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

JUNE 1962
June 1: x-15 No. 2 flown in evaluation test of an alternate stability
augmentation system and returned to earth’s atmosphere at a
23’ an le of attack, Maj. Robert White (USAF) as pilot. Flight
reache f maximum speed of 3,750 mph (mach 5.53) and a peak
altitude of 129,000 feet.
USAF launched unidentified satellite with Thor-Agena B booster,
from Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
Deadline for applications for NASA’s new astronaut positions; NASA
began screening the more-than-250 applications received. The
armed services supplied 53 of the applications while more than
200 civilians submitted applications. Once selected, the new
astronauts would undergo intensive training at Manned Space-
craft Center for Projects Gemini and Apollo.
First African showing of FRIENDSHIP 7, Astronaut John Glenn’s
space capsule, drew record crowds. USIA reported that over
40,000 persons had viewed the capsule in Accra, Ghana, in three
days, more than at previous showings in London, Paris, Madrid,
and Belgrade.
0 The seven Mercury astronauts were presented with Distinguished
Service Awards from the Lower Vir inia Peninsula in ceremonies
at the Manned Spacecraft Center I? q. at Langley AFB, Va.
June 2: USAF announced that OSCAR 11 satellite had been launched
piggyback on an unidentified satellite on June 1, on behalf of the
American Radio Relay League. With a 92-minute period, the
10-lb. satellite broadcasts “Hi” in Morse code on 144.993 mega-
cycles for use by amateur radio operators. Unlike OSCAR I
launched on December 10, 1961, advance notice was not given
the Project Oscar Association on the launching of OSCAR 11.
Navy successfully fired a Polaris missile from submerged nuclear
submarine U.S.S. Thomas Edison, off Cape Canaveral. The
Polaris flew some 1,500 miles.
0 Scientists of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, at
Boulder, Colo., after intensive interviews with Astronaut Scott
Carpenter, concluded that the layer of “haze” reported on the
horizon by both Carpenter and Glenn was in reality the phenom-
enon known as airglow-the emission of light of various colors
and wavelengths, caused by chemical reactions in gas molecules
in the upper atmosphere.
NASA reported it had received more than 700 requests for personal
appearances by the Mercury astronauts for the July 4th holiday,
but there was little likelihood that any would be accepted. AS-
tronaut John Glenn had received more than 8,000 requests for
appearances since his orbital flight on Feb. 20, 1962.
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