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

94 ASTRONAUTICAL AND AERONAUTICAL EVENTS OF 1 9 6 2
,June 3: Soviet Government issued a statement which warned that
high-altitude nuclear tcsts by the U.S. would “carry the nuclear
arms race into outer space.” Addressed to “all states and
peoples,” the statement said that the test could disrupt radio
communication, endanger future flights by cosmonauts, and
“change the weather.” The statement further warned that the
U.S. would not be permitted to gain any military advantages
from the tests.
Worst single-aircraft disaster in commercial aviation history, when
Air France Boeing 707 crashed and burned on takeoff at Orly
Field, Paris, killing 130 passengers and crew.
June 4: High-altitude nuclear test over Johnston Island in the Pacific
failed when Thor rocket and the thermonuclear device were de-
stroyed by the safety officer “because the tracking system was
malfunctioning.” Debris fell into the ocean well within the 520-
mile-radius safety area around Johnston Island.
Polaris missile launched from AMR was destroyed 90 seconds after
launch when it veered off course.
U.S.S.R. charged in newspapers and radio broadcasts that purpose
of U.S. high-altitude nuclear tests over the Pacific was to prepare
for a surprise nuclear attack against the Communist bloc, con-
tended the tests were designed to perlect ways of blacking out
radio and radar communication, thereby preventing a retaliatory
strike at the U.S.
Boeing-Vertol was selected by the Air Force to build long-range
helicopter capable of carrying a payload of at least 5,000 lbs. for
200 nautical miles or 2,400 lbs. for 700 miles. Modification of
Vertol 107 helicopter, now in production for civil use, would
satisfy USAF’S Specific Operational Requirement 190.
Army fired Pershing missile from AMR.
The 200-mile flight was a
severe test of the missile’s guidance, with the launch made in the
teeth of 50-mph winds; the missile rose w-ith a “definite tilt”
before the guidance corrected its attitude.
House of Representatives passed a bill (H.R. 10618) granting the
consent of Congress to the Southern Interstate Nuclear Compact,
which would establish a regional cooperative effort to acquire
nuclear resources and facilities. NASA is one of the Federal
agencies authorized under the bill to cooperate with the Compact.
June 4-5: Thirty-fifth anniversary of the second nonstop transatlantic
flight, by Clarence C. Chamberlin and Charles A. Levine.
Taking off from Roosevelt Field, L.I., on June 4, 1927, they
followed much the same route taken in May of the same year by
Charles A. Lindbergh, but flew on to Eisleben, Germany, for a
nonstop distance record of 3,911 miles. Mr. Chamberlin, now
68, recalled in an interview that they ran into bad weather over
England, climbed their single-engine Wright-Bellanca to over
20,000 ft., although “now they tell you you must have oxygen
above 10,000 feet.”
June 5: Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter and his family were received
by President Kennedy at the White House, then flew to New
York for the city’s reception and to receive New York City’s
highest award, the Gold Medal. The reception committee
included, in addition to Mayor Wagner, former Presidents
Herbert C. Hoover and Harry S. Truman.