Aug 18 1986
From The Space Library
A Gamma Ray Imaging Telescope for studying gamma ray sources in the universe was the basis for a $93,000 contract awarded to Martin Marietta. By housing the telescope inside of a Space Shuttle external liquid hydrogen tank, which is normally discarded just before the Shuttle achieves orbit, Martin Marietta deemed it possible that the unit could also be set into orbit. Telescope components would be carried in the cargo bay and assembled inside the emptied tank by astronauts, who could enter via an existing 36-inch aft manhole port or through tank modifications. The satellite could then be pressurized to provide the needed environment for gamma ray detection technique; the rays would be converted to positrons and electrons that travel the length of the telescope emitting light. Gamma ray astronomy is essential to understanding the evolution of stars and the universe and the physical processes occurring in pulsars, quasars, and black holes. (NASA Release 86-111)
Astronaut Sally K. Ride was named Special Assistant to the Administrator for strategic planning, where she would be responsible for reviewing NASA's goals and objectives for near-to-long-term planning. Ride was a mission specialist on two Space Shuttle flights and a member of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. (NASA Release 86-114)
Elizabeth Dole predicted that U.S. rocket companies would begin launching private satellites by 1989 and capture 50 percent of the international market. Her announcement came after President Ronald Reagan's confirmation that NASA would no longer handle the business. Representatives from General Dynamics Corporation and Transpace Carriers, Inc. expressed hope that they would soon announce launch contracts. Some satellite officials, however, were less enthusiastic because NASA had the go-ahead to launch at least some of the 44 commercial satellites, leaving the agency with limited but palpable competition. In a related matter, NASA Administrator Dr. James C. Fletcher said that a large portion of future flights would be devoted to scientific missions and that he expected a commercial launching industry to supplement the Shuttle. (W Post, Aug 19/86; W Times, Aug 19/86; NY Times, Aug 19/86; CSM, Aug 26/86)
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