Sep 18 1974
From The Space Library
Dr. Kurt H. Debus, Director of Kennedy Space Center since its establishment in 1962, announced his retirement. Born in Germany, Dr. Debus had begun his career in U.S. military and NASA space programs in 1945, when with Dr. Wernher von Braun he had joined the Army's ballistic missile program. He had supervised the launch of the first Red-stone ballistic missile in 1953 and the flight-testing of Jupiter and Pershing missiles and Jupiter C and Juno launch vehicles until the Army team was transferred to NASA in 1960. He had directed the launch of the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, on 31 Jan. 1958, and NASA launch pro-grams from the flight of Alan B. Shepard, Jr., in 1961 to preparations for space shuttle operations. Dr. Debus had received the Louis W. Hill Space Transportation Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as the Army's highest civilian decoration, the Exceptional Civilian Service Medal, and NASA's Distinguished Service Medal. (KSC Release 135-74; Debus letter to KSC employees)
The Senate Aeronautical and Space Sciences Committee continued hearings on S. 2350 and S. 3484, bills to develop an operational Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) system and to establish an Office of Earth Resources Survey Systems within NASA and an Earth Resources Observation Administration within the Dept. of the Interior [see 6, 8, 9 Aug.]. Frank G. Zarb, Office of Management and Budget Associate Director for Material Resources, Energy and Science, warned against immediate development of an operational ERTS system, citing budgeting restraints and marginal value of current ERTS data. Since an advanced satellite offering higher spatial resolution would increase the usefulness of ERTS data, Zarb contended that the third satellite, ERTS-C, should be experimental. His view was supported by S. Benedict Levin, Executive Vice President of Earth Satellite Corp., and by John V. Granger, Acting Director of the Bureau of International Scientific and Technological Affairs for the State Dept. (Transcript)
Soviet astronomers had detected a black hole several light years away in the center of the globular cluster Omega in the constellation Centaurus, Tass reported. Using the interaction effect between gravitation fields of globular clusters and stars, Soviet astronomer Kiriol Ogorodnikov and his assistant Yelena Naumova of the Univ. of Leningrad had determined the value of the mass of the cluster Omega Centauri to be one trillion times that of the sun. Since this value far exceeded the admissible density of all luminaries in the cluster, the scientists concluded that a black hole existed within the cluster. (Tass, FBIS-Sov, 19 Sept. 74,U1)
West German scientist Gisbert Winnewisser announced discovery of the organic molecule vinyl cyanide in outer space, a possible link to the chemistry of living organisms. The discovery had been made with Australian Frank Gardner, using the Australian Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) telescope. A member of the Max Planck Institute of Radioastronomy, Winnewisser announced the find at a meeting of astronomers in Wurzburg, West Germany. (Agence France Presse, W Post, 20 Sept. 74; Turner, Nat'l Radio Astron Obs, W Va, interview, 6 Aug 75)
Grigory Khozin of the Soviet Academy of Sciences' Institute of U.S. Studies expressed resentment of criticism by some U.S. press members and others of Soviet motives and technical ability in the cooperative Apollo Soyuz Test Project. Writing in the weekly Literaturnaya Gazeta, Khozin particularly censured suggestions of early Soviet reluctance to cooperate in space and of Soviet spacecraft docking difficulties, made in the recent book U.S.-Soviet Cooperation in Space by former U.S. Ambassador to the U.S.S.R., Foy D. Kohler. He accused "certain U.S. circles" of being "glad to cast a shadow" on ASTP and to "smear the forthcoming joint experiment precisely because it is a joint one [and] promotes the establishment of normal relations between countries." Khozin declared that the U.S.S.R., as well as U.S. space program leaders and "ordinary Americans," favored further close cooperation in space. (FBIS-Sov, Sept 74, B2-3; Smith, NYT, 19 Sept 74)
18 September-21 October, 24 November-14 December: Two sets of critical surface-simulation tests were successfully conducted on the Viking lander proof-flight vehicle in a Martin Marietta Corp. thermal vacuum chamber under Martian temperature and pressure conditions. The tests verified the ability of Viking systems to withstand Martian temperatures and verified lander operations and ground support systems from the acquisition of a simulated Martian soil sample to analysis, interpretation, and reporting of data by Viking science teams. The spacecraft performed tasks-using the surface sampler, imaging system, meteorological sensors, x-ray spectrometer, seismometer, and thermal control systems-in temperatures ranging from 178 to 308 K ( -135° to 95°F) . (NASA prog off, interview, 21 Oct 75 ; Av Wk, 4 Nov 74, 44-45)
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