Oct 25 1970
From The Space Library
Record distance for photographing a spacecraft was claimed by U.S.S.R. Tass announced that scientists at Sternberg Astronomical Institute in Alma, U.S.S.R., had photographed Zond VIII (launched Oct. 20) in space 267 000 km (166 000 mi) away. "This is a record distance for optical instruments in photographing artificial space bodies." (UPI, W Star, 10/26/70, A1)
Communications system on board NATO's Nato I (launched by NASA March 20) failed. Satellite was switched to redundant communications repeater system and was operating satisfactorily. (NASA Proj Off)
NASA team in Moscow for Oct. 26-27 U.S.-U.S.S.R. space talks visited Zvezdny Gorodok (Star City), home of Soviet cosmonauts, as guests of Soviet team including Cosmonaut Konstantin P. Feoktistov, Deputy Director of 'Soviet manned flight program. NASA team was taken into Soviet spacecraft, where systems were explained to establish information base for space talks. (Transcript, NASA background press briefing, 10/29/70)
Data from millimeter-wave experiment on board ATS V (launched Aug. 12, 1969) had indicated scientists might be able to "open up„ extremely overcrowded microwave band to frequencies above 10 000 mhz for communications, NASA announced. Millimeter-wave frequencies, which operated in range above 10 ghz, offered better gain-to-antenna characteristics and extremely wide bandwidths, allowed reduction of component size and weight, and could offer more than 10 times the frequency spectrum currently available. Experiment was providing amplitude and phase measurements on two independent test links at 15.3 ghz (satellite-to-earth) and at 31.65 ghz (earth-to-satellite) during measured and defined meteorological conditions. Results showed that only very heavy rainfall would affect reliable communications and that frequency band "windows" existed where water vapor and oxygen absorption were low. (NASA Release 70/178)
NASA officials attended opening of art exhibit by Robert Rauschenberg at Fendrick Gallery in Washington; D.C. Exhibit included 25 lithographs from "Stoned Moon" series. Rauschenberg had been one of artists invited by NASA to witness Apollo 11 launch and convey impressions of first lunar landing mission. (Richard, W Post, 11/30/70, D 1; Fendrick Gallery)
Fortieth anniversary of all-air transcontinental service in U.S. TWA flew first all-air coast-to-coast flight Oct. 25, 1930, from New York with 13-passenger Ford trimotor aircraft, which stopped at Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, Wichita, Amarillo, Albuquerque, and Winslow, Ariz. Total elapsed time for east-west service was 36 hrs including 101/2-hr overnight in Kansas City. (TWA Today, 11/2/70,1)
AP quoted USAF as saying 89 officers and airmen conducting upper atmosphere research would be withdrawn from Chile by year's end because "requirement no longer exists." (C Trib, 10/27/70, 14)
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