Jan 26 1988
From The Space Library
An engineer who, only hours before the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up, warned NASA that it was dangerous to launch the spacecraft in cold weather was named a winner of the Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award. Roger M. Boisjoly, a former engineer for Morton Thiokol, Inc.-the manufacturer of the Space Shuttle solid rocket motor blamed for the Challenger accident that killed seven crew members-was honored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for attempting to halt the launch and for his attempts to have the flawed rocket redesigned. The AAAS, in an announcement, cited Boisjoly "for his exemplary and repeated efforts to fulfill his professional responsibilities as an engineer by alerting others to life threatening design problems on the Challenger Space Shuttle and for steadfastly recommending against the tragic launch" Boisjoly was to receive the AAAS award during February 14 ceremonies in Boston. (LA Star News, Jan 27/88)
This date marked a decade of continuous operation of the international ultraviolet explorer (IUE). The IUE is credited with some of the most important advances in modern astronomy, including the discovery of galactic halos, monitoring volcanic activities on Io, beaming the first images ever recorded of Halley’s Comet from space, and monitoring the intense emissions of ultraviolet radiation from Supernova 1987A. The IUE was a joint effort of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the British Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC). Goddard scientists, engineers, and technicians designed, integrated, and tested the IUE. An ESA team built the solar array and the ground facilities near Madrid. SERC, in collaboration with the University College, London, provided four TV camera detectors for transforming the spectral displays into video signals. (NASA Release 88-9)
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