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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 1571.PDF
870 FLIGHT International, 21 May 1964 Static firing of Blue Streak F.I on the launch pad at Lake Hart, Woomera. First flight test of the rocket is now scheduled for next week (May 25) " ' Missiles and Spaceflight APOLLO ESCAPE TEST First flight test of the emergency-escape system designed for NASA's Apollo spacecraft was made successfully at White Sands missile range on May 13. A Little Joe II booster—six Recruit motors clustered around one Algol, with a total thrust exceeding 300,0001b—fired an engineering model of the Apollo craft to an altitude of about 21,000ft, where the launch escape system was triggered, carrying the command module away from the service module and the exploded Little Joe. At about 28,000ft the escape tower was jettisoned and parachutes were deployed to lower the command module to the ground. The test was the first in a series of five unmanned flights sche- duled to develop and demonstrate the Apollo launch escape system. The Apollo escape tower is similar to that used in the Mercury flights, and measures 10ft long by 46in x 50in at the base. Thrust of the 15ft 3in long, 26in diameter solid-fuel launch-escape motor is 155,0001b, while the tower-jettison motor produces 33,0001b thrust. A NASA spokesman said that the only apparent trouble experi- enced was that one of the three parachutes attached to the com- mand module broke away during descent. NASA had stated earlier that two parachutes are adequate to effect a safe descent. 8YNC0M 2 DRIFT CHANGED NASA's Syncom 2 communication satellite has again been man- oeuvred in its orbit to effect a change in its rate of westward drift. The change was made to slow the satellite's drift rate so that the spacecraft would be in position to serve as a back-up for Syncom C. Syncom 2 had been drifting westward at a rate based on a May 5 launch for Syncom C; this launch has now been rescheduled to "sometime after June 1." Syncom 2 had been moving west at a rate of 1.3° per day since March 17. At that time hydrogen peroxide jets on board the craft speeded it up by 8.5 m.p.h. to place it in a higher orbit and begin its move from over Brazil to the Pacific. On April 24 the jets were again activated to slow the westward drift to 0.8° per day. It was placed in a slightly lower orbit by de- creasing the velocity of the satellite by about 4 m.p.h. Synchronous orbit speed is approximately 6,800 m.p.h. Since its launch on July 26, 1963, Syncom 2 has been used to carry out communication transmissions between the USA and Africa, Europe, Central America and Hawaii. COSMONAUTS TO HAVE RADIATION DOSIMETERS On April 30 Moscow Radio reported: "Soviet scientists have analysed the tissue dose of cosmic radiation received by Valery Bykovsky and Valentina Nikolayeva-Tereshkova during their joint orbital flight. The dose received by Valery Bykovsky is about 80 millirad. Valentina Nikolayeva-Tereshkova received about 44 millirad. Such doses, even considering the possible greater biological effectivity of cosmic radiation, cannot have a considerable influence on the cosmonauts. "But research has shown that the level of radiation near the shell of the space ship is two to three times greater than in the middle of the cabin. Soviet specialists believe that apparently the so-called secondary 'soft' corpuscular radiation takes place near the sides of the ship. "This peculiarity, given higher doses, the scientists believe, may be of great importance for assessing the radiation conditions of a flight. Individual dosimeters will be arranged in the space suits ot future Soviet cosmonauts, and several in the biological block in the walls of the space ship." Lunar Orbiter Contract An incentive contract with a basic of about $80m for five lunar orbiter spacecraft has been placed ey NASA with the Boeing Company. If all lunar orbiter missions are successful Boeing could receive up to $5.3m in addition, while tn^ company is required to make penalty payments for late delivery spacecraft. Furthermore, Boeing will retain ten per cent of any savings below target costs and lose from their fee ten per cen costs above the target. The lunar orbiter spacecraft (artist s im- pression, last week) will take close-range photographs of the ul surface for scientific study and to help in selecting landing sites the manned lunar landing programme.
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