+ 1970 News Releases (7.6 Mb PDF file) - NASA

5
Staging from Portland, the NASA NP3A first flew an instrument
calibration run over the Astoria airport, iNext was a run over the
Judy K, normally positioned about 20 miles off the coast near the
Columbia River pl,_ne, with the aircraft moving along at about 300
mph, pilot Cobb announced "Nine miles to Judy K_ somebody watch for
the
boat .'
A 35-foot chartered fishing vessel_ the Judy K was difficult to
pic._ out amidst the zclling white caps of the Pacific. Co-pilot
Mendenhall as_me on the intercom "Two o!6lock I think we have it in
sight."
The Judy K, a tiay dot between the rolling waves, is faintly
visible as the NP3A races along its instruz_ents g_thering vital
oceanographic
data.
As the tiny target appears dead ahead pilot Cobb announces ever
the intercom_ "Boat in 30 seconds, lO seconds . "
As the aircraft roomed over the Judy K, mission manager Ballinger
called over the inter_om "Eight down the smoke stack_ beautiful."
Cobb banked the ._VP3Asharply and headed for its rendezvous with
the Cay_ase, some 90 miles away. New coordinates were fed into the
on-board guidance system and systems manager Gerald Flannagan was
heard over the intercom system_ "Data on tape looks really good."
A quick look at _he data aboard the aircraft prompted OSU
_vt.lti,
t,,h,, WIL.¥i_ w_kl!,hll;il!llb,[."
-lflt._ i't_ -