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"930112.DFC" (46792 bytes) was created on 01-12-93 12-Jan-93 Daily File Collection These files were added or updated between 11-Jan-93 at 21:00:00 {Central} and 12-Jan-93 at 21:00:25. =--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930107C.REL 1/7/93: COUNTDOWN FOR STS-54 LAUNCH OF ENDEAVOUR BEGINS SUNDAY, JAN. 10 George H. Diller January 8, 1993 Kennedy Space Center KSC Release No. 01-93 The countdown clock for the STS-54 flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. (EST) Sunday, Jan. 10 at the T-43 hour mark. The countdown includes 24 hours and 32 minutes of built-in hold time leading up to the opening of the launch window at 8:52 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Jan. 13. At the start of the countdown, the launch team in firing room 3 of the Launch Control Center verifies the Shuttle vehicle is powered up and that the data processing system and backup flight control system are operating. Flight software stored in the orbiter's twin memory banks will be reviewed, computer con- trolled display systems will be activated, and the backup flight system general purpose computer will be loaded. Preparations also start at the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen storage farms for loading the external tank with super cold, or cryogenic, propellants. Orbiter navigation aids are turned on and tested and the inertial measurement units are ac- tivated. In parallel with these activities, the launch team prepares for loading Endeavour's onboard fuel cell storage tanks with liq- uid oxygen and liquid hydrogen reactants. Also performed at the start of the countdown is the final stowage, microbial sampling and water level adjustment of the crew waste management system. At T-27 hours, the countdown will enter its first built-in hold. This is a 4-hour hold which extends from 5 to 9 a.m. on Monday, January 11. When the countdown resumes, the launch pad will be cleared of all personnel in preparation for loading the fuel cell storage tanks. Servicing of the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen fuel cell supply tanks is scheduled to start at the T-25 hour mark. Servic- ing activities take approximately five hours. When servicing of the fuel cell tanks has been completed, the pad will be reopened for normal work, and the countdown will enter the second planned hold. During this four-hour hold at the T-19 hour mark, the orbiter mid-body umbilical unit used to load the super cold fuel cell reactants into the orbiter will be demated. This hold will extend from 5 to 9 p.m. on Monday. When the countdown resumes, technicians will complete final vehicle and facility closeouts and begin activating the orbiter's communications systems and configuring Endeavour's cockpit for flight. The main propulsion system and shuttle main engines are prepared for cryogenic loading. The orbiter's flight control system navigation aids and com- munications systems will be activated, and switches in the cock- pit will be configured for loading of the external tank. The stowable mission specialist seats will be installed in the flight and mid-decks. The countdown will enter the next built-in hold at T-11 hours at 5 a.m. on Tuesday. During the hold, time critical equipment will be installed in the orbiter's cockpit and the in- ertial measurement units will be activated and warmed up. At about 11 a.m., the rotating service structure will be moved away from the vehicle to the launch position. This hold is scheduled to last 13 hours, 32 minutes, or until 6:32 p.m. on Tuesday. At T-9 hours, the onboard fuel cells will be activated, and the launch team will begin evacuating the blast danger area at T-8 hours, or about 9:32 p.m. Tuesday. The final items to be placed in the crew module are now stowed aboard, and the joint heaters on the solid rocket boosters are also turned on at this time. At T-7 hours, 30 minutes, conditioned air that is flowing through the orbiter's payload bay and other areas will be switched to gaseous nitrogen in preparation for loading the ex- ternal tank with super-cold liquid propellants. The inertial measurement units will transition from the warm up stage to the operate/attitude determination mode at T-6 hours and 45 minutes. At T-6 hours a steering check of the orbital maneuvering system engines will be performed. The countdown will enter another planned built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark at approximately 11:32 p.m. Tuesday. During this one-hour hold, final preparations for loading the external tank will be completed and a pre-tanking weather briefing will be conducted. Chilldown of the lines that carry the cryogenic propellants to the external tank will begin at the T-6 hour and counting mark, at 12:32 a.m. Wednesday. Filling and topping of the exter- nal tank should be complete at the beginning of the planned hold at T-3 hours which will start at 3:32 a.m. Wednesday. This hold is two hours in duration. During this time, the ice inspection team will perform a survey of the tank's outer in- sulation, and the closeout crew will begin configuring the crew module and white room for the flight crew's arrival. Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen will be in a stable replenish mode during this time to replace the propellant that "boils" off. The astronauts are scheduled to be awakened at 3:57 a.m. Wednesday and have breakfast. Their breakfast is scheduled at 4:27 a.m. After eating, the crew will receive a briefing on world-wide weather conditions via satellite from Mission Control in Houston. The flight crew will suit up in their partial pressure suits, then leave the Operations and Checkout Building at about 5:37 a.m., at T-3 hours. They will arrive at the pad white room at about 6:07 a.m. where they will be assisted by white room per- sonnel in getting into the crew cabin. Just prior to the T-1 hour mark, the test team and the flight crew will get another weather update, including observa- tions from an astronaut flying in a Shuttle Training Aircraft in the KSC area. The last two built-in holds will be 10 minutes in duration and will occur at the T-20 minute mark or at 8:12 a.m. and at the T-9 minute mark or at 8:33 a.m. During the final hold, the flight crew and ground team receive the NASA Launch Director's and the Mission Management Team's final "go" for launch. Milestones after the T-9 minute mark include start of the ground launch sequencer; retraction of the orbiter access arm at T-7 minutes, 30 seconds; start of the orbiter's auxiliary power units at T-5 minutes; pressurization of the liquid oxygen tank at T-2 minutes, 55 seconds; pressurization of the liquid hydrogen tank at T-1 minute, 57 seconds; and the electronic "go" to Endeavour's onboard computers to start their own terminal countdown sequence at T-31 seconds. The orbiter's three main en- gines will start at T-6.6 seconds. COUNTDOWN MILESTONES Launch - 3 Days (Sunday, January 10) Perform the call-to-stations at T-43 hours. Begin check out of the backup flight system and review flight software stored in mass memory units and display systems. Astronauts arrive. Load backup flight system software into the orbiter's fifth general purpose computer. Begin stowage of flight crew equipment. Inspect the orbiter's mid and flight decks and remove crew module platforms. Start external tank loading preparations. Launch - 2 Days (Monday, January 11) Enter first planned built-in hold at T-27 hours for a dura- tion of 4 hours. Activate orbiter's navigation system. Resume countdown. Start preparations for servicing fuel cell storage tanks and begin final vehicle and facility closeouts for launch. Clear launch pad of all personnel and load liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen reactants into the orbiter's fuel cell storage tanks. Enter second planned built-in hold at T-19 hours for four hours. After the loading operation, the pad will be reopened for normal work and orbiter and ground support equipment closeouts will resume. Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit used during fuel cell loading. Resume countdown. Activate orbiter communications systems and prepare Shuttle main engines for propellant tanking and flight. Launch - 1 Day (Tuesday, January 12) Install mission specialist seats in crew cabin. The tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform will be closed out for launch. Enter planned hold at T-11 hours (5 a.m.) for a duration of 13 hours and 32 minutes. During this hold, the orbiter's inertial measurement units will be activated and kept in the "warm up" mode and film will be installed in the numerous cameras on the launch pad. In addition, safety personnel will conduct a debris walkdown and the pad sound suppression system water tank will be filled. The rotating service structure will be moved to the park position during this hold at 11 a.m. Perform orbiter ascent switch list in crew cabin. Resume countdown at 6:32 p.m. Install time critical flight crew equipment and perform the pre-ingress switch list. Start fuel cell flow-through purge. Activate orbiter fuel cells. Configure communications at Mission Control in Houston for launch. Clear the blast danger area of all non-essential personnel and switch orbiter purge air to gaseous nitrogen. Enter one-hour planned built-in hold at T-6 hours (11:32 p.m.). Launch Day (Wednesday, January 13) Resume countdown. Launch team verifies there are no viola- tions of launch commit criteria prior to cryogenic loading of the external tank. Start loading the external tank with cryogenic propellants. Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants. Perform open loop test with range safety and conduct gimbal profile checks of orbi- tal maneuvering system engines. Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration and align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas. Enter two hour hold at T-3 hours. Closeout crew and ice in- spection team proceeds to launch pad. Resume countdown at T-3 hours (5:32 a.m.) Complete closeout preparations in the white room and cockpit switch configurations. Crew departs astronaut quarters at Operations and Checkout Build- ing for the pad. Flight crew enters orbiter. Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Mission Control in Houston. Close orbiter crew hatch. Begin range safety final network open loop command check, perform hatch seal and cabin leak checks, begin the inertial measurement unit preflight alignment and range safety closed loop test. The white room is closed out and the closeout crew moves to fallback area. Primary ascent guidance data is transferred to the backup flight system. Enter planned 10-minute hold at T-20 minutes. Resume countdown. Transition orbiter onboard computers to launch configuration and start fuel cell thermal conditioning. Close orbiter cabin vent valves. Backup flight system transitions to launch configuration. Enter planned 10 minute hold at T-9 minutes. Resume countdown. Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9 minutes). Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30). Start mission recorders (T-5:30). Start APU's. Arm SRB and ET range safety safe/arm devices (T-5). Start liquid oxygen drainback (T-4:55). Start orbiter aerosurface profile test (T-3:55). Orbiter transfers to internal power (T-3:30). Start MPS gimbal profile test (T-3:30). Pressurize liquid oxygen (LO2) tank (T-2:55) Retract gaseous oxygen vent arm (T-2:55). Fuel cells to internal reactants (T-2:35). Pressurize liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank (T-1:57). Deactivate SRB joint heaters (T-1:00). LPS go for start of orbiter automatic sequence (T-0:31 seconds). Start SRB gimbal profile test (T-0:6.6). SRB ignition and liftoff (T-0). Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61 =--=--=-END-=--=--= =--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930108.REL 1/8/93: UNIVERSITIES FLY OZONE RESEARCH BALLOON FROM TEXAS TO FLORIDA Terri Sindelar Headquarters, Washington, D.C. January 8, 1993 RELEASE: 93-8 A NASA-sponsored university group will launch a high-altitude research balloon on Jan. 11, inaugurating a cooperative program to measure ozone distribution and wind parameters in the Earth's stratosphere. Following launch from the South Shore Harbor Resort and Convention Center, League City, Texas, at 8 a.m. EST, the 76-foot diameter, helium-filled balloon will ascend to an altitude of 110,000 feet and fly across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida. When the balloon reaches central Florida, a radio command will be sent to parachute the gondola and its instrument package back to Earth for recovery and reuse. Throughout the day-long flight, cooperating teams of amateur radio operators in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida will receive position reports, ozone data and video images from the balloon's 50-pound gondola and will relay this information via high-frequency radio to a Utah State University balloon chase van. The radio operators also will "home" on the payload's radio beacons to assist in recovering the gondola and balloon. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration will track a radar transponder in the gondola during ascent and descent through controlled airspace. The instrument package was designed and built by a volunteer team of space grant students and faculty from Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory and from the Bridgeland Amateur Radio Club in the Cacha Valley of northern Utah. This flight is the eleventh for this team and the first of 24- hours' duration. Extended-duration flights will be launched from Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central America to measure ndistribution and stratospheric circulation on a long-term basis. The balloon is a revolutionary "superpressure" design manufactured by Winzen International of San Antonio and Sulphur Springs, Texas. It is fabricated of Nylon film thinner than a human hair and is designed to stay aloft continuously for a year or more. The balloon launch is sponsored by NASA's National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program Office, Washington, D.C., and will take place during the third annual meeting of all 50 state consortia. The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico also are participating in the program. - end - Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61 =--=--=-END-=--=--= =--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930108A.REL 1/8/93: GOLDIN CALLS FOR IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO INDUSTRY Bill Livingstone Headquarters, Washington, D.C. January 8, 1993 RELEASE: 93-009 While NASA enjoys a good reputation for transferring technology to industry, major improvements must be made in the way technology is transferred, according to a report released today by NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin. "NASA has the reputation of being the leader in technology transfer, but this position has eroded," Goldin said. "Our successes are modest compared to the amount of technology we generate." "Our attitude that the transfer of our valuable technology will 'just happen' is no longer acceptable. It must be proactively sought and given the highest priority," Goldin said. The report -- Special Initiatives Team on Technology Transfer -- was chartered last May, with Dr. Jeremiah Creedon, Director of Flight Systems at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., as Chairman. Other participants from NASA include Dr. Kathy Abbot, Leonard Ault, Carol Ginty, George Mosakowski, Dr. Syed Shariq and Dr. William Spuck. Major Findings and Recommendations The report contains a series of findings and recommendations for changing NASA's culture to facilitate technology transfer, including: * No comprehensive written document exists that explains the formal processes for technology transfer; * Processes for technology transfer within NASA are too slow to meet industry's needs; * Technology is not sufficiently developed to reduce technical risk to industry due to the costs and mission objectives; * Employees, managers and contractors all too often do not believe technology transfer is part of their job; * There is little or no infrastructure support to help researchers transfer technology; * Technology can and should be transferred at every stage, instead of waiting until a project is completed. The report's 10 recommendations include a category of implementation and measurement of performance of technology transfer and eight recommendations for changing NASA's culture to facilitate technology transfer. Technology Transfer Benefits Aeronautics The report finds that where technology transfer was the primary mission activity -- such as aeronautics, the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program and the Centers for Commercial Development of Space -- NASA's overall efforts are relatively good. For instance, a strong relationship exists between NASA and the aeronautics industry. Many vital technologies developed by NASA have been transferred to the aeronautics industry, including such items as supercritical wings, winglets, glass cockpits and many others. Still, a recent Gallup poll concluded that the aeronautics industry felt there was room for improvement. In addition, researchers often viewed technology transfer as writing a report on the research results after it was completed. This is representative of a common view that technology transfer occurs at the end of the development process. Researchers often encounter roadblocks when attempting to transfer technology, including the time-consuming processes of filing patents and software distribution through official channels. Finally, no systematic measurements or statistics are kept on the activities or effectiveness of primary targeted technology transfer. The team identifies six metrics which could be used to measure the effectiveness of the technology transfer process. These include the number of citations, acknowledged users and spin-off companies, the revenue from patent licenses, and the length of time from development to its transfer for use by a targeted customer. The report found that the technology utilization offices are minimally staffed and cannot provide greater support for secondary and non-targeted technology transfer functions. Advanced Concepts and Technology Office Established NASA's Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology was created last November to better meet the needs of industry, academia and NASA communities. One of the new office's major functions is to transfer technology into the commercial sector at a faster pace than in the past. "We will seek the input of the technology user community to figure out the best mechanisms to transfer technology, whether it's technical papers, NASA-generated software, regional tech transfer centers, cooperative research agreements or working in our labs and other facilities," Goldin said. - end - Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61 =--=--=-END-=--=--= =--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930112.REL 1/12/93: LEE NAMED NASA PROCUREMENT CHIEF David W. Garrett Headquarters, Washington, D.C. January 12, 1993 RELEASE: 93-11 NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin today announced the appointment of Deidre A. Lee as Acting Associate Administrator for Procurement. Lee replaces Don G. Bush who announced his intention to leave NASA in November 1992. "Deidre Lee brings experience, considerable skills and boundless energy to this position at a time when NASA procurement activities are undergoing dynamic reform," Goldin said. Lee had been serving as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Procurement since September 1992. Prior to that she was the Executive Officer to NASA's Acting Deputy Administrator. Earlier, she managed a variety of procurement activities in both NASA and the Air Force. Before joining the NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, in 1984, Lee was involved in major Air Force procurement activities for the systems and logistics commands and for the Pacific Air Forces. At Johnson, she served in numerous acquisition positions with her final assignment being Chief of Space Shuttle procurement. Coming to NASA Headquarters in April 1991, Lee became Deputy Director of the Advanced Procurement Planning Division where she managed policy development, coordinated agency procurement initiatives and represented NASA on several internal and external teams studying key procurement issues. She also served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator for Procurement. Lee has a masters degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma and attended the Middle Management Program of the Graduate School of Management of Simmons College, Boston. -end- Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61 =--=--=-END-=--=--= =--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930112.SHU KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT 1/12/93 SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT Kennedy Space Center, Florida Tuesday, January 12, 1993 George H. Diller Vehicle: OV-105/Endeavour Mission Number: STS-54 Location: Launch Pad 39-B Primary Payload: TDRS-F/IUS-13 + Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer (DXS) Launch Timeframe: January 13 8:52 a.m. EST Mission Duration: 5 Days 23 Hours 33 Minutes Inclination: 28.45 degrees Crew Size: 5 Nominal Landing: KSC Jan. 19 8:24 a.m. EST IN WORK TODAY: - Launch countdown operations in Firing Room 3 - retract rotating service strucure at 11 a.m. - closeout tail service masts - final launch pad debris insepction - payload mid-deck late stowage including rodents - activate inertial measurement units - OMS gimbal profile - align IUS Redundant Inertial Measurement Unit (RIMU) - commander and pilot Shuttle Training Aircraft flights - countdown status briefings for the astronauts WORK COMPLETED: - cryogenic reactant loading operations - retract orbiter mid-body umbilical - communications system activation - navigation aids activation STS-54 WORK SCHEDULED: - begin tanking 12:32 a.m. - awaken astronauts 4:02 a.m. - astronauts depart for Pad 39-B 5:37 a.m. - close and seal crew access hatch 7:22 a.m. ISSUES & CONCERNS: None SPECIAL TOPICS: Launch Weather Forecast At the opening of the launch window at 8:52 a.m. on Wednesday conditions are forecast to be: Clouds: 1,500 scattered 3,000 scattered 20,000 broken Temperature: 70 degrees Dewpoint: 65 degrees Humidity: 84% Wind: SW-12 knots (becoming 14 to 20 knots) Visibility: 7+ miles Significant clouds or weather: Chance of scattered showers, chance of ceilings below 8,000 feet, limited chance for crosswind concern. Chance of acceptable launch weather conditions: 70% Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61 =--=--=-END-=--=--= =--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930112.SKD DAILY NEWS/TV SKED 1/12/93 Daily News Tuesday, January 12, 1993 Two Independence Square, Washington, D.C. Audio service: 202/358-3014 % Countdown on schedule for tomorrow's 8:52 am EST launch of Endeavour; % Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer experiment will seek source of background X-rays; % NASA will again feature 2-hour mission programming for Alaska, Hawaii; % Student group successfully launches ozone-research balloon from Texas. The countdown process for tomorrow morning's launch of Endeavour continues on schedule at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B. The Rotating Service Structure will be retracted from around Endeavour late this morning. Afterwards, KSC launch team members will perform the final launch pad inspection. KSC and payload technicians continue to stow crew and payload items inside the orbiter cabin. The six rodents associated with the physiological and anatomical rodent experiment will be placed inside the animal enclosure module this afternoon. Main external tank fuel and oxidizer loading is set to begin tomorrow morning at 12:30 am EST. The five-member crew, led by mission commander John Casper and pilot Don McMonagle, will awake tomorrow morning at 4:00 am and are expected to be in place in their launch seats by 7:22 am. EST. The other crew members are Mario Runco, Greg Harbaugh and Susan Helms, all payload specialists. All but Helms are space shuttle veterans. Launch is set for 8:52 am EST tomorrow, Wednesday, January 13. The mission is scheduled as a 5-day, 23-hour flight with a nominal end-of-mission landing at the Kennedy Shuttle Landing Facility on Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 8:24 am EST. The STS-54 mission will deploy the fifth in a series of NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellites. Deploy is set for about 2:00 pm tomorrow afternoon, on orbit 5. Following the TDRS deployment , the crew will activate the Diffuse X- ray Spectrometer experiment. This is a "hitchhiker- "mounted device which can fly again. The Goddard Space Flight Center, along with the orbiter crew, will be able to command this sensor. The scientific goal of the spectrometer is to accumulate a total of 50,000 seconds of observation time of the diffuse X-ray background as a means of determining its relationship to the local galactic neighborhood and possible relationship to the life cycles of stars. The spectrometer can provide a high resolution view of the energies within the diffuse X-ray source, giving astrophysicists atomic clues as to the origin of the X-rays themselves. One current theory postulates that the diffuse X-ray background is coming from ionized gas surrounding our solar system. NASA will provide continuous live television coverage on NASA Select of the STS-54 mission beginning at 6:00 am EST on Wednesday, Jan. 13, through the egress of the crew following landing. Also, NASA will again provide a two- hour edited program containing daily highlights of the mission on a different satellite for the benefit of interested individuals and organizations in Alaska and Hawaii. Beginning with this mission, the two-hour programming will be on transponder 19 (4080 MHz, audio at 6.2 and 6.8 MHz) on the Galaxy 6 satellite located at 99 degrees West Longitude. Transmission times for the two- hour highlights program are from midnight through 2:00 am EST each day of the mission. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A NASA-sponsored university group successfully launched its high-altitude research balloon this morning at 8:53 am EST from the South Shore Harbor Resort, across Clear Lake from the Johnson Space Center. The group was forced to postpone yesterday's planned launch because of high winds. The 76-foot diameter balloon will ascend to an altitude of 110,000 feet (33.5 kilometers) and fly across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida, measuring ozone distribution and wind data and relaying video pictures to a series of cooperating amateur radio teams located beneath the balloon's path. These HAM-radio teams will relay this information to a Utah State University chase-van. This program inaugurates a cooperative NASA-university ozone-measurement program. The program also involves other individuals serving as radio relay operators who will follow the balloon's progress from fixed stations in the states between Texas and Florida. The cooperative program is sponsored by the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. The Texas Space Grant Consortium is also participating in this new program. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Marshall Space Flight Center reports that the double- trailer display featuring mockups of the interior of a crew module and laboratory module for Space Station Freedom will be on display on the Mall in Washington during the Inaugural Week activities. The trailers are leaving Huntsville today for the trip to Washington, where they will be on display from Friday, January 15, through Monday, Jan. 18. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select TV. Note that all events and times may change without notice, and that all times listed are Eastern. Live indicates a program is transmitted live. Tuesday, January 12, 1993 Live 9:00 am Countdown status briefing from Kennedy Space Center with Mike Leinbach, Shuttle Test Director, and Todd Corey, KSC STS-54 Payload Operations Engineer. Live 9:30 am Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer payload briefing from KSC with Chris Dunker, Goddard Space Flight Center mission manager, and Dr. Wilton Sanders, University of Wisconsin-Madison principal investigator. Live 10:30 am Commercial payloads briefing from KSC with Dr. Louis Stodieck, Bioserve project manager. Live 11:00 am Pre-launch press conference for STS-54 mission from KSC with Charles Force, Associate Administrator for the Office of Space Operations, Al Diaz, Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Space Science and Applications; Leonard Nicholson, Space Shuttle Director, Robert Sieck, Kennedy Space Center Launch Director, and CPT Dean Hazen, US Air Force Weather Liaison Officer. 4:00 pm, 8:00 pm & midnight P programming repeats. Wednesday, January 13, 1993 Live 6:00 am Begin continuous coverage of STS-54 mission. Live 8:52 am Scheduled launch of Endeavour for STS-54 mission. NASA Select TV is carried on GE Satcom F2R, transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West Longitude, transponder frequency is 3960 MegaHertz, audio subcarrier is 6.8 MHz, polarization is vertical. Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61 =--=--=-END-=--=--= =--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930112A.REL 1/12/93: SPACE STATION PRECURSOR WORK CONTINUES ON SHUTTLE IN 1993 Mark Hess Headquarters, Washington, D.C. January 12, 1993 Kyle Herring Johnson Space Center, Houston RELEASE: 93-10 With launch of the first element of Space Station Freedom just 3 years away, NASA will continue to use the Space Shuttle fleet in 1993 for research associated with assembly and operation of this permanent, international laboratory in low-Earth orbit. The space station program is on schedule to complete its first critical design review (CDR) in June. The CDR is a major program milestone. It marks a commitment on the part of space station program managers to proceed from the design stage to the fabrication and acquisition of flight hardware and software. The CDR includes the review of thousands of engineering drawings and other design documents by NASA and co technical personnel. "We are quickly approaching the point in space exploration where astronauts will be conducting valuable research on a permanent basis," said Space Station Director Dick Kohrs. "In the years to come, we are going to use the Space Shuttle to give us additional research capability and confidence in the techniques to be used aboard Freedom." Beginning with the first Shuttle flight in January and ending with the eighth mission in December, astronauts will conduct spacewalks, materials and life sciences research in the Spacelab scientific laboratories and small-scale experiments to prepare for long-duration stays in space aboard Freedom. Spacewalks will be conducted on at least three flights in 1993 to better prepare astronauts for station assembly and maintenance. Endeavour's maiden voyage in May 1992 demonstrated the complexity and unknowns associated with manipulating large objects in space when astronauts rescued the Intelsat spacecraft and experimented with space station assembly techniques. Future spacewalks are designed to help planners better predict the length of specific tasks during each spacewalk and to investigate the use of handrails and foot restraints while maneuvering equipment similar to that being designed for Freedom. Endeavour (STS-54) -- January Astronauts will conduct extravehicular activities (EVA) that can be applied to station assembly and maintenance. Some of these activities include using large tools, moving about the payload bay both with and without foot restraint devices and handling large objects in the weightless environment of spaceflight. One of Endeavour's electricity-generating fuel cells will be shut down for 10 hours and restarted on the STS-54 mission. This will demonstrate for the first time a capability required to certify the Shuttle for long duration stays at the Freedom. This flight also will serve as the first for a space station precursor experiment called the Application Specific Preprogrammed Experiment Culture System (ASPECS), designed as a cell growth and maintenance device to support cell biology research and improve existing bioreactor technology. The culture chamber will serve as a testbed to demonstrate movement of a fluid through the unit to provide constant nutrients to growing cells. ASPECS will fly again on STS-57 as a fullcells that can be studied on return to Earth. Columbia (STS-55) -- February The first Spacelab module flight of 1993 is a German-sponsored mission to continue studies in materials and life sciences research to further technology development for use in the space station era. This second in a series of dedicated flights for Germany -- called SL-D2 -- is scheduled to last 9 days and follows the first German Spacelab mission flown in October 1985 aboard Challenger. Discovery (STS-56) -- March Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science is the second in a series of missions to measure the long-term variability in the total energy radiated by the sun and study its interaction with Earth's atmosphere. The first ATLAS flight was aboard Atlantis in March 1992. This Spacelab mission uses pallet-mounted hardware in the Shuttle payload bay to study the Earth's atmosphere and variables in the solar spectrum. Also included on this flight is ODERACS or Orbital Debris and Radar Calibration Spheres. This experiment will help calibrate ground-based instruments used to track orbital debris. Three pairs of precisely-machined metal spheres of different diameters will be released from a canister in the payload bay. The spheres will be tracked by ground radars to more accurately calibrate the radars. This will allow a better determination of life expectancy of space debris, assisting in the development of Freedom's protective shield. ODERACS was flown on STS-53 in December 1992, but a loss of battery power inside the canister prevented release of the spheres. Endeavour (STS-57) -- April The primary mission objective is to fly the first Spacehab middeck augmentation module and retrieve the European Retrievable Carrier deployed from Atlantis on the STS-46 mission in August 1992. Spacehab is a pressurized module that more than doubles the amount of middeck locker space available to scientists for smaller, "secondary" experiments to be monitored by the crew. The Application Specific Preprogrammed Experiment Culture System (ASPECS) will be flown as a full-up experiment on this mission to grow larger, high fidelity tissue cells for clinical research. STS-57 will carry cancer cells to be grown in the chamber and brought back for study. On the ground, cells tend to lose their neutral buoyancy or ability to remain suspended in the nutritional fluids inside the chamber. In space, however, the cells can grow larger without floating toward the chamber walls. On the Shuttle, ASPECS will serve as the "foundation experiment" for the development of bioreactor technology on the space station. Growing cells to full maturity may take several months, which only can be done on long-duration flights aboard the station. Spacehab also will carry a space station flight experiment called the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems Flight Experiment, containing two critical components of Freedom's environmental control system. This is being considered as another spacewalk flight to continue proficiency training for space station assembly and maintenance later this decade. Current plans call for a spacewalk to occur on this mission or on STS- 51 in July or on both. The spacewalks will include proficiency training and will demonstrate deploy and retrieval techniques to support space station assembly and maintenance. In addition, STS-57 will carry a Getaway Special canisters rack in the payload bay including small scale experiments to help in the development and operation of the space station. Experimenters will conduct investigations in gas transfer from one tank to another, plant growth, effects of microgravity and radiation on bacteria and in cleaning and purifying effluents for long-duration space usage. Discovery (STS-51) -- July In addition to the primary tasks of deploying the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite and the Orbiting Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer-Shuttle Pallet Satellite, the crew of STS-51 will expose various materials to the space environment. The Limited Duration Space Environment Candidate Materials Exposure experiment will expose these materials to the atomic oxygen prevalent in low- Earth orbit. This will help determine which materials are best for use in future spacecraft design, including the space station, to ensure long-term survivability in space. Freedom is designed for a minimum 30-year life. This flight is being considered for another spacewalk to continue proficiency training for space station assembly and maintenance. Current plans call for EVAs to occur on either this mission or on STS-57 in April, or both. Columbia (STS-58) -- August The third Spacelab flight of 1993 will include a pressurized module on a 13-day mission. The SLS-2 Spacelab Life Sciences mission is the second devoted exclusively to understanding how the human body reacts and adapts itself to the space flight environment. This science is of particular interest since plans call for astronauts to live aboard Freedom for periods of 90 days or more. The first SLS mission flew for 9 days in June 1991 aboard Columbia, conducting a wide array of medical tests on the crew to evaluate how they adapt to the microgravity environment of space. SLS-2 will continue these medical evaluations. This will be the second "extended duration" Shuttle mission. STS-50 in June 1992 lasted 14 days and is the longest Shuttle mission to date. SLS-2 will continue the process of certifying the Shuttle to conduct longer duration flights docked to Freedom. Discovery (STS-60) -- November The second Spacehab flight will carry a large complement of secondary experiments in the additional middeck locker space. The module is attached to the orbiter's airlock and more than doubles the space to conduct secondary materials and life sciences investigations as precursor experiments to those that will fly on Freedom. STS-60 also will carry the Wake Shield Facility (WSF) designed to be released from the payload bay to create an atomic oxygen wake as it circles the Earth -- in essence, an orbiting vacuum chamber. WSF will create its own vacuum chamber to produce extremely pure materials, atom by atom, by growing thin film crystals on an atomic template. Uses of such pure materials range from microelectronics to lasers and superconductivity. Attached to the WSF will be a series of experiments to help study this "space wake" and the effects it has on them. One of these experiments will use the Shuttle thruster jets to "plume" or fire in the direction of the WSF to understand how the jet firings affect other spacecraft. This is important in determining what protective measures need to be addressed for the space station since the Shuttle will rendezvous with the orbiting laboratory up to four times a year later this decade. A Russian cosmonaut will be among the crew members aboard Discovery for STS-60. A series of medical evaluations will further investigate the adaptation of the human body to space flight as well as readaptation to the Earth environment. These joint experiments with Russia will study spatial orientation, neurosensory, sensory-motor and perceptual functions, equilibrium control and eye response tests during and after the flight. Endeavour (STS-61) -- December The final mission of 1993 highlights the first servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Three spacewalks are planned with provisions for two more to repair and service the HST launched in April 1990 aboard Discovery. The work scheduled, as well as the number of spacewalks, will provide further data for those required during the space station era for experiment monitoring and changeout as well as for maintenance Other space station precursor experiments are being evaluated as smaller scale experiments for several of the flights scheduled this year. - end - Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61 =--=--=-END-=--=--= =--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:3_6_2.TXT NOTE: This file is too large {26579 bytes} for inclusion in this collection. The first line of the file: SHUTTLE PAYLOAD FLIGHT ASSIGNMENTS Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61 =--=--=-END-=--=--= =--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_2_18_5.TXT NOTE: This file is too large {28311 bytes} for inclusion in this collection. The first line of the file: - Current Two-Line Element Sets #122 - Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61 =--=--=-END-=--=--= =--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_2_2_42_8.TXT STS-54 EVA FACT SHEET STS-54's Spacewalk Tests: Preparing for Space Station Freedom NASA Facts The spacewalk on STS-54 by mission specialists Mario Runco, Jr., and Greg Harbaugh is the first in a series of test spacewalks planned over the next three years to refine methods of training astronauts to perform the work in space required by the construction and maintenance of Space Station Freedom, slated to begin in 1996. All of the spacewalk tests will be done without impacting the primary objectives of any shuttle flight, and, on STS-54, without interrupting other experiments in the crew cabin or cargo bay. In addition, the spacewalk is being performed as efficiently as possible, taking advantage of the supplies, materials and time already allotted for a spacewalk on STS-54 prior to the test spacewalk's addition to the flight. For instance, the air, water and electricity planned for use on the test spacewalk are the same consumables that would be used to perform a spacewalk to assist with deployment of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-F if needed. For that reason, if a contingency spacewalk were needed for TDRS-F, the test spacewalk would be cancelled. Along the same lines, Runco and Harbaugh will use the tools at hand, and each other, to simulate the methods and limits under which astronauts might best be able to perform construction or repair work. For example, Runco and Harbaugh will use each other to simulate handling a large mass in space. Runco will move along the edge of the cargo bay with one hand while holding Harbaugh with the other hand, at first holding Harbaugh by a tether and later by holding Harbaugh by a rigid part of the suit. Such evaluations, along with the information to be obtained from ensuing spacewalks on ensuing flights, will assist in planning how best to move large pieces of space station equipment about. It will give planners an idea of the amount of effort and time required to move items and perform certain jobs, knowledge that is extremely important since both effort and time are highly limited and valuable resources on a spacewalk. Although it is not a priority objective, the spacewalk also will, as a fringe benefit, provide insight into how an incapacitated crew member might be carried. The spacewalk tests are designed to: 1. Increase the amount of spacewalk experience in the astronaut corps, among flight controllers and among trainers. Expanding the experience base among these personnel during the next three years will help prepare them for Space Station Freedom operations. 2. Refine the training methods used to plan spacewalks and prepare astronauts for the job. Runco and Harbaugh will perform a variety of tasks and characterize the difficulties encountered, the time required and the best methods of performing each. Although using neutral bouyancy under water on Earth is the best way to simulate spacewalking, many differences exist, such as the drag created by the water on objects, present in training but not present in space, and the sense of direction provided by gravity's effect on the inner ear, which is still present under water but absent in wieghtlessness. Runco and Harbaugh, along with the other tests that will follow, will help develop a baseline that characterizes these differences to make spacewalk training and planning more efficient. The rules under which spacewalk tests like the STS-54 test, formally called Detailed Test Objective 1210 (DTO 1210), will be added to shuttle flights include: 1. They will not interfere in any way with the other objectives of the flight. Thus, they will be the lowest priority experiment on board, as is the STS-54 spacewalk. 2. They will be performed inexpensively, taking advantage of time, materials and supplies already on board a flight. 3. They will not significantly change the plans or training for the flight. 4. The information learned from them will be as generic as possible, thus being applicable to as many possible space station repair and construction scenarios as possible. --end-- Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61 =--=--=-END-=--=--=