markf%Nosc@usiiden.UUCP (05/28/85)
From: <crash!usiiden!markf@Nosc>
TO:SPACENET
SUBJECT: THE FOLLOWING ARE A BUNCH OF NASA NEWS REPORTS FROM THE
INTERCOMEX BULLETIN BOARD IN DENVER, CO. NEWS ITEMS ARE SOMETIMES
SLIGHTLY EDITED TO REDUCE SIZE FOR EASY READIBILITY, BUT ALL ITEMS
MAINTAIN CONTENT INTEGRITY. HOPE YOU FIND THESE INTERESTING.
FROM: CRASH!USIIDEN!MARKF@NOSC (MARK FELTON)
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: POSSIBLE ASTEROID FLY-BY
NASA ADM. JAMES M. BEGGS HAS APPROVED THE ADDITION OF AN
ASTEROID FLYBY OPTION TO THE GALILEO MISSION AND TO CHANGE THE
JUPITER ARRIVAL DATE FROM AUG TO DEC 1988. THE OPTION WILL
PERMIT A POST LAUNCH DECISION TO FLY BY THE ASTEROID 29
AMPHITRITE IN DEC 1986. ** IF THE OPTION IS ELECTED, IT WOULD
ADD A SIGNIFICANT FIRST TO THE GALILEO MISSION. **
AMPHITRITE IS IN A NEAR CIRCULAR ORBIT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
ASTEROID BELT AT 2.5 AU FROM THE SUN (1 AU = ABOUT 150,000,000
KM). AMPHITRITE, ABOUT 200 KM IN DIAMETER, IS ONE OF THE
LARGER OF THE MINOR PLANETS. ** THE FLYBY DISTANCE WILL BE
DETERMINED BY SPACECRAFT SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS. AT PRESENT,
10-20,000 KM IS CONSIDERED SAFE AND SHOULD ADD SIGNIFICANT
SCIENTIFIC DATA FROM MEASUREMENTS AND DOPPLER TRACKING DATA
OBTAINED FROM THAT DISTANCE. ** AMPHITRITE APPEARS AS THE 12TH
LARGEST ASTEROID AND HAS FLUCTUATIONS SUGGESTING A ROTATION
PERIOD OF 5.39 HRS. AT THAT RATE, MOST OF THE SURFACE CAN BE
PHOTOGRAPHED AND SCANNED BY GALILEO'S MAPPING SPECTROMETER.
ANALYSIS WILL REVEAL SIZE, SHAPE, MASS AND DENSITY, ITS EXACT
ROTATION RATE AND POLE ORIENTATION AND ITS DETAILED SURFACE
MORPHOLOGY AND MINERAL COMPOSITION. THESE WILL DETERMINE IF IT
IS A PRIMITIVE ACCUMULATION OF SOLAR NEBULAE CONDENSATES OR
WHETHER IT IS AN EVOLVED BODY THAT IS A FRAGMENT, OR PERHAPS A
CORE, OF A BROKEN UP MINOR PLANET. INFORMATION WILL HELP
DETERMINE IF ASTEROIDS ARE A SOURCE OF METEORITES WHICH FALL
ON THE EARTH. **
AMPHITRITE, THE 29TH ASTEROID DISCOVERED, WAS DETECTED BY
ALBERT MARTH, IN LONDON, ENGLAND, AT THE WILLIAM BISHOP
OBSERVATORY ON MARCH 1, 1854. THE ASTEROID WAS NAMED FOR ONE
OF THE MYTHICAL GOD NEPTUNE'S WIVES. ** JIM KUKOWSKI HQ AND
MARY BETH MURRILL JET PROPULSION LAB (PASADENA, CA) **
*********************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: MATERIALS PROCESSING LAB
A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING SIGNED BY THE NATIONAL
AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION AND ROCKWELL
INTERNATIONAL CORP., DOWNEY CALIF. COULD PROVIDE FUTURE
SHUTTLE FLIGHT ASSIGNMENTS FOR ON-ORBIT TRANSPORT OF THE
AEROSPACE FIRM'S UNIQUELY-DESIGNED MATERIALS PROCESSING
LABORATORY. ** UNDER THE TERMS OF THE 180 DAY MOU, ROCKWELL
WILL DEVELOP AN INDUSTRIAL SPACE PROCESSING PROGRAM IN WHICH
THE COMPANY'S MODULAR, ZERO GRAVITY LABORATORY WOULD BE MADE
AVAILABLE TO RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS AND COMMERCIAL FIRMS FOR
INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF DEVELOPMENT EXPERIMENTS. **
EXPERIMENT PACKAGES WOULD INVOLVE A RANGE OF PROCESSING
APPLICATIONS INCLUDING LIQUID CHEMISTRY, FLUID PHYSICS,
THERMODYNAMICS, CRYSTAL GROWTH AND BIOLOGICAL CELL CULTURING.
** ROCKWELL'S LABORATORY - WITH AN IN-HOUSE COMPANY NAME OF
FLUIDS EXPERIMENT APPARATUS (FEA) - IS DESIGNED FOR PLACEMENT
IN STOWAGE AREAS OF THE SHUTTLE'S MID-DECK WHERE IT WOULD BE
ENGAGED AND MONITORED BY SHUTTLE CREW MEMBERS. ** THE ZERO-G
LABORATORY, ABOUT THE SIZE OF A 19 INCH TELEVISION SET, IS THE
FIRST INDUSTRIALLY DEVELOPED LABORATORY TO BE MADE AVAILABLE
TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND COMMERCIAL FIRMS PERMITTING
THE PROPRIETARY PURSUIT OF BASIC AND PRODUCT RESEARCH IN
LOW-EARTH ORBIT. ** THE FEA WAS SUCCESSFULLY SPACE FLOWN AND
OPERATED LAST SUMMER ON SHUTTLE MISSION 41-D (8/30 TO 9/5/84)
WHEN, USING THE FLOAT ZONE TECHNIQUE, A SINGLE INDIUM CRYSTAL
WAS GROWN WITH A LATTICE STRUCTURE ORIGINATING FROM A CRYSTAL
SEED. ** EDWARD CAMPION HQ
************************
FROM: MARK FELTON
SUBJ: SAGAN & SAGDEEV - MARS ???
ASTRONOMER CARL SAGAN CALLED FOR A JOINT PROGRAM TO PUT AN
AMERICAN AND A SOVIET ON MARS BY THE YR 2003. ONE OF THE TOP
OFFICIALS OF THE SOVIET ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, ROALD SAGDEEV,
EXPRESS INTEREST IN THE IDEA. BOTH MEN PLEADED FOR A REVIVAL
OF COOPERATION BETWEEN THE SUPERPOWERS. **
SAGDEEV, WHO RUNS THE SOVIETS' UNMANNED PLANETARY
EXPLORATATION PROGRAM AND WAS MAKING A RARE PUBLIC APPEARANCE
IN AMERICA, SAID IT IS VITAL THAT "THE UNITED STATES AND
SOVIET UNION POSSESS SOME JOINT OBJECT IN SPACE." ** HE
STOPPED SHORT OF ENDORSING SAGANS' IDEA WHICH CALLS FOR AN
EARTH ORBITING STATION WHERE A MARS BOUND SPACESHIP COULD BE
ASSEMBLED. THIS WOULD ELIMINATE THE NEED TO HAVE THE SHIP
BREAK FROM EARTH GRAVITY. THE COST, ONCE THE SPACE STATION WAS
BUILT WOULD BE $40 BILLION, THE B-1 BOMBER COSTS $25 BILLION,
THE STAR WARS PLAN $1 TRILLION.
** SAGDEEV'S INTEREST IN THE MARS PLAN WAS CAUTIOUS, ALTHOUGH
CLEARLY EAGER FOR JOINT VENTURES SUCH AS APOLLO-SOYUZ. THERE
SHOULD BE COOPERATION IN SEARCH-AND-
RESCUE SATELLITES AND LIFE-SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS IN SPACE, HE
SAID. ** OTHER SPEAKERS AT THE CONFERENCE HELD BY THE
PLANETARY SOCIETY AND THE NATL. ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
INCLUDED MAJOR ARCHITECTS AND CRITICS OF THE "STAR WARS"
(STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE) POLICY. GEROLD YONAS, THE
PROGRAM'S CHIEF SCIENTIST, IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION BY
SAGDEEV, ASSERTED THE SOVIETS HAVE ALREADY SPENT FAR MORE THAN
THE U.S. TO DEVELOP FIGHTING CAPABILITY IN SPACE. RATHER THAN
STOP THE RESEARCH, HE SAID, "IT'S IN BOTH OUR INTEREST TO
MUTUALLY DEPLOY." ** TAKEN FROM AN ASSOCIATED PRESS ARTICLE BY
HENRY GOTTLIED PUBLISHED IN THE DENVER POST JAN 13, 1985 **
**********************
SUBJ: ATLAS CENTAUR CONTRACT
THE NASA LEWIS RESEARCH CENTER, CLEVELAND, HAS AWARDED A
FOLLOW ON CONTRACT VALUED AT $32,346,000 TO THE CONVAIR
DIVISION (GD/C), GENERAL DYNAMICS, SAN DIEGO. ** UNDER TERMS
OF THE CONTRACT, GD/C WILL PERFORM OPERATIONS TO ERECT, TEST
AND LAUNCH THE ATLAS CENTAUR LAUNCH VEHICLES. ADDITIONALLY,
THE CONTRACT WILL INCLUDE THE SUPPORT TESTING AND LAUNCH OF
CENTAUR UPPER STAGES TO BE USED ON SHUTTLE MISSION SCHEDULED
FOR 1986. MODIFICATIONS OF THE LAUNCH FACILITY FOR THE
CAPABILITY ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE CONTRACT. ** THE
COST-PLUS-AWARD-FEE CONTRACT, BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 1985, AND
RUNNING THROUGH DECEMBER 1986, IS A CONTINUATION OF WORK
PERFORMED UNDER EARLIER CONTRACTS WITH GD/C. WORK WILL BE
PERFORMED AT THE EASTERN SPACE AND MISSILE CENTER, FLA. **
CENTAUR IS A HIGH ENERGY UPPER STAGE CURRENTLY USED WITH
EXPENDABLE BOOSTERS TO DELIVER LARGE PAYLOADS TO
GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT. IT IS EXPECTED TO ADD SUBSTANTIALLY TO
THE SPACE SHUTTLE'S ABILITY BY CARRYING HEAVIER PAYLOADS FROM
LOW EARTH ORBIT TO GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT OR INTERPLANETARY
TRAJECTORIES. **
DEBRA J. RAHN HQ AND MARY ANN PETO LEWIS RES CENTER, CLEVE.
****************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: BLOOD EXPERIMENT ON SHUTTLE
AN EXPERIMENT TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT DISEASES
ON RED BLOOD CELL AGGREGATION AND BLOOD VISCOSITY WILL BE
CARRIED ABOARD SPACE SHUTTLE FLIGHT 51-C. THE EXPERIMENT WAS
ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO BE FLOWN ON MISSION 51-A IN NOV. '84
BUT WAS WITHDRAWN FROM THE MAINFEST DUE TO ORBITER WEIGHT AND
CENTER OF GRAVITY CONSIDERATIONS. THE DEPT. OF DEFENSE ALLOWED
NASA TO ADD THE EXPERIMENT TO 51-C, A DEDICATED DOD MISSION.
** CALLED AGGREGATION OF RED BLOOD CELLS (ARC), THE EXPERIMENT
IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE RATE OF FORMATION
(KINETICS) AND THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION
(MORPHOLOGY) OF RED CELLS, AND ON THE THICKNESS (VISCOSITY) OF
WHOLE BLOOD AT HIGH AND LOW FLOW RATES. ** BLOOD SAMPLES FROM
BOTH HEALTHY DONORS AND DONORS WITH DIFFERENT MEDICAL
CONDITIONS, SUCH AS HEART DISEASE, HYPERTENSION, DIABETES AND
CANCER, WILL BE USED. RESULTS OBTAINED IN MICROGRAVITY WILL BE
COMPARED WITH RESULTS FROM A GROUND BASED EXPERIMENT TO
DETERMINE WHAT EFFECTS GRAVITY HAS ON THE KINETICS AND
MORPHOLOGY OF THE BLOOD. THE GRND BASED EXPERIMENT WILL BE
CONDUCTED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE FLIGHT EXP., USING IDENTICAL
BLOOD SAMPLES AND FUNCTIONALLY IDENTICAL HARDWARE. ** THE EXP.
USES 8 BLOOD SAMPLES NEAR 4 DEG C AND STORED IN TUBULAR
SYRINGES. STIRRING IS ACCOMPLISHED BY A MOTOR DRIVEN MAGNET
THAT ACTIVATES A TEFLON COATED STEEL BALL INSIDE THE SAMPLE.
THE BLOOD FLOWS TO A VISCOMETER, WHICH MEASURES RATE OF FLOW.
TWO 35MM CAMERAS PHOTOGRAPH THE BLOOD THROUGH A 10 AND 300 X
MICROSCOPE. THE EXP. WAS DEVELOPED BY DR. L. DINTENFASS (DEPT.
OF MED. RES.) IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. ** C. REDMOND HQ; J.
KUKOWSKI HQ AND ED MEDAL MARSHALL SFC **
**************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: INDUSTRY SPACE PLATFORM
THE GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, GREENBELT, MD., HAS ISSUED A
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, ASKING INDUSTRY TO DEVELOP A SPACE
PLATFORM TO PROVIDE FIVE YEARS OF ON-ORBIT SERVICES TO NASA
PAYLOADS AND STILL ALLOW THE DEVELOPER TO MARKET TO A WIDE
VARIETY OF COMERCIAL USERS. ** IN A DEPARTURE FROM CUSTOMARY
PRACTICES, INDUSTRY WOULD FINANCE, DEVELOP, OWN AND OPERATE
THE PLATFORM.
** THE PLATFORM - WHICH IS TOTALLY SEPARATE FROM NASA'S PLANS
FOR A GOVERNMENT - DEVELOPED PERMANENT MANNED SPACE STATION -
COMMERCIAL ENTREPRENEUR WOULD BE FREE TO MARKET THE PLATFORM
SERVICES FOR MATERIALS PROCESSING OR OTHER MANUFACTURING TYPE
ACTIVITIES. ** HOWEVER, THE GOVERNMENT STIPULATES THAT THE
PLATFORM MUST BE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING SERVICES FOR THREE OF
NASA'S FORTHCOMING PROJECTS
- THE EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET EXPLORER (EUVE), THE X-RAY TIMING
EXPLORER (XTE) AND ZERO GRAVITY PAYLOAD - AS WELL AS FOR A
FOURTH AS YET UNIDENTIFIED PROJECT. ** THE EUVE WILL BE A FREE
FLYER AFTER ITS DEPLOYMENT FROM THE SPACE SHUTTLE ON A MISSION
NOW SCHEDULED FOR DEC. 1988. ITS PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WILL BE TO
CONDUCT A SURVEY OF THE ENTIRE CELESTIAL SPHERE (FULL-SKY) IN
THE EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET. THE SCIENCE PAYLOAD WILL WEIGH 1,600
LB. ** THE XTE WILL EXPLORE X-RAY SOURCES TO HELP SCIENTISTS
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PHYSICAL LAWS GOVERNING THEIR BEHAVIOR.
THE XTE PAYLOAD WILL WEIGH BETWEEN 3300 TO 4400 LB. ** THE
MICRO-GRAVITY PAYLOAD CARRIER WILL WEIGH 2000 LB AND WILL BE
USED TO HOUSE MICRO-GRAVITY EXPERIMENTS ON ORBIT FOR UP TO 6
MO. THE CONTRACTOR WILL BE REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN THE
ZERO-GRAVITY ENVIRONMENT AND TO SUPPLY CONTINUOUS POWER UP TO
2KW. **
LEON PERRY HQ AND JIM ELLIOT GODDARD SPACE FLT CENTR.
*************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: TRACKING STATION TRANSFER
NASA'S GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, GREENBELT, MD., WILL
TRANSFER SPACECRAFT TRACKING AND DATA ACQUISITION OPERATIONS
FROM ITS BELTSVILLE TRACKING STATION TO ITS WALLOPS FLIGHT
FACILITY, WALLOPS ISLAND, VA., BY EARLY 1986. ** THIS MOVE
WILL CONSOLIDATE THESE SPACE OPERATIONS WITH WALLOP'S EXISTING
TRACKING AND DATA ACQUISITION EFFORTS IN SUPPORT OF BALLOON,
SOUNDING ROCKET AND AERONAUTICAL FLIGHT RESEARCH. ** THE
REALIGNMENT IS PART OF A GODDARD PROGRAM TO STREAMLINE ITS
TRACKING NETWORK FACILITIES AS THE NEED FOR GROUND STATIONS
DIMINISHES WITH THE ADVENT OF THE NEW SPACEBORNE TRACKING AND
DATA RELAY SATELLITE SYSTEM. ** (TDRSS). ** TDRSS WIL CONSIST
OF THREE COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITES IN EARTH GEOSYNCHRONOUS
ORBIT TO PROVIDE GLOBAL COVERAGE OF EARTH ORBITING SATELLITES,
REPLACING THE CURRENT WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF GROUND STATIONS.
THE FIRST TDRSS SATELLITE WAS LAUNCHED IN APRIL 1983. THE
SECOND SATELLITE WILL BE LAUNCHED ABOUT FEB. 20. ** MOST OF
THE TRACKING STATIONS IN GODDARD'S CURRENT WORLDWIDE NETWORK
WILL BE EITHER PHASED OUT OR TRANSFERRED TO OTHER AGENCIES OR
TO NASA'S DEEP SPACE NETWORK AS THE TDRSS BECOMES OPERATIONAL.
** IN ADDITION TO WALLOPS, GODDARD WILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN
GROUND NETWORK STATIONS AT BERMUDA AND MERRITT ISLAND, FLA.,
FOR SUPPORT OF*CENTER, FLA., DURING THE TDRSS ERA. THE STATION IN WHITE
SANDS, N.M., IS THE GROUND TERMINAL FOR THE ORBITING TDRSS
SATELLITES. ** KEN ATCHISON HQ WASHINGTON, D.C.
*************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: AVIATION REPORTING
NASA'S ANONYMOUS AND VOLUNTARY AVIATION SAFETY REPORTING
SYSTEM (ASRS) IN EIGHT YRS HAS EVALUATED SOME 42,000 INCIDENT
REPORTS, AND ISSUED 805 ALERT BULLETINES AND 28 RESEARCH
REPORTS TO FURTHER IMPROVE SAFETY IN THE AIRWAYS.
** "WE BELIEVE THAT ASRS REPROTS HAVE ELIMIANTED SERIOUS
HAZARDS AND SAVED LIVES, " STATED WILLIAM REYNARD, PROG. MGR.
AT NASA AMES RES. CENTR. ASRS WAS DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED BY
NASA IN 1976 AT THE REQUEST OF THE FAA. NASA WAS TO SERVE AS
"A NEUTRAL THIRD PARTY" IN OPERATING THE SYSTEM. ** ASRS
REPORTS HAVE LED TO REVISION IN BOTH AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
PROCEDURES AND FAA REGULATIONS. ** ASRS REPORTS SHOWED RANDOM
CONVERSATIONS AND OTHER NON-ESSENTIAL ACTIVITY DURING HEAVY
WORKLOAD ARE DANGEROUSLY DISTRACTIVE. ASRS IS CONFIDENTIAL AND
VOLUNTARY, ALLOWING REPORTING OF HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS THAT
MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE BE REPORTED.
** ENGLAND HAS BEGUN A SIMILAR PROGRAM AND CANADA IS
DEVELOPING ONE. ** A 40,000 ITEM DATA BASE HAS BECOME A MAJOR
RESOURCE FOR VARIOUS HUMAN FACTORS RESEARCH. ** ASRS GETS
ABOUT 500 INCIDENT REPORTS PER MONTH. THESE ARE SCREENED AND
ANALYZED BY A TEAM OF EXPERIENCED PILOTS AND AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS. ** DATA ARE USED BY NASA TO CARRY OUT SAFETY
RESEARCH FOR THE FAA; NAT. TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD;
DEFENSE DEPT. ...** ASRS ALSO PRODUCES A MONTHLY SAFETY
BULLETIN, CALLBACK, AVAILABLE TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN AIR
SAFETY. ** K. ATCHISON HQ AND PETER WALLER AMES RES CENTR.,
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA. ****
***************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: VEGA VENUS PROBES
1/21/85 MARKED THE FIRST TIME SIGNALS FROM SOVIET
VENERA-HALLEY (VEGA) SPACE PROBES WERE RECEIVED AT A NASA
TRACKING STATION. AS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL TRACKING NETWORK
ORGANIZED BY THE FRENCH SPC. AGENCY, THE CENTRE NATIONAL
D'ETUDES SPATIALES (CNES), THE 210 FT ANTENNA LOCATED AT
GOLDSTONE, CA., HOMED IN ON THE FAINT SIGNALS FROM TWO
SPACECRAFTS LAUNCED FROM THE USSR IN DEC. AND CURRENTLY HEADED
TO VENUS. ** VEGA-1 & 2 PROBES WILL STUDY VENUS AND HALLEYS'S
COMET. EACH WILL DROP AND INSTRUMENT LADEN BALLOON INTO THE
VENUS ATMOSPHERE IN JUNE '85. BOTH WILL ALSO DROP LANDERS TO
STUDY THE VENUS ATMOSPHERE. THE GRAVITATIONAL FIELD WILL THEN
BEND THE TRAJECTORIES ON A PRECISE COURSE FOR 1986 ENCOUNTERS
WITH THE COMET. ** USING A RADIO ASTRONOMY TECHNIQUE KNOWN AS
VERY LONG BASELINE INTERFEROMETRY (VLBI), THE BALLOONS
VELOCITIES AND VENUS WIND VELOCITY WILL BE MEASURED. **
SCIENTISTS WILL BE STUDYING FLUCTUATIONS IN ATMOSPHERIC
PHENOMENA TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WEATHER CIRCULATION ON VENUS.
VENUS' CLOUD LAYERS ARE BELIEVED TO BE THE DRIVING GEAR OF THE
PLANET'S MULTILAYERED WEATHER. VENUS' CLOUD TOPS CIRCLE THE
PLANET AT THE AMAZING RATE OF ONCE EVERY 4 DAYS (250 MPH),
WHILE THERE IS NEAR CALM ON THE SURFACE. OTHER PHENOMENA
INCLUDE: ENERGY TRANSFER FROM THE LOWER TO UPPER ATMOSPHERE;
CHEMISTRY OF THE CLOUDS; CHEMICAL CYCLES (WHERE THE SULFUR FOR
THE SULFURIC ACID CLOUDS IS CYCLED UP FROM THE SURFACE). **
JIM KUKOWSKI HQ, FRANK BRISTOW JPL AND PETER WALLER AMES RES.
CENTR. *************************
**********************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: GRUMMAN FOR CLASS VI COMPUTER
NASA ANNOUNCED THE SELECTION OF GRUMMAN DATA SYSTEMS CORP.,
BETHPAGE, N.Y., FOR NEGOTIATIONS LEADING TO THE AWARD OF A
CONTRACT FOR A HIGH SPEED (CLASS VI) COMPUTER SYSTEM AT THE
MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, HUNTSVILLE, ALA. ** THE
FIRM-FIXED PRICE CONTRACT WILL REQUIRE GRUMMAN TO PROVIDE
HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, DOCUMENTATION AND SERVICES REQUIRED TO
DELIVER, INSTALL AND MAINTAIN AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND DATA
SYSTEM. ** THE SYSTEM WILL BE USED FOR SCIENTIFIC AND
ENGINEERING COMPUTATIONS IN SUPPORT OF MARSHALL'S PROGRAMS
WITH EMPHASIS ON ANALYSIS OF THERMAL, ELECTRICAL, LOADS AND
STRUCTURAL DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS THAT INFLUENCE FLIGHT
VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD PERFORMANCE. ** COST OF THE FIVE YEAR
CONTRACT, WHICH BEGINS NO LATER THAN AUGUST, 1985, IS
APPROXIAMTELY $42 MILLION. THE CONTRACT PROVIDES FOR A TOTAL
LEASE PERIOD, WITH RENEWAL IN PERIODS OF ONE TO 12 MONTHS, NOT
TO EXCEED 60 MONTHS. ** OTHER FIRMS SUBMITTING PROPOSALS FOR
THE CONTRACT WERE: FALCON SYSTEMS, INC., BETHESDA, MD., AND
SPERRY CORP., MCLEAN, VA. ** LEON PERRY HQ AND CARL JONES
MARSHALL SPC. FLT. CENTR. ****
***************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: NSTL TEST STAND
NASA HAS AWARDED A CONTRACT TO STEARNS CATALYTIC CORP. OF
DENVER, CO. TO MODIFY A TEST STAND AT THE NATIONAL SPACE
TECHNOLOGY LAB. IN HANCOCK, MISS. THE MODIFICATION TO THE B-2
STAND WILL GIVE NSTL A THIRD TEST POSITION TO STATIC FIRE
SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINES INDIVIDUALLY. ** THE VALUE OF THE
FIXED PRICE CONTRACT IS $2,374,800. THE STRUCTURAL MECHANICAL
AND ELECTRICAL MODIFICATIONS WILL BEGIN NO LATER THAN MARCH
1985, AND ARE TO BE COMPLETED IN APPROXIMATELY ONE YR. **
SPACE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINE TESTING HAS BEEN UNDER WAY AT NSTL
SINCE JUNE 1975. THE A-1 AND A-2 TEST STANDS ARE USED FOR
SINGLE ENGINE TESTING OF FLIGHT AND NON-FLIGHT ENGINES. THE
B-2 TEST POSITION WAS MOST RECENTLY USED TO CERTIFY THE
SHUTTLE'S MAIN PROPULSION SYSTEM IN A SERIES OF THREE ENGINE
"CLUSTER" FIRINGS. THE STAND WAS ORIGINALLY USED IN THE 1960S
TO FLIGHT CERTIFY THE FIRST STAGE OF THE APOLLO/SATURN V SPACE
VEHICLE. THE MODIFICATION DESIGN ALLOWS THE B-2 TEST POSITION
TO BE RETURNED TO THE CLUSTER CONFIGURATION IF NEEDED. ** THE
ADDITIONAL TEST POSITION WILL SUPPORT PROJECTED INCREASES IN
MAIN ENGINE TEST REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING INCREASED TURBOPUMP
PRODUCTION RATES. ** THE INITIAL USE OF THE B-2 POSITION WILL
BE TO TEST NEW AND OVERHAULED ENGINE TURBOPUMPS USING A
TESTBED ENGINE. ** OTHER BIDDING ON THE CONTRACT WERE:
BENJAMIN F. SHAW CO., WILMINGTON, DEL.; ALGERNON BLAIR
INDUSTRIAL CONTRACTORS, MONTGOMERY, ALA.; INDUSTRIAL
CONTRACTORS INC., IDAHO FALLS, ID., COMBUSTION ENGINEERING
INC., WINDSOR, CONN.; AND S & Q CORP., MORGAN HILL, CALIF. **
C. REDMOND HQ AND MARK HERRING NAT. SPACE TECHNOLOGY LAB,
NSTL, MISS.
***********************************
FROM: MARK FELTON
SUBJ: RUSSIANS TALK FROM SPACE
-> AFTER 237 DAYS ABOARD THE SALYUT 7 SPACE STATION- THE
LONGEST SPACE FLIGHT IN HISTORY- THE THREE SOVIET COSMONAUTS
HARDLY LOOKED AS THOUGH THEY BELONGED ON EARTH AT ALL. A
REPORTER AT THE LANDING SITE WANTED TO KNOW HOW IT FELT TO BE
HOME. "WE'RE HAPPY TO BACK WITH OUR FRIENDS ON EARTH," CAME
THE ANSWER. "BUT WE ALREADY MISS THE STATION." -> "SPEAKING
FRANKLY, I WAS NOT EXACTLY EAGER TO STEP INTO THE VOID. IT WAS
SCARY. THE EARTH FLOATED BELOW AND THE SPEED OF THE MOVING
STATION WAS VERY NOTICEABLE." RYUMIN. -> "WE ARE DOCKING. WE
CHECK THE SEAL OF THE TRANSFER HATCH. WE TRY TO OPEN THE HATCH
OF THE TRANSPORT VEHICLE, BUT ITS STUCK. UPSIDE DOWN, I BRACE
MYSELF WITH MY FEET AGAINST THE FRAME (YOU CAN DO THIS IN
SPACE) AND I RIP THE HATCH OPEN. WHEN I BOARD THE STATIONS,
THE FIRST THING THAT STRIKES ME IS THAT I DON'T RECOGNIZE IT."
TODAY WE HAVE A TELEVISION SESSION. WE WISHED TOLYA'S DAUGHTER
A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. WE MADE A CAKE OUT OF BREAD. INSTEAD OF
CANDLES WE USED FELT PENS AND FOR FLAMES WE USED FOIL...WE
HUNG UP COLORED BALLOONS, RODE AROUND ON THE VACUUM
CLEANER...-> THE FIRST SHOOTS CAME UP IN OUR GARDEN. WE
PLANTED BORAGE, RADISHES AND CUCUMBERS... LEBEDEV -> ALL THE
CHARMS OF WEIGHTLESSNESS MADE THEMSELVES APPARENT. OUR FACES
BECAME SWOLLEN AND WERE DIFFICULT TO RECOGNIZE IN A MIRROR. MY
HEAD SWAM AND I HAD A TINGE OF NAUSEA ... ANOTHER PROBLEM
FACING US WAS WE HAD TO LEARN TO WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM... IN
THE ACTUAL FLIGHT, I WAS AFRAID OF APPENDICITIS...ALSO I WAS
AFRAID OF GETTING A TOOTHACHE... WE ARE BEGINNING TO (REALLY)
SEE THE EARTH... RYUMIN
** FROM DISCOVER MAGAZINE FEB. 1985 **
****************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: MATERIALS PROCESSING
NASA ANNOUNCED THE SIGNING OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
WITH THE GRUMMAN CORP. FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS
PROCESSING IN SPACE RESEARCH. ** "THIS AGREEMENT IS IN KEEPING
WITH PRES. REAGAN'S REAFFIRMED COMMITMENT TO THE COMMERCIAL
USE OF SPACE AND REPRESNTS GRUMMAN'S FIRST STEP TOWARDS
BECOMING AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT WIT NASA IN THE COMMERCIAL
DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE," SAID ISAAC T. GILLAM I, ASST. ADM. FOR
COMMERCIAL PROGRAMS, NASA HQ, WASH., DC. ** GRUMMAN WIL
PURSUE EXPERIMENTS INVOLVING DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF
GALLUM ARSENIDE AND OTHER SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS AND VARIOUS
METALS AD ALLOYS. THE PROCESS IS APPLICABLE TO THE PRODUCTION
OF SEMICONDUCTOR CRSTALS AND MAGNETS FOR ELECTRICAL MOTORS.
UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, A PRELMINARY DOCUMENT, GRUMMAN'S WORK
WILL FOCUS ON SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS.** DIRECTIONAL
SOLIDIFICATION USES PRECISELY CONTROLLED TEMPERATURS TO MELT
AND THEN SOLIDIFY A MATERIAL. DURING THE PROCESS, THE
MATEIAL'S CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE OR MOLECULAR ARRANGEMENT
IS ALIGNED IN A ASHION THAT SHOULD VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE ANY
IMPERFECTION IN THE COMPOUN. IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS OF THE
TECHNOLOGY IS THAT "FLAWLESS" SEMICONDUCTOR CRYSTALS WOULD
YIELD A GREATER QUANTITY AND QUALIY OF MICROCIRCUIT CHIPS,
LEADING TO HIGHER SPEED ELECTRONIC DEVICS THAT CONSUME LESS
POWER, AND EVEN GREATER MINIATURIZATION. ** I AGREEMENT, BOTH
NASA AND GRUMMAN PLEDGE SUPPORT OF THEIR MUTUAL INTERESTS IN
MATERIALS PROCESSING THROUGH THE EXCHANGE OF INFORATION.
FURTHER DISCUSSIONS SHOULD LEAD TO AGREEMENT LATER THIS YEAR
REARDING SPECIFIC FLIGHT PLANS FOR GRUMMAN TO CONDUCT ITS
MATERIALS PROCSSING EXPERIMENTS ABOARD THE SPACE SHUTTLE. **
AZEEZALY S. JAFFER HQ **
****************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: TRACKING ANTENNA DONATED
NASA ANNOUNCED THAT IT IS DONATING A 26 METER ANTENNA LOCATED
AT THE ORRORAL VALLEY TRACKING STATION IN AUSTRALIA TO THE
AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA. THE ORRORAL VALLEY STATION
CEASED OPERATIONS IN DECEMBER 1984. ** THE ANTENNA HAD BEEN
USED IN A VARIETY OF NASA AND INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING
THE SKYLAB PROGRAM, THE APOLLO SOYUZ TEST PROJECT AND THE
SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM. **
NASA HAS OFFERED TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR THE DISMANTLING AND
TRANSFER OF THE ANTENNA TO HOBART, TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA.
** THE UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA'S PHYSICS DEPARTMENT, ONE OF
AUSTRALIA'S MAJOR CENTERS FOR ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS, WILL
USE THE ANTENNA AS PART OF ITS TEACHING AND RESEARCH
ACTIVITIES. ONE OF THE PLANNED USES FOR THE ANTENNA IS IN
OPERATION WITH THE AUSTRALIAN TELESCOPE PRESENTLY UNDER
CONSTRUCTION IN NEW SOUTH WALES. THIS APPLICATION WILL
DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE THE TELESCOPES PERFORMANCE. ** THE
ANTENNA ALSO WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR VERY LONG BASELINE
INTERFEROMETRY IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER INSTRUMENTS. THIS IS
A SYSTEM WHICH USES A NUMBER OF SEPARATE ANTENNAS TO CONSTRUCT
A RADIO TELESCOPE WITH A HIGH RESOLUTION CAPABILITY. USING THE
ANTENNA FOR INTERFEROMETRY WILL ASSIST GEODYNAMICS AND
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH BY OBTAINING MORE ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS
OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE AND WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE DATA BASE ON
THE AUSTRALIAN CONTINENT. **
NASA MAY USE THE ANTENNA FOR ITS GEODESY, GEODYNAMICS AND
ASTRONOMY PROJECTS IN THE FUTURE. ** KEN ATCHISON HQ **
********************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: FUTURISTIC GAS TURBINE ENGINE
A NEW AND REVOLUTIONARY "CONVERTIBLE" GAS TURBINE ENGINE
CONCEPT THAT WILL ENABLE FUTURE ROTORCRAFT TO OPERATE EITHER
AS A ROTARY OR FIXED WING AIRCRAFT, CAPABLE OF ATTAINING
SPEEDS EQUIVALLENT TO TODAY'S FAST COMMERCIAL TRANSPORTS, HAS
BEEN DEMONSTRATED SUCCESSFULLY AT NASA'S LEWIS RESEARCH
CENTER, CLEVELAND. ** THIS NEW CONVERTIBLE ENGINE CONCEPT CAN
OPERATE IN EITHER TURBOSHAFT MODE OR TURBOFAN MODE OR IN BOTH
MODES SIMULTANEOUSLY. ** THE DEMONSTRATION IS PART OF A JOINT
PROGRAM BEING CONDUCTED BY NASA AND THE DEFENSE ADVANCED
RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA). THE ENGINE, A MODIFIED
TF-34, WAS MODIFIED UNDER CONTRACT WITH THE GENERAL ELECTRIC
CO. ** FUTURE X-WING (FOUR BLADED) ROTORCRAFT WITH SUCH AN
ENGINE WILL HAVE SHAFT POWER TO DRIVE ROTOR BLADES ALLOWINT IT
TO TAKE OFF VERTICALLY. AFTER REACHING THE NECESSARY
CONVERSION SPEED, NEAR 200 KNOTS, THE TRANSMISSION OF THE
ROTORCRAFT WILL BE DISENGAGED AND THE ROTOR BLADES WILL BE
LOCKED IN AN "X" CONFIGURATION TO PROVIDE WING LIFT AS A FIXED
WING AIRCRAFT. IN 15 TO 20 SECONDS, THE ENGINE WILL CONVERT
FROM SHAT TO FAN MODE TO POWER THE CRAFT AT SPEEDS NEAR .8
MACH. LANDING WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED AS A ROTORCRAFT AFTER
REVERSING THE CONVERSION PROCESS. **
THE CONVERSION WAS COMPLETED WITHIN 18 SEC. THE ENGINE
RESPONDED AS PREDICTED THROUGHOUT THE CONVERSION. ** THESE
TESTS REPRESENT THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL OPERATION OF A 5000 HP
CLASS CONVERTIBLE ENGINE IN BOTH FAN AND SHAFT MODES AND THE
FIRST DUAL MODE OPERATION FOR AN ENGINE. THE CONVERTIBLE
ENGINE WILL MAKE POSSIBLE A NEW BREED OF CIVIL AND MILITARY
HIGH SPEED ROTORCRAFT THAT CAN OPERATE FROM HOVER TO TRANSONIC
SPEEDS. ** KEN ATCHISON HQ **
******************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE
NASA AWARDED A $145.8 MILLION CONTRACT TO G.E. CO.'S VALLEY
FORGE SPACE CENTER, PHILA, FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE UPPER
ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE (UARS) OBSERVATORY. * THE UARS
WILL CARRY 10 SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS INTO A 373 MI CIRCULAR
ORBIT AFTER DEPLOYMENT FROM THE SPACE SHUTTLE. LAUNCH IS
SCHEDULED FOR OCT. 1989. * WITH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS
PROVIDING ESSENTIALLY GLOBAL COVERAGE, THE UARS, FOR THE FIRST
TIME, WILL PROVIDE THE DATA NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THE
COMPOSITION AND DYNAMICS OF THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE. * AS AN
EXAMPLE, UARS WILL PROVIDE A HERETOFORE UNAVAILABLE INSIGHT
INTO THE NATURE OF THE NATURAL AND HUMAN EFFECTS ON OZONE, A
GASEOUS FORM OF OXYGEN WHICH PROTECTS US FROM THE HARMFUL UV
RAYS OF THE SUN. OZONE IS FOUND IN THE STRATOSPHERE, A
DELICATE LAYER OF THE ATMOSPHERE SURROUNDING THE EARTH AT A
DISTANCE OF FROM 9-31 MI. * UNDER THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT,
THE VALLEY FORGE SPACE CENTER WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR: DESIGN
OF THE OBSERVATORY SYSTEM; DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF AN
INSTRUMENT MODULE COMPATIBLE WITH THE NASA STANDARD
MULTIMISSION MODULAR SPACECRAFT (MMS); INTEGRATION OF THE
INSTRUMENT MODULE WITH THE MMS AND THE FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS;
OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING OF THE OBSERVATORY SYSTEM;
INTEGRATION OF THE OBSERVATORY INTO THE SPACE SHUTTLE; POST
LAUNCH FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUPPORT.. THE CONTRACT IS OF THE COST
PLUS AWARD FEE TYPE. ALL WORK REQUIRED UNDER THE CONTRACT WILL
BE PERFORMED AT THE VALLEY FORGE SPACE CENTER IN PHILADELPHIA.
* NASA GODDARD SPC FLT CENTR WILL PROVIDE PROJECT
MANAGEMENT... * J.KUKOWSKI HQ & CARTER DOVE GODDARD SPC FLT
CENTR. ***
*******************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: X-RAY ASTROPHYSICS FACILITY
NASA ANNOUNCED THE SELECTION OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS TO
BE IMPLEMENTED ON THE PROPOSED ADVANCED X-RAY ASTROPHYSICS
FACILITY (AXAF). * AXAF WILL BE A LONG LIVED X-RAY OBSERVATORY
THAT WILL OPERATE IN LOW EARTH ORBIT FOR AT LEAST 15 YEARS.
THE BASIC OBSERVATORY CONSISTS OF A 1.2 METER DIAM, 10-M FOCAL
LTH X-RAY TELESCOPE HOUSE WITHIN A SPACECRAFT CARRYING AN
ARRAY OF SELECTED INSTRUMENTS AND PROVIDING POWER, PRECISE
POINTING AND DATA TRANSMISSION. AXAF WILL MAKE DETAILED
OBSERVATIONS OF THE X-RAY EMISSIONS FROM COSMIC SOURCES
RANGING FROM NEARBY STARS TO DISTANT QUASARS. * CONSTRUCTION
OF AXAF COULD BEGIN AS EARLY AS 1987-8 WITH LAUNCH APPROX 5
YRS LATER. IN ORBIT, AXAF WILL JOIN THE HUBBLE SPACE
TELESCOPE, TO BE LAUNCHED IN 1986 AND THE GAMMA RAY
OBSERVATORY LAUNCH IN '88. THESE PLUS THE LATER LAUNCH OF THE
SPACE INFRARED TELESCOPE FACILITY, WILL PROVIDE SIMULTANEOUS
OBSERVATIONS OF COSMIC SOURCES OVER INFRARED, VISABLE, UV,
X-RAY AND GAMMA RAY. *
INVESTIGATOR-> DR.G.GARMIRE PENN ST. U. CHARGED COUPLED DEVICE
IMAGING SPECTROSCOPY. DR.S.MURRAY SMITHSONIAN ASTROPHYSICAL
OBSERVATORY HIGH RESOLUTION CAMERA DR.S.HOLT GODDARD SFC X-RAY
SPECTROSCOPY INVESTIGATION FOR AXAF DR.C.CANIZARES MIT HIGH
RESOLUTION X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY DR.A. BRINKMAN U.OF UTRECHT,
NETHERLANDS HIGH THROUGHPUT TRANSMISSION GRATING FOR COSMIC
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY.. DR.R.GIACCONI SPACE TELESCOPE SCI INST
ADVANCE X-RAY DR.J.LINSKY NBS CORONAL STRUCTURE OF COOL
STARS... DR.R.MUSHOTZKY, GSFC MASS OF GALAXIES... DR.A.WILSON
U.OF MD. RADIO JETS AND NARROW LINE REGIONS ... DR.A.FABIAN
CAMBRIDGE COOLING FLOWS... * L.PERRY HQ **
*******************************************
FROM: NASA/NEWS SERVICE
SUBJ: SUPERCOMPUTER
NASA'S AMES RES. CENTR. WILL HOST A GRND BREAKING CEREMONY
MARCH 14 FOR THE NUMERICAL AERODYNAMICS SIMULATION (NAS)
FACILLITY BLDG., TO HOUSE THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL
SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM. * HIGH SPEED SUPER COMPUTERS WILL BE
USED TO SOLVE COMPLEX AERODYNAMICS EQUATIONS - FLUID PHYSICS
AND LARGE SCALE AERODYNAMIC FLOWS ASSOCIATED WITH AIRCRAFT
FLYING IN THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE. THE NAS WILL REDUCE TIME AND
COST FOR DEVELOPING NEW AIRCRAFTS. *
ANOTHER IMPORTANT GOAL IS TO MAKE THE SUPERCOMPUTER NETWORK
AVAILABLE TO REMOTE USERS NATIONWIDE. OFF SITE SCIENTISTS WILL
GAIN ACCESS TO THE SYSTEM BY SATELLITE. OTHER RESEARCH TO BE
SUPPORTED BY NAS INCLUDES COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS AND
STRUCTURES, WEATHER PREDICTIONS, COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY,
GENETIC ENGINEERING AND COMPUTATIONAL ASTROPHYSICS. * CRAY
RESEARCH'S CRAY 2 SUPERCOMPUTERS, WITH AN EXPECTED OPERATING
SPEED OF 250 MILLION CALCULATIONS PER SECOND, IS ONE OF THE
FASTEST COMPUTERS IN THE WORLD AND WILL BE THE HEART OF THE
INITIAL NAS NETWORK EXPECTED TO BE OPERATIONAL IN 1986. FASTER
SUPERCOMPUTERS WILL BE INCORPORATED AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.
* NAS IS PLANNED TO CREATE A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND
MACHINES THAT WILL ADVANCE COMPUTER SIMULATION. * THE 90,500
ARCHITECTS, SAN FRANCISCO. THE CONTRACTOR IS PERINI CO., SAN
FRANCISCO. ** KEN ATCHISON HQ AND PETER WALLER/ ROBERTA
FRIEDMAN AMES RESEACH CENTER, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA.
******************:
FROM: CRASH!USIIDEN!MARKF@NOSC
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