Dec 12 1994
From The Space Library
NASA announced the members of the crew of the Space Shuttle mission for the fall of 1995 under the command of Brian Duffy. A Japanese National Space Development Agency specialist was included and one of the mission objectives was to retrieve a science satellite scheduled to be launched by a Japanese H-2 rocket in early 1995. The Shuttle would also retrieve another science satellite, the Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN). In addition, two spacewalks would be con-ducted. (NASA Release 94-208)
NASA announced the development and testing of a new integrated flight and propulsion control system to help pilots land under difficult conditions. Aerospace engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, were developing the digital fly-by-wire control system to reduce a pilot's workload and help stabilize landing aircraft. NASA was testing the new system in the Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (V/STOL) Systems Research Aircraft (VSRA) to improve takeoff and landing capabilities for V/STOL aircraft in reduced visibility. The VSRA was a modified version of the U.S. Marine Corps' AV-8B Harrier jet fighter, which could take off and land vertically. (NASA Release 94-209)
NASA announced the death of Stuart Allen Roosa, one of six Apollo astronauts to fly solo around the Moon. (NASA Release 94-210; UPI, Dec 13/94; O Sen Star, Dec 13/94; Fla Today, Dec 13/94)
NASA announced the release of EOSDIS Version 0 to users in the Earth Observing System (EOS) community. The release was NASA's first step in developing a nationwide, globally available data system that would provide a variety of users with information needed to make informed decisions about how humans could control their environment. Ultimately, EOSDIS would serve several functions such as controlling EOS spacecraft, relaying raw data to the data processing centers, and through its Distributed Active Archive Centers (to be located at eight sites around the country) serving as a fountainhead of information. (Unnumbered NASA Release)
France planned on its next manned mission to Russian Space Station Mir in January 1996 to use an advanced Aerospatiale system called Alice 2 to improve knowledge of fluid behavior in microgravity conditions for use in materials processing. (Av Wk, Dec 12/94)
A feature article gave high praise to the achievements of the Hubble Space Telescope quoting John N. Bahcall, professor of natural science at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, as saying "Hubble is bowling us over every day with what it does." A number of Hubble's discoveries were outlined, including data on the age of the universe, the Big Bang theory, and the size of the universe. (P Inq, Dec 12/94)
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