Conference 7.286::space

932.0. "NASA Year in Review 1994" by TROOA::SKLEIN (Nulli Secundus) Tue Jan 03 1995 15:20

 
Brian Welch
Headquarters, Washington DC        December 20, 1994
(Phone:  202/358-1600)
 
Release:  94-216
 
RESULTS FROM HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE HIGHLIGHT 1994
 
          Twenty-five years after the first lunar landing, a Russian cosmonaut 
flew aboard a U.S. spacecraft for the first time and a spectacular cosmic 
collision took place on Jupiter, but it was the work of the newly refurbished 
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) that dominated NASA news in 1994.
 
          Repaired by Space Shuttle astronauts during five dramatic spacewalks 
last December, the Space Telescope again turned its attention to the cosmos in 
1994, rewriting the astronomy textbooks with virtually every new observation.  
The results from Hubble touched on some of the most fundamental astronomical 
questions of the 20th Century, including the existence of black holes and the 
age of the universe.
 
          Highlights of the Hubble Space Telescope results included:
 
*                   Compelling evidence for a massive black hole in the center 
of a giant elliptical galaxy located 50 million light years away.  This 
observation provides very strong support for predictions made 80 years ago in 
Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity.
 
*                   Observations of great pancake-shaped disks of dust -- raw 
material for planet formation --  swirling around at least half of the stars 
in the Orion Nebula, the strongest proof yet that the process which may form 
planets is common in the universe.
 
*                   Confirmation of a critical prediction of the Big Bang 
theory -- that the chemical element helium should be widespread in the early 
universe.  The detection of this helium by HST may mark the discovery of a 
tenuous plasma that fills the vast volumes of space between the galaxies -- 
the long-sought intergalactic medium.
 
*                   Significant progress in determining the age and size of 
the universe.  In October, astronomers announced measurements that showed the 
universe to be between 8 and 12 billion years old, far younger than previous 
estimates of up to 20 billion years.  These measurements were the first step 
in a three-year systematic program to measure accurately the scale, size and 
age of the universe.
 
*                   Ruling out a leading explanation for "dark matter," thought 
to make up over 90 percent of the mass of the universe.  This major finding 
means that dark matter probably consists of exotic sub-atomic particles or 
other unknown material.
 
          The year also saw continued progress on the International Space 
Station program, which produced almost 25,000 pounds of flight-qualified 
hardware in 1994.  Among the major developments of 1994 were a series of formal 
agreements bringing Russia into the international partnership that is building 
the Space Station.  The year also saw completion of a crucial systems design 
review for the new Space Station architecture, the culmination of months of 
intensive work following President Bill Clinton's order in February 1993 to 
substantially reduce the cost and time required to build the orbital laboratory.
 
          In the Space Shuttle program, NASA launched seven highly successful 
science and technology missions which acquired a total flight time of more 
than 81 days in orbit.  In 1994, the Shuttle fleet deployed 832 tons of cargo 
into space, carried an additional 105 tons of cargo to orbit and back, and 
lofted 42 astronauts into space, including crew members from Russia, Japan and 
the European Space Agency. 
 
          In its aeronautics programs, NASA moved steadily on several fronts 
to help develop a cost-effective and environmentally clean next-generation 
supersonic airliner, known as the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT).  Contracts 
were awarded for development of propulsion systems, airframes and advanced 
sensors and computer systems, and in August, NASA reached an agreement with 
Russia's Tupolev Design Bureau to use a Tu-144 supersonic transport for 
conducting flight research.
 
          In its quest to better understand the mechanisms that drive the 
climate and ecology of Earth, and how human activity is affecting the 
environment, 1994 was one of NASA's busiest years since the inception of the 
Mission to Planet Earth program.  Four Space Shuttle flights were dedicated to 
various studies of the planet, using powerful radars and lasers to penetrate 
cloud cover and map critical factors on a global scale.  During the year, NASA 
researchers also detected a rise in global sea levels and recorded decreases 
in the ozone levels over the Arctic and Antarctic. 
 
          These and other major news stories from NASA in 1994 are listed in 
the chronology that follows:
 
 
JANUARY
 
          A propulsion system failure was the most likely cause of the loss of 
the Mars Observer spacecraft, according to a report issued by an independent 
investigation board early in the year.  The board, led by Dr. Timothy Coffey, 
Director of Research at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, 
reported its findings to NASA Jan. 5.  The board concluded that an inadvertent 
mixing of nitrogen tetroxide and monomethyl hydrazine fuels ruptured a fuel 
line, causing a pressurized leak that sent the spacecraft into a high spin rate.
 
          NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin announced a series of key 
management changes, including five new center directors, on Jan. 6.  Among the 
new managers named were:  Ken Munechika, Director, Ames Research Center; 
Kenneth Szalai, Director, Dryden Flight Research Center; Carolyn Huntoon, 
Director, Johnson Space Center; Porter Bridwell, Director, Marshall Space 
Flight Center; Michael Mott, Associate Deputy Administrator (Technical), NASA 
Headquarters (HQ); Charles Kennel, Associate Administrator for Mission to 
Planet Earth, NASA HQ; Wilbur Trafton, Deputy Associate Administrator for 
Space Station, NASA HQ; and Randy Brinkley, Space Station Program Manager, 
Johnson Space Center.
 
          When a powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake jolted Los Angeles Jan. 17, 
Oat Mountain in the Santa Susana range jumped 14.8 inches and moved north 6.2 
inches and west 5.5 inches.  Those findings were reported in February by Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory geophysicist Dr. Andrea Donnellan, using data from the 
Defense Department's Global Positioning System of satellites.  NASA collects 
data from a global network of 45 stations that utilize GPS data.  Donnellan's 
findings also showed that the town of Fillmore in Ventura County moved two 
inches to the west during the earthquake.
 
          The Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission aboard the Space 
Shuttle Endeavour in December 1993 was a complete success, NASA announced Jan. 
13 after several weeks of checkout and calibration of HST.  
 
          In what one scientist called "one of the most spectacular 
astrophysical discoveries of the decade," the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory 
uncovered evidence that gamma-ray bursts occur in the far reaches of the 
universe, bear an imprint of the universe's expansion, and occur so far away 
that they show relative "time-dilation."  The result provided additional 
evidence that gamma-ray bursts are not limited to the Milky Way galaxy.
 
 
FEBRUARY
 
          Documents signed in early February marked the end of the transition 
from the old Space Station Freedom program to a redesigned project with a 
leaner management team, a smaller price tag and a quicker development schedule.  
The agreements concentrated responsibility for the design, development and 
integration of the program under a single prime contract with Boeing Defense 
and Space Systems Group, Seattle, WA.
 
          The Space Shuttle Discovery  launched on time at 7:10 a.m. EST Feb. 
3, in a historic mission that featured the first flight of a Russian cosmonaut 
aboard a U.S. spacecraft.  The presence of veteran cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev 
signaled the beginning of a three-phase cooperative effort between the U.S. 
and Russia.
 
          Astronauts Norman Thagard and Bonnie Dunbar were selected as the 
prime and backup crew members for a three-month flight aboard the Russian 
Space Station Mir in 1995.  The two veteran astronauts began training in Star 
City, Russia, in February.  Thagard's flight to Mir is scheduled for March 
1995.  In June 1995, a crew including Dunbar and two Mir-19 cosmonauts will be 
launched aboard the Shuttle Atlantis for a trip to Mir.  Following joint 
operations, a crew swap will bring Thagard and his Mir-18 colleagues back 
to Earth, while the Mir-19 cosmonauts remain aboard the orbiting laboratory.
 
          An industry-led task force issued a report calling on NASA to 
revitalize its general aviation program, make its wind tunnels, laboratories 
and simulators more accessible to the general aviation community, and better 
balance its technology program to meet general aviation needs.   Citing the 
serious decline in general aviation aircraft deliveries since the early 1980s, 
the report by the General Aviation Task Force of NASA's Aeronautics Advisory 
Committee, highlighted the NASA technology research areas characterized as 
"most important and potentially the most productive" for increasing market 
share.
 
          The Mars Surveyor program, a steady, decade-long effort designed to 
send both an orbiting spacecraft and a surface lander to the red planet 
roughly every two years, began in earnest in February. Martin Marietta 
Technologies Inc., Denver, was selected to build the first spacecraft in the 
program, the Mars Global Surveyor, scheduled for launch in November 1996.  
 
          NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, received 
approval to proceed with the development and manufacture of an improved, 
lighter version of the Space Shuttle External Tank.  The Super Lightweight 
External Tank will be fabricated of aluminum alloys, and will weigh 8,000 
pounds less than the current tank used.  The reduced tank weight can be used 
to increase Shuttle performance and the Shuttle's capability to support 
construction of the International Space Station.
  
 
MARCH
 
          Data transmitted to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in early March 
revealed that the Galileo spacecraft discovered a natural satellite of the 
asteroid Ida during its flyby in August 1993.  The tiny moon, about one mile in 
diameter, was later named Dactyl.
 
          A preview of the microgravity research work that will be conducted 
on the International Space Station was available during the STS-62 mission 
from March 4 to 18.  It was the second flight of the U.S. Microgravity Payload. 
The highly successful mission included experiments that could lead to better 
semi-conductors and stronger metals and alloys.
 
          NASA took delivery of a Boeing 757-200 aircraft that will serve as a 
"flying laboratory" for aeronautical research.  The aircraft was extensively 
modified in 1994 for a broad range of flight research programs to benefit 
the U.S. aviation industry and commercial airline customers.  The aircraft 
will be used to conduct research to increase aircraft safety, operating 
efficiency and compatibility with future air traffic control systems and 
will serve as a vital research tool in support of the Agency's Advanced 
Subsonic Transport and High-Speed Research programs.
 
          NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) confirmed the reflight of 
the Tethered Satellite System on the STS-75 Space Shuttle mission in early 
1996.  In October 1994, Italian scientist Dr. Umberto Guidoni was selected to 
fly as a payload specialist on that mission.
 
          A NASA-industry team selected two engine cycle concepts on which to 
focus propulsion research for a next-generation supersonic airliner.  The 
"mixed flow turbofan" and "FLADE" (fan-on-blade) concepts were chosen from six 
candidate engine cycles being considered.  The two concepts were selected 
because studies showed they were the best candidates in terms of direct 
operating costs to the airlines, noise reduction, adverse atmospheric effects 
and technological risk.  Both concepts should reduce engine takeoff noise 
while maintaining good performance at supersonic speeds.  NASA and industry 
will study the concepts for the next two years before choosing one for 
technology development.
 
          Another major milestone for the Space Station was achieved in late 
March when program managers from NASA, the international partners and the 
contractor community conducted a Systems Design Review (SDR) which involved a 
comprehensive look at the requirements, configuration and the maturity of the 
station's technical definition.  The SDR resulted in a consensus among program 
managers on the technical validity of the new design, and its capability to 
support interfaces with the Space Shuttle and Russian launch vehicles. 
 
 
APRIL
 
          The Space Shuttle Endeavour carried the international Space Radar 
Laboratory (SRL) into orbit for the first of two flights in 1994.  Comprising 
two radars and an atmospheric instrument, SRL made unprecedented measurements 
of the Earth's surface and continued observations of the atmosphere that began 
with STS-3 in 1982.  SRL's radars used multiple frequencies and polarizations 
of radar waves to create images of the Earth's land, water, snow and ice 
surfaces.  The data obtained are being used in studies of the Earth's water 
cycle, vegetation, volcanoes and oceans.  During the first flight in April, 
scientists were able to see the progression of the "thaw line" as ice in 
northern sites began to melt.  A ground team of more than 2,000 scientists 
were deployed at sites around the globe to support the mission.  
 
          NASA launched the first in a series of next-generation weather 
satellites on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(NOAA).  The GOES-8 satellite, capable of much longer and more precise 
atmospheric measurements than its predecessors, will enable weather 
forecasters to more closely track severe storms over land and sea.  NASA 
turned the satellite over to NOAA for operational use in November.
 
          Thirty-nine researchers were selected in April to receive three-to 
four-year NASA grants for microgravity combustion research totaling more than 
$13 million.  This research offers investigators the opportunity to improve 
understanding of fundamental physical and chemical processes associated with 
combustion.
 
          Formal government-level negotiations on the Protocol to the Space 
Station Intergovernmental Agreement began in April paving the way for Russian 
participation in the program.
 
          The first experiments resulting from a cooperative space flight 
initiative between NASA and the National Institutes of Health were carried 
into space in on STS-59.  These cell biology experiments used a special cell 
culture system developed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 
Washington DC.  The system known as Space Tissue Loss-1, will help scientists 
understand the effects of microgravity on growth of human bone and muscle cells 
during space flight.
 
 
MAY
 
          The NASA team that planned and executed the December 1993 repair of 
the Hubble Space Telescope was selected to receive the Robert J. Collier 
Trophy from the National Aeronautic Association.  The citation on the trophy 
honored the team "for outstanding leadership, intrepidity, and the renewal of 
public faith in America's space program by the successful orbital recovery and 
repair of the Hubble Space Telescope."  The Collier Trophy is widely regarded 
as one of the most prestigious aeronautical awards.
 
          During May, NASA announced findings from Hubble that provided 
compelling evidence for the existence of a massive black hole in the center of 
the giant elliptical galaxy M87, located in the constellation Virgo.  Findings 
from HST observations of two supernovas also were released.
 
          A National Facilities Study called for the development of two new 
wind tunnels for testing future commercial jet transports.  The tunnels -- one 
subsonic and one transonic -- would provide a combination of flight condition 
simulation and testing efficiency unmatched in the world.
 
          As the cooperative efforts between the U.S. and Russia gained 
momentum in 1994, significant amounts of space flight hardware began flowing 
between the two nations.  In May, NASA shipped the first set of solar array 
modules for the International Space Station program.  These modules were 
prototypes of flight units which were delivered later in the year.  The 
advanced array, known as the Cooperative Solar Array, combines Russian 
flight-proven structures and mechanisms with American advanced solar array 
modules to increase the available user electrical power on the station.
 
          NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin announced the Agency's plans to 
proceed with an effort to use the nearly-completed facilities at Yellow Creek 
in Iuka, MS, originally designed for use with the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor, 
for the manufacture of nozzles for the current Space Shuttle Redesigned Solid 
Rocket Motor.
 
          One of NASA's most successful environmental programs, the Landsat 
satellite series, returned to the Agency in 1994.  Spun off to private industry
in the 1980s, Landsat has provided more than 20 years of data on the Earth's 
land surfaces, with applications in ecological and agricultural studies.  NASA 
assumed responsibility for developing the Landsat 7 satellite in May, with 
launch planned for 1998.  Existing Landsat data have been used to refine 
estimates of deforestation in the Amazon Basin, map geographical factors 
associated with exposure to Lyme disease and measure the extent of pests in 
California wine-growing areas.
 
          NASA unveiled an Electronic Chart Display (ECD) under development at 
the Agency's Ames Research Center to make flying safer for aerial firefighters 
who often fly in potentially dangerous conditions above forest fires.  The 
ECD shows pilots an area's terrain and obstacles on a computer, and can 
replace paper charts, pens and rulers and improve the navigational skills of 
the pilot.  Scientists predict the electronic chart will increase safety by 
reducing the need for verbal communication between firefighters and by showing 
pilots terrain to avoid as well as the location of other nearby aircraft.
 
          A highly successful NASA workhorse for 34 years was retired in May 
1994.  The 118th and final Scout launch closed the books on flights of NASA's 
smallest rocket capable of orbiting satellites.  The first Scout launch was 
July 1, 1960.  Since 1976, the Scout success rate has been 100 percent.
 
 
JUNE
 
          NASA and the Canadian Space Agency reached an agreement in early 
June that put space cooperation between the two nations on a long-term, stable 
footing.  The agreement provided for expanded cooperation in space science, 
microgravity research, Mission to Planet Earth and Canada's continuation as a 
full partner in the International Space Station program.
 
          Hundreds of spectacular red and blue flashes of light that extend 
upward from electrical thunderstorms to altitudes as high as 60 miles were 
recorded on video in color for the first time by NASA-sponsored researchers in 
June and July.  The unusual flashes occurred over thunderstorms in the Midwest 
between June 28 and July 12 during a NASA-sponsored investigation into the 
phenomenon.  To capture the images, scientists used special low-light-level 
cameras aboard two jet aircraft flown out of Oklahoma City.  Some of the 
flashes extend up through the ozone layer into the base of the ionosphere, the 
region of the upper atmosphere where auroras occur.   The flashes were 
described by researchers as looking like Fourth of July fireworks and Roman 
candles with fountains. 
 
          NASA and the Russian Space Agency signed two significant documents 
which put U.S.-Russian space cooperation on a firm basis and underpinned 
Russian participation in the International Space Station program.  The first 
document was an interim agreement that provides for initial Russian 
participation in the International Space Station until an Intergovernmental 
Agreement can be concluded.  The second document was a $400 million contract 
for Russian space hardware, services and data.
 
          The Ulysses spacecraft became the first vehicle in history to reach 
a polar region of the Sun when it passed over the Sun's southern polar area 
June 26 after a journey of almost four years.  Ulysses was deployed from 
the Space Shuttle Atlantis in October 1990.
 
          NASA announced Hubble Space Telescope findings that the process which 
may form planets is common in the Milky Way galaxy.  Dr. C. Robert O'Dell of 
Rice University and a colleague, Zheng Wen, formerly of Rice and now at the 
University of Kentucky, surveyed 110 stars and found protoplanetary disks 
around 56 of them.  The findings reinforce assumptions that planetary systems 
are common throughout the universe.
 
          Policy became practice when NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin 
announced contract awards for two "Smallsat" satellites that will observe the 
Earth with unprecedented sensor technology.  The pioneering manner in which 
the cost-effective spacecraft are to be built, launched and operated reflected 
the Agency's vision for future automated space exploration.
 
Aptly named "Lewis and Clark," the two craft--each no larger than a console TV 
set--are to be developed and placed into orbit in 24 months or less and will 
cost less than $60 million each.  The spacecraft are expected to open new 
commercial opportunities for American industry and will contribute 
significantly to the science goals of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth and 
several other science programs.
 
          NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a joint 
sponsorship of a general aviation design competition for students at U.S. 
aeronautical and engineering universities.  The contest will challenge teams 
of undergraduate and graduate students -- working with faculty advisors -- to 
develop a multidisciplinary design for a general aviation aircraft.
 
          Venus is still geologically active in places, even though radar 
images of its surface indicate that little has changed in the last 
half-billion years.  The data from the Magellan spacecraft suggest that there 
are at least two, and possibly more, active hot spots on Venus.  
 
          By a 123-vote margin, the U.S. House of Representatives defeated an 
amendment in late June that would have terminated the Space Station program.  
 
 
JULY
 
          The impact of Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter in July was a 
seminal event for astronomers.  Not only was the Near Earth Object Program 
able to detect the comet in 1993 and predict its eventual impact -- to the day 
--but it also afforded an unprecedented campaign to observe this event from 
ground-based and space-based observatories.  The observations acquired 
potentially revealing data about the composition of comets and the composition
of the Jovian atmosphere.  The event itself was the subject of worldwide 
interest from the scientific community, the media and the general public.  
Altogether, at least 21 fragments of the comet impacted Jupiter, the largest 
being about two to three miles in diameter.  The dark atmospheric disturbances 
created at the impact sites became the most visible features on Jupiter 
(including the Great Red Spot), but after a few weeks began smearing and 
spreading out due to atmospheric turbulence.  Astronomers believe that the 
impact features will fade and blend into the surrounding storms in the Jovian 
atmosphere.
 
          Researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope announced the 
confirmation of a critical tenet of the Big Bang theory -- the presence of 
helium in the early universe.  The findings added to understanding of the 
physical conditions that existed in intergalactic space at a time when the 
universe was only a tenth of its present age.
 
          The remotely-controlled, eight-legged Dante II robot successfully 
descended into the active crater of Mt. Spurr, an Alaskan volcano 90-miles 
west of Anchorage, to demonstrate robot exploration, communications and 
computer technologies which may be needed for future space exploration 
missions.  During the 10-day adventure, the 1,700-pound Dante II achieved all 
of the originally-planned mission and science objectives despite suffering a 
broken leg and enduring a mission-concluding helicopter rescue.
 
          The Space Shuttle Columbia launched July 8 on a 14-day microgravity 
research mission.  STS-65, the second International Microgravity Laboratory 
flight, was a worldwide research effort into the behavior of materials and 
life in the microgravity environment of space.  The seven-member crew of STS-65 
conducted 82 experiments which were developed by more than 200 scientists from 
13 different countries.  
 
          NASA announced the award of a $440 million contract, marking the 
first time America's two leading airplane manufacturers have teamed up to 
develop technologies for a potential future U.S. High-Speed Civil Transport.  
The precedent-setting action joins Boeing Commercial Airplane Group with 
McDonnell Douglas Aerospace and other companies to develop airframe 
technologies for aero-dynamics, flight systems and materials and structures.
By working together under a single contract, the two companies can reduce 
duplication, lower costs and accelerate research, ensuring that the United 
States remains at the forefront in commercial aerospace competition.
 
          During the third week of July, America and the world paused to 
remember a pivotal moment 25 years before when a voice radioed back to Earth, 
"Houston, Tranquility Base here.  The Eagle has landed."  The event was marked 
by observances and lectures in cities across the country, a variety of 
televised retrospectives, and an appearance at the White House by Apollo 11 
astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
 
          The Space Station Control Board approved a revised assembly sequence 
that provides significantly more power for the United States laboratory along 
with earlier U.S. capability for essential Space Station systems.  The new 
sequence also produces hardware in a more efficient and cost effective manner 
while still maintaining the $2.1 billion annual spending cap.
 
 
AUGUST 
 
          NASA signed an agreement with McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, 
Huntington Beach, CA, to reconfigure the Delta Clipper experimental vehicle 
for research to test new technologies.  The DC-X will be used to test 
technologies that could contribute to the larger goal of gaining low-cost 
access to space.  The next flight of the DC-X is scheduled for the spring of 
1996.
 
          NASA and a team of U.S. aircraft and engine manufacturers and the 
Russian aircraft firm, Tupolev Design Bureau, announced plans to use a Russian 
Tu-144 supersonic transport for conducting flight research on high-speed 
enabling technologies.  As part of NASA's High-Speed Research program, the U.S.
industry team -- Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Rockwell International, General 
Electric and Pratt & Whitney -- signed a contract to work with Tupolev to 
modify its Tu-144 aircraft to meet program research needs and to conduct up to 
35 test flights.  Because of its size, performance characteristics and 
availability, the Tu-144 is an effective and economical flying testbed and the 
flights will provide unique aerodynamic, structures and operating environmental 
data on supersonic passenger aircraft.
 
          Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, one of the co-discoverers of the comet that 
struck Jupiter in July 1994, was named to chair a committee that will develop 
a plan to identify all comets and asteroids which may threaten Earth.  The 
committee was formed after a Congressional directive to identify all objects 
larger than one-half mile in diameter with trajectories that cross the orbit 
of Earth.
 
          On Aug. 18, launch of the Shuttle Discovery for the second Space 
Radar Laboratory mission was aborted 1.8 seconds prior to liftoff due to a 
problem in one of the high pressure oxidizer turbopumps in a main engine.  The 
vehicle was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs and 
returned to the launch pad for a late September flight.
 
          NASA completed the third year of a campaign to measure and monitor 
the orbital debris environment.  Data collected by the Haystack Orbital Debris 
Radar provided good news for the Space Station -- at low altitudes (250-400 
miles) the measured debris population was below predicted engineering models.  
 
          Dr. John E. Mansfield was named Associate Administrator for a new 
office of Space Access and Technology at NASA Headquarters.  The new office was 
created through a merger of the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology and 
the Office of Space Systems Development.
 
          An unusually bright X-ray source -- one of the three brightest in 
the sky -- was discovered in the southern constellation Scorpius by an 
instrument aboard NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The new source was 
named X-ray Nova Scorpii, or GRO J1655-40.  This discovery led to further 
observations by radio telescopes that showed ejections of matter at velocities 
close to the speed of light.  X-ray novae are thought to be caused by matter 
spilling from a normal star onto a black hole, which are collapsed stars so 
dense that not even light can escape them.  
 
 
SEPTEMBER
 
          NASA and Boeing announced agreement on the key elements of the prime 
contract for the International Space Station.  The agreement established, for 
the first time, a joint position by NASA and its prime contractor on the scope 
of work, program schedule, cost ceiling and fee arrangement by fiscal year and 
at completion.
 
          Hardware that will allow the Space Shuttle to dock with the Russian 
Mir Space Station was shipped from the Energia Production Facility in 
Kaliningrad, near Moscow, to the Rockwell Aerospace facility in California.  
The docking adaptor was mated to the docking base and external airlock which 
sit in the Shuttle payload bay.  In November, after integrated checkouts were 
complete, the entire docking system was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center 
(KSC).  It will be installed in Atlantis early next year.
 
          A new technique for remote sensing flew aboard the Shuttle Discovery 
during the STS-64 mission.  By firing a powerful laser down through the Earth's 
atmosphere and measuring the portion of laser energy reflected back to the 
Shuttle, scientists were able to observe clouds invisible to conventional 
weather satellites and to study the structure of a powerful typhoon.  The 
laser ranging equipment acquired more than 40 hours of high quality data.
 
          The Space Station's assembly plan was refined and updated in 
September to enhance the orbital laboratory's science utilization by 
incorporating early provisions for a centrifuge.  The refinement also allowed 
for the construction of Russia's Solar Power Platform earlier and meshed the 
latest weight estimates for Station components with current Space Shuttle 
Program launch commitments.
 
          NASA signed a $266 million contract with the industry team of GE 
Aircraft Engines and United Technologies' Pratt & Whitney for work on the 
critical propulsion component technologies for a 21st century HSCT.  The team 
will work together to develop the technology required for the key propulsion 
components -- ultra-low nitrogen oxide (NOx) combustors, low-noise exhaust 
nozzles, mixed-compression inlets and low-noise fans.
 
          The Shuttle Endeavour launched the second Space Radar Laboratory 
mission Sept. 30 for a highly successful flight that repeated many of the 
April SRL investigations.  The October flight, which covered the same sites and 
investigations as the April flight, allowed the scientists to observe the 
changes of seasons in different ecological settings.  Using a technique called 
interferometry, the team also obtained very precise elevation data on some 
sites.  Both SRL missions carried an instrument to study levels of carbon 
monoxide in the Earth's atmosphere.  Scientists use measurements of carbon 
monoxide, which is produced in large amounts by fossil-fuel consumption and 
the burning of forests and other vegetation, to estimate the atmosphere's 
ability to cleanse itself of greenhouse gases.
 
 
OCTOBER
 
          Radio contact with the Magellan spacecraft was lost at 6:02 a.m. EDT 
on October 12, and the spacecraft is believed to have burned up in the 
Venusian atmosphere within two days.  The vast database on Venus produced by 
Magellan, which will be studied by planetary researchers for many years, 
includes radar images of 98 percent of the planet's cloud-covered surface, and 
a comprehensive gravity field map for 95 percent of the planet.  Magellan 
spent its final weeks in a low circular orbit around Venus with its solar 
arrays turned rigidly in opposite directions, like the blades of a windmill.  
This experiment enabled Magellan to gather unique data on the planet's upper 
atmosphere and the behavior of a spacecraft entering it.  This information, 
unanticipated before Magellan's launch, will help engineers design aerobraking 
maneuvers for upcoming planetary missions such as the Mars Global Surveyor.  
 
          In October, astronomers announced they had accurately measured the 
distance to the galaxy M100 in the Virgo cluster of galaxies using 
observations of Cepheid variable stars by the Hubble Space Telescope.  The 
distance was measured as 56 million light-years, meaning the universe is 
between 8 and 12 billion years old, far younger than previous estimates of up 
to 20 billion years.  The measurement to M100 is the first step in a three-year 
systematic program to measure accurately the scale, size and age of the 
universe.
 
          NASA established a new program office to direct the upcoming flights 
to the Russian Mir Space Station.  The Phase One Program Office will be 
located at the Johnson Space Center and will be responsible for coordinating 
NASA resources and plans for a series of spaceflights between the United 
States and Russia.
 
          Scientists at NASA Ames have found that scheduled rest by pilots 
during long flights reduces fatigue and improves alertness and performance, 
according to a report issued in October.  The findings are the result of a 
study co-sponsored by NASA and the FAA involving commercial pilots in 
long-haul flights -- those longer than eight hours.  In conducting the study, 
NASA scientists studied cockpit rest during regularly scheduled trans-Pacific 
flights.
 
          NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, and Ford Motor Co., 
Dearborn, MI, signed a two-year cooperative agreement for the transfer of 
NASA-developed technology that will improve the design and engineering of Ford 
vehicles.  The agreement is the first broad technology transfer process 
between NASA and any automotive manufacturer.   Targeted technology areas 
include computational fluid mechanics, flow measurement techniques, antenna 
measurements and advanced materials to improve manufacturing processes.
 
          One NASA environmental mission came to an end when Nimbus-7 was 
retired in October after more than 15 years of operation.  The satellite 
carried a variety of instruments to study the Earth's atmosphere and was the 
precursor to the UARS and ATLAS missions. 
 
Nimbus 7's most visible success was the first Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer 
(TOMS) instrument, which provided scientists with their first full view of the 
Antarctic ozone hole.  The TOMS data were part of the scientific underpinning 
for international treaties banning the use of ozone-depleting chemicals.
 
 
NOVEMBER
 
          For the first time, an orbiting astrophysics satellite was put into 
the 'hands' of an artificial intelligence (AI) computer program which operates
the spacecraft without people at the controls during overnight shifts, 
reducing operating costs.  NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), 
operated by the University of California, Berkeley's Center for Extreme 
Ultraviolet Astrophysics, uses a suite of AI software called E-tools which 
allow the EUVE science operations center to be unstaffed for extended periods 
of time.  During the 14-hour autonomous operation periods, the AI-based 
software conducts health and safety tests on the EUVE science instrument 
aboard the satellite.
 
          NASA's Wind spacecraft successfully rocketed into orbit aboard a 
Delta II expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station, FL, on Nov. 
1.  The Wind spacecraft will measure the basic properties of the solar wind as 
it interacts with the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere.  The main 
scientific goal of the mission is to measure the mass, momentum and energy of 
the solar wind that somehow is transferred into the space environment around 
the Earth.
 
          NASA's Office of Mission to Planet Earth completed a series of Space 
Shuttle flights dedicated to studying the Earth's atmosphere and its relation 
to the Sun.  Designated the ATLAS series, these flights in 1992, 1993 and 1994 
provided scientists with three snapshots of the Sun and the chemistry of the 
Earth's atmosphere, focusing on ozone depletion.  During the ATLAS-3 flight 
from Nov. 3 to Nov. 14, scientists were able to peer inside the ebbing 
Antarctic ozone hole and "see" the lower concentrations of ozone and higher 
levels of ozone-depleting chemicals.  The data also clearly differentiated 
between human-induced ozone depletion and that caused by atmospheric dynamics.
 
          The Ulysses spacecraft -- the first probe to explore the sun's 
environment at high latitudes --  completed the first phase of its primary 
mission when it completed its pass over the sun's southern pole on Nov. 5.  
The spacecraft will begin its traverse of the sun's northern pole beginning 
June 19, 1995.  Ulysses mission scientists have found that in the solar polar 
regions, the solar wind was found to be flowing at a very high velocity 
of about 750 kilometers per second (about two million miles per hour), nearly 
double the speed at which the solar wind is known to flow at lower latitudes.  
Scientists also report finding no clear evidence yet of the sun's magnetic 
pole at the distance of Ulysses, and that cosmic ray intensity in this high 
latitude region increased, but not nearly to the extent predicted.
 
          In preparation for future joint activities aboard Mir, NASA 
announced in November that astronauts John E. Blaha and Shannon W. Lucid would 
be traveling to Russia in 1995 for training at Star City.  These assignments 
continue the three-phase U.S./Russia human space flight cooperation program.
 
          Construction crews put finishing touches on a $115 million 
restoration of a unique NASA wind tunnel which began operating nearly 50 years 
ago.  Built in 1946, the 12-foot Pressure Wind Tunnel at Ames Research Center 
has tested models of most U.S. commercial aircraft in service over the past 
half century, including the Boeing 737, 757 and 767; Lockheed L-1011; and 
McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and DC-10.  The new wind tunnel replaces the original, 
which due to excessive use, gradually suffered a deterioration of its pressure 
shell.
 
          The Chief Executive Officers of the nation's 28 largest aerospace 
contractors teamed up with NASA and the U.S. Department of Education in an 
ambitious plan to improve the nation's education.  On November 15, the 28 
CEOs, NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin and U.S. Department of Education 
Deputy Secretary Madeleine Kunin signed an agreement to help improve students' 
performance in science and mathematics, increase public scientific literacy, 
promote a strong teacher workforce, help prepare an adequate pipeline of 
scientific and technical professionals including underrepresented groups.
 
          Major General Jeremiah W. Pearson (Ret.), USMC, announced his 
resignation as the Associate Administrator for the Office of Space Flight.  
Dr. Wayne Littles, former NASA Chief Engineer at Headquarters and former deputy 
director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, was named as the 
new Associate Administrator, effective in November.
 
          In late November, the U.S. and Ukraine signed an agreement that 
provides the framework for civil cooperative space projects.  The agreement 
cites potential cooperation in areas such as remote sensing for Earth sciences, 
telecommunications and telemedicine, life and biomedical sciences, microgravity 
sciences, space research and technology, and space sciences.  Also, NASA and 
the Paton Welding Institute in Kiev, Ukraine, signed a $36,000 definition 
phase contract to develop a plan for flying a space welding tool aboard the 
Space Shuttle in 1997.
 
          On Nov. 30, Continental Airlines became the first commercial carrier 
to use the new certified wind shear detection system in passenger service.  
The airborne detection system provides the cockpit crew notification of up to 
90 seconds in advance of wind shear activity -- a hazardous weather condition 
that has been blamed for the loss of hundreds of lives in airplane crashes.  
Developed by a team of researchers from NASA's Langley Research Center, 
Hampton, VA, and the FAA, the technology represents a breakthrough for the 
airline industry in reducing the hazard caused by wind shear.
 
 
DECEMBER
 
          In 1994, six groups of astronaut candidates arrived at Johnson Space 
Center for interviews and medical evaluations, leading to the selection of a 
new astronaut class in early December.  During the year, Robert D. Cabana was 
named chief of the Astronaut Office.  He replaced Robert L. "Hoot" Gibson who 
was selected as Commander for the first Shuttle-Mir docking mission.  
During 1994, astronauts Paul J. Weitz, Charles F. Bolden, Richard O. Covey, 
Sidney M. Gutierrez, William E. Thornton and Ronald J. Grabe left the Agency.
 
          Col. Stuart Roosa, USAF retired, one of six Apollo astronauts to fly 
solo around the Moon, died Dec. 12 due to complications from pancreatitis.  
Roosa, 61, was Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 14 mission in 1971.  He 
was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. 
 
          NASA announced plans for a new multidisciplinary Spacelab research 
mission to be flown on the Space Shuttle in mid-1996.  Dedicated to life and 
microgravity research, the mission is scheduled for launch aboard the orbiter 
Columbia on Shuttle flight STS-78.  The flight is expected to be 16-days in 
duration and will involve a Shuttle crew of seven.  Twenty-four investigations 
are planned for the mission.  Of these, 18 are from the life sciences 
discipline and six are from the field of microgravity research.
 
          Kennedy Space Center Director Robert L. Crippen announced his 
retirement from the Agency, effective Jan. 21, 1995.  Crippen, a veteran 
astronaut with four space flights, was Pilot for the first Space Shuttle 
flight in 1981.  Jay Honeycutt, Director of Shuttle Management and Operations 
at KSC, will become the sixth director of the space center.