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

ASTRONAUTICAL AND AERONAUTICAL EVENTS OF 1962 211
October 6: USAF announced special instruments on unidentified military
test satellites had confirmed artificial radiation belt densities
calculated from earlier INJUN and TELSTAR data. Radiation of
new belt, created by U.S. high-altitude nuclear test in July, was
composed primarily of electrons. Radiation sharply increases
above 400-mi. altitude at the geomagnetic equator and reaches
peak intensities of 100 to 1,000 times normal levels at altitude
above 1,000 mi. Lt. Col. Albert C. Trakowski (USAF) stated in
press conference that Astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Jr., could
have been killed if his MA-8 space flight had taken him above
400-mi. altitude. Answering questions about USAF report on the
artificial radiation belt, Col. Trakowski said the lifetime of the
belt “cannot be forecast at present-it will be long.”
Nevada Extension of the AEC-NASA Space Nuclear Propulsion Office
(SNPO) became operational, with Robert P. Helgeson as Chief.
Located at Las Vegas, the Nevada Extension assumed financial
and contract responsibilities for construction and operation of
facilities at Nuclear Rocket Development Station (NRDS), which
will conduct static ground testing of nuclear rockets.
0 NASA signed $1.55 million contract with Hamilton Standard Div. of
United Aircraft Corp. and International Latex Corp. for develop-
ment of spacesuit for Apollo crewmen. As prime contractor,
Hamilton Standard has management responsibility of the overall
program and would develop life-support, back-pack system to be
worn by crewmen during lunar expeditions; Latex would fabricate
the suit with Republic Aviation Corp. furnishing human factors
information and environmental testing. The suit would allow
crewman greater mobility than previous spacesuits, enabling him
to walk, climb, and bend with ease.
0 Third test fight of USN Polaris A-3 was partially successful, the
missile functioning properly until second stage went out of control
near burnout and was destroyed by range safety officer.
0 Sperry Gyroscope Co. announced it was patenting a new gyroscope
using liquid instead of wheel as the spinning element. Sperry said
this was - the first . such gyroscope to operate successfully and to go
into roduction.
0 Soviet hinister of Amiculture E(. G. Pvsin. visiting U.S.S.R. Em-
bassy in Washinaon, commented bhen aske& about Soviet
droughts that “control of the weather is being researched up there
in outer space.”
October 6: NASA Astronaut Walter M. Schirra was greeted by cheering
crowds in Honolulu, transferring from aircraft carrier U.S.S.
Keursurge to USAF jet at hick am-^^^, for trip back to Manned
Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas.
0 NASC Chairman Dr. Edward Welsh, in message to American Legion,
refuted arguments that the accelerated space program was detri-
mental to other interests, and said: “Even before we had a space
program, we were not spending enough on education, or medicine,
or housing, and there is no reason to believe that we would be
doing even as much as we are now on those essential projects if it
were not for the space program. In fact, our national space effort
increases our gross national product and provides more employ-
ment and more funds than we would have without it. This is a
solid investment which we must make.”