Dec 17 1979
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The Washington Star reported that NASA had reestablished radio contact with Voyager 1 speeding toward Saturn after the spacecraft apparently became disoriented December 13 during a commanded course correction and aimed its antenna in the wrong direction. JPL controllers had managed to make it "reorient itself and aim its antenna directly at earth." (W Star, Dec 17/79, A-4)
The press reported that a 14-hour dry-run test of Space Shuttle orbiter Columbia got under way at Cape Canaveral December 16 after a day's delay for routine checks. The orbiter integrated test would check out Columbia's systems using equipment and engineering teams in control centers at the Cape and JSC. (NY limes, Dec 17/79, D-15; W Star, Dec 17/79, A-2; W Post, Dec 17/79, A-28)
Dr. Paul MacCready, builder of the lightweight Gossamer Albatross that made the world's first manpowered flight across the English Channel in June this year, saw his creation go on display in Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, the Washington Star reported. MacCready was now planning a solar-powered Albatross, the paper said. (W Star, Dec 17/79, A-2)
The Washington Post reported that the Soviet Union had launched an uncrewed Soyuz T, an improved version of its usually crewed Soyuz craft, to join the Earth-orbiting Salyut 6 station. Tass said the launch at 1530 Moscow time December 16 put the Soyuz T into an orbit with 232-kilometer apogee, 201-kilometer perigee, 88.6-minute period, and 51.648- inclination. Tass reported linkup with Salyut 6 December 19, the station's 16th docking with another spacecraft in its 26-month flight.
Dr. Konstantin Feoktistov said Soyuz T would test a new propulsion unit combining former autonomous systems for orientation, orbit correction, and docking, and new life-support, flight-control, and descent systems. Other new on-board systems included radiocommunications, orientation, movement control, and a computer complex to handle maneuvers, systems control, and transmission of processed data. (W Post, Dec 17/79; FBIS, Tass in English, Dec 16-19/79)
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