Dec 8 1997
From The Space Library
The Astronauts Memorial Foundation recognized Major Robert H. Lawrence Jr. as the first black astronaut in NASA history, exactly 30 years after his death during a U.S. Air Force training mission. A ceremony adding Lawrence's name to the Astronauts Memorial Foundation's Space Mirror at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) ended a long bureaucratic debate over whether Lawrence qualified as an astronaut. Lawrence had never met the Air Force requisite that an astronaut must have flown at an altitude of least 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth, because, although he had received his appointment to the U.S. Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program, he had died before flying in space. Therefore, the Astronauts Memorial Foundation had repeatedly refused to include his name on the Space Mirror at KSC. However, in 1996 U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) had persuaded the Air Force to verify Lawrence's status as an astronaut. Thereafter, the Astronauts Memorial Foundation's board of directors voted, immediately and unanimously, to include Lawrence's name on the Space Mirror.
At a meeting of the American Geophysical Union, scientists unveiled evidence of another cause, besides the Sun, of "killer electrons," which travel at high velocity. When electrons travel from Jupiter's massive magnetic field, their speed approaches the speed of light. Showers of high-velocity electrons cause many problems, including blackouts on Earth and damage to orbiting satellites and Global Positioning Systems. Scientists had previously been unable to determine the source of the electrons causing the damage. Presenting the new information on the phenomenon of high-velocity electrons, the researchers declared that the ability to forecast "space weather," including the patterns of high-velocity electrons, would become increasingly important during the coming age of the ISS.
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