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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0814.PDF
824 FLIGHT, 15 June '61 As noted in an accompanying news GAM-87 Skybolt's final configuration is attractive than those through whi passed during development. Prime co< tor is Douglas Aircraft, propulsion Aerojet-General, "Astronertial" go/dor, Nortronics and re-entry vehicle b\ • ire it oc- Missiles and Spaceflight. . . 9,488 narrow-angle photographs and 76 per cent of the 21,997wide-angle photographs were classified as "fair to good" for meteorological analysis. While both camera systems continue to operate well, one of theinfra-red systems failed on April 23, and the other system has suffered a partial failure and is currently only of limited use.NASA expects to launch a third Tiros during this summer, and hopes that the satellite will obtain, in particular, useful information onhurricanes. NEW SKYBOLT CONFIGURATION In an accompanying photograph of a mock-up, displayed in LosAngeles during the recent Armed Forces Day, the final configura- tion of Skybolt is revealed. Comparison with the original aircraft-compatibility dummies, illustrated in our issues of January 13 and 20, emphasizes a number of configuration changes. Aerodynamicdrag, a matter of some importance to the cruise consumption of the parent aircraft, is reduced by the new re-entry vehicle, by GeneralElectrics Missile & Space Vehicle Department, which is a simple cone mating smoothly with the second propulsion stage. Instru-mentation fairings have vanished, and the eight delta fins appear to have settled down essentially along the lines of those illustratedon January 20. Although the US Secretary of Defense has expressed his opposi-tion to any further procurement of SAC bombers, develop- ment of Skybolt has not been curtailed. Classified testi-mony by Dr Herbert R. York, when he was director of research and engineering, Department of Defense, six weeksago, makes it clear that the programme is going ahead rather half- heartedly. Not only is it—quite naturally—being subjected tocontinuous appraisal in competition with other delivery systems, but Dr York is quoted as saying, "There are doubts about whetherit can do precisely what is claimed for it . . ." He went on to answer questions on the programme delays resulting from the fact that the"concept of concurrence" is not being followed in the case of Skybolt. This concept permits the manufacture of hardware inquantity, and the modification of aircraft to carry the missile, in parallel with design work. Dr York suggested the delay would bea little less than a year, but initial operational capability is still scheduled for the winter of 1964-65. FARNBOROUGH'S WORK IN SPACE In the field of satellite research the Royal Aircraft Establishmentis now concentrating on the design of a communications satellite system for Commonwealth and possibly worldwide applications.Large teams from both the RAE and the GPO are working on this project. This was stated by the director of the Establishment, MrM. J. Lighthill, FRS, at a press conference at Farnborough on June 8. "We have a great range of new ideas for satellite development andwe are working on them," the director said; earlier designs had included astronomical and other scientific satellites. On the subject of a satellite launching vehicle, Mr Lighthillreferred to the work which RAE had done on Blue Streak and Black Knight, and expressed the hope that the proposed Europeanspace launcher organization would be set up and would go ahead with the three-stage vehicle using Blue Streak as the first stage.The Establishment was "enjoying co-operating with the French" on the proposed launcher, and at present the joint work was con-tinuing on such aspects as the integration of the separate stages into the single vehicle. ASTRONAUTICS ACADEMY GETS INTO THE ACT Yet another international organization has begun a programme ofmeetings on spaceflight topics. The body is the International Academy of Astronautics of the International AstronauticalFederation, and its inaugural technical meeting will be a symposium devoted to spaceflight and re-entry trajectories to be held duringJune 19-21 in Paris. A total of 16 scientists from nine countries will present papers at the meeting, which will be sub-divided intosections on trajectories for lunar and interplanetary missions orbital transfer and rendezvous, near-Earth satellites, and dynamicsof terminal re-entry. Among the lecturers will be Mr H. Hiller and Dr D. G. King-Hele of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough; Mr T. R. F. Nonweiler of Queen's University, Belfast; and Dr W. F.Hilton of Hawker Siddeley Aviation. The meeting is being organ- ized by the Academy from its headquarters at 12 rue de Gramont,Paris 2. NASA NUCLEAR-ROCKET CONTRACT NASA and the Atomic Energy Commission jointly announced onJune 7 that negotiations are being opened with Aerojet-General and Westinghouse Electric for a nuclear rocket designed for the propul-sion in space of future interplanetary vehicles. Mr Glenn Seaborg, chairman of the AEC, said that all experi-ments (chiefly Kiwi A) in the nuclear-rocket programme had so far been successful, and that a complete Project Rover powerplantshould be completed in three or four years. The new contract is for the Nerva (nuclear engine rocket vehicle application) powerplant,and will be a first-phase contract lasting six months. At that time designs and costings and an estimated flight schedule should enablethe US Government to select a final design for manufacture. GEC ON SEASLUG 2 On June 8 the General Electric Co Ltd announced that its AppliedElectronics Laboratories at Stanmore, Middlesex, have been entrusted with the development of the guidance receiver for SeaslugMk 2. The existence of this new ship-to-air missile was divulged in the recent Navy Estimates; it will have greater range and speedthan Seaslug Mk 1, and will be installed in the two new missile destroyers for which orders will shortly be placed. The GECannouncement goes on to discuss the method of operation of a beam-riding guidance system, but it would be premature to assumethat such a system will be retained in Seaslug 2. SOLAR-RADIATION SATELLITE An attempt is to be made to launch a third US Naval ResearchLaboratory solar-radiation satellite by the "piggyback" technique. This satellite, successor to the NRL Solar Radiation 1 satellite(which operated for nine months from its launch date in June 1960) and Solar Radiation 2 (which failed to achieve orbit inNovember 1960), is now being prepared for launch on Transit 4, originally scheduled for the end of April. The forthcoming experi-ment is to monitor the Sun with two X-ray detectors, the second detector replacing the Lyman-a ion chamber previously used. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration have now released these artist's impressions of three possible configurations for Project Apollo. In all cases the three-man spacecraft will be relatively compact in order to minimize weight and facilitate re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. The programme is being accelerated, as noted on June I
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