April 1980

From The Space Library

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Current revision

NASA announced appointment of Robert E. Smylie, deputy director of GSFC since December 1976 and acting director from June 1979 to February 1980, as Headquarters associate administrator for space tracking and data systems. He had joined NASA in 1962 at JSC, where he worked in various positions until assigned to Headquarters in 1973 as deputy associate administrator for aeronautics and space technology. He was previously employed by Douglas Aircraft Company. (NASA anno Apr 2/80; NASA Release 80-41)

The AFSC Newsreview reported on tests in Arnold Engineering Development Center wind tunnels of insulating materials for NASA to use on the Shuttle's external tanks. One or more of these materials would cover the tanks carrying cryogenic propellants for the orbiter's main engines, to protect against liquid-hydrogen temperatures of -420°F and liquid-oxygen temperatures of -295°F, and to prevent ice buildup on the tanks before launch.

Although insulation would minimize the icing problem, NASAs concern was that at launch chunks of material might break off where it protected attachment brackets. Lumps the size of a sugar cube could damage the thousands of fragile heat-shield tiles designed to protect the orbiter from overheating. Tests showed that the material would not fragment if streamlined shapes were used ahead of the brackets. (AFSC Newsreview, Apr 80, 7)

The Washington Star reported that the American Newspaper Publishers Association (ANPA) approved a proposed system of satellite communications between wire services and newspapers. A joint task force representing ANPA, UPI, and Associated Press (AP) conducted a two-year study of economic, technical, legal, and regulatory aspects of such a system. (W Star, Apr 22/80, C-6)

The NAA newsletter paid tribute to former Senator A.S. Mike Monroney (D-Okla.), who died February 13 at the age of 77. Known as "Mr. Aviation" during his 30-year tenure in Congress, he was president of NAA 1970-1972. Longtime chairman of the Senate subcommittee on aviation, he introduced the 1955 Federal Airport Act promoting civil aviation, which led to establishment of the FAA. He received in 1961 the Wright Brothers memorial trophy for service to aviation, and the first Collier award for distinguished congressional service. (NAA newsletter Mar-Apr 80, 4)

The British Interplanetary Society's Spaceflight announced that Skylark 12, a rocket launched from Natal, Brazil, by British Aerospace, reached a record altitude of 834 kilometers (SF, Apr 4/80, 177)

Spaceflight reported a discovery by USSR scientists that the lunar regolith (the dust covering the Moon's surface) contained nonoxidized iron. Lunar samples proved to be corrosion resistant when exposed to terrestrial atmosphere. The finding, registered at the USSR Committee for Inventions and Discoveries, was confirmed at other USSR and U.S. laboratories. This unusual form of element resulted from the action of the solar wind on the Moon's surface, said Dr. Valery Barsukov, director of the Institute of Geochemistry. Particles from the solar wind "seize: the oxygen of the lunar matter and carry it away into space," leaving pure metal on the lunar surface.

The iron had not oxidized during the eight years since the Luna 16 expedition. (SF, Apr 4180, 164)

The Soviet Union launched Soyuz 35 at 1638 hours Moscow time April 9 from the Baykonur site into an orbit with 346-kilometer apogee, 336-kilometer perigee, 91.3-minute period, and 51.6° inclination. Headed for a linkup with the orbiting station Salyut 6 were two cosmonauts, engineer Valery Ryumin, 40, who spent 175 days there last year, and rookie Lt. Col. Leonid Popov, 34, a former jet fighter pilot.

The cargo carrier Progress 8 launched March 27 had automatically docked March 29 with Salyut 6, which used the Progress engine to adjust its orbit. The supply ship was still docked to Salyut, waiting for the new arrivals to unload it, Salyut 6, launched September 29, 1977, had been in orbit for more than 30 months; when the Soyuz 35 crew docked with it at 6:16 p.m. Moscow time April 10, Ryumin said in a telecast "Look, the station is absolutely in the same condition as we left it." Tass said the crew would clean, repair, and restock the station and resume research on medical and biological effects of long-term spaceflight. The Soviet television program said that Ryumin was a last-minute choice for this flight, apparently taken from a backup crew to replace an unidentified flight engineer who "had trouble during his physical exercises." First task was to turn on station systems: lights, air and water regeneration, communications, and control desk, all of which had been off for seven months while Salyut 6 was unmanned. The crew began April 11 to unload Progress 8 and activate systems and instruments including plant-life installations Oaziz, Vazon, and Malakhit, the latter an orchid-growing greenhouse the crew had brought with them on Soyuz 35. Ground control said that observing growth of the orchids would encourage "good spirits" in the crew.

By April 15 the crew had dismantled and replaced apparatus that had worn out, putting the used equipment into the freight compartment of Progress 8. They had installed new storage batteries and replaced solar batteries in the attitude-control system and parts in the water-regeneration system. They had also prepared to refuel the propulsion unit. At the end of their first week, Dr. Anatoly Yegorov said that the cosmonauts were adapting "more quickly than expected" and were working ahead of schedule, "the most convincing proof of their physical wellbeing. " [Nature magazine reported speculation that Ryumin's return flight meant the Soviet Union might be preparing for a manned mission to Mars. "Classical" Soviet projects for space exploration, following the lead of Tsiolkovsky, assumed the establishment of a permanent orbital station staffed by "several tens" of male and female crew and scientists for several months at a time; lunar and planetary exploration, for this century at least, would be left to automatic vehicles. However, Soviet experts had shown considerable interest in biological effects of long-term spaceflight; they had found "no significant organic changes" that might limit the duration of future flights. Sending Ryumin aloft again after his record 175-day flight (which Nature called "serendipitous") should have especially interesting results. Nature quoted a Tass report that Ryumin was included at the last minute when "Flight Engineer Lebedev" hurt his leg.] By April 22 the crew had almost finished unloading the freighter and had refueled the joint propulsion plant, preparatory to filling the station with oxidizer. Dr. Konstantin Feoktistov said that the most productive period of cosmonauts in space would begin one month to six weeks after a mission started; the Soyuz 35 crew had been doing repair and fault-prevention work so far, but had also begun to resume experiments. They used Progress 8's propulsion unit for another orbit adjustment April 24. On April 25 they separated the freighter from the Salyut-Soyuz complex; on April 26 they ignited the propulsion unit at 9:54 Moscow time to put it into a descent trajectory over the Pacific Ocean, where it "ceased to exist." On April 27 the Soviet Union launched Progress 9 at 9:24 p.m. Moscow time; it docked with the Soyuz-Salyut complex at 11:09 a.m. April 29, bringing more apparatus and equipment, materials for the life-support systems, additional fuel, and mail for the cosmonauts. As usual, the report ended with the statement that the cosmonauts were "feeling fine." (Tass in English, Apr 3-29/80; Moscow Dom Svc in Russian, Apr 3-29/80; W Post, Apr 10/80, A-18; W Star, Apr 10/80, A-15; Apr 12/80, A-10; NY Times, Apr 11/80, D-15; Nature, Apr 17/80, 585)

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