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

222 ASTRONAUTICAL AND AERONAUTICAL EVENTS OF 106.2
October 25: An S-IV stage for the two-stage Saturn began three-week,
3,500-mi. trip via barge from Douglas Aircraft Co. in Santa
Monica, Calif., to NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Hunts-
ville, Ala., for dynamic testing.
London Times reported that Manchester University team conducting
photographic survey of the moon, working at Pic-du-Midi Ob-
servatory in the French Pyrenees, and similar Japanese team,
working at Kwasan Observatory, Kyoto, would be joined by a
third observing station in California. Eight-hour time difference
between France and Japan enables the two stations to photo-
aph the moon for 16 hours of night; the California station would
a central point in time between the other observatories, making
z
possible the first round-the-clock photographic surve of the
moon. Manchester University program is sponsored y USAF,
while Kyoto University program operates under NASA research
grant.
$16,280,069 contract for construction of F-1 rocket engine test
stands was awarded to Santa Fe Engineers, M. M. Sundt Construction
Co., and Stolte, Inc., by Army Corps of Engineers as
agent for NASA. Complex of three test stands and control center
would be built at Edwards AFB, Calif.
First live two-way radio broadcast via TELSTAR was conducted by
Armed Forces Radio Network. TELSTAR relayed conversations
of representatives of Conseil International du Sport Militaire
(Military Olympics) between Annapolis, Md., and Germany.
NASA Administrator James E. Webb announced first nationwide
conference of scientists and educators would be held in Chicago
November 1-3 to study the relationship between NASA and universities
in meeting national space goals.
United Auto Workers employed by North American Aviation, Inc.,
voted to defeat union shop proposal. IAM workers at General
Dynamics/Convair and UAW workers at Ryan Aeronautical Co.
would also vote on the proposal.
Republic Aviation Corp. selected RCA to design and build data
acquisition and communications subsystem for Project Fire,
NASA program to study re-entry heating of spacecraft. Two
Project Fire spacecraft will be launched late 1963.
Washington Post reported comparative scores of U.S. and Soviet
nuclear tests (through Oct. 22, 1962): U.S., 239 tests with about
143-megaton total yield; U.S.S.R., 121 tests with about 305megaton
total yield.
October 26: USAF announced launching of unnamed satellite employing
a Thor-Agena launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
Titan I1 rocket launched by USAF from Cape Canaveral scored its
fifth successful test flight in seven attempts.
NASA published proposed revisions to patent regulations, simplifyin
procedures under which NASA can waive to contractors commercia Ei
rights to inventions developed under NASA contracts. Patent
waiver regulations would not be effective until after public hearings,
scheduled for December. NASA also issued regulations prescribing
how NASA-held patents would be made available for
industrial or commercial development. NASA announced it would
make provisional agreements with industry for nonexclusive
commercial development of inventions on which NASA patents