May 15 1978
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NASA announced it would participate in a joint American Soviet particle-intercalibration (JASPIC) project to compare techniques used by both countries to measure intensity of energetic electrons and protons entering the lower ionosphere. At a 1975 meeting of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics in Grenoble, France, U.S. and Soviet scientists had agreed that the first question to be resolved was instrument credibility. Joint measurement of energetic electron and proton intensity at the same time and same place would be a first step in reconciling the conflicting results reported in the scientific literature. A Soviet research ship, the Professor Vize, off the Va. coast near Wallops Flight Center would serve as the Soviet launch platform.
The researchers would study the role of the particles in creating ionization in the lower ionosphere at night at mid-altitudes. They would compare data from 4 sounding-rocket launches from Wallops Island and 5 Soviet MR-12 rocket launches from the ship. One of the Wallops launched rockets would release a chemical cloud possibly visible to east coast residents. Each organization would be responsible for its own countdown and launch operations. (NASA Release 78-71)
LeRC announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Papago tribe of Ariz. and the U.S. Public Health Service to provide the Papago Indian village of Schuchuli, Ariz., with electric power from the sun by Sept. 1978. This would be funded by DOE as a first step toward construction of a 3kw totally solar electric village power system, part of DOE's Natl. Photovoltaic Conversion Program. The new system would provide Schuchuli's 96 residents with sufficient electricity to power a community refrigerator, freezer, washing machine, sewing machine, water pump, and lights for the village's 16 homes, church, and feast house. Under the cooperative agreement, NASA would furnish all materials and technical assistance necessary to install the equipment and supporting facilities. The Papago Construction Co., an arm of the Papago tribal council, would erect the solar arrays and install all power system equipment. (NASA Release 78-74; Lewis News, May 26/78, 1; DOE Release ET-0444/2)
Av Wk reported that a long deadlock on airline regulatory reform had been broken when the House Transportation and Public Works aviation subcommittee approved a bill consigning automatic route entry to further study before planning a permanent program. The White House had wanted a strengthened bill from a joint House-Senate committee. The Senate-passed bill had allowed an airline one new route in the first 2yr after the bill became law in 1979, and two new routes in each of the following 3yr. The House bill approved by voice vote had allowed a carrier one new route in the first calendar yr after enactment, as well as designation of one market, disallowing automatic entry to a competitor.
The bill would have required the CAB to complete a study on success of automatic-entry provisions by June 30, 1980; if that study should find the experiment successful, Congress would pass additional legislation for airline deregulation on a more permanent basis. A compromise bill pushed by the Carter Administration would terminate the CAB, continue the small-communities subsidies, and give U.S. international carriers fillup rights to carry domestic traffic on all international routes, among other provisions. (Av Wk, May 15/78, 26)
Congress had remained divided over continuing the separate development by the Army and the USAF of two battlefield nuclear weapons for a similar purpose: delivery of quick-reaction nuclear strikes to free for other missions the dual-capability NATO aircraft now committed to nuclear alert, Av Wk reported. The Army had been working with Martin Marietta on the Pershing 2 mobile tactical nuclear ballistic missile; the USAF had been working with General Dynamics on the Tomahawk ground-launched cruise missile.
The House Armed Services Committee had asked the Pentagon to make an early decision on one of the two weapons for the European theater. The committee would have to take into consideration transferring the Pershing 2 program to the USAF and halting the ground launched cruise-missile production program; adding $10 million to the $10.1 million requested for the Pershing 2 in recommending program transfer to the USAF; the questionable survivability of the ground launched cruise missile, and the capability of Pershing 2 to penetrate 1980's Soviet air defenses; and development studies by the USAF of at least two ballistic missiles, at the time it was requesting ground-launched cruise-missile production funds. The Senate Armed Services Committee had recommended continuing the Pershing 2 under the Army program office, and providing full funding for the USAF ground-launched cruise missile. The House and Senate now had to seek a compromise on the two systems during a conference scheduled for late May or early June. (Av Wk, May 15/78, 18)
ComSatCorp had agreed to a 48% reduction in its rates for international satellite communications, following FAA approval of a proposed settlement of its 13-yr-old rate case, Av Wk reported. ComSatCorp management and FCC staff had agreed on settlement last Feb. As U.S. representative to the 102-nation International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT), ComSatCorp had leased capacity on INTELSAT circuits to other U.S. carriers such as American Telephone & Telegraph, ITT World Communications, RCA Global Communications, and Western Union International. The FCC now had to decide how these carriers would pass rate reductions along to their customers.
As part of the settlement, ComSatCorp would relinquish all claim to an escrow account totaling more than $100 million that it had set up in mid-1976 pending judicial review of an FCC Dec. 1975 decision in the? rate case. The amount in escrow had been set aside for possible refund of overcharges since mid-1976, and the FCC also had to decide how refunds would be made. Under the settlement, ComSatCorp's overall allowed rate of return would be 11.48%, compared to 10.8% under the FCC's 1975 decision. (Av Wk, May 15/78, 22)
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