Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT_ZIP/daily/921218.ZIP/921218.DFC

Text File | 1992-12-22 | 53KB | 1,155 lines

18-Dec-92 Daily File Collection
   These files were added or updated between 17-Dec-92 at 21:00:00 {Central}
                                         and 18-Dec-92 at 21:00:12.

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12/18/92:  MEDIA BRIEFING SET ON GALILEO FLYBY EARLY SCIENCE RESULTS

Paula Cleggett-Haleim
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                  December 18, 1992

Bob MacMillin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.



EDITORS NOTE:  N92-109


    Photographs and video clips from the Galileo spacecraft's flyby of the
Earth and moon will be released at a news conference on Tuesday, Dec. 22.  The
briefing will originate from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif., beginning at 1 p.m.  EST.

    The press conference, carried live on NASA Select television, can be
viewed from the NASA Headquarters, auditorium, 400 Maryland Washington, D.C.

    In addition to the release of images, Galileo scientists will discuss
observations made during the flyby, which culminated with Galileo's closest
approach to Earth on Dec. 8.  Also, scientists will present new results from
Galileo's 1991 flyby of the asteroid Gaspra, as well as the outcome of a recent
laser communications experiment.

    Presenters will include Project Manager William J. O'Neil and Project
Scientist Dr. Torrence Johnson.

    NASA Select TV is carried on GE Satcom F2R, transponder 13, C band, 72
degrees west longitude, transponder frequency 3960 MHz, audio subcarrier 6.8
MHz, vertical polarization.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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KSC SHUTTLE STATUS 12/18/92


SPACE SHUTTLE WEEKLY                           Friday, December 18, 1992

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center


Vehicle: OV-105/Orbiter Endeavour
Location: OPF Bay 1
Primary Payload: TDRS-F/IUS-13 + Diffuse X-Ray Spectrometer (DXS)
Mission: STS-54                 Inclination: 28.45 degrees
Launch Timeframe: January Wk 2     Nominal Landing Site: KSC
Mission Duration: 6 days           Crew Size: 5


STS-54 IN WORK:

- IUS Flight Readiness Checks
- IUS Safety hold-fire check
- IUS flight battery installation
- aft main engine compartment confidence test engine compartment closeouts
- crew cabin anaft compartment cleaning
- avionics bay closeouts
- testing orbiter television cameras



ST-54 WORK SCHEDULED:

- orbiter/external tank cavity purge reverification tonight
- ordnance installation on Monday
- Flight Readiness Review next Tuesday
- preparations for holiday work suspension and facility outages
- close payload bay doors Tuesday night for the holidays



STS-54 WORK COMPLETED:

- DXS interim servicing
- Inertial Measurement Unit calibrations
- Flight Readiness Test (FRT)
- KSC Lach Readiness Review


Vehicle: OV-102/Orbiter Columbia
Current location: OPF Bay 2
Mission: STS-55acelab-D2         Inclination: 28.45 degrees
Launchtimeframe: February, wk 4    Nominal Landing Site: KSC
Mission Duration: 8 days 22 hours   Crew size: 7

STS-55 IN WORK:

- forward reaction control system electrical connections
- freon closed-loop coolant system checkout
- main engine mechanical and electrical connections
- main landing gear hydraulic system troubleshooting
- tile repair


STS-55 WORK SCHEDULED:

- install Spacelab-D2 tunnel adapter next week
- configure payload bay for Spacelab and Spacelab tunnel


STS-55 WORK COMPLETED:

- freon coolant loop rework
- orbiter structural inspections


SPECIAL TOPICS: Discovery is enroute to Egr Force Base in the Florida panhandle
for refueling.  If the weather is acceptable to continue the ferry flight
today, arrival is expected at approximately 2:30 p.m.

STS-55 VAB solid rocket booster stacking: Tests appear to show that the leak
problem with the right booster is likely associated with ground support
equipment.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:921218.SKD

FINAL DAILYNEWS FOR 1992

Daily News
Friday, December 18, 1992
Two Independence Square, Washington, D.C.
Audio service: 202/358-3014

This is a NASA Select program schedule update for the holidays.


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, December 18, 1992

     12:15 pm  Replay of STS-52 post mission report from crewmembers
               Lacy Veach and Mike Baker.
Live  2:00 pm  Total Quality Management seminar from NASA
               Headquarters.
Live  5:00 pm  Robotics Testing from Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Tuesday, December 22, 1992

Live  1:00 pm  Galileo Earth-Moon second encounter post-encounter
               briefing from Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Monday, January 4, 1993

      2:00 pm  Replay of Virginia Space Grant Consotrium program on role
               models for high school and middle school students.

Throughout the holidays, NASA Select's regular daily programming beginning at
12:00 noon will continue.  These programs are educational, informative and
reflective of the agency's history.  Every day at 4:00 and 8:00 pm and 12:00
midnight the broadcast schedule of the day repeats.

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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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:4_2_11_2.TXT

NASA AERONAUTICS: RESEARCH CENTERS


    One of NASA's most important contributions to the nation is its wealth
of technical facilities open to government agencies, industry and universities.
NASA operates four installations that do the bulk of the agency's aeronautics
research.



Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif.


The programs at Ames range from human factors to advanced aerospace hardware.
The Center manages projects in fluid and thermal physics, technology for
rotorcraft and high-performance aircraft, atmospheric sciences and human
interaction with automation.  The 80 x 120-foot wind tunnel at Ames is the
largest in the world.  The center also is home to the Numerical Aerodynamic
Simulation (NAS) facility that gives the nation an unparalleled capability for
supercomputer- based research.


Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, Calif.


Ames-Dryden is the hub of NASA's flight test activities to gather data on new
aviation and aerospace technologies.  The facility conducts research with
several high-performance aircraft including the X-31, F/A-18, F-16XL, F-15 and
the Mach 3+ SR-71 "Blackbird."


Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.


Langley does basic and applied aeronautical studies and its elaborate complex
of wind tunnels represents an essential national resource.  The Center's
programs include research in aerothermodynamics, computational fluid dynamics
and non-destructive evaluation and inspection methods.  Langley also is one of
NASA's key facilities for the development of new aircraft flight control
systems, visual displays and data networks.


Lewis Research Center, Cleveland


Lewis is NASA's key facility for research and development of power and
propulsion systems.  The Center's activities include programs on advanced
engines, turbomachinery aerodynamics and thermodynamics and materials.  Lewis
also does most of NASA's research on aircraft icing and ice protection systems.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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NASA AERONAUTICS: AERO RESEARCH



NASA strongly supports research to advance the technical disciplines important
to aviation.  The emphasis is on fundamental understanding of physical
phenomena and on developing new ideas and exploring new concepts that could
yield advances in aeronautical technology.


Transition to Turbulence


"Boundary layer transition" is a phenomenon linked with the effects that make
air next to an aircraft's surface flow more slowly than the air farther away.
This boundary layer has a large impact on drag and the corresponding engine
thrust required to overcome it.  Sometimes the boundary layer is very uniform
and smooth; in other situations, it transitions into a turbulent state and
contains mini-tornados called vortices.


NASA scientists have done the first direct numerical modeling of this
transition to turbulence over a flat plate.  Using a new computational method,
they saw detached shear layers of airflow and pairs of counter-rotating
vortices-results that agreed with available experimental data.  These
techniques have now been enhanced so that simulations of transitional and
turbulent airflow over a variety of shapes are possible.


New Experimental Tools


Aerodynamic tests can be complicated, expensive and time consuming.  They often
require facilities that accurately simulate flight conditions and involve
highly-instrumented models that represent the full-size article.


To simplify such experiments, NASA and the University of Washington have
developed a paint that measures surface pressure on aircraft during flight.
The paint glows under ultraviolet light; the intensity correlates with
different aerodynamic pressures.  Researchers use videotapes or photographs
taken in the ultraviolet to study the pressure patterns.


The light pink paint is quick and easy to apply.  Test models and flight
vehicles do not have to be modified with the wires and tubing associated with
conventional data collection systems.


The Human Element


Commercial pilots often lose sleep and suffer "jet lag" from crossing several
time zones or making night flights.  As part of its aeronautics research, NASA
researchers have been studying crew fatigue and are devising ways to fight it.


During regularly scheduled flights, selected crews wear portable biomedical
devices that record body temperature, heart rates and other measurements.
Electroencephalograph (EEG) readings also have been taken during crew layovers
on long-haul routes.


NASA has also expanded the research to find whether short, preplanned sleep
periods in the cockpit on long flights would improve pilots' alertness.  Some
crew members take turns napping in their seats while a "control group" of
others operates under their regular flight rules without sleeping.  The results
to date show that the crew members who rest are more alert during critical
flight phases than those who do not.


Basic research about human awareness also is on NASA's agenda.  Using advanced
technology that maps different types of brain waves, NASA scientists are
charting states of awareness in test subjects while they interact with
automated systems.  The studies are providing valuable data that will help
designers of computerized aircraft cockpits and other automated information and
control displays.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:4_3_11.TXT

NASA AERONAUTICS: HIGH-SPEED RESEARCH PROGRAM


Increases in long-range air travel will produce a multi-billion-dollar market
for new supersonic airliners early in the 21st Century. To ensure that U.S.
aircraft capture a dominant share of that business, NASA is working on
technology needed to make a new high-speed civil transport cost-effective,
reliable and environmentally compatible.


NASA's High-Speed Research Program addresses issues that could preclude an
industry decision to build a supersonic transport: emissions effects on the
atmosphere, airport noise and sonic boom.


The Emissions Question


The main concern about high-speed airliner exhaust is that it would add
nitrogen oxides (NOx) to the upper atmosphere, where they could react with and
remove ozone.  But the best current computer models suggest that future planes
with low- emissions engines could operate in the lower stratosphere with almost
no ozone depletion.


To refine those models, NASA science aircraft are taking even better
atmospheric measurements.  In the fall of 1992, for example, an ER-2 research
plane will measure chemical processes in latitudes and altitudes that would be
most affected by supersonic transport emissions.


NASA believes that these atmospheric studies are socially responsible work
essential to American industry's decision on a supersonic transport.


The Key: Low-Emissions Engines


The High-Speed Research Program focuses on advanced combustion concepts to
reduce NOx emissions.  NASA is testing two especially promising combustor
(combustion chamber) designs that avoid excessive flame temperatures, which
produce NOx at a high rate.


Laboratory results are extremely encouraging.  Tests at NASA's Lewis Research
Center show that either concept will cut NOx emissions by 90 percent-an
important first step in making a new supersonic airliner environmentally
acceptable.


Reducing Airport Noise


A new supersonic transport must meet the same stringent airport noise
regulations that apply to current subsonic transports.  NASA, Pratt & Whitney
and GE are evaluating choices for engine "cycles"-turbofan or turbojet
operation that will satisfy noise, performance and economic demands.


A promising candidate is a variable-cycle powerplant with both turbofan and
turbojet features.  Once NASA and industry have enough data, they will choose a
concept on which to focus the rest of high-speed technology research.


"Mixer-ejector" nozzles that rapidly mix low-energy air from outside with high-
energy exhaust from the engine also seem a promising way to lower jet noise.
Tests on subscale components prove that advanced mixer-ejector nozzles can
suppress jet noise by up to 18 decibels.


The Sonic Boom Challenge


The economic viability of a supersonic airliner could be improved if sonic
booms can be reduced to a level that would make overland flight through
unpopulated corridors possible.


NASA recently has evaluated low-boom configurations in wind tunnel tests at
Ames and Langley Research Centers. The results from the studies have proved the
idea of "boom shaping"-specially designing a plane's wings and fuselage to
reduce sonic boom levels.  Future tests are expected to show that a supersonic
airliner can have both low sonic boom levels and good aerodynamic performance.


Supersonic Laminar Flow Control


 One way to boost an aircraftUs fuel efficiency is to reduce drag by lessening
turbulent airflow over the wings, leaving smooth or "laminar" flow.  NASA is
now testing experimental laminar flow control systems on the wings of two
F-16XL research aircraft at Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards,
Calif.


A suction system draws off the air flowing very close to the wing surface
through laser-drilled holes in the test section.  In flights during 1992,
researchers obtained the first measured supersonic laminar airflow over a
substantial part of the wing.  The ultimate goal is to achieve laminar flow
over 50-60 percent of the wing surface.


    Experts say that after integrating the suction system into a supersonic
transport's design, takeoff weight could be cut by up to 6.5 percent.  The
plane would have to carry and burn less fuel, providing a significant reduction
in emissions and the cost of operating the aircraft.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:4_3_12.TXT

HIGH-PERFORMANCE AIRCRAFT AND FLIGHT PROJECTS


NASA flight research using high performance aircraft is closely linked with
research in industry and the Department of Defense. The agency is having great
success in developing technology to make military aircraft more agile and to
increase their performance.  NASA also manages and executes flight projects in
research areas ranging from the National Aero-Space Plane program to technology
development efforts for a next-generation supersonic transport.


High-Alpha Research Program


Since 1987, NASA has been evaluating ways to control aircraft better at "high-
alpha" (or "high angle- of-attack")-flying forward with the nose and wings
canted upward relative to the direction of flight.  The effort involves a
series of interrelated computer simulations, wind tunnel tests and flights with
a specially- modified F/A-18 fighter.


NASA computer calculations that predict how the F/A-18 will perform at high
angles-of-attack are often verified in wind tunnels.  For instance, NASA
researchers "flew" a full-scale F/A-18 for several weeks in Ames Research
Center's giant 80x120-foot facility.


The F/A-18 High-Alpha Research Vehicle based at Ames-Dryden Flight Research
Facility flew at up to 55 degrees angle-of-attack without major modifivations.
Subsequently, the plane has flown at up to 70 degrees with special steel
paddles that change the direction of the engine thrust to increase its
controllability.


Maneuverability and Agility


NASA pilots at Ames-Dryden are playing a major role in expanding the flight
envelope of the X-31 demonstrator aircraft.  Like NASA's F/A-18, the X-31 has a
thrust vectoring system and flies at high angles-of-attack, but the X-plane's
research is geared toward proving the military usefulness of high-alpha agility
and maneuverability.


NASA has also participated in Air Force-led experiments in vortex control with
the forward-swept-wing X-29 research aircraft.  The tests were a follow-on to
the main work done in the X-29 program; from 1984 to 1991, the two aircraft
made 374 flights to show the advantages of the multiple advanced technologies
incorporated into the research plane.


Better Performance

High-performance aircraft fly more efficiently when their engine controls are
integrated with other computerized flight control systems.  NASA is pioneering
this concept with tests of an electronic system that automatically adjusts
factors such as fuel and air flow to get the maximum thrust for any flight
conditions.


NASA began flight tests of this Performance Seeking Control system early in
1992 using an F-15 research aircraft.  At supersonic speeds, researchers have
demonstrated an 8 percent increase in thrust.  Tests also have shown an 8.5
percent drop in fuel consumptionat low supersonic speeds.  Researchers say that
Performance Seeking Control lowers engine operating temperatures-with resulting
longer engine life.


A Unique National Asset


The stable of NASA aircraft based at Ames-Dryden serve aeronautics research
needs both inside and outside the agency.  In the last year, for example, NASA
has solicited proposals for investigations using its SR-71 "Blackbirds" from
more than 50 organizations in government, industry and universities.


The SR-71s, able to fly over three times the speed of sound, are a unique
flight research asset for the nation.  Uses already identified for the aircraft
range from tests of science sensors to acquiring data that can help reduce
noise and sonic boom levels in a future American supersonic transport.


The Blackbirds' first major research project will be an experiment on "external
burning" of hydrogen gas to support propulsion system development for the
National Aero-Space Plane program.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:4_3_13.TXT

HIGH-FLYING PERSEUS RESEARCH AIRCRAFT READY FOR ROLLOUT

Drucella Andersen
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                    December 16, 1992

Alice Ann Toole
Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., Manassas, Va.



RELEASE:  92-227


    NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin will make the keynote speech when a
high-flying, unpiloted NASA atmospheric research aircraft called Perseus is
unveiled in Manassas, Va., on Dec. 18.

    When Perseus starts to fly science missions in 1994, it will gather
data to improve knowledge on the atmosphere at very high altitudes, including
the possible effect of exhaust emissions from next-generation supersonic
airliners.

    "Perseus is going to be a valuable new tool for many areas of
atmospheric research, especially understanding the processes that control
stratospheric ozone levels, so NASA and industry can produce future supersonic
transports that are both environmentally safe and economically competitive."

    Perseus, designed and built for NASA by Aurora Flight Sciences Corp.,
Manassas, Va., is the first aircraft designed specifically for atmospheric
science.  It will carry up to 110 pounds (50 kilograms) of instruments to a
maximum altitude of 82,000 feet (25 kilometers).

    Much of Perseus' technology derives from sport aviation and the record-
breaking Daedalus human-powered aircmodeled on the Daedalus design, which had
excellent aerodynamic performance.  The plane is made of lightweight composite
materials, much like sailplanes or gliders.

    Perseus' engine is based on the 4-cycle, 4-cylinder Rotax engine that
powers ultralight aircraft around the world, but is highly modified to burn a
mixture of gasoline and oxygen diluted by recirculated exhaust gas.  Aurora
developed the engine under a $500,000 NASA Small Business Innovation Research
grant.

    Perseus also is breaking new ground in other technologies like the
onboard computer which will guide many of its flights using preprogrammed
flight plans.  The autopilot will keep track of the plane's location via
signals from the Global Positioning System constellation of navigation
satellites.

    NASA has ordered two Perseus aircraft from Aurora Flight Sciences.
Successful research missions by the planes could lead to more general use of
advanced unpiloted aircraft for Earth science studies.

    "Perseus is not only going to do science to improve the environment,
but also is building an important new industry for the future," said Aurora
Flight Sciences President John Langford. "It is key to a new generation of in
situ measurement platforms that will lead to discoveries in areas such as
atmospheric science, global warming and the forecasting of severe storms."

     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:4_4_11.TXT

NASA AERONAUTICS: SUBSONIC TRANSPORTATION


Experts predict that a doubling of air travel by the year 2005 will create a
demand for an estimated $600 billion in new jet transports.  To ensure that
U.S. companies remain strong and competitive in this area, NASA is developing
technology to make American subsonic transports the best and safest in the
world.


The highlights of NASA's research spread across a wide spectrum of technical
areas.


Weather-Related Safety


NASA and the FAA are evaluating three types of airborne sensors- microwave
radar, laser radar ("lidar") and infrared-that give pilots advance warnings of
windshear.  Flight tests of the detectors on a NASA research plane have proved
that the sensors provide up to 40 seconds warning, enough time for an aircraft
crew to avoid a potential crash.


Aging Aircraft


NASA and the FAA have a broad cooperative program to work on critical "aging
aircraft" issues.  NASA's research stresses improved ways to predict growth of
fatigue cracks and the remaining service life of an aircraft.  NASA is also
pioneering new, efficient methods to inspect hard-to-reach areas of aircraft by
using infrared thermographic, ultrasonic, optical and magnetic techniques.


Advanced Composite Technology


 Composite materials are very attractive for large aircraft structures because
they weigh about half as much as metal parts, resist corrosion and can be made
with automated methods.  NASA has an aggressive research effort to understand
composites and use new materials to develop innovative structural concepts and
cost-effective manufacturing methods to build fuselages and wings.


Fly-by-Light/Power-by-Wire


NASA is working on "fly-by-light" systems that will eventually let engineers
replace an airliner's mechanical linkages and copper wires with much lighter
optical fibers.  A companion effort addresses "power-by-wire" technology that
allows substitution of electrically-driven actuators for the heavy hydraulic
control systems used by todayUs commercial aircraft.  These advanced
technologies are expected to cut aircraft weight, reduce fuel consumption and
make airliners simpler to maintain.



Advanced Engine Technology


In cooperation with the two leading U.S. aircraft engine makers, GE and Pratt &
Whitney, NASA is researching issues associated with large, high-efficiency
engines.  NASA, the FAA and industry also have a major research effort to
reduce the noise generated by this new generation of engines that use
high-bypass-ratio ducted fans.  Other research focuses on better understanding
of noise effects and development of noise reduction standards for new aircraft.


Aerodynamics


NASA's research aims to increase the ratio between "lift," the upward force
produced by aircraft wings and "drag," air friction that slows a plane down.
One particularly promising concept to fight drag fitted a Boeing 757 jetliner
with a special suction system that siphoned off turbulent surface air through
tiny, laser- drilled holes in a wing test section.  This "laminar" (smooth) air
flow was followed by naturally smooth flow produced by the plane's wing.  This
"hybrid" technique generated laminar flow over 65 percent of the test surface;
applied to a complete wing, it could produce up to 15 percent fuel savings for
subsonic transports.


Air Traffic Control


The NASA-developed Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS), being evaluated at
FAA control facilities in Denver and Dallas-Fort Worth, has software that
advises air traffic controllers what actions to take and when to take them via
computerized color graphics.  Researchers are confident that CTAS will improve
on-time arrivals, increase aircraft fuel efficiency and cut controllersU work
load.

Rotorcraft


Not all NASA's subsonic activity concerns passenger planes.  The agency
continues to research acoustic, structural and performance questions connected
with tilt-rotor aircraft.  NASA and the Army have a 5-year program to expand
pilots' ability to fly helicopters close to the ground, around obstacles and in
bad weather; much of the research will be done using a modified UH-60A
helicopter as a flying laboratory.
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_12_7.TXT

Mir element set 769 (18-Dec-92)

Mir
1 16609U 86 17  A 92353.61357572  .00019012  00000-0  26414-3 0  7690
2 16609  51.6214  45.8852 0002160 154.5067 205.5877 15.57029901390973

Satellite: Mir
Catalog number: 16609
Epoch time:      92353.61357572
Element set:     769
Inclination:       51.6214 deg
RA of node:        45.8852 deg          Semi-major axis:  3657.8578 n.mi.
Eccentricity:    0.0002160              Apogee altitude:   214.7138 n.mi.
Arg of perigee:   154.5067 deg          Perigee altitude:  213.1336 n.mi.
Mean anomaly:     205.5877 deg          Altitude decay:      0.0298 n.mi./day
Mean motion:   15.57029901 rev/day      Apsidal rotation:    3.7361 deg/day
Decay rate:     1.9012E-04 rev/day~2    Nodal regression:   -5.0028 deg/day
Epoch rev:           39097              Nodal period:       92.4222 min

G.L.CARMAN

     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_2_2_42_3.TXT

STS-54 MISSION WATCH


STS-54  Tracking Data and Relay Satellite - F

December 16, 1992

In the early days of human space flight, NASA established ground tracking
stations around the world in order to maintain communications between
astronauts onboard orbiting space capsules and Mission Control. Stations were
located in many countries and even ship- mounted communications equipment were
employed for mid-ocean areas where no convenient islands were present.  Even
so, communication coverage was broken during each orbit as capsules moved out
of communication range of one station and into range of another.  Under normal
operations, the loss of communications was an irritant but, under emergency
conditions, the frequent interruption of communications could be dangerous.

    Today, spacecraft communications with Mission Control are nearly
continuous (85% or more) because of a constellation of Tracking Data and Relay
Satellites (TDRS) circling Earth. Four TDRS (two serve as backups), are
orbiting in geostationary orbits 36,000 kilometers above Earth's equator to
relay voice, television, and electronic data messages between Space Shuttle
crews and controllers on the ground.  In addition, the satellites serve as
communication links for other spacecraft, such as scientific satellites.  The
Tracking Data and Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) can serve 24 spacecraft
simultaneously at a data rate up to 300 megabits a second. (This data rate is
equivalent to transmitting the text of a 20-volume encyclopedia in one second.)
Rather than employing complicated switching and circuitous telephone and radio
links between widely spaced tracking stations, TDRS simplify communications
links because of their high altitude above Earth. Even though a Space Shuttle
orbiter may be orbiting on the opposite side of Earth from Mission Control,
radio signals can be directed at one of the TDRS, which repeats the signals and
relays them around the world.

    Currently, two TDRS are located over the Atlantic Ocean and two over
the Pacific Ocean. During the first day of the Space Shuttle Endeavour's STS-54
mission, set to launch in mid-January 1993, a fifth TDRS will be deployed by
heavy springs that will eject the spacecraft out of its payload bay.  When the
satellite is at a safe distance, an Air Force Inertial Upper Stage (IUS)
booster rocket attached to the satellite, will fire, raising the satellite to
its planned altitude of 36,000 kilometers.  Eventually, TDRS-F will arrive over
its designated station of 62o west longitude over the Pacific Ocean and serve
as a backup to the prime TDRS-E satellite located at 174o west longitude.

    Another of the highlights of the STS-54 mission will be a spacewalk for
two of the five crewmembers onboard.  The spacewalk is a part of the continuing
program to train and prepare mission specialists for the extravehicular
activity (EVA) that will be needed for assembly of Space Station Freedom and
for its operations.  During the STS-54 spacewalk, crewmembers will attempt to
answer many EVA operation questions such as how best to move massive objects,
how to ingress foot restraints without hand holds, and what the practical
limits for carrying tools are.  To test moving massive objects, the
spacewalking crewmembers will take turns at simulating inert masses.  In other
words, one crewmember will attempt to move the other, who will be simulating a
large mass, to experiment with the forces involved in precise positioning.
Evaluation of this activity will help future spacewalking crewmembers when the
attempt is made to manipulate the Hubble Space Telescope during the servicing
mission (STS-61) in December 1993.

    Also in preparation for Space Station Freedom operations, the flight
crew of Endeavour will shut down one of its three fuel cells for ten hours.
Although designed to be shut down and restarted in space, this capability of
orbiter fuel cells has never been tested in space.  Fuel cells are essential to
orbital operations.  While chemically converting hydrogen and oxygen gas to
water, fuel cells provide electricity to power orbiter systems and experiments.
The water produced by the process is used for drinking and orbiter cooling
through flash evaporation into space.  In the future, when space shuttle
orbiters dock with Space Station Freedom, fuel cells will be shut down to
conserve hydrogen and oxygen supplies.

    In addition to satellite deployment and EVA, STS-54 crewmembers will
concern themselves with other major orbital activities that take advantage of
the unique environment of Earth orbit: scientific experiments, systems tests,
and educational activities.  One of the opportunities space flight offers is a
clear view of the cosmos.  X-Ray radiation, for example, is blocked by Earth's
atmosphere.  Astronomers interested in studying X-ray radiation have to use
sounding rockets, high altitude balloons, and orbital spacecraft to collect
data.  To assist them, the Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer will be carried in
Endeavour's payload bay.  The experiment is designed to observe X-rays emitted
in the Milky Way galaxy in the region of our sun.

    Continuing previous Shuttle-based microgravity research, STS- 54 will
burn two samples of a special plastic in a pressurized chamber.  The Solid
Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) seeks to better understand the combustion
process in the absence of convective currents.  On Earth, buoyancy creates
convective currents that continually carry away waste gases and draw in oxygen
from below to sustain a vigorous combustion.  In space, these convective
currents are eliminated and the much less effective diffusion of oxygen
predominates.  The SSCE will film the burning of the plastic to gather new data
on the burning process in space.

    One of NASA's newest biomedical spin-off's will be fully tested for the
first time on STS-54. The Bioreactor was developed at the Johnson Space Center
to provide a new method of protecting delicate cell cultures from the high
shear forces generated in the liquid media during launch and landing.  It turns
out that the Bioreactor is also able to grow cell cultures larger and more
similar to normal tissue than conventional culture methods.  Now, the
Bioreactor is being used on the ground for growing cells for use in the
treatment of diseases such as malignant glioma, an often fatal type of brain
tumor.  The Bioreactor allows a patient's own lymphocytes to be stimulated by
the cancer cells, then implanted back into the patient to begin to attack the
tumor cells.  The test on this flight will provide further insight into the
quality of the cells grown by the Bioreactor in space.

    Also, a continuation of two earlier life science experiments will be
flown-the Chromosome Plant Cell Division in Space (CHROMEX) and the
Physiological and Anatomical Rodent Experiment (PARE- 02).  CHROMEX will study
the growth of Arabodopsis thaliana in microgravity.  Flight results from the
experiment will be compared to control plants grown on the ground under similar
conditions (except microgravity).  PARE-02 will consist of one animal enclosure
holding eight rodents.  The purpose of this experiment is to study the effects
of microgravity on the skeletal system.

    A commercial experiment, the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus
(CGBA), will also be flown.  CGBA consists of two commercial
refrigeration/incubation modules.  The modules will automatically mix, heat,
and process biological samples in microgravity.  The experiment is being flown
for the second time on the Space Shuttle.

    Packing the remainder of the STS-54 schedule will be a variety of
systems tests, medical evaluations, and an innovative educational experiment.
Systems tests include studies of electronic still photography equipment,
modifications of the toilet system planned for extended stays in orbit, and
star tracker (orbiter navigational devices) accuracy evaluations.  Medical
studies include studies of human lymphocytes, aerobic exercise, and vestibular
function.  The educational experiment, Physics of Toys, offers students and
teachers an exciting opportunity to experiment with and to observe the actions
of common toys in microgravity.  Many toys operate because of fundamental
scientific and mathematical principles.  Observing these toys in space offers
an opportunity to learn about their actions free from friction with Earth's
surface and from the local effects of gravity. (Gravity doesn't go away in
space, but the Shuttle's free-fall orbit causes objects to appear to float in
space.) More than 30 toys will be tested and videotaped by Endeavour's
crewmembers.  Later in the year, the tapes will be distributed to schools
across the country through NASA's network of Teacher Resource Centers. Students
and teachers will be encouraged to experiment with these same toys. (The
Physics of Toys experiment is the second time a group of toys has been carried
on the Space Shuttle. The first group of toys was carried on the 51-D mission
in 1985.  The new toys were selected by an educator advisory group with
representatives from across the country.)

Classroom Activities and Questions

1. The entire progress of the mission from launch to landing can be observed on
television if your school has a satellite dish.  Direct the dish to the SATCOM
F2R satellite at 72 degrees west longitude.  Tune in to NASA Select,
transponder 13, 3960 megahertz.  If your school does not have a satellite dish
but does have a cable television hookup, call your local cable company and
request that they receive NASA Select and either distribute it on one of their
channels or tape it for your use.  Check local news services for updates on
Endeavour''s liftoff or call the NASA Kennedy Space Center at 407-867-2525 for
a recorded message.

2. Why were many tracking stations used by NASA in the early days of space
flight?  (Radio communications with low-orbiting space capsules must be done
"line-of-sight.") How large an area of Earth's surface is visible to a space
capsule 160 kilometers above Earth?

3. Observe the flame of a candle.  What is its shape?  Why?  What would the
shape of a candle flame be in microgravity?  What are the colors of a candle
flame?  Would the colors be different in microgravity?

4. What kinds of toys would you experiment with in space?  Speculate on how
they might function in microgravity. (Some of the toys scheduled to be flown
include gyroscopes, spring jumping toys, wind- up cars, come-back can, paper
helicopters, balloons, Slinky, and a plastic ornithopter.)

References and Resources

│ To request copies of the publications below, write:

NASA Education Division
Code FET
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC 20546

│  Publication text is also available from NASA SPACELINK. See references and
resources section below.

NASA, Mission Watch STS-43 Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-E, MW-006/7-91.
Vogt, G. & Wargo, M. (1992), Microgravity - A Teacher's Guide with Activities,
Secondary Level, EP-280.

NASA SPACELINK provides information about current and historic NASA programs,
lesson plans, the text from previous Mission Watch and Mission Highlights fact
sheets.  Anyone with a personal computer, modem, communications software, and a
long distance telephone line can communicate directly with NASA SPACELINK. Use
your computer to dial 205-895-0028 (8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit).
NASA SPACELINK may also be accessed through Internet through the following
address:

spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov
xsl.msfc.nasa.gov
192.149.89.61
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MEDIA BRIEFING SET ON GALILEO FLYBY EARLY SCIENCE RESULTS

Paula Cleggett-Haleim
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                  December 18, 1992

Bob MacMillin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.



EDITORS NOTE:  N92-109


    Photographs and video clips from the Galileo spacecraft's flyby of the
Earth and moon will be released at a news conference on Tuesday, Dec. 22.  The
briefing will originate from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif., beginning at 1 p.m.  EST.

    The press conference, carried live on NASA Select television, can be
viewed from the NASA Headquarters, auditorium, 400 Maryland Washington, D.C.

    In addition to the release of images, Galileo scientists will discuss
observations made during the flyby, which culminated with Galileo's closest
approach to Earth on Dec. 8.  Also, scientists will present new results from
Galileo's 1991 flyby of the asteroid Gaspra, as well as the outcome of a recent
laser communications experiment.

    Presenters will include Project Manager William J. O'Neil and Project
Scientist Dr. Torrence Johnson.

    NASA Select TV is carried on GE Satcom F2R, transponder 13, C band, 72
degrees west longitude, transponder frequency 3960 MHz, audio subcarrier 6.8
MHz, vertical polarization.
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Educational Briefs for the Middle and Secondary-level Classroom

An Educational Publication of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration

EB-109/September 1992

The Biomass Production Chamber (BCP)

Bioregenerative Life-Support Systems and Space Flight

Plants form the base for all food chains on Earth, and most plants that produce
edible products for humans grow in soil.  But soil is prohibitively heavy and
cannot economically be carried into space.  Also, many plants soon consume the
nutrients they need in the soil.  One way to reduce weight, while still
providing a continuous supply of nutrients to plants in space, is a
closed-cycle hydroponics system.  In a true hydroponics system, a thin, slowly
moving stream of liquid bathes the plant roots, continuously supplying them
with both water and nutrients.  The leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the air
and receive energy from light.  The plants grow and produce biomass, some of
which is edible fruit, tuber, seed, or stalk.  In a fully closed system, the
nutrients, water, and gases are supplied as waste products from the creatures
who consume the food and recycle the remaining biomass.  For example, humans
breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide; plants absorb carbon dioxide and
emit oxygen.  If enough plants are available, they can provide the complete
supply of oxygen needed by a human being.  In turn, the plants receive the
carbon dioxide they need to grow and produce biomass from human exhalations.

NASA is engaged in experiments to develop a Controlled Ecological Life-Support
System, or CELSS. This system would provide basic and continuous life-support
requirements, such as food, drinking water, and breathable atmosphere, by using
plants as the central recycling component.  In turn, the plants would live off
human by-products and unused plant matter.

In a perfectly balanced "bioregenerative system," the waste products of the
producer are the nutrients of the consumer, and vice-versa.  The only item
consumed and not replaced is the energy that drives the system.  In space near
Earth, almost unlimited energy is available from sunlight.  Even when a perfect
system is not practical, one that approaches the ideal will be more efficient
than a system that requires a constant resupply of food, water, and air.

CELSS at the Kennedy Space Center

At the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, NASA is constructing a prototype
facility that may lead the way to a functional CELSS that would be useful in
space.  One of the first major areas being studied is growing plants in a
hydroponics system, where a circulating liquid provides nutrients to plant
roots.  Parts of this hydroponics system are on display at Disney World near
Orlando, in The Land pavilion at EPCOT-Disney's Environmental Prototype
Community of Tomorrow. Participating Disney scientists cultivate crops using
CELSS equipment, then share the data with NASA.

The Biomass Production Chamber

The primary facility for CELSS experiments at KSC is the Biomass Production
Chamber (BPC), the NASA-operated Life Sciences Building on Cape Canaveral. The
BPC is a large, air-tight steel chamber about 3.5 meters in diameter and 7.5
meters high.  It was formerly used as a test vessel to check for leaks in
Mercury and Gemini spacecraft.  It is about the size of the Spacelab module
that flies in the cargo bay of the Shuttle. The chamber has two floors, each
with two growing shelves, and provides a total growing area of 20 meters.  Each
floor has eight racks, and each rack supports two banks of sunlamps and two
adjustable platforms.  An airlock on the second level provides access.

The chamber is one of three parts of a "breadboard project" designed to gather
data, rather than to be a fully operational system.  Its purpose is to produce
food.  Later modules will address two additional tasks: food processing-to
obtain the maximum edible content from all plant parts; and waste management-to
recover and recycle all possible useful solids, liquids, and gases.  The
information will be valuable for all types of space flight, including the
design and operation of food and oxygen production facilities on the Moon and
Mars. The simplified diagram on page 3 illustrates how the food production
facility will interact with the other components of a complete system.

The BPC will provide specific data on air and water regeneration, plus the
following:

1. Atmospheric environment and contaminant control,
2. Root zone environment and nutrient maintenance,
3. Crop nutrition,
4. Propagation methods,
5. Photo radiation (light),
6. Power requirements,
7. Space (area and volume) requirements, and
8. Crop production management systems.

In addition to the work being done in the BPC, nutrient solution maintenance,
condensate water recycling, microbial population control, and gas contaminant
regeneration are being studied in adjacent support laboratories.  The
development of new crop production techniques, to increase the utilization of
the available area and volume in habitats where space is limited, is also an
on- going task.

Early efforts using the BPC are being devoted to higher plants, such as wheat,
soybeans, white and sweet potatoes, lettuce, rice, and sugar beets.  These
plants are being hydroponically grown in trays and supplied with nutrients
through a "thin film" technique.  The nutrient solution is pumped slowly
through the trays from connecting piping.  At some point in the future, the
inedible biomass left after a plant is harvested will be converted into edible
biomass by microorganism-based systems and technologies.  The airlock on the
BPC permits good control of the gases inside.  Only oxygen and carbon dioxide
are continuously controlled.  Oxygen is maintained at 20.8 percent, and carbon
dioxide at about 0.03 percent.  The air pressure is kept slightly higher than
outside, preventing air to enter the chamber.  The upper and lower chambers
have separate air-handling systems, which recycle air through fiberglass
filters every three minutes.  This removes moisture and picks up excess
radiant, conductive, and convective heat.  The plants receive photosynthetic
energy from three 400-watt high- pressure sodium lamps fitted into each lamp
bank.  These bulbs are mounted under polished stainless steel parabolic
reflectors, adjustable to provide a uniform irradiance over the plant shelves.
Four nutrient solution storage tanks are located outside the BPC, one for each
level.  A series of pumps, filters, valves, pressure switches, and flow meters
directs and controls the flow.  The filters only remove particles large enough
to hinder the flow and distribution of the liquid.  The nutrients in the tank
can be kept balanced by adding new materials.  In space or on another planet,
the ideal system would require that all inedible biomass, such as stems or
seeds, human waste products, and recycled liquids, be refined and used instead
of new materials.  This ideal can be approached only one step at a time.  Wheat
is an excellent crop for a first choice because it has a life cycle of 64 days,
which matches the number of trays in the BPC. One tray can be planted each day,
and one harvested each day when grown.  This procedure enables the other
components of a CELSS, such as nutrient storage, liquid and solid regeneration,
biomass processing, and gas contaminant control. to be easily studied.  The
labor requirements tend to be uniform for this particular crop, and the loss of
one or more trays would not seriously affect the project as a whole.

Investigations have already begun to develop systems for other crops.  One goal
is to develop a nutrient delivery system that will function effectively in
microgravity.  Another major step is to place a crew in the gas loop, and
measure the actual production and consumption of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
The type of plants that best produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide, and
also provide edible products, must be determined.  NASA also needs to know how
many plants are required to supply food and oxygen for one person.  When this
data is in hand, the CELSS system can be made more and more "closed"-that is,
operating without the input of new materials- to more nearly simulate the
complete recycling process.


For the Classroom

Vocabulary

1. Have students investigate the requirements for plant growth and discuss
which will be available in space in large quantities.

2.  Divide students into two groups.  Have one group discuss the advantages of
a hydroponics plant-growing system over one that grows plants in soil and have
the other group discuss the disadvantages.

3. Have students research and develop a bioregenerative system to learn (1)
when such a system is perfectly balanced, (2) why even an imperfect system can
be highly worthwhile, (3) which two gases must be perfectly controlled in a
bioregenerative experiment and why, and (4) three important steps that must be
accomplished before a bioregenerative system can approach the ideal of a
completely closed-cycle operation.

4. Wheat has a life cycle of 64 days.  Have students discuss why this makes it
a good crop to grow in the Biomass Production Chamber and then research other
crops that have similar cycles.

5. As a class science project, build a small hydroponics system and grow a crop
of wheat, Irish or sweet potatoes, soybeans, rice, or sugar beets.  Check the
nutritional, energy, and gas needs of each plant before making a selection.
Design the system to operate in gravity.  At the end of the project, do a
comparison study to illustrate the changes that would be required to make your
system operate in microgravity aboard the Space Station.

6. As a follow-on project, grow two or three different plants and compare the
results.


Components visualized for a CELSS Breadboard Facility

Crew Waste Regeneration
Product Storage
Food Preparation
Biomass Processing
Food Production2
Plant Water Regeneration1
Water Regeneration
Atmospheric Regeneration

Minerals, H20
Minerals, H20, C02
Minerals, H20, C02
Biomass
Biomass, O2

Monitoring and Control

1. CO2 and O2
2. O2 trace contaminants and viable nonedible particulates
3. Pressure, temperature, and humidity
4. Biomass (lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins)
5. Water
6. Major nutrients
7. Energy (i.e. electricity)

1. Concentrate initially on nitrogen cycle and conversion into food.
2. Interconnections have been omitted for clarity.




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