Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1965 - NASA's History Office

ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1965 5
light observations with the 200-inch telescope. . . . But the 200-inch
telescope has been available for planetary research only a few times,
generally during daylight or twilight. . . . Rocket-borne research involves
many costly failures, but a duplicate 200-inch telescope could
easily be built and staffed for the $28 million that Ranger 7 alone
cost. . . .”
(CSM, 1/4/65)
January 4: Gen. Bernard A. Schriever (USAF) announced the activation of
the Contract Management Div., Air Force Systems Command (AFSC),
under the command of Col. Fred L. Rennels, Jr. (WAF). Located at
Los Angeles Air Force Station, the new division would be responsible
for DOD contract management activities in those plants assigned to the
Air Force under the DOD National Plant Cognizance program. (AFSC
Release 61.64)
USAF announced that Electro-Optical Systems, Inc., was receiving a
$1,056,700 final increment to an existing contract for production of
ion thrustor systems for orbital flight. (DOD Release 917-65)
Col. John H. Glenn, Jr., former NASA astronaut and first American to
orbit the earth, retired from the Marine Corps after 22 yrs. in the
service. Glenn said he would spend much of his time as a consultant
He would also be a director of Royal Crown Cola Co.
to NASA. (DOD
Release 912-64; Wash. Eve. Star, 1/4/65; Wash. Post, 1/5/65; Balt.
Sun, 1/5/65; Chic. Trib., 1/5/65)
January 5: NASA announced plans to negotiate with Lockheed Missile and
Space Co. to modify five Agena D second-stage launch vehicles for use
in Lunar Orbiter missions. Modifications under the incentive contract
would include vehicle engineering support; systems testing; overall
system integration functions ; shroud, adapter and interface COordination;
and design iabrication of groiind eq”ip~ezt. The L~nar
Orbiter program would secure topography data of the moon’s surface
to extend scientific knowledge and to help select and confirm landing
(NASA Release 65-6)
sites for the Apollo manned moon landings.
NASA Manned Spacecraft Center had received an estimated 1,351 appli-
cations or letters of interest relating to the scientist-astronaut program.
The deadline for filing applications had been Dec. 31, 1964. (Houston
Post, 1/5/65)
J. Stalony-Dobrazanski of the Northrop Corp. reported at AIAA meet-
ing in New York that spaceships could be kept cool automatically
during reentry by a new guidance system. Network of supersensitive
thermometers imbedded in the outer skin of the spacecraft would
monitor the temperature, then computer would order correction in vehi-
cle’s trajectory or orientation if friction of the atmosphere raised skin
temperature above a certain point. (Wash. Daily News, 1/26/65)
Western Electric Company had received a $90,644,200 modification to
an existing cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for research and development
of Nike-X missile system, DOD announced. (DOD Release 3-65)
Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) announced completion of the new Federal
Aviation Regulations ( FARS) -a simplification of rules governing the
Nation’s pilots, airlines, and airplane manufacturers. Number of regulations
was reduced from 125 to 55. (FAA Release 65-2)