Environmental satellite develops attitude problem

its proper position in orbit, the vehicle would return on its own to either a ground base or a space base such as Space Station for re-use. Martin Marietta and Boeing will conduct these new conceptual studies to examine the possibilities of both space-based and ground-based transfer vehicles. The space-based version would be maintained and refuelled at the Space Station, whereas a ground-based vehicle would be carried into space by the Space Shuttle and deployed. For ground-based considerations, both Shuttle payload bay-launched and aft cargo carrier-launched concepts will be studied. The aft cargo carrier, also under study at the Marshall Center, would be a payload compartment attached to the aft end of the Shuttles’s external tank. The transfer vehicle would be placed in this aft cargo compartment and carried into orbit. Once in orbit the transfer vehicle would be separated from the external tank, while the payload that the vehicle would later ferry would be deployed from the cargo bay of the orbiter. The vehicle would then join with the payload and begin its job of moving the payload to higher orbit. If the transfer vehicle were to be space-based, however, there would be certain advantages. The vehicle would remain permanently in orbit rather than be carried to orbit and return to earth after each use. Initial delivery of this space-based vehicle could be either in the Shuttle cargo bay or in the aft cargo compartment of the external tank. “You could assemble the vehicle in orbit,” said Don Saxton, Marshal~s study manager of the Orbital Transfer Vehicle, “so that: it would be larger than a ground-based unit and capable of carrying more payload, Various alternatives for the transfer vehicle in addition to the land- or space-based questions must be examined. Should it be reusable or expendable? Should it use cryogenic or storable propellants? These conceptual studies will help us to resolve these questions? A possible compromise could be reached for the basing mode of the vehicle. “It may begin as a ground-based operation,” said Saxton, “but then evolve to a space-based one!’ The transfer vehicle as presently conceived by Marshall engineers would be an unmanned upper stage in the beginning. The ultimate goal, however, would be to develop a manned vehicle capable of ferrying a crew capsule to geosynchronous orbit. The vehicle would then return the crew and capsule for other missions.

3.14. ENVIRONMENTAL SATELUTE DEVELtlPS ATTITUDE PROBLEM’“’

The NOAA-8 environme~~l monito~ng satellite appears to have lost its attitude control system and is tumbling in orbit unable to relay its signals effectively to Earth, officials at the National Ocea_nic and Atmosphe~c Admi~stration (NOAA) and the NationaI Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced today. Launched aboard an Atlas E launch vehicle “‘~NASA

News Release 84-93 of 16 July 1984.

75

last year, the 1700 kg (3775 lb) satellite has on board six environments mo~tor~~g ~~s~rne~ts and a search and ~scue payload provjded by ~nada France under an ~ter~a~onal co~oper~tive space project with NASA a ncy signals known as Sarsat. This payload permits the satellite to relay em ~roumenta~ from dowsed ajrcra~ and ships in distress, however, much of the mo~ito~ng that would be lost by Nurses failure will be conducted by NC&M-6, launched on 27 June 1979. Al~o~gh, currently there is not an ~e~can satellite in orbit with search and rescue capability, the Sarsat project will continue operations throu~ the use of three Soviet Cospas search and rescue satellites now in orbit. At last count, 226 persons have been rescued the use of the ~ospas-Sars~t joint satellite search and rescue system valves both American and Soviet spacecra~. The satellite, the first in a series of three Ad~~~~d Tires-N sho~~g a problem on X2June 1984, according to Charles E. Tbi~~eI, Deputy Metsat Project stager at the NASA Goddard Space Fiig~t Center, ~reenbelt, Md. At that time, he explained, the spacecra~ expe~enced a “clock inter~pt” that caused the spacecra~s gyros to desy~~~roni~. continued clock disturmeteorological i~st~rneu~, preventing sc~~~t~stsand “good” data. “‘Wereally have not had any good data since 13 June,” shekel said. Nitrogen that would ~0~~1~ be av~~~bl~to stabilize the spa~e~m~ was used sho~ly after the spa~ecr~ was laun~bed from the Vandenberg Air Force Base Weste~ Test Range in Califo~~a on 28 March X983. Fo~~o~~g what appeared to be a successful launch, the satehite started tumbi~ngwhen it reached an orbital aiti~de of 870 km (470 nautical miles), On 12 April the engineers stabilized the sp~~e~ra~.E~~eers hope to correct the problem before the launch of the next advised Tires-N, known as N~~-F, now s~heduied for 23 October 1984.

3.15. FIRST SPACE ~~~~

SET TO BE ~~V~O~~

FOR ~~~E~~~A~

US@“’

~~roscopi~ latex particles produced aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle should soon become the first space product to be offered commercially, NASA a~ounced today. A major step in the prowess to put the mater~aion the market was taken today when 15 grammes of the HO-m~~rometreparticles were presented by NASA to the commerce ~epa~rn~~t’s National hulas of St~dards {N~S). NBS will certify the ~~icIes as a “standard reference mate~a~ and make them availably for sale in early 1985, The p~sentat~on was made by repreSA ~eadqua~ers, the ~arsh~1 Space Flight Center in ~untsvi~ie, Ala., and Lehi~ University in ~~~lehern, Pa. The lo-micrometre particles were produced in space during 1983 in the Marsh~l developed ~o~od~s~rse Latex Reactor experiment. The experiment, (‘WASA

76

News Release 84-98

of 17 Juty 1984.