Release No: 84-30 Nasa to C
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, D.C. 20546 AC 202-453-8400 ' For Release: Charles Redmond Headquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE (Phone: 202/453-1755) Mary Beth Murrill Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. (Phone: 818f/354-5011) RELEASE NO: 84-30 NASA TO COOPERATE IN COMET SIGHTING REHEARSAL Amateur and professional astronomers around the world will participate in a comet-sighting program March 25-31 to rehearse for the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1986. The observation coordination practice will involve the Comet Crommelin, which orbits the sun every 27 years. It is being organized by the International Halley Watch, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and the University of Erlangen, Federal Republic of West Germany. The IHW will coordinate amateur and professional astrono- mer's observations of Comet Halley and compile data collected during its appearance. The results, together with data gathered by spacecraft, will provide a comprehensive body of information about comets, including insights into the nature of the raw material from which the solar system was formed. The upcoming trial run will test the IHW's observation and reporting procedures according to Stephen J. Edberg, the group's coordinator for amateur observations. Astronomers who wish to participate in the observation of Comet Crommelin or Comet Halley can obtain a copy of the "The International Halley Watch Amateur Observers' Manual for Scientific Studies," and return the Observer Index form at the front of the manual. The two-volume document may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Dept. 33, Washington, D.C. 20402; 202/783-3238. February 28, 1984 - more - -2- Part I (stock number 033--000-00888-1, $4.50) describes methods of comet observation. Part II (stock 00889-9, number 033-000- $4.50) includes a daily ephemeris, star the comet's path charts showing over a six-month period, and lists of standard and calibration stars. All observations IHW on duplicates must be reported to the of report forms found in the manual. - end - National Aeronautics and Space Administration WasNngton, D.C. 20546 AC 202.453.8400 p I6 For Release: William O'Donnell Headquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE (Phone: 202/453-1179) RELEASE NO: 84-31 NASA SETS UP SPACE STATION DEVELOPMENT TEAMS NASA has established seven inter-center teams to conduct advanced development activities for high potential technologies to be used in Space Station design and development. The assignments are intended to identify emerging tech- nologies for advanced development for Space Station design and to establish test beds into which prototype technology hardware could be integrated, tested, demonstrated and evaluated. Three of the inter-center teams will be led by the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., and three by the Johnson Space Center, Houston. Lead center for the seventh team will be assigned later. The center assignments are: Attitude Control and Stabilization System -- Marshall is lead center of a team also including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., and Johnson, with Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., participating in a supporting role. Data Management System -- Johnson is lead center in a team also consisting of the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. and Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Support will be provided by Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif.; National Space Technology Laboratories, Bay St. Louis, Miss.; JPL and Langley. Auxiliary Propulsion System -- Marshall is lead center in a team including Lewis Research Center, Cleveland; Marshall, JPL and Johnson. Environmental Control and Life Support System -- Johnson is lead center in a team that includes Ames. February 29, 1984 - more - .. l -- -- -2- Space Operations Mechanisms -- Marshall is lead center in a team that includes JPL, Johnson, Lewis and Marshall, with Langley in a supporting role. Thermal Management System -- Johnson is lead center in a team including Goddard, Johnson, Lewis and Marshall. Electric Power System -- Inter-center team is Johnson, Lewis and Marshall, with JPL in a supporting role as appropriate. Lead center will be designated later. - end - (Index: 46) , .- H -- 7A2.; NS Neo National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, D.C. 20546 AC 202-453-8400 For Release: Ken Atchison Headquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE (Phone: 202/453-2759) RELEASE NO: 84-32 NASA SELECTS LOCKHEED-GEORGIA FOR PROPFAN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS NASA has selected Lockheed-Georgia Div. of Lockheed Corp. in Marietta, Ga. for negotiations expected to lead to the award of a contract for the design, fabrication and ground test of a propfan propulsion system. It includes an option for flight test of the system mounted on the wing of a modified Gulfstream II testbed airplane. Lockheed-Georgia's estimated value of the basic contract is approximately $31 million, with the flight test option estimated at $15 million. Under the Propfan Test Assessment (PTA) contract, Lockheed- Georgia will verify the blade structural integrity and determine the acoustic characteristics of a large-scale (9-foot diameter) advanced propeller (propfan) being designed and fabricated by the Hamilton-Standard Div. of United Technologies Corp., Windsor Locks, Conn., under a separate NASA contract. The propfan structural integrity and acoustic character- istics are the two major technical concerns. Neither issue can be adequately evaluated in the small scale model tests that have laid the technical foundation for this effort. The propfan project will be managed by NASA's Lewis Research Center in Cleveland. It is part of the NASA Advanced Turboprop Program, which addresses the critical technologies involved in applying fuel-efficient turboprop propulsion to aircraft operating in the Mach 0.65 to 0.85 range, typical of today's commercial jet transports. The propfan to be evaluated will have eight highly swept thin blades integrated with a contoured spinner. This design is intended to minimize both compressibility losses and noise during high-speed subsonic cruise aircraft propulsion applications, such as for commercial airliners. March 5, 1984 -more- * . -- , *.. .. ;ta-. .~ -2- The advantage of this advanced propeller is that it will use 15 to 25 percent less fuel than a turbofan powerplant with the same level of engine technology. The PTA contract under negotiation will provide the turbo shaft drive system and nacelle installation for the government- furnished propfan as well as an airplane wing and fuselage section for use in the ground test phase. The nacelle to house the drive system will be a new design suitable for a wing-mount installation on the Gulfstream II airplane to be used in the flight test option. The turboshaft engine and gearbox selected to drive the propfan will be a mod- ification of existing hardware and will be manufactured by the Allison Gas Turbines Div. of General Motors, Indianapolis. The complete propfan propulsion system enclosed within a flightworthy nacelle will be evaluated first in a stati- test on an outdoor test stand and later mounted on a semi-span wing in the 40x80-ft. Low-Speed Wind Tunnel at NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif. Under the flight test option of this contract, the propfan propulsion system will be mounted a the wing of the modified airplane and flown over a range of flight-test conditions up to and beyond the propfan high-speed design point (Mach 0.8/35,000 ft. altitude). The propfan and the airplane itself will be highly instrumented for the acquisition of propfan stress and near-field acoustic data. Cabin noise and vibration will also be obtained without fuselage interior-wall treatment in both the ground and flight test activities in order to estimate the type and amount of treatment needed to provide a level of cabin noise equivalent to that of current commercial turbofan-powered aircraft. In addition to the design, fabrication and test of the large-scale flightworthy propfan propulsion system, this contract will include an extensive subscale model test program in direct support of the large-scale effort. This will include airplane aerodynamic performance, stability and control, and flutter model tests. Various types of fuselage wall acoustic treatment will also be investigated. Flight evaluation of the most promising types of acoustic treatments could occur in a follow-on program to the PTA contract. - end - (Index: 1,10) flJAS New National Aeronautics and Space Administration WasNngton, D.C. 20546 AC 202-453-8400 For Release: David Garrett IMMEDIATE Headquarters, Washington, D.C. (Phone: 202/453-8590) RELEASE NO: 84-33 NASA ADAPTS CUSTOMER SHUTTLE LAUNCH SERVICE POLICY Customer Shuttle launch service by requests must be accompanied $100,000 earnest money for each payload policy. under a new NASA Past policy allowed customers to in schedule multiple payloads a series for a single $100,000 payment. manifest This produced a containing many payloads with low and impaired launch probabilities NASA's ability to accommodate customers defined launch requirements. with well Deposited earnest money will be applied to the progress payment first for each payload or will be retained a Launch Services Agreement by NASA if is not signed for each payload. - end - (Index: 37) March 7, 1984 No N National Aeronautics and Space Administration Wasington, D.C. 20546 AC 202*453-8400 For Release: Debra J. Rahn Headquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE (Phone: 202/453-8455) RELEASE NO: 84-34 NASA AND ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY SIGN TWO AGREEMENTS James M. Beggs, NASA Administrator and Professor Ernesto Quagliarello, President of the Italian National Research Council of Italy (CNR), signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) today in Rome. The two separate agreements establish the development of the Tethered Satellite System and the development and launch of the Laser Geodynamics Satellite-2 (Lageos-2). The Tethered Satellite System (TSS) is a data-gathering satellite that will be carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle and released from the payload bay on a tether.