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

20 ASTRONAUTICAL AND AERONAUTICAL EVENTS OF 1 9 G 2
February 21: Dr. Orr E. Reynolds, formerly head of the DOD’S Office
of Science, named Director of NASA’s Bioscience Programs in the
Office of Space Sciences. During 1949-1957, Dr. Reynolds was
Director of ONR’S Biological Sciences Division.
In speech to National Conference on Application of Electrical
Insulation, Gen. Bernard A. Schriever (USAF) pointed to the
lessons of history:
((. .
. Our boldest predictions do not keep very far ahead of
technical developments.
“A second lesson is that the advance of scientific and engineering
knowledge is most effectively achieved through joint effort.
The growth of military airpower has owed much to the scientific
and industrial community . . . . I think we can predict the
same mutual benefits in space exploration . . .”
USAF announced that an unnamed satellite had been launched by a
Thor-Agena B booster from Vandenberg AFB.
February 22: Before the 3rd West Coast Reliability Symposium, Dr.
Landis S. Gephart, NASA’S Director of Reliability and Quality
Assurance Office, said that the U.S. has “reliability requirements
greater than our record of achievements to date will satisfy.”
He pointed out that when Saturn-class vehicIes will cost an estimated
$20 to $30 million a launch, neither NASA or the nation
can tolerate a “batting average of 500.” Dr. Gephart then
discussed three publications NASA was issuing in connection with
contracts to ensure tighter quality control for NASA hardware.
In speech before the Wonian’s National Press Club, Adlai Stevenson,
US. Ambassador to the United Nations, said that the U.S.,
U.S.S.R., and other qualified nations should pool their space
efforts under the auspices of the United Nations. ((Perhaps
their children,” he said, “will sail to Mars together.”
First International Woman’s Space Symposium held at Los
Angeles, Shirley Thomas as chairman.
The National Center for Space Studies of France, headed by Pierre
Auger, released a summary of its 1962 space program: launching
of sounding rockets containing a rat and later a cat to 125 miles
altitude; research observations of the sun and various planets ;
and telecommunications experiments. France would also cooperate
in a joint satellite project with the US. and participate
in the European Organization for Space Research.
February 23: In ceremony at Cape Canaveral, President Kennedy
thanked the Project Mercury team for the successful flight of
FRIENDSHIP 7:
“. . . it’s my great pleasure to speak on behalf of all our fellow
Americans in expressing pride and satisfaction to those intimately
involved in this effort. All of us remember a few dates in this
century and those of us who were very young remember Col.
Lindbergh’s flight, Pearl Harbor, and the end of the war, and
remember the flight of Alan Shepard, Major Grissom and we
remember the flight of Col. Glenn . . .”
President Kennedy then awarded the NASA Distinguished
Service Medal to Robert R. Gilruth and read the citation, (‘for
his distinguished leadership of the team of scientists and engineers