Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967 July 1219
did not produce a nuclear reaction. (NASA Proj Off; UPI, NYT,
7/22/67, 11)
Jdy 13: Short circuit of electrical connector in Atlas-Centaur’s upper
stage caused 24-hr postponement of Surveyor IV launch. (UPI, W
Star, 7/13/67, B11)
0 Adm. David L. McDonald, Chief of Naval Operations, and Gen. John P.
McConnell, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, presented Distinguished
Flying Crosses to the military astronauts who had made space flights in
special Pentagon ceremony. Included were posthumous awards to L/Col.
Virgil I. Grissom (USAF) and L/CoL Edward H. white I1 (USAF) , who
died in Jan. 27 Apollo fire. Capt. Alan B. Shepard, Jr., speaking on behalf
of his fellow astronauts, said they were “proud members of the military,
but also . . . representatives of a great and significant national effort,”
who had grown “to enjoy the [space program’s] successes and live with
ita failures.” (DOD Release 642-67; AP, B Sun, 7/14/67, 6;
SBD, 7/17/67, 68)
House Appropriations Committee reported .$l.53-billion DOT authorization
bill (H.R. 11456) which included $142.3 million for development of
two SST prototypes. Bill was approved by House July 18. (AP, NYT,
7/14/67,5)
Senate passed $2.6-billion AEC FY 1968 authorization bill (H.R. 10918)
which included $7.3 million for a new proton accelerator in Weston, Ill.
Amendment by Sen. John 0. Pastore (D-R.I.) to delay approval of the
Weston site until the community Qr the state passed open-housing laws
which would enable Negro employees to find suitable housing near
the plant was defeated. (CR, 7/13/67,89&521)
The New York Times later commented: “. . . credit goes to Senators
. . . who exposed the real issues at stake, and who won a moral vic-
tory when the vote margin in Weston’s favor proved much narrower
thanhadbeenexpected. . . .
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But there is an even more basic objection to any commitments or
expenditures for this expensive research tool at this time. That objection
is simply the irrelevance of a 200 billion electron volt accelerator to any
real present national problem. . . . The budget cutters are now in full
cry demanding reductions in already inadequate expenditures for human
needs. It is a distortion of the national priorities to commit many millions
now to this interesting but unnecessary scieatific luxury.” (NYT,
7/16/67,12)
0 NASA awarded Pratt & Whitney Div., United Aircraft Corp., a $458,000
contract to “study desirable characteristics of components for a quiet
turbofan engine and define a development program” [see Feb. 13.
Contract was first awarded in NASA’s Quiet Engine program to combine
all known noise-control techniques to produce a 20,000-lb-thrust engine
which would be 15-20 db quieter than present subsonic jet engines and
could be used in current aircraft models. Program was being conducted
by NASA as part of national noise abatement program. (NASA Release
67-la; Clark, NYT, 7/14/67,27)
NASA was studying feasibility of launching two navigation satellites to
keep SST under constant surveillance and be alert to slightest malfunction,
Mohammed Rauf, Jr., reported in the News American. NASA Chief
of Navigation and Tra5c Control Eugene Ehrlich, who conceived the
plan, told Rauf in an interview that the system would provide maximum
safety against accidents: “The program calls for the building of two
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