Jun 15 1973
From The Space Library
Cosmos 573 was launched by the U.S.S.R. from Baykonur Cosmodrome into orbit with a 401-km (249.2-mi) apogee, 195-km (121.2- mi) perigee, 90.5-min period, and 51.6° inclination. The satellite reentered June 17. The Western press later quoted a Soviet source as identifying the mission as a test of an unmanned Soyuz spacecraft in preparation for an upcoming manned launch. Western tracking stations reported the orbit was identical to one used during manned Soviet flights. (GSFC SSR, 6/30/73; SBD, 6/18/73, 265; B Sun, 7/6/73)
NASA held two Skylab 2 press briefings at Johnson Space Center as the astronaut crew, orbiting the earth in the Orbital Workshop launched May 14, carried out experiments and solar photography. At an Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) briefing Dr. Robert Noyes of Harvard College Observatory said the experiment to look into the outer solar atmosphere "exceeds our wildest expectations. Every object that we've tried to look at, we've done successfully and we have seen .. . entirely new and different phenomena." For the first time there had been enough spatial resolution to see the fine structure. Data received by viewing the sun at different heights in the corona had established the existence of two fundamental structures-points of emission 12 900 km (8000 mi) in diameter and a cloud of relatively cool material emersed in the very hot corona. The structures should provide information on heat sources and physical properties of the corona. Dr. Robert MacQueen, High Altitude Observatory astronomer, said that a high point of the ATM experiments had been detailed examination of the corona for 45 consecutive hours, identifying the material making up the solar wind passing into the corona. At a solar-flare activity briefing Dr. Guiseppe Vaiana, American Science and Engineering, Inc., scientist and a principal investigator on Skylab, described the TV coverage of the solar flare photographed by Astronaut Paul J. Weitz: "What you are seeing is the great event of the day." The flare had a double structure in the active region. A portion of it outlined the magnetic field of one polarity on one side and the other polarity on the other side, with a center neutral line. Two bright spots were seen on both sides of the neutral line. The flare extended 100 000 km (62000 mi) up from the solar surface and covered 21/2 trillion sq km (1 trillion sq mi) . It had peaked in intensity 3 min after it had been discovered by Weitz and decayed during the following 30 min. (Transcript)
Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, toured Ames Research Center and was briefed on the status of the Pioneer Venus mission. The mission was in the conceptual design state and, if approved in FY 1975, would lead to Venus orbiter and multiprobe launches in 1978. Dr. Fletcher said NASA intended to proceed with the dual Venus mission if possible and intended to make it one of NASA's most cost-effective programs. (ARC Astrogram, 6/21/73, 1)
Boeing Co. and General Electric Co. Aircraft Engine Group had signed a $3-million subcontract under which GE would supply main propulsion engines for the first two ships in a new line of multinational, missile-carrying, hydrofoil patrol craft (PHMS), Boeing announced. The Navy had ordered two of the hydrofoils to be delivered in 1975. (Boeing Release 061573)
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