Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967 September 7-9
Biosatellite II was under management of ABC and under direction of
OSSA. The Delta launch vehicle was managed by GSFC. Communications
and tracking were handled by NASA’s Satellite Tracking and Data Acqui-
sition Network, operated by GSFC. BiosateUite I1 was built by the General
Electric Reentry Systems Dept. The Delta launch vehicle was built by
Douglas Aircraft Co. (NASA Proj Off; NASA Release 67-239; Av Vh,
9/18/67; AP, W Post, 9/11/67; Myler, UPI, W Post, 9/15/67,
9 f 18/67; B Sun, 9/8/67; Yuenger, C Trib, 9/15/67)
September 8: Explorer XXXIV, launched May 24, demonstrated that all its
spacecraft systems and 10 of 11 experiments were operational and per-
forming satisfactorily. No scientific data had been received from TRW
spherical electrostatic analyzer experiment since launch because of elec-
trical system malfunction. (NASA Proj Off)
Col. Joseph F. Cotton (USAF) , pilot, and L/Col. Emil Sturmthal (USAF) ,
copilot, flew XB-70 No. 1 to 59,700-ft altitude and 1,510 mph (mach
2.3) in flight at Edwards AFB. Purposes of test: longitudinal stability
and control and handling qualities checkout; throat unstart checkout ;
variable nose ramp functional test; radar airspeed calibration ; and
handling qualities approach sidestep maneuvers. Flight was successful
except for lost radar contact. (XB-70 Proj Off)
NASA’s Mariner IV, launched Nov. 28, 1964, after 1,014 days of flight,
reached its closest approach to earth at 29.1 million mi (46.9 million
km) . (NASA Proj Off)
September 8-1 0: Engineers and scientists on three continents secured aerial
recovery of Biosatellite II, approximately 15 mi from the recomputed
impact point over the mid-Pacific, and softlanded Surveyor V on the
moon at a speed just over eight miles an hour and within 18 mi of its
original target site. The work had involved hundreds of men in tracking
stations (certain of which could track simultaneously up to three separate
objects: deep space, manned capsule, or near-earth satellite) and
control centers in the U.S., South America, and Australia. Surveyor V
and Biosatellite II projects were carried out by two different NASA
teams. Participants had included scientists and engineers from JPL and
Hughes Aircraft Co. for Surveyor V, ARC and GSFC for Biosatellite II,
and tracking-station and control-center personnel from around the
world. (NASA Release 67-241 ; NASA Proj Off)
September 8-30: NASA’s Surveyor V (Surveyor-E) unmanned spacecraft was
successfully launched by Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle from ETR on a
two-burn ascent mission to softland in the Apollo area of interest on
the moon and to take television pictures of the lunar surface around
its landing area. Surveyor V was the first of the Surveyor series to carry
an instrument to study the chemical characteristics of the lunar soil and
the first to attempt a landing in the eastern portion of the Apollo zone.
The coast period between burns was 6 min 44 sec. Spacecraft insertion
into a lunar trajectory occurred at 04:15:12.9 EDT Sept. 8. The trajectory
appeared to be satisfactory. After separation from the launch
vehicle, Surveyor V automatically acquired the sun and responded to
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