Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 196’7 January 16
politan New York’s Franklin Award for “advancement of scientific
knowledge and furtherance of democracy.” In his acceptance speech,
Admiral Rickover said citizens in a democracy had a duty to become
educated so they could support social action against harmful tech-
nologies. “There is a knowledge gap of vast dimension between the
public and that small elite of highly intelligent, highly educated experts
who understand science and have the use of technology. . . . A free
society cannot, in the long run, bear the burden of having a mass of
voters who lack the education they need to make them responsible
citizens. Society ceases to be free if a pattern of life develops where
technology, not man, becomes central to its purpose. We must not permit
this to happen lest the human liberties for which mankind has fought, at
so great a cost of effort and sacrifice, be extinguished.” (Gilroy, NYT,
1/17/67,27)
* Photos taken Jan. 9 by two teenage brothers, purportedly showing a heli-
copter-sized UFO hovering over Lake St. Clair near Detroit, did not “indi-
cate an obvious hoax” and were being studied further for authenticity,
and Chairman of North-
Dr. J. Allen Hynek, USAF consultant on UFO’s
western Univ. Astronomv DeDt.. disclosed in a telenhone interview.
(Hofmann, NYT, 1/17/65, lOj ’
* Dr. Robert J. Van de Graaff, inventor of the Van de Graaff particle accelerator
used in nuclear physics research and cancer therapy, died at age
65. (AP, NYT, 1/17/67,35)
January 17: XB-70 No. 1 research aircraft was piloted by Col. Jose’ph Cotton
(USAF) and NASA test pilot Fitzhugh Fulton to mach 2.54 and 60,200-ft
altitude in flight at Edwards AFB for national sonic boom program.
(NASA Proj Off)
* Feasibility of using nuclear engines on USAF’S C-5A transport so it could
stay aloft for several months was being studied by LeRC, Charles Harper,
Director of Aeronautics Div., NASA OART, reported in Washington Post
interview. NASA was concentrating on the hardware necessary to transfer
nuclear reactor heat to the jet engines; if this problem could be solved,
Harper said the next question would be “what good does it do the Air
Force” to have engines of unlimited endurance. Plans specified that
nuclear reactors operate only after takeoff to avoid danger of radiation
on the ground. (Wilson, W Post, 1/18/67,1)
0 Explorer XXXlI (Atmosphere Explorer B) aeronomy satellite, launched
May 25, 1966, suffered complete depressurization, causing immediate
and continuing degradation of unsealed batteries and satellite’s demise.
NASA surmised that internal pressure loss could have been caused by
meteoroid impact or weld rupture of spacecraft shell. Satellite mission
objectives had been achieved and the mission declared a success in
December 1966. All instruments had been operational until time of depressurization
with exception of two neutral particle mass spectrometers;
they had provided quality data for the first 100 orbits. (NASA SP4007,
192; NASA Proj Off)
January 18: USAF Titan III-C booster launched from ETR successfully inserted
eight Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program ( IDCSP)
comsats into random equatorial orbits.
Powered flight of Titan 111-4 was close to planned parameters. Transtage
and payload were inserted into parking orbit with 113-mi (182km)
apogee and 106-mi (171-km) perigee where first transtage burn
made necessary course corrections. Second transtage burn 66 min later
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