Sep 25 1995
From The Space Library
TRW received a contract to build two more Earth Orbiting System (EOS) spacecraft. EOS is the centerpiece of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, a long-term effort to study global climate changes. (Space News, Oct 9/95; Av Wk, Sep 25/95)
NASA's Optical Transient Detector (OTD) has found a relationship between intense satellite-observed lightning activity and tornado formation. Launched April 3 aboard a Pegasus rocket, the OTD observed a peak of 60 flashes per second a minute before a tornado was seen touching the ground. (NASA Release 95-160; Space News, Oct 30/95)
Microcosm Inc. is developing a rocket engine that would be the basis of a "Scorpius" family of low-cost launch vehicles. It estimates that its "Liberty" version would cost one-tenth the price of the Lockheed Launch Vehicle (LLV). Liberty involves four stages, seven propulsion pods, and 49 engines. The work started with a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract from the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in 1993. NASA is deciding whether to fund several SBIR contracts for a one-engine "SR-S" rocket. (Av Wk, Sep 25/95)
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