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Return-path: <ota+space.mail-errors@andrew.cmu.edu> X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from beak.andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl@andrew.cmu.edu (->+dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl) (->ota+space.digests) ID </afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr1/ota/Mailbox/MbW1uba00VcJE=d05Y>; Mon, 7 Jan 1991 02:09:28 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <QbW1u5200VcJA=bE4t@andrew.cmu.edu> Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Mon, 7 Jan 1991 02:08:54 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #017 SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 17 Today's Topics: KSC rounds out 1990 with success and prepares for 1991 [Corrected] (Forwarded) Administrivia: Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to space+@andrew.cmu.edu. Other mail, esp. [un]subscription requests, should be sent to space-request+@andrew.cmu.edu, or, if urgent, to tm2b+@andrew.cmu.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 31 Dec 90 18:21:27 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: KSC rounds out 1990 with success and prepares for 1991 [Corrected] (Forwarded) Bruce Buckingham 407/867-2468 Dec. 28, 1990 KSC RELEASE NO. 205 - 90 KSC ROUNDS OUT 1990 WITH SUCCESS AND PREPARES FOR 1991 In the world of Space Shuttles and payloads at Kennedy Space Center, 1990 proved to be a year of numerable successes and challenges. Six Shuttles were launched from and returned to KSC, including one unplanned end-of-mission KSC landing. But challenges ranging from liquid hydrogen leaks on Columbia (STS- 35) and Atlantis (STS-38) to a record number of launch delays on mission STS-36 kept engineers and managers on the edge of their seats. KSC began the year with a mission to retrieve the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) and concluded with the ASTRO-1 observatory mission. Between these missions were the long anticipated launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the deployment of the Ulysses spacecraft to study the polar regions of the Sun, and two Department of Defense dedicated missions. Of the six Shuttle's launched from KSC in 1990, three were nighttime launches. All missions were scheduled to land at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. All but one did. Atlantis, returning from its DOD mission in November, made an unscheduled but perfect landing at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. This was the first KSC end-of- mission landing in over five years and it demonstrated the ability of the KSC landing crews to prepare for a dramatic touchdown with little notice. Challenging the launch team and hundreds of support personnel this summer were elusive liquid hydrogen leaks on orbiters Columbia and Atlantis. After four special tanking tests and a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building for destack, Atlantis was finally cleared for launch on mission STS-38. Columbia, prior to mission STS-35, underwent four launch scrubs, two rollbacks to the VAB, and two special tanking tests. Special "leak-buster" teams ultimately were formed utilizing over 700 NASA and contractor employees, all with a "can-do" attitude, to outfit Columbia's aft compartment with hazardous gas detectors and cameras for the special tanking tests. It took most of the summer, by their hard work paid off when all of the leaks were eventually pinpointed and repaired. 1990 SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS: The following is a brief summary of the 1990 shuttle missions (all times are Eastern): STS-32 -- Columbia was launched at 7:35 a.m. on Jan. 9. It landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., at 4:35 a.m. on Jan. 20. MISSION: The primary mission objectives were the deployment of the SYNCOM IV-F5 Navy synchronous communications satellite and the retrieval of NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). SYNCOM was successfully deployed on the second day of the mission. Orbiter rendezvous with LDEF occurred on Jan. 12, followed by the dramatic grapple by the Remote Manipulator System and berthing in the payload bay for return to Earth. LDEF was later returned to KSC where the 57 experiment trays housed on the satellite were removed for inspection. LDEF had been stranded in space for over five years and was in imminent danger of burning up in the Earth's atmosphere if not recovered soon. Its retrieval had been placed on hold following the Challenger mishap. STS-36 -- Atlantis was launched at 2:50 a.m. on Feb. 28. It landed at EAFB at 1:09 p.m. on March 4. MISSION: This was the sixth mission totally dedicated to the Department of Defense. Originally scheduled for launch on Feb. 22, Atlantis experienced six launch delays due to adverse weather and illness of the crew commander. STS-31 -- Discovery was launched at 8:33 a.m. on April 24. It landed at EAFB at 9:49 a.m. on April 29. MISSION: The mission was devoted to the successful deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope approximately 24 hours after launch. HST is the first of the four great observatories which will aid in astronomical explorations. HST is the largest telescope ever put into space. It will study the universe in both visible and ultraviolet light. The primary mirror on the Hubble Space Telescope is 94.5 inches in diameter. It is capable of detecting objects 12 to 14 billion light years distant and with at least 10 times the clarity of ground based telescopes. Producing images at a rate of about 20 a day and more than 7,000 a year, over 100,000 pictures are expected to be taken over the telescope's 15 year life span. HST, however, is not without its problems. Shortly after deployment and initial check out, it was discovered the primary mirror had been made with a flaw, a spherical aberration. A future Shuttle mission, planned for July 1993, is scheduled to rendezvous with HST to correct the error. HST consists of five primary instruments: A high resolution spectrograph, the wide field/planetary camera, the faint object spectrograph, the high speed photometer, and the faint object camera developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). For mission STS-31, a significant modification was made to Discovery's braking system -- the installation of newly designed carbon brakes on the main landing gear. These carbon brakes are able to withstand longer distance braking and higher braking temperatures of up to 2100 degrees F. The normal temperature operating range is 1200 degrees F. for the older beryllium brakes. The carbon brakes can be used for 20 or more landings before replacement is needed, saving time for orbiter turnaround processing. This a key step in making landings at Kennedy Space Center a regular occurrence. Plans are underway for the installation of carbon brakes on the remaining orbiters. STS-41 -- Discovery was launched at 7:47 a.m. on Oct. 6. It landed at EAFB at 9:58 a.m. on Oct. 10. MISSION: The Ulysses spacecraft was deployed successfully from Discovery about six hours after launch, embarking on a five-year mission to explore the uncharted regions of the Sun's north and south poles. The ESA-built explorer was boosted out of Earth orbit using the attached IUS and PAM-S upper stages. Its initial trajectory will take it out to the planet Jupiter for a gravitational assist necessary to sling the 809-pound spacecraft into its solar polar orbit. The Jupiter encounter is scheduled for February 1992, south solar pole pass in June 1994, north solar pole pass in June 1995, and end-of-mission in September 1995. Ulysses is the third interplanetary probe launched by the Shuttle. The project is a cooperative endeavor between NASA and the European Space Agency. Ulysses was designed and built by the Federal Republic of Germany. STS-38 -- Atlantis was launched at 6:48 p.m. on Nov. 15. It landed at Kennedy Space Center at 4:43 p.m. on Nov. 20. MISSION: This was the seventh and final classified mission totally dedicated to the Department of Defense. Atlantis was originally scheduled for launch in July 1990. However, a precautionary liquid hydrogen tanking test conducted at the pad on June 29 indicated a hydrogen fuel leak on the external tank side of the orbiter/ET 17-inch quick disconnect umbilical. Two subsequent liquid hydrogen tanking tests determined the leak could not be fixed at the pad and the vehicle was returned to the VAB on Aug. 9 for destack operations. Atlantis was returned to the Orbiter Processing Facility and new seals were placed in the 17-inch liquid hydrogen disconnect umbilical. Meanwhile, a new external tank was attached to the solid rocket boosters in the VAB. The Shuttle was returned to the pad and a fourth tanking test was performed on Oct. 24. This test proved the fix had stopped any significant leakage of liquid hydrogen and the vehicle was cleared for flight. STS-35 -- Columbia was launched at 1:49 a.m. on Dec. 2. It landed at EAFB at 12:54 a.m. on Dec. 11. MISSION: The payload aboard Columbia, ASTRO-1, consisted of four unique, yet complementary, telescopes that captured the universe in the ultraviolet and x-ray spectrums. Three telescopes were dedicated to study the ultraviolet: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope, the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment, and the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. The Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) was made for viewing in the x-ray wavelength. The seven member crew divided into two shifts and were able to operate the telescopes around the clock. The mission was not without problems, however, when both instrument pointing system data display units failed and pointing of the ultraviolet telescopes had to be controlled from the ground. BBXRT was unaffected and the quality of the ASTRO images continued to be good. This was the first Shuttle mission to be controlled by three NASA installations. Columbia was directed as usual from Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tx. But the three ultraviolet telescopes in the observatory were directed from the Payload Operations Control Center at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Al. The Broad Band X-Ray Telescope and its separate pointing system were operated by a special team at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. STS-35 was scheduled for a May 30 liftoff, but launch was scrubbed when high concentrations of liquid hydrogen were detected during propellant loading near the 17-inch umbilical line connecting the orbiter and the external tank and in the orbiter's aft compartment. After rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building and destack, the 17-inch liquid hydrogen umbilical was replaced with the umbilical from the Shuttle Endeavour (currently under construction in California). Columbia was then returned to the pad and prepared for another launch attempt in late August. Due to a problem with the BBXRT payload, launch was delayed for six days. During the tanking for launch attempts on Sept. 6 and Sept. 18, the liquid hydrogen leak again manifested itself in the orbiter's aft compartment. A fix at the pad was attempted and the subsequent tanking test on October 30 proved the repairs were effective. Columbia awaited the launch of Atlantis on mission STS-38 from the adjacent pad and was then launched 17 days later. 1990 NASA SUPPORTED EXPENDABLE VEHICLE MISSIONS In addition to shuttle launches, NASA/KSC supported the launch of ROSAT on a Delta expendable vehicle and the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) on an Atlas Centaur. The following is a brief summary of these missions. ROSAT: Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT) Project is a cooperative program involving NASA, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the United Kingdom. The primary objectives of the ROSAT project are to make a detailed all-sky survey of X-ray sources, and perform detailed follow-up studies of some 1,000 of the anticipated 50,000 - 100,000 sources that will be detected in the survey. ROSAT was launched aboard an Air Force Delta II expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Complex 17 at 5:48 p.m. June 1, 1990. CRRES: The Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) is a joint NASA/U.S. Air Force mission to study the effects of chemical releases on the Earth's ionosphere and magnetosphere and to monitor the effects of space radiation environment on sophisticated electronics. The CRRES satellite will use chemicals released to briefly trace invisible magnetic field lines and waves with luminous particles. CRRES was launched aboard a General Dynamics commercial Atlas/Centaur (AC-69) expendable vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Complex 36 at 3:21 p.m. July 25, 1990. ECONOMIC IMPACT Again, KSC played a leading role in bolstering the local economy. Space-related employment and contracts at KSC generated a $1.37 billion boost to the Florida economy during fiscal year 1990. This represents an increase of about $132 million over the previous year. Employment numbers at KSC also rose. Permanent federal employees now number over 2,600. On-site contractors nudged the 12,700 mark while 3,250 individuals were employed through construction and tenant jobs. All in all, the total number of workers employed at KSC at the end of FY90 totaled approximately 18,500. NEW FACILITIES AND MODIFICATIONS A giant step was made this year in moving several thousand KSC employees from made-over box cars, trailers and prefabricated modules to a well equipped office building. In March, the 300,000-square-foot Operation Support Building (OSB) was officially dedicated and opened to over 1700 employees. The new OSB was built by W&J Construction Corp. of Cocoa, Fla. at a cost of about $28,000,000. Contained in the six-story facility, along with much needed office space, are a technical documentation center, photo analysis facility, technical libraries, multi-purpose conference rooms, a barber shop, concession areas, and a fully equipped exercise facility. * * * * Understanding a growing need many employees have at KSC, the NASA/KSC Exchange Council reached an agreement with Tutor Time International, Inc. for the design, construction, staffing and operation of an employee child care center. The idea resulted from an employee's suggestion and work by several organizations and employees through a specialized committee set up to plan a facility. Tutor Time was selected to operate the facility and construction was completed this December. The single-story, 6,600-square-foot building will initially provide care for up to 140 children ranging in age from infants through preschoolers. The child care will be open for operation Jan. 2, 1991. * * * * Funds amounting to $3.2 million were also allocated to complete the four-lane widening of Kennedy Parkway South (State Road 3), one of KSC's busiest highways. Final Congressional approval was received, paving the way for long awaited relief of severe traffic congestion during rush hour. The ground breaking occurred in November and construction is scheduled for completion by mid-1991. This, coupled with Brevard County's commitment to widen its portion of the much traveled Route 3, will help insure KSC employees of a safer and quicker drive to and from work. * * * * In February, a dedication ceremony for NASA's new Spacecraft Solid Rocket Motor High Energy X-Ray Facility was held. This new facility, located on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, will be used for a variety of high energy radiography testing, including the capability to verify propellant integrity on spacecraft solid rocket motors. The facility, which consists of a high bay exposure cell with a reinforced concrete wall 6 feet, 7 inches thick, represents a significant upgrade in KSC's abilities to meet current and projected new payload requirements. It was constructed at a cost of $2.9 million. * * * * At Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport USA, another ground breaking took place. NASA and the Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF) began the construction of the monument titled, "Space Mirror," dedicated to the fallen astronauts who have lost their lives in training and in space. In addition, an educational facility for teachers and students will be constructed as a "living memorial" to provide quality information and materials of instruction in the field of aeronautics and space in support of America's space program. The projects will be funded in part by AMF's portion (50 percent) of the proceeds from the sale of Challenger license tags. Additional funding will come from private and corporate donations. The educational facility will be located adjacent to the astronaut's memorial, scheduled for completion early next year. * * * * As a result of the series of liquid hydrogen leaks on the orbiters this summer, an external tank/orbiter umbilical hydrogen dispersion system was designed for installation on the three mobile launcher platforms. The dispersion system is designed to provide a nitrogen rich air flow around the hydrogen 17-inch disconnect line between the orbiter and external tank. The system will reduce hazardous concentrations of hydrogen should they form during tanking operations and not be dispersed through normal ambient conditions. Firing room personnel will be able to control the dispersion system from the Launch Control Center. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Technology transfer has always been important to managers at KSC. NASA invests a great deal of time and resources toward the goals of exploring the universe and finding better ways to live and operate in the hostile environment of space. But unless this technology is transferred to the everyday activities of life on earth, the vast majority of the world's population will never experience the practical applications of space technology. One example of this spin-off technology returned to KSC this year. While designing an upgrade to the Space Station Logistics and Resupply section of the Payload Support Building, engineers concluded that space derived heat pipes would be applicable to assist in lowering energy costs associated with cooling the facility. Heat pipes were initially used as an efficient cooling method for satellites in space. Later they were adapted to assist in the air conditioning and dehumidification of earth-bound buildings. Now, heat pipes will be used at KSC, and with a substantial amount of energy savings. * * * * Kennedy Space Center also continues to be a leader in the fields of plant and medical research. The Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) has distinguished KSC as a front runner in searching for ways to grow plants in the microgravity environment of space. Earlier this year, the Hanger 'L' Life Sciences Facility was expanded by 3,500-square feet. This additional room will allow the Biomedical Operations and Research Office to upgrade research capabilities. An example will be the continued ability to "farm" proven forms of space harvests such as lettuce and soybeans. It will also provide additional capabilities for studying the closed aquaculture system -- including a "fish pond" -- for use in future long term space habitation. * * * * NASA/KSC and the American Cancer Society continued a cooperative cost sharing agreement to provide funding and technology transfer to the University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla., for research in cancer prevention, detection and treatment. Under a Memorandum of Understanding, NASA/KSC activities include: make available necessary laboratories and equipment; coordinate assistance from other NASA centers and outside organizations; provide technical evaluations; and provide qualified personnel to serve as project leaders. MILESTONES REACHED In April, during the rollout of the Space Shuttle Columbia from the Vehicle Assembly Building to pad 39-A for the launch of mission STS-35, Kennedy Space Center's Crawler Transporter number 2 passed the 1,000-mile landmark. Weighing in at over 3,000 tons, it took the tracked vehicle 25 years to roll the odometer at a pace of less than two miles per hour. Over the past quarter century, the giant transporter has been operated by 10 different drivers and has supported Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle missions. The crawler transporter provided continuous service to the nation's space effort in the four decades from the 1960s into the 1990s. The crawler transporter was the dark horse in the competition of concepts to provide a means to deliver the launch vehicle from the assembly building to the pad. But in 1962, following a full year of study, the cross-land tracked vehicle was voted the most feasible. As the largest land vehicle ever built, the six-million-pound, 131-foot-long, 114-foot-wide, and 20-to-26 foot adjustable height transporter has proven itself as an invaluable asset to the space program. * * * * Also celebrating a historic milestone were the American and Soviet crew members of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Their reunion at KSC on July 26 marked the 15th anniversary of their 1975 flight. The ASTP mission was history's first international joint manned space flight. The link-up of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft occurred on July 17-19, 1975. WHAT'S AHEAD As KSC ponders the future, 1991 seems to hold an abundance of opportunity for the nation's space program. Two primary payloads have already been delivered to the launch facility for processing for missions next year. They are the four unclassified DOD payloads for mission STS-39 and the Gamma Ray Observatory, slated for mission STS-37. Next year NASA has scheduled seven Space Shuttle missions to be launched from Kennedy Space Center and one expendable vehicle launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The current manifest calls for an Air Force Delta 2 to launch NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) in early fall. This spacecraft will identify, map, and catalog extreme ultraviolet sources in the universe. The seven Shuttle missions scheduled for 1991 are (in launch order): STS-39 -- Discovery on a DOD unclassified mission. Payload: Air Force Program-675 (AFP-675), designed to collect infrared data to support the Strategic Defense Initiative program; Infrared Background Signature Survey (IBSS), designed to obtain infrared measurements on rocket plumes, shortwave infrared Earth-limb, Shuttle environment, and chemicals released from the payload bay while detached in proximity to the Orbiter; Space Test Program (STP-01), the first in a series of secondary experiments; Multi- Purpose Experiment Canister (MPEC), an extended Hitchhiker-G, GAS canister capable of deploying an internally stowed payload. STS-37 -- Atlantis will deploy the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO), the second in a series of four great observatories. GRO will explore the most energetic part of the spectrum across a much greater wavelength range than earlier observatories. The GRO will enable us to determine if most of the known gamma radiation arriving from the universe originates from quasars and pulsars, or whether there are other sources of gamma ray emissions. The focus of GRO will be to investigate gamma ray sources emitted by stars and distant galaxies. STS-40 -- Columbia will carry the Space Life Sciences Laboratory (SLS-1) to investigate the effects of weightlessness on man and animal specimens. (This will be Columbia's last mission prior to being ferried to California for extensive modifications. Modification operations are expected to last about a year.) STS-43 -- Discovery will carry into orbit a NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-E). This satellite will replace the partially functional TDRS west satellite currently in orbit. STS-44 -- Atlantis will deploy a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite. Atlantis will also carry additional Department of Defense payloads on board. STS-48 -- Discovery will deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) to improve man's knowledge of the atmosphere above the troposphere. This satellite will study chemical processes acting within and upon earth's stratosphere, mesosphere, and lower thermosphere. STS-42 -- Atlantis will carry into orbit the first International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-01). Housed in a Spacelab long module, this mission will be devoted to material and life sciences studies. * * * * Also, NASA's newest shuttle orbiter, Endeavour, is scheduled to be delivered to Kennedy Space Center early next summer. Endeavour will arrive at KSC atop NASA's newest modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Endeavour's first flight will be in May 1992 on Space Shuttle mission STS-49, a mission to retrieve, repair and redeploy a communications satellite for the International Telecommunications Satellite organization (INTELSAT). STS-49 will also feature the first extravehicular activity by man since return-to-flight in 1988. ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V13 #017 *******************