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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0183.PDF
FJGHT International, 31 January 1963 171 Mars 1 Moves On Regular radio sessions with the Soviet spacecraft Mars 1 were held during January 15-22, according to a f ass report on January 22. It was stated that scientific information h;ul been received from the craft, together with data on the oper- ation of its systems and units. Radio contact with the station was good, the announcement continued, and commands were reaching it very well. At 9 a.m. Moscow time on January 23 the distance of the craft from the Earth was quoted as 39 million kilometres. A full description of the Mars 1 spacecraft, together with a full-page, detailed drawing, appeared in our issue of January 3. Ikara for the RN and USN? Unofficial reports from Canberra claim that the Ikara anti-submarine missile may be adopted by both the Royal Navy and the US Navy. Obviously bearing an Aboriginal name, the missile is being developed jointly by Australia and the USA, and the Australian-developed delivery section (air frame and propulsion) recently underwent "highly successful" tests at the WRE Woomera. The Australian Minister of Defence, Mr Athol Townley, reported upon the programme to a meeting of the Australian Cabinet on January 22. BUP states that a Royal Navy technical mission recently visited Australia to evaluate the missile's potential. IRBMs Out, Polaris In Although no direct official statement has been made, many news correspondents in Washington have filed stories describing the progressive withdrawal of land-based IRBMs from Europe and their replacement by Polaris-firing submarines of the US Navy. The run-down of the 60 Thor missiles operated by RAF Bomber Command has already been announced, and will proceed steadily throughout 1963. The withdrawal of the two squa drons of the Italian Air Force each armed with 30 Jupiter missiles is said to have been discussed by President Kennedy, and Mr McNamara and Sig Fanfani, the Italian Prime Minister, on Janu ary 16-17. A single Jupiter squadron has been deployed in Turkey, and discussions between the United States and Turkish Govern ment have been going on for at least a month. In place of these relatively vulnerable and slow-reacting weapons, the US Navy is expected to establish a second FBM submarine squadron, possibly based at Rota in Spain. RN Polaris Appointments As a first step in the implementation of the decision to equip the Royal Navy with submarines firing Polaris missiles, the Admiralty have selected Rear Admiral H. S. Mackenzie, CB, DSO and Bar, DSC, as Chief Polaris Executive. In order to maintain the closest possible liaison between the Admiralty and the MoA, the Minister of Aviation has, on the nomination of the First Lord, appointed Rear Admiral F. Dossor, CBE, as Polaris project officer in the MoA. USN/RN Polaris Talks On January 17 discussions began in London between the Ministry of Defence and Admiralty (other departments may later be involved) and a US Navy delegation. The latter includes Mr Paul Nitze, Assistant Secretary of Defense, Mr Walt Rostow, Chairman of the Policy Planning Staff at the State Department; and Rear Admiral I. K. "Pete" Galantin, Director of the Special Projects Office. The British team, several of whom had initiated discussions in Washington earlier this year, includes Lord Carrington, First Lord of the Admiralty: Sir Solly Zuckerman, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Ministry of Defence; Sir Clifford Jarrett, Secretary of the Admiralty; Vice-Admiral Sir Varyl Begg, Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff; and Vice-Admiral M. Le Fanu, Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy. Giant Minuteman Contract An incentive-type contract valued at $410,503,000 for the Minuteman ICBM programme has been signed by US Air Force and the Boeing Company. It is the largest single Minuteman contract signed to date, and one of the largest contracts ever let by the Air Force. The contract extends through June 1963. It replaces a letter contract under which the company worked for two years, receiving funds on an incremental basis. By last November Boeing had received approximately $366,044,000 under the letter contract, these funds being part of the $410,503,000. Tracking at Lagos In connection with the forthcoming launch of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's first Syncom synchronous communication satellite, a tracking ship anchored in Lagos harbour is to be used as a command station. First successful US test firing of a cluster of segmented propellant booster rockets, by United Technology Center, provided 140,0001b of thrust for Msec (see "Clustered-solid Test") Clustered-solid Test An accompanying photograph illustrates the recent successful firing by United Technology Center of the largest cluster of solid motors outside the Soviet Union. Under taken for the USAF Edwards Rocket Research Laboratories, the test involved four six-segment motors each delivering 35,0001b for 14sec. Simultaneous ignition of the four barrels was accomplished by a hypergolic-fluid injection system. Two further tests will be run with ignition accomplished by small rocket motors simultane ously fired up the nozzle of each barrel. Both types of ignition system have been designed to remain on the pad following liftoff of the rocket cluster. US/Soviet Talks Plans for specific co-operative space projects involving the USA and the Soviet Union will be discussed at a meeting in Rome during March by scientific groups headed by Dr Hugh Dryden, Deputy Administrator of NASA, and Prof Anatoli Blagonravov of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. The scientists will be following up the general agreement between the two countries announced at the United Nations last December. This agreement covers co-operation in three fields—communica tions, meteorology and a geomagnetic survey. French Launch Site France is to establish a civilian rocket laun ching site on the Mediterranean coast some 15 miles from Perpig- nan. This was stated earlier this month by M Gaston Paleweski, Minister for Scientific Research, Nuclear and Space Affairs. Gemini Coolers Fairchild Stratos has been awarded subcontracts by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation for the design and manufac ture of specialized ground refrigeration equipment for the Gemini two-man spacecraft. The equipment will be used for cooling the spacecraft's electronic equipment and environmental system coolant loop during pre-launeh tests.
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