Mar 1 1985
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
Construction was proceeding at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) toward the October completion of the Shuttle Processing Contract (SPC) logistics facility to house approximately 190,000 items of Space Shuttle program stock, including orbiter fuel cells, various electrical components, tires, brakes, windows, nuts, bolts, and washers then stored in three KSC warehouses and four areas of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Spaceport News reported. NASA would consolidate seven Lockheed Logistics Directorate departments and its own Launch Support Services Directorate at the facility, with 500 Lockheed and NASA employees working in 75,000 sq. ft. (about a quarter of the total) set aside for office space.
The Lockheed-managed facility would be KSC's first automated logistics warehouse for storage of flight hardware and SPC ground-support equipment. An automated inventory system would interface with the Shuttle Inventory Management System (SIMS) and a manual system. Retrieval procedures would require four roboticized forklifts to find and fetch items, an automatic conveyor, and a manned, three-story high forklift.
As part of the SPC agreement, Lockheed selected Austin Co. as the facility's architectural and engineering firm and builder at a basic design and construction cost of about $16 million. (Spaceport News, Mar 1/85, 1)
NASA announced a demonstration at Lewis Research Center (LeRC) of a convertible gas turbine engine, which could operate in turboshaft or turbofan modes or both simultaneously, that would enable future rotorcraft to operate either as rotary or fixed-wing aircraft capable of speeds equivalent to commercial transports. The demonstration was part of a joint NASA/Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program using a TF-34 engine modified under a General Electric Co. contract.
Such an engine would provide future X-wing (4-bladed) rotorcraft with the necessary shaft power to take off vertically. After reaching the conversion speed, near 200 knots, the pilot would disengage the transmission of the rotorcraft and lock the rotor blades in an "X" configuration for operation as a fixed-wing aircraft. The engine would convert from shaft to fan mode in 15 to 20 seconds to power the craft at speeds near .8 Mach. Landing would require reversing the conversion process.
During the past year, designers had evaluated performance characteristics of the engine and in Dec 1984 accomplished successfully the first transient operation simulating the conversion to and from rotary-wing to fixed-wing flight. The conversion had required 18 seconds, with the engine responding as predicted throughout. These tests had represented the first successful operation of a 5,000 hp-class convertible engine in both fan and shaft modes and the first dual mode operation for an engine.
The new engine would make possible a class of civil and military highspeed rotorcraft that could operate efficiently from hover to transonic speeds. (NASA Release 85-30)
NASA announced cancellation of the March 7 Space Shuttle Challenger flight due to problems associated with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-B). NASA officials determined that, in addition to repairing the previously announced problem with one cell of the TDRS's 24-cell flight battery, it was necessary to remove the TDRS-B from the Challenger cargo bay in order to repair a timing problem that became apparent during testing of the TDRS-1 then in orbit. Under certain operational conditions, the timing circuits could cause errors in the system switching sequences, interrupting user support. Tests run February 27 and 28 at spacecraft contractor facilities confirmed the problem.
Although NASA and its contractors had developed procedures to operate the TDRS-1, these procedures were not acceptable for multiple spacecraft operations, requiring modifications for TDRS-B and subsequent spacecraft. Because the TDRS spacecraft had encryption devices to protect the system from interfering signals, NASA could not provide further technical detail on the problem.
NASA expected a delay of several weeks for modifications, at which time it would remanifest TDRS-B.
NASA would place the Anik-C (Telesat-l) satellite scheduled for the STS 51-E mission on the Discovery STS 51-D mission and delay retrieval of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) from the 51-D mission to a future Space Shuttle flight. (NASA Release 85-31)
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