Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

August 25 ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967
Guggenheim Award, IAA President Dr. C. Stark Draper announced.
Given in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the progreas of
astronautics through work done during the last five years, award would
be presented during International Astronautical Congress to be held in
Belgrade Sept. 24-30. (IAA Press Release 32)
Maj. Michael J. Adam (USAF) flew X-15 No. 3 to 82,000-ft altitude and
3,136 mph (mach 4.71) at Edwards AFB. Purposes of test flight were to
check: (1) phase I1 tail loads; (2) boost guidance checkout; (3) tra-
versing probe; (4) tip pod accelerometer; and (5) boundary layer
’noise. (NASA Proj Off)
August 26: First Saturn V booster was moved to its launch pad on a crawler-
transporter from KSC’S Vehicle Assembly Building. Three and one half
mile trip took about 10 hrs. The 364-ft tall ‘booster would undergo at
least six weeks of additional testing at the pad before being used to
launch unmanned Apollo 4 mission, tentatively scheduled for October.
Apollo Program Director M/G Samuel C. Phillips ( USAF) told newsmen
at KSC that the movement of the Saturn V was an important milestone
in the Apollo program. He predicted that, barring any major problems,
US. could still achieve its goal of landing a man on the moon in 1969.
He warned, however, that “it’s a long way to the moon and we have a
major job ahead. Dangers go with this business. We’ve done everything
we can to improve the equipment. But, remember, we’re treading on new
ground and it’s a risky business. We feel we can overcome the risk and
make it work.” (NASA Release 67-219; AP, W Star, 8/27/67, A3; NYT,
8/27/67,1,29; W Post, 8]27/67,1)
* FAA announced allocations of $70.2 million in Federal matching funds to
construct and improve 386 public civil airports under FY 1968 Federal-
aid Airport Program (FAAP). Program provided $64.1 million to im-
prove 348 existing airports and $6.1 million to construct 38 new public
airports. (FAA Release 67-64)
August 28: National Academy of Sciences had corJcurred in House Com-
mittee on Government Operations recommendation that outside experts
as well as those in Government be used to advise decisionmakers of
R&D deficiencies and remedies. Committee released report of NAS and
Bureau of the Budget comments on recommendations to improve Fed-
eral R&D decisionmaking process, which also showed NAS had concurred
that Executive Office should examine program-level recommendations
but had warned of danger of attempting to determine gaps or establish
levels of support on too centralized a basis. NAS also had voiced strong
reservations on a cost-benefit approach to R&D evaluation. (Text)
Ralph W. Tyner, former Industrial Relations Officer at GSFC, ‘became Dep-
uty Director for Labor Relations at NASA Hq, replacing C. Stuart Broad,
who transferred to DOD July 17. (NASA Ann, 8/25/67)
* NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications Dr.
Homer E. Newel1 wrote to the Editor of Aerospace Technology: “In
1973, NASA proposes to conduct the first of the Voyager series of mis-
sions to Mars, using the Saturn launch vehicle. We wish to call the
attention of the scientific community to the opportunity of proposing
experiments for thii initial flight. , . .
“. . . Regardless of the level of funding support obtained for Voyager
this’fiscal year, it is our plan to begin evaluating scientific proposals
on Nov. 1, 1967, and to select scientists for participation in the plan-
ning and development steps by Feb. 1968. . . .” (Aero Tech, 8/28/67,8)
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