Oct 1 1968
From The Space Library
NASA 10th Anniversary: National Space Club presented special award to President Johnson at White House citing his legislative and executive leadership of national space program. At Space Club dinner in Washington, D.C. Sen. Clinton P. Anderson (D-N. Mex.) and Rep. George P. Miller (D- Calif.) presented retiring NASA Administrator James E. Webb award for his outstanding contributions to national space effort. In telegram tribute to Webb, President Johnson said, "The Nation is in his debt. He will be deeply missed but gratefully remembered as his dreams continue to become reality in the years ahead." Telegram from Vice President Hubert Humphrey said, "The span of achievement which measures a decade of space progress is one which should be a source of pride to all of us. Now a new decade beckons, with new challenges, and new opportunities. And, such is the nature of the space age that we dare not become complacent about our rate of progress or the scope of our past accomplishments. It is unthinkable that we would allow ourselves to be surpassed in technology by any other nation. I have never questioned that space endeavors have contributed significantly to the strengthening and enrichment of our whole society, through a teamwork approach by private industry, our universities, and the Federal Government. By means of this program we have vitalized our economy, developed improved methods of management, stimulated our educational system, produced new goods and services, added to our store of scientific knowledge, and buttressed our national security." Telegram from Republican Presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon said, "The space program must continue to be one of our national imperatives, and it must be supported at a level assuring efficient and steady progress." Anniversary ceremonies also included open house and annual awards presentation at MSFC Sept. 28-29. (NSC Newsletter; Texts; Marshall Star, 9/25/68, 4)
In anniversary statement issued by White House President Johnson said: ". . . not all of NASA's accomplishments have been out of this world. Satellites have given us a new look at the world's weather. . . . They have given us intercontinental television broadcasts, and broken down the technical barriers to worldwide communications. NASA has brought us advances in medical science, education, mapmaking, geology, transportation, and a host of other areas that promise a better life for us here on Earth. Its intensive research and development efforts have given us new materials, products and processes; raised our standards of reliability and advanced managerial techniques. These advances, together with the useful facilities it has built, will be lasting national assets long after the Moon landing is ancient history. . . "In the years ahead-as in the past decade-our foremost motive is to make men wiser and life on earth more meaningful. And on the mile-
Ten years ago NASA officially came into being. In photo, President Dwight D. Eisenhower hands commissions to heads of new agency after Sept. 8, 1958, swearing in ceremonies. At President's left is Dr. T. Keith Glennan, first NASA Administrator. Accepting commission is first Deputy Administrator, the late Hugh L. Dryden. stone of this rewarding effort, we renew our dedication to the guiding principle we expressed 10 years ago at NASA's launching: that our further mastery of space may continue to be 'for the benefit of all mankind." " (PD, 10/7/68, 1435-1436)
During its first 10 yr NASA had completed 234 major U.S. and international launches plus thousands of sounding rocket launches. Of 234 major launches, 189 were launch-vehicle successes and 174 were spacecraft or mission successes, with two missions still under evaluation. For these launches NASA had developed rockets ranging from 88,000-lb thrust to Saturn V with 7.5-million-lb thrust capable of sending nearly 100,000-lb payload to moon. First phase of manned flight program, Project Mercury, had begun seven days after NASA was established. Six manned Mercury flights had proved man could go into space and function as pilot-engineer-experimenter for up to 34 hr weightless flight before returning to earth. Gemini program announced in 1961 had demonstrated work could be performed in orbit outside spacecraft in more than 12 hr extravehicular activity. Gemini included 52 experiments, among them 17 scientific-in astronomy, biology, geology, meteorology, and physics. Seven rendezvous techniques and nine dockings had been accomplished during Gemini. More than 2,000 hr manned spaceflight experience gained through Mercury and Gemini had contributed heavily to Apollo, including 16 flights of unmanned Saturn launch vehicle which had confirmed Apollo engineering concepts and qualified all systems for manned missions. Although Apollo fire on Jan. 27, 1967, had delayed manned missions, it had resulted in safer spacecraft and improved suits for astronauts. Ahead were two manned missions for 1968 and possibly five for 1969, culminating in landing of U.S. astronauts on moon. Facilities at NASA installations in U.S. were worth more than $2.5 billion and peak 35,000 staff included some of Nation's top scientists. Industrial work force had peaked at 400,000 and was dropping to 200,000. NASA had established global tracking network capable of communicating with vehicles as far away as far side of sun. Its aeronautics program conducted R&D on noise abatement, flight safety, supersonic and hypersonic aircraft, lifting-body vehicles, and v/sTOL aircraft. NASA's technological advances included development of new electronic parts, alloys, adhesives, lubricants, valves, and pumps, as well as progress in miniaturization. More than 2,500 technical innovations applicable in industry, medicine, and other nonaerospace activities had resulted from 10 yr of NASA progress. In Christian Science Monitor, Neal Stanford said, "It is . . science satellites and the new technology developed that are counted on to return to the tax-paying public the dividends that some say will make space the best investment man ever made." (Marshall Star, 9/25/68, 5; Wilford, NYT, 10/1/68; CSM, 10/5/68)
In Washington Sunday Star special report, "A Decade in Space," John Lannan commented on NASA's 10th anniversary: ". . . the space agency's real promise for improving the general welfare of mankind as set forth in the Space Act which brought it into being has apparently been too slow in being fulfilled. The fact that the space investment is only now starting to pay off, and at an increasingly rapid pace, is going unnoticed in the glare of present problems, past mishaps and the imminence of the Apollo venture. Where NASA's real goals lie are in the future-the near future and the near earth. Spin-off, the serendipity of technology, has long been used as a justification for the vast sums poured into space, but little beyond Teflon-coated frying pans have impinged on the tax-payer's mind." (W Star, 9/29/68, Al)
NASA Assistant Administrator for DOD and Interagency Affairs Jacob E. Smart wrote in Space Digest: "The tenth anniversary . .. marks the end of a decade of concerted effort across a broad front to advance the nation's capabilities in aeronautics and space. It has been a decade of accomplishment that has few peers in this country's history. . . . the good working relationships . . . between NASA and DOD have been of immeasurable benefit to them both, and the nation's space effort is the stronger for it. . . . with the prospect of tighter budgets likely, the maintenance of such relationships-and their improvement-assumes an increasing importance. The need to stretch the appropriations dollars to the maximum may be partly met by fresh efforts to find common ground where cooperation will produce economies as well as mutual benefits." (Space Digest, 10/68, 68-70)
In Space Digest Gen. James Ferguson, Commander of AFSC, described "A Decade of Cooperation-The Military-NASA Interface." AFSC's FY 1969 NASA support expenditures "amounted to millions of dollars and thousands of man-years in effort. The sums of money, and, more important, the human technological resources we are currently expending on the nation's space programs are of great consequence since they are the foundations of our future benefits. . . . we are acutely aware that the fate of future generations lies in space. . . . It is a sad commentary to state that technology has provided us with the means to conduct wars. But it is heartening to realize that one day technology will provide us with the means to prevent wars. (Space Digest, 10/68, 71-3)
Aerobee 150 MI sounding rocket launched by NASA from MR carried Univ. of Colorado experiment to 108-mi (173.8-km) altitude to measure height profile of nitric oxide and nitrogen and test Mariner Mars UV spectrometer. UV spectrometer measured earth's day-glow and daylight between 1,100 A and 4,300 A. Inertial ACS successfully maneuvered payload until scat eye took control and caused instrument to scan through 10°. Experiment's measurements and tests were successful. (NASA Rpt SRL)
Dr. Finn J. Larsen, DOD Deputy Director of Defense Research and Engineering, testified before House Committee on Science and Astronautics' Subcommittee on Advanced Research and Technology: "If our civil aviation is to continue its dramatic progress, the greatest single requirement is to accomplish . . . complete system engineering. The . . . planning must consider not only the aircraft in flight as a system, but also the entire problem of moving people from destination to destination," requiring "planning and resources on a considerably larger scale than are now available." NASA's responsibility for U.S. aeronautical research "should continue." DOD had used NASA research, augmenting it for defense as necessary, with "excellent coordination for many years." Military R&D was specialized, but much was transferable to civil aviation. Long-term goals of smokeless combustors and silent aircraft would be of mutual benefit. SAGE air defense computer system had contributed to FAA radar beacon system and new national standards. Much improved altimetry reporting came from DOD development for high-performance jet aircraft. Common digitizer was joint DCD-FAA project, as was TPX-42 airport traffic control facility. Eleven aircraft carriers had pilot "bands-off" capability for blind landing. Microwave scanning-beam landing systems were in testing. Collision avoidance, v/STOL, and cargo-handling R&D had civil application. (Text)
Dr. Frank D. Drake, Director of Cornell Univ.'s Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory in Puerto Rico, said he had detected first distinct pattern to radio signals from two pulsars. He told radioastronomy seminar at National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, W. Va., pulse rate could be explained only if source were star of extraordinary density spinning at incredible speed-such as neutron star. If correct, findings would be first scientific proof that hypothetical neutron stars actually existed. (Wilford, NYT, 10/2/68; Lannan, W Star, 10/2/68, A20)
MIT physicist and radioastronomer, Dr. Bernard Burke, and teams of scientists using 140-ft "Big Dish" antenna at National Radio Astronomy Observatory began first radioastronomy test of Einstein's general theory of relativity in attempt to discover gravity's effect on universe. Among three basic tests proposed by Einstein to test his theory to account for action of all bodies under gravitational force was one to measure bending of light from distant source as it passed an energetic body like the sun. Dr. Burke's experiment measured signals from newly discovered quasars to determine amount of bending they underwent in passing the sun. If light, in form of quasar radiowaves, was bent, Einstein theory would receive added support; if it was not bent as much as he predicted, or if astronomers were unable to detect significant bending, theory would remain intact until further proof was provided. (NRAO Proj Off; Lannan, W Star, 10/1/68, A9)
MSFC announced it had selected RCA for negotiation of $5.1-million costplus-fixed-fee contract for logistics and engineering support for Saturn ground computer systems and associated equipment. Contract would cover Oct. 1, 1968, through June 30, 1970. (MSFC Release 68-231)
President Johnson announced resignation of Leonard H. Marks as Director of U.S. Information Agency in time to head U.S. delegation to negotiate permanent arrangements for INTELSAT at February 1969 confer. ence in Washington, D.C. (PD, 10/7/68, 1433; Halloran, W Post, 10/2/68, A8; AP, NYT, 10/2/68, 23)
Arnold W. Frutkin, since Feb. 1 Special Assistant to NAsA Associate Administrator, resumed his duties as Assistant Administrator for International Affairs. (NASA PAO ; NASA Ann, 10/2/68)
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