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Return-path: <ota+space.mail-errors@andrew.cmu.edu> X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 32766 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/sZeXEZK00VcJ41IU5e>; Tue, 9 Jan 90 13:57:41 -0500 (EST) Received: from beak.andrew.cmu.edu via qmail ID </usr/spool/ViceMsgQueue/QF.AZeHmyu00VcJQ15k8c>; Mon, 8 Jan 90 20:22:07 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <4ZeHmb-00VcJE14k54@andrew.cmu.edu> Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Mon, 8 Jan 90 20:21:43 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #392 SPACE Digest Volume 10 : Issue 392 Today's Topics: KSC closes out 1989 and gears up for the coming new decade (Forwarded) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 3 Jan 90 19:00:40 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: KSC closes out 1989 and gears up for the coming new decade (Forwarded) Bruce Buckingham Kennedy Space Center, Florida Dec. 27, 1989 KSC RELEASE NO. 137-89 "We begin the new decade with dedication to our mission and pride of our past accomplishment." --- Center Director Forrest McCartney. KSC CLOSES OUT 1989 AND GEARS UP FOR THE COMING NEW DECADE As America's space program steps boldly into a new decade, KSC's accomplishments in 1989 will be the cornerstone upon which the dreams and hopes of this country's space future will be built. Spearheading the successes of the past year were the five Space Shuttle missions. The shuttle flights included two planetary missions, two Department of Defense dedicated launches, and a mission to deploy a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. In addition to the shuttle launches, KSC played a leading role in the successful launch of the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) by a Delta rocket from Vandenberg AFB, Ca., and the launch of a FLTSATCOM from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on an Atlas/Centaur booster (AC-68). At the beginning of the year, NASA had laid out an aggressive launch schedule for KSC. In order to continue the success of the previous year -- when the world witnessed the shuttle's successful return to space -- 1989 would have to provide an even more impressive show of resiliency. -- more -- -- 2 -- ECONOMIC IMPACT AND CONTRACT EXTENSIONS The Kennedy Space Center continued to be a major factor in the Central Florida economy. During the past year, KSC employed over 18,000 workers, both civil service and contractor. Contracts and employment generated a $1.24 billion boost to Florida's economy, of which approximately $750 million remained in Brevard County. The major contractors at KSC continued to provide valuable services to the nation's space effort. Lockheed Space Operations, Co., the Shuttle Processing Contractor, had its contract extended for three years through September 1992. EG&G Florida, Inc., the Base Operations Contractor, had its existing contract extended for the eighth year, making it effective through the end of 1990. The Payload Ground Processing Contract, awarded to McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Co. in 1987, was extended for the first time, adding an additional three years to the existing contract. McDonnell Douglas will continue to provide ground support, test and integration for payload operations at Kennedy Space Center through the end of 1992. BUILDING, MODIFICATION, AND REFURBISHMENT PROJECTS Numerous building projects continued at KSC through 1989, the largest of them being the Operations Support Building which will be opened for occupancy four months ahead of schedule in early 1990. This 300,000-square-foot facility will provide office space for about 1,800 employees currently working out of temporary trailers and renovated boxcars. On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, construction began on a new spacecraft x-ray facility. The $1.9 million contract --awarded to David Boland, Inc. of Titusville, Fla. -- will also cover the building's design for non-destructive x-ray testing of various spacecraft hardware, such as upper stage motors used to boost spacecraft into higher orbits. On the human side, KSC identified a special need of its employees and worked vigorously to see the solution come to pass. Through the NASA/KSC Exchange Council, an agreement was reached in June 1989 with Tutor Time International, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah, for the design, construction, staffing and operation of a child day care center at KSC. In September, ground was broken for the 6,600 square foot facility to be located outside the security perimeter in the KSC Industrial Area. The -- more -- -- 3 -- establishment of a full-time child day care center at KSC was the result of an employee suggestion. It is expected to open in January 1990. In the shuttle processing arena, the Orbiter Maintenance and Refurbishment Facility was targeted for modification and eventual upgrade to Orbiter Processing Facility status. In preparation for this improvement, work platforms, service structures and other equipment were shipped in from Vandenberg AFB, arriving at KSC on Nov. 10. By using the existing structures from the California facility, NASA is expected to realize a saving of about $3.7 million. The most challenging modifications were those made at launch pad 39-A which underwent 138 significant modifications at a cost of about $50 million. Pad A was the launching point for the first 24 successful shuttle missions. The complex was temporarily deactivated following the Challenger mishap as mission managers chose to concentrate efforts to first modify Pad B for the resumption of flight. Some of the modifications to Pad A include: * improvements to the environmental control system in the payload changeout room on the RSS; * addition of a heater to the solid rocket joint umbilical; * added safety features to the crew emergency egress system and the addition of two slidewire baskets; * improvements to the slidewire bunker area; * service umbilicals to support the orbiter Columbia's fifth cryogenic fuel cell. In addition to the resumption of pad A's support for shuttle launches, KSC's third mobile launcher platform was declared ready to support the agency's aggressive 1990 schedule. Pad A will next be used for launch of the STS-32 mission in January. A key component in meeting the 1990 launch schedule is the ability to quickly replace orbiter tiles damaged late in the flow. KSC's Thermal Protection System Facility upgraded its capabilities this past year and began on-site production of high and low temperature reusable surface insulation tiles. In order to avoid having to fly replacement tiles in from production facilities in California, KSC now has the tools necessary to make its own tiles from scratch, thus saving the agency up to three days turn around time. -- more -- -- 4 -- ORBITER MODIFICATIONS AND PROCESSING Flying on the orbiter Columbia in January 1990 will be the first tile produced at KSC. But with that tile, about 258 modifications new to Columbia since early 1986 will also be flown. Of those modifications, including the list of critical return-to-flight vehicle improvements, about 16 modifications are unique to the agency's oldest orbiter. Return-to-flight modifications were conducted on Columbia throughout the past year. These included upgrades to the electrical system, cockpit computer keyboards, new on-board cryogenic fuel cells and new auxiliary power unit controllers. Also, in order to decrease brake wear, the orbiter's axles were stiffened on the landing gear and a dozen extra clamps were added to Columbia's hydraulic braking lines. Also, larger protective tiles were installed on the elevons leading edges and the trailing edges of the wings. Columbia's payload bay doors and fuselage, originally covered with over 2,300 small white diced tiles, were eventually recovered with thermal protective blankets. In addition, a reinforced carbon-carbon chin panel was installed to replace about 40 tiles between the nose cap and nose landing gear doors. FIVE SUCCESSFUL LAUNCHES, FIVE SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS Five successful flights of the Space Shuttle highlighted the center's accomplishments in 1989. Each mission ended successfully at Edwards AFB, Ca., after five days in orbit (with the exception of STS-30's four day mission). The following is a brief summary of each mission: * STS-29 -- The year's first mission began with the launch of Discovery on March 13 and the successful deployment of the third Tracking and Data Relay Spacecraft (TDRS-4). This spacecraft will allow near continuous communication links with earth and low-orbiting spacecraft. * STS-30 -- Less than two months later, Atlantis was launched on May 4. Atlantis deployed the nation's first planetary spacecraft, Magellan, in over 10 years. Magellan is now speeding on its way to map the surface of Earth's closet planetary neighbor, Venus. -- more -- -- 5 -- * STS-28 -- Columbia was launched on the year's first Department of Defense dedicated mission on Aug. 8. This marked the first flight of Columbia since Space Shuttle mission 61-C in January 1986. * STS-34 -- The second planetary mission of the year was sent on its way by the orbiter Atlantis. On Oct. 18, the Galileo spacecraft began its six-year journey to the planet Jupiter. As Galileo approaches the solar system's largest planet, a probe will be released to parachute toward the Jovian surface sending valuable information back to earth until it is crushed by the enormous pressure of Jupiter atmosphere. * STS-33 -- The year's last shuttle mission was another DOD mission. The orbiter Discovery was launched on Nov. 22. PAYLOADS PROCESSING AT KSC As the three orbiters were being processed and readied for flight, the payloads world was also extremely active. Here, technicians spent hours upon hours testing and retesting components that will experience the extreme heat and cold of space. Of the payloads processed and launched at KSC during the past year, all are still performing perfectly. The TDRS communications spacecraft (launched on mission STS-29) is now in its proper orbit and functioning without error. The planetary spacecraft, Magellan and Galileo, are also performing without problem and both are speeding toward their intended encounters with their respective planets, Venus and Jupiter. These very specialized scientific spacecraft were sent through extensive testing and scrutiny at KSC, first in the center's Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) and then in the Vertical Processing Facility (VPF). Magellan, launched aboard STS-30 and deployed for its journey to Venus, marked the resumption of the United States' reach to another planetary body since 1978. It kicks off a core program of solar system exploration involving NASA and organizations from the U.S. and the international community. The Magellan Venus Radar Mapper will yield the most detailed and comprehensive picture to date of the cloud covered planet. Mission objectives include learning more about the structure and geological history of the planet; its geophysics, such as density distribution; and its small-scale surface physics, such as temperature and roughness. By year's end, Magellan will be -- more -- -- 6 -- halfway to its rendezvous with our sister planet. Magellan is expected to reach Venus in August 1990. Galileo was launched aboard the orbiter Atlantis on mission STS-34. Fueled by nearly 48 pounds of plutonium-238 for the generation of heat for electrical power, Galileo began its six year long journey to our Solar System's largest planet, Jupiter. Throughout the trip, Galileo will examine the celestial bodies it encounters including the asteroid Gaspra and the planet Venus when it performs a gravitational assist flyby. As Galileo approaches Jupiter in 1995, a probe will be released to parachute into the dense Jovian atmosphere. The probe's instruments will measure atmospheric temperatures, light and radio frequency interference from lightning. On the Galileo mother ship, cameras will capture details of the planet and her moons at a resolution many times greater than that seen during the Voyager spacecraft flybys in the 1970s. As Galileo prepares to enter orbit around Jupiter, it will pass within 22,000 miles of Europa and 620 miles of Io, two of the large Galilean moons. The Deep Space Network (DSN) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California, will monitor the progress of both Magellan and Galileo with the support of the huge 230-foot-diameter antennas at Goldstone, Ca., Spain and Australia. However, KSC is the home of a DSN station with a much lower profile. The terminal, referred to as "MIL-71," is located at the MILA tracking station at KSC. Using the tracking antennas of MILA and linked to the other DSN stations through the NASA Communications Network (NASCOM), the MIL-71 station supported both the Magellan and the Galileo missions from the closure of the orbiter's payload bay doors, through spacecraft deployment, the upper stage burns, and finally spacecraft separation. FUTURE PAYLOADS PROCESSING AT KSC Concurrently, several payloads slated for future missions also began their KSC processing in 1989. The SYNCOM-IV communications satellite built for the Navy by Hughes Aircraft, utilized the AstroTech facilities south of Titusville, Fla., for its initial checkout phase. It was later transferred to the Vertical Processing Facility's airlock in the KSC industrial area prior to being installed into the orbiter Columbia at Pad A. SYNCOM-IV is the fifth and final satellite in its class. Once on station in a geosynchronous orbit, it will be known as LEASAT-5. -- more -- -- 7 -- Just prior to SYNCOM's move to the VPF's airlock, perhaps the most significant scientific payload slated for launch next year arrived at KSC's shuttle landing facility and was transported with great care to the VPF's clean room. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the world's largest and most sophisticated orbiting telescope, finally arrived at KSC after years of delay. At the VPF, HST began a series of rigorous tests and validations. Under the protective covering of a translucent bag, HST passed a significant test when it was first powered-up at KSC and underwent a series of functional checks of its on-board science instruments on Oct. 28. Power was also applied to the telescope via satellite from the HST control facility at Lockheed in Sunnyvale, Ca. A return data stream confirmed to controllers that the power was on. Performance testing was also conducted on the five science instruments, the telescope's pointing control system, and the fine guidance sensors. Testing was completed Dec. 8. On Dec. 20, the Wide-field Planetary Camera was installed on HST. This camera, which weighs 600 pounds, will be used to photograph individual planets in our solar system or hundreds of galaxies at once. HST, our window to the universe, will allow scientists a view of the universe 10 times greater than that now available on Earth. HST is slated for launch on Space Shuttle mission STS-31 in March 1990. Also undergoing tests at KSC is the ASTRO-1 (STS-35) payload in the Operations and Checkout Building high bay. ASTRO-1 is a payload consisting of 4 optical instruments capable of performing independent or simultaneous observations of selected targets. EXPENDABLE VEHICLES AND THEIR PAYLOADS At 4:56 a.m. on Sept. 25, teams from NASA and General Dynamics worked together to launch Atlas/Centaur (AC-68) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Complex 36. This was NASA's last launch of the Atlas/Centaur vehicle carrying the FLTSATCOM-8 into earth orbit for use by the Navy. In the future, NASA will contract with either the Air Force or the vehicle manufacturer to procure expendable launch vehicles such as the Atlas/Centaur and related launch services. NASA will, however, retain oversight responsibilities for the vehicles which carry NASA payloads. The two-stage, liquid-fueled Atlas/Centaur has a long history and was used to launch a variety of technological and scientific spacecraft, including Surveyors to the moon, Mariners to Venus, Mercury and Mars, and Pioneers to Jupiter and Saturn. -- more -- -- 8 -- On its final mission for NASA, Atlas/Centaur sent the FLTSATCOM-8 spacecraft on its way to serve as part of a versatile, high-capacity worldwide military communications system operated by the United States. FLTSATCOM, one of a series of six satellites now operating in orbit, will be used to provide instant communications between the President of the United States and his commanding officers located in remote stations around the world. FLTSATCOM's orbit is geosynchronous and it is be stationed at about 22,238 miles above the equator. Last year also saw the last launch of a NASA owned and managed Delta rocket when, on Nov. 18, Delta 183 was launched from Vandenberg AFB, Ca. The launch was successful in its attempt to place into orbit the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), the 66th spacecraft in the Explorer series. KSC workers had been involved for over two years in preparing the west coast facility for COBE. Finally, following the processing of the first and second stages of the Delta at KSC's Hanger M, the electrical mating of the two components, and a test which simulated in-flight events, the sections were shipped to Vandenberg for launch. Under KSC's supervision, much work went into preparing the Space Launch Complex 2-West for COBE and NASA's last Delta vehicle. Extensive refurbishment activities lasted over a year. Work included corrosion repair, sand-blasting and painting; replacement of deteriorated pad support equipment; recertification of pad cranes used to lift the launch vehicle and COBE spacecraft; repair of pad lighting systems and recertification of pressure vessels for helium and nitrogen used for the hydraulic and pneumatic systems. The launch went perfectly and COBE is currently working on its assignment -- a one year to two year mission to gather information to possibly answer questions like: Was there a primeval explosion that started the universe expansion? What started the formation of galaxies? What caused galaxies to be arranged in giant clusters? The Delta launch vehicle was originally designed and built for NASA as an improved version of the Air Force's Thor-Able. Delta first flew in 1960. There have been more NASA Delta launches than all other launch vehicles in its class combined. SPINOFFS, CELSS, AND OTHER FUTURE PROJECTS As a result of the intense experimentation in the world of payloads and the increased awareness of continued safe manned -- more -- -- 9 -- flight, science has reaped marvelous benefits from various spinoff technologies. But to simply reap the benefits is not enough. A way was needed to carry the word from NASA to the outside commercial community. As a result, KSC and the State of Florida signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the transfer of NASA technology. This agreement was formalized during a meeting by Center Director Forrest McCartney and Florida Governor Bob Martinez on July 18 at KSC. It provides for the continuation of the ongoing NASA Technology Utilization program to transfer NASA technology to Florida's governmental and industrial organizations in a timely manner. Examples of possible benefits spun-off from NASA derived inventions and technology include: advanced breathing packs for fire fighters; running shoes that lessen stress on legs; heat pipe technology that assisted a candy maker; sun glasses that decrease the risk of late-life blindness by diminishing ultraviolet rays; home solar energy applications; insulation for both home and camping; and an aerial color infrared mapping system used for inventory of Florida citrus groves. NASA technology developed during experimentation at KSC has also provided improvements to the health and life styles of the aging. During an in depth three day conference co-sponsored by NASA/KSC from Jan. 30 - Feb. 1 at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., several KSC technical managers presented a forum for discussing various issues ranging from communications to health care services for space colonization. Later in the year, NASA/KSC announced the reaching of a preliminary understanding with the medical community by the creation of a new Space Medicine Institute. This agreement will enhance NASA's role in responding to research in health needs and create closer ties between the health and space communities. Sharing of knowledge and the ability to match health problems with existing technology is the primary goal of the partnership. The unique match will improve health care here on earth and in space. Another agreement was reached between KSC/NASA and the Florida American Cancer Society. This agreement calls for the transfer of technology from the space program to the medical profession and industry to assist in solving problems associated with cancer prevention, detection and treatment. Continuing studies in rocket triggered lightning research entered the seventh year in 1989. The NASA-sponsored program resumed from the pad on the shore of Mosquito Lagoon, 8 miles north of the Vehicle Assembly Building. A space age version of -- more -- -- 10 -- Ben Franklin's key-on-a-kite-string, the program entails launching three-foot-tall solid fueled rockets into thunderstorms while trailing a wire to the ground. The research program grew out of NASA's desire to improve lightning protection systems for KSC facilities and forecasting lightning potential during launches. First in January then again in August, Kennedy Space Center scientists from the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) project, harvested their second and third crops of dwarf wheat -- and it was grown without soil in a computer controlled biomass chamber. The two-story, bubble-shaped sphere, located in Hanger L on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, was once a test chamber for the Mercury and Gemini programs. Using the specially developed environment, strictly controlled by computers, KSC scientists and technicians learned how to deliver nutrients to seedlings and monitor the growth and gaseous outputs of dwarf wheat plants with minimum human intervention. Following successful wheat crops, the CELSS scientists began chamber research with soy beans. Since future spacecraft will not have enough room to grow traditional plants in soil, the CELSS experimenters carefully analyzed the interaction of plants, nutrients, computer controls, lighting, nutrient delivery systems and even how humans affect the system by their mere presence. In the later case, the system was designed to adjust for even the slightest increase in carbon dioxide in the air from technicians breathing. Efforts by other KSC workers in 1989 should provide answers to other scientists who are questioning the circulation of air in zero-gravity. The Chromosomes and Plant Cell Division in Space experiment (CHROMEX) was designed to create an atmosphere exchange system that circulates cabin air around plants inside the CELSS chamber. This accomplishment will bring scientists a step closer in understanding how to grow plants in space. Still ahead are needed answers to intriguing questions like: Can several types of plants be grown in one chamber or will space age farms require the separation of plants? Answers to this and other extremely important questions will need to be found before building lunar bases or sending men to Mars. KSC's Biomedical Operations and Research Office will be studying the multitude of possible solutions to this dilemma in the coming year. -- more -- -- 11 -- APOLLO 11 20TH ANNIVERSARY But as NASA marched on into the future, triumphs of the past were remembered. July 16, 1989 marked the launch of the Apollo 11 20th Anniversary which landed the first humans on the moon and returned them safely to earth. In remembrance of this monumental occasion, KSC hosted the return of the original Apollo 11 crew. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins were greeted by thousands of cheering KSC employees and open house guests as they recalled the experience of the century. The day-long celebration reminded all Americans of the incredible, unequaled feat of the Apollo program. LOOKING AHEAD Now, as KSC looks to the future, the possibilities seem endless. Just around the corner is the Space Station, and further ahead a possible lunar base and human mission to Mars. When the time comes for these grand explorations, their beginnings may be from KSC. KSC will undertake the challenge of the future one step at a time. Next year, NASA plans a record number of Space Shuttle missions. Over 55 astronauts are scheduled to begin their journey into space from KSC's Launch Complex 39 and a long list of important payloads and experiments will be serviced here. Astronomical sciences will be the focus of later missions. Hubble Space Telescope (STS-31) will bring into clear view by 10 fold a new look at our universe. Then two star-searching devices -- Astro-1 and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (STS-35) will be deployed. The Gamma Ray Observatory (STS-37) will study stellar and intergalactic phenomena through deep space. Two final DOD missions (STS-36, STS-38) are also scheduled for launch next year. Then, scientific research will focus on the Sun with the deployment of the Ulysses (STS-41) spacecraft. Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (STS-40) and the International Microgravity Laboratory (STS-42) will round out the year. ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V10 #392 *******************