Nov 1 1982
From The Space Library
A formal ceremony in Washington, D.C., marked the acceptance of the Canadian-built remote-manipulator system as "ready for operational use" on the Space Shuttle. NASA Administrator James M. Beggs and Dr. Larkin Kerwin, head of Canada's National Research Council (NRC), signed an agreement declaring the device (already successfully used on STS-2, STS-3, and STS-4) operational. Although NRC thus fulfilled its obligations under a 1975 memorandum of understanding, it would continue to monitor the arm system on future missions. Next use of the arm would be on STS-7 in April 1983. (NASA Release 82-168)
DFRF resumed its DAST (drones for aerodynamic and structural testing) flight-test program with a successful launch and flight of the DAST 1 vehicle from its B-52 carrier. The 15-minute test of the remotely piloted research vehicle by NASA civilian research pilot Thomas C. McMurtry used flight-control, instrumentation, and launch and recovery systems. This was the first flight since DAST lost a wing in June 1980.
The joint program of DFRF and LaRC would lead to flying transport and other aircraft more efficiently with more flexible wings and allowing larger aircraft payloads or greater fuel economy, or both. Rather than use "brute force" stiffening in wings to ensure a safe approach to flutter boundaries (the point at which destructive flapping occurred), DAST computers 'would indicate ways to suppress flutter. (DFRF Release 82-18)
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