Council of Soviet Ministers (SM) Decree 'On approval of work on themes T1 and T2, on approval of work on the R-5, R-11, and EKR missiles, and on transferring draft project work for the R-12 from NII-88 to SKB-586' was issued. The decree set forth three phases of state trials tests for the R-5 missile.

The Special Committee on Space Technology, established by NACA on November 21, 1957, to study and delineate problem areas that must be resolved to make space flight a practical reality and to consider recommended means for attacking these problems, met for the first time. At the meeting the new committee established seven working groups: (1) objectives, (2) vehicular program, (3) reentry, (4) range, launch, and tracking facilities, (5) instrumentation, (6) space surveillance, and (7) human factors and training. The objectives group was to draft a complete national program for space research. Other than this specific assignment, the remainder of the meeting was largely devoted to organizing the working groups. These groups were to present their first reports at the next meeting.

McDonnell had been studying the concept of a maneuverable Mercury spacecraft since 1959. On February 1, Space Task Group (STG) Director Robert R. Gilruth assigned James A. Chamberlin, Chief, STG Engineering Division, who had been working with McDonnell on Mercury for more than a year, to institute studies with McDonnell on improving Mercury for future manned space flight programs. Additional Details: here....

A contract for the escape rocket of the Apollo spacecraft launch escape system was awarded to the Lockheed Propulsion Company by NAA. The initial requirements were for a 200,000-pound-thrust solid- propellant rocket motor with an active thrust-vector-control subsystem. Additional Details: here....

Atlas 40E, the 18th and last Atlas E research and development flight test missile to be launched from the Atlantic Missile Range, completed its programmed 7,000-mile flight downrange. Of the 18 missiles launched, nine were successes, seven partials, and two failures. Last Atlas E R&D flight.

MSC issued Requests for Proposals to more than 50 firms asking for studies and recommendations on how the lunar surface should be explored. Studies should show how lunar surveys could be performed and how points on the lunar surface might be located for future lunar navigation. Maximum use of equipment planned for the LEM and CM was expected. Part of the scientific apparatus aboard the LEM would be selenodetic equipment. The study would not include actual fabrication of hardware but might give estimates of cost and development times.

Vice President Agnew was made chairman of the group, which was to formulate a Post-Apollo Space Program, providing policy direction for future American efforts after the moon landing. The Groups final report proposed three alternate future programs:

• At a funding level of $8 to $ 10 billion a year indefinitely, NASA could do it all - a manned expedition to Mars, permanent manned space bases in lunar orbit and the lunar surface, a 50-person space station in earth orbit, and a reusable space shuttle to support all of these projects on an economical basis
• All of the objectives could be achieved, but the funding level kept at $ 8 billion per year, by deleting the manned lunar orbit station
• At $ 5 billion per year, a program consisting of just the earth orbit station and the space shuttle could be funded - but no further manned exploration of the moon or planets

Nixon rejected all of the alternatives and wanted something even cheaper.

Work was completed on the new, highly sophisticated spacecraft Environment Enclosure for the Titan IIIC facilities at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. The $1.6 million enclosure on the Mobile Service Tower (MST) would provide a temperature and humidity controlled environment for a variety of spacecraft to be orbited by the Titan IIIC. This would allow crews to adjust or repair spacecraft without removing them from the MST. Official Air Force acceptance was announced on 12 March 1970.

North American Rockwell's Rocketdyne division was awarded NASA contract NAS8-40000 for development of the space shuttle main engine, beating out Pratt and Whitney and Aerojet. This was the only large liquid propellant rocket motor scheduled to be developed in the United States for decades and a crushing blow to the losers. Both felt that their designs were superior to that of Rocketdyne, but Rocketdyne had become NASA's 'house' for main rocket engines.

SAMSO felt that the design presented at this Review was not really complete, and it directed the contractor, Boeing, to do further work in the areas of software, rocket motors, and interface with the space shuttle and the Satellite Control Facility. Boeing was to present the results of its efforts at a follow-on design review to be held later in the year.

The first "flycast maneuver" trim burn was completed without a hitch by members of the Endeavour crew early Sunday. A little later, the Payload Operations Center reported that the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission had successfully mapped 7.64 million square miles as of very early Sunday morning. Additional Details: here....

Laser Relativity Satellite, a 390 kg, 0.38 m diameter tungsten sphere covered with 92 laser retroreflectors. Used to probe relativistic effects in the Earth's gravitational field. The satellite had the lowest ballistic coefficient of any satellite ever launched. First launch of the ESA/Italian Vega launch vehicle.