Jul 5 1985
From The Space Library
University of Texas scientists recently held a farewell ceremony at the McDonald Observatory in the mountains of west Texas for the Korad laser that had for the past 16 years measured the distance between the earth and the moon to within four inches, the Washington Post reported.
The laser, one of the last experiments still in use from the days of the Apollo moon missions, would have as a replacement the McDonald Laser Ranging System, which would compute the constantly changing distance to the moon to within two inches. However, the two lasers worked the same way, bouncing a beam of laser light off a reflector left on the moon by astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and measuring its return to the observatory's 107 in. telescope. (W Post, July 5/85, A15)
The first month of the flight of cosmonauts Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinhkh aboard Salyut 7 was drawing to a close during which time the crew had accomplished all planned activities to bring the Soviet space station into a manned flight mode, checked the condition of onboard systems, and carried out a variety of scientific research projects and experiments, FBIS Moscow TASS in English reported.
The cosmonauts had unloaded the Progress-24 transport spacecraft, positioned the delivered equipment, and replaced three sets of storage batteries as well as individual instrument units. They had used oxygen delivered in containers aboard the transport to pressurize the Salyut's living compartments. The cosmonauts had started preparation of the station's united propulsion unit for refueling by checking for leaks in the fuelling lines. They would then pump compressed nitrogen out of the fuel tanks.
The schedule for July 5 called for the cosmonauts to perform maintenance on a system for the regeneration of water from atmospheric moisture, take medical checks including measurements of body mass and evaluations of the condition of muscles, and exercise on a bicycle ergometer and running track. The cosmonauts would continue geophysical experiments in a research program on earth's natural resources and environment. They also would make visual observations and take photos of individual areas of the Atlantic Ocean. (FBIS Moscow Tass in English, July 5/85)
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