Jul 23 1986
From The Space Library
The National Scientific Balloon Facility found a promising new material in a flight test series of high altitude balloons. The balloon film, developed by Raven Industries, was 0.0008 inches thick; two successful flights carried one 3,000-pound payload to an altitude of 130,000 feet and another 4,300-pound payload to 120,000 feet. At that time, the NASA balloon program provided support for approximately 50 flights-per-year for studies primarily in high energy astrophysics, astronomy, and upper atmospheric research, Because of its weight-carrying capacity and flight duration, the balloon was also important in infrared astronomy research and in cosmic and gamma ray investigations. (NASA Release 86-96)
NASA announced another test of a Space Shuttle engine to take place later in that week. The purpose was to collect additional data to be added to the previous test of the same engine, that ran for 250 seconds, at the National Space Technology Laboratory. (NASA Release 86-97)
NASA officials announced that the launch of an Atlas-Centaur rocket scheduled to carry a Navy communications satellite into orbit on August 28 was postponed indefinitely. The flight was originally set for May 22, but the Delta rocket accident canceled that liftoff. The Atlas was the only remaining U.S. rocket system that had not been grounded; the delay resulted from the discovery by engineers of problems with some of the rocket's electrical parts. (W Post, Jul 24/86)
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