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Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: yee@atlas.arc.nasa.gov (Peter Yee)
Subject: 1992 seen as NASA's most productive year for science discoveries [Release 92-228] (Forwarded)
Message-ID: <1992Dec23.054547.2163@news.arc.nasa.gov>
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 05:45:47 GMT
Lines: 1424
David W. Garrett
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. December 21, 1992
(Phone: 202/358-1600)
RELEASE: 92-228
1992 SEEN AS NASA'S MOST PRODUCTIVE YEAR FOR SCIENCE DISCOVERIES
It was a blockbuster year for NASA space science missions, with
scientific discoveries ranging from the beginning of time to black
holes to the innermost workings of the human cell.
"Given the unprecedented return on science information and the
robust launch record, 1992 was the most productive year in the
history of space science," said Dr. Lennard A. Fisk, Associate
Administrator for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications in
Washington, D.C.
"NASA is leading the way in a worldwide resurgence of space
sciences and exploration with 31 space science missions in operation
and returning science. This year is one for the record books," said
NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin.
"Because of the successes of our operational spacecraft and the
new missions undertaken this year, we can look forward to an
exciting and increasingly productive future," Goldin said.
Highlighting 1992 were a number of major science discoveries as
well as eight successful Space Shuttle missions providing an on-
orbit life sciences and microgravity research facility.
Environmental research included studies which indicated the
1992 ozone hole was larger than any previously seen. International
cooperation in space missions increased in 1992, and the the ninth
NASA Administrator, Daniel S. Goldin, was appointed on April 1.
Secrets Yielded
The Big Bang -- the primeval explosion that began the universe
15 billion years ago -- yielded some of its secrets to the Cosmic
Background Explorer spacecraft in 1992. The orbiting observatory
detected temperature variations within the glow from the initial
expansion of the universe following the Big Bang.
Astronomers came closer this year to understanding mysterious
black holes when the Hubble Space Telescope uncovered evidence that
there might be massive black holes in the core of two galaxies. The
orbiting telescope also provided the first direct view of an immense
ring of dust which may fuel a massive black hole at the heart of
another galaxy.
Six scientific spacecraft were launched during 1992 to explore
the universe, the solar system, the Earth and the Earth-sun
environment. Among these was the Mars Observer, America's first
mission to the Red Planet since Viking 17 years ago.
Five Spacelab missions aboard the Space Shuttle advanced human
understanding of how to live and work in space.
A number of microgravity experiments tested various methods of
growing protein and zeolite crystals in space. The results could
have major commercial potential and medical applications.
Space technology research in 1992 stressed new methods that
robots and humans may eventually use to explore the moon and Mars,
including "telepresence" technology that lets a person, wearing a
video headset, see remote locations through cameras mounted on a
robot. The technology could be used by future astronauts to control
robotic explorers on planetary surfaces.
International cooperation was highlighted by the flight of the
first Swiss astronaut and the first Italian payload specialist on
STS-46 and the first Japanese payload specialist flew on the STS-47
Spacelab mission.
Also, NASA signed a contract with the Russian firm, NPO
Energia, focusing on possible use of the Russian Soyuz-TM vehicle as
an interim Assured Crew Return Vehicle for space station astronauts.
Dr. Mae C. Jemison became the first African American female
astronaut to fly in space in September aboard STS-48.
These subjects and other 1992 NASA activities are covered in
the following background release.
- end general release -
EDITORS NOTE: The annual NASA yearender provides a comprehensive
review of all major space and aeronautics programs. The entire 1992
document can be obtained by calling the NASA Headquarters newsroom
at 202/358-1600.
NASA MANAGEMENT
Daniel S. Goldin became the ninth Administrator of NASA on
April 1, appointed by President Bush to succeeded Richard H. Truly.
Prior to joining the agency, Goldin was Vice President and General
Manager of the TRW Space & Technology Group which built 13
spacecraft during his tenure.
The new Administrator assumed command at a time of shrinking
financial resources caused by the recession, the deficit reduction
effort and growing demands in other areas such as education, medical
care and housing.
Forecasts indicted that NASA would not receive appropriations
sufficient to support outyear development of projects initiated
prior to the recession, when the outlook for funds was more
positive.
Goldin initiated a series of efforts to respond to this
situation with the goal of preserving essential space exploration
and aeronautics research programs despite necessary cost reductions,
while permitting the nation to undertake new projects in both areas.
Simultaneously, he launched campaigns to reform the agency's
procurement process, introduce greater cultural diversity into the
workforce and contracting, renew the NASA's commitment to quality
and stimulate public support for the program.
"Cheaper, Faster, Better"
Constantly urging NASA employees and contractors alike to do
things "cheaper, faster and better," the Administrator created a
group of blue and red teams to review major NASA projects and their
organizational settings.
The blue teams consisted of persons who would examine their
own programs for creative ways to reduce cost without compromising
safety or science. The red teams were composed of people
unconnected with programs who might bring fresh insights or insure
that none were stiffled.
This review began in May and has led to significant changes in
a number of major projects, with a 17 percent reduction in costs
thus far. The process is intended to be on-going.
In a closely related effort, Goldin constantly stressed the
adoption of the approaches and tools of Total Quality Management
(TQM) which calls for a continuous effort to improve quality, reduce
cost and speed production.
NASA, he declared in a talk to employees, is a "world class"
organization whose people must meet the most stringent standards for
excellence measured on a worldwide basis. They were responsible, he
said, for increasing efficiency, saving money, improving quality and
shortening the time to project fruition - all without compromising
safety.
A "Shared Vision" of the Future
Soon after the formation of the blue and red teams, Goldin
called on NASA employees to submit their ideas for a NASA "shared
vision of what we, as a nation, should strive to accomplish in
space." Closely coupled with this was a series of well-attended
"town meetings" held in cities throughout the country to give the
general public the opportunity to state its view about the future of
the space program.
Goldin said the ultimate goal of these activities was to
produce a vision of America's future in space that would be shared
and support by NASA, Congress, the President and executive branch,
academia, the space community and the general public.
In another major effort aimed at insuring quality and
controlling cost, the Administrator announced a series of
procurement reforms. Awards would be made on the basis of well
demonstrated adherence to quality, cost control and schedule
maintenance. Award fees would be determined on the same basis, with
opportuity for greater gain by staying on schedule and within
estimates.
The reforms placed substantial emphasis on opportunity for
small and disadvantaged businesses, including culturally diverse
businesses. The agency said it would step up deadlines for prime
contractors to meet their quota of awards to subcontractors in this
category. Incentive fees would stimulate the effort. Paperwork,
which discouraged many small firms, was to be reduced substantially.
The Administrator also underscored the need for greater
cultural diversity in the agency's workforce, requiring the head of
each NASA facility to submit a plan to increase minority hiring. "I
am personally and deeply committed to making NASA a model for the
nation in building a culturally diverse workforce at every level,"
he said in a speech. He said he wanted NASA to reflect the nation's
"wonderful mosaic of diverse people," and to signal opportunity to
young people of all races.
In October, Goldin announced a series of structural changes in
the agency's organization designed to focus greater attention on
certain projects critical to the nation's future. Mission to Planet
Earth to aid the environment would become an individual office, as
would planetary science and astrophysics, or Mission From Planet
Earth, to explore the solar system and look beyond into the
universe.
Concern About America's Aeronautics Industry
Aeronautics and space technology development, which were
combined in a single office, were to be separated. Goldin stated in
a speech that the nation's aeronautics industry was loosing ground
to aggressive foreign competitiors to such a degree that it was in a
crisis. He declared that NASA would place substantially greater
emphasis on aeronautics and that this would be the sole
responsibility of the Aeronautics Office.
Technology was joined to the commercial development function
in a "one-stop shopping" concept to serve both NASA and private
industry. The goal is speed the introduction of new technology
throughout the space program and to enhance the process of spinoff
to American industry which, in the past, has led to thousands of new
commercial products and processes.
Goldin maintained an aggressive schedule of speaking
throughout the country on a large variety of subjects. Of
particular prominence was the effort to explain and win support for
a return to the moon and exploration of Mars; to win anew
congressional funding for Space Station Freedom; to explain the
value of the space program as a national investment to rebuild
technological leadership and hone a competitive edge, and to
proclaim the need for far greater international cooperation in space
to continue the exploration of the universe beyond planet Earth.
In the latter regard, the Administrator represented the nation
in signing historic new agreements with the Soviet Union that will
expand considerably space cooperation between the two nations. The
agreements provide for the exchange of astronauts and cosmonauts on
space flights, study of a Russian vehicle for possible emergency
crew return from Space Station Freedom, a Shuttle-Mir Space Station
link-up, and life sciences and robotic exploration activities.
SPACE SCIENCE
EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE
NASA's astrophysics program delivered new and important results
about the fundamental nature of the cosmos in 1992. Discoveries
throughout the year increased human understanding of the origin and
fate of the universe, the laws of physics and the evolution of
galaxies, stars and planets.
Highlights of 1992 discoveries made by the Hubble Space
Telescope (HST), Compton Observatory, Cosmic Background Explorer
(COBE), Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT), Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer
(EUVE) are listed below, by astronomical object.
Planets
* Conducting long-term observations of global weather changes on
Mars (HST).
* Measured the extent of the atmosphere of the Jovian moon Io
and looked for surface changes (HST).
Stellar Evolution
* Provided the first clear view of one of the hottest known
stars (360,000 degrees Fahrenheit), which lies at the center of the
Butterfly Nebula, NGC 2440 (HST).
Star Clusters
* Discovered a cataclysmic variable star in the core of globular
cluster 47 Tucanae, the first known optical counterpart to an x-ray
source in a globular cluster (HST).
Stars
* Detected several sources of extreme ultraviolet light through
interstellar gas and dust, including the corona of a star, a white
dwarf companion star and red dwarf stars (EUVE).
* Discovered unexpected "gamma ray afterglow" on the sun. A
strong emanation of high-energy gamma rays persisted for more than 5
hours after a solar flare explosion (Compton).
Pulsars
* Solved 20-year old mystery about the power source of Geminga,
a gamma ray pulsar, which was found to be a 300,000 year-old
rotating neutron star (ROSAT, Compton).
Galaxies
* Uncovered circumstantial evidence for the presence of a
massive black hole in the core of the neighboring galaxy M32 as well
as the giant elliptical galaxy M87 (HST).
* Provided the first direct view of an immense ring of dust
which may fuel a massive black hole at the heart of the giant
elliptical galaxy NGC 4261 and the spiral galaxy M51 (HST).
* Detected for the first time high-energy gamma rays from a
class of active galaxy similar to quasars and possibly powered by a
black hole (Compton).
* Found three new gamma-ray quasars, detected more than 200
cosmic gamma ray bursts and captured the best ever observation of
the glow of gamma radiation from the disk of the Milky Way galaxy
(Compton).
Cosmology
* Detected the long-sought variations within the glow from the
Big Bang -- the primeval explosion that began the universe 15
billion years ago. This detection is a major milestone in a 25-year
search and supports theories explaining how the initial expansion
happened (COBE).
* Determined more accurately the expansion rate of the universe
by detecting 27 "Cepheid variable" stars in a faint spiral galaxy
called IC 4182. Cepheid variables are used to estimate distances to
galaxies (HST).
EXPLORING THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Mars Observer
"Launched Sept. 25 aboard a Titan III ELV, "Mars Observer will
examine Mars much like Earth satellites now map our weather and
resources," said Dr. Wesley Huntress, Director of NASA's Solar
System Exploration Division, Washington, D.C.
"It will give us a vast amount of geological and atmospheric
information covering a full Martian year. At last we will know what
Mars is actually like in all seasons, from the ground up, pole to
pole," Huntress said.
On Aug. 24, 1993, the spacecraft will begin orbiting the planet
Mars. Mars Observer will provide scientists with an orbital
platform from which the entire Martian surface and atmosphere will
be examined and mapped by the seven science instruments on board.
The measurements will be collected daily from the low- altitude
polar orbit, over the course of 1 complete Martian year -- the
equivalent of 687 Earth days.
High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS)
Initiated on Columbus day, 500 years after the explorer landed
in America, the HRMS project began searching for signals transmitted
by other civilizations. The search will be conducted in two modes -
- a sky survey that will sweep the celestial sphere for signals and
a targeted search that will look at about 800 nearby "sunlike"
stars. NASA's Deep Space Network, in Goldstone, Calif., and the
Aericibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will conduct most of the survey.
Cassini
A comprehensive examination of the Cassini spacecraft and
mission, was successfully completed Dec. 11. Cassini is scheduled
for launch in Oct. 1997 with an arrival at Saturn in June 2004.
Cassini will fly by Venus and twice by Earth and Jupiter before
arriving at Saturn to begin a 4-year orbital tour of the ringed
planet and its 18 moons.
In addition to the 12 instruments aboard the orbiter, the
Huygens probe, built by the European Space Agency, will penetrate
the thick atmosphere of Titan (the largest of Saturn's moons) in
Nov. 2004.
Ulysses
The Ulysses spacecraft received a gravity assist as it flew by
Jupiter on Feb. 8 at 280,000 miles from the planet's center.
Ulysses, designed to study the sun's magnetic field and solar wind,
used Jupiter's gravity assist to gain the momentum needed to break
out of the plane of the ecliptic and into a solar polar orbit.
During the hazardous Jupiter fly-by, scientists investigated the
interaction of the giant planet's magnetic field and the solar wind.
Pioneer Venus
As expected, after the Pioneer Venus orbiter's maneuvering fuel
ran out, it made a fiery entry into Venus' upper atmosphere on Oct.
8. Pioneer Venus had been orbiting the planet since 1978 and over
the past 14 years, has returned numerous data about Venus'
atmosphere and surface topography.
The first topographic maps of the cloud-shrouded surface of the
planet were made using the radar instrument on Pioneer Venus.
Magellan
The Magellan spacecraft, mapping the hidden surface of Venus
with radar since August 1990, lowered its closest altitude to Venus
on Sept. 14, when it began a full 243-day cycle of gravity mapping.
Magellan has completed three cycles of mapping with its radar,
covering 99 percent of the surface of Venus. The objective of cycle
4, which extends to May 15, 1993, is to obtain a global map of the
Venus gravity field from the elliptical orbit.
Galileo
NASA's Galileo spacecraft flew by the Earth on Dec. 8 at an
altitude of 189 miles (304 kilometers) above the South Atlantic
Ocean, completing a 3-year gravity-assist trajectory.
This latest gravity-assist added about 8,300 miles per hour
(13,300 kilometers per hour) to the spacecraft's speed in its solar
orbit and changed its direction slightly, to put it on an elliptical
trajectory directly to the orbit of Jupiter, about 480 million miles
(780 million kilometers) from the sun. The spacecraft will arrive
at Jupiter on Dec. 7, 1995.
At Jupiter, Galileo will relay data from a probe launched into
the planet's atmosphere to obtain direct measurements of that
environment for the first time. Over a 23-month period, the
spacecraft will fly ten different elliptical orbits of Jupiter,
making at least two close passes by each of its four major
satellites and carrying out extended observations of the planet
atmosphere and magnetosphere.
UNDERSTANDING THE EARTH - SUN ENVIRONMENT
SAMPEX
The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer was
launched July 2, is the first of a new series of Small Explorer
missions which will enable scientists to develop less costly
astronomy and space science experiments in a shorter period of time.
The spacecraft's peculiar 342-by-419-mile-high elliptical orbit
will enable the onboard instruments to use the Earth as a giant
magnetic shield. By doing this, the 4 instruments can determine if
particles are coming from the sun, from the Milky Way Galaxy, or
whether they are the anomalous cosmic rays.
SAMPEX is expected to contribute new knowledge and improve
understanding of the evolution of the sun, solar system and
galaxies.
Geotail
Launched July 24, 1992, Geotail is investigating the
interactions of the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere,
providing scientists with new information on the flow of energy and
its transformation in the region called the magnetotail.
The Geotail mission -- a joint U.S./Japanese project -- is the
first in a series of satellites in an international program to
better understand the interaction of the sun, the Earth's magnetic
field and the Van Allen radiation belts.
The solar wind, interacting with the Earth's magnetic field,
can cause disruptions in short-wave radio communications and power
surges in long transmission lines.
LIVING AND WORKING IN SPACE
During the past year, several opportunities to work in a
laboratory in space, perform life and material sciences experiments
and learn more about how humans adapt to the space environment have
afforded scientists with vital information that may lead to useful
commercial and medical applications on Earth.
Microgravity Science
Three spacelab missions were flown to explore the effects of
space on protein crystals, electronic materials, fluids, glasses and
ceramics and metals and alloys.
Missions flown aboard the Space Shuttle this year include the
International Microgravity Laboratory, flown in January; United
States Microgravity Laboratory-1, June, and United States
Microgravity Platform-1, October. The September flight of Spacelab-
J, the Japanese Spacelab, also included NASA-sponsored microgravity
experiments.
A total of 45 NASA sponsored microgravity experiments flew on
these missions. They were exposed to the microgravity environment
for an average of approximately 10-days. These flights represented
more peer-reviewed, hands-on microgravity research than had been
conducted by the United States since Skylab in 1974-75.
Life Sciences
The International Microgravity Laboratory-1 carried 29 life
sciences experiments and Spacelab-J, the Japanese Spacelab, seven.
The United States Microgravity Laboratory-1 (USML-1) mission,
although dedicated to microgravity science, supported a series of
medical investigations as part of the Extended Duration Orbiter
Medical Project.
The longest Space Shuttle mission to date, USML-1 proved to be
an excellent laboratory for these investigations. Many of the other
Space Shuttle missions also included life sciences experiments.
During the winter of 1992, life sciences experiments were
conducted in the most unearthly place on the planet -- Antarctica.
NASA and National Science Foundation sponsored several unique
science and technology projects developed under a joint effort
called the Antarctic Space Analog Program.
NASA also is participating in a cooperative life sciences
mission with Russia. Late in December, Russia will launch COSMOS
'92 "biosatellite," a recoverable, unpiloted spacecraft that carries
plant and animal experiments.
Flight Systems
In March, the ATLAS-1 mission used two Spacelab pallets to
conduct investigations into the sun's energy output, the chemistry
of the Earth's atmosphere, space plasma physics and astronomy. A
core set of six instruments will fly repeatedly to study the
interaction of the Sun and the Earth's atmosphere.
In cooperation with the Office of Aeronautics and Space
Technology, the division managed NASA's contribution to the national
High-Speed Computing and Communications program.
In October, 29 supercomputing proposals were selected to
advance substantially how computers can be used to study problems
ranging from the environment to the evolution of the universe.
These projects will use "parallel processing" computers, machines
that use up to thousands of processors to work simultaneously on a
problem.
In January, the NASA Science Internet (NSI) helped implement
the world's first high-speed computer network link to Antarctica,
providing voice and data links between the continental United States
and the U.S. base at McMurdo Sound. In November, NSI staff set up
the first video link between Antarctica and the United States to
transmit images between the Ames Research Center and a remotely
operated vehicle maneuvering under ice-covered lakes.
In January, the National Space Science Data Center's Data
Archive and Dissemination System became operational. User interest
in these electronically available astrophysics and space physics
data sets has been high, with recent access rates running at 700
remote user sessions per month.
UNDERSTANDING THE EARTH
In its first full year, NASA's Mission to Planet Earth
encompassed three flight programs, a series of ground-based and
airborne expeditions and ongoing research and analysis to better
understand the Earth as a global environmental system.
TOPEX/POSEIDON
The U.S.-French satellite TOPEX/POSEIDON, launched in August,
will help define the relationship between the Earth's oceans and
climate. By measuring the sea-surface height with unprecedented
accuracy, TOPEX/POSEIDON will provide scientists with global maps of
ocean circulation.
The oceans transport heat from the Earth's equator toward the
poles, and TOPEX/POSEIDON data will provide a better understanding
of how this mechanism works. TOPEX/POSEIDON is a joint mission
between NASA and CNES, the French space agency.
LAGEOS II
A passive satellite, the Italian LAGEOS II is covered with
reflectors that send laser beams back to the ground stations that
sent the beams. Measurements over the years and over wide
geographic areas show how the techtonic plates that make up the
Earth's crust are moving. Since most earthquakes and volcanoes
occur where these plates meet, LAGEOS II will help geologists
understand how these cataclysmic events occur and where they are
likely to happen.
Earth Observing System
The centerpiece of Mission to Planet Earth, the Earth Observing
System (EOS) continued to progress to the launch of its first
satellite in June 1998. Internal teams reviewed the program with
the goal of reducing funding requirements through FY 2000 by
approximately 30 percent while retaining the essence of the
instrument complement and science plan.
Ozone Research
Continuing its leading effort in the study of ozone depletion,
NASA cooperated with NOAA and other organizations to mount the
second Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition from November 1991
through March 1992.
The campaign discovered record-high levels of chlorine
monoxide, a key chemical in the ozone depletion cycle, over Eastern
Canada and New England. This finding was complemented by data from
the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), which observed high
concentrations of chlorine monoxide over Europe and Asia.
In the Antarctic, the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, which
has been observing global ozone levels for 14 years, indicated the
1992 ozone hole was 15 percent larger in area than any previously
seen. Earlier, UARS had observed chemicals involved in ozone
depletion in the Antarctic atmosphere as early as June, 3 months
before significant ozone depletion begins.
NASA's ozone research expanded with the first of a new series
of Space Shuttle missions in April. Titled the ATLAS program, these
missions study the sun's energy output and the atmosphere's chemical
makeup, and how these factors affect ozone levels. ATLAS'
instruments are precisely calibrated before and after flight,
providing a check on data gathered by similar instruments on free-
flying satellites.
To distinguish natural global change from human-induced change
and to understand how humans are changing their environment, Mission
to Planet Earth provides scientists with data on how the Earth's
large environmental components - air, water, land and life -
interact. Several NASA-sponsored airborne and ground expeditions
studied these complex relations.
Search and Rescue
NASA's Earth Science and Application program also was involved
in a technology test that already has significant down-to-Earth
dividends. A hand-held transmitter, used in conjunction with
Search-and-Rescue equipment flying aboard NASA-developed weather
satellites, allowed rescuers to locate an Alaska hunter immobilized
by abdominal cramps on Alaska's largely uninhabited North Slope.
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES
For the fifth consecutive year, NASA's expendable launch
vehicles provided 100-percent successful launches. Five expendable
vehicles were launched this year.
The first was on June 7, when a Delta 2 placed the Extreme
Ultraviolet Explorer, an astrophysics satellite, into low-Earth
orbit. On July 3, a Scout placed SAMPEX, a small-explorer class
space physics satellite, into low-Earth orbit.
A Delta 2 carried the Japanese Geotail satellite into space on
July 24. On Sept. 25, a Titan III lifted the Mars Observer into
Earth orbit where the Transfer Orbit Stage (TOS) ignited, sending
the spacecraft on to Mars. This was the maiden flight of the TOS.
The final launch of the year was on Nov. 21 when a Scout placed a
Strategic Defense Initiative Office payload into orbit.
OFFICE OF SPACE FLIGHT
Space Shuttle
This was a banner year for the Shuttle program as it
demonstrated its maturity and reliability in the missions flown, a
reduction in the program's operational costs, and the addition of
significant hardware upgrades that improved the overall system.
In January, the manifest showed eight flights scheduled and at
year's end, all eight had been flown. Seven of the eight mission
launched on the day set at the flight readiness review and the
eighth was 1 day late. The Shuttle system flew so trouble free that
two missions were extended for additional science gathering. This
year also saw the longest mission ever flown to date, STS-50, which
lasted 14 days.
Highlighting the missions conducted was Endeavour's maiden
voyage in May on the STS-49 mission. The crew rescued a wayward
satellite and in the process, set three new records for space flight
- 4 spacewalks on a single mission, the longest spacewalk ever
conducted (8 hours, 29 minutes) and the first 3-person spacewalk
ever performed.
Three Shuttle missions, STS-42 in January, STS-50 in June and
STS-47 in September, carried the pressurized spacelab module.
Experiments conducted on those flights previewed the activities that
will be undertaken on Space Station Freedom.
The Shuttle system showed its versatility though out the year.
In March it served as an orbiting observatory for the STS-45/ATLAS
mission. The STS-46 mission in July demonstrated new technology in
space with the Tethered Satellite System payload. Columbia and the
STS-52 crew in October showed the orbiter's ability to fly a
combination mission as they deployed the LAGEOS satellite and then
conducted microgravity research with the United States Microgravity
Payload.
The year also saw the last dedicated Department of Defense
mission flown by the Shuttle during the STS-53 flight in early
December.
Safety remained the Shuttle program's top priority. Space
Shuttles Columbia and Discovery completed major structural
inspections and modifications. Structural inspections and
modifications of Space Shuttle Atlantis, including work to allow it
to dock with the Mir Space Station, began in October. When Atlantis
returns to flight status in 1993, all of NASA's orbiters will have
incorporated modifications to the braking system and drag chutes.
During the year, a detailed budget review resulted in
significant cost reductions. The total reduction achieved for
fiscal year (FY) 1992 was $368 million or 9 per cent of the FY 1992
baseline budget. A budget reduction plan is in place that will
result in over a billion dollars in cost savings in FY 1996, again,
as compared to the FY 1992 baseline budget.
A new class of 19 astronaut candidates was named in March.
During the year astronauts Vance D. Brand, Bruce E. Melnick, John O.
Creighton, Kathryn D. Sullivan, David C. Hilmers, James C. Adamson,
James F. Buchli and Daniel M. Brandenstein left the agency.
OFFICE OF SPACE SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
Space Station Freedom
Moving ever-closer to the first element launch of Space Station
Freedom, 1992 was the year of the critical design review (CDR).
CDRs for each individual work package, leading to a design review
for the entire human-tended configuration, are on schedule to be
completed by June 1993. Completion of the CDR marks the point at
which the design is 90 percent completed and the contractor is given
authority to proceed with development of the flight hardware.
At the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., prime
contractor Boeing Defense and Space Group began a series of hardware
tests demonstrating how space station components will be joined in
orbit. Among the tests were "berthing" tests of a full-size
pressurized module to a node. Other tests included thermal and
structural loads simulating conditions the hardware will be exposed
to in space.
At the Johnson Space Center, Houston, responsible for major
space station systems, several milestones were achieved in the Work
Package 2 program. Nineteen detailed design reviews examining the
JSC-managed space station subsystems have been completed with the
remaining 15 scheduled for completion prior to the April 1993 Work
Package 2 CDR.
More than 400 pieces of development hardware now exist and 50
percent of prime contractor McDonnell Douglas' development test
program is complete. Examples include development of the pre-
integrated truss (PIT) segments 1 and 2 used in underwater testing
at JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility which allows the
astronauts to conduct critical assessment of orbital replacement
unit positioning.
Integrated truss assembly segments S1 and S2 vibroacoustic and
thermal vacuum test articles were built and tested for use in
assessing structural integrity during launch operations and exposure
to the space environment. The propulsion module development unit
was constructed and tested under similar conditions and the test
article is currently undergoing cold and hot-flow tests at the White
Sands Test Facility in New Mexico.
The segment-to-segment attach systems development test was
conducted verifying the connections required to join the individual
PIT segments on-orbit. In the Data Management System, DMS kits, an
integrated set of electronic units functionally equivalent to the
station's data management system, were delivered to the Johnson
Space Center and to the Kennedy Space Center. Releases of DMS
software were delivered to NASA on or ahead of schedule.
At the Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, responsible for the
system that supplies Freedom's electrical power, nearly one-half of
the critical design reviews for the various components that comprise
the Photovoltaic Module and the Power Management and Distribution
System were completed. Development testing of the solar array
panels and extensive fault current tests also were successfully
completed.
"More than 24,000 flight solar cells have been delivered (75
percent of an array) and cell production is proceeding quite well,"
said Lewis's Space Station Freedom Project Manager Ron Thomas.
Battery testing is underway with this year's accumulation giving 3
years of cycle testing on some cells.
In the power management and distribution area, Work Package-4
engineers have completed the first three phases of system tests in
the Solar Power Electronics Laboratory at prime contractor
Rocketdyne's facility in Canoga Park, Calif. These included steady-
state, transient, stability, battery control and communications
tests.
In addition to the manufacturing and testing activities,
construction began on modifications to Lewis's Power Systems
Facility. The modifications are necessary to support the
integration, checkout and assembly of the flight hardware before it
is shipped to the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Preparations for on-orbit assembly and maintenance were
highlighted by several neutral buoyancy tests of the PV module cargo
element mockup as well as robotic tests on replacement of several
orbital replacement unit boxes.
In October, Administrator Goldin announced changes to Space
Station Freedom management that would "ensure NASA's top talent is
working on the program."
Marty Kress, previously the Assistant Administrator for
Legislative Affairs, was named Deputy Program Manger for Policy and
Management. Tom Campbell was named Chief Financial Officer for
Freedom. Campbell had been serving as the NASA Comptroller.
In December, NASA announced plans to consolidate management of
the Space Station Freedom program in Reston, Va. "Reston will
remain the focal point for the space station program for the
foreseeable future," said Associate Administrator for Space Systems
Development Arnold Aldrich.
The Space Shuttle continued to play a critical role in paving
the way for space station assembly, utilization and operations in
1992.
Four Space Shuttle missions carried up Spacelab hardware,
demonstrating human interaction in the conduct of science in space
and bridging the gap between the first small steps taken in
microgravity research in space started in Apollo to its full-blown
maturity on Freedom.
A number of space station precursor research facilities were
flown on STS-50, the first United States Microgravity Laboratory,
such as a glovebox and a crystal growth furnace. In addition, space
station hardware - two foot restraints - were flown for evaluation
by USML crew members.
On STS-49, the maiden flight of Endeavour, astronauts Kathy
Thornton and Tom Akers performed a space walk to demonstrate
assembly techniques for Freedom. The experiment, called Assembly of
Station by EVA Methods, or ASEM, evaluated such things as
construction techniques and the ability of astronauts to move large,
heavy objects around in space.
The first major conference devoted to describing Freedom's
capabilities and services to the user community was held in
Huntsville, Ala., in August. Administrator Goldin gave the keynote
address, calling Freedom "NASA's 10th research facility, as well as
well as a national and international program." Goldin challenged
NASA to increase the participation by the user community to 200 to
300 real researchers at the next conference.
In Congress, Freedom's future was debated in three separate
measures over a 13 month period. In each case, the Congress voted
to maintain America's commitment to build the space station and
preserve U.S. leadership in space. A final conference bill resulted
in NASA's securing $2.1 billion for space station in Fiscal Year
1993, $150 million less than the President's request.
ASRM
In 1992, Congressional direction and budgetary shortfalls were
driving factors in the restructuring and termination of two other
major activities.
Congress determined that the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM)
program should proceed but at a reduced level of funding for FY
1993. Consequently, the program was restructured during the year
resulting in a 22-month delay for the first launch, now scheduled
for December 1998.
During the past year, ASRM facilities design reached 100
percent and construction of facilities passed the 50 percent mark.
Construction of case production facilities in Southern Indiana was
completed; two of a total of four large ASRM segment transporters
were delivered to NASA by the German contractor in December.
NLS
Also in 1992, the Congress voted to terminate the joint
NASA/Air Force New Launch System (NLS) which was to have been a new
family of vehicles designed to meet both civil and military launch
requirements after the turn of the century. $10 million was
appropriated to the Air Force for accomplishing the termination; an
additional $10 million was appropriated to NASA for continuation of
development work, begun under NLS, for a new Space Transportation
Main Engine.
AERONAUTICS
In 1992, NASA's aeronautics research took on a higher profile,
with major advances in high-speed research, subsonic transports,
high-performance aircraft and the creation of a new, separate Office
of Aeronautics.
Early in the year, NASA's Lewis Research Center, General
Electric Co. and Pratt & Whitney teamed up in a unique government-
industry partnership to develop advanced materials for a next-
generation U.S. supersonic transport. The 5-year, $88 million
effort, part of NASA's High-Speed Research Program, focuses on
composite materials for high-temperature, low-emissions engine
combustion chambers.
In July, construction began on a high-flying, lightweight
unpiloted research aircraft called Perseus that NASA will use to
measure ozone levels and gather other atmospheric data for the High-
Speed Research Program. When it begins science missions in 1994,
Perseus will carry up to 110 pounds (49.5 kilograms) of instruments
as high as 82,000 feet (25 kilometers).
The highlight of NASA's subsonic research in 1992 was a
dramatic series of flights to evaluate airborne windshear sensors
under actual severe weather conditions. NASA's Boeing 737 research
plane, based at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., tested a
laser radar (lidar) system, an infrared sensor and a microwave radar
at the Denver and Orlando, Fla. airports. It was the first flight
test of the lidar system.
During the year, NASA and the Army began a 5-year program to
increase helicopter agility and maneuverability. The effort at
NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif., uses a modified
UH-60A helicopter as a flying laboratory. The experiments focus on
computer software that determines how helicopters respond to pilots'
commands, improved navigation systems and pilot displays.
A NASA F-15 based at Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility,
Edwards, Calif., started supersonic flight tests of a Performance
Seeking Control system that may make future high-speed aircraft more
fuel-efficient and reliable.
In 1992, Dryden also became home to tests with the X-31
Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability aircraft. NASA is part of an
international group flying the X-31 to show the value of coupling
thrust vectoring (directing engine exhaust flow) with advanced
flight control systems to increase maneuverability in nose-high
forward flight.
National Aero-Space Plane (NASP)
The nation got a preview of tomorrow's space transportation in
June when a 50-foot mockup of the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP)
rolled out of its hanger at Mississippi State University,
Starkville, Miss. Senior engineering students at the school won the
chance to build the mockup in a nationwide competition sponsored by
NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD).
NASP is a joint NASA/DoD effort to develop advanced
technologies for future vehicles that could take off like an
airplane, fly into Earth orbit using supersonic combustion ramjets
(scramjets) and minimal rocket propulsion, then return through the
atmosphere to land on a runway.
SPACE TECHNOLOGY
NASA's research on space technology in 1992 stressed new
methods that robots and humans eventually may use to explore the
moon and Mars.
A pair of experiments evaluated telepresence technology that
lets a person, wearing a video headset, see remote locations through
cameras mounted on a robot. The technology could be used by future
astronauts to control robotic explorers on planetary surfaces.
Beginning in October, NASA scientists employed telepresence to
direct the mini-sub during explorations of ice-covered Lake Hoare on
Antarctica's Ross Island. A 5-person research team studied the
physical and biological nature of the lake to obtain clues about
organism that may once have lived on Mars.
In June, NASA's Jet Propulsion laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.,
unveiled Rocky IV, the latest in a series of planetary mini-rovers.
Rocky IV is a prototype of a robot that may go to Mars in 1996 as
part of the Mars Environmental Survey (MESUR) mission. The 16.5-
pound (7.4-kilogram) testbed is helping NASA researchers learn how
to integrate planetary landers and their science instruments under
Mars-like conditions.
Around the same time, NASA-Langley engineers assembled a large-
scale parabolic (double-curve) antenna in a huge water tank at
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. The tank's
buoyancy simulated the microgravity environment that astronauts must
work in while putting together large objects in space. The tests
helped to establish assembly times and work procedures for antennas
that are too large to fit inside a space vehicle in one piece.
In October, NASA chose 29 supercomputing research proposals
that will pave the way for revolutionary advances in Earth and space
science. The projects will try to achieve computer capabilities far
beyond those of today's machines, allowing scientists to produce
realistic computer models of phenomena such as the interactions of
Earth's oceans, air and land masses and the evolution of the
universe.
In October, NASA Administrator Goldin announced that the
agency's space technology work would be combined with commercial
space activities in a new Office of Advanced Concepts and
Technology.
ADVANCED CONCEPTS AND TECHNOLOGY
The new Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology (OACT) was
established to improve the way in which NASA approaches the
development and transfer of advanced technology, as well as the
commercialization of space and space technologies.
An interim organizational structure was established and an
Organizational Process Action Team was formed to develop an
integrated plan for combining the two offices. The team --
comprising personnel from the two offices, as well as other NASA
program offices and field installations -- will present its initial
recommendations to the NASA Administrator sometime this month.
Commercial Flight Activities
Throughout 1992, OCP sponsored more than 20 commercial payloads
aboard the Space Shuttle. In June, OCP participated in the flight
of the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-1 (USML-1) -- aboard STS-50 --
with the Office of Space Science and Applications. Five commercial
payloads, consisting of more than 30 investigations in materials,
fluids and biological processes, were flown on the record-breaking,
2-week mission.
One USML-1 payload specialist was Dr. Lawrence J. DeLucas,
the first scientist from a NASA Center for the Commercial
Development of Space (CCDS) to fly aboard the Space Shuttle.
Successful results obtained from protein crystal growth experiments
conducted during the mission are directly attributable to the
involvement of DeLucas.
Forty percent of the proteins flown on the mission produced
larger and higher quality crystals than their groundbased
counterparts, compared to 20 percent on previous flights. Other
commercial investigations on USML-1 provided promising results,
including the growth of zeolite crystals; a 98 percent success rate
in the flight hardware used to process more than 20 separate
biomaterials, biotechnology and life sciences experiments; and
successful demonstration of a safe and reliable way of providing
water and nutrients to plants for indefinite periods of time in a
microgravity environment -- an international first.
In October, four commercial payloads, comprising more than
30 investigations, were flown aboard STS-52 to evaluate a compound
being developed to treat osteoporosis; to further study protein
crystal growth for drug research and development; to test a furnace
to learn more about growing larger and more uniform industrial
crystals; and to learn more about how microgravity can aid research
in
drug development and delivery, basic cell biology, protein and
inorganic crystal growth, bone and invertebrate development, immune
deficiencies, manufacturing processes and fluid sciences.
Other commercial experiments were flown aboard the Space
Shuttle during 1992 to study the influence of microgravity on the
processing of gelled sols; to investigate the physical and chemical
processes that occur during the formation of polymer membranes in
microgravity; to further investigate and develop the bases for
materials processing in space; to study the effects of the low-Earth
orbit environment on space structure materials; and to assess the
utility of an Electronic Still Camera.
Technology Transfer
1992 marked the 30th anniversary of NASA's Technology Transfer
Program, established under congressional mandate to promote the
transfer of aerospace technology to other sectors of the U.S.
economy.
In January, NASA, as part of a major initiative to upgrade its
technology transfer program, established six Regional Technology
Transfer Centers (RTTC) to directly serve the commercial sector
through the transfer and commercial use of NASA and other federal
technologies. The RTTCs, closely aligned with state-level programs,
operate as industry-driven catalysts for federal technology transfer
throughout their regions.
Also in 1992, the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) --
sponsored by NASA in cooperation with other federal agencies --
initiated operations in conjunction with the RTTCs and other
technology transfer programs. The RTTCs and NTTC, along with
affiliated federal and state programs, now form the basis of the
innovative National Technology Transfer Network.
In February, the National Technology Initiative (NTI) was
launched by NASA and the Departments of Commerce, Energy and
Transportation to spur U.S. economic competitiveness by promoting a
better understanding of the opportunities for industry to
commercialize new technology advances. The NTI consisted of a
series of regional meetings to highlight the federal government's
investment in advanced technologies, much of which has commercial
potential.
In May, a pair of computer-driven glasses that can help
millions of Americans afflicted with certain low vision problems was
introduced. The Low Vision Enhancement Project is derived from NASA
technology and is a product of NASA's Technology Transfer Program in
cooperation with the NASA Stennis Space Center, Miss., and the Johns
Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, Baltimore, Md.
The third national technology transfer conference and
exposition, TECHNOLOGY 2002, took place Dec. 1-3, at the Baltimore
Convention Center in Baltimore, Md. Sponsored by NASA, "NASA Tech
Briefs" magazine and the Technology Utilization Foundation, the
conference featured exhibits from NASA's nine field centers, other
government agencies, universities, government research centers and a
diverse array of high-tech companies.
Communications and Remote Sensing
In July, NASA selected 30 experiments proposed for inclusion in
the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) program.
The experiments represent the work of an impressive cross section of
industry and academic investigators. Ten experiments also were
selected to conduct propagation research at Ka-band.
During the year, the ACTS Experiments Program signed memoranda
of understanding with three agencies:
* The National Telecommunications and Information
Administration/Institute for Telecommunication Sciences will test
and evaluate the ACTS unique capabilities and technology to gain
knowledge of advanced communication satellite system performance.
* The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is developing a
high data rate satellite research testbed network.
* The U.S. Army Space Command will use the ACTS to conduct
demonstrations of technology and applications which involve
interoperation between ACTS and the Army communications facilities.
Small Business Innovation Research
From December through March 1992, the Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) Division selected 138 research proposals for
negotiation of Phase II contract awards in NASA's SBIR program.
Included were 126 small, high technology firms located in 28 states.
The selection of 348 research proposals for negotiation of
Phase I contracts in the 1992 SBIR program was announced in
November. Proposals selected were submitted by 256 small, high
technology firms in 34 states.
EXPLORATION
Early in the year the Office of Exploration conducted a
workshop with the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston to define
the scientific requirements for the first lunar orbital precursor
missions. Instruments to fly on these missions were selected based
on recommendations and input from the workshop.
In addition, Exploration program officials conducted an in-
depth technical study of a First Lunar Outpost concept intended to
be the baseline architecture to return humans to the Moon. The
program currently is evaluating trade-offs and options for this
baseline, which is expected to evolve and be modified before it is
flown.
The Office of Exploration also initiated conceptual studies of
possible mission scenarios for human exploration of Mars.
INTERNATIONAL
The year 1992 was probably the most active international space
cooperation in NASA's history. Highlights included increased
cooperation with the Russian Space Agency; the launch of
international spacecraft/payloads; flight of foreign payload
specialists and an ESA mission specialist on the Space Shuttle and
the culmination of the Space Agency Forum on International Space
Year activities.
Other highlights of 1992 include:
* Scientists from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the
Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the French National Center for Space
Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency (DARA) and the National
Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) cooperated in the
International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-l) Space Shuttle STS-42
mission launched on Jan. 22. More than 200 scientists from 16
countries participated in the investigations. Dr. Robert Bondar,
M.D. and Ph.D., of the CSA, and Dr. Ulf Merbold of ESA flew as
payload specialists.
* The first Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science
(Atlas-l), carried 12 instruments and investigations from the United
States, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands and
Japan. These instruments and investigations studied the chemistry
of Earth's atmosphere, solar radiation, space plasma physics and
ultraviolet astronomy on board the March STS-45 Space Shuttle
mission. Dr. Dirk Frimout, an ESA scientist, flew as the first
Belgian payload specialist.
* President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin
signed a U.S./Russian space agreement in June which expanded
bilateral cooperation in space science, space exploration, space
applications and the use of space technology.
* In July, NASA signed a contract with the Russian firm NPO
Energia, focusing on possible use of the Russian Soyuz-TM vehicle as
an interim Assured Crew Return Vehicle.
* Geotail, a Japanese built-spacecraft, was launched from the
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on a Delta II expendable
launch vehicle on July 24, 1992. This joint U.S./Japanese project
is the first in a series of five satellites with significant
participation from NASA, ESA and Japan to better understand the
interaction of the sun, the Earth's magnetic field and the Van Allen
radiation belts. Geotail was developed by the Japanese Institute
for Space and Astronautical Science, in Sagamihara, Japan.
* The Topex/Poseidon satellite was successfully launched on an
Ariane IV launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou,
French Guiana on August 10. Topex/Poseidon is a joint NASA/CNES
program to study ocean circulation and its role in regulating global
climate.
* The July/August STS-46 Space Shuttle mission included the
flight of the NASA-Italian Space Agency (ASI) Tethered Satellite
System and deployment of the European Retrievable Carrier platform.
Dr. Claude Nicollier, ESA mission specialist and first Swiss
astronaut, and Dr. Franco Malerba, ASI payload specialist and the
first Italian payload specialist, were members of the crew.
* During the last meeting of the Space Agency Forum on
International Space Year (SAFISY) in Washington, D.C., in late
August, the participants decided to create a Space Agency Forum as a
follow-on to SAFISY. A planning group, including the United States,
Japan, Europe, Russia, Canada, Brazil and China, has been formed to
work out details for the operation of the proposed new
organization, which will hold its first meeting in 1993.
* The 50th Space Shuttle (STS-47) mission launched in September
was a joint U.S./Japanese Spacelab mission: 34 Japanese
experiments, collectively called Fuwatto '92, were flown on a
reimbursable basis and shared the Spacelab module with 7 from the
United States and 2 joint experiments. Dr. Mamoru Mohri flew as the
first Japanese payload specialist aboard the Shuttle.
* In October, NASA and the Russian Space Agency signed an
agreement for the flight of a Russian cosmonaut on the U.S. Space
Shuttle, the flight of a U.S. astronaut on the Russian Mir Space
Station and a joint mission including the rendezvous and docking of
the Space Shuttle with the Mir Space Station. Another agreement
also was signed in October for the flight of two U.S./NASA
scientific instruments on the Russian Mars '94 mission.
* The STS-52 mission in October included the ASI's Laser
Geodynamics Satellite (LAGEOS) II launched on an Italian IRIS upper
stage, CSA's CANEX-2 payload and the CNES/French Atomic Energy
Commission's Mephisto instrument on the U.S. Microgravity Payload.
Steve MacLean flew as a payload specialist and the third Canadian
citizen to fly aboard the Space Shuttle.
OFFICE OF SPACE COMMUNICATIONS
Space Network
The on-orbit Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)
provided continuous communications coverage to NASA Space Network
customers for up to 85 percent of each orbit, performing at a
proficiency in excess of 99.8 percent. A 33 percent increase in
Space Shuttle flights, the addition of the Extreme Ultraviolet
Explorer (EUVE) and Ocean Topography Experiment satellites, and
continued heavy support for the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and
Hubble Space Telescope contributed to the TDRSS's added workload.
In addition, commercial use of the TDRSS C-band resources
started, via a lease of those capabilities, to a small business
private sector firm.
Since becomming operational in late 1983, TDRSS has relayed
approximately 3.5 million minutes of data to the ground, and its
resources have been required by every subsequent Space Shuttle
mission.
The TDRSS Continuation Program moved closer to the completion
of the ground terminal modifications required to maintain Space
Network user services and meet the evolving needs for satellite
tracking and communications through the first decade of the 21st
Century. Construction of the Second TDRSS Ground Terminal at the
White Sands Complex, N.M., was completed and hardware/software
integration testing is underway.
Ground Data Systems
The data processing program received and processed over 8
trillion bits of scientific data containing space acquired images
and measurements from both free-flyer low Earth-orbiting spacecraft
and Shuttle payloads. The captured data was converted to forms the
science community could interpret and distributed to world-wide
science facilities. With the advent of EUVE and SAMPEX data, a new
all-time record of 1 trillion bits of data a month was processed.
OFFICE OF SAFETY AND MISSION QUALITY
Frederick D. Gregory, NASA Astronaut and Colonel, USAF, was
named to the position of Associate Administrator. Gregory is
responsible for the safety and mission quality for all NASA programs
and activities and for the direction of reporting and documentation
of problem identification, problem resolution and trend analysis.
The Office of Safety and Mission Quality (SMQ) made significant
contributions to the successful operation of this year's Space
Shuttle and expendable launch vehicle missions. SMQ provided
independent safety oversight, technical assessments, safety
assurance engineering, policy development, risk assessment and
mishap investigations.
A NASA Mechanical Parts Control Program Implementation Plan was
initiated to assure the integrity of NASA spaceflight hardware
components critical to protect human lives and programs. The
program is based on the Total Quality Management concept and
stresses continual improvement of mechanical parts. The program
will increase the reliability and quality of NASA hardware, thereby
providing assurance necessary to launch crews and vehicles on more
lengthy and complex missions.
A Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance Working Group was
established to assure that both NASA's and the USSR's space plans
for joint missions and operations will meet all safety, reliability
and quality assurance needs. Also, the group is working to get a
better understanding of Russian Space programs safety issues,
particularly when applied to crewed flights for joint missions. The
Working Group participants include representatives from NASA
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.; Johnson Space Center, Houston;
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; Marshall Space Flight Center,
Huntsville, Ala.; and Rockwell International Corp., Calif.
Over 2500 safety professionals, program personnel, and managers
throughout NASA were trained at the newly implemented NASA Safety
Training Center.
Established at the Johnson Space Center, training is conducted
via satellite or by center visits, with areas of training including
Safety Requirements, Payload Safety, Manager Safety, and
Occupational Safety and Heath Administration issues.
EDUCATION
During the International Space Year (ISY) kick-off celebration,
NASA and the Young Astronaut Council announced an ISY student space
art contest, called Outer Sight. Over 1,800 school children in
grades K through 9 entered the competition to capture ISY's spirit
of world-wide celebration of space cooperation and discovery by
expressing their vision of future space exploration and discovery.
July 22 marked a major milestone for aerospace education by
expanding the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program to
include all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The addition of Kentucky, Nebraska, Puerto Rico, Vermont and
Wyoming, along with their 26 colleges and universities, brings the
total number of participating institutions to more than 320
nationwide.
The first student managed and built payload flown on a NASA
sounding rocket was launched successfully on Sept. 21, from the NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops
Island, Va. The pilot project, known as the Colorado Student Ozone
Atmospheric Rocket was developed to demonstrate the use of sounding
rocket flight as a valuable educational tool for undergraduate and
graduate students.
Coinciding with the historic first flight of an African
American female astronaut, Dr. Mae C. Jemison, in September, NASA
Administrator Goldin, Congressman Louis Stokes (D-OH), and NAACP
Chairman Dr. William Gibson participated in a symposium to expand
education and career opportunities for minorities in science,
engineering and technology. Over 100 representatives of
organizations dedicated to expanding education and career
opportunities for underrepresented groups in science, engineering
and technology attended.
During STS-52, the Earth-orbiting crew of Space Shuttle
Columbia talked with the sea-voyaging crew of the historic Hawaiian
canoe Hokule'a on Oct. 28. At the same time, students throughout
Hawaii, plotting the course of the canoe's historic voyage, watched
the televised conversation. Selected students asked both crews
about flight and sail plans, weather, procedures for navigating both
vessels and about exploration.
Tens of thousands of students in more than 20 nations
interacted with scientists, engineers and astronauts to learn about
activities in space exploration and Mission to Planet Earth through
a series of satellite video conferences. To observe International
Space Year, NASA conducted the first of two live, interactive
satellite videoconferences. The first broadcast on Oct. 21 featured
"Space Exploration."
FY 1993 NASA APPROPRIATIONS
Under the constraints facing all domestic discretionary
programs in 1992, congressional action on NASA's FY 1993 budget
request produced a budget for the civil space program lower than FY
1992, marking the first decrease in NASA appropriations (not
counting inflation) since 1974. However, given earlier indications
that congressional budget cuts in NASA programs would be much
deeper, possibly including the deletion of funding for Space Station
Freedom, the final congressional outcome for FY 1993 was
significantly better than expected.
The FY 1993 VA-HUD-Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill
cleared Congress on September 25 and was signed by President Bush on
October 5. NASA's funding was set at $14.330 billion, $663 million
less than the President's FY 93 request, and a $4 million decrease
from FY 92.
Among the most significant issues was the proposed cancellation
of the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) program due to budgetary
constraints. In the final appropriations bill, however, Congress
restored funding for ASRM, $195 million in the Space Flight, Control
And Data Communications appropriation and $165 in the Construction
Of Facilities appropriation.
Funding for Space Science and Applications in FY 93 is $130
million less than the request, but $127 million above the FY 92
level. Included was funding for the major science projects,
including the Earth Observing System, the Advanced X-ray
Astrophysics Facility, the Cassini mission and the Shuttle Test of
Relativity Experiment/Gravity Probe B. The Comet Rendezvous
Asteroid Flyby mission was canceled.
The Space Station Freedom program was extensively debated again
this year in both houses of Congress. In the House, floor
challenges to the space station were rejected during both the
authorization and appropriations debates. In the Senate, an
amendment seeking to strike all funding for the space station was
defeated. Funding in the amount of $2.1 billion was appropriated,
$150 million less than the request.
Twenty-five million dollars was added to the Research and
Development appropriation for the High Speed Civil Transport
program. The joint NASA/DoD National Aero-Space Plane program
received no funding in the NASA budget for FY 93. However, funding
was included in the DoD appropriation for continued development.
The joint NASA/DoD New Launch System program was terminated,
although funding in the amount of $10 million was appropriated for
continued work on new engine development.
Space Shuttle Operations was reduced by $175 million to $2.9
billion to support a planned flight rate of eight Shuttle missions
during the fiscal year.
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