Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967 August 5
cal institutions into line with the basic unities which are evidenced in
men’s constantly changing relationship to the physical universe. . . .”
(Canham, CSM, 8/5/67)
August 5-27: NASA’s Lunur Orbiter V became fifth US. spacecraft to circle
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the moon. It entered lunar orbit following successful deboost maneuver
which reduced ita speed by 1,440 mph and permitted lunar capture.
Initial orbital parameters: apolune, 3,734 mi (6,023 km) ; perilune,
121 mi (194 km) ; period, 8 hrs 30 min; and inclination, 85’. Launched
from ETR Aug. 1, spacecraft performed 513 attitude changes, responded
to 4,524 commands, and recorded one micrometeoroid hit. Spacecraft
systems were functioning normally. Photographs taken beginning Aug. 6
included 23 previously unphotographed areas of the moon’s far side,
first picture showing the “full earth”; 36 sites of primary interest to
science; and five additional candidate Apollo landing sites. Transmitted
were 212 medium- and 212 high-resolution photos. Final readout was
completed Aug. 27. Mission substantially filled in blanks in previous
LO photography so that entire lunar surface, front and back, had now
been photographed at resolutions about 10 times better than obtainable
from earth-based observations.
Harold Masursky, US. Geological Survey, told news conference at
JPL that several of the pictures indicated there might be frozen liquid
on the floor of perpetually shaded craters near the lunar poles. The
nature of the “fluidal materials” was open to speculation, he said, but
“meandering rills appeared to have been caused by some form of material
flowing from a vdcanic eruption-similar to terrestrial streams found
in desert areas on earth.” (NASA Proj Off; AP, W Post, 8/9/67, A3;
UPI, C Trib, 8/15/67; NYT, 8/15/67, 1)
August 6: New York State Univ. had acquired two of 12 Atlas F ICBM sites
near Plattsburgh, N.Y., for use as earth and space research laboratories.
Sites had been turned over to CSA for disposal by USAF after deactivating
and removing Atlas ICBM’s. (NYT, 8/6/67,2)
August 7: NASA issued three modifications totaling $30.9 million to NU’S
Saturn V 2nd-stage contract: first, valued at $5.5 million, provided
for equitable adjustment of 2nd-stage changes previously ordered;
second, valued at $5.8 million, covered seven changes involving KSC
ground support equipment; and third, valued at $19.4 million, was for
12 changes covering alterations of selector switches and insulation of
the entire 2nd stage. (NASA Release 67-212)
Sen. William Promire (D-Wis.) , releasing testimony earlier submitted
to Senate Appropriations Committee’s Independent Offices Subcommittee,
urged that $427 million be cut from NASA’s FY 1968 authorization
bill (S. 1296). “We have to establish our priorities, and when it comes
to parceling out money the space program stands far below defense,
education and many other vital programs.” Specifically, Proxmire rec-
ommended: (1) temporarily delaying initiation of programs that would
commit US. to a manned Mars mission and other deep-space probes;
(2) cutting AA funds; and (3) cutting advanced missions funds. (Text)
USAF launched unidentified satellite from WTR using Thor-Agena D booster;
satellite reentered Sept. 1. (Pres Rep 1967)
Congressional cuts in NASA’s FY 1968 authorization bill (S. 12%) indi-
cated that a new era was beginning for NASA and the US. space program,
Robert Hotz suggested in Aviation Week editorial. “We do not think it
was the intent of this Congress to either repudiate or emasculate the
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