henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (09/02/87)
[This one will be particularly terse, I'm about to leave for a short
vacation. -- HS]
JPL is using Voyager 1 to try out attitude-control software meant for
Voyager 2's Neptune flyby.
After NASA spent weeks trying to get a Soviet-space-program briefing on
Reagan's calendar, the President's science advisor cancelled it. Fletcher
is not pleased.
For the second year in a row, Senate approves NASA authorization bill calling
for a National Aeronautics and Space Council to get space decision-making
done properly. Sen. Donald Riegle: "It has become painfully clear that
there is no one in charge of space policy within the Administration."
Latest interesting Spot pictures, this time of a Soviet missile-sub base
on the Kola peninsula.
Dept of Commerce's final rules on US commercial remote-sensing satellites
give secretaries of State and Defense veto power over licensing applications
and the power to suspend operations of licensees. The government will also
have the power to seize "any object, record, or report" from a private
satellite operator, given "probable cause to believe" that it was being
used in violation of the rules.
Interestingly, this won't apply to Spot Image, because DoC has deemed Spot
to be a "public system" because of its French government backing.
[THIS is the administration that favors free enterprise over government
involvement?!? Coulda fooled me. -- HS]
US/French lightning-study project starts at KSC. Fifth in a series, not
related to recent events.
Ball Aerospace gets DARPA contract for satellite "to detect and inspect
nuclear material in space". [It's not clear what this means.]
McDonnell-Douglas gets first firm order for commercial Deltas, from Hughes
aircraft on behalf of British Satellite Broadcasting. First launch mid-89.
Hughes signed with BSB last week, a contract calling for delivery in orbit
rather than on the pad.
Japan to develop new modest-sized three-stage solid-fuel launcher, to
succeed the MU-3S-2 for modest science payloads and small planetary
missions. Payload 4400 lbs into low orbit. Possibility of international
customers also mentioned.
USAF awards contracts for Phase 1 of the Awesomely Lucrative Spacelauncher,
er excuse me the Advanced Launch System. Interestingly, one item required
in the contracts is a look at the possibility of volume production of simple
expendables rather than reusability. [Maybe there's hope for ALS.]
Titan SRB successfully fired at Edwards, clearing Titan 34D to fly again.
Yet more mess: access platform ruins Centaur hydrogen tank of Atlas-Centaur
being prepared for DoD comsat launch. This isn't just a little hole -- in
the picture, the tank looks like a crumpled beercan. General Dynamics says
the tank is a writeoff. There will be no new tanks until mid-1989, and
there are no spares; however, there is a Centaur test unit that might be
cannibalized to launch late this year.
Three more test firings of the redesigned shuttle SRB have been added to
the test program, although it is not vital that they precede STS-26.
NASA microgravity task force recommends major shakeup in NASA microgravity
program, to eliminate waste and make it more competitive with other nations.
One embarrassing problem is that foreign Spacelab flights have priority over
US ones (because foreign users pay for theirs); the task force recommends a
dedicated US materials-processing Spacelab flight in 1990.
Eosat to market Landsat data from Chinese ground station. Lots of interest,
because there has been poor coverage in the region.
Eosat and Hughes evaluate putting a "mediasat" sensor for newsgathering
on a future Landsat; seems feasible. It would have pointing capability
for same-day coverage anywhere on Earth. Cost and weight depend on the
resolution.
NASA DepAdmin Myers approves new commercial space policy directives.
Alas, they raise more questions than they answer. They *still* haven't
settled the vital issue of priorities for secondary shuttle payloads,
in particular. The new policy on joint ventures with industry also has
warts: it gives more bureaucrats veto power.
ESA selects Aeritalia to develop new microgravity facility for Spacelab,
aimed at fluid dynamics in particular.
Pictures of the interior of the Mir mockup the Soviets displayed at the
Paris Air Show. Looks like a space station, all right.
--
"There's a lot more to do in space | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
than sending people to Mars." --Bova | {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,utai}!utzoo!henrykarn@faline.bellcore.com (Phil R. Karn) (09/05/87)
> Dept of Commerce's final rules on US commercial remote-sensing satellites > give secretaries of State and Defense veto power over licensing applications > and the power to suspend operations of licensees. The government will also > have the power to seize "any object, record, or report" from a private > satellite operator, given "probable cause to believe" that it was being > used in violation of the rules. The US government's incredibly asinine, myopic and ultimately futile stand on this issue is one of the many reasons I'm so glad there are Western space programs and launch facilities that are completely independent of the US. Just who are they keeping secrets from? The Soviets? Phil