The Soviets and Japanese jointly announced a contract with Hilton Hotels last week, to provide a 335-room passenger module for the international Sakharov Space Station currently under construction in Earth orbit. Malawi became the 78th nation in space Sunday, launching an 1820-pound satellite into orbit atop an Indonesian Merlata II booster. This launcher now has a record of 69 successes in 71 launches. The last remaining Scout rocket was lost in a launch pad accident near Wallops Island Proving Ground last week, according to a NASA spokesman. Technicians apparently made an error in connecting a hydraulic feed line to the rocket as it awaited payload checkout, connecting it to the purge valve for a nearby Toxic Waste Holding Facility instead.
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All events and times and missions and appropriations are subject to change without notice. Polar Foil is the computer-generated designation for the series of experiments in human sexuality which NASA astronauts have conducted in orbit on space shuttle missions. In response to widespread public speculation and official queries from members of Congress, NASA this week revealed the nature and extent of these experiments. This experiment is one of a group in which NASA life scientists are attempting to understand all aspects of extended human presence in a microgravity environment. Just as careful study has been devoted to human adaptations to sleeping, eating and drinking, and the collection and disposal of bodily wastes in this environment, it is anticipated that astronauts may choose to engage in sexual activities during any protracted earth orbital or interplanetary mission.