Ae r o n a u t i c s an d Space Report of the Pr e s i d e n t Fiscal Yea r 19 9 5 Ac t i v i t i e s National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, DC 20546 Executive Summary National Aeronautics and Space Ad m i n i s t r a t i o n Department of Defense Department of Tra n s p o r t a t i o n Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Tra n s p o r t a t i o n Department of Commerce Department of Energy Department of the Interior U.S. Department of Ag r i c u l t u r e Federal Communications Commission U.S. Environmental Protection Ag e n c y National Science Foundation Smithsonian Institution Department of State U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Ag e n c y U.S. Information Ag e n c y Space Launch Activities Space Shuttle Missions Expendable Launches Space Science Astronomy and Space Physics Solar System Exploration Microgravity and Life Sciences Space Flight and Space Technology Space Shuttle Tec h n o l o g y Reusable Launch Vehicles and Other Launch Systems International Space Station En e rg y Safety and Mission As s u r a n c e Other Space Tec h n o l o g y Technology Tra n s f e r Co m m e r cial Development and Regulation of Space Tec h n o l o g y Space Communications Communications Satellites Space Network Ground Networks Mission Control and Data Systems i i Aeronautics and Space Report of the President Aeronautical Activities Technological Developments Air Traffic Control and Navigation Wea t h e r -Related Aeronautical Ac t i v i t i e s Flight Safety and Security Aviation Medicine and Human Factors Studies of the Planet Earth Terrestrial Studies and Ap p l i c a t i o n s Atmospheric Studies and Ap p l i c a t i o n s Oceanographic Studies and Ap p l i c a t i o n s International Aeronautical and Space Activities Cooperation With Foreign Partners International Orga n i z a t i o n s Discussions Concerning Arms Control of Space-Related Wea p o n r y Space and Public Diplomacy Ab r o a d Ap p e n d i c e s A- 1 U.S. Government Spacecraft Record A- 2 World Record of Space Launches Successful in Attaining Earth Orbit or Beyond A- 3 Successful U.S. Launches, October 1, 1994–September 30, 1995 B- 1 U.S.-Launched Applications Satellites, 1988–Sep. 30, 1995 B- 2 U.S.-Launched Scientific Satellites, 1988–Sep. 30, 1995 B- 3 U.S.-Launched Space Probes, 1975–Sep. 30, 1995 C U.S. and Russian Human Spaceflights, 1961–Sep. 30, 1995 D U.S. Space Launch Veh i c l e s E- 1 Space Activities of the U.S. Government—Historical Budget Summaries E- 2 Federal Space Activities Budget E- 3 Federal Aeronautics Budget F- 1 Memorandum of Agreement for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System F- 2 Presidential Review Directive/NSTC-2: Interagency Space Policy Review Glossary Index Fiscal Year 1995 i i i i v Aeronautics and Space Report of the President Fiscal Year 1995 v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 directed the co m m e r cial launches carried out from Government facilities annual Aeronautics and Space Report to include a “compre - that the Office of Commercial Space Tr a n s p o rt a t i o n hensive description of the programmed activities and the accom - (O CST) within the Department of Tra n s p o r tation (DoT) plishments of all agencies of the United States in the field of licensed and monitored. a e ronautics and space activities during the preceding calendar NASA continued the search for a next-generation space y e a r.” In recent years, the launch system with its re p o rts have been pre p a re d Reusable Launch Ve h i c l e on a fiscal year (FY) basis, ( R LV) program. NASA consistent with the budgetary hopes to develop new kinds period now used in pro g r a m s of launch technologies that of the Federal Govern m e n t . will enable significantly This year’s re p o rt covers mo r e affo r dable and rel i a b l e activities that took place fro m access to space. October 1, 1994, thro u g h In aeronautics, activities September 30, 1995. included the development of technologies to increa s e A wide variety of aeron a u - sa f e t y , reduce negative envi- tics and space developments ronmental impacts, and took place during FY 1995. assist U.S. industry in The National Aeron a u t i c s becoming more competitive and Space Administration in the world market. Air (NASA) successfully com- t r a ffic control activities pleted seven Space Shuttle focused on various automa- flights. A program highlight tion systems to incre a s e was the docking of the flight safety and enhance Shuttle Atlantis with the This photo of Earth was processed by NOAA’s National the efficient use of airspace. Russian space station Mi r . Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. Scientists made some NASA launched three dramatic new discoveries in Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELV), while the Departm e n t various space-related fields. Astronomers gained new insights of Defense (DoD) successfully conducted five ELV launches into the size and age of our universe, in addition to studying during the fiscal year. These launches included satellites to our solar system. Earth scientists continued to study the study space physics, track Earth ’ s weather patterns, and complex interactions of physical forces that influence our su p p o r t military communications. In addition, there were 12 weather and environment and reached new conclusions Fiscal Year 1995 1 about ozone depletion. Agencies such as the Environ m e n t a l outer edges of our solar system. The Global Geospace Science Pr otection Agency (EPA) as well as the Departments of (GGS) Wind spacecraft was launched successfully in Ag r i c u l t u r e and Interior used remote-sensing technologies to November 1994 into a path upstream of the Earth ’ s magne- better understand terrestrial changes. Micro g r a v i t y to s p h e r e, where it has been providing valuable informa t i o n res e a r chers conducted studies to prep a r e for the long-dura- on the solar wind. In solar system exploration, scientists tion stays of humans planned for the upcoming Interna t i o n a l rep o r ted the discovery of a large planet orbiting the star 51 Space Station (ISS). Pegasi. Astronomers also gained new insights into the evolu- I n t e rnational cooperation, particularly with Russia, tion of stars by studying silicon carbide and aluminum oxide oc c u r red in a variety of aerospace areas. In addition to the grains in primitive meteorites. Shuttle-Mir docking mission and Russian partnership on the In the area of Earth science, NASA’s Mission to Planet In t e r national Space Station, U.S. and Russian personnel also Ea r th (MTPE) program continued to make a number of signif- continued close cooperation on various aeronautics proj e c t s . icant discoveries. Scientists, who analyzed several years of data During FY 1995, the Government released two significant derived from satellites and aircraft, conclusively determi n e d interagency space policy documents that are included in this that human-produced chemicals are the source of at least 80 rep o rt ’ s appendix section. The first is a memorandum of pe r cent of the chlorine in the stratosphere, which causes ag r eement among NASA, DoD, and the Department of An t a r ctic ozone depletion. In oceanographic studies, the joint Co m m e r ce to implement an FY 1994 policy on converge n c e U. S . / F r ench satellite TOPEX/Poseidon demonstrated a new of the Nation’s civilian and military polar-orbiting environ - way of precisely monitoring global mean-sea-level variations, mental satellite programs. The second document is a while another satellite helped chart the role of lightning in Pr esidential Review Directive calling for an interagency se v e r e storms. Data from the Landsat 5 satellite continued to space policy rev i e w . pr ove valuable in numerous practical applications, such as fo r est management, earthquake and flood damage assess- ments, and geological explorations, in addition to various National Aeronautics and Space fo r ms of environmental and global change res e a r ch. MTPE Administration (NASA) scientists worked closely with their colleagues at other agen- cies to improve Earth science education and to approa c h In the area of space science, NASA res e a r chers made a global change from an interdi s c i p l i n a r y perspective. During number of exciting discoveries during FY 1995. By prec i s e l y FY 1995, NASA managers focused on a series of importa n t de t e r mining distances to some nearby stars, astronomers used reshaping exercises for MTPE and its centerpiece, the Earth the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to determi n e Ob s e r ving System (EOS) series of spacecraft, to chart the that the universe is smaller and younger than prev i o u s l y l o n g - t e rm implementation planning for the pro g r a m .