Oct 2 1968
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos CCXLIV into orbit with 158-km (98.2-mi) apogee, 140-km (87-mi) perigee, 87.4-min period, and 49.6° inclination. Satellite reentered same day. U.S. press later reported U.S. observers said launch appeared to have been 13th test of Soviet fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS) . Orbit followed pattern of previous tests identified as FCBS by U.S.-very low earth orbit with satellite reentering before completing first revolution of earth. (GSFC SSR, 10/15/68; UPI, NYT, 10/9/68, 12; W Post, 10/8/68, A10)
Sen. Clinton P. Anderson (D-N. Mex.), Chairman of House Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, told Senate: "Ten years from now NASA will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. I hope that the chairman of the Committee . . . at that time will be able to stand here and congratulate the agency and its people for 20 years of accomplishment and say that the United States is still first in space and in aeronautics. But unless we are vigilant and supply the agency with the needed authorizations and appropriations, that statement will not be made." (CR, 10/2/68, 511844)
NASA awarded Chrysler Corp.'s Space Div. $10,545,753 cost-plus-awardfee extension to $77,877,486 contract for KSC support services. Extension, for July 1 through Dec. 31, covered manpower and material to design and sustain engineering, modification, testing, refurbishing, and launch support of KSC-designed equipment and Saturn IB launch operations. (icSC Release KSC-418-68)
Sen. Stuart Symington (D-Mo.) said on Senate floor: "In the past ten years, money expended by the Defense Department for R&D has almost doubled, from $4 billion to about $8 billion. Yet since 1955, the United States has not produced a single modern fighter; in fact, it has produced no combat plane except the TFx series. The Navy version of that plane has already been abandoned; and the Air Force has once again found it necessary to ground their version because of technical difficulties." Despite "all those billions we have developed no air superior- ity fighter capable of competing against a first-class air force such as the Soviets possess today." He said U.S. was losing its lead on seas as well because "our various Government branches produce arguments, whereas the Soviets produce the submarine." (Text; NY News, 10/3/68, 18)
MSFC announced it had awarded American Science and Engineering, Inc., $5,413,000 addition to contract for final design, fabrication, as- sembly, integration, test qualification, and acceptance of prototype and flight unit x-ray spectrographic telescope for Apollo Telescope Mount. Award brought total value of contract to $11,617,471. (NASA Release 68-170; MSFC Release 68-234)
National Center for Atmospheric Research and Information announced 10-ft-dia Global Horizontal Sounding Technique (GHCST) plastic balloon launched from Christchurch, New Zealand, Sept. 29, 1967, had broken all balloon flight-duration records by remaining aloft for one year. (AP, St. Louis G-D, 10/3/68)
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