Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

September 1967
September 1: Need for design modifications had required shipment of a
manned orbital workshop to the McDonnell Douglas Space Systems
Center, Huntington Beach, Calif., said Marshall Space Flight Center.
Workshop, built by McDonnell Douglas, was model for the Saturn S-IVB
stage and when modified would represent Saturn stage as it was to be
used in Apollo Applications program as a manned space laboratory.
Some 50 ft long and 21.5 ft in diameter, workshop was used at MSFC as an
engineering tool in designing structures, equipment, and experiments
for the initial mission of 28 days. ( MSFC Release 67-181)
FAA proposed maximum speed of 250 knots per hr (288 mph) for all air-
craft operating below 10,000-ft mean sea level (MSL) in move designed
to give pilots more time to “see and avoid” other air traffic in Nation’s
moat heavily traveled airspace. Proposed rule would mean a change only
for en route aircraft below 10,OOO ft MSL. Aircraft arriving at an airport
and flying below 10,000 ft MSL had previously been placed under speed
limitations: an indicated air speed of 250 knots for all such aircraft
within 30 mi of their destination; within immediate terminal area, 200
knots for turbinepowered aircraft and 156 knots for piston-engine air-
craft. FAA cited growing numbers of high-performance aircraft using
airspace below 10,OOO ft MSL where virtually all VFR (visual flight rules)
flying is done, as well as about half of all IFR (instrument flight rules)
flying. FAA said proposed rule would promote safer and more efficient
utilization of airspace, since pilots of many high-speed aircraft probably
would choose to operate above 10,ooO ft MSL for optimum performance
and economy. (FAA Release 67-66)
September 2: The second of three pairs of NASA Nike-Tomahawk sounding
rockets in cooperative Norway-US. project [see Aug. 311 was launched
from Andoeya, Norway, carrying GSFC payloads, one of which con-
tained chemicals to produce four barium clouds. Investigating electric
fields during an aurora condition, experimenters obtained good data.
(NASA Rpt SRL)
9 Soviet Union announced a new series of rocket tests believed designed to
perfect a sea-landing system for Russian astronauts in preparation for
a resumption of manned space flights. Soviet news agency, Tass, said the
test of “carrier rockets” would begin Sept. 3. It warned all ships and
planes to stay clear of two 80-mile-wide “bulls’ eyes” in the Pacific
Ocean, one about 900 miles northeast and one 300 miles northeast of
Midway Island, from noon until midnight every day through Oct. 30.
(Reuters, W Post, 9/3/67, A16)
September 3: Lunar Orbiter V’s photographs had revealed flow patterns char-
acteristic of hardened fluid material on the floor of the moon’s Tycho
Crater, NASA announced [see Aug. 5-27]. Preliminary study of new
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