Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967 May 29
hattan Project which developed the first atomic bomb, jumped to his
death from the top of an apartment building in Chevy Chase, Md.
Aebersold had retired as Director of AEC’S Office of Isotopes Development
in 1964. (AP, NYT, 5/31/67,18)
-May 30: House Committee on Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Dept. of
Defense Appropriations released testimony on US. missile strategy by
DOD officials at closed hearing March 20. Dr. Charles M. Herzfeld, who
resigned as Director of Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA)
May 26, testihd that advanced missile systems based in space rather
than on land were being studied. He recalled that DOD had studied,
until 1964, the ‘‘Bambi” system designed to use satellites to locate and
destroy enemy missiles shortly after they had been launched. Work
had been stopped because it was “much too costly,)) but “we think the
time is getting ripe again to look at the whole question because the costs
of putting things in orbit have gone down dramatically, the reliability
of space engineering has gone up dramatically so that the overall cost
of the system ought to come down significantly.”
Dr. John S. Foster, Jr., Director of Defense Research and Engineering,
revealed that repairs had had to be made on all Minuteman ICBMS
because of missile’s failure to fire in three tests during October 1966.
He emphasized, however, that all missiles were operational at the time
of his testimony and said overall readiness of the Minuteman and
Polaris missile forces was “exceUent.” (Beecher, NYT, 5/31/67, 1, 28;
W Star, 5/31/67, A6)
Muy 31: NASA completed membership of its Lunar and Planetary Missions
Board and expanded its scope of activities to include: (1) assistance
in the “planning and conduct of all manned and unmanned missions to
explore the Moon and planets,” and (2) development of “scientific
objectives and general strategy for such missions including specific
recommendations for mission design and scientific payloads.” Board
would report to NASA Administrator James E. Webb through Associate
Administrator for Space Science and Applications Dr. Homer E. Newell.
(NASA Release 67-133)
9 USAF launched 8 satellites by nor-Agena D booster from Vandenberg
AFB. This solar-cell-powered, 85-lb, satellite experiment, designed for
developing satellite navigation technique as easy to use as celestial
navigation and more accurate, would assist pilot or navigator of ship
or aircraft who could make direct, simultaneous measurements. Signal
measurement from two or more satellites with known positions to de-
termine location of ship or aircraft would make use of signal trans-
mission times and standard navigation techniques. Experiment had
been built by Naval Research Laboratory as one to be compatible with
Doppler equipment for low-altitude satellites. Naval Air Systems Com-
mand had been project sponsor. (UPI, W Post, 6/1/67, G4; NRL News
5/31/67)
NASA Nike-Apache sounding rocket launched from WSMR carried instru-
[mented payload to %-mi (42-km) altitude to gather micrometeoroid
particles during a quiet period immediately before the Zeta Perseid/An-
e@d meteor shower. No scientific data were obtained because “burn-
through” near the igniter headcap caused an explosion. (NASA Rpt
* NASA had amended its contract with Bendix Corp. for the Apollo Lunar
Surface Expekiments Package (ALSEP) to add a heat flow experiment
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