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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 0087.PDF
70 FLIGHT International, 9 January 1964- At General Dynamics/Pomona, California, a girl technician demonstrates interchangeability of "wheel" guidance sections between Terrier and Tartar (see news item) Missiles and Spacetiight TARTAR/TERRIER RATIONALIZATION X Design of the Terrier and Tartar tactical (primarily ship-to-air) missile systems so that their parts can be interchanged has resulted in reduced programme costs for the US Navy. Both are produced.' by the Pomona division of General Dynamics Corp, and now ami. 44 US ships and are tentatively programmed for 29 more. In addition, Tartar will serve with the navies of France, Italy, Australia and Japan. The senior of the two systems is Terrier, which reached produc- tion status in 1956. It embodies the principle of sectionalization of parts, which has greatly facilitated production, testing and field use. With the subsequent development of Tartar it was decided to extend the advantages of sectionalization in the concurrent pro- duction of the two systems. Packages and even entire sections of the two missiles were designed to be used jointly. The interchangeability is best illustrated by the guidance sections, which are made up of several electronic wheel packages, each unit housing a major part of the homing system. All but one of these wheels can be used in either Terrier or Tartar. In the develop- ment phase of the missiles the number of items to be "debugged" in ground and flight tests is reduced. Benefits of interchangeability realized during production include reduction of documentation; quantity purchase of common parts; reduced tooling for parts fabrication; standardization of assembly techniques and multiple use of test equipment, inspection facilities and gauges. Commonality of parts reduces training time and also simplifies the logistic function in the depot or with the fleet. Advant- ages include reduced inventories of spares, common shipping and handling methods, reduced test equipment inventories and assembly tool requirements. SATURN S-IVB CONTRACT An additional $48,064,658 contract for work in the Saturn pro- gramme was awarded to the Douglas Aircraft Company, Missile and Space Systems Division, last month. This brings to 1197,325,140 the total awarded to date for the Douglas effort on the S-IVB stage, now being developed by NASA under the direction of Dr Wernher von Braun and his team at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The new award is for development and production of the S-IVB stage to be used in the Saturn IB programme. In this assignment, S-IVB will place the manned Apollo spacecraft into Earth orbit where the critical manoeuvres necessary for lunar flight will be simulated. The Saturn IB vehicle, consisting of the first stage Chrysler S-I and the Douglas S-IVB, will be capable of placing 16 tons into orbit. Saturn IB, fitted with a manned and fully operational Apollo spacecraft, will orbit the Earth in preparation for later flights to the Moon using the Saturn V. Douglas is also producing the S-IVB upper stage for Saturn V. In addition, the company is prime contractor for the Saturn S-IV stage, which will propel unmanned versions of the Apollo spacecraft into low-Earth orbit. Saturn-S-IV, utilizing the high-energy propellant combination of liquid-hydrogen/liquid-oxygen, will generate a total thrust of 90,0001b with its six R1-10A3 Pratt & Whitney engines. S-IVB will employ a single Rocketdyne J-2 liquid-hydrogen/liquid-oxygen engine producing 200,0001b thrust. In support of the lunar programme, Douglas maintains a network of field test installations and production facilities at Santa Monica and Sacramento, California; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Cape Kennedy, Florida, and the company's new space systems centre in Huntington Beach, California. Final assembly and systems checkout and test of S-IVB are assigned to the space systems centre, while production and final assembly of S-IV are performed at Santa Monica. Both vehicles will undergo static firing tests and acceptance firing at Sacramento prior to delivery to Cape Kennedy. PACE for Apollo The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration is negotiating an extension to an existing contract with Control Data Corporation of Minneapolis to cover procure- ment of computers and associated equipment for nine pre-flight acceptance checkout equipment (PACE) stations for the Apollo spacecraft. Initially the extension will cover equipment for two stations at an estimated cost of over $6m: the cost of this equip- ment for the nine stations is estimated to exceed $25m. Apollo Support by GE An extension of the General Electric Company's support effort on Project Apollo at the Mississippi Test Facility is being negotiated by NASA. At a cost expected to exceed $25m, GE will provide instrumentation and control systems for a dual S-IC (first stage of Saturn V) test stand, and S-II (second stage) test stand; additions to the data acquisition control centre, data-handling centre and central control; and technical systems for the electronic, instrumentation and materials laboratory, the sonic measuring facilities and components services facilities. -<i~ ' Madagascar's Tracking Station The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Government of the Malagasy Republic announced on December 19 agreement for the installation of a transportable tracking station at Majunga, on the north- western coast of Madagascar, to monitor US satellites. The station will be used to monitor the orbital injection phase of such satellites as Nimbus, Echo and Orbiting Geophysical Observatory craft, and will be operated by both NASA and Malagasy personnel. "Data obtained by the station," the December 19 announcement stated, "will be made available to the Malagasy Republic and to the world scientific community." Lovelace Appointment Dr D. W. Randolph Lovelace II has been appointed by NASA as a consultant to Dr George E. Mueller, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, on matters concerning the medical aspects of current manned spaceflight programmes. Dr Lovelace is president of the Lovelace Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Together Again? Addressing the United Nations General . Assembly's main political committee last month, US Ambas- sador Adlai E. Stevenson stated: "President Kennedy proposed before the General Assembly last September to explore with the Soviet Union opportunities for working together in the conquest of space, including-the sending of men to the Moon as representatives of all our countries. President Johnson has instructed me to reaffirm that offer today." On the subject of the US lunar programme, Mr Stevenson commented: "Let me make it clear that exploration of the Moon is not a stunt, distinct from the outer space programme as a whole; nor is it the exclusive concern of only two nations . . In the background of manned flight to the Moon is the vast pro- gramme of research and the varied series of experiments which will make it possible—thoroughly justified in and of themselves. Indeed, not more than about 10 per cent of our total expenditure^ on outer space can be attributed directly to manned lunar flight..."
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