Sep 24 1973
From The Space Library
A Memorandum of Understanding on international co-operation in NASA's space shuttle program was signed in Washington, D.C., by Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, and Dr. Alexander Rocker, Director General of the European Space Research Organization (ESRO) . Nine ESRO-member countries would design, develop, manufacture, and deliver a Spacelab flight unit to be carried in the space shuttle orbiter. The Spacelab would comprise a pressurized manned laboratory module and an instrument platform, or pallet, to support telescopes, antennas, and other equipment requiring direct space exposure. The Spacelab would be transported to and from orbit in the orbiter payload bay and would be attached to and supported by the shuttle orbiter throughout 7- to 30-day missions. At the mission's end, the Spacelab would be removed and prepared for its next mission. The estimated $300-million to $400-million Spacelab cost would be borne by Belgium, Denmark, France, West Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland-the European nations that signed, with the U.S., the Intergovernmental Agreement for space shuttle co-operation [see Aug. 14]. The agreement was open for signatures by other nations as well. Under Memorandum of Understanding terms NASA would manage all operational activities, including crew training and flight operations, following delivery of the Spacelab unit in late 1978, about one year before the space shuttle's scheduled first operational flight. NASA planned to carry a European flight crew member on the first shuttle flight and subsequent European flight crew opportunities would be provided in conjunction with ESRO or ESRO-member-government projects. NASA would make the shuttle available for Spacelab missions on either cooperative or cost-reimbursable basis. NASA would procure from ESRO any additional Spacelab units needed for U.S. programs and would not develop any further units duplicating the Spacelab's design and capabilities. Final signature of the Memorandum of Understanding having established the cooperative Spacelab program, NASA had decided to use Spacelab terminology. Steps were instituted to change designations of the Sortie Lab Task Force and Task Team at Marshall Space Flight Center to Spacelab Task Force and Task Team. (NASA Release 73-191; NASA Shuttle Off, OMSF; Spacelab Newsletter, 9/26/73)
Soviet authorities had returned data tape and altitude recorder film salvaged from the scientific payload aboard a NASA balloon that fell in the Siberian wilderness after its July 15 launch from Fort Churchill, Canada, NASA announced. Recovery had followed a request for Soviet assistance from Dr. John E. Naugle, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science, to Chairman Boris N. Petrov of the Soviet Council for International Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space. Dr. Naugle and Academician Petrov were cochairmen of a NASA and Soviet Academy of Sciences Joint Working Group on Near-Earth Space, the Moon, and the Planets. The cosmic ray detector and other instruments aboard the balloon had been damaged in the crash, but the data tape and film flown from Moscow had been pronounced usable by U.S. investigators. The experiment had been designed to measure distribution of electrons and positrons in primary cosmic rays. (NASA Release 73-195)
NASA announced the award of a $31-million contract to General Dynamics Corp. Convair Aerospace Div. for nine high-energy Centaur rockets. Four Centaurs would be used by NASA to launch satellites built under the direction of Communications Satellite Corp. for an American Telephone & Telegraph Co. domestic communications network. Corn-SatCorp would reimburse NASA for all costs of the rockets and launch services. Three Centaurs would be used to launch improved Intelsat IV satellites. NASA would use the remaining two Centaurs to launch twin Mariner spacecraft in 1977 for Jupiter and Saturn flybys. (NASA Release 73-189)
NASA announced negotiation of a $67-million cost-plus-incentive contract with McDonnell Douglas Corp. for procurement of 20 Thor-Delta launch vehicles. (NASA Release 73-188)
Johnson Space Center had issued a request for proposals for a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to build two modified aircraft for flight crew training simulating space shuttle operations, NASA announced. Proposals were due Oct. 9, with work to be completed in two and one half years. The shuttle training aircraft (STA) were to simulate space shuttle orbiter flying characteristics, performance, and trajectory during atmospheric flight. (NASA Release 73-194)
The election of Dr. John V. Harrington, Director of the Center for Space Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as Vice President, Research and Engineering, with Communications Satellite Corp. was announced. He would join the corporation in October. (ComSatCorp Release 73-49)
A new technique to measure the burn rate of solid rocket propellant on launched vehicles had been developed by the Air Force Systems Com-mand Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, AFSC announced. An acoustic emission system picked up the sounds of burning propellant on a very sensitive microphone, and acoustic emissions were fed to a device that automatically measured the burn rate. Previously an oscillograph trace had been measured with a ruler, a time-consuming job that sometimes produced errors. (AFSC Release OIP 129.73)
A Huntsville News editorial commented on the planned Oct. 1 celebration of NASA'S 15th anniversary and the start of Space Week: "The spinoff from space exploration continues to help Americans and mankind from all kinds of new equipment to watching happenings in Europe or Asia right in your own living room because of the launch of satellites. Years will see new developments come from data already collected." (Hunts-ville News, 9/24/73)
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