Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

April 6 ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967
and procedures solely from the viewpoint of safety.” (CRY 4/6/67,
H3657 ; NASA LAR VI/39)
* Col. V. John Lyle (USAF, Ret.), former Assistant to the Comptroller of
the Air Force, was made special assistant to NASA Associate Administra-
tor for Manned Space Flight Dr. George E. Mueller. (NASA Ann)
* Reduced television and telephone rates between US. and Europe became
effective when Zntelsat ZZ-C comsat entered commercial service. New
rates, which covered only the leasing of channels to authorized com-
munications common carriers operating in the Atlantic, applied to both
Early Bird Z and Intelsat ZZ-C. Monthly charge for one leased voice
channel was reduced from $4,200 for 16-hr daily service to $3,800 for
24-hr service. Rates for one-way black-and-white television in the Atlan-
tic area were $1,100 for first 10 min and $30 for each additional minute
per half channel. New rates for color TV reduced existing 150% of
black-and-white charge to 125% of black-and-white rate. All rates were
based on providing voice-grade or TV half-channel service from a US.
earth station to an appropriate satellite and did not cover charges for
communication links from satellite to an overseas earth station. (Com-
SatCorp Release)
* Trans World Airlines retired the last of its propeller-driven Constellations
and became first major US. airline to have an all-jet fleet on domestic as
well as overseas routes. (NYT, 4/7/67,62)
* Editorial comment on domestic satellite system controversy [see April 1,3].
New York Times: “The Ford Foundation and Communications Satel-
lite Corporation are at odds about how best to set up a domestic satellite
system that would carry educational television. Neither side, it appears,
has all the answers. Ford is right to question Comsat’s demand to run
a domestic satellite system . . . [but] Ford’s own plan for creating
a new educational network is also unsatisfactory. It wants to give the
job on a trial basis to the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration, which has enough problems with its present over-ambitious
objectives and should not have its energies diverted or its resources
increased for anything new. Ford’s suggestion that savings in com-
munications charges made by the commercial networks should be used
to finance educational TV has an inherent disadvantage in that the
amount of savings would be inadequate to do a worthwhile job. . . .
These differences in approach should not be allowed to hold up develop-
ment of noncommercial network. The thing to do is to choose what is
best from both plans.” (NYT, 4/6/67,36)
Washington Post: “The issue is more than just a squabble over
Comsat’s request. The Ford Foundation has proposed that the Nation
establish more than one domestic satellite system, with one system
reserved exclusively for television, both commercial and public. Comsat
maintains that one system can do the entire job of communications
adequately and will save large sums of money. . . . Given the com-
plexities of the problem, and the need that it be solved, hand-in-hand
with the general question of how public television is to be financed,
we think Ford’s alternative is advisable. . . . NASA has the capabilities
to do the job and would be involved, anyway, in putting Comsat’s satel-
lite into orbit. This solution would leave all avenues open, for NASA
is highly unlikely to become the permanent operator and could recoup
its expenditures by selling the equipment and stations to the eventual
operator.” (V Post, 4/6/67)
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