Astronautical and Aeronautical Events of 1962 - NASA's History Office

4 ASTRONAUTICAL AND AERONAUTICAL EVENTS OF 19 62
with improved weather observations. And I shall soon send to
the Congress a measure to govern the financing and operation of
an international communications satellite system, in a manner
consistent with the public interest and our foreign policy.
“But peace in space will help us naught once peace on earth
isgone . . . .
71
January 11: USAF B-52H flew nonstop and without refueling 12,519
miles from Okinawa to Madrid, breaking by 1,283.4 miles the
1946 record set by Navy P2V-1 “Truculent Turtle.” Maj. C. E.
Evely headed crew of eight making the 21-hour-52-minute flight.
At SAM symposium on aerospace medicine, Lt. Col. Burt Rowen
(USAF), Chief of Bioastronautics at AFFTC, presented heartbeat
and breat,hing records of Maj. Robert White during X-15 record
speed flight of November 9, 1961. “When the President’s
Scientific Advisory Committee fist became aware of the high
heart and respiration rates [of pilots in high-performance air-
craft] they became concerned with the question of success of the
Mercury program. . . But now this has come to be regarded
as normal.” Dr. Charies Sandhous of the University of Cali-
fornia warned that an astronaut caught in space during a solar
flare might age three years or more as a result of the radiation
received.
At Eighth National Symposium on Reliability and Quality Control
in Washington, W. T. Sumerlin of the Philco Corp. estimated
that 3,000 engineers and others were now devoting full time to this
‘(new field.”
E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. announced it had awarded grants
totaling $1,693,300 to 161 American universities and colleges to
strengthen the teaching of science and related subjects, to pro-
mote fundamental research, and to aid facilities for education or
research in science and engineering.
January 12: John Jay Ide, European representative of NACA (1921-40,
1946-50) and U.S. representative at numerous international air
law and commerce conventions, died in New York. He was a
founder and fellow of the IAS, a board member of the NAA, and an
honorary member of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Mr. Ide
had contributed to world aviation in making known the results
of NACA research and in acquiring information on European
progress, as well as helping the establishment of transatlantic
commercial air routes.
January 13: USAF DISCOVERER XXXVII launched from Vandenberg
AFn but did not attain orbit.
NASA launched %stage Aerobee sounding rocket from Wallops Sta-
tion to an altitude of 130 miles to obtain planning data for future
solar physics projects.
Dr. Hans-Georg Clamann, Chief of Space Medicine at SAM, sub-
mitted that a mountain peak near the south pole of the moon
may be the ideal location for a lunar base. Continuous sunlight
would provide support for growing vegetation.
Reported from New York that three-day US.-British discussions
on U.N. problems had devoted considerable time to problems of
“the law of outer space.” U.S. representatives indicated that
the U.N. resolution of December covering “international co-
operation and the peaceful uses of outer space” had extended