May 29 1967
From The Space Library
Esro II , first satellite designed, developed, and constructed by ESRO under July 8, l964, NASA-ESRO agreement, was launched from WTR by four-stage Scout booster but did not achieve planned polar orbit. NASA officials were studying telemetry in an attempt to determine cause of Scout's failure. Primary NASA mission objectives were to place Esro II in planned orbit and to provide tracking and telemetry support. 153-lb satellite carried seven experiments for solar astronomy and cosmic ray studies representing six different organizations from U.K., France, and the Netherlands. ESRO was responsible for delivery of satellite to launch site, for equipment and personnel necessary to mate spacecraft to launch vehicle, and for testing spacecraft. (NASA Proj Off; UPI, NYT, 5/31/67,1)
GAO had begun "detailed examinations into certain specific areas of the Apollo program," Assistant Comptroller General Frank H. Weitzel wrote in a letter to Rep. William F. Ryan (D-N.Y.) , who had inquired about GAO reviews of NASA-NAA contracts. Examinations were begun "on the basis of information developed during" a preliminary review, started in October 1966, which had covered NASA Hq., "several NASA centers," and plants of NAA and Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. (Hines, W Star, 6/1/67, C16)
LaRC selected Northrop Ventura Co. to negotiate $3-million contract to conduct research flight-test program using an all-flexible parawing. Experiments would be performed at various scales with remotely controlled unmanned vehicles to establish a body of parawing technology which could be potentially adapted to manned spacecraft recovery systems. NASA's goal was to extend recovery capabilities for the AA Program Command Module (CM) to include land landings in the early 1970's. Northrop, relying on design criteria gained in earlier LaRC parawing research programs, would evaluate parawings in the 200-600-lb and 5,000-lb payload capacities, including flight tests, before designing 15,000-lb payload system required for the Apollo CM. (NASA Release 67-134)
Edward R. Mathews, chief of KSC Saturn systems office, was named acting Apollo Program Manager at IGC, replacing M/G John G. Shinkle (USA, Ret.) , who resigned May 18. (AP, NYT, 5/30/67, 44)
AFSC awarded General Electric Co. $110,020,000 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for experiment integration work on the MOL. (DOD Release 497-47)
U.S.S.R. would launch test series of "carrier rockets of space objects" into the Pacific between May 30 and June 30 "to further explore outer space and accumulate experimental data," Tass announced. Aircraft and ships were warned not to enter 129-km (80-mi)-wide target area about 161 km (100 mi) from Jarvis Island, a U.S. possession, between noon and midnight local time each day. (UPI, NYT, 5/30/67, 2)
Dr. Peter Franken, Deputy Director of Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) , was appointed Acting Director of ARPA, succeeding Dr. Charles M. Herzfeld, who resigned to take an executive position with ITT. (DOD Release 493-67)
Paul C. Aebersold, a pioneer nuclear physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project which developed the first atomic bomb, jumped to his death from the top of an apartment building in Chevy Chase, Md. Aebersold had retired as Director of AEC's Office of Isotopes Development in 1964. (AP, NYT, 5/31/67,18)
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