Jun 4 1985
From The Space Library
NASA announced that an eight-member review team at Goddard Space Flight Center concluded that the failure of the Global Low Orbiting Message Relay Satellite (GLOMR) to deploy from its canister during the April 1985 Space Shuttle 51-B mission was due to the failure of two switches designed to activate bolt cutters on the canister. On June 7 the team would issue a final report along with recommendations for a solution to the problem.
The Northern Utah Satellite (NUSAT) along with GLOMR would be the first satellites successfully deployed from canisters aboard the Space Shuttle. The door of the GLOMR canister opened, indicating normal battery operation, but the bolt cutters would not activate. After a second deployment attempt, NASA decided to return GLOMR to earth for evaluation. (NASA Release 8585)
NASA announced selection of 13 new astronaut candidates, six pilots and seven mission specialists, who would report to the Johnson Space Center in late summer to begin a one-year period of training and evaluation. Upon successful completion of the training, they would be eligible for assignment to Space Shuttle flights.
The candidates would join 90 current astronauts. Including the new group, NASA had named 157 astronauts since the beginning of the program. In making the latest selections, NASA considered 33 civilians from the selection rosters developed during the 1984 selection process and 133 nominees from the military services.
Those selected as pilot candidates were LCdr. Michael Baker (USN), Maj. Robert Caban (USMC), Capt. Brian Duffy (USAF), Stephen Oswald (civilian), and LCdr. Stephen Thorne (USN). Mission specialist candidates were Jerome Apt (PhD-civilian), Capt. Charles Gemar (US Army), Linda Godwin (PhD-civilian), Richard Hieb (civilian), Tamara Gernigan (civilian), Capt. Carl Meade (USAF), and Lt. Pierre Thuot (USN). (NASA Release 85-84)
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