Jun 15 1969
From The Space Library
Cosmos CCLXXXVI was successfully launched by U.S.S.R. from Plesetsk. Orbital parameters: apogee, 322 km (200.1 mi) ; perigee, 197 km (122.4 mi) ; period, 89.7 min; and inclination, 65.4°. Satellite reentered June 23. (GSFC SSR, 6/15/69; 6/30/69; SBD, 6/17/69, 205; Reuters, W Post, 6/16/69, A16)
U.S.S.R. was watching U.S. missile debate "with keen interest but without any sign of serious concern," said Bernard Gwertzman in New York Times. Moscow diplomats were pessimistic about chances of U.S.B U.S.S.R. disarmament agreement being reached within three years, which meant U.S.S.R. "must go ahead with new systems." Even possibility of eventual agreement on slowdown in arms spending was clouded by emergence of Communist China as possible missile threat to U.S. and U.S.S.R. (NYT, 6/15/69, E3)
London Sunday Times article by Francis James said Communist China would soon test nuclear missile with 6,000-mi range that could afford second-strike nuclear capability in 1970s. (W Post, 6/16/69, A14)
Current Book-of-the-Month Club selection, The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, would "hardly gladden the hearts" of those at NASA, said Walter Sullivan in New York Times. It dramatized dangers of back contamination that had "suddenly become a subject of sharp debate on the eve of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon." (NYT, 6/15/69, E8)
New York Times said Dr. Carlos Varsaysky, Director of Argentine Radio Astronomy Institute at La Plata, and 23 team members engaged in international research in radioastronomy faced dismissal for joining general strike May 10 in defiance of Argentine government. They had received notifications of termination of appointment. (NYT, 6/15/69, 24)
June 15-16: Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong successfully completed four simulated lunar landings in third lunar landing training vehicle (LLTV ) at Ellington AFB, Tex. Armstrong piloted LLTV to 100- and 300-ft altitude and practiced touchdown maneuvers in preparation for lunar landing during Apollo 11 mission, to be launched July 16. Armstrong told newsmen LLTV did "excellent job in simulating the landing characteristics of the lunar module." Flights were first for Armstrong since crash of second LLTV Dec. 8, 1968. First LLTV, piloted by Armstrong, had crashed May 6, 1968. (UPI, NYT, 6/16/69, 1; MSC Release 69-49; W Star, 6/17/69, A5)
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