INTERNATIONAL

AFFAIRS

NASA extended its international cooperative projects and support programs by adding a number of new activities. These activities increased the scope and depth of this nation's international involvement in space works.

Cooperative Projects

The launching of the ESRO II spacecraft, a satellite built by the European Space Research Organization, highlighted the Agency's cooperation with research institutions and scientists in foreign countries, and with international organizations. Other significant achievements included the launching of British, French, and Dutch experiments on the NASA OGO V Satellite; an agreement on the first cooperation projects with Mexico and Switzerland; selection of the first foreign experiment for the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP); selection of additional experiments with samples of the lunar surface to be returned in the Apollo Program, bringing the total to 31 foreign investigators from seven countries; and new cooperative research in aeronautics. In all, ten new agreements were completed with Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Spain and Switzerland.

Brazil

The Brazilian National Commission on Space Activities (CNAE) and NASA concluded an agreement on June 26 for a cooperative

sounding rocket project designed to measure meteoroid flux in the upper atmosphere.

The Barreiro do Inferno Range at Natal continued to be active with eleven cooperative US/Brazilian launchings during the reporting period. Pursuant to a February 9 agreement with Brazil, the first of a series of three Black Brant IV rockets was launched in June to sample radiation dose rates in the South Atlantic Anomaly Region of the Van Allen belt. The launching of three Nike-Cajun rockets in March from Natal concluded the study begun in 1965 of winds, temperature, and density changes in the equatorial mesosphere at different periods of the year. Seven cooperative launchings were also made under the Experimental Meteorological Sounding Rocket Network (EXAMETNET) program.

Canada

A developmental version of the very low frequency experiment, designed and fabricated by the Canadians for the ISIS-A spacecraft, was successfully launched from NASA's Wallops Station on May 7 on a Canadian manufactured Black Brant IV rocket. (Fig. 7-1.) This launching was conducted as part of the International Satellite

Station on May 7, 1968.

for Ionospheric Studies program (ISIS) undertaken to conduct comprehensive studies of the ionosphere from the approaching minimum through the next maximum of the present solar cycle.

In the aeronautics area, NASA and the Canadian Defense Research Board undertook the joint funding of a wind tunnel research project to study the "augmentor wing" concept, a promising new design concept for STOL aircraft.

European Space Research Organization (ESRO)

The ESRO II satellite, containing seven experiments from three countries, was successfully launched from the Western Test Range by a NASA Scout launch vehicle on May 16, 1968. (Fig. 7-2.) ESRO II is a solar astronomy and cosmic ray satellite, designed to conduct radiation and proton experiments. This is a backup spacecraft, replacing the one lost when the third stage of the Scout vehicle malfunctioned during the unsuccessful launching attempt of May 1967. Meanwhile, preparations were well advanced and on schedule for the launching by NASA of the ESRO I and the Highly Eccentric Orbit Satellite (HEOS) spacecraft scheduled for late in 1968. The HEOS launching by a Thor Delta vehicle is to be NASA's first reimbursable launching of a foreign spacecraft.

France

In March, NASA and the French Space Commission (CNES) agreed to cooperate in conducting a regional geodetic survey of the Mediterranean basin, utilizing space techniques. In this project, NASA will command a predetermined number of GEOS II satellite flashes over the Mediterranean area, which three French ground stations will observe by laser telemetry and photographic techniques. The data obtained will be forwarded to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

NASA and the French National Office of Aerospace Research (ONERA) agreed (May 13) to conduct a cooperative wind tunnel research project to test tilt rotors for V/STOL aircraft. Wind tunnels in the United States and France will be used to carry out the project.

Germany

The results of the cooperative NASA/German radiation-belt research satellite's sounding rocket phase were analyzed; they showed that the proposed satellite's instrumentation was properly designed and would perform successfully. Subsequently, the agencies involved lecided to proceed with preparation of the satellite for a launching ate in 1969.

NASA and the German Federal Ministry for Scientific Research (BMWF) agreed on March 8 to continue their highly successful coop

eration in using the artificial barium ion cloud technique. Electric fields in the equatorial electrojet were investigated by barium ejection from four Nike-Apache rockets. These rockets were launched from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in southern India in March. The BMwF made a separate bilateral agreement with the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) to carry out the launchings of the NASA-supplied rockets. Data from these experiments are made available to all three parties.

Under an earlier cooperative NASA-BMWF agreement, four NikeApaches were also launched from Kiruna, Sweden, in March and April. Three launchings completed a series begun in April 1967 to investigate the physics of comets, the interplanetary medium, and the earth's magnetosphere by observing artificial ion clouds.

NASA and the BMWF agreed in June to a cooperative project to study stability control and handling qualities of the Dornier DO-31 aircraft during landing, transition, and descent phases of flight on an Ames Research Center flight simulator. The DO-31 is unique as an advanced jet V/STOL transport aircraft.

India

The joint NASA-Indian Instruction Television Study Group, formed in October 1967, considered a special demonstration project in conjunction with future NASA communications experiments. The purpose of the project would be to determine the effectiveness of satellite-broadcast instructional television programs in increasing agricultural productivity and introducing family planning concepts to some Indian villages. A report was being prepared.

Meanwhile, NASA and the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) continued cooperation under earlier understandings. Three NASA-supplied Nike-Apache sounding rockets were launched in February and April from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS). The February launching was designed to measure neutral atmospheric winds above 85 kilometers and to measure electron densities in the upper atmosphere. The two April launchings were designed to study stellar X-ray sources. Payloads for the latter two rockets were prepared under a separate Indian-Japanese bilateral understanding.

Two other launchings of Boosted Arcas I rockets were made from TERLS in March to investigate the electron density distribution in the D region of the ionosphere by means of radio propagation experiments. These experiments were conducted by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Italy

NASA and the Italian Space Commission are proceeding with the development of the San Marco C spacecraft, which will carry a more advanced version of the Italian San Marco B air density exeriment and two mass spectrometry experiments from Goddard Space Flight Center. San Marco C is intended to investigate and define the equatorial neutral atmosphere in terms of density, composition, and temperature behavior and variations resulting from solar and geomagnetic activity. The satellite is to be launched from the San Marco platform