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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0717.PDF
Missiles and Spaceflight Anti-satellite Missile In public testimony before a Senate Com mittee last month General Curtiss LeMay, USAF Chief of Staff, stated that in his view it is technologically possible for the United States to build a missile "to destroy enemy military satellites or space weapon platforms." Such a missile is at present in the study phase. AA Rockets in the Middle East According to "reliable reports" in Cairo, Russian technicians are assisting the Egyptian Government in the installation of Soviet surface-to-air missile systems "near Cairo, Alexandria and the Suez Canal." The equipment is said to have been supplied under an agreement signed "about a year ago" and shipments started last autumn. Meanwhile, the Israeli Deputy Defence Minister, Mr Shimon Peres, recently visited Washington to conclude negotiations for the purchase of Hawk surface-to-air weapons. All the equipment purchased should be operational in Israel in 1964. Zeus Goes Ahead (Perhaps) On April 14 the US Senate added $196m (£70m) to the Weapons Procurement Bill in order to accele- ate the Nike Zeus programme. This is seen as the beginning of the beginning of the long-predicted "anti-missile gap" fear. May we Have our Ball Back? British and Australian scientists have established that a charred metal sphere, with a diameter of 15in and weighing about 101b, found on a remote sheep station some 100 miles north of Broken Hill, NSW, was once part of a space vehicle. The Australian Minister for Supply, Mr Fairhall, describes the sphere's survival of re-entry and Earth impact as "a million to one chance." The sphere is thought to be of Soviet origin. India to make Soviet AAMs Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha (Lower House) in New Delhi on April 15, the Indian Defence Minister, Mr Y. Chavan, confirmed that "the agreement with the Soviet Government covers the manufacture of entire [Mig-21] aircraft, including its armament." He stated that the location of a missile production unit was under consideration. The aircraft is discussed on page 662. Germans Exceed 60 Miles The first three-stage rocket fired in West Germany since 1945 reached a height variously reported as 60, 62| and 65 miles above Cuxhaven on May 2. It was designed and built by a company formed by Dr Berthold Seliger, with limited support from the Government. It employed solid propellants and incorporated telemetry, and all three stages were recovered by "a new parachute technique." The I751b Telstar 2 satellite (left) carries 3,600 solar cells on its surface and a double row of microwave aerials. Above, detail view of electron detector mounted on one of the satellite's skin panels. (News item, previous page) German Polaris Ships Speaking at the official handing-over of a new naval airfield at Nordholz on April 26, Vice-Admiral Carl Adolph Zenker, Chief of Naval Staff, disclosed that uniformed and civilian technicians from Bonn will shortly visit the United States to discuss the establishment of a force of German surface vessels carrying Polaris missiles. It would take "at least 3£ years" to commission such a ship, even if all the orders were placed immed iately. Vice-Admiral Zenker also said that the construction of a batch of 3,000-ton destroyers armed with "rockets which could hit targets in the air and in the water" would begin "in the near future." Seychelles Radar In a written reply, the Colonial Under- Secretary recently stated that the British Government is negotiating with the United States for the establishment of an American satellite tracking station on the island of Mahe in the Seychelles. Open Wide, Please Dr Robert Ratcliffe, a local dentist, was called in last month by Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson. Arizona, to drill out a small pin which had snapped in the propulsion of the second stage of a Titan 2 ICBM. The base machine shops did not have the delicate instruments necessary to remove it. 260in Solid Awards The US Department of Defense has awarded development contracts to Aerojet-General, Thiokol and Lockheed Propulsion Co "leading to the eventual building of 260in-diameter rocket motors with a thrust of approximately 6,000,0001b." The DoD announcement noted that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has initiated studies for the use of such rockets. Pioneer Contract NASA has chosen Hughes Aircraft Co and Space Technology Laboratories for negotiation on a contract for the design, development, fabrication, assembly and testing of four spacecraft for the Pioneer programme of interplanetary exploration. One of the two companies will receive the contract, which is expected to be worth more than $10m. Australia has made enquiries in the USA and Soviet Union to see who owns this pressure sphere and whether they want it returned (see "May we Have our ball Back?)
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