Scrapbook 2: Jun 1962 — Polaris, space junk, Gus Grissom, Minuteman

Polaris Contract Let

WASHINGTON (Special) — The Navy’s Special Project office has awarded a $2,500,000[?] contract in the Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., for test vehicles for the Polaris missile program. Work under this contract will be performed in Sunnyvale.

WASHINGTON (UPI) — The space junkyard is growing.

In the 4½ years since the first sputnik went up, the United States and Russia have rocketed more than 340[?] objects into orbit.

This assortment of satellites, probes, spent fuel tanks, and bits and pieces of rocket and spacecraft hardware weighed a total of about 300 tons.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), more than half of this man-fabricated material, consisting of at least 192 separate items, is still in orbit around the earth or sun.

Except for a few scientific, weather, communications, and special-purpose military satellites whose radios are still working, these objects are what NASA officials call “space garbage.”

The inventory of junk in space would be much bigger if it were not for forces of man and nature which tend to check its growth.

Some 150 satellites, rocket stages and metal scraps which once were in orbit have since “decayed.” The bulk of them slowly spiraled down into the atmosphere and were burned up by air friction. A couple of spacecraft, Russia’s Lunik II and America’s Ranger IV, crashed into the moon and were destroyed.

Considerably more than a score—including the cabins which carried cosmonauts Yuri A. Gagarin and Gherman S. Titov and astronauts John H. Glenn Jr. and Scott Carpenter into orbit — were brought down by man and recovered.

Not counting empty rockets and other junk, 39 satellites still are in orbit around the earth while another five are monotonously soaring in endless flight around the sun.

The live solar satellites include three launched by the United States and two by Russia. Of the 39 earth satellites 33 are American, five Russian, and one British-American.

The Russians launched the first artificial satellite of the earth on Oct. 4, 1957. But the oldest man-made moonlet still in orbit is Explorer I, launched Jan. 31, 1958. This 30.8-pound object was the first American satellite.

The oldest satellite still transmitting is the grapefruit-sized U.S. Vanguard I, put in orbit March 17, 1958. Its sun-powered “beeple-beep” tracking signal may go on repeating itself for hundreds of years.

In all 13 satellites, not including recently launched U.S. military spacecraft of the Discoverer, Samos, and Midas series, are still sending signals to earth. These include 11 American craft, the U.S.-British international satellite, Ariel, and Russia’s Cosmos 5.

Ariel, an ionospheric experiment, was launched at Cape Canaveral April 26. Cosmos 5, described by Russia as a scientific satellite, was flung into the sky May 28.

Among the still functioning U.S. earth satellites are the Tiros V weather eye, launched June 19, and Telstar, the 170-pound communications satellite launched July 10 which bridged Europe and America via television for the first time in history.

Here, based on NASA records, is the space box score:

Successful satellite or deep space-probe launchings; U.S. 89, Russia 21, U.S.-Britain 1.

Still in earth orbit: U.S. 33, Russia 5, U.S.-Britain 1.

In solar orbit: U.S. 3, Russia 2.

Hits on moon U.S: 1, Russia 1.

Men recovered from orbit: U.S. 2, Russia 2.

Grissom Wins Space Trophy

WASHINGTON (AP)—The first Gen Thomas D. White Space Trophy was presented here to the Air Force’s space pioneer, Astronaut Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom.

Secretary of the Air Force Eugene M. Zuckert made the formal presentation of the plaque citing Grissom as “the Air Force member who has made the most outstanding contribution to the nation’s progress in aerospace” in the past year.

The presentation ceremony, at National Geographic Society headquarters, was attended by Air Force and National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials and members of the astronaut’s family.

The award was established by Dr. Thomas W. McKnew, vice-chairman of the Geographic Society’s board of trustees, in honor of White, former Air Force chief of staff who retired last June 30.

FOR SPACEWORK—Secretary of the Air Force Eugene M. Zuckert (left) congratulates Air Force astronaut Virgil (Gus) Grissom in Washington after presenting him with the first Gen Thomas D. White space trophy, awarded to the Air Force man contributing most to U.S. space efforts. At right is James Webb, head of the National Space and Aeronautics Administration. —AP Photo

Glenn Capsule Going to Tokyo

TOKYO (UPI) — John Glenn’s space capsule “Friendship 7” will be on display July 26 for four days at Tokyo’s Takashimaya department store, it was announced. The capsule already has been seen by more than 1 million persons in Latin America, Europe and Africa.

WASHINGTON (AP)—The United States and Italy have concluded preliminary discussions on a joint space project which will provide the scientific world with its first satellite moving on the equatorial orbit.

A spokesman for the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said that what he called a memorandum of understanding has been drafted and will now be referred to the State Department on the one hand, and to the Italian Foreign Ministry, on the other.

According to the agreement reached, the United States will provide the rocket booster and Italy, the platform and the satellite itself, the NASA spokesman said.

Can Float

The platform, he said, could float or be anchored to the bottom of the Indian Ocean somewhere off the shore of Africa on the equator.

The spokesman called the equatorial orbiting of the satellite of special scientific interest because there had been no opportunity before to make experiments with the equatorial orbit.

New Signal Satellite Pact Goes to Hughes

WASHINGTON (AP)—The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded Hughes Aircraft Co. a $2.5-million contract to develop equipment for an advanced project communications satellite.

The advanced satellite would appear to hang motionless at an altitude of 22,300 miles, staying in about the same position as it orbits at the same speed as the earth turns.

The 55-pound vehicle would carry several wide-band radio signal repeaters, each capable or relaying several hundred telephone calls or one television channel.

Hughes is working on a $4-million contract to build three small experimental communications satellites.

WASHINGTON (UPI) — Rep. James I. Fulton, R-Pa., has complained that the Atlas booster program at Cape Canaveral is producing far more failures than the California program.

“Three out of four of the last launches at Canaveral have been unsuccessful,” Fulton told the national space officials. “We should be beyond this stage. On the West Coast the Atlas moves at a much higher percentage of success.”

The Pennsylvania Republican questioned the officials at a session of the House Science and Astronautics Committee, of which he is a member.

D. D. Wyatt, director of the space agency’s office of programs, said he and his colleagues were trying to cut down failures. He testified that the Venus shot which failed last Saturday at Cape Canaveral cost the taxpayers from $12 to $14 million.

Wyatt did not discuss Fulton’s statement that more Florida shots fail than those from California.

The West Coast program is carried on at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

WASHINGTON (Special) — The Air Force will make test soil borings in the vicinity of Carswell Air Force Base, Ft. Worth, Tex., as part of an analysis to determine possible locations for future Minuteman missiles.

The tests, made in advance of specific authority for additional Minutemen missiles, saves valuable planning time in determining suitable locations for Minuteman complexes.

Teams will conduct test soil borings and analyze such factors as adequacy of roads and suitability of topography. Test results are filed for use as additional missile sites are authorized for selection.

Installations already selected to support the first five hardened and dispersed Minuteman wings are: Malmstrom AFB, Great Falls, Mont.; Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, S.D.; Minot AFB, Minot, N.D.; Whiteman AFB, Knob Noster, Mo.; and Francis E. Warren, AFB, Cheyenne, Wyo.

AF Launches 3rd Satellite

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (UPI) — The U.S. Air Force has launched its third secret satellite within six days, but has given no details.

There was no word on whether the satellite achieved its intended polar orbit.

The Air Force last Sunday fired an Atlas-Agena B vehicle with a possible reconnaissance satellite from Point Arguello, Calif.

On Monday, another launch was announced—this of the same type as Friday’s shot as far as the booster was concerned.

The Air Force announcement said only, “A satellite employing a Thor-Agena B booster combination” was launched by the Air Force from Vandenberg. This is the same combination as used in the Discoverer series.