Aug 1 1966
From The Space Library
In MSC ceremony, NASA Deputy Administrator Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., presented GEMINI X Astronauts John W. Young and Michael Collins NASA Exceptional Service Medals for "outstanding contribution to space flight and engineering," and the astronauts reviewed their July 18-21 mission for the press. Pilot Collins revealed that maneuvering difficulties during his walk in space had forced him to approach GATV VIII three times before successfully retrieving a micrometeoroid experiment. He felt the "basic problem" in Eva was that "without some sort of handholds or restraining devices, a large percentage of the astronaut's time is going to be devoted to torquing his body around until it is in the proper position to do some useful work." Command Pilot Young said mission's fuel shortage had been caused by large out-of-plane error, not human error as previously believed: "We had to use a brute force method of rendezvous [with GATV X] . That takes quite a lot of fuel." (Transcript)
NASA had signed $339 million supplemental agreement with Chrysler Corp.'s Space Div. converting contract for production of Uprated Saturn I (Saturn I-B) 1st stages (S-IB) from cost-plus-fixed-fee to cost-plus-incentive-fee. Under contract managed by MSFC, Chrysler would manufacture, assemble, and test 12 stages and provide support services through February 1969. (NASA Release 66-201)
NASA selected Warrier Constructors, Inc., for final negotiations of a $3.5-million, cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to complete construction and equip a lunar receiving laboratory at MSC by end of 1967. A central complex where samples of lunar surface material collected by Apollo astronauts could be received, examined, and processed, laboratory would also be equipped to quarantine spacecraft and crew after flight to moon. (NASA Release 66-200)
USAF fired Minuteman II ICBM equipped with Mark 12 reentry vehicle from silo at ETR to target site about 5,000 mi. downrange. Test was 15th straight success for Minuteman II. (AF News Bureau, NYT, 8/2/66, 2)
In unpublished letter to Science, Dr. J. Allen Hynek, head of Northwestern Univ.'s Dept. of Astronomy and USAF consultant on Ufo's since 1948, criticized the "American scientific establishment" for failure to investigate persistent UFO phenomena [see Oct. 211. (Lewis, Wash. Post, 8/29/66, A12)
Radio Corp. of America was being awarded a $4,450,000 USAF definitive contract to supersede previously awarded letter contract for production of communication and electronic components for unspecified space satellites. Contract would be managed by ASFC's Space Systems Div. (DOD Release 652-66)
N. A. Zakharov, chief of Soviet Civil Aircraft Research Institute, announced that U.S.S.R. would construct 220-passenger, 560-mph Tu-154 subsonic airliner to replace the Tu-104, 11-18, and An-10. New Yak-40 short-haul aircraft, designed to carry 24 passengers up to 375-mi. distances at 275 mph, was already under construction and would replace the Li-2 and An-2. (Pravda, 8/1/66, 6)
Team of 33 US. technical experts from Lockheed Aircraft Corp. arrived in Noervich, W. Germany, to reorganize maintenance on F-104G Starfighter jet aircraft and correct "technical difficulties" which had caused crashes of 61 Starfighters and deaths of 36 Luftwaffe pilots since 1961. (Reuters, Wash. Post, 8/2/66, C1)
In reply to March 2 invitation by FCC to submit comments on whether or not private entities should be allowed to establish special-purpose communications satellite systems for domestic use, 18 organizations filed responses. Ford Foundation proposed that consideration be given to formation of a nonprofit nationwide television system-operating under Broadcasters Nonprofit Satellite Service (BNS)--which would carry an extensive schedule of educational programs financed by transmission of commercial TV programs. Foundation contended FCC had power to authorize such a satellite system and that the act creating ComSatCorp had anticipated additional systems to meet unique national needs. ComSatCorp filed brief saying there was no legal basis for authorizing private organizations to establish special-purpose communications satellite systems for domestic use and that it would be in the public interest to assign ComSatCorp a monopoly on all such systems. Opinion was accompanied by full technical proposal for multi-use, high-capacity, four-satellite system for domestic distribution of TV, voice, and data signals that would be operational by 1970 at estimated cost of between $110 and $126 million. AT&T argued it would be against "expressed national policy" to authorize satellite systems outside the framework of commercial communications carriers and urged FCC "to conclude in this finding that there can be no authorization of private satellite systems." Carnegie Commission on Educational Television said it was encouraging a study of a comsat system that would be specifically designed for noncommercial television. While conceding that national satellites might be advantageous in some cases, Carnegie Commission warned that such a system presented problems of "educational monopoly and centralized control of instructional and other material." FCC was requested to take no definitive action until Carnegie's forthcoming report on educational television was published in late 1966 or early 1967. Briefs of broadcasting industry cited urgency for domestic satellite service to cut costs of distributing television and radio programs. This cost reduction for the three networks-CBS, ABC, and NBC-was estimated at approximately $50 million a year. NBC said a determination as to how this satellite service should be obtained could not be made in the abstract but "would depend on . . . a comparison of the respective merits of specific proposals. National Assn. of Manufacturers told FCC that manufacturing community should have full freedom of choice either to lease channels from ComSatCorp directly or establish private systems. (CR, 8/2/66, 17131-3; Gould, NYT, 8/2/66, 1, 18; Av. Wk., 8/8/66, 27-8)
All transatlantic flights out of major European ports of embarkation were sold out, and 2,100 tourists were stranded in Europe as a result of IAM strike against five major US. airlines which began July 8. (Av. Wk., 8/8/66. 42)
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