Aug 18 1972
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos 515 from Plesetsk into orbit with 286-km (177.7-mi) apogee, 179-km (111.2-mi) perigee, 89.1- min period, and 73° inclination. Satellite reentered Aug. 31. (GSFC SSR, 8/31/72; Sov Aero, 9/11/72, 70)
NASA awarded $500 000 parallel study contracts to Hughes Aircraft Co. Space and Communications Group, TRW Systems Group, and AVCO Corp. Systems Div. to design system for series of proposed missions to study Venus with Pioneer-class spacecraft. Missions, to begin in January 1977, would include entry probes and orbiters. Contractors for final design, development, and manufacture would be selected after completion of studies in June 1973. (NASA Release 72-172)
NASA announced award of $5-million, cost-plus-award-fee contract to ITT Gilfillan to develop visible laser communications experiment for ATS-G Applications Technology Satellite, scheduled for launch in 1975. Contract was for five years, including ground station operational support throughout experiment's two-year lifetime. (NASA Release 72-170)
Senate passed S.R. 2483, bill to formulate plans and programs to convert U.S. to metric system of weights and measures within 10 yrs. (CR, 8/18/72, S1396-403)
Los Angeles Times editorial commented on scientific forecasts that earth's surface would become too hot for habitation in 4 billion yrs: "While we work on problems of more immediate concern, let's not scrimp on the space shuttle. Down the line a few billion years, they may think well of us for that." (LA Times, 8/18/72)
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