Jun 11 1986
From The Space Library
NASA installed a super computer known as the Cray X-MP for use in key NASA research projects and for sharing with other NASA Centers, industries, and universities. The computer made possible the analysis of problems previously thought impossible to solve. A solution that might take one hour on the Cray X-MP, for example, would take 200 hours on a popular business mainframe computer. NASA noted that the research underway at Lewis's Structural Mechanics Branch would have been prohibitively expensive and time consuming without the super computer. (NASA Release 86-74)
NASA officials said that resuming Space Shuttle flight by July 1987 would be impossible if all of the conclusions reached by the Presidential Commission were followed. The report called for correction of the Shuttle's braking system, development of an escape system, and review of more than 700 critical components; however, the biggest obstacle lay in the redesigning and testing of the booster rockets. The Commission recommended a costly and time consuming full-scale, vertical test for the new rockets. NASA had relied on a less expensive, scaled down, horizontal test for new designs in the past and made no commitment for following this advice. The added preparation time would most adversely affect the Air Force, who earlier had warned that even a 1-year delay would produce a back-log of 40 payloads by 1992; some of their satellites could not fit aboard any untended launch vehicle then in use. Some former commercial customers had negotiated flights with the French Ariane rocket program, but because they were also grounded, China and Japan were being sought for launches.
President Ronald Reagan, in the meantime, had called for a replacement orbiter, but had not yet revealed how it would be funded. (NY Times, Jun 12/86)
Astronaut Owen K. Garriott planned to leave both NASA and government service during the current week. His past achievements include a 2-month stay in space aboard Skylab and the 10-day Spacelab 1 mission aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. (NASA Release 86-75)
Space artist Chesley Bonestell died in Carmel California.
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