March 26, 1962

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SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Nasa Construction Requests Centered on 'crescent'

Washington — National Aeronautics and Space Administration plans a halfbillion dollar construction program in Fiscal 1963 on Florida’s East Coast and the Gulf Coast as the center of U. S. space activity moves southward to what is becoming known as the NASA Crescent.

By Edward H. Kolcum14 min

MISSILE ENGINEERING

Amr Foresees 5-yr. Instrumentation Bill

Patrick AFB, Fla.—Cost of new instrumentation systems for Atlantic Missile Range, necessary because today’s requirements for accuracy and precision of measurement are not being met, could approach $1 billion spread over the next five years.

By David A. Anderton11 min

BUSINESS FLYING

Saac 23 Success Hinges on Price, Early Availability

St. Gallen, Switzerland—Swiss American Aviation Corp., in its drive to become the first on the market with a sixto-eight place lightweight executive jet aircraft, is pushing towards an initial flight date for sometime in May, with deliveries to U. S. customers beginning by late December.

By Cecil Brownlow10 min

AVIONICS

U. S. Begins Laser Weapons Programs

United States is launching a number of optical maser lethal-weapons programs which may lead to entire families of revolutionary new weapons, possibly including a fast, “clean,” non-nuclear defense against ballistic missiles, by as early as the middle of this decade.

By Barry Miller8 min

MANAGEMENT

Slayton Controversy Emphasizes Widening Breach Within Nasa

Washington—Medical disqualification of Maj. Donald Slayton seven weeks before he was scheduled to fly the next Mercury mission underscores a widening breach between Washington space officials and those in the field which becomes more pronounced with the expansion of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

By Edward H. Kolcum7 min

AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

Rolls Studies Jet Vtol Erosion Effects

London—Rolls-Royce research program into the problems of ground erosion caused by pure jet lift engines at takeoff and landing thrusts has led to exploration of operational use of light aluminum plates and varied treatment of concrete platforms.

By Herbert J. Coleman5 min

AVIONICS

Ge Discloses New Type Superpower Tube

New type klystron tube using multiple electron beams which shows promise of a 10to 100-fold increase in generated power compared with a conventional single-beam klystron has been successfully demonstrated by General Electric’s Power Tube Department in Schenectady, N. Y.

By Philip J. Klass5 min

March 191962

April 21962

March 26, 1962

March 26, 1962