Aug 12 1991
From The Space Library
The media gave extensive coverage to the smooth landing and successful mission of Atlantis that ended with touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral on August 11. In addition to launching a giant communications satellite to channel data from low-orbiting spacecraft, the astronauts tested equipment, such as computer items, for possible Space Station use and conducted 22 scientific experiments. Several articles dealt with final experiments on board and preparations for landing. (W Post, Aug 10/91; LA Times, Aug 10/91; AP, Aug 10/91; UPI, Aug 10/91; NY Times, Aug 11/91; W Post, Aug 11/91; NY Times, Aug 12/91; W Post, Aug 12/91; W Times, Aug 12/91; WSJ, Aug 12/91; P Inq, Aug 12/91; LA Times, Aug 12/91; AP, Aug 12/91; UPI, Aug 12/91; B Sun, Aug 13/91; NY Times, Aug 13/91)
A Business Week article on attempts to make the commercial space-launch business profitable, quoted NASA Deputy Administrator James R. Thompson Jr. He stressed the need for "real, nongovernmental customers" in order to make the program a success. The article summarized the work of various commercial firms and mentioned a number of instances of unsuccessful rocket launches. (Bus Wk, Aug 12/91)
NASA announced that the first flight of a NASA ozone instrument on a Soviet spacecraft would occur in August. NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) was to be flown on a Soviet Meteor-3 meteorological satellite to be launched August 15 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome aboard a Soviet Cyclone rocket. (NASA Release 91-127; LA Times, Aug 16/91)
The media discussed plans for NASA's next Shuttle flight, that of Discovery in September, to deploy a satellite to study the ozone layer in Earth's upper atmosphere. Discovery was moved to the launch pad, and various systems were connected to prepare for a practice countdown. (UPI, Aug 12/91; W Times, Aug 13/91; USA Today, Aug 13/91)
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