Feb 4 1992
From The Space Library
Many scientists believe that by using "telepresence," a unique mix of science and engineering that NASA was developing, astronauts may some-day explore Mars without leaving their base camp. Dr. Geoffrey Briggs of NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, said "telepresence will allow humans to project themselves, by way of a suitably equipped robot, into a remote environment without endangering themselves." Telepresence, which is similar to "virtual reality," will allow a researcher, wearing a video headset, to see remote locations through cameras mounted on a remotely operated robotic vehicle. The researcher points the camera by moving his or her head and steers the vehicle with a pair of joysticks or with body motion. Manipulators on the robot relay the "feel" of an object's weight and texture. Briggs called the research technique "revolutionary" because it made it possible to simulate planetary studies in hostile earthly environments, such as the frigid waters of Antarctica, and eventually to perform real research on the Moon and Mars. (NASA Release 92-20)
NASA, in conjunction with the Nation's two leading aircraft engine makers, reported that it would be developing advanced materials that could make a next-generation supersonic airliner possible by the year 2005. A five year, $88 million partnership with General Electric Aircraft Engines, Cincinnati, and United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney Division, East Hartford, Connecticut, was to center on critical composite materials and processes that U.S. industry would need to design and build a fleet of high-speed civil transports. The planes would fly at more than twice the speed of sound and at much higher altitudes than today's commercial airliners. A cost-effective, environmentally compatible supersonic airliner could cut long-distance trip times in half. For example, a future high-speed civil transport could fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo in 4 1/2 hours instead of the 10 hours taken by present subsonic passenger planes. While NASA, Pratt & Whitney, and General Electric will form the core of the team, many other U.S. engine companies, materials suppliers, and composite fabricators also will play an integral part. This interaction will provide the base for a future U.S. manufacturing capability in high-temperature composites and will let the involved firms take early advantage of the program's technical results. The composites also will help American manufacturers of subsonic airplanes, power systems, and military aircraft. (NASA Release 92-21)
NASA issued its strongest warning yet about the quickening deterioration of the ozone layer over large, populated areas in northern latitudes. Experts warned that thinning ozone will let in more harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun and lead to more skin cancer and cancer deaths. An ozone layer hole could appear as early March 1992 if certain meteorological and chemical conditions occur, said the scientists. Even if the hole does not appear right away, the chances are "very high" that it will occur over the next decade, said James Anderson, a Harvard University chemistry professor who is involved in the project. (WSJ, Feb 4/92; P Inq, Feb 4/92; NY Times, Feb 4/92; USA Today, Feb 4/92; W Post, Feb 4/92; W Times, Feb 4/92; LA Times, Feb 4/92; B Sun, Feb 4/92)
Dr. Mark M. Phillips, acting director of Cerro Tololo, an American operated observatory in Chile, said the New Technology Telescope developed in Europe was capturing images up to six times more revealing than those obtained by comparable American telescopes of conventional design. The new European telescope contained advanced optical elements that automatically correct the distortions caused by gravity and wind as the telescope moves. There was an uneasy feeling among some scientists that the salad days of United States astronomy were drawing to a close and that the new European telescopes would leave American astronomers far behind. (NY Times, Feb 4/92)
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