From: yee@atlas.arc.nasa.gov (Peter Yee)
Subject: NASA Headline News for 11/23/92 (Forwarded)
Apparently-To: sci-space-news@ames.arc.nasa.gov
Followup-To: sci.space
Originator: yee@atlas.arc.nasa.gov
Reply-To: yee@atlas.arc.nasa.gov (Peter Yee)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 23:34:25 GMT

Daily                 News
Monday, November 23, 1992  24-hour audio service at 202/755-1788

 % Activity to prepare Discovery for next week's launch coming to a close;
 % Preparations of Endeavour for January flight progressing on schedule;
 % Scout finally launches DOD payload from Vandenberg after 6 previous tries;
 % Third Technology Transfer conference opens next Tuesday in Baltimore.

Preparations for the launch next Wednesday of Discovery for the STS-53
Department of Defense mission are nearing completion at Kennedy Space
Center's Launch Pad 39-A.  Over the weekend, technicians completed the
payload interface verification tests and installed final ordnance
devices on the orbiter and solid rocket booster/external tank
components.  Activity scheduled for today includes loading of software
into Discovery's onboard general purpose computer mass memory units.
Tomorrow, the external tank will undergo hydrogen and oxygen tank
purges.  The mission will be the last scheduled DOD dedicated flight
aboard a space shuttle and is scheduled for launch at 6:59 am EST on
December 2.  The mission duration is planned for 7 days and 5 hours
with a nominal end-of-mission landing at the KSC Shuttle Landing
Facility.  Mission commander is veteran astronaut David Walker.
Mission pilot is Robert Cabana, also a veteran.

In other orbiter activity at Kennedy, technicians are nearing
completion of stack assembly of Endeavour to its solid rocket
booster/external tank in the Vehicle Assembly Building.  The payload
for Endeavour's STS-54 mission, the Tracking and Data Relay
Satellite-F, is on Launch Pad 39-B where it underwent thruster tank
fueling this past weekend.  The mission is presently scheduled for
launch the second week in January.  Also on this mission will be the
Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer instrument, which will be used to observe
galactic X-ray sources following the deployment of the TDRS-F.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Department of Defense Miniature Seeker Technology Integration
payload was finally launched aboard a NASA Scout rocket this past
Saturday, November 21.  The launch went according to plan at the open
of the launch window at 8:45 am EST.  The launch, from Vandenberg Air
Force Base Space Launch Complex 5, was reported to have been completely
nominal.  This was the seventh launch attempt for the payload.
Previous attempts had been scrubbed for range control, vehicle power
supply or guidance system, or ground support equipment problems.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On Tuesday, December 1, NASA will host the third national technology
transfer conference P Technology 2002 P at the Baltimore Convention
Center.  The three-day conference is sponsored by NASA, the NASA Tech
Briefs magazine and the Technology Utilization Foundation and will
spotlight leading-edge technologies from NASA and other federal
agencies which can be used by U.S. industry to develop new or improved
products or services.

Keynote speakers for the conference are U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski
(D-Maryland) and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
of Rockwell International Sam Iacobellis.  The conference this year
will feature more than 120 presentations highlighting inventions which
have potential commercial use in the fields of manufacturing, advanced
materials, computing, communications, microelectronics, biotechnology,
energy, and environmental science.

Since its inception three years ago, the conference has more than
tripled in attendance.  Nearly 6,000 engineers and business managers
are expected for this year's technology showcase.  More than 60,000
square feet of display space will be filled with exhibits from all nine
NASA centers, other government agencies, universities and a diverse
array of high-technology firms.  For additional information, please
contact 800/944-6272.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select
TV.  Note that all events and times may change without notice, and that
all times listed are Eastern.  Live indicates a program is transmitted
live.

Monday, November 23, 1992
Live    12:00 pm  NASA Today news program, today 
                  featuring a preview of what the upcoming STS-53 mission 
                  is about; a look at the third NASA Town Meeting held last 
                  week in Indianapolis; a report on the recent discovery of 
                  a dust cloud possibly circling a Black Hole; a look at a 
                  new type of semiconductor laser and the potential 
                  commercial implications of the device; and, as usual, a 
                  look back at NASA activity on this date in history.
        12:15 pm  Aeronautics & Space Report.
        12:30 pm  Age of Space Transportation.
Live     1:00 pm  Magellan Science Seminar from Jet 
                  Propulsion Laboratory featuring Dr. David Senske, 
                  Magellan research scientist, with a report on Venus' 
                  Geophysical Patterns.
         2:00 pm  Starfinder program #13.
         2:30 pm  Human Machine.
         3:00 pm  Total Quality Management program #1 from 
                   the University of New Mexico series.
         4:00 pm  8:00 pm and 12:00 midnight - NASA Today 
                   and subsequent programming repeats.
  
This report is filed daily at noon, Monday through Friday.  It is a
service of NASA's Office of Public Affairs.  The editor is Charles
Redmond, 202/453-8425 or CREDMOND on NASAmail.  NASA Select TV is
carried on GE Satcom F2R, transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West
Longitude, transponder frequency is 3960 MegaHertz, audio subcarrier is
6.8 MHz, polarization is vertical.
Newsgroups: sci.space.news