May 20 1986
From The Space Library
Two papers delivered by Dr. Allan Harris and Dr. Eugene Shoemaker to the American Geophysical Union in Baltimore dealt with the possibilities and consequences of a comet, asteroid, or large meteoroid striking the Earth. Chances of the first two bodies striking us in the next 100 years, the paper determined, were only 1 in 1000. An encounter with the third, however, would be more likely (this occurs about once every two decades) and although the meteoroid would explode in the atmosphere, less advanced nations might mistake the explosion for a nuclear attack. Asteroids and comets are still monitored, notwithstanding the low odds of a collision. Asteroids lend themselves to search methods because they follow an Earth-like orbit, but the latter have an elliptical orbit difficult to track.
Also presented to the Baltimore meeting were the results of the findings of a joint U.S.Brazilian atmospheric study conducted in July and August 1985 by NASA and the lnstituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espacials. Analysis of the study concluded that gases from the rain forests in the Amazon Basin in Brazil set off a chain of chemical reactions that eventually impact global air quality and the Earth's radiation budget. Trace gases in the troposphere resulting from biological activity in forest soil and vegetation were measured with instruments aboard NASA's Electra aircraft. (NASA Release 86-63; 86-64)
The Pentagon considered waiting until 1991 before a Shuttle would be launched for the first time from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Temporarily closing the $2.8 billion facility would save $400 million a year in maintenance. The major advantage, however, given the increased number of launches per year, is that using only Cape Canaveral in Florida would save time because moving a Shuttle between the two coasts is time consuming. Only launches from Vandenberg, however, could safely put the Air Force's highly classified satellites into polar orbit. (NY Times, May 21/86)
Representative Edward P. Rolland, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee, advised NASA that it needed to make some difficult choices in its big-ticket items. The Congressman specifically asked Administrator Dr. James C. Fletcher how he would choose between a new Shuttle and the Space Station, to which he responded that the two projects were inseparable. Fletcher further pointed out that a fourth Shuttle was necessary because another accident would leave the Nation with only two, crippling the space pro-gram. The subcommittee, said Bollard, was most concerned about the cost of the Space Station. (B Sun, May 21/86)
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