Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from beak.andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl@andrew.cmu.edu (->+dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl) (->ota+space.digests) ID ; Sun, 2 Dec 1990 01:37:26 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Sun, 2 Dec 1990 01:36:51 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V12 #605 SPACE Digest Volume 12 : Issue 605 Today's Topics: NASA Headline News for 11/13/90 (Forwarded) NASA Headline News for 11/14/90 (Forwarded) Administrivia: Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to space+@andrew.cmu.edu. Other mail, esp. [un]subscription notices, should be sent to space-request+@andrew.cmu.edu, or, if urgent, to tm2b+@andrew.cmu.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 29 Nov 90 19:49:30 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: NASA Headline News for 11/13/90 (Forwarded) Headline News Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA Headquarters Tuesday, November 13, 1990 Audio Service: 202 / 755-1788 This is NASA Headline News for Tuesday, November 13, 1990 At the Kennedy Space Center, the launch countdown for Atlantis's STS-38 Department of Defense mission began on time at 10:30 pm EST Sunday. Countdown events are proceeding without incident. Fuel cells have been loaded with reactants, and hypergolic propellant tanks have been pressurized. Orbiter mission software has been loaded into the onboard mass memory units, and intercenter communications checkouts with Johnson and Marshall centers has been accomplished. The STS-38 flight crew will arrive from Johnson Space Center at 5:00 pm this evening. Tomorrow, the crew will fly practice runs in both the Shuttle Training Aircraft and T-38 trainers. They will also be briefed on the vehicle, cargo and weather situation and review the mission flight data files. The STS-38 L-2 management review begins today at KSC at 2:00 pm. Launch of Atlantis remains set for Nov. 15, with the four-hour launch period opening at 6:30 pm EST, though the present weather forecast is not reassuring. There is a 70 percent chance of a launch weather criteria violation for Thursday, a 50 percent chance of violation for Friday, and a 30 percent chance of violation on Saturday. The concern centers about a high pressure system now in the Carolinas which will create strong and easterly surface winds over Florida. These winds could present a concern for a Return-to-Launch-Site abort, and possibly even for launch itself. The flight readiness test of Columbia's three main engines was completed this weekend. There were no problems. Last night at 11:50 pm, Columbia's new auxiliary power unit was hot- fired. Workers will inspect the area following replacement of the rotating service structure around the orbiter. They will also top off the APU hydrazine tanks, replenishing fuel which was spent last night during the test. Discovery is powered down in the Orbiter Processing Facility. Its three main engines were removed yesterday and are in the Vehicle Assembly Building engine shop for inspection and servicing. While Discovery is in its present state, workers will be replacing a number of orbiter systems as part of routine maintenance. Tile repair and replacement work will also be done in this period. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magellan passed the point of Superior Conjunction at 8:00 pm last Thursday. Telemetry communications through the spacecraft's S and X-band transmitters was received by the Deep Space Network throughout the period of conjunction. Mapping operations resumed on Saturday. Magellan scientists will brief the press on preliminary results on Nov. 16 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It will be televised on NASA Select TV. Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select TV. All times are Eastern. **indicates a live program. Tuesday, 11/13/90 12:00 pm "A Look to the Future" - Space Roundtable presentation by Eisenhower Institute and Smithsonian Institution. 1:15 pm Live via Satellite. 1:40 pm Delta: America's Space Ambassador. Wednesday, 11/14/90 4:30 am **STS-35 Joint Integrated Simulation. 1:15 pm **Live-at-Venus Magellan Report (at discretion of Johnson Space Center - if STS-35 sim can be interrupted). 1:30 pm **Continuation of STS-35 Joint Integrated Sim. 5:00 pm **L-1 Weather Briefing for STS-38 from KSC. All events and times may change without notice. This report is filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12:00 pm, EST. It is a service of Internal Communications Branch at NASA Headquarters. Contact: CREDMOND on NASAmail or at 202/453-8425. NASA Select TV: Satcom F2R, Transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West Longitude, Audio 6.8, Frequency 3960 MHz. ------------------------------ Date: 29 Nov 90 20:35:13 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: NASA Headline News for 11/14/90 (Forwarded) Headline News Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA Headquarters Wednesday, November 14, 1990 Audio Service: 202 / 755- 1788 This is NASA Headline News for Wednesday, November 14, 1990 Preparations continue to go well at the Kennedy Space Center for Thursday night's launch of Atlantis on the STS-38 Department of Defense mission. Onboard fuel cell storage tanks are now filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Atlantis navigations systems were powered up and verified yesterday. The crew seats have been installed and internal orbiter communications has been turned on. The flight crew arrived yesterday. Commander Dick Covey and pilot Frank Culbertson and the rest of the crew will fly practice runs in their T-38 trainers today. Later today the rotating service structure will be moved in place around Atlantis. Following their T-38 practice, the crew will be briefed on orbiter and payload status, and on the improving weather picture. Predicted launch day weather has improved in the last 24 hours and now calls for no more than a 40 percent probability of launch constraint violation for Nov. 15. The high pressure system over the Carolinas has not developed as strongly as expected. Crosswinds for a Return-to-Launch-Site abort continue to be the principal launch rule concern with a minor concern being expressed for launch pad wind constraints. There is no concern for tanking. Expected visibility for the launch period, 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm, is seven miles with scattered stratocumulus at 4,000 and 7,000 feet, and scattered cirrus at 30,000 and 33,000 feet. Predicted winds at pad 39-A are easterly at 15 knots, gusting to 25. Temperature for launch evening is expected to be in the low 70's with relative humidity also in the 70's. There is a slight chance of a few scattered showers. The weather prediction improves slightly for a Friday or Saturday evening launch and calls for no more than a 30 percent probability of launch constraint violation for either of those days. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Launch pad 39-B will be closed to non-essential personnel today as Columbia's auxiliary power unit fuel tanks are topped off with hydrazine following the earlier hot-fire of APU #1. A launch date will be set for Columbia's STS-35 Astro-1 mission following the Flight Readiness Review, now set for Nov. 27 at KSC. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1, Discovery's radiators have been removed and workers continue with routine maintenance activities including replacement of thermal blankets in the payload bay and inspection of the payload doors. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Galileo flight controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory yesterday performed the second-to-last trajectory correction maneuver in preparation for Galileo's Earth one gravity assist flyby. The maneuver went without a hitch and added 2.9 miles per hour to the spacecraft's velocity. The next, and final, course correction maneuver is planned for Nov. 28. This final maneuver will correct any imperfections in Galileo's trajectory prior to its Earth flyby on Dec. 8. Any minor course error would be greatly amplified by the momentum change imparted by the Earth during the flyby. Galileo picked up almost 5,000 mph during its Venus flyby and will acquire an additional 11,500 mph during the December Earth flyby. It's velocity, relative to the sun, is now 60,140 mph. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Langley Research Center has been cited by the editors of Popular Science magazine in their "Best of What's New" special awards in the December issue. The Langley Takeoff Performance Monitoring System received the award in the Aviation & Space category. The monitoring system uses a television-like display system to provide aircraft pilots with "state-of-health" information pertinent to pilot decisions at critical aircraft performance times such as takeoff roll, V1- rotation, and V2 - liftoff. Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select TV. All times are Eastern. **indicates a live program. Wednesday, 11/14/90 4:30 am **STS-35 Joint Integrated Simulation. 1:15 pm **Live-at-Venus Magellan Report (at discretion of Johnson Space Center - if STS-35 sim can be interrupted). 1:30 pm **Continuation of STS-35 Joint Integrated Sim. 5:00 pm **L-1 Weather Briefing for STS-38 from KSC. All events and times may change without notice. This report is filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12:00 pm, EST. It is a service of Internal Communications Branch at NASA Headquarters. Contact: CREDMOND on NASAmail or at 202/453-8425. NASA Select TV: Satcom F2R, Transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West Longitude, Audio 6.8, Frequency 3960 MHz. ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V12 #605 *******************