Prolonged hypothermia, the application of the principles of hibernation, drugs, and electronarcosis seem to promise a reduction of the daily metabolic requirements of mammals. If one or more of these methods should prove to be practical, human needs for food and oxygen could be drastically reduced, as could the production and elimination of waste. Any of these methods might offer protection to astronauts exposed to gamma and cosmic radiation, and enable them to tolerate the forces of increased acceleration. (Fig. 2-12)

Figure 2-12. Experiments with hypothermic hamsters.

LIGHT and MEDIUM LAUNCH VEHICLES

For its automated space missions NASA used Scout, Delta, Agena, and Atlas-Centaur launch vehicles.

Scout

Scout vehicles successfully carried out four missions-launched the Air Density Explorer XXXIX and the Injun Explorer XL on August 8, the RAM C-II radio attenuation experiment, August 22, and the ESRO I international cooperative satellite, October 3.

Delta

In July, a Delta orbited the Radio Astronomy Explorer satel

lite (Explorer XXXVIII) using a Surveyor retromotor as its third stage. The launching of ESSA VII in August marked two firsts for the Delta vehicle-the first long-tank Thor booster used with Delta and the first two-burn mission for the vehicle's second stage. In September, a malfunction occurred in the control system of the Intelsat III-A Thor booster, and the vehicle was destroyed about 110 seconds after liftoff. However, Delta closed out the year with the successful launches of Pioneer IX in November, and HEOS I, ESSA VIII, and Intelsat III-B in December.

Agena

Thorad-Agena vehicles were being readied to launch Nimbus B-2 and Orbiting Geophysical Observatory-F during the first half of 1969. Nimbus B-2 replaces Nimbus B, lost as a result of a vehicle malfunction caused by misorientation of the yaw rate gyro in the Thorad booster flight control system. (19th Semiannual Report, p. 59.)

Atlas-Centaur

The Atlas-Centaur vehicle was used to support earth-orbital missions for the first time when it launched an Applications Technology Satellite (ATS-D) in August and an Orbiting Astronomical Observatory (OAO-II) in December. The ATS-D vehicle was unable to carry out its mission because the Centaur stage failed to reignite for a second burn following a successful insertion into a parking orbit. The OAO-II mission was successful. Atlas-Centaur will next support the two Mariner Mars planetary missions early in 1969.

During the period of this report, NASA made preparations to orbit a second generation operational meteorological spacecraft for ESSA in 1969; cooperated with several other agencies in designing an earth resources technology satellite; continued to provide launch service for ComSat, scheduling the launch of three INTELSAT III communications satellites in 1969; and studied the feasibility of using satellites for navigation, air traffic control, and related telecommunications services. In addition, NASA Applications Technology Satellites photographed tornadoes and hurricanes, and other satellites supplied geodetic data.

METEROLOGICAL SATELLITES

ESSA and TIROS

The wheel-type TIROS spacecraft ESSA I and II-orbited in February 1966-inaugurated the operational weather satellite system. (15th Semiannual Report, p. 65.) In May of this year, the one-millionth cloud cover photograph from the combined TIROS and ESSA (TOS) satellites was received from ESSA VI. The total includes the pictures taken by the ten TIROS research and development satellites and the six ESSA satellites which NASA has turned over to the Environmental Science Services Administration, ESSA.

Two types of spacecraft of this wheel design are needed to provide meteorological satellite information. One of these uses an Automatic Picture Transmission system to supply direct local readout of daytime cloud cover data to over 400 small relatively inexpensive ground stations around the world; the other an Advanced Vidicon Camera System (AVCS) to provide global recorded daytime cloud cover data for ESSA's National Environmental Satellite Center.

Figure 3-1 is a mosaic of pictures received during one day from two ground stations served by the Automatic Picture Transmission system (APT)-one station at Goddard Space Flight Center and another an experimental mobile unit taken to Vienna, Austria for the United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Space. By using these ground stations only, contiguous coverage was provided from the far Western U.S. to the Ural Mountains of Eastern Europe, and from near the North Pole to within about 10° of the Equator. APT equipment used by the Mexican Government also proved its value (ch. 7, p. 157.)

An ESSA spacecraft (VII) carrying the Advanced Vidicon Camera System was launched by NASA for ESSA on August 16 and, an ESSA satellite (VIII) of the APT type was orbited on December 15. (Fig. 3-2)

TIROS-M-the prototype second-generation operational meteorological satellite-was being prepared for a 1969 launch. This satellite will carry AVCS and APT systems, a scanning radiometer to provide cloud cover data at night (direct locally and globally), and instruments to determine cloud-top height. TIROS-M will also be able to carry several other advanced sensors when they are ready for flight. (Fig 3-3)

The reliability of a three-axis stabilized meteorological satellite was demonstrated by Nimbus II which operated for over 31 months. Its useful life ended (on January 16, 1969) when the stabilization system failed.

The third Nimbus, B, was destroyed at launch on May 18 when the launch vehicle veered off course (19th Semiannual Report,