Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967 July 30
near-polar orbit and passed over the island the day after the eruption
began with its infrared sensing devices working.
u
The Surtsey eruption in its entirety was recorded as a minute black
spot on infrared images during more than eight orbital sweeps of the
Nimbus II satellite-first on August 20 and definitely identified as late
as October 3.” Nimbus ZI was participating in a three-dimensional study
of Surtsey by scientists from US. Geological Survey and AFCRL using
infrared survey techniques. Experiment marked first time volcanic heat
had been monitored almost simultaneously from ground, aircraft, and
space. Scientists believed the ability to measure heat radiation could be
applied to studies of volcanoes on the earth, moon, and planets. (USGS
Release, 7/30/67; Clark, NYT, 7/30/67,41)
July 31 : U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos CLXX into orbit with 208-km (129-mi)
apogee, 145-km (90-mi) perigee, and 50” inclination. All equipment
functioned normally, but satellite reentered later in the day. (SBD,
8/10/67,202)
* ComSatCorp reported net income of $2,088,146 for first six months of 1967 :
a net operating loss of $755,603 was offset by a net interest gain of
$2,843,749. ComSatCorp entered full commercial operations May 1.
( ComSatCorp Release 67-39)
Latest Harris poll indicated American people, by 54%-to-34% margin, did
not believe US. space program was worth an annual $$-billion expendi-
ture. By 60%-to-30%, public would oppose continuing program at pres-
ent rate of expenditure if U.S.S.R. were not active in space. People were
divided sharply by income and age: (1) low-income persons opposed
Apollo manned lunar landing program by almost three-to-one, while
upper income favored it by nearly two-to-one; (2) 62% of persons over
50 opposed program, while 58% under 35 favored it. A 1965 poll had
showed public supporting space program by 45% -t0-42% margin.
( W Post, 7/31/67, A2)
* The aerospace industry had a special responsibility to try to respond to
the critical challenges posed by the Vietnam war and the urban riots,
Robert Hotz suggested in Aviation Week. “Perhaps the aerospace indus-
try has been so much absorbed in its traditional task of providing de-
fense against external enemies that it has never given much thought to
the contributions it can make to strengthen this nation internally. We
submit that the events of this summer should stimulate the industry to
take a long hard look in re-evaluating its role on the American scene
and to make a bolder and more imaginative bid to offer its services to
meet the new challenges of our times. . . .” (Hotz, Av Wk, 7/31/67,11)
* House/Senate Conference Committee agreed on $4.86-billion NASA author-
ization bi11-$234.2 million less than NASA had requested for FY 1968.
It included $42 million for Voyager program, $347.7 million for AA
program, $73 million for nuclear rocket program, and $157.7 million
for launch vehicle procurement. Bill, which required Senate and House
approval, was passed by the Senate Aug. 2. (NASA LAR VI/83; Com-
mittee Release; Clark, NYT, 8/1/67, 13)
NASA investigative board concluded that immediate cause of the M2-F2
lifting body vehicle crash at Edwards AFB May 10 was “an unusually low
landing flare maneuver and premature ground contact” resulting from
an unusual set of circumstances “that individually would not have ended
in an accident.” These circumstances were: (1) “Pilot was overburdened
in his normally exacting task by a combination of events that dis-
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