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

ASTRONAUTICAL AND AERONAUTICAL EVENTS OF 1962 161
at least at present, the two important points that should be kept
in mind are the ability to build a large booster which can put a
large satellite into atmosphere. That is being done. NASA is
doing that, though there has been, of course, under Titan I11
contract, a booster program for the military.
‘‘In addition, the guidance, navigation, etc., that’s extremely
important. That we are making a major effort in. And so
that I recognize that there are those who oppose this program and
then suddenly a month later say we ought to suddenly go ahead
on a different basis.
“The fact of the matter is that 40 per cent of the R and D funds
in this country are being spent for space. That’s a tremendous
amount of money and a tremendous concentration of our scien-
tific effort.
“I’m not saying that we can’t always do better. But I think
the American people ought to understand it’s billions of dollars
we’re talking about which I believe a month ago a prominent-
mentioned as a great boondoggle.
“I think it’s important, vital and there is a great interrelation-
ship between military and peaceful uses of space. But we’re
concentrating on the peaceful use of space which will also help
us protect our securit if that becomes essential. . . .”
August 22: U.S. District Ldge Clarence W. Allgood ordered striking
electricians back to work at Marshall Space Flight Center,
Huntsville, Ala. President of the AFL-CIO International Brother-
hood of Electrical Workers, Gordon Freeman, also directed the
workers to return to their jobs.
0 French government announced first satellite, wei hing 150 lbs.,
would be launched in March 1965 and would % e followed by
others three and four times as large.
0 National Aeronautic Association announced that U.S. Astronaut
Alan B. Shepard would receive FAI medal on September 28 for
his suborbital space-flight records May 5, 1961. Also to receive
medals: U.S.S.R. Cosmonauts Yuri A. Gagarin and Gherman S.
Titov, for their record-setting orbital flights in 1961. Another
American, Lt. Col. R. G. Robinson (USMC), would receive award
for closed-course, aircraft speed record of 1,606.5 mph in F4H
over Edwards AFB, Calif., November 22, 1961.
0 IAS announced the 1962 Guggenheim International Astronautics
Award would be made to Dr. James A. Van Allen, head of State
Univ. of Iowa physics and astronomy department and discoverer
of earth’s radiation belts.
August 23: Nike-Apache launch vehicle carried 63-lb. payload to
approximately 80-mi.-altitude from NASA Wallops Station, in
experiment to measure ion concentration and composition in the
upper atmosphere. Impact occurred approximately 67 mi,
from the launch site, and no attempt was made to recover the
payload. Experiment was conducted by NASA Goddard Space
Flight Center in cooperation with Lockheed Missile and Space Co.
USAF launched an unidentified satellite with a Blue Scout booster
from Point Arguello, Calif.
Electricians began to return to work at NASA Marshall Space Flight
Center, Huntsville, Ala., after a ten-da walkout. Estimated
70% of total construction work-force, inc T uding workers of other