July 1978
From The Space Library
“Voyager's Historic View of Earth and Moon” article appears in National Geographic Magazine
The USAF announced it had launched a second prototype satellite in DOD's NavStar global-positioning system from SAMTEC facilities aboard an Atlas F booster. The 955-lb navigational satellite working with a previously orbited NavStar satellite would be part of the program's concept-validation phase using six satellites to test navigation capability at the Army's Yuma, Ariz., proving grounds. When fully operational in the 1980s, the 24-satellite NavStar system would provide precise worldwide navigation coverage 24hr a day. The Air Force's global-satellite control network, managed by SAMSO's Air Force Satellite Control Facility at Sunnyvale, AFS, Calif., would track and operate the satellite. (AFSC Newsreview, July 78, 12)
The USAF announced it had launched a third defense meteorological satellite from SAMTEC facilities at Vandenberg AFB on a Thor LV-2F into a near-polar sun-synchronous orbit 450mi above the earth. The 1131-lb satellite carrying visual and infrared instruments had joined two previously orbited spacecraft in providing high-priority weather forecasts to U.S. military commanders worldwide. The sensors could detect and observe developing weather patterns and could track existing weather systems over remote areas, including oceans.
After 30 days of on-orbit tests, the satellite was orbiting the earth every 101min, scanning a 1841-mi area on each pass and photographing the entire earth over a 12-hr period. It would transmit weather imagery in real time to ground and shipborne terminals around the world for military purposes and, through NOAA, to the civilian community. (AFSC Newsreview, July 78, 1)
NASA announced that President Jimmy Carter had presented 1977 presidential management-improvement awards to Curtis Helms and Thomas Winstead of MSFC's structures and propulsion laboratory. The two were among 7 awardees, selected from 50 nominees, honored at a May 23 ceremony in the White House rose garden. Their redesign of the Space Shuttle external fuel tank, eliminating one of the two vent-relief valves, had reduced vehicle weight and program costs while still meeting venting requirements and reliability standards, resulting in total savings of $5.6 million. (NASA Actv., July 78, 27)
NASA announced it had made several personnel changes. Richard Smith, deputy director at MSFC, had been appointed deputy associate administrator for Space Transportation Systems at NASA Hq for a one yr tour of duty beginning August 15. Smith had transferred to NASA in 1960 from the rocket research and development team at the Army's Redstone Arsenal, when the development operations division of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency had become the nucleus of MSFC. He had managed the Saturn program, and in January 1974 had become director of science and engineering, and later deputy director, of the center. Smith had received NASA's exceptional service medal for contributions to the Apollo and Skylab programs as well as the medal for distinguished service. (NASA Release 78-112; NASA anno July 19/78)
NASA had named Harry Sonnemann deputy chief engineer at Hq, responsible to the chief engineer for managing program assurance, safety and environmental health, and the systems engineering divisions. Sonnemann had come to NASA in October 1977 from the office of the assistant secretary of the Navy, where he was special assistant for electronics and special assistant for antisubmarine warfare and ocean control from 1968 to 1977. He had also worked on the development of large seismic arrays as assistant director for field engineering in DOD's Advanced Research Projects Agency's nuclear test detection office from 1964 to 1968. (NASA anno July 20/78)
Scientist-astronaut Dr. Joseph Allen had returned to active flight status at JSC's astronaut office. From August 1, 1975, until his return to JSC, Allen had been director of the office of legislative affairs at NASA Hq; and he would continue those duties in addition to his astronaut duties until a replacement was named. He had returned to JSC as senior scientist-astronaut and was eligible for selection as a Space Shuttle crewman. NASA had selected Allen as a scientist-astronaut in 1967; he had completed the initial academic training and a 53-wk course in flight training at Vance AFB, Okla. Allen had been mission scientist as a member of the astronaut-support crew for Apollo 15, and was staff consultant on science and technology to the President's Council on International Economic Policy. (NASA Release 78-33)
NASA announced it had appointed Dr. Edward Ifft chief of international programs policy at Hq. Dr. Ifft had been a U.S. Foreign Service reserve officer, whose last assignment was director of the State Department's office of disarmament and arms control. While a graduate student, Ifft spent a yr at Moscow State Univ. under a U.S.-USSR cultural exchange program doing research on low-temperature physics. He had joined the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency in 1967; then moved to the State Department where he had been deputy chairman of the U.S. delegation that negotiated the threshold test-ban treaty in Moscow in 1974; and had participated in negotiations with the U.S. and USSR for a comprehensive test ban. (NASA Actv, July 78)
The USAF announced that its ESD Spacetrack System Office had awarded Bunker Ramo Corp. of Westlake Village, Calif., a $927 000 contract for equipment to record and store data for military and authorized scientific use on all man-made objects orbiting the earth. The system would record information received at the Space Computational Center in NORAD's Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colo., on positions of the thousands of satellites and other man-made objects in space, and would store the data for 3yr in the computer's active file. It would also microfilm historical data for permanent storage. The new system had become necessary because the automatic data-processing equipment formerly used by the Aerospace Defense Command lacked permanent storage capability and was very expensive to maintain. (AFSC Newsreview, July 78, 6)
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