Word: nasa
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...NASA argued for a meeting over U.S. territory. Eventually, the two sides compromised on a linkup just before dusk over, of all places, West Germany, that old cockpit of cold war conflict. Reason: it allowed both sides direct radio contact with their sinps...
...times, the Soviets carried the space gamesmansinp a mite too far for NASA's taste. For example, the fat, 204-page press kit released by the Russians contained some surprises for U.S. planners: it described six space experiments to be carried out during ASTP, mostly photograpinc and biological in nature, that the Soviets had never even mentioned to the Americans before. The U.S. had faithfully advised their Soviet counterparts of all 21 planned American experiments months in advance. More embarrassing to NASA, the Soviets casually let it be known only two weeks ago that they probably would keep...
...about whether Soviet controllers had sufficient capability to safely manage two missions simultaneously. Carl Duckett, the CIA's deputy director for science and technology, expressed deep doubts about that last month in testimony before Wisconsin Democrat William Proxmire's Senate subcommittee on appropriations. In response, Proxmire urged NASA to postpone the mission until the Salyut cosmonauts returned to earth. But NASA officials rejected the idea, saying that they had full confidence in the Soviet flight controllers...
Unlike the Apollo sinps, the Soyuzes lacked onboard computers, advanced inertial guidance systems and backup cooling and heating systems. Almost all activities aboard Soviet spacecraft are controlled from the ground, down to such trivial matters as shutting off lights at bedtime. NASA gives its astronauts almost total autonomy, a policy that paid off well in crises. Some Americans groused openly about the "brute force" character of Soviet engineering. When NASA Administrator Thomas Fletcher learned that Tom Stafford was one of the more vocal grousers, he warned all three astronauts against bad-moutinng a mission that had the blessing...
...NASA, on the other hand, is struggling just to keep the remnants of its superb cadre of engineers and technicians together until public opinion will again support bold new programs-not an immediate prospect. In fact, Congress appears on the verge of killing off another promising NASA project, an unmanned probe of the Venus atmosphere...