Nov 28 1967
From The Space Library
SST design refinements reflecting 1966 recommendations made by 240-man Government and airline evaluation team were announced by Boeing Co. Vice President H. W. Withington. Prototype refinements were still to be reviewed by FAA and described in detail to the 26 airlines which had reserved SST deliveries. Changes included addition of canard surfaces, incorporation of direct-lift control, lengthening fuselage by 12 ft, and provision of more convenience in passenger boarding and deplaning. Withington cited progress in component and subsystem testing and in wind-tunnel investigations. The first metal (titanium alloy billets) for airliner prototypes was under production. Major contractors were preparing for work on assemblies and Boeing was making ready facilities for construction of the two prototypes. A titanium fabrication facility would be completed as part of the Boeing Development Center and would include a furnace large enough for heat-treating sheets of titanium 70 ft long and. 10 ft wide. The full-scale demonstration mockup, constructed in 1966, had recently been dismantled to make room for a dimensionally accurate engineering mockup to be constructed at Boeing Co. (Boeing Release)
Dr. Jerome B. Wiesner-MIT Provost, longtime member of President's Science Advisory Committee, and in 1961-64 Special Assistant to the President-expressed "The Case Against an Anti-Ballistic-Missile System" in Look. He believed arguments were "overwhelmingly against building" an anti-Chinese ABM system. "I do not believe that a really effective antimissile system is remotely possible for either the US. or the Russians. And even if the Russians could develop one, and a truly effective defense against our SAC bombers as well, our installing an ABM system would not restore our powers of deterrence. Only improvements in our own offensive-missile force . . . could achieve this." Nor did he believe ABM system would give "either complete or lasting protection against Chinese missiles." He was "convinced . . . we must rely on our known ability to retaliate devastatingly in case of nuclear attack" and must "accept and live with a `deterrent balance.' " (Wiesner, Look, 11/28/67, 25-7)
NASA announced closing of its Western Support office, Santa Monica, Calif., reduction in size of its Pasadena Office, and plans to determine manpower requirements for continuing functions in Los Angeles area. NASA centers or NASA Hq. would perform functions eliminated from the two west coast offices. Work at the offices had included contract administration, financial management and disbursement, public affairs, personnel services, procurement, and administration of NASA contract with CIT for JPL's operation. (NASA Release 67-292)
JPL Director Dr. William H. Pickering appointed William H. Bayley, General Manager of Deep Space Network (DSN) , as Assistant Laboratory Director for Tracking and Data Acquisition. In new post, Bayley would direct worldwide DSN which JPL had operated for NASA. Bayley succeeded Dr. Eberhardt Rechtin, who had taken leave of absence from JPL to accept post of Director of DOD's Advanced Research Projects Agency. (JPL Release 461/11-67)
Gen. James Ferguson, AFSC Commander, presented Distinguished Service Medal for outstanding service to M/G John L. Zoeckler, his Deputy C/S Systems. Ferguson cited Zoeckler's "strategic use of management techniques to eliminate serious scheduling problems inherent in the F-111 program." Zoeckler had managed System Program for F-111 aircraft system at ASD, Wright-Patterson AFB, from Oct. 14, 1963, until Sept. 1, 1967. (AFSC Release 209.67)
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