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

64 ’ ASTRONAUTICAL AND AERONAUTICAL EVENTS OF 1962
in space (flashing light photographed at precise times against
known star background). NASA will now not have to develop
a geodetic satellite to provide open scientific information.
April 27: Dr. Launor F. Carter was appointed Chief Scientist, USAF,
to take ofice in July succeeding Dr. Leonard S. Sheingold. Dr.
Carter, Vice President and Director of Research for System Devel-
opment Corp. of Santa Monica, Calif., has been a member of the
USAF Scientific Advisory Board since 1955. A psychologist,
Dr. Carter has done much work on leadership, perception, and
group behavior.
George C. Barnhart, pioneer airman and inventor, died in Pasadena.
Barnhart held 70 alrcraft patents, including one for wing tanks.
In 1942, he had turned over his patent for split-edge wing flap,
a landing brake used on conventional and jet aircraft, to the
Army Air Forces for the duration of the war, thousands of planes
being built 1946-51 using the Barnhart flap for which he received
no royalties as World War I1 had‘:not been officially ended. He
had intended to sue the Government for $10 million.
April 28: USAF launched unidentified satellite with Thor-Agena
booster, the fourth unidentified satellite reported launched from
Vandenberg APB in ten days.
0 Second NASA Nike-Cajun probe with Japanese payload was can-
celed for third time because of high winds at Wallops Island.
0 First details of an orbital space station underlfeasibility study, one
shaped like a doughnut and inflated once in orbit, revealed at
Langley Research Center. Design of space stations had be un
in November 1960 at Langley. Paul Hill, chief of the Appted
Materials and Physics Division, stated that structures were now
under study which could hold from four to thirty people.
April 29: COSMOS IV, Soviet satellite launched on April 26, was success-
Iully landed in a predetermined area, according to Tass announce-
ment. All equipment for research into the upper atmosphere and
space worked well during the 1,250,000-mile flight, Tass said.
0 Spokesman at British tracking station at Winkfield Row said that
ARIEL 1’s “signals are good and everything seems satisfactory.”
0 Melvin N. Gough, former director of NASA’s AMR operations and
recently chief of the CAR’S Bureau of Safety, was named as director
of the Federal Aviation Agency’s new Aircraft Development
Service.
0 Cosmonaut Gherman Titov arrived in New York City for %day
visit to the U.S. in conjunction with COSPAR sessions in Washington.
0 U.S.S.R. was considerably’behind the U.S. in facilities and equipment
for biological and medical research, Dr. A. N. Studitsky
complained in an article in Vestnik Akademii Nauk, organ of the
Soviet Academy of Science.
April 50: X-15 No. 1 flown to an altitude of approximately 246,700
ft. (46.7 mi.) with NASA’s Joseph A. Walker at the controls. The
record altitude was achieved in a climbing attitude of about 38’;
top speed attained was 3,443 mph. Previous altitude record was
217,000 ft., achieved on October 11, 1961, by Major Robert White
(USAF). The speed record of 4,093 mph was set on November 9,
1961, by Major Robert White.
0 In Voice of American broadcast series on Space Science, Dr. Edward
R. Dyer, Jr., of the Space Science Board Secretariat, stated that