Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 1981 Activities NOTE TO READERS: ALL PRINTED PAGES ARE INCLUDED, UNNUMBERED BLANK PAGES DURING SCANNING AND QUALITY CONTROL CHECK HAVE BEEN DELETED Aeronautics and Space Report of the President 1981 Activities National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, D.C. 20546 Con tents Page Page Summary ................................ 1 Department of Agriculture ................. 57 Communications ...................... 1 Federal Communications Commission ........ 58 Earth’s Resources and Environment ...... 2 CommunicationsSatellites .............. 58 Space Science ........................ 3 Experiments and Studies ............... 59 Space Transportation .................. 4 Department of Transportation .............. 61 International Activities ................ 5 Aviation Safety ....................... 61 Aeronautics .......................... 6 Environmental Research ............... 63 National Aeronautics and Space Air Navigation and Air Traffic Control ... 64 Administration ..................... 8 Environmental Protection Agency ........... 66 Applications to the Earth ............... 8 National Science Foundation ................ 67 Science .............................. 13 Smithsonian Institution .................... 68 Space Transportation .................. 19 Spacesciences ........................ 68 Space Research and Technology ......... 23 Lunar Research ...................... 69 Space Tracking and Data Services ........ 25 Planetary Research .................... 70 Aeronautical Research and Technology ... 26 International Communication Agency ........ 71 Department of Defense ..................... 29 Space Activities ....................... 29 Appendixes Aeronautical Activities ................. 33 Relations with NASA .................. 36 A.1 . U.S. Spacecraft Record ............... 73 Department of Commerce .................. 38 A.2 . World Record of Space Launchings Space Systems ........................ 38 Successful in Attaining Earth Orbit or Other Uses of Satellites ................. 45 Beyond ........................... 73 Space Support Activities ................ 47 A.3 . Successful U.S. Launchings- 1981 ...... 74 Space and Atmospheric Research ........ 48 B.1 . U.S.-Launched Applications Satellites, Aeronautical Programs ................ 49 1976-1981 ........................ 79 Department of Energy ..................... 50 B.2 . U.S.-Launched Scientific Satellites, Space Applications of Nuclear Power ..... 50 1976-1981 ........................ 80 Nuclear Waste Disposal ................ 51 B.3 . U.S.-Launched Space Probes, 1975-1981 . 81 Remote Sensing of the Earth ............ 51 C . U.S. and Soviet Manned Spaceflights, Nuclear Test Detection ................ 51 1961-1981 ........................ 82 Department of the Interior ................. 52 D . U.S. Space Launch Vehicles ............ a5 Earth Resources Observation ............ 52 E.1 . Space Activities of the U.S. Government: Monitoring the Environment ............ 53 Historical Budget Summary- Geology ............................. 55 Budget Authority .................. 86 Cartography ......................... 55 E.2 . Space Activities Budget ............... 87 International Activities ................ 56 E.3 . Aeronautics Budget .................. 87 iii A,erospace Events of 1981 A new era in space: the Space Shuttle Columbia (above) rises on its maiden flight into orbit, car- rying astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen from Kennedy Space Center on 12 April 1981 to test the Shuttle systems before landing for launch again. Below center, Columbia glides toward Edwards Air Force Base, California, for a smooth landing (bottom) after completing its second flight into space, 12-14 November, piloted by Joe Engle and Richard Truly. Below right, the OSTA 1 pallet, carrying remote earth-sensing experiments, is cradled in the Shuttle's cargo bay for that second flight. The crew quarters are ahead, and the remote manipulator arm lies at left along the side of the bay awaiting its first testing in orbit. Spacecraft continued to explore the planets and monitor Earth. Voyager 2 took the high-resolution picture of Saturn’s rings, upper right, 22 August from 4 million km away. Sclentists are studying “spoke” features in the B ring for clues to their origins. Above left, an image from a Dynamics Explorer, launched in August to study energy exchanges between the magneto- sphere and ionosphere and the causes of auroras, includes the first picture of Earth’s entire auroral oval (the smaller circular feature), taken 15 September ._ ^^. , I?+, L 11-1. A& irom 22 Km aDove tne nortn role. AL right, an image sent back by the Goes 4 environmental satellite in the spring of 1981 and an enhanced infrared im- age (far right) show thunderstorms. HiMAT no. 2 (highly maneuverable aircraft technology research aircraft), below left, rests on the dry lakebed near Dryden Flight Research Facility poised for flight to test high-risk technology for future fighter aircraft in a NASA-Air Force program. During 1981, flights pushed toward transonic speeds, reaching mach 0.95. Below right, the NASA-Army RSRA rotor systems research aircraft takes off from Ames Research Center at Moffett Field as a “flying wind tunnel” to investigate advanced helicopter systems. Surnrnarv The United States space program opened a new era rapidly expanding international and domestic in- in 1981 with two orbital flights of the Space Shuttle dustry and 1 for the Department of Defense network Columbia-the first spacecraft to lift off into space, for command and control of U.S. military forces. return after its mission, and lift off to orbit the earth again. Even as Columbia prepared for a third orbital Operational Space Systems test flight and the goal of flexible, routine access to space came nearer, other spacecraft made discoveries INTELSAT. Launch of the second and third In- about the solar system, the universe, and the interac- telsat V satellites -each capable of transmitting tions of the sun with the earth’s environment. 12 000 voice conversations and 2 TV chan- Voyager 2, flying past Saturn in August, returned nels-upgraded the global service of the Interna- finely detailed closeup photos and scientific data that tional Telecommunications Satellite Organization. added to and also brought new insights into the infor- INTELSAT planned up to 6 more Intelsat V launches mation Voyager 1 had returned in 1980. New theories in the next two years, followed by 6 improved Intelsat about the planet’s complex ring structure and surveys V-As, to meet expected doubling of international traf- of nearly all of Saturn’s 17 moons occupied scientists as fic demands in the next four years. Evaluation of in- Voyager 2 flew on toward a January 1986 encounter dustry proposals for the advanced Intelsat VI series with Uranus (and later, possibly, with Neptune). Two also began in 1981. Dynamics Explorers and a Solar Mesosphere Explorer Domestic Communications Satellites. Three com- satellite began studying the effects of solar emissions mercial domestic satellites were launched in 1981: on Earth. Comsat General Corporation’s Comstar 0-4, RCA The year’s 18 launches - 2 Shuttle flights plus 16 out American Communications’ RCA-Satcom 3, and of 17 attempts with expendable launch vehicles -or- Satellite Business Systems’ SBS 2. At the end of the bited 20 spacecraft, most of them for daily service to year, 11 domestic communications satellites were in dwellers on the earth. Besides the Shuttle flights and operation, 3 in the RCA system, 3 in Western Union’s the three NASA scientific satellites, six privately or in- Westar system, 3 in ATBrT’s Comstar system, and 2 ternationally owned satellites were added to growing operated by SBS. More than 5000 ground stations communications networks, two to continuous weather were licensed for satellite digital, TV, and voice services, and six to navigation and defense systems. A service. small scientific satellite was launched for radio Eight companies were preparing 28 satellites to amateurs and schools as a secondary payload with a replace or add to those already in service. Among NASA satellite. them, the Space CommunicationsCompany scheduled Remote-sensing satellites, sounding rockets, air- the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) for craft, and balloons, as well as instruments on the Shut- Shuttle launch early in 1983. The first and second tle, returned information on the earth’s resources and satellites in the TDRS System- Advanced Westar atmosphere for increasing use by numerous nations. System will provide service to the government; a third Research and development advanced spacecraft con- (the first advanced Westar) will provide commercial cepts, new technology for military and civilian aircraft service; and a fourth, both TDRSS (leased to govern- and airways, and use of wind, nuclear, and solar ment) and commercial service. energy. The Federal Communications Commission in This summary chapter surveys 1981 achievements in November requested comments from industry and the the US. aeronautics and space program by function. public on costs and benefits of reducing to 2O the spac- The following chapters present the work of individual ing in orbit for the next generation of communications agencies in more detail. satellites, to accommodate increased numbers. Com- ments were being received before FCC made final or- Communications bital assignments in 1982. More than half NASA’s launches in 1981- 6 out of Military Communications