Sep 21 1977
From The Space Library
DFRC announced that employees John G. McTigue and Stanley Markey would share a $5000 award for working out a way to truck the Shuttle orbiter overland from the Rockwell plant in Palmdale, Calif., to DFRC rather than use the Boeing 747 carrier, eliminating the need for a mate/demate device costing $2.53 million and saving the Shuttle program nearly $800 000. The two men used their knowledge of local terrain, geography, and manpower to set up a ground route with relatively minor problems. (DFRC Release 30/77)
NOAA reported that airline passengers between Miami and Latin America could enjoy smoother flights because of satellite weather images. Lineas Aereos Nicaragua (LANKA) and 8 other carriers were sharing Goes 2 weather photos of the area from the southeastern U.S. into South America, including all of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. A LANICA official said that, until now, the airlines had little idea of the location of storms; now they could avoid them, or use the windflow to save time and fuel. (NOAA Release 77-247)
ERDA announced it had selected Windworks, Inc., of Mukwonago, Wisc., to negotiate a contract for design and production of advanced small windmills for farms, rural homes, and other uses. The $388 000 contract covered designing a machine to produce 8kw of electric power from 29ft-diameter blades in a 20mph wind, and delivering it for testing by prime contractor Rockwell International at ERDA's test facility in Colo. (ERDA Release 77-168)
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