October 1984
From The Space Library
The astronauts of western Europe formed an Association of European Astronauts (AEA), to which all European astronauts who had flown or been selected to train for a specific mission were eligible to join. The group would hold its first meeting on October 5 and 6. The purpose of the association was to encourage get-togethers for the exchange of views on training experiences and the projects concerned. The AEA had seven members: three ESA astronauts, Claude Nicollier, Ulf Merbold, and Wubbo Ockels; two French astronauts, Patrick Baudry and Jean-Loup Chretien; and two German astronauts, Reinhard Furrer and Ernst Messerschmid. During meetings they planned to exchange experiences, compare USSR, U.S., and European approaches, and discuss future plans for Europe in manned spaceflight. (ESA Release, Sept 24/84)
Dan Germany, crew systems manager at JSC, observed that, after five years and $12 million, the Space Shuttle toilet still did not work, with failures on 10 out of 11 missions. "It's very disappointing," he said. On one mission, Robert Gibson had to use a crowbar to free the toilet mechanism; Sally Ride and Fred Hauck employed a camera bracket. NASA would test a new solution in August 1985 in which a bag would fit inside the commode and be removed after every flight. This reminded observers that NASA once spent $1 million to develop a pen to use in weightlessness. An. engineer asked later, "Why didn't you use a lead pencil?" (SF, Sept/Oct 84)
A commemorative envelope sold in the gift shop at JSC gave details and drawings of a U.S. Navy space program so secret that its name could not be used on the telephone, the Washington Post reported Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine as saying. The publication said that the envelopes, called postal cover, carried the words "Project Whitecloud," accurate drawings of a mother satellite, and drawings of three smaller spacecraft. The envelopes said that the satellite disperses the smaller craft to cover more ocean surface and that it used radar-frequency antennae to detect shipboard radar and communications signals. The Navy had no immediate comment. (W Post, Oct 23/84, A-15) It was later revealed that the information had been taken from the May 1976 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.
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