Astronautics and Aeronautics 1965

690 Pages·2007·14.88 MB·English

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A S T R O N A U T I C S A N D
A E R O N A U T I C S , 1 9 6 5
Chronology on Science, Technology, and Policy
NASA Historical Staff,
Office of Policy Analysis
Scrcnrrfic and Tcchntcal Inforrnatrorz Dtt I tron 1 9 6 6
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Washrngton, D C
For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402
Price $2.25 (paper cov4
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number GGG009G
Foreword
The year 1965 recounted by this volume was an outstanding one in the
U.S. space program. In his space report to Congress, President Johnson
called it “the most successful year in our history.” It was one filled with
noteworthy milestones deriving from less noticed decisions, actions, and
labors of previous years. In the same way, milestones of the future are to
be seen in their formative stages in this chronology for 1965.
Man received his first close-up view of our neighboring planet Mars
when on July 14, MARINER IV relayed to earth its photographs of lunar-like
craters on the Martian surface. The conclusion of the Ranger program was
witnessed by millions of Americans who watched on live television as the
cameras of RANGER IX approached the moon on March 24. ALOUETTE 11
was orbited by NASA for Canada in November and FR-1 for France in
December.
The orbiting of ten Gemini astronauts in a series of five spectacular flights
during the year ended a 22-month gap since the last Mercury flight, FAITH
7. The man-rated version of the Air Force Titan I1 reliably launched all
Gemini flights, Astronauts Grissom and Young in March, as well as McDi-
vitt and White in June, the latter marki.ng. h is “space walk” outside the
GEMiiu’i iv spacecrafi. TLll c G,.:A+1 5L,I-uLaL“J. , mI..Ic.cu.nnc l.vo.f~ Astrnmcts Cnoper and
Conrad in GEMINI v demonstrated that trained space pilots were physically
capable of a lunar mission. Orbital rendezvous techniques were thoroughly
demonstrated by the flights of GEMINI VII and VI. Astronauts Borman and
Love11 in GEMINI VII took another long step in astronautics with their four-
teen-day mission in December of 206 revolutions. Throughout the Gemini
operation, the team effort involved closest cooperation of all of NASA and the
military services, contractors, and the scientific community.
Milestones in the lunar-landing Apollo program were not as well publi-
cized as Gemini but marked significant progress. The Project Fire success
in atmospheric entry of a test vehicle at speeds simulating a return from
the moon provided a geometric jump in reentry physics. The first full-
duration test of the gigantic Saturn V first stage of 7.5 million pounds of
thrust on August 5 was a significant milestone in an engine program begun
in 1958. As the Saturn I concluded its operational life with ten straight
successes with the orbiting of Apollo boilerplate capsules and three Pegasus
micrometeoroid satellites, the Saturn IB was being erected on the launch
pad to begin its flight tests in 1966.
Spectacular scientific and manned spaceflight events of 1965 could not
overshadoh the practical utility to man on earth of communications and
meteorological satellites. TIROS x, placed in orbit for the Weather Bu-
reau, maintained service to worldwide needs for weather data, while
TIROS Ix provided the first complete picture of the’ cloud-cover over the
entire earth on February 13. NASA launched EARLY BIRD I for the Com-
111
IV FOREWORD
munications Satellite Corporation in April. During the same month, NASA
turned operational control of SYNCOM III over to the Department of Defense
for service in important Far East communications.
A chronology is not an adequate substitute for a documented narrative
history. But in this chronology, spliced alongside the US. space events of
1965, one can note the less publicized decisions, actions, and discussions
concerned with the shaping of the future. About 90 percent of NASA’s
$5.175 billion went to contractors for work done by almost 400,000 people
in the factories and laboratories of some 20,000 prime contractors and
subcontractors. In the university program about 10,000 scholars at 100
universities in all fifty states were working on space-related topics.
In addition to NASA-related events the chronology gives some of the im-
pact on the American scene of the space effort, including critical comment
testing in democratic fashion the pace and scale of space efforts. Actions,
deliberations, and comment as part of international cooperation and com-
petition are likewise represented in these pages. Hopefully this volume
will serve the serious student of today as he seeks knowledge of past events
so as to better understand the future.
The late Hugh L. Dryden once wrote :
Free peoples everywhere must retain a reliable perspective from which to dis-
cern better the future scientific, social, economic, political, and strategic con-
sequences of dynamic advances now underway. The manner of the impact
of technology upon society in the future will partly result from the broadest
possible appreciation of its full significance.
His passing on December 2 of this eighth year of the Space Age was noted
throughout the world. He leaves lasting contributions to the development
of space technology and of a sound philosophy of astronautics. This vol-
ume helps to document 12 months marking what Dr. Dryden called “the
opening of a brilliant new stage in man’s evolution.” It should assist its
readers in gaining helpful perspective upon man’s challenging venture into
space.
JAMES E. WEBB
Administrator
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Contents
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Preface
This chronology is designed to collect in preliminary form pertinent in-
formation on aeronautical and space affairs. Future historical research
and narratives will of course deepen the process of documentation and
enrich perspective on the high velocity of contemporary science and tech-
nology, as well as their impact and implications. The volume was pre-
pared from open public sources to provide a reference for future historians
and other analysts, scholars, students, and writers. Its detailed index was
intended to provide ready access to most specialized needs.
The entire NASA Historical Staff in Headquarters participated in source
collection, review, and publication. The Science and Technology Division
of the Library of Congress was responsible for drafting of the text proper,
in the persons of Miss Lynn Catoe, Mrs. Anne Horton, and Miss Shirley
Medley. The index was prepared by Arthur G. Renstrom, also of the Li-
brary of Congress. General editor of the entire Astronautics and Aeronuu-
tics, 1965 project was Dr. Frank W. Anderson, Jr., Deputy NASA Historian;
Mrs. Helen T. Wells was technical editor. Lloyd Robbins and Creston
Whiting (ATSS-T) provided timely translations of Russian materials. His-
torians and historical monitors throughout NASA contributed useful inputs :
validation was the constant concern of many busy persons throughout NASA.
Appendix A, “Satellites, Space Probes, and Manned Space Flights-l%J65,”
and Appendix B, “Major NASA Launchings, 1965,” were prepared by Dr.
Anderson. Appendix C, “Summary Chronology of Manned Space Flights,
1961-1965,” was prepared by William D. Putnam, Assistant NASA Historian
for Manned Space Flight. Mrs. Wells prepared Appendix D, “Abbrevia-
tions of References.”
This preliminary chronicle is but a first step in the historical process of
documenting the dynamic and complex events of space exploration and
exploitation. Comments, additions, and criticism are welcomed at any
time.
EUGENEM . EMME
NASA Historian (EPH)
Ofice of Policy Analysis
VI1
January 1965
January I: Operation of SYNCOM 11 and SYNCOM 111 communications satel-
lites was transferred to DOD by NASA, which had completed its R&D ex-
periments. Telemetry and command stations and range and range-
rate equipment operated by NASA for the Syncom program would be
transferred to DOD along with the satellites. DOD had furnished the
communications ground stations used to relay transmissions via the
two Syncoms for the past two years and would provide NASA with cer-
tain telemetry and ranging data of continuing scientific and engineer-
ing interest. SYNCOM 111 was to prove useful in DOD’S Vietnam com-
munications. (NASA Release 65-5)
About 500 employees of the Manned Spacecraft Center’s Florida Opera-
tions were transferred to the Kennedy Space Center, effective today,
under a realignment announced Dec. 24, 1964, by NASA Hq. Elements
of the manned space flight organization were regrouped to meet the
requirements imposed by concurrent Gemini and Apollo launch sched-
ules. (MSC Roundup, 1/6/65, 1)
Two hrs. and 20 min. of radio signals from Jupiter were received around
midnight New Year’s Eve as predicted by George A. Dulk of the Univ.
of Colorado. The signals were received at the Altitude Observatory of
the National Center for Atmospheric Research at Boulder, which had
kept its radiotelescope operating for the event. (Osmundsen, NYT,
1/2/65, 1)
January 2: NASA had compromised the scientific value of the interplanetary
research program by spending too little on the Deep Space Net com-
munications system, according to Frank Drake, prof. at Cornell Univ.,
in Saturday Review article. Drake noted that MARINER IV would only
be able to relay 22 photos of Mars back to earth and that these would
“. . .
be of lesser quality-all because of communications limitations:
one concludes that the space program could well use an array con-
taining a hundred or more 65-ft. antennas. One array might cost
$40,000,000, still only a few per cent of what will almost certainly be
spent on planetary exploration in the next ten years.” (SR, 1/2/65)
Soviet cosmonaut Col. Vladimir Komarov, who commanded the three-
man spacecraft VOSKHOD I on its orbital flight, told a Havana news-
paper: “I believe I will take part in a similar trip-if not to the moon,
then to another place.” Komarov was a member of the Soviet delega-
tion in Havana for celebration of the sixth anniversary of Fidel Castro’s
revolution. (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 1/3/65; AP, Hartford
Courad, 1/3/65)
1
2 ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1965
January 2: Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc., received the first patent for
a satellite communication system with its own orbit pattern. The satel-
lite would linger for a considerable period over each of two widely
separated areas ; while hovering virtually stationary, it could relay
television and radio programs within its range, and also store programs
from one area to play later on the other side of the globe. (Jones,
NYT, 1/2/65; Chic. Trib., 1/3/65)
U.K. was said to be considering the possibility of a licensing agreement
with the US. that would enable British manufacturers to make parts of
late-model aircraft produced in the US. American planes under con-
sideration were: McDonnell Aircraft Corp’s F4C (Phantom 11) carrier-
based attack aircraft; F-111 low-level strike aircraft made by General
Dynamics Corp. and Grumman; and c-141 and Orion, both made by
Lockheed Aircraft Corp. (Farnsworth, NYT, 1/3/65, 13)
January 3: MARINER IV changed the rate of sending scientific data from 331h
to 835 bits of information per second by an automatic switching op-
eration. This was the first command initiated by the spacecraft itself
since it performed its mid-course maneuver Dec. 5. MARINER IV had
traveled nearly 63 million miles in its 325-million-mile flight to Mars;
the straight-line distance between earth and the spacecraft was 6,156,-
704 miles. Systems were operating normally after 36 days in space.
(NASA Release 65-4)
More than 50 million Europeans-including viewers behind the Iron
Curtain-had received same-day transmission of the Tokyo Olympic
Games via US. satellites SYNCOM 1x1 and RELAY I last October, NASA
announced. (NASA Release 65-2)
Japan’s Ministry of Telecommunications said signals from what they had
thought a new Soviet satellite turned out to be Italian-US. SAN MARCO
I. launched Dec. 15, 1964. (AP, Wash. Eve. Star, 1/2/65; AP, Wash.
Sun. Star, 1/3/65)
Dr. Albert J. Kelley, Deputy Director of NASA Electronics Research
Center, said in an article in Boston Sunday Globe: “The need for
increased electronics research to develop devices which will meet the
demands and rigors of long space flights will affect our industrial
outlook and economy in many ways. By requiring a ‘new look‘ at
electronics, NASA, led by ERC, will provide a research emphasis such as
we have not had since World War 11 when the golden age of electronics
started.
“We have been in the ‘rocket phase’ and are now entering the ‘elec-
tronic phase’ of space flight development, a phase which will affect US
dramatically over many years.” (Boston Sun. Globe, 1/3/65)
British designers had perfected a miniature rocket costing only $2,240
per copy, it was reported. Nine ft. in length with a 7X-in. diameter,
the rocket would use solid fuel and reach a speed of 3,500 mph,
sending the casing containing scientific instruments to maximum
altitude of 80 mi. plus. ( AP, Kansas City Times, 1/4/65)
Scientists concluded that explosions and resultant earth-craters created
by giant meteorites bore a striking similarity to the effect produced by
the larger nuclear weapons; hence a meteorite fall might be mistaken
for a nuclear explosion. Opinions varied as to the size of the body
that could gouge a crater as large as the Meteor Crater of Arizona-