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

212 ASTRONAUTICAL AND AERONAUTICAL EVENTS OF 1 9 6 2
October 6: AEC announced low-yield nuclear detonation in the atmosphere
near Johnston Island, the 29th announced test in current
US. series in the Pacific.
Decision to sell Cape Colony Inn, partially owned by the seven
Project Mercury astronauts, was announced by attorney C. Leo
DeOrsey of Washington. He said the astronauts’ investment
in the motel near Cape Canaveral “had become the subject of
controversy in some quarters of the press and might become
embarrassing to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
I believe it is in the best interests of all concerned to
sell the motel.”
USAF revealed that three (‘plastinauts,’’ plastic dummies of human
astronauts, were undergoing tests at Kirtland AFB preparatory
to being sent into space. Plastinauts in space would be used to
de terniin e radia tion hazards to astronauts.
During early October: 5-2 liquid-hydrogen rocket engine successfully
completed its first full-duration static firing (more than four
minutes) at Rocketdyne Div. of North American Aviation, Inc.
J-2 engines will be clustered to power S-I1 stage of Advanced
Saturn vehicle.
October 7: Astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Jr., after arriving in Houston
after trip from Pacific landing of six-orbit MA-8 flight, held
press conference at Rice University auditorium: “My intention
was to use so little [attitude control] fuel that no one could argue
that we [had not] had enough fuel aboard SIGMA 7 for eighteen
orbits, if we wanted it. I think I proved that point.”
He said
MA-8 was 8 “textbook flight” and that he was sorry to see it
end.
On the issue of space sickness, Astronaut Schirra stated that
despite the prolonged weightlessness of this longest U.S. manned
space flight, “there was no problem at all. There was no break-
off phenomena, there was no uneasiness, there was no queasiness.
I felt great.
“The suit temperature problem . . . is a problem which we
have solved. I have been much hotter in the tent at Cape Ca-
naveral than I ever, ever thought of being in SIGMA 7.”
He reported sighting the (‘fireflies” and believing they emanated
from the spacecraft.
New York Times reported7‘that more than 20 fragments from
SPUTNIK IV had been recovered in Wisconsin. Launched May 15,
1960, the Soviet satellite had re-entered earth’s atmosphere Sept.
5, 1962, and disintegrated over Wisconsin.
October 8-12: Series of space science lecture-demonstrations held at
St. Johns Univ., N.Y., under auspices of NAsA-Aerospace Educa-
tion Council.
October 9: X-15 No. 2, piloted by NASA’s John I3. hfcKay, was flown
to 129,000-ft. altitude (24.4 mi.) and 3,716-mph speed (rnach 5)
in test of aircraft’s performance without its electronic flightcontrol
system and without its ventral fin. Pilot McICay induced
the most severe yawing motion thus far in tests to check
the craft’s re-entry stability under severe strain. Although pilot
McKay later reported “the whole airplane shook for about three
minutes,’’ the stability test was considered very successful.