Dec 21 1978
From The Space Library
NASA announced it had awarded Lockheed-California Co., Burbank, Calif., a contract to develop and evaluate in flight an augmented-stability active-control concept that would use a smaller horizontal tail on transport planes. Lockheed had estimated the total value of the cost-sharing contract, monitored by LaRC, to be $17.6 million; the government would pay approximately $15.8 million, Lockheed $1.7 million. Work would be performed over 44mo at Lockheed's Burbank facility.
An earlier NASA contract with Lockheed (Phase I of the energy efficient transport program) was for conceiving aerodynamic and active controls that could increase energy efficiency of new and derivative civil transport aircraft early in the 1980s. Results from that phase and from independently funded activities indicated that Lockheed was ready for flight demonstration of active controls to augment stability of a commercial air transport with a reduced horizontal-tail size. (NASA Release 78-193)
JPL Universe reported NASA Administrator Robert Frosch had characterized the Pioneer Venus mission as "a superb success" in a message congratulating personnel at NASA centers and in the industrial and scientific communities. Frosch had added: "The precise execution of the multiprobe encounters December 9 and the continuing excellent performance of the orbiter could have resulted only from a well planned and competently executed program . . ." The orbiter would continue its scientific measurements for 243da after Venus encounter; however, three small probes and a larger sounder had plunged into the Venusian atmosphere with destruction expected immediately upon impact. To the surprise of Pioneer' Venus scientists, one probe had survived for 67min after impact, sending back information that would help confirm probe findings (particularly a wind experiment) before the 900° Venus temperatures silenced it. (JPL Universe, Dec 21/78,1)
INTELSAT announced it had awarded a $101 539 contract to General Electric Co., Valley Forge, Pa., for a reconfigurable-beam satellite communications antenna. Under the 15-mo contract GE would develop an antenna capable of beaming dual-polarized transmissions that could be reshaped on command while the satellite was in orbit; GE would also fabricate portions of such an antenna for demonstration. Reconfigurable-antenna developments might be incorporated into INTELSAT satellites launched during the 1980s. (INTELSAT Release 78-36-M)
FBIS reported the USSR interplanetary spacecraft Venera 12 had reached Venus Dec. 21 after a 98-day flight covering over 240 million km. The descent module had entered Venus's atmosphere at 11.2 km/sec and soft-landed, transmitting scientific information from the planet's surface for 110min. During descent, the module made precise chemical analyses of the composition of the atmosphere and clouds, a spectral analysis of solar radiation scattered in the atmosphere, and a study of electric charges in the atmosphere from 62m above the planet's surface. Scientific measurements continued after the module landed. The Venera 12 station was continuing its flight in space, carrying a Soviet-French experiment for studying solar and galactic gamma flares.
Venera 11, launched 5da before Venera 12, would reach Venus Dec. 25. (FBIS, Moscow Dom Svc in Russian, Dec 21/78)
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