henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (11/20/89)
Space Industries Inc may revive its Industrial Space Facility as an "out building" for the space station if budget cuts and engineering changes make the station less suitable for microgravity work. (In particular, changes aimed at support of lunar operations might do this.) Joe Allen, ex-astronaut and SII president, says that the biggest problem for the Moon/Mars initiative is not engineering or funding but the "ponderous laws of federal procurement". SDI starts development of a $400M sensor-demonstration satellite for launch in 1992. This will be the first space test of sensors suitable for use in an operational system. It will go up on an uprated Titan 2 with eight small solid strapons, being developed by Martin Marietta. The strapons will be variants of the Castor-4 used on the Delta. They will boost polar-orbit payload from 4200lbs to 7500lbs. MM is covering development costs; SDI is just buying the first launch. MM thinks the new Titan variant has commercial potential. Virginia attorney general tries to get Avtex Fibers shut down for polluting the Shenandoah river. Avtex is the sole source of rayon yarn used to make carbon-phenolic composites used in most US space and missile systems. Avtex has been in trouble on pollution rules before. Ford Aerospace picked to modernize Mission Control at Houston and to build a new control center for the space station. Ford built the original Mission Control in 1963. Large article, with color photos, on Mir expansion plans. Viktorenko and Serebrov report that Mir is in good shape, but does need some work; in particular, its batteries are getting old and need replacing. Mir's computer memory will be replaced by a new unit during September. Details of plans for add-on module installation etc. [now outdated because the launch of the D module has slipped]. The D service module will be followed by the T technological module, and later by the O optical Earth-resources module and an "ecological platform". Various small changes will be done as modules go up, including transfer of solar panels from module T to mountings on Kvant. Soviets report that Titov and Manarov re-adapted to a one-gee environment completely within two months of the end of their one-year Mir mission, and no aftereffects have been seen. Soviet doctors say that the extensive program of exercise and other countermeasures is the main factor in this. The cosmonauts were generally in better shape than others have been after five-month missions; in particular, bone changes were "not more evident". -- A bit of tolerance is worth a | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology megabyte of flaming. | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu