Jan 20 1978
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
NASA announced successful completion of the second full duration ground-static firing of a huge solid-fuel rocket motor to be used in Space Shuttle flights beginning in 1979. Thiokol Corporation's Wasatch Division, prime contractor for MSFC development of the motor, had conducted the firing at Brigham City, Ut. The 125ft-long (38.1 m) motor on the test fixture had fired for more than 2min, reaching a thrust level of 28321b (12 596 736 newtons). The test firing had used 1 102 4001b (500 048kg) of propellants. The contractor had gimballed the motor nozzle early in the test and again later in the firing for about half the total burn time; the solid-fuel rocket booster's motor nozzles during Shuttle launches would provide directional control for the entire Shuttle assembly. MSFC had scheduled the next test for early summer. (MSFC Release 78-6; Marshall Star, Jan 25/78, 1)
Spaceport News reported a spacecraft problem had delayed launch of FltSatCom-A, first of a new highly versatile 3-satellite military communications system in which each satellite in geosynchronous orbit would provide 23 operating channels. A FltSatCom (fleet satellite communications) system would provide reliable secure communications between naval units anywhere except in extreme polar regions, and would become part of the Air Force Satellite Communications System (AFSatCom) linking the national command authority with Strategic Air Command (SAC) and other USAF units. DOD had reserved one wideband 500KHz channel on FltSatCom-A. (Spaceport News, Jan 20/78,1)
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