May 20, 1963

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SAFETY

Undetected Prop Reversal Blamed in Fatal Faa Constellation Crash

A Lockheed Constellation, Model L-749A, N 116A, owned by the United States government and operated by the Federal Aviation Agency, crashed following a local training flight at Topham Field, Canton Island, Apr. 26, 1962, at 1213 local time.

SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Cooper Flies Almost-perfect 22 Orbits

Cape Canaveral—Longest and most precise U.S. manned space flight ended successfully May 16 when Maj. Gordon Cooper landed his Faith 7 Mercury capsule 7,000 yards from the prime recovery ship 34 hr. 20 min. 20 sec. after launch, despite potentially hazardous component failures that developed on the last four orbits of the 22-orbit mission.

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AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

General Dynamics Defends F-111 Design

Washington—General Dynamics officials told the Senate Permanent Investigations Subcommittee that their firm’s winning F-111 tactical fighter design “represents the best and most straight-forward approach to the TFX requirement and can be built for the least total program cost.”

SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Dryden Cites Contributions of Engineers

My own professional life has been spent on the boundary line between science and engineering. Thus I have come to appreciate the contributions of engineers who apply the material resources and the energy sources of nature to the purposes of man.

SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Bios 2 Satellite to Orbit Primates, Plants

Los Angeles—National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Biosatellite (Bios 2) is being designed to carry a 15-lb. ring-tailed monkey on low-altitude earth orbital space flights of 30 days duration to study the effects of prolonged weightlessness on the cardiovascular system, the central nervous system and on primate behavior.

By Barry Miller9 min

SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Mars Mission Equipment, Vehicles Studied

Los Angeles—Series of studies to establish design and operational requirements for manned missions to Mars during favorable and unfavorable periods extending through 1985 is being implemented by National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

By Irving Stone9 min

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MISSILE ENGINEERING

Senate Group Says Cuban Data Unreliable

Washington—U. S. is without reliable information on the number of Russian military troops in Cuba or on the controversial issue of whether Russian strategic missiles are emplaced on the island, according to a report by the Senate Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee.

By Katherine Johnsen8 min

AVIONICS

New Thin-film Infrared Sensor Developed

New rugged infrared detector, which is sensitive over the entire spectrum without cooling, has been developed by Barnes Engineering Co., Stamford, Conn. The detector will make it possible to design spacecraft attitude stabilization systems with no moving parts.

By Philip J. Klass6 min

May 131963

May 271963

May 20, 1963

May 20, 1963