Nov 11 1975
From The Space Library
Development of a reusable single-stage Space Shuttle that could perform better than the current partially reusable design, and cost less, would be feasible before the end of this century "if pushed aggressively enough," Robert E. Smylie, Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Technology for NASA, told the House Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications. Studies by the agency had shown that structural weight reductions of 25% and propulsion-system improvements of 5 to 6%, relative to current space flight technology, could be achieved in the late 1990s. In other areas of space technology, Smylie cited the concept of solar-electric propulsion that had been considered for planetary missions using the Space Transportation System, and described research in automated processing of microcircuits, robot vehicles for planetary exploration, vitreous materials resistant to laser radiation, and dry lubricant with application in space payloads. (Transcript, Vol I Part 1, 696, 726, 1130 ff)
NASA had begun preliminary long-range planning for a fourth earth resources satellite, Landsat-D, Sen. Frank E. Moss (D-Utah) told the American Mining Congress, and "the odds are that it will be optimized for agricultural studies." Moss had predicted that the U.S. would eventually have a Landsat optimized for mineral exploration; "the people who will decide ... if we need a specialized satellite will be the scientific and engineering community itself. They must guide NASA in the ... proper utilization of the environment of space." NASA had reported that both Landsats 1 and 2 were operating satisfactorily but under reduced capability in areas without ground stations because of tape-recorder deterioration. To expedite flow of Landsat information to users, NASA had planned expansion by May 1977 to handling 200 Landsat scenes a day and delivering magnetic tapes from the data centers to the user within 24 to 48 hr after receipt of data at GSFC. (CR, 11 Nov 75, 519689; SBD, 17 Nov 75, 84)
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