Sep 20 1994
From The Space Library
NASA announced that the 12-member panel investigating the failure of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-13) meteorological satellite in August 1993 had concluded that the probable cause was a short circuit that prevented the solar array current from powering the spacecraft and recharging the batteries. The short circuit probably resulted from a 1.25 inch screw that extended too far below an aluminum plate and penetrated the insulation. The board made recommendations for future NOAA spacecraft; NASA supervised the design and construction of the weather satellites. (NASA Release 94-157; P Inq, Sep 21/94; AP, Sep 21/94)
NASA announced that the International Astronomical Union had approved the name Dactyl for the tiny moon discovered on August 28, 1993, in orbit around the asteroid Ida, by NASA's Galileo mission. Dactyl was the first natural satellite of an asteroid ever discovered and photographed. The name derived from the Dactyli, a group of mythological beings who lived on Mount Ida, where the infant Zeus was hidden. (NASA Release, Sep 20/94; Reuters, Sep 20/94; H Post, Sep 21/94)
NASA announced the selection of General Sciences Corporation, Laurel, Maryland, for a contract to provide support services for two Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer science support teams, which were key instruments for NASA's Earth Observing System. (NASA Release C94-ff)
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