Mar 30 1973
From The Space Library
Preparations for twin launches of the Skylab space station and its first three-man crew continued with few significant problems, NASA announced. Major elements of the space station had completed integrated mission simulation and flight-readiness testing. Seventy percent of stowed items had been placed in the Workshop section. Simulated loading of propellant into the Saturn IB launch vehicle had been completed. A leaking valve in the service module had caused replacement of a 244- by 9l-cm (96- by 36-in) panel containing propellant tanks, plumbing, and engines. Excessive leakage in the oxidizer tank bladder was also being investigated. (NASA Release 73-61)
A video tape recorder aboard ERTS 1 Earth Resources Technology Satellite (launched July 23, 1972) had developed sporadic bursts of noise that degraded recorded photographic images, NASA announced. Investigations were underway to determine the cause and full impact of the problem. Real-time photos were unaffected. (NASA Release 73-62)
NASA launched two sounding rockets, one from Alaska and one from White Sands Missile Range. A Nike-Tomahawk from Poker Flats, Alaska, carried a Goddard Space Flight Center magnetospheric physics experiment to a 233.2-km (144.9-mi) altitude. The rocket and instrumentation performed satisfactorily.
An Aerobee 170A from White Sands carried a Massachusetts Institute of Technology x-ray astronomy experiment to a 184.3-km (114.5mi) altitude. The rocket and instrumentation performed satisfactorily. (GSFC proj off)
Light pollution was a threat to astronomy, a Science article reported. The level of sky light caused by outdoor lighting systems was growing at a rate of 20% per year nationwide. Light pollution was already damaging to some astronomical programs and was "likely to become a major factor limiting progress in the next decade. Suitable sites in the United States for new dark sky observing facilities are very difficult to find." Observatories should establish programs to monitor sky brightness. "The astronomical community should establish a mechanism by which such programs can be supported and coordinated.” (Riegel, Science, 3/30/73, 1285-91)
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