willner@cfa250.harvard.edu (Steve Willner P-316 x57123) (02/03/89)
Here is the condensed CANOPUS for December 1988. There were 31 (!)
articles this month, of which 17 are presented in condensed form (or
in full if short enough), and 13 are given at the end by title only
or as "one-liners." The article on the shuttle plume was posted
separately. The unabridged version has been sent to the mailing
list. CANOPUS is copyright American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics; see full copyright notice at end.
{table of contents: 17 articles}
BALLOON CAMPAIGNS CONTINUE - can881202.txt - 12/1/88
THIRD ARIANE LAUNCH PAD - can881203.txt - 12/1/88
ADVANCED SOLID ROCKET MOTOR PROPOSALS - can881208.txt - 12/1/88
CONTROLS-STRUCTURES INTERACTION - can881210.txt - 12/1/88 {in full}
ORBITER 105 PROGRESS - can881211.txt - 12/1/88 {in full}
ESA SELECTS CASSINI MISSION TO SATURN - can881212.txt - 12/5/88
TDRSS WORKING - can881216.txt - 12/5/88 {in full}
HST ADVANCED A MONTH - can881218.txt - 12/5/88 {in full}
SPACELAB POSTERS - can881219.txt - 12/5/88 {in full}
PAYLOAD MISIDENTIFIED - can881220.txt - 12/5/88 {in full}
SHUTTLE TRIVIA - can881221.txt - 12/5/88 {in full}
SCIENCE FOR CHILDREN - can881222.txt - 12/6/88 {condensed}
MAGELLAN ON TRACK FOR 1989 LAUNCH - can881224.txt - 12/7/88
STS-29 ALSO ON SCHEDULE - can881225.txt - 12/7/88 {in full}
GENERAL ELECTRIC SELECTED TO BUILD GGS SPACECRAFT - can881227.txt -
12/8/88
KUIPER AIRBORNE OBSERVATORY CONTINUES SUPERNOVA STUDIES -
can881230.txt - 12/12/88
ARCTIC OZONE INVESTIGATION ANNOUNCED - can881231.txt - 12/12/88
{17 articles; condensed unless otherwise indicated}
BALLOON CAMPAIGNS CONTINUE - can881202.txt - 12/1/88
Three balloons were to be launched by NASA in Australia during
November. One carried an instrument to support the Cosmic Background
Radiation Explorer (CoBE) and two carry gamma-ray instruments in the
fifth balloon campaign to measure emissions from supernova 1987a.
THIRD ARIANE LAUNCH PAD - can881203.txt - 12/1/88
The European Space Agency and France's National Center for Space
Studies (CNES) started construction of a third Ariane launch pad in
Guiana on Nov. 14. It will support the Ariane 5 vehicle, now in
development, starting in 1995.
ADVANCED SOLID ROCKET MOTOR PROPOSALS - can881208.txt - 12/1/88
Marshall is evaluating proposals from Hercules-Atlantic and
Lockheed-Aerojet for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM).
Meanwhile ....
NASA is considering what to do with six flight sets of pre-
Challenger boosters that it still has on hand. There is nothing
physically wrong with them, other than having the two-O-ring design
that allowed the Challenger accident to occur. NASA is trying to
decide whether to use them or to burn off the propellant so the
casings can be rebuilt to the triple-ring design. The can be flown so
long as they are used in warm weather (as shown by the 24 flights
that preceded Challenger); strip heaters can be added as a
precaution. If that is done, however, it places NASA in the position
of justifying the long standdown after the accident.
CONTROLS-STRUCTURES INTERACTION - can881210.txt - 12/1/88 {in full}
NASA has initiated a multi-center controls-structures interaction
(CSI) program to develop a better understanding of the tradeoffs
between weight, size, and structural flexibility, and the payoffs
from active control systems, for aerospace vehicles. Large space
structures for space-based VLBI and other astrophysics projects are
expected to benefit from this effort.
ORBITER 105 PROGRESS - can881211.txt - 12/1/88 {in full}
Orbiter 105, the replacement for Challenger, is on schedule for an
April 1991 delivery, according to Rockwell International. Tile arrays
have been bonded to the belly, the wings have been mated, the lower
forward fuselage has been mated, and fluids lines and electrical
wiring are being installed. The payload bay doors are to arrive in
November 1989, the crew module is to be transferred to the Palmdale
plant in February 1990, and the aft fuselage in April 1990.
Rockwell also says that addition of a drogue parachute to slow the
orbiter after touchdown is being studied.
ESA SELECTS CASSINI MISSION TO SATURN - can881212.txt - 12/5/88
The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected the Cassini/Huygens
probe mission to Saturn and Titan as its next major scientific
project. Cassini and the Comet Rendezvous/Asteroid Flyby are
candidate "new starts" for NASA's fiscal 1990 {Original said 1989,
but that's an obvious misprint.--SW} budget plan now in the approval
cycle at the Office of Management and Budget. The two are being
proposed together so that the Mariner Mk. 2 spacecraft can be built
in series and at lower cost than if NASA built them separately.
The mission will parallel the Galileo mission to Jupiter in that one
spacecraft will orbit the planet and another will make an atmospheric
entry. In the case of Cassini, the Huygens probe will enter the
atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's methane-shrouded moon. Dutch
astronomer Christian Huygens discovered Titan and identified the
rings of Saturn.
TDRSS WORKING - can881216.txt - 12/5/88 {in full}
The second Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C) is working
flawlessly, according to NASA, since it was launched by the STS-26
crew on Sept. 29. It is now at 150 deg. W over the equator for
antenna testing with the White Sands (N.M.) Ground Station. All
spacecraft systems were activated between Oct. 7 and 18.
HST ADVANCED A MONTH - can881218.txt - 12/5/88 {in full}
The launch of the Hubble Space Telescope has been moved up a month
from January 1990 to December 11, 1989, in a swap with a Department
of Defense payload that was experiencing delays.
SPACELAB POSTERS - can881219.txt - 12/5/88 {in full}
Marshall Space Flight Center's public affairs office is releasing two
posters with montages of pictures from the Spacelab 2 and 3 missions.
The Spacelab 2 posters is the better of the two: the largest of the
pictures shows the solar telescope cluster pointing out of the
payload bay. For copies, call MSFC public affairs at 205-544-0034.
PAYLOAD MISIDENTIFIED - can881220.txt - 12/5/88 {in full}
An earlier edition of CANOPUS improperly identified the Infrared
Background Signature Satellite (IBSS) payload on the STS-39 Shuttle
mission as being a rework of the Infrared Telescope carried on
Spacelab 2. This is incorrect, and we apologize for the
misunderstanding it may have created. {IBSS is military; IRT was
completely civilian.--SW}
SHUTTLE TRIVIA - can881221.txt - 12/5/88 {in full}
The STS-27 mission, expected to end today after deploying the
Lacrosse radar spy satellite (according to popular news reports) is
the 120th manned orbital mission, the 55th for the U.S. (the USSR has
65). A total of 209 different humans have flown in orbit in a total
of 343 "tickets to orbit." During the mission a total of 11 persons
were in orbit -- five aboard the Shuttle and six aboard Mir, the
third time this record number has been reached. Our thanks to "self
appointed Astro-Triviologist and Spaceflight Registrar" James Oberg
of Houston for these and far more facts than we can print.
SCIENCE FOR CHILDREN - can881222.txt - 12/6/88
The National Science Resources Center has produced a "Science for
Children" book "designed to assist those who are working to improve
elementary science education." The center is sponsored by the
Smithsonian Institution and the National Academy of Sciences, and
compiled its listing with assistance from the Departments of
Education and Defense. Copies of the book are available from:
National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20418.
Copies are $7.95 each; $6.50 for 2 to 9; and $4.95 in quantities if
10 or more.
MAGELLAN ON TRACK FOR 1989 LAUNCH - can881224.txt - 12/7/88
The Magellan Venus radar mapping spacecraft is on schedule for a
launch aboard the Space Shuttle on April 28, 1989, and has not
suffered from a small fire involving a battery a few weeks ago.
Magellan is built from hardware remaining after the Voyager and
Viking projects and borrowed from Galileo. The 3.7-meter high-gain
antenna, for example, is from the Voyager backup spacecraft. A number
of components were to be taken from Galileo spares, which created an
interesting payback problem when Galileo fell behind Magellan in the
launch queue.
The primary goals of Magellan are to provide high-resolution imagery
and altimetry data of 70 percent of the surface of Venus and
resolutions of 120 and 30 meters, respectively. Its secondary mission
includes mapping the remaining 30 percent of the surface and
providing gravimetric data on the planet interior.
STS-29 ALSO ON SCHEDULE - can881225.txt - 12/7/88 {in full}
Launch of the fourth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRSS-D) is
not expected to be delayed by a handling accident that cracked the
carbon nozzle of the first-stage motor on the Inertial Upper Stage,
according to NASA.
Kennedy Payloads Director John Conway said a replacement motor has
been pulled from another mission, and the complete stage will be
delivered to NASA on Dec. 27 instead of Dec. 10. Crews are ready to
work around the clock, he said, to integrate the IUS and TDRSS and
deliver it to the launch pad on time, Jan. 13.
Launch of STS-29 is set for Feb. 18. However, it could be delayed
until March 14 without affecting the Magellan launch. All Shuttle
launches are at Launch Complex 39-B while repairs and upgrades are
made to pad 39-A. The TDRSS is not required for Magellan, but is
essential to complete the minimal TDRSS network
GENERAL ELECTRIC SELECTED TO BUILD GGS SPACECRAFT - can881227.txt -
12/8/88
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has selected General Electric's
Astro-Space Division for negotiations leading to the award of a
cost-plus-award-fee contract for design, fabrication, instrument
integration and launch operation support of the Global Geospace
Science (GGS) Wind and Polar Missions.
The two GGS laboratories, with their complement of scientific
instruments, will examine the flow of energy from the sun through the
Earth's geospace environment. This will be part of the overall
scientific investigations within the International Solar-Terrestrial
Physics (ISTP) Program.
KUIPER AIRBORNE OBSERVATORY CONTINUES SUPERNOVA STUDIES -
can881230.txt - 12/12/88
NASA's C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) has completed its
fourth deployment to observe Supernova 1987A. The November 1988
mission found nickel, argon and iron exploding outward at 868 miles
per second, the same high speeds first observed on the KAO's third
supernova expedition in April. Scientists also observed expected
decreases in ionization and brightness levels of the explosion.
Previous Kuiper observations of the expanding ejected cloud have
greatly contributed to understanding how the explosion proceeds. The
first detections of nickel, argon, iron and radioactive cobalt
produced in the SN 1987A core were made by the Kuiper crew's second
mission in November, 1987. Abundances and velocities of nickel,
argon and iron formed in the core were first measured on the third
mission in April 1988.
ARCTIC OZONE INVESTIGATION ANNOUNCED - can881231.txt - 12/12/88
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
today announced a cooperative investigation to better understand the
nature of potential depletion of stratospheric ozone over the Arctic.
During January and February, scores of scientists from NASA, NOAA and
nearly a dozen other research organizations will carry out an
airborne study similar to that done last year on Antarctic ozone
depletion. That study directly implicated man-made
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as a cause of the "ozone hole" over
Antarctica in the austral spring, and raised the question whether a
similar phenomenon could be occurring in the Arctic, perhaps on a
reduced scale.
{13 articles by title only or "one-liners"}
HINNERS PROMOTED - can881201.txt - 12/1/88
Noel Hinners has been named associate deputy administrator of NASA,
now is the Number 3 manager at NASA.
INTERNATIONAL SPACE UNIVERSITY - can881204.txt - 12/1/88
The second annual International Space University session will be held
June 30-Aug. 31, 1989, at the Universite Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg,
France.
I.U.E. WINS AWARD - can881205.txt - 12/1/88
SUPERCOMPUTER AT AMES - can881206.txt - 12/1/88
A Cray Y-MP
MARSHALL LABS "MOVE" - can881207.txt - 12/1/88
{internal reorganization}
SHUTTLE-C - can881209.txt - 12/1/88
NRL CAMERAS READIED FOR SHUTTLE - can881213.txt - 12/5/88
{UV cameras, 105-160 and 120-200 nm wavelengths}
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY - can881284.txt - 12/5/88
Pioneer 12 completes 10 years of productive observations in orbit
around Venus today.
NASA's HLASS PROMOTED - can881215.txt - 12/5/88
GALILEO, ASTRO CREWS NAMED - can881217.txt - 12/5/88
CANOPUS IN PRINT - can881223.txt - 12/7/88
NASA APPOINTMENTS - can881226.txt - 12/8/88
LTV TO MANUFACTURE SCOUT COMMERCIALLY - can881229.txt - 12/9/88
----------------END OF CONDENSED CANOPUS-----------------------------
This posting represents my own condensation of CANOPUS. For clarity,
I have not shown ellipses (...), even when the condensation is
drastic. New or significantly rephrased material is in {braces} and
is signed {--SW} when it represents an expression of my own opinion.
The unabridged CANOPUS is available via e-mail from me at any of the
addresses below.
Copyright information:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CANOPUS is published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics. Send correspondence about its contents to the executive
editor, William W. L. Taylor (taylor%trwatd.span@star.stanford.edu;
e-mail to canopus@cfa.uucp will probably be forwarded). Send
correspondence about business matters to Mr. John Newbauer, AIAA,
1633 Broadway, NY, NY 10019. Although AIAA has copyrighted CANOPUS
and registered its name, you are encouraged to distribute CANOPUS
widely, either electronically or as printout copies. If you do,
however, please send a brief message to Taylor estimating how many
others receive copies. CANOPUS is partially supported by the
National Space Science Data Center.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Steve Willner Phone 617-495-7123 Bitnet: willner@cfa
60 Garden St. FTS: 830-7123 UUCP: willner@cfa
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA Internet: willner@cfa.harvard.edudietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz) (02/03/89)
willner@cfa250.harvard.edu (Steve Willner P-316 x57123) writes: >Here is the condensed CANOPUS for December 1988. ... >NASA is considering what to do with six flight sets of pre- >Challenger boosters that it still has on hand. There is nothing >physically wrong with them, other than having the two-O-ring design >that allowed the Challenger accident to occur. NASA is trying to >decide whether to use them or to burn off the propellant so the >casings can be rebuilt to the triple-ring design. The can be flown so >long as they are used in warm weather (as shown by the 24 flights >that preceded Challenger); strip heaters can be added as a >precaution. If that is done, however, it places NASA in the position >of justifying the long standdown after the accident. NO! The 24 flights before Challenger do not show that the design is safe in warm weather. O-ring damage was found on many flights, including one where the temperature at launch was 90 F. As the Rogers report stated, the O-ring design was flawed in many ways; the lack of resilience of the rubber at low temperatures being only one problem. Paul F. Dietz dietz@cs.rochester.edu