May 30 1975
From The Space Library
Both Viking Landers were 1 wk behind schedule because of an electrical interface problem between two onboard power control units, Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport News reported. (Spaceport News, 30 May 75, 2)
A team of Federal and university scientists were using three instrumented aircraft and an elaborate ground network to construct a three dimensional map of the atmosphere's electrical fields around Kennedy Space Center and to determine the conditions under which a launch penetrating these fields would trigger a lightning strike. By July the team hoped to be able to predict what the electrical conditions would be at the launch pad 10 to 20 min before liftoff. The project, directed by the Dept. of Commerce's Environmental Research Laboratories and funded by NASA, included scientists from NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Naval Research Laboratory, N. Mex. Inst. of Mining and Technology, and Univ. of Ariz. The experimenters would conduct a month of aircraft flights under and around various convective clouds, measuring electrical fields and making penetrations of frozen cloud anvils-cirrus clouds swept off the tops of thunderstorms by upper level winds. In addition, data from the mapping ground network-24 electrical-field-measuring stations installed around KSC by NOAA in 1973-were fed into a computer whose video component displayed a map of the area and ground stations, total electrical activity in nearby storms, weather radar contours of precipitation, electrical-field contours, and the positions of lightning strikes.
The project was a continuation of one begun for NASA by NOAA after the Apollo 12 launch on 12 Nov. 1969 when lightning struck the spacecraft, shutting off the spacecraft's electrical power and setting off numerous alarms. The spacecraft automatically switched to backup battery power while the crew restored the primary power system. (NOAA Release 75-91; A&A 69, 372-378)
Scientists believed that light flashes observed by Skylab 4 crew members during their 16 Nov. 1973 to 8 Feb. 1974 mission as they flew through the South Atlantic Anomaly-a slight asymmetry in the earth's magnetic field where the Van Allen radiation belt dipped unusually low over Brazil-were a previously unsuspected form of radiation, Science magazine reported. The radiation seemed to consist of atomic nuclei heavier than hydrogen which, when stripped of electrons, would carry multiple positive electric charges.
The astronauts had seen the flashes when the spacecraft cabin was dark and they were preparing for sleep. Scientists suspected that the flashes were stimulated within the retina of the eye by the high-energy cosmic-ray particles. Normally earth was shielded from cosmic rays by the magnetic field, but strong penetrating cosmic rays could reach as far into the field as the Skylab orbit.
Because the magnetic-field shielding of the earth weakened toward the geomagnetic poles, it was possible to predict variations in cosmic ray exposure as Skylab moved away from the poles. During two test periods, light-flash observations of Astronaut William R. Pogue showed a close correlation with exposure variations. (Pinsky et al., Science, 30 May 75, 928-930; Sullivan, NYT, 29 May 75, 10)
30-31 May: The Convention of the new European Space Agency was formally adopted and opened for signing at a conference of plenipotentiaries held 30 May in Paris and presided over by French Minister of Industry and Research Michel d Ornano. Under the terms of the Convention, ESA came into de facto operation 31 May. The convention was signed by the 10 member-countries of the former European Space Research Organization-Belgium, Denmark, France, West Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom-and would remain open for signature by other countries until 31 Dec. 1975. Ireland, which had had observer status in ESRO, had indicated its intention to sign.
The new space agency's symbol was a rounded "e," for European, on a globe representing earth, with fine lines suggesting both orbit and axis and a white dot representing a satellite in space. (ESRO-ESA Releases 20 May 75, 23 May 75, 2 June 75)
30 May-8 June: The 31st Annual Paris Air Show was held at Le Bourget Airport in France. New restrictions on flight demonstrations by high performance aircraft, imposed by the French government after the 1973 Air Show crash of the Soviet Tu-144 supersonic transport, had placed the show's emphasis on displays of the latest aerospace hardware and technology from throughout the world. Aviation Week and Space Technology reported that the general turndown in the economy throughout the western world had caused a decline of 20% in exhibitors from the 1973 show.
France emphasized the cooperative nature of its major programs, displaying the French-British Concorde SST, the French-German Alpha Jet trainer-attack aircraft, the French-British Jaguar close air support aircraft, and the multinational A-300B twin-engine widebody transport.
The U.S. pavilion reflected the changing environment at the show, reserving 66% of its floor space for company exhibits restricted to industry visitors; the remaining 33% contained exhibits open to the general public. In 1973 60% was exhibitor space and 40% for the general public.
Boeing Co. and McDonnell Douglas Corp. displayed aircraft that were potential replacements for the Boeing 707 and McDonnell DC- 8 on commercial airlines. The Boeing aircraft, a three-engine member of the 7X7 family, incorporated the NASA-developed supercritical wing.
"Blue Planet" was the theme of the public section of the U.S. pavilion which emphasized technological fallout and practical uses on earth of space technology. Included were full-scale models of the Viking spacecraft scheduled for launch to Mars later in the year, and of Martin Marietta Corp.'s large space telescope.
The 80 participating British companies emphasized their country's capability in avionics and equipment and aerospace technology. Among the new aircraft exhibited by the British were the BN2 Islander, a floating aircraft for service between islands; the Lockspieser LDA-1, for cargo and agricultural uses; and a new version of the BAC 111 fighter aircraft.
West Germany's display stressed its participation in international consortiums as a major hope for continuing growth. Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm GmbH pointed out in its display that 70% of its revenues in 1974 had been derived from multinational projects. (Av Wk, 2 June 75, 14-20; 9 June 75, 12-17)
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