in cooperation in the fields of science and technology, medicine and public health." Strategic arms agreement was "great victory" in "easing international tension . .. , victory for all peace-loving peoples, because security and peace is their common goal." (PD, 6/5/72, 924-5)
House Committee on Science and Astronautics' Subcommittee on Inter-national Cooperation in Science and Space announced it would hold hearings in July on U.S.-U.S.S.R. agreements for cooperation in space, medicine, science, and environment. (Reuters, W Post, 5/27/72, A23)
Tracks attributed to spontaneous fission of plutonium 224 and uranium 238 had been detected in large whitlockite crystal in lunar breccia No. 14321 from Fra Mauro formation brought to earth by Apollo 14 astronauts, Univ. of California at Berkeley physicists reported in Science. It was first time evidence for decay products of plutonium 244 had been detected in objects other than meteorites and indicated age of rock could be 3.95 billion yrs. No positive evidence of terrestrial or lunar rocks with antiquity comparable to that of meteorites had yet been found. (Hutcheon, Price, Science, 5/26/72, 909-11)
Award of $168 000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to General Dynamics Corp. for design study of low-density ablative materials was announced by Manned Spacecraft Center. Materials could be used to protect space shuttle orbiter from heat. (MSC Release 72-117)
Dept. of Transportation said it was contributing $250 000 toward 16-mo joint study by NASA, Dept. of Transportation, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of effect on climate of water vapor pumped into stratosphere by high-altitude jet aircraft. NASA was contributing $100 000 and NOAA $50 000. (DOT Release 48-72)
Dept. of Transportation would begin priority program to establish quiet, short-haul air transportation system to relieve airport congestion and noise, Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe said in speech before Air Line Pilots Assn. in Washington, D.C. Federal Aviation Administration would designate certain existing U.S. airports as short-haul airports and develop strict standards on noise and pollution compatible with the community. (DOT Release 49-72)
Aerospace Industries Assn. of America, Inc. (AIA), announced formation of International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations (ICCAIA) to pursue "development and advancement of inter-national civil aeronautical and astronautical arts and industries." ICCAIA would also petition for observer status for its members in proceedings of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) . ICCAIA members-representing manufacturers of 12 countries - were AIA, Air Industries Assn. of Canada, Society of Japanese Aircraft Constructors, and Association Internationale des Constructeurs de Materiel Aero- spatial (AICMA). AIA President Karl G. Harr, Jr., was elected Chairman and AICMA President R. J. L. Diepen was elected Vice Chairman. (AIA Release 72-11)
Harrison H. Huntoon of Manned Spacecraft Center Management Analysis Office had received first NASA assignment under Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970, MSC announced. He would serve one to two years as chief of planning and evaluation for Galveston, Tex., County Health District under law to facilitate mobility of trained personnel between national, state, and local governmental agencies. (MSC Release 72-116)
Formation of General Aviation Accident Prevention Industry Advisory Committee to work with Federal Aviation Administration in developing techniques for preventing general-aviation accidents was announced by Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe. (FAA Release 72-96)
Newspapers commented on U.S.-U.S.S.R. space cooperation agreement. Wall Street Journal: "Whereas past space efforts have been an extension and symbol of Soviet-American competition, the proposed new effort will attempt to extend and symbolize cooperation." Question was "whether this change is contrived and doomed to fail as an expression of national needs and attitudes or whether it signifies the dawning of a new era in the progress of man. A case may be made either way. . . ." (WSJ, 5/26/72)
Christian Science Monitor saw agreement as "commitment to peace, to friendly relations in the years ahead on the part of the world's two superpowers." Agreement meant extension of Apollo program to bridge gap between last Skylab mission in 1973 and 1978 space shuttle flights. "It will mean an estimated 4,400 more jobs in the aerospace industry. It will mean that Soviet space crews will come to the United States for training and vice versa. And once the rendezvous is made televiewers in both countries will be able to watch their astronauts moving from one spacecraft to another and conducting joint scientific experiments." (CSM, 5/25/72)
Miami Herald: "Both sides may learn a bit from each other . . . . at most people will learn is likely to be more meaningful because emotions are the mainspring of human attitudes and actions. National prestige has been a foremost consideration in space for more than 15 years. Preparation for the joint flight promises to remold the effort into a symbol of international cooperation." (M Her, 5/26/72)
Washington Post: "The promise is that this first docking and the steps that lead to it may be the key to a new coordinated joint effort to explore and exploit those parts of the universe within man's reach," If mission was successful, "it ought to be possible for [U.S. and U.S.S.R.] to cooperate on most other aspects of space operations. The benefits to each country from such an arrangement would be great. By curtailing both competition and duplication in space activities, scientists on both sides would be able to do in good time the things that ought to be done without straining the financial resources of their governments nearly as much in the process." " (W Post, 5/26/72)
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