Feb 4 1991
From The Space Library
NASA announced its Mixed Fleet Manifest for the Space Shuttle and expendable launch vehicles (ELVs) for the next three years. Of the 26 Space Shuttle flights, 18 would be for NASA payloads or joint NASA/international payloads. The Shuttle was to focus on a variety of space science activities supporting life sciences, materials science, and astrophysics investigations. The remaining flights would consist of two international Spacelab missions, two flights of the commercially provided SPACEHAB module, the retrieval and reboost of a stranded commercial communications satellite, and three Department of Defense (DoD) missions. There were 7 Space Shuttle launches planned for 1991, 8 in 1992, and 11 in 1993.
The first Space Shuttle launch in 1991 was scheduled to be the STS-39, an unclassified Defense Department mission carrying payloads belonging to the Air Force and the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. NASA's Gamma Ray Observatory was planned for launch in April, and the first Spacelab Life Sciences mission was planned in May aboard orbiter Columbia. The remaining flights were the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite in July, a DoD Defense Support Program satellite in August, NASA's Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite in November, and the first International Microgravity Laboratory Spacelab mission in December.
Thirteen ELV launches were to occur over the three years. During the period, various activities to support Space Station Freedom were to be performed. These included two flights with planned space walks to test planned Space Station equipment and techniques, two zero-gravity thermal system tests, and two tests of environmental control systems. (NASA Release 91-18)
The 10-day UN conference on global warming opened on February 4 in Chantilly, Virginia. The conference was to discuss the greenhouse effect and worldwide temperature rises. For the first time, the United States pledged at the conference to stabilize the amount of "greenhouse" gases it emits into the air. (W Post, Feb 3/91; USA Today, Feb 4/91; B Sun, Feb 5/91; NY Times, Feb 5/91; W Post, Feb 5/91; W Times, Feb 5/91; LA Times, Feb 5/91)
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, began analyzing the photos of Venus produced by the Magellan Spacecraft. JPL operates Magellan for NASA. The pictures show a tortured landscape featuring extreme volcanism, particularly surface bulges 30 to 140 miles wide called "arachnoids." (LA Times, Feb 4/91)
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