Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967 August 8
rocket and all experiments had performed satisfactorily. (NASA Rpt SRL)
* NASA Nike-Apache sounding rocket launched from Wallops Station carried
univ. of Illinois-GCA Corp. experiment to 884 (141-km) altitude to
determine electron density in lower ionosphere (during period of non-
blanketing Sporadic-E) , electron collision frequency, electron tempera-
ture, and positive ion densities of species in the 8- to 60-a.m.u. range.
Rocket and instrumentation performed satisfactorily, and excellent re-
sults were anticipated. ( NASA Rpt SRL)
U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos CLXXZ into orbit with 220-km (137-mi) apogee,
145-km (90-mi) perigee, and 50” inclination. All equipment was func-
tioning normally. Spacecraft reentered the same day it was launched.
( SSR; Aero Tech, 8/14/67,13)
House passed $4.86-billion NASA FY 1968 authorization bill (S. 1296),
completing congressional action on the authorization. (CR, 8/8/67,
H10054-60)
* NASA had modified TRW Systems’ $34.7-million contract for Orbiting Geo-
physical Observatory ( OGO) satellites to a $53.7-million fixed-price in-
centive contract. Revised agreement provided for assembly, test, and
launch of OGO-D, OGO-E, and OGO-F, in addition to incorporating pre-
viously authorized work. (NASA Release 67-213)
* Report by House of Commons Estimates Committee urged U.K. to ap-
point a space minister and initiate a five-year national space program at
a cost of $8&$98 million annually. Program should be directed toward
the 1971 launch of a comsat which could be used for both commercial and
military operations. Report criticized U.K.’s current space effort for lack
of purpose and organization, noting that money “had been poured into
international projects without a properly conceived national program.”
(W Post, 8/9/67, A16; SBD, 8/10/67, 205)
* Eastern Airlines named A. Scott Crossfield, NACA test pilot from 1953 to
1961, Systems Director of Research and Development for Flight to help
prepare airline for its first Concorde and Boeing 2707 supersonic air-
craft. Crossfield in 1953 became the first man to fly at twice the speed
of sound when he piloted the rocket-propelled D-558-11 aircraft. He was
also the first pilot to fly the X-15 to mach 2.97 (Nov. 15, 1960). In
1961, he became division director of test and quality assurance for
NU’S Hound Dog Missile, Apollo, Saturn, and Paraglider projects. For
his contributions to aviation he was awarded the Harmon International
Aviator’s Trophy in 1961 and the Robert J. Collier Trophy in 1962.
(NYT, 8/9/67,61)
August 8-9: NASA successfully launched five Nike-Apache sounding rockets
with chemical cloud experiments and one Arcas sounding rocket with
a small live animal payload from NASA Wallops Station between 10.43
p.m. and 7:27 a.m. Five Nike-Apaches ejected vapor trails between 50-
and 125-mi altitudes to measure wind velocities and directions at various
altitudes in the upper atmosphere. Nike-Apache launched at dawn was
sodium experiment which created reddish-orange trail; remaining four
were trimethylaluminum (TU) experiments which created bluish-green
trails. Data were obtained by photographing continuously the motion
of the trails from five ground-based camera sites within 100-mi radius
of Wallops. Arcas sounding rocket carried payload with small live white
rat to 25-mi altitude; payload descended by parachute and was re-
covered from the Atlantic by helicopter. Subsequent examination by
Wallops scientists indicated rat was in excellent condition.
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