May 12 1977

From The Space Library

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Current revision

The U.S. Air Force launched a pair of "jam-proof" Triple-7 defense satellite communications system spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:27am on a Martin Marietta Titan IIIC booster, largest developed by the USAF, into an elliptical parking orbit with 35 943km (22 333mi) apogee, 285km (177mi) perigee, and 26.6° inclination. At 5 30pm the USAF confirmed that the two 13001b spacecraft had separated and had been fired by the Titan third stage into stationary orbit at about 22 300mi where they would remain for 2mo above the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific for system checkout.

The two satellites (fourth attempt in 6yr to launch a Triple-7 package, but only the second successful one), with a DSCS already in orbit and another pair scheduled for launch in November, would form a global communications network that the USAF had been trying to establish for several yr. A Titan IIIC malfunction in 1975 had prevented an earlier pair of spacecraft from achieving orbit. (Today, May 12/77, 12A; May 13/77, IA; C Trib, May 14/77,1-9; NYT, May 11/77,19; Av Wk, May 16/77, 19)

NASA announced that simulation of a 1980s Spacelab mission using the Galileo 11 (a Convair 990 jet transport converted to a sophisticated flying laboratory) would begin May 16 with the first of nine daily 6hr flights from ARC carrying four payload specialists and a mission specialist. Known as ASSESS (airborne science/Spacelab equipment system simulation), the flights would rehearse NASA and ESA personnel in the roles they would perform in actual Spacelab missions, giving the managers practice in coordinating payload management between experiment operators on Spacelab and investigators on the ground [cf. Apr. 19]. The actual missions would be the first chance for scientific personnel without astronaut training to obtain in orbit data on earth resources, infrared astronomy, medicine, and atmospheric pollution.

The Spacelab program that began in 1972 had included 6 simulations to gather data on Shuttle-Spacelab operations; the first set of flights, called ASSESS 1, had consisted of 5 simulations on Galileo over 6 days in June 1975. The new series, ASSESS 2, would fly a different route each of the 9 days, ranging over the Pacific and to the northern and southern borders of the United States, as far east as the Dakotas, and would end May 26. The Galileo II would fly to Paris May 30 for exhibition at the Paris Air Show, then fly to Cologne in West Germany where the ESA experiments would be removed.

Mission specialist on ASSESS 2 would be astronaut Karl Henize of JSC with astronaut Robert Parker, also of JSC, as backup. NASA payload specialists on ASSESS 2 would be David S. Billiu and Robert T. Menzies of JPL, with Leon Weaver of MSFC as backup to both; ESA payload specialist would be Claude Nicollier of Switzerland, with Juergen Fein of West Germany as backup. The other payload specialist position would be shared by Michael Taylor of England (on 6 flights) and Klaus Kramp of West Germany (on 3 flights). The simulation would confine the crew to the aircraft and an adjacent mobile van containing living quarters similar to those available on the Shuttle. (NASA Release 77-94; ESA anno May 10/77)

The Natl. Space Club announced that Dr. Robert S. Cooper, director of GSFC since July 1976, would speak at its May 26 luncheon. Dr.

Cooper came to NASA from DOD, where he had been assistant director for research and engineering since 1972, heading establishment of the joint services NavStar global positioning system. He had begun at Mass. Inst. of Technology in 1958 as instructor of electrical engineering, was assistant professor there from 1963 to 1966, and had been a manager at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory until joining DOD. (NSC anno May 12/77)

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