Mar 3 1996
From The Space Library
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(New page: NASA scientist Benjamin F. Chao explained to the New York Times the results of his research on Earth's orbit. A geophysicist at Goddard Space Flight Center, Chao attributed the Earth's...)
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NASA scientist Benjamin F. Chao explained to the New York Times the results of his research on Earth's orbit. A geophysicist at Goddard Space Flight Center, Chao attributed the Earth's slightly changed orbital pattern to the increased construction of dams. As the planet's population has grown, people had attempted to maximize use of Earth's limited water resources by building reservoirs. Using geophysics, international data, and theoretical calculations, Chao postulated that this increase in impounded water on the Earth's surface had actually helped speed up the Earth's orbit. Chao first made public his findings in the Geophysical Research Papers. Some members of the scientific community challenged his conclusions.
Columbia astronauts set a series of small fires inside the Shuttle to help NASA scientists improve their design of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers for use in a weightless environment. The fires spread quickly within the enclosed vehicle. Astronaut Jeffrey A. Hoffman marveled at the behavior of the flames, which was completely different in a weightless environment from that typically observed on Earth. The fires scattered quickly and burned much more intensely than on Earth. NASA had never before tested the fire-detection equipment in a space environment. The fire equipment worked properly, and the crew put out all fires without incident.
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