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

2 ASTRONAUTICAL AND AERONAUTICAL EVENTS OF 1962
January 4: NASA announced contract with the University of Texas to
design and build a radio antenna at the Balcones Research Center
to be used in making radiation measurements of the moon and
planets. It would be 16 feet in diameter and operate effectively
at 30,000 to 150,000 megacycles.
Dr. William W. Kellogg of the NAS Space Science Board reported
on the study of the planet Venus ut the American Geophysical
Union. Bolometer studies of the atmosphere of Venus indicated
a temperature of -40’ C (presumably the cloud tops), while
temperatures deduced from measurements by large radiotele-
scopes indicated temperatures of about 300O C (572’ F) (believed
to be surface tempertLturc). A planetary probe could probably
answer questions raised on the tliickness and nature of Venus’
aorosphere.
January 5: President Kennedy released part of a report submitted
earlier by Vice President Johnson, Chairman of the Space Council.
The report stated that the U.S. had generated a greater rate of
progress in space in 1961 than in any other year but that “it
is too early to make definitive comparisons as between our newly
developing competence and the capabilities of the U.S.S.R.”
0 NASA first made public drawings of three-man Apollo spacecraft
to be used in lunar landing development program.
0 Dr. J. P. Kuettner, formerly chief of the Mercury-Redstone pro-
gram, was named MFSC Manager of the Saturn-Apollo System
Integration Program.
0 USAF Minuteman successfully fired from silo at Cape Canaveral,
its third straight success in underground firing.
January 6: FAA released memorandum dated December 29, 1961,
stating that Stanford Research Institute’s radiotelescope was
a hazard to air navigation. The first of three such telescopes
to be built in the U.S. by SRI extends 90 feet too high for Moffett
Field air traffic and 128 feet too high for Palo Alto Airport
traffic .
January 7: National Science Foundation re orted that Congress
had appro riated $10.8 billion for researct and development in
FY 62, wtich included $3 billion for research, $6.7 billion for
development, $1 billion for facilities, and $100 million for information.
NASA spent $1.4 billion, the DOD $6.2 billion.
0 Executive Director of the Space Science Board of the National
Academy of Sciences, Dr. Hugh Odishaw, reviewed the prospects
in space in first of a series of lectures prepared for the Voice of
America. Despite the great promise of practical application of
space technology, Odishaw said: “I would contend that the
challenges of research dwarf those of adventure and application.”
Other members of the Space Science Board were slated for later
lectures in this Voice of America series.
Reported by J. Alsop that experts estimate that the U.S.S.R. could
possibly test an antisatellite missile during 1962, and would
probabl do so in 1963.
January 8: gpecial hand tools for use in zero-gravity conditions were
tested by personnel of the Manned Spacecraft and the Marshall
Space Flight Centers. Experiments were conducted in simulated
space environment to try out non-torque hand tools drawn
from a number of industrial sources.