January 1980
From The Space Library
“What Voyager Saw: Jupiter's Dazzling Realm” article appears in National Geographic Magazine
The Washington Post reported the death January 13 of James J. Donegan, 63, "a pioneer in space technology" at NASA since 1958. An aeronautical engineer specializing in spacecraft tracking, data acquisition, and computing techniques at GSFC, Donegan was an original member of the ground instruments unit attached to the first Space Task Group (STG) formed in 1958 to meet the challenge of Sputnik. He was a designer of the original manned spaceflight network and directed GSFC's manned spaceflight activity until 1973, when he became head of a new Operations Support Computing Division responsible for computer support to both manned and unmanned scientific spacecraft. He was operations director for Project Mercury and coordinated instantaneous computer services for Gemini and Apollo flights, receiving NASA's exceptional service medal in 1969 for his work on Apollo. (W Post, Jan 18/80, C-10)
Aviation Week & Space Technology reported the death of John A. (Shorty) Powers, 57, who joined NASA as a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel to help manage the original seven Mercury astronauts and became known as "the voice of Mercury control." Powers, who retired from NASA in 1964, was found dead of natural causes January 1 at his home in Phoenix, Ariz. (Av Wk, Jan 7/80, 21)
FBIS reported further comment on the joint flight of Soyuz T and Salyut 6, predicted to continue "for several months" so that experts could test systems and operations before proceeding to build the new spacecraft "in series." The propellant tanks used by the engines for cruise and for docking now formed a single system; in the past, overuse of propellant in attitude control meant a Soyuz would have to return to Earth even if plenty of propellant was left in the cruise engine. This would not be so in the new engine. The on-board computer now carried out duties previously handled by the crew, such as data processing and flight or system control. Also, Soyuz T had a panel of solar batteries, which previous spacecraft did not have. The commentary said that previous Soyuz spacecraft would continue to be used for the immediate future, the present trial flight serving as dress rehearsal for the "many novel technical features." (FBIS, Moscow Wrld Svc in Russian, Jan 8/80)
- 1980
- January
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