Oct 21 1992
From The Space Library
During Space Shuttle Columbia's upcoming mission, scientists planned to test a theory which may have applications ranging from hurricane dynamics to superconductivity. The Lambda-Point Experiment was to study the strange behavior of helium at its critical temperature of 2.177 degrees above absolute zero. Other experiments were to study the effects of gravity on metals and semiconductors as they solidify on Earth and in orbit and vibrations in the Shuttle as the vibrations affect the other two experiments. The Shuttle crew was also scheduled to deploy the Laser Geodynamics Satellite, an Italian satellite to study the movements of the Earth's crust and other phenomena. (NASA Releases 92-175 and 92-176; LA Times, Oct 2/92)
NASA chose 29 supercomputing research proposals that the agency hoped would lead to a revolution in the way scientists study the Earth and space. The goal was to achieve computational capabilities far beyond those of today's machines, enabling researchers to produce realistic simulations of phenomena such as the interaction of Earth's oceans, air, and land masses and reconstructions of the evolution of stars, galaxies, and the universe.
NASA researchers found unexpectedly high productivity of microscopic plants near the equator in the Pacific Ocean during a recent airborne study aimed at increasing understanding of these plants in the region. The plants, called phytoplankton, play an important role in the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. (NASA Release 92-179)
NASA scientists tapped into a 300-year-old lead coffin in St. Mary's City, Maryland, in a search for air free of man-made pollutants. Samples of such air was expected to aid in understanding ozone damage in the present-day atmosphere. Tests on this and other coffins also helped NASA scientists evaluate the effectiveness of a tool that examines metal for tiny cracks or corrosion that occur in aircraft or spacecraft. (USA Today, Oct 21/92)
NASA-sponsored research into the biological effects of space flight at the University of Wisconsin suggested that astronauts may have to workout in space to protect their bones on long-duration flights. Dr. Arthur Vailas of the university's Biodynamics Laboratory based his conclusions on the metabolic processes in the bones of rats that had experienced days of weightlessness aboard the Space Shuttle. (UPI, Oct 21/92)
U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes, who criticized NASA hiring policies as racially discriminatory during congressional debate in July, said that he was encouraged by recent steps toward diversification discussed by the space agency at a gathering of top NASA officials at a mostly Black elementary school in Cleveland. The gathering included a visit by Black astronaut Charles F. Bolden. (The Plain Dealer, Oct 22/92)
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