Jan 8 1976
From The Space Library
Goes 1, a new geostationary environmental satellite launched in Oct. 1975 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), became operational, replacing Sms 1 above the equator over northern Brazil to provide forecasters with visual and infrared pictures of the western hemisphere, to monitor solar-flare activity, and to relay information from data-collection stations in remote areas. Sms 1 would be moved to standby status over the eastern Pacific south of Mexico; a prototype satellite, some of whose systems have degraded, it could still provide full operational data on an emergency basis. Sms 2, launched in Feb. 1975, was moved in Dec. from 115°W to 135°W to provide improved imagery of the Pacific in the Hawaiian Islands area. (NOAA Release 76-1)
The Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif., NASA's prime site for experimental research in aeronautics, was renamed the Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center in memory of the pioneer aeronautical researcher who was first Deputy Administrator of NASA, a position he held until his death in 1965. Dr. Dryden's contributions to aeronautical research included investigation of high-speed airfoils, supersonic propeller-tip velocities, boundary layers, and airflow wind turbulence, and development of high-speed wind tunnels. He was director of the former National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics from 1947 until that agency became NASA in 1958. (NASA Release 76-7; FRC Release 1-76; Goddard News, Feb 76, 6)
In observing the results of Salyut 4's first year of operation in space, Soviet cosmonaut Konstantin Feoktistov in an article in Pravda reviewed the research and experiments conducted on board the space station, calling it "a major achievement for Soviet space navigation." Special mention was given to the solar radiation studies and environmental photography done from Salyut 4 ; the first expedition photographed a million sq km of Soviet territory, and the second crew also took pictures to enable scientists to follow developments in hydrology, vegetation, and climate. Medical studies of the crews centered on the effects of long space flights and the mechanism of the body's adaptation to weightlessness. Salyut 4 , the article noted, was built with an eye to longer activity for the station and better facilities for prolonging manned missions. (FBIS, Tass in English, 8 Jan 76)
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