Jul 24 1992
From The Space Library
NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin announced a series of procurement reforms to make NASA the model of excellence for the Federal government. Goldin said reforms in NASA's procurement process were necessary because 90 percent of the Agency's budget is spent through contracts. Major changes in procurement will include the award of new contracts to companies that have demonstrated accountability by delivering quality systems that meet cost, schedule, and technical requirements. (NASA Release 92-123)
According to NASA scientists, human, plant, and animal cells exposed to the microgravity of space for only a few days show changes in function and structure. Although preliminary, the results of the recent life sciences research on the Space Shuttle suggest alteration in metabolism, immune cell function, cell division, and cell attachment. Scientists also reported dramatic changes from space travel in some of the body's systems. Four principal investigators from the Space Life Sciences-1 mission flown aboard Space Shuttle Columbia in June 1991 reported key finds in the areas of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and neurovestibular physiology. (NASA Release 92-124)
NASA launched a rocket carrying a Japanese scientific satellite called "Geotail" that will swing by the Moon and be flung by lunar gravity nearly a million miles into space. The satellite was intended to explore the effect of the solar wind on the tail of the magnetosphere, a comet-shaped region surrounding Earth and containing radiation belts. The $160 million, four-year mission was a joint project between NASA and the Japanese Institute for Space and Astronautical Science. (W Post, Jul 25/92; API, Jul 24/92)
NASA researchers said that tests on astronauts aboard a June 5-14, 1991, flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia found their hearts, lungs, immune systems, and nervous systems responded in unexpected ways. Involved were blood pressure, muscle mass, production of key cells, and proper balance and orientation. The results do not suggest any major obstacles to long-term space missions, according to Ronald White, NASA's chief of Life Sciences. Longer human space flights, however, might depend on developing artificial gravity or other measures to minimize the physical effects of spaceflight. (UPI, Jul 25/92; NY Times, Jul 25/92; W Post, Jul 25/92)
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