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Newsgroups: sci.space.news From: yee@atlas.arc.nasa.gov (Peter Yee) Subject: 1992 seen as NASA's most productive year for science discoveries [Release 92-228] (Forwarded) Message-ID: <1992Dec23.054547.2163@news.arc.nasa.gov> Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 05:45:47 GMT Lines: 1424

David W. Garrett Headquarters, Washington, D.C. December 21, 1992 (Phone: 202/358-1600)

RELEASE: 92-228

1992 SEEN AS NASA'S MOST PRODUCTIVE YEAR FOR SCIENCE DISCOVERIES

It was a blockbuster year for NASA space science missions, with scientific discoveries ranging from the beginning of time to black holes to the innermost workings of the human cell.

"Given the unprecedented return on science information and the robust launch record, 1992 was the most productive year in the history of space science," said Dr. Lennard A. Fisk, Associate Administrator for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications in Washington, D.C.

"NASA is leading the way in a worldwide resurgence of space sciences and exploration with 31 space science missions in operation and returning science. This year is one for the record books," said NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin.

"Because of the successes of our operational spacecraft and the new missions undertaken this year, we can look forward to an exciting and increasingly productive future," Goldin said.

Highlighting 1992 were a number of major science discoveries as well as eight successful Space Shuttle missions providing an on- orbit life sciences and microgravity research facility.

Environmental research included studies which indicated the 1992 ozone hole was larger than any previously seen. International cooperation in space missions increased in 1992, and the the ninth NASA Administrator, Daniel S. Goldin, was appointed on April 1.

Secrets Yielded

The Big Bang -- the primeval explosion that began the universe 15 billion years ago -- yielded some of its secrets to the Cosmic Background Explorer spacecraft in 1992. The orbiting observatory detected temperature variations within the glow from the initial expansion of the universe following the Big Bang.

Astronomers came closer this year to understanding mysterious black holes when the Hubble Space Telescope uncovered evidence that there might be massive black holes in the core of two galaxies. The orbiting telescope also provided the first direct view of an immense ring of dust which may fuel a massive black hole at the heart of another galaxy.

Six scientific spacecraft were launched during 1992 to explore the universe, the solar system, the Earth and the Earth-sun environment. Among these was the Mars Observer, America's first mission to the Red Planet since Viking 17 years ago.

Five Spacelab missions aboard the Space Shuttle advanced human understanding of how to live and work in space.

A number of microgravity experiments tested various methods of growing protein and zeolite crystals in space. The results could have major commercial potential and medical applications.

Space technology research in 1992 stressed new methods that robots and humans may eventually use to explore the moon and Mars, including "telepresence" technology that lets a person, wearing a video headset, see remote locations through cameras mounted on a robot. The technology could be used by future astronauts to control robotic explorers on planetary surfaces.

International cooperation was highlighted by the flight of the first Swiss astronaut and the first Italian payload specialist on STS-46 and the first Japanese payload specialist flew on the STS-47 Spacelab mission.

Also, NASA signed a contract with the Russian firm, NPO Energia, focusing on possible use of the Russian Soyuz-TM vehicle as an interim Assured Crew Return Vehicle for space station astronauts.

Dr. Mae C. Jemison became the first African American female astronaut to fly in space in September aboard STS-48.

These subjects and other 1992 NASA activities are covered in the following background release.

- end general release -

EDITORS NOTE: The annual NASA yearender provides a comprehensive review of all major space and aeronautics programs. The entire 1992 document can be obtained by calling the NASA Headquarters newsroom at 202/358-1600.

NASA MANAGEMENT

Daniel S. Goldin became the ninth Administrator of NASA on April 1, appointed by President Bush to succeeded Richard H. Truly. Prior to joining the agency, Goldin was Vice President and General Manager of the TRW Space & Technology Group which built 13 spacecraft during his tenure.

The new Administrator assumed command at a time of shrinking financial resources caused by the recession, the deficit reduction effort and growing demands in other areas such as education, medical care and housing.

Forecasts indicted that NASA would not receive appropriations sufficient to support outyear development of projects initiated prior to the recession, when the outlook for funds was more positive.

Goldin initiated a series of efforts to respond to this situation with the goal of preserving essential space exploration and aeronautics research programs despite necessary cost reductions, while permitting the nation to undertake new projects in both areas.

Simultaneously, he launched campaigns to reform the agency's procurement process, introduce greater cultural diversity into the workforce and contracting, renew the NASA's commitment to quality and stimulate public support for the program.

"Cheaper, Faster, Better"

Constantly urging NASA employees and contractors alike to do things "cheaper, faster and better," the Administrator created a group of blue and red teams to review major NASA projects and their organizational settings.

The blue teams consisted of persons who would examine their own programs for creative ways to reduce cost without compromising safety or science. The red teams were composed of people unconnected with programs who might bring fresh insights or insure that none were stiffled.

This review began in May and has led to significant changes in a number of major projects, with a 17 percent reduction in costs thus far. The process is intended to be on-going.

In a closely related effort, Goldin constantly stressed the adoption of the approaches and tools of Total Quality Management (TQM) which calls for a continuous effort to improve quality, reduce cost and speed production.

NASA, he declared in a talk to employees, is a "world class" organization whose people must meet the most stringent standards for excellence measured on a worldwide basis. They were responsible, he said, for increasing efficiency, saving money, improving quality and shortening the time to project fruition - all without compromising safety.

A "Shared Vision" of the Future

Soon after the formation of the blue and red teams, Goldin called on NASA employees to submit their ideas for a NASA "shared vision of what we, as a nation, should strive to accomplish in space." Closely coupled with this was a series of well-attended "town meetings" held in cities throughout the country to give the general public the opportunity to state its view about the future of the space program.

Goldin said the ultimate goal of these activities was to produce a vision of America's future in space that would be shared and support by NASA, Congress, the President and executive branch, academia, the space community and the general public.

In another major effort aimed at insuring quality and controlling cost, the Administrator announced a series of procurement reforms. Awards would be made on the basis of well demonstrated adherence to quality, cost control and schedule maintenance. Award fees would be determined on the same basis, with opportuity for greater gain by staying on schedule and within estimates.

The reforms placed substantial emphasis on opportunity for small and disadvantaged businesses, including culturally diverse businesses. The agency said it would step up deadlines for prime contractors to meet their quota of awards to subcontractors in this category. Incentive fees would stimulate the effort. Paperwork, which discouraged many small firms, was to be reduced substantially.

The Administrator also underscored the need for greater cultural diversity in the agency's workforce, requiring the head of each NASA facility to submit a plan to increase minority hiring. "I am personally and deeply committed to making NASA a model for the nation in building a culturally diverse workforce at every level," he said in a speech. He said he wanted NASA to reflect the nation's "wonderful mosaic of diverse people," and to signal opportunity to young people of all races.

In October, Goldin announced a series of structural changes in the agency's organization designed to focus greater attention on certain projects critical to the nation's future. Mission to Planet Earth to aid the environment would become an individual office, as would planetary science and astrophysics, or Mission From Planet Earth, to explore the solar system and look beyond into the universe.

Concern About America's Aeronautics Industry

Aeronautics and space technology development, which were combined in a single office, were to be separated. Goldin stated in a speech that the nation's aeronautics industry was loosing ground to aggressive foreign competitiors to such a degree that it was in a crisis. He declared that NASA would place substantially greater emphasis on aeronautics and that this would be the sole responsibility of the Aeronautics Office.

Technology was joined to the commercial development function in a "one-stop shopping" concept to serve both NASA and private industry. The goal is speed the introduction of new technology throughout the space program and to enhance the process of spinoff to American industry which, in the past, has led to thousands of new commercial products and processes.

Goldin maintained an aggressive schedule of speaking throughout the country on a large variety of subjects. Of particular prominence was the effort to explain and win support for a return to the moon and exploration of Mars; to win anew congressional funding for Space Station Freedom; to explain the value of the space program as a national investment to rebuild technological leadership and hone a competitive edge, and to proclaim the need for far greater international cooperation in space to continue the exploration of the universe beyond planet Earth.

In the latter regard, the Administrator represented the nation in signing historic new agreements with the Soviet Union that will expand considerably space cooperation between the two nations. The agreements provide for the exchange of astronauts and cosmonauts on space flights, study of a Russian vehicle for possible emergency crew return from Space Station Freedom, a Shuttle-Mir Space Station link-up, and life sciences and robotic exploration activities.

SPACE SCIENCE

EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE

NASA's astrophysics program delivered new and important results about the fundamental nature of the cosmos in 1992. Discoveries throughout the year increased human understanding of the origin and fate of the universe, the laws of physics and the evolution of galaxies, stars and planets.

Highlights of 1992 discoveries made by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Compton Observatory, Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT), Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) are listed below, by astronomical object.

Planets

* Conducting long-term observations of global weather changes on Mars (HST).

* Measured the extent of the atmosphere of the Jovian moon Io and looked for surface changes (HST).

Stellar Evolution

* Provided the first clear view of one of the hottest known stars (360,000 degrees Fahrenheit), which lies at the center of the Butterfly Nebula, NGC 2440 (HST).

Star Clusters

* Discovered a cataclysmic variable star in the core of globular cluster 47 Tucanae, the first known optical counterpart to an x-ray source in a globular cluster (HST).

Stars

* Detected several sources of extreme ultraviolet light through interstellar gas and dust, including the corona of a star, a white dwarf companion star and red dwarf stars (EUVE).

* Discovered unexpected "gamma ray afterglow" on the sun. A strong emanation of high-energy gamma rays persisted for more than 5 hours after a solar flare explosion (Compton).

Pulsars

* Solved 20-year old mystery about the power source of Geminga, a gamma ray pulsar, which was found to be a 300,000 year-old rotating neutron star (ROSAT, Compton).

Galaxies

* Uncovered circumstantial evidence for the presence of a massive black hole in the core of the neighboring galaxy M32 as well as the giant elliptical galaxy M87 (HST).

* Provided the first direct view of an immense ring of dust which may fuel a massive black hole at the heart of the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4261 and the spiral galaxy M51 (HST).

* Detected for the first time high-energy gamma rays from a class of active galaxy similar to quasars and possibly powered by a black hole (Compton).

* Found three new gamma-ray quasars, detected more than 200 cosmic gamma ray bursts and captured the best ever observation of the glow of gamma radiation from the disk of the Milky Way galaxy (Compton).

Cosmology

* Detected the long-sought variations within the glow from the Big Bang -- the primeval explosion that began the universe 15 billion years ago. This detection is a major milestone in a 25-year search and supports theories explaining how the initial expansion happened (COBE).

* Determined more accurately the expansion rate of the universe by detecting 27 "Cepheid variable" stars in a faint spiral galaxy called IC 4182. Cepheid variables are used to estimate distances to galaxies (HST).

EXPLORING THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Mars Observer

"Launched Sept. 25 aboard a Titan III ELV, "Mars Observer will examine Mars much like Earth satellites now map our weather and resources," said Dr. Wesley Huntress, Director of NASA's Solar System Exploration Division, Washington, D.C. "It will give us a vast amount of geological and atmospheric information covering a full Martian year. At last we will know what Mars is actually like in all seasons, from the ground up, pole to pole," Huntress said.

On Aug. 24, 1993, the spacecraft will begin orbiting the planet Mars. Mars Observer will provide scientists with an orbital platform from which the entire Martian surface and atmosphere will be examined and mapped by the seven science instruments on board. The measurements will be collected daily from the low- altitude polar orbit, over the course of 1 complete Martian year -- the equivalent of 687 Earth days.

High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS)

Initiated on Columbus day, 500 years after the explorer landed in America, the HRMS project began searching for signals transmitted by other civilizations. The search will be conducted in two modes - - a sky survey that will sweep the celestial sphere for signals and a targeted search that will look at about 800 nearby "sunlike" stars. NASA's Deep Space Network, in Goldstone, Calif., and the Aericibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will conduct most of the survey.

Cassini

A comprehensive examination of the Cassini spacecraft and mission, was successfully completed Dec. 11. Cassini is scheduled for launch in Oct. 1997 with an arrival at Saturn in June 2004. Cassini will fly by Venus and twice by Earth and Jupiter before arriving at Saturn to begin a 4-year orbital tour of the ringed planet and its 18 moons.

In addition to the 12 instruments aboard the orbiter, the Huygens probe, built by the European Space Agency, will penetrate the thick atmosphere of Titan (the largest of Saturn's moons) in Nov. 2004.

Ulysses

The Ulysses spacecraft received a gravity assist as it flew by Jupiter on Feb. 8 at 280,000 miles from the planet's center. Ulysses, designed to study the sun's magnetic field and solar wind, used Jupiter's gravity assist to gain the momentum needed to break out of the plane of the ecliptic and into a solar polar orbit. During the hazardous Jupiter fly-by, scientists investigated the interaction of the giant planet's magnetic field and the solar wind.

Pioneer Venus

As expected, after the Pioneer Venus orbiter's maneuvering fuel ran out, it made a fiery entry into Venus' upper atmosphere on Oct. 8. Pioneer Venus had been orbiting the planet since 1978 and over the past 14 years, has returned numerous data about Venus' atmosphere and surface topography.

The first topographic maps of the cloud-shrouded surface of the planet were made using the radar instrument on Pioneer Venus.

Magellan

The Magellan spacecraft, mapping the hidden surface of Venus with radar since August 1990, lowered its closest altitude to Venus on Sept. 14, when it began a full 243-day cycle of gravity mapping.

Magellan has completed three cycles of mapping with its radar, covering 99 percent of the surface of Venus. The objective of cycle 4, which extends to May 15, 1993, is to obtain a global map of the Venus gravity field from the elliptical orbit.

Galileo

NASA's Galileo spacecraft flew by the Earth on Dec. 8 at an altitude of 189 miles (304 kilometers) above the South Atlantic Ocean, completing a 3-year gravity-assist trajectory.

This latest gravity-assist added about 8,300 miles per hour (13,300 kilometers per hour) to the spacecraft's speed in its solar orbit and changed its direction slightly, to put it on an elliptical trajectory directly to the orbit of Jupiter, about 480 million miles (780 million kilometers) from the sun. The spacecraft will arrive at Jupiter on Dec. 7, 1995.

At Jupiter, Galileo will relay data from a probe launched into the planet's atmosphere to obtain direct measurements of that environment for the first time. Over a 23-month period, the spacecraft will fly ten different elliptical orbits of Jupiter, making at least two close passes by each of its four major satellites and carrying out extended observations of the planet atmosphere and magnetosphere.

UNDERSTANDING THE EARTH - SUN ENVIRONMENT

SAMPEX

The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer was launched July 2, is the first of a new series of Small Explorer missions which will enable scientists to develop less costly astronomy and space science experiments in a shorter period of time.

The spacecraft's peculiar 342-by-419-mile-high elliptical orbit will enable the onboard instruments to use the Earth as a giant magnetic shield. By doing this, the 4 instruments can determine if particles are coming from the sun, from the Milky Way Galaxy, or whether they are the anomalous cosmic rays.

SAMPEX is expected to contribute new knowledge and improve understanding of the evolution of the sun, solar system and galaxies.

Geotail

Launched July 24, 1992, Geotail is investigating the interactions of the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere, providing scientists with new information on the flow of energy and its transformation in the region called the magnetotail.

The Geotail mission -- a joint U.S./Japanese project -- is the first in a series of satellites in an international program to better understand the interaction of the sun, the Earth's magnetic field and the Van Allen radiation belts.

The solar wind, interacting with the Earth's magnetic field, can cause disruptions in short-wave radio communications and power surges in long transmission lines.

LIVING AND WORKING IN SPACE

During the past year, several opportunities to work in a laboratory in space, perform life and material sciences experiments and learn more about how humans adapt to the space environment have afforded scientists with vital information that may lead to useful commercial and medical applications on Earth.

Microgravity Science

Three spacelab missions were flown to explore the effects of space on protein crystals, electronic materials, fluids, glasses and ceramics and metals and alloys.

Missions flown aboard the Space Shuttle this year include the International Microgravity Laboratory, flown in January; United States Microgravity Laboratory-1, June, and United States Microgravity Platform-1, October. The September flight of Spacelab- J, the Japanese Spacelab, also included NASA-sponsored microgravity experiments.

A total of 45 NASA sponsored microgravity experiments flew on these missions. They were exposed to the microgravity environment for an average of approximately 10-days. These flights represented more peer-reviewed, hands-on microgravity research than had been conducted by the United States since Skylab in 1974-75.

Life Sciences

The International Microgravity Laboratory-1 carried 29 life sciences experiments and Spacelab-J, the Japanese Spacelab, seven. The United States Microgravity Laboratory-1 (USML-1) mission, although dedicated to microgravity science, supported a series of medical investigations as part of the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project.

The longest Space Shuttle mission to date, USML-1 proved to be an excellent laboratory for these investigations. Many of the other Space Shuttle missions also included life sciences experiments.

During the winter of 1992, life sciences experiments were conducted in the most unearthly place on the planet -- Antarctica. NASA and National Science Foundation sponsored several unique science and technology projects developed under a joint effort called the Antarctic Space Analog Program.

NASA also is participating in a cooperative life sciences mission with Russia. Late in December, Russia will launch COSMOS '92 "biosatellite," a recoverable, unpiloted spacecraft that carries plant and animal experiments. Flight Systems

In March, the ATLAS-1 mission used two Spacelab pallets to conduct investigations into the sun's energy output, the chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere, space plasma physics and astronomy. A core set of six instruments will fly repeatedly to study the interaction of the Sun and the Earth's atmosphere.

In cooperation with the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology, the division managed NASA's contribution to the national High-Speed Computing and Communications program.

In October, 29 supercomputing proposals were selected to advance substantially how computers can be used to study problems ranging from the environment to the evolution of the universe. These projects will use "parallel processing" computers, machines that use up to thousands of processors to work simultaneously on a problem.

In January, the NASA Science Internet (NSI) helped implement the world's first high-speed computer network link to Antarctica, providing voice and data links between the continental United States and the U.S. base at McMurdo Sound. In November, NSI staff set up the first video link between Antarctica and the United States to transmit images between the Ames Research Center and a remotely operated vehicle maneuvering under ice-covered lakes.

In January, the National Space Science Data Center's Data Archive and Dissemination System became operational. User interest in these electronically available astrophysics and space physics data sets has been high, with recent access rates running at 700 remote user sessions per month.

UNDERSTANDING THE EARTH

In its first full year, NASA's Mission to Planet Earth encompassed three flight programs, a series of ground-based and airborne expeditions and ongoing research and analysis to better understand the Earth as a global environmental system.

TOPEX/POSEIDON

The U.S.-French satellite TOPEX/POSEIDON, launched in August, will help define the relationship between the Earth's oceans and climate. By measuring the sea-surface height with unprecedented accuracy, TOPEX/POSEIDON will provide scientists with global maps of ocean circulation.

The oceans transport heat from the Earth's equator toward the poles, and TOPEX/POSEIDON data will provide a better understanding of how this mechanism works. TOPEX/POSEIDON is a joint mission between NASA and CNES, the French space agency.

LAGEOS II

A passive satellite, the Italian LAGEOS II is covered with reflectors that send laser beams back to the ground stations that sent the beams. Measurements over the years and over wide geographic areas show how the techtonic plates that make up the Earth's crust are moving. Since most earthquakes and volcanoes occur where these plates meet, LAGEOS II will help geologists understand how these cataclysmic events occur and where they are likely to happen.

Earth Observing System

The centerpiece of Mission to Planet Earth, the Earth Observing System (EOS) continued to progress to the launch of its first satellite in June 1998. Internal teams reviewed the program with the goal of reducing funding requirements through FY 2000 by approximately 30 percent while retaining the essence of the instrument complement and science plan.

Ozone Research

Continuing its leading effort in the study of ozone depletion, NASA cooperated with NOAA and other organizations to mount the second Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition from November 1991 through March 1992.

The campaign discovered record-high levels of chlorine monoxide, a key chemical in the ozone depletion cycle, over Eastern Canada and New England. This finding was complemented by data from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), which observed high concentrations of chlorine monoxide over Europe and Asia.

In the Antarctic, the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, which has been observing global ozone levels for 14 years, indicated the 1992 ozone hole was 15 percent larger in area than any previously seen. Earlier, UARS had observed chemicals involved in ozone depletion in the Antarctic atmosphere as early as June, 3 months before significant ozone depletion begins.

NASA's ozone research expanded with the first of a new series of Space Shuttle missions in April. Titled the ATLAS program, these missions study the sun's energy output and the atmosphere's chemical makeup, and how these factors affect ozone levels. ATLAS' instruments are precisely calibrated before and after flight, providing a check on data gathered by similar instruments on free- flying satellites.

To distinguish natural global change from human-induced change and to understand how humans are changing their environment, Mission to Planet Earth provides scientists with data on how the Earth's large environmental components - air, water, land and life - interact. Several NASA-sponsored airborne and ground expeditions studied these complex relations.

Search and Rescue

NASA's Earth Science and Application program also was involved in a technology test that already has significant down-to-Earth dividends. A hand-held transmitter, used in conjunction with Search-and-Rescue equipment flying aboard NASA-developed weather satellites, allowed rescuers to locate an Alaska hunter immobilized by abdominal cramps on Alaska's largely uninhabited North Slope.

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES

For the fifth consecutive year, NASA's expendable launch vehicles provided 100-percent successful launches. Five expendable vehicles were launched this year.

The first was on June 7, when a Delta 2 placed the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer, an astrophysics satellite, into low-Earth orbit. On July 3, a Scout placed SAMPEX, a small-explorer class space physics satellite, into low-Earth orbit.

A Delta 2 carried the Japanese Geotail satellite into space on July 24. On Sept. 25, a Titan III lifted the Mars Observer into Earth orbit where the Transfer Orbit Stage (TOS) ignited, sending the spacecraft on to Mars. This was the maiden flight of the TOS. The final launch of the year was on Nov. 21 when a Scout placed a Strategic Defense Initiative Office payload into orbit.

OFFICE OF SPACE FLIGHT

Space Shuttle

This was a banner year for the Shuttle program as it demonstrated its maturity and reliability in the missions flown, a reduction in the program's operational costs, and the addition of significant hardware upgrades that improved the overall system.

In January, the manifest showed eight flights scheduled and at year's end, all eight had been flown. Seven of the eight mission launched on the day set at the flight readiness review and the eighth was 1 day late. The Shuttle system flew so trouble free that two missions were extended for additional science gathering. This year also saw the longest mission ever flown to date, STS-50, which lasted 14 days.

Highlighting the missions conducted was Endeavour's maiden voyage in May on the STS-49 mission. The crew rescued a wayward satellite and in the process, set three new records for space flight - 4 spacewalks on a single mission, the longest spacewalk ever conducted (8 hours, 29 minutes) and the first 3-person spacewalk ever performed.

Three Shuttle missions, STS-42 in January, STS-50 in June and STS-47 in September, carried the pressurized spacelab module. Experiments conducted on those flights previewed the activities that will be undertaken on Space Station Freedom.

The Shuttle system showed its versatility though out the year. In March it served as an orbiting observatory for the STS-45/ATLAS mission. The STS-46 mission in July demonstrated new technology in space with the Tethered Satellite System payload. Columbia and the STS-52 crew in October showed the orbiter's ability to fly a combination mission as they deployed the LAGEOS satellite and then conducted microgravity research with the United States Microgravity Payload.

The year also saw the last dedicated Department of Defense mission flown by the Shuttle during the STS-53 flight in early December.

Safety remained the Shuttle program's top priority. Space Shuttles Columbia and Discovery completed major structural inspections and modifications. Structural inspections and modifications of Space Shuttle Atlantis, including work to allow it to dock with the Mir Space Station, began in October. When Atlantis returns to flight status in 1993, all of NASA's orbiters will have incorporated modifications to the braking system and drag chutes.

During the year, a detailed budget review resulted in significant cost reductions. The total reduction achieved for fiscal year (FY) 1992 was $368 million or 9 per cent of the FY 1992 baseline budget. A budget reduction plan is in place that will result in over a billion dollars in cost savings in FY 1996, again, as compared to the FY 1992 baseline budget.

A new class of 19 astronaut candidates was named in March. During the year astronauts Vance D. Brand, Bruce E. Melnick, John O. Creighton, Kathryn D. Sullivan, David C. Hilmers, James C. Adamson, James F. Buchli and Daniel M. Brandenstein left the agency.

OFFICE OF SPACE SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

Space Station Freedom

Moving ever-closer to the first element launch of Space Station Freedom, 1992 was the year of the critical design review (CDR). CDRs for each individual work package, leading to a design review for the entire human-tended configuration, are on schedule to be completed by June 1993. Completion of the CDR marks the point at which the design is 90 percent completed and the contractor is given authority to proceed with development of the flight hardware.

At the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., prime contractor Boeing Defense and Space Group began a series of hardware tests demonstrating how space station components will be joined in orbit. Among the tests were "berthing" tests of a full-size pressurized module to a node. Other tests included thermal and structural loads simulating conditions the hardware will be exposed to in space.

At the Johnson Space Center, Houston, responsible for major space station systems, several milestones were achieved in the Work Package 2 program. Nineteen detailed design reviews examining the JSC-managed space station subsystems have been completed with the remaining 15 scheduled for completion prior to the April 1993 Work Package 2 CDR.

More than 400 pieces of development hardware now exist and 50 percent of prime contractor McDonnell Douglas' development test program is complete. Examples include development of the pre- integrated truss (PIT) segments 1 and 2 used in underwater testing at JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility which allows the astronauts to conduct critical assessment of orbital replacement unit positioning.

Integrated truss assembly segments S1 and S2 vibroacoustic and thermal vacuum test articles were built and tested for use in assessing structural integrity during launch operations and exposure to the space environment. The propulsion module development unit was constructed and tested under similar conditions and the test article is currently undergoing cold and hot-flow tests at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico.

The segment-to-segment attach systems development test was conducted verifying the connections required to join the individual PIT segments on-orbit. In the Data Management System, DMS kits, an integrated set of electronic units functionally equivalent to the station's data management system, were delivered to the Johnson Space Center and to the Kennedy Space Center. Releases of DMS software were delivered to NASA on or ahead of schedule.

At the Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, responsible for the system that supplies Freedom's electrical power, nearly one-half of the critical design reviews for the various components that comprise the Photovoltaic Module and the Power Management and Distribution System were completed. Development testing of the solar array panels and extensive fault current tests also were successfully completed.

"More than 24,000 flight solar cells have been delivered (75 percent of an array) and cell production is proceeding quite well," said Lewis's Space Station Freedom Project Manager Ron Thomas. Battery testing is underway with this year's accumulation giving 3 years of cycle testing on some cells.

In the power management and distribution area, Work Package-4 engineers have completed the first three phases of system tests in the Solar Power Electronics Laboratory at prime contractor Rocketdyne's facility in Canoga Park, Calif. These included steady- state, transient, stability, battery control and communications tests.

In addition to the manufacturing and testing activities, construction began on modifications to Lewis's Power Systems Facility. The modifications are necessary to support the integration, checkout and assembly of the flight hardware before it is shipped to the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Preparations for on-orbit assembly and maintenance were highlighted by several neutral buoyancy tests of the PV module cargo element mockup as well as robotic tests on replacement of several orbital replacement unit boxes.

In October, Administrator Goldin announced changes to Space Station Freedom management that would "ensure NASA's top talent is working on the program."

Marty Kress, previously the Assistant Administrator for Legislative Affairs, was named Deputy Program Manger for Policy and Management. Tom Campbell was named Chief Financial Officer for Freedom. Campbell had been serving as the NASA Comptroller.

In December, NASA announced plans to consolidate management of the Space Station Freedom program in Reston, Va. "Reston will remain the focal point for the space station program for the foreseeable future," said Associate Administrator for Space Systems Development Arnold Aldrich.

The Space Shuttle continued to play a critical role in paving the way for space station assembly, utilization and operations in 1992.

Four Space Shuttle missions carried up Spacelab hardware, demonstrating human interaction in the conduct of science in space and bridging the gap between the first small steps taken in microgravity research in space started in Apollo to its full-blown maturity on Freedom.

A number of space station precursor research facilities were flown on STS-50, the first United States Microgravity Laboratory, such as a glovebox and a crystal growth furnace. In addition, space station hardware - two foot restraints - were flown for evaluation by USML crew members.

On STS-49, the maiden flight of Endeavour, astronauts Kathy Thornton and Tom Akers performed a space walk to demonstrate assembly techniques for Freedom. The experiment, called Assembly of Station by EVA Methods, or ASEM, evaluated such things as construction techniques and the ability of astronauts to move large, heavy objects around in space.

The first major conference devoted to describing Freedom's capabilities and services to the user community was held in Huntsville, Ala., in August. Administrator Goldin gave the keynote address, calling Freedom "NASA's 10th research facility, as well as well as a national and international program." Goldin challenged NASA to increase the participation by the user community to 200 to 300 real researchers at the next conference.

In Congress, Freedom's future was debated in three separate measures over a 13 month period. In each case, the Congress voted to maintain America's commitment to build the space station and preserve U.S. leadership in space. A final conference bill resulted in NASA's securing $2.1 billion for space station in Fiscal Year 1993, $150 million less than the President's request.

ASRM

In 1992, Congressional direction and budgetary shortfalls were driving factors in the restructuring and termination of two other major activities.

Congress determined that the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) program should proceed but at a reduced level of funding for FY 1993. Consequently, the program was restructured during the year resulting in a 22-month delay for the first launch, now scheduled for December 1998. During the past year, ASRM facilities design reached 100 percent and construction of facilities passed the 50 percent mark. Construction of case production facilities in Southern Indiana was completed; two of a total of four large ASRM segment transporters were delivered to NASA by the German contractor in December.

NLS

Also in 1992, the Congress voted to terminate the joint NASA/Air Force New Launch System (NLS) which was to have been a new family of vehicles designed to meet both civil and military launch requirements after the turn of the century. $10 million was appropriated to the Air Force for accomplishing the termination; an additional $10 million was appropriated to NASA for continuation of development work, begun under NLS, for a new Space Transportation Main Engine.

AERONAUTICS

In 1992, NASA's aeronautics research took on a higher profile, with major advances in high-speed research, subsonic transports, high-performance aircraft and the creation of a new, separate Office of Aeronautics.

Early in the year, NASA's Lewis Research Center, General Electric Co. and Pratt & Whitney teamed up in a unique government- industry partnership to develop advanced materials for a next- generation U.S. supersonic transport. The 5-year, $88 million effort, part of NASA's High-Speed Research Program, focuses on composite materials for high-temperature, low-emissions engine combustion chambers.

In July, construction began on a high-flying, lightweight unpiloted research aircraft called Perseus that NASA will use to measure ozone levels and gather other atmospheric data for the High- Speed Research Program. When it begins science missions in 1994, Perseus will carry up to 110 pounds (49.5 kilograms) of instruments as high as 82,000 feet (25 kilometers).

The highlight of NASA's subsonic research in 1992 was a dramatic series of flights to evaluate airborne windshear sensors under actual severe weather conditions. NASA's Boeing 737 research plane, based at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., tested a laser radar (lidar) system, an infrared sensor and a microwave radar at the Denver and Orlando, Fla. airports. It was the first flight test of the lidar system.

During the year, NASA and the Army began a 5-year program to increase helicopter agility and maneuverability. The effort at NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif., uses a modified UH-60A helicopter as a flying laboratory. The experiments focus on computer software that determines how helicopters respond to pilots' commands, improved navigation systems and pilot displays.

A NASA F-15 based at Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, Calif., started supersonic flight tests of a Performance Seeking Control system that may make future high-speed aircraft more fuel-efficient and reliable.

In 1992, Dryden also became home to tests with the X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability aircraft. NASA is part of an international group flying the X-31 to show the value of coupling thrust vectoring (directing engine exhaust flow) with advanced flight control systems to increase maneuverability in nose-high forward flight.

National Aero-Space Plane (NASP)

The nation got a preview of tomorrow's space transportation in June when a 50-foot mockup of the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) rolled out of its hanger at Mississippi State University, Starkville, Miss. Senior engineering students at the school won the chance to build the mockup in a nationwide competition sponsored by NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD).

NASP is a joint NASA/DoD effort to develop advanced technologies for future vehicles that could take off like an airplane, fly into Earth orbit using supersonic combustion ramjets (scramjets) and minimal rocket propulsion, then return through the atmosphere to land on a runway.

SPACE TECHNOLOGY

NASA's research on space technology in 1992 stressed new methods that robots and humans eventually may use to explore the moon and Mars.

A pair of experiments evaluated telepresence technology that lets a person, wearing a video headset, see remote locations through cameras mounted on a robot. The technology could be used by future astronauts to control robotic explorers on planetary surfaces.

Beginning in October, NASA scientists employed telepresence to direct the mini-sub during explorations of ice-covered Lake Hoare on Antarctica's Ross Island. A 5-person research team studied the physical and biological nature of the lake to obtain clues about organism that may once have lived on Mars.

In June, NASA's Jet Propulsion laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., unveiled Rocky IV, the latest in a series of planetary mini-rovers. Rocky IV is a prototype of a robot that may go to Mars in 1996 as part of the Mars Environmental Survey (MESUR) mission. The 16.5- pound (7.4-kilogram) testbed is helping NASA researchers learn how to integrate planetary landers and their science instruments under Mars-like conditions.

Around the same time, NASA-Langley engineers assembled a large- scale parabolic (double-curve) antenna in a huge water tank at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. The tank's buoyancy simulated the microgravity environment that astronauts must work in while putting together large objects in space. The tests helped to establish assembly times and work procedures for antennas that are too large to fit inside a space vehicle in one piece.

In October, NASA chose 29 supercomputing research proposals that will pave the way for revolutionary advances in Earth and space science. The projects will try to achieve computer capabilities far beyond those of today's machines, allowing scientists to produce realistic computer models of phenomena such as the interactions of Earth's oceans, air and land masses and the evolution of the universe.

In October, NASA Administrator Goldin announced that the agency's space technology work would be combined with commercial space activities in a new Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology.

ADVANCED CONCEPTS AND TECHNOLOGY

The new Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology (OACT) was established to improve the way in which NASA approaches the development and transfer of advanced technology, as well as the commercialization of space and space technologies.

An interim organizational structure was established and an Organizational Process Action Team was formed to develop an integrated plan for combining the two offices. The team -- comprising personnel from the two offices, as well as other NASA program offices and field installations -- will present its initial recommendations to the NASA Administrator sometime this month.

Commercial Flight Activities

Throughout 1992, OCP sponsored more than 20 commercial payloads aboard the Space Shuttle. In June, OCP participated in the flight of the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-1 (USML-1) -- aboard STS-50 -- with the Office of Space Science and Applications. Five commercial payloads, consisting of more than 30 investigations in materials, fluids and biological processes, were flown on the record-breaking, 2-week mission.

One USML-1 payload specialist was Dr. Lawrence J. DeLucas, the first scientist from a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) to fly aboard the Space Shuttle. Successful results obtained from protein crystal growth experiments conducted during the mission are directly attributable to the involvement of DeLucas.

Forty percent of the proteins flown on the mission produced larger and higher quality crystals than their groundbased counterparts, compared to 20 percent on previous flights. Other commercial investigations on USML-1 provided promising results, including the growth of zeolite crystals; a 98 percent success rate in the flight hardware used to process more than 20 separate biomaterials, biotechnology and life sciences experiments; and successful demonstration of a safe and reliable way of providing water and nutrients to plants for indefinite periods of time in a microgravity environment -- an international first.

In October, four commercial payloads, comprising more than 30 investigations, were flown aboard STS-52 to evaluate a compound being developed to treat osteoporosis; to further study protein crystal growth for drug research and development; to test a furnace to learn more about growing larger and more uniform industrial crystals; and to learn more about how microgravity can aid research in

drug development and delivery, basic cell biology, protein and inorganic crystal growth, bone and invertebrate development, immune deficiencies, manufacturing processes and fluid sciences.

Other commercial experiments were flown aboard the Space Shuttle during 1992 to study the influence of microgravity on the processing of gelled sols; to investigate the physical and chemical processes that occur during the formation of polymer membranes in microgravity; to further investigate and develop the bases for materials processing in space; to study the effects of the low-Earth orbit environment on space structure materials; and to assess the utility of an Electronic Still Camera.

Technology Transfer

1992 marked the 30th anniversary of NASA's Technology Transfer Program, established under congressional mandate to promote the transfer of aerospace technology to other sectors of the U.S. economy.

In January, NASA, as part of a major initiative to upgrade its technology transfer program, established six Regional Technology Transfer Centers (RTTC) to directly serve the commercial sector through the transfer and commercial use of NASA and other federal technologies. The RTTCs, closely aligned with state-level programs, operate as industry-driven catalysts for federal technology transfer throughout their regions.

Also in 1992, the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) -- sponsored by NASA in cooperation with other federal agencies -- initiated operations in conjunction with the RTTCs and other technology transfer programs. The RTTCs and NTTC, along with affiliated federal and state programs, now form the basis of the innovative National Technology Transfer Network.

In February, the National Technology Initiative (NTI) was launched by NASA and the Departments of Commerce, Energy and Transportation to spur U.S. economic competitiveness by promoting a better understanding of the opportunities for industry to commercialize new technology advances. The NTI consisted of a series of regional meetings to highlight the federal government's investment in advanced technologies, much of which has commercial potential.

In May, a pair of computer-driven glasses that can help millions of Americans afflicted with certain low vision problems was introduced. The Low Vision Enhancement Project is derived from NASA technology and is a product of NASA's Technology Transfer Program in cooperation with the NASA Stennis Space Center, Miss., and the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, Baltimore, Md.

The third national technology transfer conference and exposition, TECHNOLOGY 2002, took place Dec. 1-3, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md. Sponsored by NASA, "NASA Tech Briefs" magazine and the Technology Utilization Foundation, the conference featured exhibits from NASA's nine field centers, other government agencies, universities, government research centers and a diverse array of high-tech companies.

Communications and Remote Sensing

In July, NASA selected 30 experiments proposed for inclusion in the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) program. The experiments represent the work of an impressive cross section of industry and academic investigators. Ten experiments also were selected to conduct propagation research at Ka-band.

During the year, the ACTS Experiments Program signed memoranda of understanding with three agencies:

* The National Telecommunications and Information Administration/Institute for Telecommunication Sciences will test and evaluate the ACTS unique capabilities and technology to gain knowledge of advanced communication satellite system performance.

* The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is developing a high data rate satellite research testbed network.

* The U.S. Army Space Command will use the ACTS to conduct demonstrations of technology and applications which involve interoperation between ACTS and the Army communications facilities.

Small Business Innovation Research

From December through March 1992, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Division selected 138 research proposals for negotiation of Phase II contract awards in NASA's SBIR program. Included were 126 small, high technology firms located in 28 states.

The selection of 348 research proposals for negotiation of Phase I contracts in the 1992 SBIR program was announced in November. Proposals selected were submitted by 256 small, high technology firms in 34 states.

EXPLORATION

Early in the year the Office of Exploration conducted a workshop with the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston to define the scientific requirements for the first lunar orbital precursor missions. Instruments to fly on these missions were selected based on recommendations and input from the workshop.

In addition, Exploration program officials conducted an in- depth technical study of a First Lunar Outpost concept intended to be the baseline architecture to return humans to the Moon. The program currently is evaluating trade-offs and options for this baseline, which is expected to evolve and be modified before it is flown.

The Office of Exploration also initiated conceptual studies of possible mission scenarios for human exploration of Mars.

INTERNATIONAL

The year 1992 was probably the most active international space cooperation in NASA's history. Highlights included increased cooperation with the Russian Space Agency; the launch of international spacecraft/payloads; flight of foreign payload specialists and an ESA mission specialist on the Space Shuttle and the culmination of the Space Agency Forum on International Space Year activities.

Other highlights of 1992 include:

* Scientists from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency (DARA) and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) cooperated in the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-l) Space Shuttle STS-42 mission launched on Jan. 22. More than 200 scientists from 16 countries participated in the investigations. Dr. Robert Bondar, M.D. and Ph.D., of the CSA, and Dr. Ulf Merbold of ESA flew as payload specialists.

* The first Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (Atlas-l), carried 12 instruments and investigations from the United States, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Japan. These instruments and investigations studied the chemistry of Earth's atmosphere, solar radiation, space plasma physics and ultraviolet astronomy on board the March STS-45 Space Shuttle mission. Dr. Dirk Frimout, an ESA scientist, flew as the first Belgian payload specialist.

* President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a U.S./Russian space agreement in June which expanded bilateral cooperation in space science, space exploration, space applications and the use of space technology.

* In July, NASA signed a contract with the Russian firm NPO Energia, focusing on possible use of the Russian Soyuz-TM vehicle as an interim Assured Crew Return Vehicle.

* Geotail, a Japanese built-spacecraft, was launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on a Delta II expendable launch vehicle on July 24, 1992. This joint U.S./Japanese project is the first in a series of five satellites with significant participation from NASA, ESA and Japan to better understand the interaction of the sun, the Earth's magnetic field and the Van Allen radiation belts. Geotail was developed by the Japanese Institute for Space and Astronautical Science, in Sagamihara, Japan.

* The Topex/Poseidon satellite was successfully launched on an Ariane IV launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on August 10. Topex/Poseidon is a joint NASA/CNES program to study ocean circulation and its role in regulating global climate.

* The July/August STS-46 Space Shuttle mission included the flight of the NASA-Italian Space Agency (ASI) Tethered Satellite System and deployment of the European Retrievable Carrier platform. Dr. Claude Nicollier, ESA mission specialist and first Swiss astronaut, and Dr. Franco Malerba, ASI payload specialist and the first Italian payload specialist, were members of the crew.

* During the last meeting of the Space Agency Forum on International Space Year (SAFISY) in Washington, D.C., in late August, the participants decided to create a Space Agency Forum as a follow-on to SAFISY. A planning group, including the United States, Japan, Europe, Russia, Canada, Brazil and China, has been formed to work out details for the operation of the proposed new organization, which will hold its first meeting in 1993.

* The 50th Space Shuttle (STS-47) mission launched in September was a joint U.S./Japanese Spacelab mission: 34 Japanese experiments, collectively called Fuwatto '92, were flown on a reimbursable basis and shared the Spacelab module with 7 from the United States and 2 joint experiments. Dr. Mamoru Mohri flew as the first Japanese payload specialist aboard the Shuttle.

* In October, NASA and the Russian Space Agency signed an agreement for the flight of a Russian cosmonaut on the U.S. Space Shuttle, the flight of a U.S. astronaut on the Russian Mir Space Station and a joint mission including the rendezvous and docking of the Space Shuttle with the Mir Space Station. Another agreement also was signed in October for the flight of two U.S./NASA scientific instruments on the Russian Mars '94 mission.

* The STS-52 mission in October included the ASI's Laser Geodynamics Satellite (LAGEOS) II launched on an Italian IRIS upper stage, CSA's CANEX-2 payload and the CNES/French Atomic Energy Commission's Mephisto instrument on the U.S. Microgravity Payload. Steve MacLean flew as a payload specialist and the third Canadian citizen to fly aboard the Space Shuttle.

OFFICE OF SPACE COMMUNICATIONS

Space Network

The on-orbit Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) provided continuous communications coverage to NASA Space Network customers for up to 85 percent of each orbit, performing at a proficiency in excess of 99.8 percent. A 33 percent increase in Space Shuttle flights, the addition of the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) and Ocean Topography Experiment satellites, and continued heavy support for the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope contributed to the TDRSS's added workload.

In addition, commercial use of the TDRSS C-band resources started, via a lease of those capabilities, to a small business private sector firm.

Since becomming operational in late 1983, TDRSS has relayed approximately 3.5 million minutes of data to the ground, and its resources have been required by every subsequent Space Shuttle mission.

The TDRSS Continuation Program moved closer to the completion of the ground terminal modifications required to maintain Space Network user services and meet the evolving needs for satellite tracking and communications through the first decade of the 21st Century. Construction of the Second TDRSS Ground Terminal at the White Sands Complex, N.M., was completed and hardware/software integration testing is underway.

Ground Data Systems

The data processing program received and processed over 8 trillion bits of scientific data containing space acquired images and measurements from both free-flyer low Earth-orbiting spacecraft and Shuttle payloads. The captured data was converted to forms the science community could interpret and distributed to world-wide science facilities. With the advent of EUVE and SAMPEX data, a new all-time record of 1 trillion bits of data a month was processed.

OFFICE OF SAFETY AND MISSION QUALITY

Frederick D. Gregory, NASA Astronaut and Colonel, USAF, was named to the position of Associate Administrator. Gregory is responsible for the safety and mission quality for all NASA programs and activities and for the direction of reporting and documentation of problem identification, problem resolution and trend analysis.

The Office of Safety and Mission Quality (SMQ) made significant contributions to the successful operation of this year's Space Shuttle and expendable launch vehicle missions. SMQ provided independent safety oversight, technical assessments, safety assurance engineering, policy development, risk assessment and mishap investigations.

A NASA Mechanical Parts Control Program Implementation Plan was initiated to assure the integrity of NASA spaceflight hardware components critical to protect human lives and programs. The program is based on the Total Quality Management concept and stresses continual improvement of mechanical parts. The program will increase the reliability and quality of NASA hardware, thereby providing assurance necessary to launch crews and vehicles on more lengthy and complex missions.

A Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance Working Group was established to assure that both NASA's and the USSR's space plans for joint missions and operations will meet all safety, reliability and quality assurance needs. Also, the group is working to get a better understanding of Russian Space programs safety issues, particularly when applied to crewed flights for joint missions. The Working Group participants include representatives from NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.; Johnson Space Center, Houston; Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; and Rockwell International Corp., Calif.

Over 2500 safety professionals, program personnel, and managers throughout NASA were trained at the newly implemented NASA Safety Training Center.

Established at the Johnson Space Center, training is conducted via satellite or by center visits, with areas of training including Safety Requirements, Payload Safety, Manager Safety, and Occupational Safety and Heath Administration issues.

EDUCATION

During the International Space Year (ISY) kick-off celebration, NASA and the Young Astronaut Council announced an ISY student space art contest, called Outer Sight. Over 1,800 school children in grades K through 9 entered the competition to capture ISY's spirit of world-wide celebration of space cooperation and discovery by expressing their vision of future space exploration and discovery.

July 22 marked a major milestone for aerospace education by expanding the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program to include all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The addition of Kentucky, Nebraska, Puerto Rico, Vermont and Wyoming, along with their 26 colleges and universities, brings the total number of participating institutions to more than 320 nationwide.

The first student managed and built payload flown on a NASA sounding rocket was launched successfully on Sept. 21, from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. The pilot project, known as the Colorado Student Ozone Atmospheric Rocket was developed to demonstrate the use of sounding rocket flight as a valuable educational tool for undergraduate and graduate students.

Coinciding with the historic first flight of an African American female astronaut, Dr. Mae C. Jemison, in September, NASA Administrator Goldin, Congressman Louis Stokes (D-OH), and NAACP Chairman Dr. William Gibson participated in a symposium to expand education and career opportunities for minorities in science, engineering and technology. Over 100 representatives of organizations dedicated to expanding education and career opportunities for underrepresented groups in science, engineering and technology attended.

During STS-52, the Earth-orbiting crew of Space Shuttle Columbia talked with the sea-voyaging crew of the historic Hawaiian canoe Hokule'a on Oct. 28. At the same time, students throughout Hawaii, plotting the course of the canoe's historic voyage, watched the televised conversation. Selected students asked both crews about flight and sail plans, weather, procedures for navigating both vessels and about exploration.

Tens of thousands of students in more than 20 nations interacted with scientists, engineers and astronauts to learn about activities in space exploration and Mission to Planet Earth through a series of satellite video conferences. To observe International Space Year, NASA conducted the first of two live, interactive satellite videoconferences. The first broadcast on Oct. 21 featured "Space Exploration."

FY 1993 NASA APPROPRIATIONS

Under the constraints facing all domestic discretionary programs in 1992, congressional action on NASA's FY 1993 budget request produced a budget for the civil space program lower than FY 1992, marking the first decrease in NASA appropriations (not counting inflation) since 1974. However, given earlier indications that congressional budget cuts in NASA programs would be much deeper, possibly including the deletion of funding for Space Station Freedom, the final congressional outcome for FY 1993 was significantly better than expected.

The FY 1993 VA-HUD-Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill cleared Congress on September 25 and was signed by President Bush on October 5. NASA's funding was set at $14.330 billion, $663 million less than the President's FY 93 request, and a $4 million decrease from FY 92.

Among the most significant issues was the proposed cancellation of the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) program due to budgetary constraints. In the final appropriations bill, however, Congress restored funding for ASRM, $195 million in the Space Flight, Control And Data Communications appropriation and $165 in the Construction Of Facilities appropriation.

Funding for Space Science and Applications in FY 93 is $130 million less than the request, but $127 million above the FY 92 level. Included was funding for the major science projects, including the Earth Observing System, the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, the Cassini mission and the Shuttle Test of Relativity Experiment/Gravity Probe B. The Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby mission was canceled.

The Space Station Freedom program was extensively debated again this year in both houses of Congress. In the House, floor challenges to the space station were rejected during both the authorization and appropriations debates. In the Senate, an amendment seeking to strike all funding for the space station was defeated. Funding in the amount of $2.1 billion was appropriated, $150 million less than the request.

Twenty-five million dollars was added to the Research and Development appropriation for the High Speed Civil Transport program. The joint NASA/DoD National Aero-Space Plane program received no funding in the NASA budget for FY 93. However, funding was included in the DoD appropriation for continued development.

The joint NASA/DoD New Launch System program was terminated, although funding in the amount of $10 million was appropriated for continued work on new engine development.

Space Shuttle Operations was reduced by $175 million to $2.9 billion to support a planned flight rate of eight Shuttle missions during the fiscal year.

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