Jul 25 1977
From The Space Library
NASA announced it had on July 21 and 24 adjudged the Explorer 52 and SS (Atmosphere Explorer) missions successful. Launched Oct. 6, 1975 (as AE-D) and Nov. 20, 1975 (as AE-E), the two spacecraft had carried instruments to study energy transfer and chemical processes in the atmosphere. AE-D had "performed properly" until Jan. 29, 1976, when a power system failure ended control of the spacecraft, which reentered earth's atmosphere March 16. Its perigee had moved from equatorial at launch, northward to the winter pole and southward to the summer pole, producing "excellent measurements" at all latitudes. AE-E, still in operation, "continues to acquire and contribute worthwhile data" on the Atmosphere Explorers' findings, which had resulted in 250 formal presentations at scientific gatherings and 130 publications in technical journals. (NASA MOR S-852-75-04/05)
NASA announced it had selected Ball Bros. Research Corp., Boulder, Colo., to negotiate a $13.8 million contract for the telescope system on the infrared astronomy satellite (IRAS), a joint U.S.-Netherlands mission to survey the celestial sphere in the infrared spectrum. The U.S. would provide a large cryogenically cooled instrument and the Netherlands would provide the spacecraft and would supervise integration. NASA would launch IRAS from WTR early in 1981 on a Delta for its yr-long scientific mission. The Ball Bros. contract would cover design, fabrication, test, and launch support for the telescope, plus spares, an engineering model, and ground-support equipment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory would manage the project, and Ames Research Center would be responsible for the telescope system (NASA Release 77-154)
NASA announced it had selected Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., and Perkin-Elmer Corp., Danbury, Conn., to negotiate contracts totaling more than $131 million for two major elements of the Space Telescope. Lockheed would design, fabricate, and integrate the telescope support-systems module, provide systems engineering and analysis, and support NASA in ground and flight operations. Perkin-Elmer would design, manufacture, and deliver the optical assembly and equipment, including systems engineering, support of the launch, verification of the orbit, and plans for mission operations. The 8ft-diameter telescope, scheduled for launch on the Space Shuttle late in 1983, would offer an astronomical capability beyond anything possible from the earth's surface or any telescopes launched so far because of its improvements in resolution, power, light sensitivity, and wavelength coverage. It would be refurbished periodically in orbit or could be returned to earth on the Shuttle for repair or upgrading. The support module would provide electric power, communications, data processing and storage, attitude sensing and control, and environmental control to the telescope assembly and up to 5 additional scientific instruments accommodated by the telescope. MSFC, which had overall project management responsibility, would manage the contracts for the support module and the optical assembly; GSFC would manage scientific instrument development. (NASA Release 77-153)
ARC announced that its 1977 summer study under the leadership of Dr. Gerard K. O'Neill on space settlements and industrialization using nonterrestrial materials would offer a briefing Aug. 2 on the technical areas covered: life-support systems, habitat design, materials transport and processing, and space manufacturing. (ARC anno July 25/77)
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