Mar 17 1975
From The Space Library
Vanguard 1, oldest satellite still in orbit, completed its 17th year in space. The 1.5-kg 16.5-cm solar-powered spacecraft, which had revealed that the earth was slightly pear-shaped, had circled the earth more than 67 000 times since its launch in 1958. The satellite, fourth to orbit earth following two Soviet sputniks and Explorer 1, was one of 3304 man-made objects tracked by the North American Air Defense Command. (A&A 1915-1960; A&A 1968; Miles, LA Times, 18 March 75)
NASA announced the award of a $334 100 contract for the design, fabrication, delivery, installation, and checkout of an optical bench and alignment system for an x-ray telescope test facility at Marshall Space Flight Center. The facility would be used to test x-ray verification and to calibrate x-ray mirrors, telescope systems, and instruments for NASA's High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO) program. The HEAO program was to launch between 1977 and 1979 three unmanned scientific satellites into low circular earth orbit to study black holes, neutron stars, quasars, and supernovae. (MSFC Release 75-50)
European spending for space programs would rise significantly during 1975 as major projects begun in the past reached a maximum pitch, Aviation Week and Space Technology reported. Most space spending was reflected in the European Space Research Organization (ESRO) budget which had jumped 50%, from $220 million in 1974 to $350 million in 1975. Two programs-the Ariane launch vehicle and the Spacelab for use on the Space Shuttle-accounted for half the ESRO budget for 1975.
Av Wk reported that officials of France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (ONES), prime contractor for the Ariane, had estimated that the booster would be used to orbit between 20 and 39 geostationary satellites during the 10-yr period from 1980 to 1990.
Other European space programs under way included the Orbital Test Satellite (OTS), a test bed to evaluate equipment and concepts planned for a European comsat to be launched around 1980; Aerosat, a Canadian- ESRO-U.S. comsat program, with the first of two satellites scheduled for launch in 1978; Marots, a maritime comsat planned for launch in 1977; and Exosat, an x-ray astronomy satellite to be launched in 1979.
All ESRO programs would be reviewed in the spring to resolve any pending disagreements, and to obtain approval of a 3-yr financial plan that called for a budget of $410 million in 1976 and $415 million in 1977. (Av Wk, 17 March 75, 65-68)
"A significant influence on NASA's ability to maintain viable programs in the face of possibly unstable funding will be the extent to which commercial and foreign government users participate in the development and financial support of future payloads," Aviation Week and Space Technology reported. Av Wk interviewed the Director of Mission and Payload Integration in NASA's Office of Manned Space Flight, Philip E. Culbertson, who said that it would be better, in the long term, to move into a position where more organizations outside NASA were sponsoring and paying for missions and payloads. The agency was encouraged by the interest of industries in flying and funding Space Shuttle missions involving a wide range of basic scientific and technical operations.
Foreign reimbursable payloads, already an important part of NASA launch operations, were seen as an even larger factor in Shuttle payloads development. Japan, already holding discussions with NASA to lay the groundwork for a viable national space program, was considered a serious Shuttle customer; Japan would like to develop both scientific and earth applications programs in the communications, navigation, and weather satellite fields.. Canada's interest in positioning domestic communications satellites over its territory would continue into the Shuttle era. Even individual Soviet scientists had made inquiries into the possibilities of flying payloads on the U.S. Shuttle.
Culbertson pointed out that, unlike earlier NASA manned space programs that included scientific funding in overall program budgets, NASA in-house Shuttle payload development was the sole responsibility of the specific NASA disciplines themselves. NASA's FY 1976 budget request contained from $50 to $100 million for various efforts that could evolve into Shuttle payloads, and the budget for FY 1977 would markedly increase payload funding. However, with the budget crunch, funding for Shuttle payloads would compete directly with other programs and the payload proposals "will have to stand on their own merit." Culbertson also said that major decisions would have to be made on how long to keep which expendable launch vehicles in the program.
In another interview, NASA Spacelab Program Director Douglas R. Lord said that upcoming major decisions concerning Spacelab included a follow-on procurement plan for Spacelab hardware and priorities on how often ESRO (European Space Research Organization) and other crews and experimental hardware would fly on Shuttle Spacelab missions.
Lord said that operations of overall Spacelab functions would probably be maintained separately from payload operations: Johnson Space Center was the logical place to handle overall operations, and Marshall Space Flight Center was the leading candidate for the Spacelab payload operations center. Goddard Space Flight Center had expressed interest in handling operational needs of the high energy experiments on Spacelab pallets. (Covault, Av Wk, 17 March 75,59-60)
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