Jul 20 1994
From The Space Library
NASA announced that as of July 25 it would no longer distribute news releases or contract announcements by mail. Instead it would use electronic distribution services. (NASA Release 94-121; P Inq, Jul 29/94)
A biographic account of NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin stressed his enthusiasm for sending humans into space combined with a tremendous work ethic. As an administrator at aerospace manufacturer TRW, he developed strong ideas about what was wrong with the space program and how to fix it. Space advisers to President George Bush found NASA unresponsive to change and decided to offer the NASA Administrator's job to Goldin. Among his management tools, Goldin said, was the creative use of chaos. (W Post, Jul 20/94)
Senator Barbara Mikulski, Democrat from Maryland, described some of the benefits Americans enjoyed in their daily lives that resulted from space-based research. Among these were insulation techniques used by Meals on Wheels to deliver food to senior citizens, miniaturization and computers, laser technology for use in the information superhighway, and biomedical discoveries. The latter included laser systems used in heart treatment, pacemakers, and body imaging techniques used in breast cancer detection. In addition, the space program created thousands of jobs. Despite the above achievements, Mikulski admitted that NASA in the past had over-promised technology and underestimated cost. NASA needed a clear set of priorities, and space programs must become multinational. (W Post, Jul 20/94)
The 25th anniversary of the first Moonwalk was the occasion of several articles looking back at the excitement of that event and subsequent developments as well as an assessment of the current status of the space program. Noting that one-third of the U.S. population was not alive in 1969, the articles especially remarked upon a lack of enthusiasm about space, together with concern about earthly matters. Neil A. Armstrong's role in the Moon landing and the fact that he never became a public hero also was touched upon. (W Post, Jul 20/94; NY Times, Jul 20/94; USA Today, Jul 20/94; C Trib, Jul 20/94; WSJ, Jul 20/94; LA Times, Jul 21/94; H Post, Jut 22/94; P Inq, Jul 22/94)
On the 25th anniversary of the Moon landing, President Clinton and Vice President Gore welcomed the three Apollo 11 astronauts: Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins, at a White House ceremony. The U.S. Post Office also issued a stamp commemorating the 1969 event. (UP, Jul 20/94; Reuters, Jul 20/94; W Post, Jul 21/94; NY Times, Jul 21/94; B Sun, Jul 21/94; USA Today, Jul 21/94; P Inq, Jul 21/94; LA Times, Jul 21/94)
NASA and Carnegie Mellon University scientists gave a preliminary test to an eight-legged robot name Dante II. They sent it down a gravel quarry to test the $1.8 million robot's satellite and fiber-optics links and software. On July 22, or soon thereafter, they planned to send it down Mount Spurr, an active volcano 80 miles west of Anchorage. Such robots would be useful in extreme terrains and climates. On July 28 a NASA scientist, Butler Hine, said that a communications problem resulting from a poor satellite link with the robot was delaying the robot's mission into the volcano. The robot took its first steps on July 29 and was scheduled to walk 12 hours a day. By late on July 31, the robot was about 150 feet from its goal, a field of volcanic vents on the bottom of the crater. As of August 2, the robot was sending back valuable scientific data from inside the crater, despite being hit by a falling rock. On August 3, Dante 1I began its steep walk out of the crater. The climb halted on August 4 because of a faulty power unit on the crater rim. Scientists fixed the electrical problem but on August 6 the robot fell on its side. Possible methods for retrieving the robot were under consideration. An attempt to airlift the robot by helicopter on August 9 failed when the cable SNAPped, dropping Dante II further down the crater. On August 13, two experienced climbers climbed into the crater and manually wrapped a sling around the robot and attached it to a line from the helicopter, which then pulled Dante II up. (AP, Jul 21/94; AP, Jul 26/94; USA Today, Jul 27/94; Reuters, Jul 28/94; NY Times, Jul 30/94; AP, Jul 30/94; W Times, Jul 31/94; C Trib, Jul 31/94; NY Times, Aug 2/94; Reuters, Aug 2/94; AP, Aug 2/94; AP, Aug 3/94; AP, Aug 4/94; Reuters, Aug 4/94; USA Today, Aug 5/94; Reuters, Aug 6/94; USA Today, Aug 8/94; NY Times, Aug 9/94; USA Today, Aug 9/94; AP, Aug 9/94; Reuters, Aug 9/94; B Sun, Aug 10/94; W Post, Aug 10/94; AP, Aug 10/94; Chronicle of Higher Education, Aug 10/94; AP, Aug 13/94; Reuters, Aug 14/94; W Post, Aug 15/94; NY limes, Aug 15/94; USA Today, Aug 15/94; CSM, Aug 15/94; Time, Aug 15/94; Av Wk, Aug 15/94; Chemical and Engineering News, Aug 15/94; AP, Aug 22/94; LA Times, Aug 28/94)
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