Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/DAILY_1/930305.DFC

Text File | 1993-03-06 | 19KB | 454 lines

05-Mar-93 Daily File Collection
   These files were added or updated between 04-Mar-93 at 21:00:00 {Central}
                                         and 05-Mar-93 at 21:00:34.

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3/05/93:  MT. PINATUBO ERUPTION CAUSES TEMPORARY COOLING OF EARTH

Brian Dunbar
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.               March 4, 1993


Catharine G. Schauer
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.


RELEASE:  93-41

    Satellite observations confirm that Mount Pinatubo's eruption in June
1991 resulted in a temporary cooling of the Earth that equates to a decrease in
global surface temperature of approximately 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.5 degree
Celsius).

    "A 1 degree Fahrenheit decrease in global temperature is significant,"
said Dr. Patrick Minnis of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. "The
increase in solar radiation reflected from the Earth, responsible for this
cooling, continued through October 1991 and is well correlated with the gradual
spread of the Pinatubo dust cloud over the globe.

    "Data show that the relative cooling produced by Mount Pinatubo is 60
percent greater than any other climate disturbance since 1976.  Systematic
global observation of the Earth's radiation balance began that year," said Dr.
Minnis.

    "Surface cooling may follow the radiative response by several months to
a year, and the effect of Mount Pinatubo may be evident for some time after
most of the dust cloud has settled back to the surface.  Indications are that
the effects of Mount Pinatubo may be felt through early 1994," he said.

    Volcanic activity has been suspected of causing significant short-term
climate changes.  Powerful volcanic eruptions typically send huge quantities of
gases and ash into the stratosphere.  The gases and ash produce aerosols that
block incoming sunlight, which can have an effect for many years.

    Analysis of measurements from NASA's Earth Radiation Budget Experiment
(ERBE) satellite has provided the first conclusive evidence of a significant
change in global energy due to a volcanic eruption.

    ERBE satellite measurements provide the data needed to understand the
link between volcanic dust and temperature changes at the Earth's surface.  The
gases and ash ejected by volcanos can penetrate into the stratosphere from 7 to
30 miles high (11.2 to 48 kilometers), where the debris may form a dust veil
that spreads over the globe and slowly filters down to the surface over several
years.

    The dust veil reflects some of the sun's rays back to space, thus
cooling the Earth's surface.  But volcanic dust also can produce a greenhouse
warming effect by trapping the infrared rays emitted by the Earth. The net
effect ultimately determines changes in the surface temperature.

    Whether the dust cloud cools or warms the Earth and by how much depends
on the concentration, sizes and shapes of the particles in the dust cloud.
Because the latter two quantities are difficult to estimate, climate
computer-model predictions are subject to potentially large uncertainty.

    Heating and cooling of the Earth is determined by the balance between
absorbed solar radiation and emitted infrared radiation.  Solar radiation that
is not reflected by clouds, the atmosphere or the surface, is absorbed and
causes the Earth to warm.  The emitted infrared radiation cools the Earth by
carrying heat away from the planet.

    ERBE directly observes changes in the emitted infrared and reflecsolar
radiation and enables scientists to match the radiati on predictions with ERBE
data.

    Launched in 1984, ERBE is one of the precursor missions in NASA's
long-term Mission to Planet Earth program for studying climate change.  The
ERBE instruments were developed at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton,
Va., and the TRW Corp., Redondo Beach, Calif. Langley is responsible for data
analysis.

    The results of a study by NASA researchers on "Radiative Climate
Forcing by the Mount Pinatubo Eruption" will be published in the March 5 issue
of Science.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT  3/05/93


          SPACE SHUTTLE DAILY STATUS REPORT
                      Friday, March 5, 1993


Mitch Varnes
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.


Vehicle: OV-102/ Orbiter Columbia             Mission: STS-55
Current location: Pad 39-A
Payload: Spacelab D-2
Launch Date: TBD
Mission Duration: 8 days, 22 hours

STS-55 IN WORK:

- Removal of hydraulic flex hoses from orbiter's aft compartment.
- Failure analysis of hydraulic hose.
- Installation of heatshield carrier panels on engines 1 & 3.
- Preparation for helium signature leak test.
- Preparations to close payload bay doors this evening.

STS-55 WORK SCHEDULED:

- Tests of hydraulic flex hoses.
- Reinstall enhanced orbiter refrigerator/ freezer late today
- Helium signature leak check on Saturday.
- Loading of hypergolic propellants on Sunday and Monday.
- Reinstallation of hydraulic flex hoses on Monday.
- Flight readiness test of main engines on Tuesday.

STS-55 WORK COMPLETED:

- X-rays of hydraulic flex hoses.
- Reinstallation of GAS can into payload bay.
- Evaluation of hydraulic fluid contamination.





STS-55 LAUNCH SCHEDULE NOTE:

Space Shuttle engineers and managers are continuing to assess the launch
schedule impact attributable to inspections of the hydraulic flex hoses and
clean-up and inspection of the aft en- gine compartment and number two main
engine.  Based on progress over the weekend, an assessment of a new schedule
will be made early next week.




VEHICLE: OV-103/ Orbiter Discovery               MISSION: STS-56
Current location: Vehicle Assembly Building


STS-56 IN-WORK:

- Orbiter/external tank mate is continuing.
- Preparations for installing main engines into orbiter.



STS-56 WORK SCHEDULED:

- Installation of main engines set to begin on Monday.



STS-56 WORK COMPLETED:

- Mating of liquid hydrogen and liquid  oxygen  connection  lines
between external tank and orbiter.



VEHICLE: OV-105/ Orbiter Endeavour                MISSION: STS-57
Current location: Orbiter Processing Facility

STS-57 IN-WORK:

- Electrical connections between Spacehab and orbiter.
- Aft compartment closeouts.
- Testing of main landing gear.


STS-57 WORK COMPLETED:

- Mechanical installation of Spacehab into orbiter's payload bay.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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Daily News/Tv Sked 3/5/93

Daily  News
Friday, March 5, 1993
Two Independence Square,
Washington, D.C.    Audio service: 202/358-3014



 % STS-56 Status;
 % NASA selects center for life sciences research;
 % ERBE satellite results.


In preparation for the STS-56 launch in early April, Discovery is now mated to
the external tank/solid rocket booster stack.  The Shuttle Interface test is
scheduled to be performed today and Saturday. Main engine installation is
targeted to begin Monday.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas has been chosen
to become the NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training (NSCORT) in
Integrated Physiology. About $ 1 million a year for 5 years will be awarded to
Southwestern Medical Center. The NSCORT program was established in 1990 to
support ground research and analysis in the various research specialties. * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Analysis of measurements from NASA's Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE)
satellite has provided the first conclusive evidence of significant change in
global energy due to a volcanic eruption.

Satellite observations confirm that Mount Pinatubo's eruption in June 1991
resulted in a temporary cooling of the Earth that equates to a decrease in
global surface temperature of approximately 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.5 degree
Celsius).

ERBE directly observes changes in the emitted infrared and reflecsolar
radiation and enables scientists to match the radiation predictions with ERBE
data.  ERBE was launched in 1984 as one of the precursor missions in NASA's
long-term Mission to Planet Earth program for studying climate change.

The results of a study by NASA researchers on "Radiative Climate Forcing by the
Mount Pinatubo Eruption" will be published in today's issue of Science.







         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.


Friday, March 5, 1993

Live            12:00 pm        NASA Today.
                12:15 pm        Aeronautics & Space Report.
                12:30 pm        Aero Oddities.
Live             1:00 pm        Pre-Mission Testing for STS-55.
                 3:00 pm        TQM #50.

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
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3/05/93:  STS-62 AND STS-59 SPACE SHUTTLE CREW ASSIGNMENTS ANNOUNCED

Mark Hess/Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                                 March 5, 1993

Barbara Schwartz
Johnson Space Center, Houston

RELEASE:  93-42

NASA today named the crews of STS-62 and STS-59, two Space Shuttle missions
scheduled for launch in early 1994.

    USAF Colonel John H. Casper will command the STS-62 mission with the
second U.S. Microgravity Payload and the second Office of Space and Terrestrial
Applications payload, called OAST-2, aboard Columbia. Other crew members are
USMC Major Andrew M. Allen as Pilot and mission specialists USN Commander
Pierre J. Thuot, USA Lt. Colonel Charles D. "Sam" Gemar and Marsha S. Ivins.

    Experiments on STS-62, a 13-day extended duration orbiter mission,
include growing crystals of semiconductor materials; investigating the
properties of xenon during phase transitions, investigating the fundamental
behavior of materials as they solidify into structures known as dendrites and
monitoring equipment that will measure and record disturbances in the
microgravity environment of the USMP carrier.  These experiments allow the
scientific and commercial communities to test space-based processes for
beneficial applications here on Earth.

    USAF Colonel Sidney M. Gutierrez will command the STS-59 Space Radar
Laboratory mission aboard Atlantis. Other crew members are USAF Colonel Kevin
P. Chilton as Pilot and mission specialists Jay Apt, Ph.D., and Michael R.
"Rich" Clifford, USA Lt. Colonel. Previously announced crew members are Linda
M. Godwin, Ph.D., named Payload Commander in August 1991 and Thomas D. Jones,
Ph.D., named mission specialist in February 1992.

    The Space Radar Laboratory, STS-59, will take radar images of the
Earth's surface for Earth system sciences studies including geology, geography,
hydrology, oceanography, agronomy and botany; gather data for future radar
system design including the Earth Observing System, and take measurements of
the global distribution of carbon dioxide in the troposphere.

    Casper, 49, commanded STS-54 in January 1993, a mission to deploy a
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. He was Pilot on STS-36 in February 1990, a
DOD flight.  Casper was born in Greenville, S.C., but considers Gainesville,
Ga., his hometown.  He received a bachelor of science degree in engineering
science from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1966 and a master of science degree
in astronautics from Purdue University in 1967.

    Allen, 37, was Pilot on STS-46, an 8-day mission to deploy the European
Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) and to demonstrate the Tethered Satellite System
(TSS) launched in July 1992.  Allen was born in Philadelphia, Penn., and
received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Villanova
University in 1977.

    Thuot, 37, was mission specialist on STS-36, a DOD mission launched in
February 1990.  He also was mission specialist and one of the spacewalking crew
members on Endeavour's maiden voyage to retrieve, repair and reboost the
Intelsat communications satellite.  Thuot was born in Groton, Conn., but
considers Fairfax, Va., and New Bedford, Mass., his hometowns.  He received a
bachelor of science degree in physics from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1977 and a
master of science degree in systems management from the University of Southern
California in 1985.

    Gemar, 37, was a mission specialist on STS-38, a DOD mission in
November 1990, and STS-48 in September 1991 to deploy the Upper Atmosphere
Research Satellite which studied the winds, chemistry and energy particles in
Earth's upper atmosphere.  Gemar was born in Yankton, S.D., but considers
Scotland, S.D., his hometown.  He graduated with a bachelor of science degree
in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy in 1979.

    Ivins, 41, was mission specialist on STS-32 in January 1990, an 11-day
flight during which the crew deployed a communications satellite and retrieved
the Long Duration Exposure Facility, and STS-46, the EURECA/TSS mission.  Ivins
was born in Baltimore, Md., and received a bachelor of science degree in
aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado in 1973.

    Gutierrez, 41, was Pilot on STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences-1 in June
1991.  Born in Albuquerque, N.M., Gutierrez received a bachelor of science
degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1973 and
a master of arts degree in management from Webster College in 1977.

    Chilton, 38, was Pilot on STS-49, the Space Shuttle Endeavour's maiden
flight in May 1992.  He was born in Los Angeles, Calif. Chilton graduated with
a bachelor of science degree in engineering sciences in 1976 and received a
master of science degree in mechanical engineering fro Columbia University on a
Guggenheim Fellowship in 1977.

    Apt, 43, was mission specialist and a spacewalking crew member on STS-
37 in April 1991, a mission to deploy the Gamma Ray Observatory and to test
concepts and gather engineering data on the forces a crew member can exert on
bolts and equipment in preparation for assembling Space Station Freedom. Apt
was the flight engineer on STS-47. He was born in Springfield, Mass., but
considers Pittsburgh, Penn., his hometown.  Apt graduated magna cum laude with
a bachelor of arts degree in physics from Harvard College in 1971 and received
a doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976.

    Clifford, 40, flew as a mission specialist on STS-53 in December 1992,
a DOD flight, during which Clifford operated a fluid transfer experiment and a
laser detector to acquire transmissions from low-power Earth-based lasers.  He
was born in San Bernadino, Calif., but considers Ogden, Utah, his hometown.
Clifford received a bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Military Academy
in 1974 and a master of science degree in aerospace engineering from the
Georgia Institute of Technology in 1982.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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3/05/93:  SPACE STATION UTILIZATION CONFERENCE TO BE RESCHEDULED

Mark Hess
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                                   March 5, 1993


MEDIA ADVISORY


    The Space Station Freedom Utilization Conference, planned for June 21-
24 in San Francisco, Calif., has been postponed.  A new date for the conference
has not been set.

    NASA managers decided to postpone the conference because of recent
direction to redesign the space station.

    The first user conference was held in 1992 in Huntsville, Ala. The
conference is intended to inform scientists from academia, industry and
government about the space station's research plans and capabilities.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930305C.REL

3/05/93:  ASTRONAUT JEMISON TO LEAVE NASA

Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                 March 5, 1993

Barbara Schwartz
Johnson Space Center, Houston

RELEASE:  93-043


        Mae C. Jemison, M.D., announced that she will leave NASA March 8 to
pursue interests in "teaching, mentoring, health care issues and increasing
participation in science and technology of those who have traditionally been
left out."

        "I leave with the honor of having been the first woman of color in
space, and with an appreciation of NASA--the organization that gave me the
opportunity to make one of my dreams possible.  The experiences of the NASA
astronaut program have opened many doors, and provided a way to put my hard
work and training to use for the good of others," said Jemison.

        Jemison, 36, was selected for the astronaut program in June 1987.  She
was a science mission specialist on STS-47, Spacelab- J, in September 1992, a
cooperative mission with the Japanese to study life sciences and materials
processing.  Jemison was a co- investigator on the bone cell research
experiment flown on that mission.

        Jemison earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering
from Stanford and a doctorate degree in medicine from Cornell. Her work
experience included medical research, a stint as Area Peace Corps Medical
Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa, and a physician for a
nation-wide health care organization.

        "Mae is an outstanding role model.  We are sorry to see her go.  I am
certain that in our future recruiting efforts we will be able to welcome to the
astronaut corps talented young scientists and engineers who have been inspired
by Mae's accomplishments.  We wish her continued success in whatever she
pursues," director of Flight Crew Operations David C. Leestma said.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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SHUTTLE PAYLOAD FLIGHT ASSIGNMENTS

     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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- Current Two-Line Element Sets #152 -

     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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