Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

May %June 1 ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967
1,681 mi (2,706 km) ; period, 72 hr 1 min; and inclination, 85.5”.
Launched from ETR May 4, spacecraft performed 670 attitude changes,
responded to 7,067 commands, and recorded two micrometeoroid hits.
Spacecraft performed normally except for five-day period when camera
thermal door operated improperly, causing overexposure and fogging.
Problem was solved, however, and 193 medium- and high-resolution
photos-including coverage of 99% of moon’s front face-were taken
with almost a hundredfold increase in discernible detail for most of
the area covered. Final readout, underway since mission’s photo-acqui-
sition phase was terminated May 26 because of an encoder failure,
was completed June 1.
By its telephoto coverage of eastern limb areas, Lumr Orbiter ZV
provided the basis for extending the cartographic grid system estzblished
for front-face mapping around to the hidden side, so that features there
could be precisely located for future mission planning and operations.
Initial photos, taken at 2,176-mi altitude, showed broad panorama of
moon’s South Pole region-which had never before been photo-
graphed-with typical rugged terrain of craters and ridges. Closer,
wide-angle pictures of this area revealed a 200- by 10-mi crevice which
scientists speculated had been formed by volcanic action. Other photos
transmitted included excellent pictures of the Alpine Valley and Mare
Orientale, a large and relatively young impact crater whose center lay
beyond the western rim of the visible face of the moon. (NASA Proj
Off; NASA Releases 67-127, 67-143; w Post, 5/12/67, A10; 5/13/67;
AP, NYT, 5/28/67,50)
During week of May 8: A sandbox full of hundreds of thousands of bullet
holes accurately simulates the crater-pocked lunar surface, US. Geologi-
cal Survey reported. Dr. Henry J. Moore, one of Survey’s astrogeologists
who fired projectiles of differing calibers into a sandtable at ARC, told
UPI that results of experiment supported theory that moon’s craters were,
for the most part, created by the impact of meteorites. (UPI, NYT,
5/14/67,29)
May 9: NASA Administrator James E. Webb, Deputy Administrator Dr.
Robert C. Seamans, Jr., and Associate Administrator for Manned Space
Flight Dr. George E. Mueller testified on Apollo project reprogramming
before the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences. First
“man-rated” Apollo Block I1 spacecraft would be delivered to KSC in
late 1967 and -launched three months later with Walter M. Schirra,
Walter Cunningham, and Donn F. Eisele as prime crew, Webb said.
Back-up crew would be Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, and Eugene
A. Cernan. Spacecraft would still have 100% -oxygen atmosphere, but
use of noncombustible and fire-resistant materials would minimize fire
hazard, he asserted. “We are confident that the results of the first Block
11 Apollo flights will justify moving rapidly to follow-on flights, thus
overcoming some of the effects of the present delay . . . [so that] we
can carry out this plan within the funds now available for fiscal year
1967 and in NASA’s budget for fiscal year 1968.” In order to “assure
maximum progress” and reduce pressures on North American Aviation,
Inc. (NU), prime Apollo spacecraft contractor, NASA was realigning
its contracting arransements, Webb said. Contracting changes included :
negotiation of a new strong-incentive contract with NAA for manufacture,
test, and delivery of standard Block I1 spacecraft; extension of Boeing
CO.)S present contract responsibility to include integration of command
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