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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1278.PDF
106 FLIGHT International, 18 My 196] Missiles and Spaceflight and manufacturers. In some areas of research, it is intended to interchange staff between the establishments and member firms of the Electronic Engineering Association. "The new EEA space committee will enable the industry to co ordinate its efforts and speak to the Government with a single voice on space communications." BOEING AND DOUGLAS ORBITAL LAB STUDY Selection of Boeing and Douglas Aircraft for final negotiations leading to manned orbital research-laboratory study contracts was announced by the US National Aeronautics and Space Ad ministration last month. The two three-month study contracts are valued at nearly f 400,000 each. The two companies were selected from 11 firms who responded to an invitation by Langley Research Center in April. Extensive research for several years has developed technology applicable to multi-manned orbital spacecraft, although there is no NASA-approved flight project for an orbital laboratory at present. A system capable of year-long missions would provide a way to gather needed additional knowledge, and the study con tracts now being negotiated are intended to survey the engineering and design problems involved. One type of laboratory system will be studied by each company, along with one or more alternative systems. The laboratory outlined by NASA would constitute an orbital workshop for four men with provision for changing crew members and periodically resupplying the vehicle. At least one crew member could complete a full year's mission to provide a long-term check on the effects of weightlessness. This concept would make maximum use of current programmes for the Saturn launch vehicle, the Gemini spacecraft system for crew rotation, the Atlas-Agena for resupply, and the range tracking and data systems existing or being built. First Minuteman Wing Operational The first US Air Force Strategic Air Command wing of 150 Minuteman ICBMs was offici ally declared operational at Malmstrom AFB on July 3. Indian Rockets Launched India is developing a wire-guided anti tank missile and a two-stage rocket for upper atmosphere research. An example of each was recently fired at the Indian Defence Re search and Development Laboratory at Hyderabad, in the presence of Mr Raghu Ramaiah, the Defence Production Minister. Boeing to Study Lunar Base Boeing's Aero-Space Division has been selected by NASA to carry out a four-month study of a lunar base concept under a $196,000 contract. The study will be the first phase of a broad study programme to determine whether a base should be established on the Moon after the Project Apollo manned lunar landing mission is accomplished. At present the United States has no plan to develop a lunar base. Data-collection Satellites A study contract has been awarded by NASA to Sylvania Electric Products for the preparation of a plan to use satellites for the collection of weather and oceano- graphic data from unmanned weather stations, buoys and balloons (Flight International, April 4, 1963). The satellite would interrogate each station by means of a code, store the received data on mag netic tape, and retransmit the information to a data station on the ground. More Canadian Satellites Planned The Canadian Defence Re search Board and the US National Aeronautics and Space Adminis tration are negotiating a further joint programme involving the launching by NASA of four Canadian satellites. The back-up Alouette satellite will probably be modified to become the first of these, and Canadian industry will be brought into all phases of the project, eventually taking over both design and construction of the later satellites. Berenice Launchings The Office National d'Etudes et de Recher- ches Aerospatiales announces that two Berenice research vehicles have been launched at the Marine Francaise CERES Mediter ranean Centre. The first launching, on June 26, measured the heat flux received by the re-entry vehicle; the second, on July 3, studied the behaviour of a protective coating on the nosecone. Berenice has four solid-propellant stages by SEPR and a re-entry vehicle by Sud-Aviation, working under the auspices of SEREB. Launch weight is 7,4001b, length 43ft 4in and first-stage diameter 23in. After launch at 85° it is guided by four small rockets wrapped round the first stage and stabilized by fixed fins on the second stage and by flared skirts on the third and fourth stages. The latter fire at relatively low levels during the descent from apogee at 170 miles to accelerate the re-entry vehicle to Mach 12 at 60,000ft. End of Soviet Test Series Tass, the Soviet news agency, made the following announcement on July 10: Successful launchings of improved models of carrier rockets for space objects into the area of the Central Pacific have been carried out in the Soviet Union in June and July this year. The flight of the rockets and operation of all their systems proceeded in exact accordance with the preset programme. In view of this, Tass is authorized to state that the second area restricted by the co-ordinates given in the Tass state ment of May 12 is open for shipping and aircraft as of July 11. The co-ordinates are: 35° 23 H, 173° 52'E; 33° 1CN, 175° 24'E; 32° 081ST, 173°56'E;34°21'N, 172° 23'E. Standard Atmosphere, 1962 This is the title of the new manual of atmospheric data up to a height of 700km published jointly by the US Air Force, Weather Bureau and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It takes into account a vast amount of new rocket and satellite data and recent accurate determinations of basic quantities; but it also includes a discussion of variability and extremes of data in order to assist those using it in appreciating such excursions from the standard as may be met in practice. The lowest 32km of this atmosphere has been recommended to ICAO for adoption internationally. This massive volume is avail able at $3.50 from the Superintendent of Documents, US Govern ment Printing Office, Washington 25, DC. As described in Col I, the French Berenice four-stage research vehicle is being employed to gather re-entry data for SEREB; but it could also act as an upper- atmosphere research probe, lifting 1301b to 620 miles
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