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ix, [1], 474, [4] pages. Wraps. Illustrations. Abbreviations of References. List of abbreviations and acronyms. Index. NASA SP-4016. Covers somewhat worn/soiled, some edge soiling. Marks on cover. Ex-library with usual markings. Astronautics is the theory and practice of navigation beyond Earth's atmosphere. The term astronautics was coined in the 1920s by J.-H. Rosny, president of the Goncourt academy, in analogy with aeronautics. Because there is a degree of technical overlap between the two fields, the term aerospace is often used to describe both at once. In 1930, Robert Esnault-Pelterie published the first book on the new research field. As with aeronautics, the restrictions of mass, temperatures, and external forces require that applications in space survive extreme conditions: high-grade vacuum, the radiation bombardment of interplanetary space and the magnetic belts of low Earth orbit. Space launch vehicles must withstand titanic forces, while satellites can experience huge variations in temperature in very brief periods. Extreme constraints on mass cause astronautical engineers to face the constant need to save mass in the design in order to maximize the actual payload that reaches orbit. The early history of astronautics is theoretical: the fundamental mathematics of space travel was established by Isaac Newton in his 1687 treatise Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. By the early 1920s, American Robert Goddard was developing liquid-propellant rockets, which would in a few brief decades become a critical component in the designs of such famous rockets as the V-2 and Saturn V. This volume is the eleventh in NASA's series of annual chronologies of astronautics and aeronautics. The intent is to provide a preliminary historical reference which at least identifies, orders, and offers partial documentation for key events of the year. One of the curious aspects of these chronology volumes is that the very process of documenting NASA's portion of them reveals not only continuities but also distinctive patterns in the unfolding events. Each year has seemed to emerge with characteristics of its own. The year 1971 was no exception. As NASA's record unfolds in these pages, it can clearly be seen as a transitional or bridging year. On the one hand many on-going programs demonstrated their value in solid accomplishments: Apollo 14 and Apollo 15 brought manned lunar scientific exploration to dramatic maturity ; Mariner 9 went into orbit around Mars after its 400-million-kilometer journey and began its extensive photography of that fascinating nearby planet; OS0 7 discovered "polar caps" on the sun; in aeronautics jet aircraft equipped with the experimental supercritical wing made 27 successful research flights and the quiet jet engine program was successful in its initial tests. On the other hand, the shape of the next decade of the space program took much firmer shape. It became clear that after a decade in which the moon was the major focus of the U.S. space program, the next ten years would emphasize earth-orbital programs geared to intensive study of our homeland in the cosmos, the planet Earth. In manned spaceflight, even as the final preparations were underway for the final two Apollo lunar missions, all flight systems for Skylab were in final manufacturing stages or in checkout; another year's intensive study by NASA and industry had refined and hardened the design of the space shuttle to the point that we could ask Administration approval to proceed, confident that a reusable, cost-effective space transportation system could be built. In unmanned space programs, the first Earth Resources Technology Satellite was readied for its launch in 1972, while aircraft flights were testing its remote sensing devices. In aeronautics, the joint Department of Transportation-NASA study of national civil aviation R&D requirements led to the contract for design of the experimental STOL transport aircraft. Administratively, the quin.
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