Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1967 - NASA's History Office

December 21 ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1967
intervals at altitudes of more than 100 mi. (Omaha W-H, 12/21/67,1;
AP, NYT, 12/22/67,31)
December 22: ERC awarded $99,151 to TRW Systems, Inc., and $99,370 to
RCA for research on a satellite system to provide more efficient naviga-
tion and air traffic control for aircraft and ships in North Atlantic area
in 1975. Both companies would conduct eight-month studies to deter-
mine best technical approach, identifying related problems and require-
ments. ( FRC Release 6747)
MSFC awarded Mason-Rust Co. a one-year, $8,990,826 contract extension
for continued provision of services-including transportation, safety and
security, supply, communications, and custodial services-at Michoud
Assembly Facility. Extension brought total cost-plus-award-fee contract
to $39,073,652. ( MSFC Release 67-246)
US. R&D funding in 1968 would total about $26.5 billion, $700 million
(3.5%) more than 1967 estimate, Battelle Memorial Institute (BMI)
said in its annual forecast. BMI noted that “significantly, for the first time
since reliable figures for total research and development expenditures
became available, it is estimated that for [CY] 1%8 the increase in
Federal spending on research in the social sciences will be greater than
the increase in the physical sciences.” This trend, forecast said, was
partly because of reductions in growth of military, space, and atomic
energy programs and because of increasing national concern with edu-
cation, health, urban, employment, and welfare problems. (AP, NYT,
12/23/67,7; BMI PIO)
* ERC Director James C. Elms announced appointment of Dr. D. M. Wars-
chauer as Chief of ERC’S Component Technology Laboratory. Dr.
Warschauer had been Manager of Itek Corp.’s Physics Laboratory since
1965. ( ERC Release 6745)
* J. V. Reistrup, in the Washington Post, reported that the Senate Committee
on Aeronautical and Space Sciences had prepared a draft report on
Apollo accident hearings which would be published .in early 1968. The
report, revealed as a result of Rep. William Ryan’s (D-N.Y.) Dec. 18
criticisms on Congress’ failure to produce such a report, was said to be
critical of NASA but to have reafFmmed Apollo lunar-landing goal. (Reis-
trup, W Post, 12/22/67, Al)
* U.S.S.R. team to study UFO (unidentified flying object) sightings would
consist of 18 scientists and Air Force officers supported by 1,000 field
observers, Time reported [see Nov. 301. Flurry of UFO sightings had
been reported in recent weeks by presumably reliable Aeroflot and
military pilots, who usually described them as sickle-shaped. (Time,
12/22/67,21)
December 24: Communist China exploded her seventh nuclear device at Lop
Nor test site in Sinkiang Province. Low yield of test marked reversal of
trend since first test Oct. 16, 1964. Yield size had increased progres-
sively, culminating with June 17, 1967, explosion of hydrogen bomb.
Test was not announced by Communist Chinese officials, but was
detected by AEC. (AEC Release K-289; Finney, NYT, 12/25/67, 1)
* Robert Walker, writing in the New York Times, reviewed new applications
for industrial use of gold. In telephone industry, gold was used for coat-
ing electromechanical switchgear and for transmitter domes; in com-
puters, for coating metal tapes and electroplating printed circuits; and in
automotive industry, for connecting alternator-regulator systems. To
aerospace industry, one of gold‘s most important characteristics was
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