Apr 5 1994
From The Space Library
A joint statement was issued following a meeting of the heads of space agencies involved in the International Space Station: the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), the Russian Space Agency (RSA), and NASA. This was the first group meeting since Russia accepted the collective invitation to join the International Space Station partnership in December 1993. The heads of agencies discussed the out-come of the recently completed Space Station System Design Review. CSA, ESA, and NASDA noted the remarkable progress made to accommodate Russia as a new partner and to satisfy the interests of all the partners in the new program structure, and they commended NASA for its efforts to improve program efficiency and to clarify the potential for additional partner contributions.
Activities at the government and agency levels have paved the way for negotiation of the agreements necessary to formalize Russia's inclusion in the program. All expressed support for proceeding with these negotiations, scheduled to start in late April, in an expeditious manner. The heads of agencies also noted the importance of concluding, in a timely manner, the interim agreement between NASA and RSA to facilitate Russia's early participation in program management mechanisms, (NASA Editor's Note N94-28)
NASA announced its intent to grant the Arkansas Aerospace Education Center $500,000 to implement its Technology Industry Resource Project to help develop enrichment opportunities for secondary school students statewide in mathematics, applied sciences, and technology. (NASA Release 94-56)
NASA announced the departure from NASA, effective April 11, of Space Shuttle astronaut Ronald J. Grabe. He was to become vice president of business development for Orbital Sciences Corporation's Launch Systems Group. (NASA Release 94-57)
NASA found no defects in Endeavour's three pumps during its inspection and cleared the spacecraft for launching on April 8, weather permitting. (AP, Apr 5/94; UP, Apr 5/94; Reuters, Apr 5/94; W Times, Apr 6/94; AP, Apr 6/94; UP, Apr 6/94; Reuters, Apr 6/94; NY Times, Apr 7/94; W Post, Apr 7/94; USA Today, Apr 7/94; W Times, Apr 7/94)
A study released by the Virginia-based Teal space consulting group said that since the space age began, 271 missions have failed or malfunctioned. Of the 271 missions, 108 were considered failures and of these, two-thirds or an estimated 71 were Soviet. The remaining 34 failures were American. The most failure-prone spacecraft over the period appeared to be the Soviet-made Cosmos satellite. (Reuters, Apr 5/94)
Russian Military Space Forces official Sergei Gorbunov said that Russia had decided to develop a new giant booster rocket that was to have a reusable first stage and burn a special, safer low-pollution fuel mixture. The rocket, Angara-24, would he appropriate for a new far eastern launch site if Russia decided to build it as an alternative to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The booster was to be tested in 1998 and the first launch was planned for 2000. (Reuters, Apr 5/94)
Gregory Reck, Acting Associate Administrator of NASA's Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology (OACT), said that NASA had tasked an industry team with reviewing the direction of its research and development (R&D) efforts in space communications technologies. The group, which was to be composed of satellite manufacturers such as Hughes and Space Systems/Loral, ground station builders like Harris Corporation, and small aerospace firms like Orbital Sciences Corporation, was to identify future space-based systems, both in low-Earth and geosynchronous orbits, and how they might tie into the National Information Infrastructure. NASA's role in the activity was to be directed by Samuel Venneri, head of spacecraft and remote sensing in OACT. The consensus findings of the team were to be used in relation to NASA fiscal year budgets. According to the NASA officials, the key motivation behind the initiative was to minimize inroads by European and Japanese competitors into the 60 percent market share held by U.S. firms in satellite communications. (Defense Daily, Apr 7/94)
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