Aug 2 1991
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
The scheduled launch of Atlantis on August 1 was delayed by a false alarm over a pressure valve and then by bad weather, the media reported. The launch was rescheduled for August 2. The astronauts' first task after takeoff was to launch the $120 million Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, which was done successfully. Various onboard experiments were begun, together with some medical research experiments designed to test the effects of weightlessness. (B Sun, Aug 2/91; USA Today, Aug 2/91; NY Times, Aug 2/91; AP, Aug 2/91; UPI, Aug 2/91; P Inq, Aug 3/91; NY Times, Aug 3/91; W Post, Aug 3/91; AP, Aug 3/91; UPI, Aug 3/91; W Post, Aug 4/91; NY Times, Aug 4/91; UPI, Aug 4/91; C Trib, Aug 4/91; B Sun, Aug 5/91; W Times, Aug 5/91; USA Today, Aug 5/91; P Inq, Aug 5/91; C Trib, Aug 5/91; LA Times, Aug 5/91; AP, Aug 5/91; UPI, Aug 5/91)
The press reported that the subcommittee on investigations and oversight of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on August 1 examined NASA's functioning at a hearing entitled "NASA's Midlife Crisis." The chairman of the subcommittee, Howard Wolpe, Democrat of Michigan, cited the need for NASA to be a "prudent steward" and expressed a lack of confidence in NASA's ability to carry out its mission. Various industry representatives testified about NASA's operations and its contracting. NASA inspector general Bill D. Colvin said NASA had failed to keep a sharp eye on its programs, operations, and contractors, resulting in the waste of millions of dollars. (W Post, Aug 2/91; B Sun, Aug 2/91; LA Times, Aug 2/91; AP, Aug 2/91; AV Wk, Aug 5/91)
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