Jun 5 1986
From The Space Library
Two near-Earth asteroids, composed of nickel and iron and could provide future space mining, were discovered shortly before this date by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. About one mile in diameter, each, one asteroid is inside and one is outside of Earth's orbit. (NASA Release 86-73)
Two hundred fifty-eight members of Congress signed a letter addressed to NASA urging them to find a second supplier for its Space Shuttle booster rockets. Congress, described as further tightening the rein on NASA, believed that competition for the sole provider, Morton Thiokol, would equate to savings. Aerojet General said it was ready to build a seamless booster, a safer design. Congress also wanted NASA to eliminate some of the rules that favored Thiokol, such as requiring any second manufacturer to purchase nozzles for the rocket from them. (W Times, Jun 6/86; WSJ, Jun 6/86; P Inq, Jun 6/86; B Sun, Jun 6/86)
Investigation into the Delta rocket crash May 3 indicated that the accident could have been a result of a faulty hardware-assembly program in the engine compartment. A short circuit was most likely the cause, said Lawrence Ross, Chairman of the Delta review board, but sabotage was not ruled out. (B Sun, Jun 6/86)
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