Feb 17 1985
From The Space Library
Sen. Jake Garn (R-Utah) today joined five astronauts and a French pilot for the final two-hour practice aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, which they would fly in two weeks, the Washington Post reported. They had run through launch procedures and checked all spacecraft systems to avoid any surprises at liftoff, ending with a simulated liftoff at 4 p.m.
Garn, who would fly on Challenger as a congressional observer, was chairman of a subcommittee that oversaw NASA funding. The other non-NASA spaceman was French Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick Baudry, who would serve as a payload specialist. (W Post, Feb 18/85, A14)
PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Li Xue, vice minister of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) astronautics industry, indicated in London recently that the PRC wanted to compete with the U.S. and West European countries for rocket launches of other countries' satellites, FBIS, Shanghai City Service in Mandarin reported.
He said the PRC had not decided to launch charges or how to market the service, but it was ready to talk to western countries needing launch services. (FBIS, Shanghai City Service in Mandarin, Feb 17/85)
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