Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT_ZIP/daily/930226.ZIP/930226.DFC

Text File | 1993-02-27 | 26KB | 646 lines

26-Feb-93 Daily File Collection
   These files were added or updated between 25-Feb-93 at 21:00:00 {Central}
                                         and 26-Feb-93 at 21:00:36.

=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930225B.REL

2/25/93: GOLDIN ANNOUNCES KEY SPACE STATION POSTS AND SPENDING MEASURES

Jeffrey Carr
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                February 25, 1993

RELEASE: 93-038

NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin has named Dr. Joseph
F. Shea to oversee the redesign of the Space Station and
has provided new policy direction for Space Station
contract cost management during the design transition.

Shea has been appointed Assistant Deputy Administrator
of the agency and will be directly responsible for
leading NASA's efforts to develop options for the
redesign of the Space Station, its mission and
management structure.

A candidate also will be named, shortly, to establish
and chair a blue ribbon panel of outside experts to
review and assess NASA's redesign concept and approach.

"I have asked Joe Shea to come back to NASA to head the
redesign effort.  He has recently been serving as the
Acting Chair of the NASA Advisory Council and brings a
wealth of knowledge and experience to this critical
task," Goldin said.

"Joe will be responsible for assembling a team that will
involve a variety of individuals from across NASA and
our international partners and will call upon the
expertise of individuals both within and outside of the
government and academia.  The NASA/contractor Space
Station team also will be called upon and Joe will work
with Dick Kohrs to assure access and insight to ongoing
program activities.  This team will truly reflect the
cultural diversity of the agency and country," Goldin
added.  Kohrs is Director of the Space Station Program
Office.

Goldin also announced agency-wide measures to conserve
resources and restrict new spending during the redesign
transition.  In general, no new awards or new work
modifications which relate to the current Space Station
program, including support service contracts, will be
solicited or issued.  Work on existing contracts is not
to be accelerated and Space Station contractors are
being advised to discontinue overtime and any further
staffing increases.

An adjunct professor of aeronautics and astronautics at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Shea has
served on the NASA Advisory Council for several years.
His contributions in the field of space flight also
include 5 years with NASA in the 1960's as Deputy
Director of Manned Space Flight and as Apollo Program
Manager at the NASA Manned Spaceflight Center, Houston
(now the Johnson Space Center).  He also served as
Manager of the Titan inertial guidance program for
General Motors Corp. and is a retired senior vice
president of the Raytheon Co.

Shea has served on the Defense Science Board and the
National Research Council, is a member of the National
Academy of Engineering and is a former President of the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

- end -
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930226.REL

2/26/93 COSMONAUTS TO MEET THE PRESS

Jim Cast
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                      February 26, 1993

Debra Rahn
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Billie Deason
Johnson Space Center, Houston

EDITORS NOTE:  N93-9


    Russian cosmonauts Col. Vladimir G. Titov and Sergei K. Krikalev will
meet with media representatives for interviews on Tuesday, March 9, 1993,
between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.  EST. Interviews will be conducted in Bldg. 2
at the Johnson Space Center, Houston.

    The two cosmonauts are training as mission specialists for Shuttle
mission STS-60 set for flight in late 1993.  One cosmonaut will be designated
as the prime crew member with the other serving as his backup.

    During the STS-60 mission, the crew will deploy and retrieve the Wake
Shield Facility to test the creation of an ultra-vacuum in which to produce
extremely pure thin film crystals for industrial uses ranging from
microelectronics to lasers and superconductivity.  The mission also will
include a number of microgravity experiments in Spacehab 2, as well as U.S. and
Russian Space Agency life sciences investigations.

    Along with the cosmonaut mission specialists, STS-60 Commander Charles
Bolden, Pilot Ken Reightler and mission specialists Jan Davis, Franklin
Chang-Diaz and Ron Sega will be available for interviews about the mission's
experiments and payloads.

- end -


                                                                                                              Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930226.SHU

KSC SHUTTLE STATUS 2/26/93



               SPACE SHUTTLE WEEKLY STATUS SUMMARY
                   Friday, February 26, 1993


George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center


Vehicle: OV-102/Orbiter Columbia    Mission: STS-55
Current location: Pad 39-A          Orbital altitude: 184 sm
Payloads: Spacelab-D2/SAREX         Inclination: 28.45 degrees
Launch timeframe: March wk 2        Nominal Landing: KSC
Mission Duration: 8 days 22 hours   Crew size: 7

STS-55 IN WORK:

- turbopump pressurized leak checks
- turbopump electrical checks
- GAS can experiment removal
- testing of secondary orbiter refrigerator/freezer unit


STS-55 WORK SCHEDULED:

- actuator connections Saturday
- reinstall GAUS film magazine Saturday
- primary orbiter refrigerator/freezer
  interface verification test (IVT) Saturday
- main engine heat shield installation Saturday/Sunday
- load orbiter mass memory units Monday
- Flight Readiness Test (FRT) Tuesday
- install contingency EVA spacesuits into airlock Tuesday
- begin stowage of flight crew equipment into crew cabin Wed.
- Helium Signature leak check Wednesday
- hypergolic propellant loading Thursday/Friday


STS-55 COLUMBIA WORK COMPLETED:

- main engine turbopump installation, connections and securing


Vehicle: OV-103/Discovery              Mission Number: STS-56
Location: OPF Bay 3                    Orbital altitude: 184 sm
Payloads: ATLAS-2/SSBUV/SPARTAN/SUVE   Inclination: 57 degrees
Launch timeframe: NET April 3          Nominal Landing Site: KSC
Mission Duration: 8 days 6 hours       Crew Size: 5



STS-56 IN WORK:

- orbiter aft main engine compartment closeouts
- crew module closeouts
- payload bay door closure
- crew hatch closure
- structural leak checks
- final tile work


STS-56 WORK COMPLETED:

- removal of main engines
- external tank door functional test
- landing gear functional test
- OMS/RCS flight control checks
- OMS/RCS system leak checks
- final check and securing of orbiter flight controls
- final payload bay cleaning
- thermal protection system tile work
- remote manipulator arm checkout
- MSBLS testing
- Ku-band antenna testing
- potable water supply system leak checks
- tests of air data probe



 STS-56 DISCOVERY WORK SCHEDULED:

- landing gear strut pressurization Saturday
- completion of tile closeouts Saturday
- weight and center of gravity determination Monday
- install orbiter on orbiter transporter Tuesday
- rollover to VAB on Wednesday


Vehicle: OV-105/Endeavour              Mission: STS-57
Current Location: OPF Bay 1            Orbital altitude: 287.5 sm
Primary payload: Spacehab/EURECA 1-R   Inclination: 28.45 degrees
Launch timeframe: NET April 28         Nominal landing site: KSC
Mission duration: 7 days 23 hours      Crew Size: 6


STS-57 IN WORK:

- installation of orbiter Spacehab water heaters
- leak checks of orbiter Spacehab coolant lines
- potable water servicing
- Ku-band antenna testing
- radar altimeter troubleshooting
- bulb seal repair
- power control assembly fuse inspections
- stacking solid rocket boosters in VAB High Bay 3



STS-57 WORK COMPLETED:

- elevon and rudder speed brake closeouts
- ammonia boiler servicing
- Spacehab tunnel adapter installation
- OMS/RCS flight control functional test
- remote manipulator system functional test



STS-57 ENDEAVOUR WORK SCHEDULED:

- install Spacehab into canister on Tuesday
- transport Spacehab to OPF and install on Wednesday
- auxiliary power unit #1 lube oil servicing
- auxiliary power unit #1/#2 controller testing
- OMS/RCS electrical redundancy checks
- potable water system leak check
- MSBLS system testing
- reinstall radar altimeters
- radar altimeter testing
- star tracker door testing
- remote manipulator arm elbow and wrist heater testing
- tile waterproofing


                                # # #


     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930226.SKD

DAILY NEWS/TV SKED 2/26/93

Daily News
Friday, February 26, 1993       Two Independence Square, Washington,
D.C.    Audio service: 202/358-3014



 % Key Space Station Post announced;
 % NASA backs experiment to help commercialize
technology;
 % Huge void around solar system could have been caused
by supernova.


Administrator Goldin named Dr. Joseph F. Shea to oversee the
redesign of the Space Station.  Dr. Shea has been appointed
Assistant Deputy Administrator of the agency and will have the
responsibility of leading NASA's efforts to develop redesign options
for the Space Station, its mission and management structure.  Also
Administrator Goldin has given new policy direction to be
implemented for contract cost management during the redesign
transition.

In the latest experiment to help commercialize technology, NASA
will test the concept of "technology incubation" -- a laboratory-to-
market approach to help space technology contribute to U.S.
industrial competitiveness.  NASA's Office of Advanced Concepts
and Technology began the 3-year technology commercialization
experiments by funding two Technology Commercialization Centers.
The centers are located at the Ames Research Center and at the
Johnson Space Center.  The program, which received an $800,000
budget, is being managed and will be operated by the IC2 Institute
at the University of Texas, Austin.


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

A NASA scientist reported in yesterday's issue of the British journal
"Nature" that a supernova that shone in the ancient sky like a
second moon could have caused the huge void known as the "Local
Bubble" that envelops the solar system and many nearby stars.
Researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center say evidence
suggests that the bubble was formed by the supernova or explosion
of a star known as Geminga about 340,000 years ago.  The bubble is
an area about 300 light-years across that, compared to other parts
of space, is relatively empty of any gases except for super-hot
hydrogen.  "This is a supernova we didn't know about until last
year.  We put this new knowledge together with some other
information about the Local Bubble, and we were able to say we
think that we know what happened here,"  said Dr. Neil Gehrels, of
Goddard.  The bubble's origin has been the subject of speculation
for the past 20 years.



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, February 26, 1993

Live            12:00 pm        NASA Today news program featuring stories
on STS-55; the Texas Science Summit; LeRC's TPCE experiment;
LaRC's TQM bulletin board; LaRC's summer internship search, and a
GSFC weekend seminar.

                12:15 pm        Aeronautics and Space Report.
                12:30 pm        Manned Flight Awareness.
Live             1:00  pm       TOPEX Press Conference; From JPL.
                 2: 30 pm       Life Elsewhere.
                 3:00  pm       TQM #43.


NASA Select TV is carried on GE Satcom F2R, transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees
West Longitude, transponder frequency is 3960 MegaHertz, audio subcarrier is
6.8 MHz, polarization is vertical.


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

=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930226A.REL

2/26/93: SCIENTISTS FORESEE STRENGTHENING EL NINO EVENT

Brian Dunbar
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                  February 26, 1993

Mary Hardin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

RELEASE:  93-39


    Scientists studying data from the U.S.-French TOPEX/POSEIDON
oceanographic spacecraft have observed an ocean phenomena in the equatorial
Pacific that will strengthen the ongoing El Nino event off the western coast of
South America.

    The scientists have been analyzing a prominent Kelvin wave that has
appeared in recent TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data.  A Kelvin wave is a large
warm water mass that moves along the Equator in the Pacific Ocean. These Kelvin
wave pulses give rise to El Nino conditions in the eastern equatorial Pacific.
The Kelvin wave pulse seen in the TOPEX/POSEIDON data also was predicted by the
global ocean numerical models developed on supercomputers at the Naval Research
Laboratory, Washington, D.C.

    The Kelvin wave pulse was excited by westerly wind anomalies in the
western Pacific in December 1992 and is projected to arrive at the South
American coast in late February or early March. The satellite data indicates an
arrival in the early part of the window, while the Navy model points to a
slightly later date.  The imminent arrival of this Kelvin wave pulse suggests
that the current warm conditions in the western Pacific will continue or
possibly intensify during March.

    The strengthening of the El Nino means that the weather conditions
associated with it are likely to continue said Dr. Jim Mitchell of the Naval
Research Laboratory. These conditions include wetter than normal weather in
California, wetter and colder winters than normal in the eastern United States
and warmer and dryer summers than normal across the southern hemisphere.

    Launched Aug. 10, 1992, TOPEX/POSEIDON also is addressing long-term
climate issues.  By mapping the circulation of the world's oceans over several
years, scientists can better understand how oceans transport heat, influence
the atmosphere and affect long-term climate, said Dr. Lee-Leung Fu of the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif. Dr. Fu is the TOPEX/POSEIDON
Project Scientist for NASA.

    Data from TOPEX/POSEIDON is distributed monthly to more than 200
scientists around the world for their analysis.

    TOPEX/POSEIDON is the second satellite in NASA's Mission to Planet
Earth, a comprehensive research program to study the Earth's environment as a
global system.  JPL manages the NASA portion of the mission for the Earth
Science and Applications Division of the Office of Space Science and
Applications, Washington, D.C.

- end -
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=

=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:930226C.REL

2/26/93: MARCH 14 SET AS LAUNCH DATE FOR STS-55 MISSION

Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                Feb. 26, 1993

George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

KSC Release No. 16 - 93


     NASA managers today set March 14, 1993 as the launch date
for Shuttle Mission STS-55 which will see Space Shuttle Columbia
and her seven-member crew fly a mission dedicated to the German
Space Agency.

     The major payload for STS-55, the pressurized spacelab
module - designated as Spacelab-D2 for this flight - will allow
the astronauts to conduct a wide range of experiments in the
microgravity environment of space.  Some 90 experiments are
planned during the mission.

     The launch announcement follows the removal, inspection and
replacement of the high pressure oxidizer turbopumps on
Columbia's three main engines.  The pump changeout came after a
search of processing paperwork could not conclusively determine
that the pumps were equipped with a newer version of turbine tip
seal retainers.  The seals minimize the flow of gas around the
tips of the turbine blades to enhance pump performance and the
retainers hold the seals in place.

     The launch window on March 14 extends from 10 a.m. until
12:30 p.m. EST.  Following launch, Columbia's crew will be
divided into two teams, each working a 12-hour shift, so that
science operations can be carried out around the clock.  The
Spacelab-D2 mission duration is planned for 9 days and will con-
clude with a landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing
Facility.  This date was chosen primarily because it was the
first open date on the Eastern Range during this time frame.
                             # # # # #
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=

=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_10_7.TXT

2/25/93: GOLDIN ANNOUNCES KEY SPACE STATION POSTS AND SPENDING MEASURES

Jeffrey Carr
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                February 25, 1993

RELEASE: 93-038

NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin has named Dr. Joseph
F. Shea to oversee the redesign of the Space Station and
has provided new policy direction for Space Station
contract cost management during the design transition.

Shea has been appointed Assistant Deputy Administrator
of the agency and will be directly responsible for
leading NASA's efforts to develop options for the
redesign of the Space Station, its mission and
management structure.

A candidate also will be named, shortly, to establish
and chair a blue ribbon panel of outside experts to
review and assess NASA's redesign concept and approach.

"I have asked Joe Shea to come back to NASA to head the
redesign effort.  He has recently been serving as the
Acting Chair of the NASA Advisory Council and brings a
wealth of knowledge and experience to this critical
task," Goldin said.

"Joe will be responsible for assembling a team that will
involve a variety of individuals from across NASA and
our international partners and will call upon the
expertise of individuals both within and outside of the
government and academia.  The NASA/contractor Space
Station team also will be called upon and Joe will work
with Dick Kohrs to assure access and insight to ongoing
program activities.  This team will truly reflect the
cultural diversity of the agency and country," Goldin
added.  Kohrs is Director of the Space Station Program
Office.

Goldin also announced agency-wide measures to conserve
resources and restrict new spending during the redesign
transition.  In general, no new awards or new work
modifications which relate to the current Space Station
program, including support service contracts, will be
solicited or issued.  Work on existing contracts is not
to be accelerated and Space Station contractors are
being advised to discontinue overtime and any further
staffing increases.

An adjunct professor of aeronautics and astronautics at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Shea has
served on the NASA Advisory Council for several years.
His contributions in the field of space flight also
include 5 years with NASA in the 1960's as Deputy
Director of Manned Space Flight and as Apollo Program
Manager at the NASA Manned Spaceflight Center, Houston
(now the Johnson Space Center).  He also served as
Manager of the Titan inertial guidance program for
General Motors Corp. and is a retired senior vice
president of the Raytheon Co.

Shea has served on the Defense Science Board and the
National Research Council, is a member of the National
Academy of Engineering and is a former President of the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

- end -
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=

=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_15_17.TXT

2/26/93: SCIENTISTS FORESEE STRENGTHENING EL NINO EVENT

Brian Dunbar
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                  February 26, 1993

Mary Hardin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

RELEASE:  93-39


    Scientists studying data from the U.S.-French TOPEX/POSEIDON
oceanographic spacecraft have observed an ocean phenomena in the equatorial
Pacific that will strengthen the ongoing El Nino event off the western coast of
South America.

    The scientists have been analyzing a prominent Kelvin wave that has
appeared in recent TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data.  A Kelvin wave is a large
warm water mass that moves along the Equator in the Pacific Ocean. These Kelvin
wave pulses give rise to El Nino conditions in the eastern equatorial Pacific.
The Kelvin wave pulse seen in the TOPEX/POSEIDON data also was predicted by the
global ocean numerical models developed on supercomputers at the Naval Research
Laboratory, Washington, D.C.

    The Kelvin wave pulse was excited by westerly wind anomalies in the
western Pacific in December 1992 and is projected to arrive at the South
American coast in late February or early March. The satellite data indicates an
arrival in the early part of the window, while the Navy model points to a
slightly later date.  The imminent arrival of this Kelvin wave pulse suggests
that the current warm conditions in the western Pacific will continue or
possibly intensify during March.

    The strengthening of the El Nino means that the weather conditions
associated with it are likely to continue said Dr. Jim Mitchell of the Naval
Research Laboratory. These conditions include wetter than normal weather in
California, wetter and colder winters than normal in the eastern United States
and warmer and dryer summers than normal across the southern hemisphere.

    Launched Aug. 10, 1992, TOPEX/POSEIDON also is addressing long-term
climate issues.  By mapping the circulation of the world's oceans over several
years, scientists can better understand how oceans transport heat, influence
the atmosphere and affect long-term climate, said Dr. Lee-Leung Fu of the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif. Dr. Fu is the TOPEX/POSEIDON
Project Scientist for NASA.

    Data from TOPEX/POSEIDON is distributed monthly to more than 200
scientists around the world for their analysis.

    TOPEX/POSEIDON is the second satellite in NASA's Mission to Planet
Earth, a comprehensive research program to study the Earth's environment as a
global system.  JPL manages the NASA portion of the mission for the Earth
Science and Applications Division of the Office of Space Science and
Applications, Washington, D.C.

- end -
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=

=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_2_18_5.TXT

 NOTE: This file is too large {26335 bytes} for inclusion in this collection.
    The first line of the file:

- Current Two-Line Element Sets #149 -

     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_2_2_43_6.TXT

2/26/93: MARCH 14 SET AS LAUNCH DATE FOR STS-55 MISSION

Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                Feb. 26, 1993

George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

KSC Release No. 16 - 93


     NASA managers today set March 14, 1993 as the launch date
for Shuttle Mission STS-55 which will see Space Shuttle Columbia
and her seven-member crew fly a mission dedicated to the German
Space Agency.

     The major payload for STS-55, the pressurized spacelab
module - designated as Spacelab-D2 for this flight - will allow
the astronauts to conduct a wide range of experiments in the
microgravity environment of space.  Some 90 experiments are
planned during the mission.

     The launch announcement follows the removal, inspection and
replacement of the high pressure oxidizer turbopumps on
Columbia's three main engines.  The pump changeout came after a
search of processing paperwork could not conclusively determine
that the pumps were equipped with a newer version of turbine tip
seal retainers.  The seals minimize the flow of gas around the
tips of the turbine blades to enhance pump performance and the
retainers hold the seals in place.

     The launch window on March 14 extends from 10 a.m. until
12:30 p.m. EST.  Following launch, Columbia's crew will be
divided into two teams, each working a 12-hour shift, so that
science operations can be carried out around the clock.  The
Spacelab-D2 mission duration is planned for 9 days and will con-
clude with a landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing
Facility.  This date was chosen primarily because it was the
first open date on the Eastern Range during this time frame.
                             # # # # #
     Source:NASA Spacelink    Modem:205-895-0028  Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=

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