Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967 March 31
probe had remained operational and continued to produce quality data
until March 22. Last radiofrequency contact had been made on March 26.
Explorer XXXII mission objectives had been achieved and mission
had been declared a success in December 1966. Scientific papers on
initial results would be presented at American Geophysical Union
meetings April 17-20 in Washington, D.C., and additional results
would be reported to COSPAR meetings in London during July. (NASA
SP4007,192 ; NASA Proj Off)
0 First two of series of 20 Japanese and US. sounding rockets were launched
from NASA Wallops Station as part of Japanese-US. meteorological rocket
project to conduct comparative meteorological research between 12-mi
(20-km) and 37-mi (60-km) altitudes. Japanese rocket was an MT-135;
US. rocket was an Arcas. Payloads were ejected at programmed altitudes
and descended on parachutes: wind measurements were obtained from
radar tracking data ; temperature measurements were radioed to ground
receiving stations. Objectives of the mission were to compare and cross-
calibrate data from various payloads; verify flight and operating charac-
teristics; obtain new information on operation of each rocket system as
a whole; and obtain additional data on diurnal cycles of wind and tem-
perature in the stratosphere. Flights were conducted under a Dec. 26,
1966, agreement between NASA, Japanese Science and Technology
Agency, and Japanese Meteorological Agency. Results of experiments
would be made available to world scientific community. (NASA Release
67-73)
0 France’s Sahara Missile Proving Grounds at Hammaguir Range closed after
20 yrs, signaling end of operational use of Daimant 1 booster which
had launched four French, satellites from Hammaguir since Nov. 26,
1965. Next French satellite, 200-lb D-2, would be launched from French
Guiana in 1969 with Super Diamant booster. (NYT, 2/11/67; Av Wk,
3/27/67,50)
0 ComSatCorp requested FCC permission to substantially reduce television
and telephone rates between US. and Europe effective April 6 when
Intelsat II-C comsat was scheduled to enter commercial service. New
rates, which would cover only the leasing of channels to authorized communications
common carriers operating in the Atlantic, would apply
both to Early Bird I and Intelsat II-C. (ComSatCorp Release)
0 U.K.’s Royal Artillery Institution donated two 19th-century rockets to the
astronautics collection of Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and
Space Museum. One rocket was made by Sir William Congreve in 1815
and used on the Woolwich Ranges; the other, William Hale’s 24-lb rotary
rocket, was constructed in 1863. Congreve rockets were used in the US.
in 1814 while Hale rockets were used in the Mexican War in 1846 and
the Civil War. (Smithsonian Release)
0 Soviet Defense Minister Rodion Malinovsky, credited with having led
Soviet military into the missile age, died in Moscow at age 68, apparently
of cancer. (Rosenfeld, JV’ Post, 4/1/67, B6)
a U.K. had agreed to buy 40 more F-111 supersonic military aircraft from
US. at total cost of $785 million, Anthony Lewis reported in New York
Times. Ten F-111’s had been ordered March 31, 1966, with a one-year
option to purchase 40 more. Deliveries were expected to begin in 1969.
To offset impact on U.K.’s balance of payments, US. had agreed to buy
$785 million worth of British equipment during the next 10 yrs or
help U.K. get orders elsewhere. (Lewis, NYT, 4/1/67, 1)
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