May 7 1973
From The Space Library
Selection of the Chryse valley near the mouth of the Martian Grand Canyon and of Cydonia in the Mare Acidalium, 1600 km (1000 mi) northeast, as landing sites for NASA's two unmanned Viking spacecraft in July and August 1976 was announced at an Hq. press conference. The two spacecraft were scheduled for launch on their year-long, 740-million-km (460-million-mi) journey toward Mars in the summer 1975. The sites had been selected by prominent scientists after a one -year evaluation of 22 potential areas for scientific interest and the probability of a successful landing. The possibility of finding water at these sites increased the chances of finding evidence of life. Backup sites were Tritonis Lacus and Alba.
Arriving at Mars, the spacecraft would enter a highly elliptical orbit and then separate into two parts, an orbiter and a lander. Each lander would carry a miniature chemical laboratory to analyze Martian soil for signs of life. A 3-m (10-ft) retractable claw would scoop soil samples for analysis. Other instruments would analyze the atmosphere and measure pressure, temperature, wind velocity, and quake activity. The orbiter would perform visual, thermal, and water-vapor mapping. (Transcript; NASA Release 73-91)
NASA announced establishment of the General Aviation Technology Office within the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology to develop the technology base for design and development of safer, more productive, and superior U.S. general-aviation aircraft. Roger L. Winblade had been named Manager, General Aviation Technology Office. (NASA Release 73-93)
A Boeing 707 transport aircraft flew six flights over Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va., in Government-sponsored tests to demonstrate the results of Boeing Co.'s $7-million research project to reduce the 707 noise level to that of the newer Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas Co. DC-10. The tests proved the modified 707 was 10 to 15 db quieter than the original 707s. (Lindsey, NYT, 5/8/73, 78)
World Airways, Inc., dedicated its George P. Miller World Air Center Hangar, one of the world's largest aviation buildings, at Oakland (Calif.) International Airport. The $14-million, 18 600-sq-m (200 000-sq-ft) facility had been named in honor of Rep. George P. Miller (D-Calif.), former Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, who had been defeated in a 1972 primary. (NAA News, 6/73/73, 1-2; A&A 1972)
May 7-11: A 200-member U.S.-West German working group met at Kennedy Space Center to plan the Helios Project to launch two West- German-built spacecraft toward the sun with the greatest speed ever imparted to a man-made object,. Helios' spacecraft velocity at insertion into trajectory would approximate 58 000 km per hr (36 000 mph). Pioneer 10 and 11 (launched March 2, 1972, and April 6, 1973) had required a 51000-km-per-hr (32 000-mph) velocity. Helios-A-to be launched by NASA from KSC by a Titan-Centaur rocket augmented by a solid-fueled 3rd stage, in September 1974-was to approach to within 45 million km (28 million mi) of the sun. Helios-B's target point would be determined by Helios-A results. Objectives of the project, named for the Greek god of the sun, would be to study solar physics; by penetrating the outer solar corona, where charged particles received their final acceleration, and to demonstrate West German space technological ca-pability. Equally funded by West Germany and the U.S., the project would be directed, after initial NASA liftoff control, by West Germany's control center at Oberpfaffenhofen. Co-chairmen of the Helios Working Group were Gilbert W. Ousley, Chief of Goddard Space Flight Center's International Projects Office, and Ants Kutzer of the West German aero-space corporation Gesellshaft fur Weltraumforschung. (KSC Release 86-73; KSC P10)
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