Recruiting Opens for 10-15 New Astronauts Deadline for New Application Is L'j
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NDUP. VOL. 2, NO. 17 MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS JUNE 12, 1963 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~---- Recruiting Opens For 10-15 New Astronauts Deadline For New Application Is l'J . The First Of July . ) :i.----- The National Aeronau / . ' . tics and Space Adminis tration will recruit ten to 15 new astronaut trainees this summer, NASA an nounced last week. Open to both civilian and militarv volunteers, the pro gram has a July 1 cut-off date for applications. "'-lilitary serv ices, which will pre-screen their pilots, will have until July 15 to pass on to NASA their recommended applicants. Pilots selected will join the current astronaut pilot pool in October, based at \ISC. \Vith slight exceptions, selec tion criteria ai'F' similar to those used in the selection of nine manned space flight candi dates chosen in 1962. To qual ify a candidate must: 1. Be a Unit eel States citizen. UP IN THE AIR, in more ways than one. The expressions of these three astronauts mirror the strangeness of their sensations as their feet rise from the 2. Have been born after June floor of an Air Force C-135 during weightlessness orientation at Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio. The plane, specially padded inside, dives to gain 30, 1929, so that he does not speed, climbs sharply and dives again. At the top of the parabolic curve at the end of the climb, occupants experience about 60 seconds of weightless reach his 34th birthday until ness. Left to right are Astronauts Thomas Stafford, Frank Borman and James Lovell, three of the astronauts chosen last September for programs beyond Mercury. All nine of the "new" astronauts got a chance to experience weightlessness in a four-day trip to Wright-Patterson April 22-25 when they were (Continued 011 page 2) taken aloft in the special plane in groups of three. The nine also experimented with a space manuevering unit, a back pack designed to propel them. MA-9 Problems On Reentry Center Operation Divisons Split Traced To Insulation Break Into Two Groups In Reorganization Till' 1nalfuuction that caused astronaut Gordon Cooper to n1anuall' fly "Faith 7" during reentry on \IA-9 has been traced ~lanned Spacecraft Center \lanager \Im·tin A. Byrnes. Walter C. Williams. He will to t\\·o connt·dors iu an electrical amplifier. The two connectors last week announced a realign The Office of Center Opera also monitor business admin ar<' localt'd in till' amp cal (amplifier calibrator), where electrical ment of its administrative tions \lanager has been elim istration activities at \ISC's signals h-on1 \'arious spac(_Traft systen1s are converted into c:onl organization, headed by Assist inated. \\'bite Sands Resident Office nlands. ant Director for Administration Byrnes will be responsible and at Cape Canaveral Opera power li nc to find a ground, TIH·S<· l'OIIIIIIallds adi\·ate Wesley L. Hjornevik. for assuring that effective busi tions. cattsing a short circuit. th<' hnlrog"" peroxidt• jet The major change is the ness rnanagen1ent service is Those divisions which for The inverters will not op thrustt'rs in thl' auto111atic con establishment of the position provided to those elements of merly came under the \lan erate in the event of such a trol sy.stt·111 to mai11tain prop<'r of \lanager for \I issions and the Center reporting to Deputy agcr, Center Operations, have malfunction in the circuit. A spact'crai't po.sition in rl'lation Operations Support, occupied Director for \lission Require now been realigned in two post-Hight examination of the to tht· t•arth. by former Center Operations ments and Flight Operations (Contint~ed on page 2) Th" spac<·craft S<'l!sors in inverters themselves showed clude thl' ,g,roscop<· and infra them to he undamaged. r('d hori/oll Sl'anners. Corrosion was found in First, till' appt·arai!C<' of the and around another electrical .'O.'lg pam·! light and latn the connector through which some failure of th,. ac pmn·r from the of the .O.')g circuit passed. Pre inn·rtcr signalled problems Sl'lll'l' of the corrosion indi to :\stroiiaut Coop('r. cated the possibility that mois Ddailt·d post-flight l'X<IIIli ture had collected in the area nation of the spact'craft circuit and resistance checks of the n·w·aled tiH' following facts: current passing through the The ill\crkr tro11hle has com1ector indicated changing hee11 trac<'d to an e lcctrical resistance as though the sy power l'llllnl·ctor, which pas stem were drying out. sr·s tiH' AC output from the in Later, tests with completely w·rtn buss (ASCS) into the dried circuits and a new power amplifier calibrator. The in connector showed satisfactory sulation on the co11m'ctor had operation of the amp cal, in- failed a11d permitll'd the AC (Continued on page 2) Martin A. Byrnes Joseph V. Piland Douglas R. Hendrickson PAGE 2 JUNE 12, 1963 SPACE NEWS ROUNDUP Gelllini Parachute Tests Enter Qualifying Stage The first in a series of drop tests to qualify the parachute recovery system which will lower the two-man Gemini spacecraft to a water landing has ended suecessfully at El C:t•ntro, California. The drop was made over Tatu Range. Future drop tests will he made over Pacific \lissik Hauge, Pt. 1\f ugu, Calif. The parachute recovery sy This will include the para a two-second delay, the can stem, designed by Northrop's chutes, the pyrotechnic de istt>r "·ill separate to dep]o,· Ventura Division, will be Ge vices which explosively trig the main parachute. The para mini's prime water landing ger the deployment and re chutP will descend in ''reefed" system. The parachute system lease of the parachutes and the condition for S seconds, when is designed for wet landings sequencing system. it will "dis-reef." (Heding, or and will be used for unmanned Twenty tests are scheduled restricting tlw skirt from open and early manned Gemini using a Gemini boilerplate. ing until a safe descent speed flights. The first manned flight Two additional tests using is rpached, prevents exeessive is scheduled for 1964. It will structural duplications of the loading on the ccmopy. Dis be preceded by two or three Gemini spacecraft will finish reefing releases the restraining unmanned flights. the series. hand, and allows the canopy Just completed were a series Tests over the l'. S. :\'avv's to blossom). Aftn 22 seconds, of 20 development drops of Pacific Missile Range,Pt. a single point release is fired the main and drogue para .VIugu, California (El Centro, to free the bridle whic:h will chutes at El Centro, California. California, will be used as an allow the spact·craft to rotate These tests checked out the alternate drop area) will he on a two-point suspension S\' deployment characteristies and made from a C-310 eargo-type stem and assun;e a "nose-u1;" the structural integrity of the aircraft. The boilerplate, position :3.'5 degrees from the individual chutes. mounted on a sled within the horizontal. The qualification tests, sche aircraft, will be extracted from The :3.5-degree impact in duled for completion in early the rear of the cargo compart clination lowers the space 1964, will check out the opera ment by an extraction chute, craft into the water on the tion of the recovery system. then separate from the sled "corner" of its heat shield, ap~ A BOILERPLATE model of the Apollo three-man lunar spacecraft and "free fall' to about 12,000 preeiably lessening the shock is shown being placed in the dynamics test stand at the Mar Reorganization feet where the stabilization of landing impact. This method shall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. for a series of vibra parachute is separated and the of water landing also elimi tion and mating tests. The Apollo will be tested with the S-IV (Continued from Page 1) Gemini recovery system is nates the need for the impact Saturn upper stage until July. After those tests, the booster, or "armed". bag which was used for Mer first stage, will be added to complete the rocket/spacecraft new offices, the Office of Ad At 10,600 feet above water, cury spaceeraft landings. configuration. Sawyer said the tests include simulation of flight ministrative Services, headed the sequencing will be initi The parachute recovery sy vibration to determine the resonance of the entire rocket and by Douglas R. Hendrickson, ated with the deployment of stem will be replaced later by spacecraft. The two elements of the Apollo to launched by the and the Office of Technical and the drogue parachutes. After a land landing system for which Saturn 1-the command and service modules will be used. Engineering Services, headed the paraglider is now under by Joseph V. Piland. development. Throughout Hendrickson was formerly Recruiting Opens manned Gemini flights, ejec NASA Asks Concept Study deputy chief of Financial tion seats- which can he trig Management Division. Piland (Continued from Page 1) gered by each astronaut indi was assistant to the manager of vidually for a rapid escape On Possible Lunar Base Project Mercury. after June 30 of this year. from the space craft- wi II serve Proposals have been requested by NASA for a lunar base con Divisions under Hendrick 3. Be six feet or less in height. as the emergency back-up re cept study. Purpose of the program is to provide detailed tech son's Office of Administrative 4. Have earned a degree in covery system. nical data to determine if a I unar base should be developed.