May 19 1978
From The Space Library
NASA announced plans to launch the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite GOES-C, third in a series of operational spacecraft funded by NOAA to meet DOC requirements, no earlier than May 25, 1978, from the ETR on a 3-stage Delta. In May 1974 and Feb. 1975, NASA had launched two operational prototype meteorological spacecraft, Sms 1 and Sms 2, developed with NASA funding and still in orbit; it had launched the first two operational spacecraft funded by NOAA, Goes 1 and Goes 2, in Oct. and June 1977, respectively.
NASA had planned to use a 3-stage inertially-guided Delta launch vehicle to inject GOES-C into a transfer orbit where its apogee boost motor would put it in a synchronous orbit. A GOES-C on station at 135 ° W would augment existing satellite coverage of earth weather and become a part of the Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP). (MOR E-612-78-01 [prelaunch] May 19/78)
NASA announced that Kenneth Chapman, associate administrator for external relations since Jan. 1978, had resigned from NASA to join Vought Aircraft Co., Dallas, Tex., as vice president for market research and analysis. Chapman had assumed his NASA position in Jan. 1978. Before joining NASA, Chapman had been director of nuclear material safety and safeguards at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He was a retired Air Force major general. (NASA Release 78-78; NASA anno May 18/78)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
