Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967 January 27
Soviet space program as “well-planned, orderly, and vigorously pursued
with concentration on specific, limited objectives, each achieving a
marked advance beyond the one preceding.” There was said to be no
evidence “of either Soviet disenchantment with the program or a desire
. . . to cut it back. On the contrary, space specialists have underscored
the durability of the Soviet commitment to space exploration. . . .” Re-
port was entitled: Soviet Space Program, 196245; Goals and Purposes,
Achievements, Plans, and International Implications. (Text)
Janwry 28: NASA Nike-Tomahawk sounding rocket launched from Churchill
Research Range carried GsFc-instrumented payload to 128-mi (209-km)
altitude to gather data on charged particle fluxes and to investigate dis-
tribution of electric fields in the ionosphere during auroral displays.
Rocket and instrumentation performance was satisfactory, but vehicle
spin rate was excessive. Most scientific data were lost because nose cone
failed to eject properly and antennas failed to deploy. (NASA Rpt SRL)
0 NASA Deputy Administrator Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., appointed Apollo
204 Review Board to investigate Jan. 27 accident at ICSC which killed
Astronauts Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White 11, and Roger B. Chaffee:
Dr. Floyd L. Thompson, Director of LBRC, Chairman; Astronaut Frank
Borman, MSC; Maxime Faget, MSC; E. Barton Geer, Lax; GGorge Jeffs,
North American Aviation, Inc.; Dr. Frank A. Long, Cornel1 Univ.; Col.
Charles F. Strang, Norton AFB, Calif.; George C. White, Jr., NASA Hq.;
and John Williams, ICSC. Three advisory members were added later:
Charles W. Mathews, Director of Saturn/Apollo Applications, NASA Hq.
OMSF; John Yardley, McDonnell Co. executive; and L/Col. William D.
Baxter ( USAF) . LaRC Chief Counsel George Mallay would serve as counsel
to the board. (NASA Release 67-16; Wilford, NYT, 1/30/67,2)
* Senate Aeronautical and Space Sciences Committee would conduct a ‘‘full
review” of the Jan. 27 accident at KSC which killed three Apollo astro-
nauts, Chairman Clinton P. Anderson (D-N. Mex) announced. (NYT,
1/29/67,47; W Post, 1/29/67, A18)
0 The Nation mourned the deaths of NASA Apollo Astronauts Grissom,
White and Chaffee.
President Johnson: “Three valiant young men have given their lives
in the nation’s service. We mourn this great loss and our hearts go out
to their families.”
Vice President Humphrey: “The deaths of these three brilliant young
men . . . is a profound and personal loss to me. . . . The United States
will push ever forward in space and the memory of the contributions of
these men will be an inspiration to all future space-farers.”
NASA Administrator James Webb : “We’ve always known that some-
thing like this would happen sooner or later, but it’s not going to be per-
mitted to stop the program. . . . Although everyone realized that some
day space pilots would die, who would have thought the first tragedy
would be on the ground?”
Former President Eisenhower: “The accident that took the lives of
three of our highly trained, skilled and courageous American astronauts
is a tragic loss to our entire nation. . . .” (UPI, W Star, 1/28/67, 1; AP,
NYT, 1/29/67)
New York Times praised signing of space law treaty and suggested further
cooperation in space.
“Surely the present is an appropriate time for another effort . . . the
President could suggest to the Soviet Union that a precedent from Ant-
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