Oct 25 1971
From The Space Library
MSC engineers were studying use of liquid oxygen and propane as fuel combination for recoverable ballistic booster that was possible vehicle for space shuttle transportation system, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. (Av Wk, 10/25/71, 12)
Decisions on NASA's space shuttle program might be politically timed, Aviation Week & Space Technology said. Four contractors would complete study contracts in spring 1972. "At this point, President Nixon-in the midst of his re-election campaign-might publicly state his support for the project." Selection of winners "of the biggest plum in space" would not be announced until after the November election, magazine said. (Av Wk, 10/25/71, 11)
Execution of FAA-ESRO Memorandum of Understanding for joint aviation satellite program had been delayed from Nov. 3 to early December because Office of Management and Budget could not complete review of proposed program in time, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. Final pre-bid briefings for prospective contractors also had been delayed. (Av Wk, 10/25/71, 23)
French national space agency Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (cNES) budget request for 1972 would be approximately $150 million, up from $132.7 million received for 1971, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. Budget would be augmented to cover participation in ELDO Europa 3 launch vehicle program if production of advanced launch vehicle was approved. Increase in CNES funding would be largely offset by inflation, French officials had said. (Av Wk, 10/25/ 71, 20)
Aviation Week & Space Technology editorial noted "major surprises" from first four manned lunar explorations: Possibility of existence of water or ice below lunar surface; detection of heat near moon's core and of seismic activity on moon; greater magnetic field than expected; and fact moon was "mineral storehouse of tremendous magnitude with some elements in combinations rarely or never found on earth." There was also "sizable accumulation of other scientific data to be refined from the instrumentation still functioning on the moon and the nearly 400 lb [181 kg] of lunar rocks and soil samples..:. The moon has proved to be a scientific bonanza regardless of what more material benefits may be realized eventually. All of this must be a cause for considerable chagrin and embarrassment to that segment of the scientific community that led the sneering section during the early stages of the Apollo program when flight testing of operational hardware was of necessity its primary concern." (Hotz, Av Wk, 10/25/71, 7) [[ Mikhail K. Yangel]], Soviet scientist and rocket expert, died of heart attack at age 60. Tass later quoted obituary, signed by Soviet leaders, as saying Academician Yangel had "made an inestimable contribution to the cause of development and perfection of rocket-space engineering and exploration of near-earth outer space." (FBJS-Sov-71-207, 10/27/ 71, L3 )
October 25-28: AIAA held 8th Annual Meeting and Technical Display in Washington, D.C. Meeting Chairman, Pan American World Airways President Najeeb E. Halaby, dedicated meeting "to establishing a rapport between supporters of technology and its critics." In program introduction he said, "This is a time not for routine reading of sophisticated papers about a future that is itself in question, but for addressing ourselves to the basic issue of where we are headed-if anywhere."
Technical display included space shuttle technology exhibits by NASA and major contenders for shuttle contracts and models of Grumman F-14A fighter aircraft, McDonnell Douglas F-15 fighter, and NR B-1 bomber aircraft. On Oct. 25, designated by AIAA as "Aerospace Day," Apollo 15 Astronaut David R. Scott narrated NASA Apollo 15 film. Panel discussions included "Rocketry in the 1950's" chaired by Dr. Wernher von Braun, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Planning; "STOL and VTOL-Where Do They Fit In?" chaired by ARC Director Hans Mark and transmitted by telephone link up to LeRC employees; and "The Aerospace Professional-What Is His Future?" with Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, as panel member. Von Karman Lecture, "Trends in the Field of Automatic Control in the Last Two Decades," was given by Dr. Irmgard Flugge-Lutz of Stanford Univ. Automation had been penetrating nearly every field of engineering. Mathematical theory and large computing equipment allowed development and extension beyond handling of linear and weekly nonlinear systems. Investigation of systems with large trans-port time lags had been advanced. Major AIAA awards presented included John Jeffries Award to Richard S. Johnston, MSC Deputy Director of Medical Research and Operations, for "outstanding contributions to the advancement of Manned Space Flight and aerospace medical research through your leadership in the development of life support systems." Lawrence Sperry Award was given to Ronald L. Berry, Chief of MSC Planetary Missions Analysis Branch, for "many outstanding achievements in the field of manned space flight, particularly in lunar mission analysis and design development." Spacecraft Design Award was presented to Anthony J. Iorillo, Manager of Special Projects for Hughes Aircraft Co., for "invention of the Gyrostat stabilized spacecraft which formed the basic stabilization and configuration for the successful Tactical Communications Satellite, Intelsat IV, and a series of other satellites now in design and production." Louis W. Hill Space Transportation Award was given to Dr. Hubertus Strughold, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Brooks AFB, Tex. Citation said, "With his prophetic foresight and exceptional talents he established the rational biomedical foundations for manned exploration of space." DeFlorez Training Award went to Capt. Walter P. Moran of American Airlines for his "pioneering efforts in the utilization of flight simulation to increase safety and economy of airline flight training and checkout operations. . . ." Aerospace Communications Award was presented posthumously to Siegfried H. Rieger for "his personal contributions over a 10 year period, in analytical work evolving basic concepts, and in the origination and implementation of the INTELSAT Program which led to the establishment of the present worldwide communications satellite network."
AIAA History Manuscript Award was presented to Dr. Richard C. Lukas of Tennessee Technological Univ. for "best historical manuscript dealing with the science, technology and impact of aeronautics and astronautics on society." Award winning manuscript was "Eagles East: The Army Air Force and the Soviet Union." Among 23 new Fellows honored at Honors Night Banquet Oct. 28 were George H. Hage, Boeing Co, Vice President for Product Development and former NASA Apollo Program Deputy Director; Dale D. Myers, NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight; Dr. Richard T. Whitcomb, Head of 8-Foot Tunnels Branch at LaRC; Eugene S. Love, Chief of Space Systems Div. at LaRC; James W. Plummer, Vice President and Assistant General Manager of Lockheed Missiles & Space Co.; Wilbur L. Pritchard, Comsat Laboratories scientist; and John F. Yardley, McDonnell Douglas Corp. designer. (Program; AIAA Releases; Lewis News, 10/22/71, 1)
October 25-30; Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Leonid I. Brezhnev paid state visit to France as guest of French President Georges Pompidou. Later Tass reported that they had discussed Soviet-French cooperation in science and technology: "They noted with satisfaction the successes achieved in this field since the time of signing the agreement of June 30, 1966, and expressed their appreciation, in particular, of the results of the sixth session of the Mixed Soviet-French Standing Commission held in Moscow from July 22 to 24, 1971. In this connection the sides referred to the important achievements in cooperation in the fields of space exploration, peaceful uses of atomic energy, as well as high energy physics, in particular the installation of a French laser reflector on the moon surface, the commissioning of the French bubble chamber Mirabelle at the Soviet proton accelerator in Serpukhov, the Soviet-French contact on enriching French natural uranium in the Soviet Union." (FBms--Sov-71-210, 11/1/71, F4)
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