Atlantis STS-38 – Roundtrip Ticket

• #200 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:20
• October 4: METAL BEAM TUMBLES THROUGH ATLANTIS’ ENGINE COMPARTMENT
  As NASA continued to prepare for Saturday's scheduled launch of Discovery STS-41, a problem arose with another of the orbiters inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. NASA said that yesterday a 70-pound metal beam, mistakenly left aboard the craft, tumbled through the engine compartment of Atlantis. Technicians heard the beam crash through the orbiters rear section as Atlantis was being hoisted into an upright position prior to being mated with her External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters. Records maintained by the Lockheed Space Operations Co., NASA's shuttle processing contractor, indicated the bright yellow, 9-foot-long beam had been removed, said KSC Director Forrest McCartney. "It should have been caught and wasn't. There’s not much more you can add to it," McCartney said. “I don’t know how it happened.”
  
  The incident triggered a last-minute search by NASA for tools or hardware that might have been overlooked during preparations for the flight of Discovery. NASA said it was rechecking records and photo documentations of Discovery's engine compartment as a precaution. "We're confident there will not be any concerns with Discovery and don't expect to have to go back into the compartment for any reason," said Brewster Shaw, a former astronaut and NASA Associate Administrator for Spaceflight.
  
  A preliminary assessment by engineers indicated the fall of the beam caused only superficial damage to foam insulation in Atlantis' engine compartment; about 25 dents have been created. The beam is part of a frame which enables work platforms to be placed in the orbiter’s rear compartment and allows access to main engine plumbing while the spaceship is in a horizontal position inside the Orbiter Processing Facility.
  
  Lockheed spokesman J.B. Klump said the company will be aggressive in determining how the accident happened. “We share NASA’s concerns,” Klump said, “and the investigative team will do everything it can to find out what the problem is and to take steps to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.”
  
  The overlooked platform is the latest in a series of incidents over the past 18 months. Workers have dented a steering thruster on Atlantis, pulled too hard on a large payload bay door on Discovery with an overhead crane and allowed a fire sprinkler system to drench Columbia's open cargo bay. Shuttle processing errors will be discussed when NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel visits KSC later this month. Chairman Norman Parnet said the panel will investigate the effectiveness of first-line shuttle processing supervisors and managers. “A lot of these guys,” Parnet said, “just sit in an office and never see the hardware.”
  
  McCartney insisted the latest incident and the unexplained contaminants which caused persistent hydrogen leaks during the summer are not an indictment of safety practices. “I don’t think we can say procedures were the problem. I don’t think we can say training was a problem, McCartney said. “I think what we can say is that we did not do the job in the way we intended to do it.” McCartney said it was too early to tell whether the incident would affect the launch schedule or plans to tow Atlantis to the launch pad next week. (Mark Carreau, The Houston Chronicle, Oct. 5, 1990; Banke, Florida Today, Oct. 5, 1990; Countdown, November 1990 – edited)
  

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• #201 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:23
• October 5: “WE LUCKED OUT ON THAT ONE,” CRIPPEN SAYS
  Mission officials say that damage to Atlantis’ rear engine compartment was minor and should delay the Defense Department launch only a day or so. “We’re still continuing inspections, but thus far we have not found anything that I would consider significant damage,” said Shuttle Launch Director Robert Sieck. “We lucked out on that one. We did not get any significant damage,” said Shuttle Program Director Robert Crippen.
  
  An investigation is underway to find out why a steel beam was left inside the compartment. Sieck said, “You can’t see more than two feet in front of you in there before your line of sight is blocked by something. This beam was left in a very obscure area. Most of the damage can be repaired in place. In the worst case, you would have to remove small pieces of structure, lines or wires.”
  
  Launch is still targeted for November 7. “There were a couple of lines that had some minor damage,” said Crippen. “At this time, it appears that none of the problems caused by that will have any impact on the launch.  (Brown, Florida Today, Oct. 6, 1990; Glisch, The Orlando Sentinel, Oct. 6, 1990; JSC Space News Roundup, Oct. 12, 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 6: BACK IN THE AIR AGAIN – AND THERE’S MORE TO COME
  The launch of Discovery STS-41 from Launch Pad 39B this morning at 7:47 a.m. EDT broke a string of setbacks for NASA. “It’s good to be back in the air again,” said Launch Director Bob Sieck. Sieck said he was optimistic that NASA’s next mission – Atlantis STS-38 in early November – would proceed as planned. Officials have located and fixed Atlantis’ hydrogen leak and do not expect major damage from a 70-pound steel beam accidentally left inside the orbiter’s engine compartment when the craft was hoisted upright for mating. NASA continues to look for the source of Columbia’s leaks. “We’re going to find and capture this diabolical leak in Columbia and get her back in the air this year,” said Sieck. (Chronology of KSC and KSC Related Events for 1990, KHR-15, March 1991 – edited)
  
  
  October 9: COLUMBIA AND ATLANTIS DODGING TROPICAL STORM KLAUS
  Yesterday NASA added a new maneuver to its Space Shuttle program when it completed its first “rollaround” of Columbia from Launch Pad 39A to Launch Pad 39B. Pad 39A had to be cleared for the November launch of Atlantis STS-38. But due to adverse weather conditions stemming from tropical storm Klaus off the east coast of Florida, Columbia was on the roll again today; the STS-35 stack was safely back inside the Vehicle Assembly Building by 8:00 this evening. Blustery winds and rain showers are predicted in the KSC area for the next few days and winds are forecast to be gusting up to 40 knots. Power-on stray voltage tests are underway today on Atlantis and a test of the SRB actuators is planned. Atlantis is currently scheduled to be rolled out to Launch Pad 39A no earlier than October 11. (Chronology of KSC and KSC Related Events for 1990, KHR-15, March 1991 – edited)
  
  
  October 9: IT WAS SO BIG THEY JUST MISSED IT
  Simple oversight by three workers for Lockheed Space Operations Co. is the explanation NASA gave today as the reason why a 9-foot yellow beam was left behind in Atlantis’ aft engine compartment. “It was so big they just missed it,” said Conrad Nagel, Atlantis’ ground processing manager. “I know that sounds funny, but that seems to be what happened. It’s like the guy who was stealing tractors from the warehouse. They’re so big the guard didn’t question when they were being driven out.”
  
  Nagel was unsure whether the incident would affect Lockheed’s shuttle processing contract at Kennedy Space Center. “They are embarrassed by this. We all are. It never should have happened. I hope it will never happen again,“ Nagel said. Lockheed, which has not yet submitted its final report to NASA, declined to comment. (Brown, Florida Today, Oct. 10, 1990)
  
  
  October 9: RIDDLE IN THE SKY
  A U.S. spy satellite believed to have been destroyed following deployment from Atlantis in February 1990 has been spotted in orbit by three amateur astronomers, according to a report in the Florida Today newspaper. The sightings indicate the $500-million photo reconnaissance satellite, deployed by Atlantis STS-36, is carrying out its mission of spying on the U.S.S.R in an orbit 500 miles above Earth. Ted Molczan, a Toronto satellite observer reported locating the assumed-dead satellite and posted his findings on a computer bulletin board sponsored by the Canadian Space Society. A Scottish astronomer, Russell Eberst, and Frenchman Pierre Neirinck confirmed the sighting of the satellite.
  
  These reports contradict accounts of a Soviet news agency which say the satellite disintegrated in space and fragments fell to Earth over the northern region of the Soviet Union. The U.S. Department of Defense stuck to its story that only “hardware elements” carried into orbit by Atlantis re-entered Earth’s atmosphere between April and July. The newspaper story said the amateur astronomers believe the satellite probably began maneuvering to a new station March 7, the same day the Soviet reports detected four falling orbital fragments. The falling objects were probably unessential satellite parts being discarded. (Countdown, December 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 10: ATLANTIS GETS READY TO ROLL
  The Shuttle Interface Test on Atlantis has been completed. Today, workers will power down the vehicle and begin closing out all areas for the move to the launch pad. Tomorrow, platforms will be retracted away from the vehicle and the crawler transporter will be positioned under the launch platform. Weather permitting the vehicle is currently scheduled to be rolled to the launch pad tomorrow evening at 8:00 p.m. EDT. While at the pad, a liquid hydrogen tanking test is planned to verify there are no leaks. (KSC Shuttle Status Report, Oct. 10, 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 11: SPACE DEBRIS BECOMES A REAL RISK
  The risk from space debris is becoming real, warned a report released today by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). Shuttle flights and other space activities could become too risky if space-traveling nations continue to scatter low Earth orbit – below 1,250 miles – with junk, the report says. The U.S. Space Command lists 6,645 objects in low Earth orbit fast-moving enough to pierce spacecraft such as the planned Space Station Freedom and the Soviet station Mir. Only six percent of the objects tracked are functional satellites and the rest is made up from spent rocket boosters, exploded satellites and satellites that are no longer in service.
  
  The only documented collision of debris and spacecraft was in 1983 when an orbiting paint chip damaged the windshield of Challenger. Such a chip could puncture the suit of a spacewalking astronaut, the OTA report says. Suggestions presented by the OTA to remedy the problem include designing boosters so they won’t break up; hardening batteries against bursting; and reducing the altitude of spent upper stages so atmospheric drag will bring them down. (Countdown, December 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 12: ARIANE V39 LOFTS TWO AMERICAN COM-SATS
  Arianespace, Europe’s commercial space transportation company, successfully launched two American satellites into space from their Kourou, French Guiana space center at 6:58 p.m. EDT today. The Ariane 44L launch vehicle, with four liquid strap-ons, carried the SBS-6 and Galaxy VI satellites for Hughes Communications Inc., of Pasadena, California.  SBS-6 will be used for telecommunications broadcasts and Galaxy VI’s mission will be video and news-gathering transmissions. This was the first launch of two satellites owned and built by the same company aboard a single launcher. The mission was the 39th for the commercial Arianespace program begun a decade ago. (Countdown November & December, 1990 – edited)
  

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• #202 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:27
• October 13: ATLANTIS IS BACK AT PAD 39A
  Atlantis was rolled out to Pad 39A last night and was hard down on the pad at 3:00 a.m. EDT today. Launch pad validation activities are continuing and a hot fire of Auxiliary Power Unit No. 3 was successfully completed. Preparations are underway for a helium signature leak test of the main propulsion system and three main engines. The test is scheduled to begin with a call-to-stations at midnight October 15 and continue through October 16. Preparations are also underway to load hypergolic propellants in the orbiter’s onboard storage tanks later in the week. Next week a tanking test is planned in order to verify there are no more hydrogen leaks between the orbiter and its External Tank. (KSC Shuttle Status Report, Oct. 15, 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 16: ONE ORBITER RETURNS HOME, TWO AWAIT PAD TANKING TESTS
  After a textbook perfect mission releasing the Ulysses solar probe earlier this month, the orbiter Discovery returned to Kennedy Space Center sitting atop the SCA Boeing 747 this afternoon. And NASA hopes its run of textbook perfection will hold during the coming days. With Columbia finally hard down on Pad 39B since Sunday morning (October 14), both shuttle launch pads are now full in action. Preparations are underway for several busy weeks of tanking tests and hopefully the launch of Atlantis on STS-38.
  
  Atlantis, on Pad 39A, is scheduled for a tanking test Wednesday, October 24, to check for leaks in the 17-inch disconnect fitting and the aft compartment. The External Tank will be filled with both liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in an effort to make the test as launch-like as possible. If all goes as expected, the Flight Readiness Review for STS-38 will be October 29-30; Atlantis may launch as early as November 10; lift-off will occur a couple of hours after sunset.
  
  Atlantis will reportedly carry a spy satellite capable of providing the Pentagon's Desert Shield commanders with close-up photos of Persian Gulf military developments. In its Oct. 22 edition, Aviation Week & Space Technology reports Atlantis will loft a 22,000-pound satellite that can electronically transmit images of the Middle East to national security analysts from an altitude of 460 miles. The respected trade publication also reports that the satellite carries other undescribed reconnaissance sensors.
  
  Past spy satellites launched by the shuttle have carried sophisticated equipment capable of intercepting military communications and monitoring air defense radar signals, according to civilian analysts. Some analysts had speculated Atlantis would carry a new generation of missile-early-warning satellite when the launch was set for mid-summer - well before the August 2 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The mission, however, was delayed by one of a succession of fuel leaks that grounded the shuttle program until Discovery's flight earlier this month.
  
  Aviation Week said Atlantis will be launched into a low inclination orbit, one that will weave just north and south of the equator. Past secret missions flown by the shuttle have followed a much more northerly track that took their photo reconnaissance satellite over the northern reaches of the Soviet Union. According to Aviation Week, Atlantis will soar to an altitude of 150 miles. A booster rocket bolted to the spy satellite will push it 300 miles higher following deployment by the shuttle crew.
   
  In another development, Aviation Week reports the United States and the Soviet Union are nearing an agreement that would permit a NASA astronaut to fly to the Soviet Mir space station and a Soviet cosmonaut to fly on the U.S. Space Shuttle. A time frame for the flight has yet to be established for the venture, according to the report, based on an interview with Vice President Dan Quayle. Quayle said the venture was still in the discussion phase. One scenario that has been discussed would involve a shuttle docking with the Mir. NASA Administrator Richard Truly and other U.S. officials are in the Soviet Union this week discussing future cooperative programs, including prospects for environmental studies with orbiting satellites and unmanned explorations of Mars.
  
  (James Hartsfield, JSC Space News Roundup, Oct. 19, 1990; Mark Carreau, The Houston Chronicle, Oct. 20, 1990; Countdown, December 1990; Chronology of KSC and KSC Related Events for 1990, KHR-15, March 1991 – edited)
  
  
  October 17: NELSON: LET’S RE-ERECT THE SATURN V LAUNCH TOWER
  The U.S. House of Representatives voted this week to support the re-erection of a Saturn V launch tower as a national monument. The support came in language added to the appropriations bill by Rep. Bill Nelson (D-Melbourne) and directs the National Park Service to study possible sites and costs for the re-assembly of the tower. Interest in the tower has been expressed by Titusville officials who would erect it – along with a Saturn V replica – at Sand Point Park.
  
  The Launch Umbilical Tower, which measures 400 feet when erected, is now in sections in a fenced-in area in the Kennedy Space Center Industrial Area. The tower was last used in 1975’s Apollo Soyuz Test Project and was dismantled in 1983 after the start of the shuttle flights. Nelson said, “Making the tower a national monument could enhance local efforts to raise the private funds needed to re-erect the tower and save it from decaying at Kennedy Space Center.” No money has been appropriated for the project which would cost an estimated $15 million. (Banke, Florida Today, Oct. 17, 1990 – edited)
  

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• #203 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:28
• October 17: CHENEY AND GORBACHEV MEET TO DISCUSS GULF
  Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, on a mission to Moscow to discuss the Persian Gulf crisis, met with President Mikhail S. Gorbachev today amid Soviet calls for a peaceful settlement to the dispute. Oil prices climbed after U.S. and exiled Kuwaiti officials ruled out a possible compromise solution to the crisis in which Iraq would withdraw from most of Kuwait but be permitted to keep some key land. The official Soviet news agency Tass disclosed no details about Cheney's meeting with Gorbachev and Soviet Defense Minister Dimitri Yazov.
  
  Also today, Western diplomatic sources reported three British men escaped overland from Iraq to Saudi Arabia. The three took a long route across the desert, reaching the area of the Saudi town of Arar late Monday, October 15, said the sources in Saudi Arabia. They spoke on condition of anonymity. No immediate details were available on how the men evaded Iraqi patrols and crossed the border. Their identities were not disclosed, but they were said to be in their 20s or 30s. Three Britons and two Frenchmen escaped Iraq by sea earlier this month, but there have been no reported overland escapes since then.
  
  Thousands of Westerners remain trapped in occupied Kuwait and Iraq, either in hiding or detained by the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Hundreds of Western hostages are being used as human shields at Iraqi military and other strategic installations to deter attack by the U.S.-led multinational force deployed against Iraq in the gulf and Saudi Arabia.
  
  Meanwhile, Soviet Middle East expert Yevgeny Primakov was on a trip to Europe and the United States to discuss the gulf crisis. He arrived in Paris today for talks with French President Francois Mitterrand. "The Soviet leadership believes that if there is the smallest chance to settle the conflict peacefully that chance should be used to the ultimate," Gorbachev spokesman Vitaly Ignatenko said in Moscow on Tuesday.
  
  At the United Nations, diplomats said Britain was drafting a measure to make Iraq pay war reparations, and the United States was seeking to have the world body oversee the resupply of Western diplomats who have refused to quit their countries' embassies in Kuwait City. The only Western holdouts are the British, Americans, Canadians and French.
  
  Britain's Foreign Office said today that Iraq had withdrawn diplomatic accreditation from eight British diplomatic personnel evacuated from Kuwait to Baghdad. It said Iraq's ambassador had been summoned to hear a protest against Baghdad's "flagrant disregard for international law." Britain also told the Iraqi ambassador that British nationals who have suffered damage or injury since Iraq's invasion of Kuwait intend to demand compensation, a Foreign Office spokesman said.
  
  Oil prices continued to reflect fears over the crisis, closing just short of $39 on Tuesday, up nearly $1. The rise was attributed in part to signs of a hardened U.S. position toward Saddam. Kuwaitis fleeing into Saudi Arabia said the Iraqis were setting up fences that separate most of Kuwait from the Rumailah field, which Saddam accused the Kuwaitis of overexploiting before he invaded and annexed their country.
  
  A U.N.-ordered embargo on trade with Iraq, enforced by a multinational flotilla, has caused shortages in Iraq but has so far failed to force Saddam to back down. The Pentagon says about 430,000 Iraqi troops are in Kuwait, and have been building roads and fortifications. (Deseret News / AP, October 17, 1990 – edited)
  

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• #204 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:29
• October 19: HUMAN ERROR CAUSED ATLANTIS MISHAP
  Lockheed Space Co. said today that human error was to blame for the October 3 incident in which a nine-foot yellow beam was mistakenly left inside Atlantis rear engine compartment. That error was compounded when other workers signed paperwork which said that the beam had been removed, the report said. “Am I happy with that? You bet your life I’m not. Any mishap or incident is just not good news, and you have to be very concerned,” said Center Director Forrest S. McCartney. “That’s an incident that shouldn’t have happened.” Regarding the report itself, he said, “We have reviewed the report and believe the report accurately reflects the situation.”
  
  The beam is part of a kit which allows technicians to work inside the rear engine compartment white the orbiter is in a horizontal position. The kit components normally are removed and inventoried before an orbiter is towed to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The beam crashed through the rear engine compartment when Atlantis was hoisted into an upright position in the VAB. Both a technician and a quality control inspector from Lockheed signed documents that said the beam was removed.
  
  “Everybody is held accountable for their actions,” said McCartney. “We hold Lockheed accountable for that action, just as for the good things.” The Center Director called the mishap “an infrequent occurrence. It will reflect negatively on their performance, just as there are many things that reflect positively. I think Lockheed is doing a fine job. By no means does that say there is not room for improvement, but I know of very few options where improvements can be made.”
  
  Cost of the accident was not revealed in the report, but workers are scheduled to replace part of a liquid oxygen fuel line that was badly dented by the beam, according to officials. McCartney said that NASA was satisfied with Lockheed’s investigation and that NASA will likely adopt recommendations in the report which range from installing new, more automated inventory control systems to re-writing procedures to clarify them.
  
  At Launch Pad 39A, hypergolic propellant loading operations are continuing today and are scheduled to be completed this evening. Monomethyl hydrazine is being loaded today. Yesterday, workers completed loading nitrogen tetroxide into the orbiter’s Reaction Control system and Orbital Maneuvering System storage tanks. (Banke, Florida Today, Oct. 20, 1990; KSC Shuttle Status Report, Oct. 19, 1990 – edited)
  
  
• #205 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:30
• October 23: NO COMMENT ON SADDAM’S DREAMS
  There are indications that the Arab world is softening its hard line in dealing with Iraq - including a statement by Saudi King Fahd that Saddam would not lose face if he were to withdraw his troops. If Iraq restores the al-Sabah family as Kuwait's rulers, Saudi Arabia and Egypt said there could be talks on the disputes that led to the invasion of the oil-rich emirate.
  
  A Kuwaiti newspaper in Saudi Arabia reported on Monday, October 22, that Saddam had dreamed the prophet Mohammed appeared before him and said Iraq's missiles "were pointed in the wrong direction." The missiles are aimed toward Saudi Arabia, where a U.S.-led multinational force is assembled. Middle East observers said the dream report indicated Saddam could be preparing his people for a withdrawal from Kuwait. White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater, with President Bush in Burlington, Vermont, said of Saddam's reported dream, "No comment on dreams. I have enough problems dealing with reality."
  
  In Washington, Saudi Arabia's ambassador denied today that the kingdom wants Kuwait to yield territory to invading Iraq. "This is a decision for the Kuwaitis, not for us," Prince Bandar said. The Saudi ambassador was summoned to the State Department after reports quoting the Saudi Defense Minister, Prince Sultan, had raised the possibility of giving Iraq some Kuwaiti territory in order to defuse the Persian Gulf crisis. Saddam "should not be under any disillusion," Bandar told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with Secretary of State James A. Baker III. "This is a decision for the Kuwaitis, not for us," the ambassador said. "But we don't think aggression should be rewarded." (Deseret News / AP, Oct. 23, 1990 – edited)
  
  
• #206 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:32
• October 23: NASA TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER NTSB RECOMMENDATIONS
  Spurred by recent close calls involving airliners and training jets flown by NASA astronauts, federal investigators today urged the space agency to improve its flying practices and install new safety instruments on its aircraft. In its report, the National Transportation Safety Board also placed a portion of the blame for a May 15, 1989, near-collision involving a Pan Am jumbo jet over Washington on FAA controllers, recommending improvements within their ranks as well. NASA Administrator Richard Truly pledged to "seriously consider all of the recommendations."
  
  All of the agency's flight operations are managed by the Johnson Space Center, where officials plan to start flight tests of new cockpit equipment on one of the agency's T-38 supersonic trainers in January. Among the new instruments are an altitude alarm that can be set by the pilot, weather displays and new radio communications equipment.
  
  The safety board found that on six occasions since 1986, NASA T-38 pilots descended below the altitudes assigned to them by FAA controllers, creating the potential for accidents. Depending on the January trials, the new flight instruments could be installed on each of the 28 twin-engine T-38s the space agency's astronauts have flown since the mid-1960s to hone their piloting skills.
  
  Among the safety's board's recommendations to NASA were that it require two pilots aboard the two-seat trainers to lighten the in-flight work load on the primary pilot and that its aviators write down the altitude assignment when it is radioed by FAA controllers. The recommendations were contained in an NTSB letter to Truly that stemmed from a safety board probe into the May 1989 incident involving the Pan Am airliner and astronaut David Walker.
  
  Walker was on his way to a White House reception following a successful shuttle flight when his T-38 and a Paris-bound Pan Am Airbus with 176 people aboard crossed within 700 feet laterally and 100 feet vertically of one another in cloudy weather. The near-collision occurred at the airliners' assigned altitude of 7,000 feet. The safety board's lengthy probe determined that Walker had radioed his intention of descending from 8,000 feet to 7,000 feet, but that the approach controller failed to warn him the airliner was at the same altitude. The safety board also noted that a "conflict alert" flashed on the FAA controller's screen for 26 seconds before the near-collision, though the controller informed neither Walker nor the Pan Am pilot.
  
  The NTSB said NASA's most recent close call occurred May 6 near Paducah, Ky., when a T-38 descended within 1,500 feet vertically and three miles horizontally of an Eastern Air Line DC-9. Neither pilot reported a visual contact and NTSB investigators said the incident was most likely caused by poor quality radio communications between the T-38 pilot and FAA controllers. As a result, the unidentitied NASA flier descended much lower than the FAA had authorized and into the DC-9's path.
  
  A third close call occurred Sept. 17, 1989, northwest of El Paso. The NTSB said the incident involved a NASA T-38 en route to Houston from Edwards Air Force Base, California, and a Piper Cheyenne. The two aircraft passed within 1,400 feet of one another vertically and 3.1 miles horizontally. Neither pilot saw the other, investigators said. (Mark Carreau, The Houston Chronicle, Oct. 24, 1990)
  
  
  October 23: ATLANTIS RIGGED FOR FUELING TEST
  Final preparations for tomorrows leak test on Atlantis began at 7:00 a.m. today, according to Kennedy Space Center spokeswoman Lisa Malone. If Atlantis passes the test, the orbiter should be ready for launch on or about November 10, according to KSC Director Forrest McCartney. The test will send supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into Atlantis’ External Tank. Sensors will aid engineers in detecting leaks. Three times in June and July, Atlantis has leaked hydrogen through the 17-inch disconnect umbilical between the orbiter and ET. In previous tests, only liquid hydrogen has been used because only the fuel side of the system was found to be leaking; this time, officials want to load liquid oxygen as well to ensure that there is no undetected damage from the October 3 metal beam incident. (Banke, Florida Today, Oct. 22, 1990; Glisch, The Orlando Sentinel, Oct. 23, 1990; Countdown, December 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 24: “WE HAVE LICKED THE LEAK PROBLEM” – ATLANTIS FIT TO FLY
  "It's always nice to have a successful test under your belt," Launch Director Sieck said today after Atlantis passed a crucial fuel leak test, paving the way for a secret mission next month that civilian experts believe will provide the Pentagon with a new spy satellite to monitor military developments in the Persian Gulf. "We feel like we have a tight ship and that we performed a successful test this afternoon," NASA shuttle spokesman Bruce Buckingham said. “It appears we have licked the leak problem.”
  
  Engineers at the Kennedy Space Center pumped supercold liquid hydrogen and oxygen through Atlantis' fuel lines and into her External Tank without evidence of the fuel-line leak that forced a postponement of the secret mission in mid-July. The hourlong test also indicated successful repairs to propulsion system damage caused October 3 when a large misplaced support beam clanked around in Atlantis' engine compartment. That mishap occurred when Atlantis was hoisted upright so that she could be bolted to her fuel tank and Solid Rocket Boosters.
  
  Test sensors today revealed the presence of 175 parts per million of hydrogen inside the Atlantis engine compartment, well within the 500 ppm boundary. Additional sensors outside the major fuel line connecting the fuel tank and the shuttle's main engine compartment revealed up to 600 ppm of hydrogen, well below the 40,000 ppm limit. Engineers repaired the fuel-line leak by replacing Teflon fuel line valve seals on the orbiter and by fitting the ship with a new fuel tank. The test was delayed by about six hours while engineers evaluated a dent in a hydrogen line caused by the tumbling beam and a broken fuel-line sensor, which they determined would not influence the test results.
  
  "Frankly, we expected the system to be tight. We put a lot of work into it," NASA Deputy Administrator J.R. Thompson commented as Atlantis came through as clean as a hospital operating room, which was welcome news for the space agency, which has come under fire in the past half-year because of shuttle trouble, the Hubble Space Telescope's flawed mirror and several other mishaps. "We're looking forward to a good launch."
  
  Columbia has exhibited both fuel line and engine compartment leaks, when her launch was postponed the first time May 29. The fuel line has been repaired, but engineers are still attempting to find and repair small leaks in the engine compartment. Columbia is scheduled to undergo an elaborate leak test Monday. The space agency believes there is a chance Columbia could fly in December if the tests and repairs it plans are successful. With Discovery just back from a successful STS-41 mission earlier this month and Atlantis declared fit to fly, the final months of 1990 still could be written up as the beginning of the textbook era for NASA. (Mark Carreau, The Houston Chronicle, Oct. 25, 1990, Deseret News, Oct. 25, 1990; Countdown, December 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 25: BACK TO NORMAL OPERATIONS AT LC 39A
  Following Wednesday’s successful tanking test which verified the integrity of Atlantis’ Main Propulsion System, work began to prepare the orbiter for its STS-38 mission. Final readings of the hydrogen leak detectors showed minimal leakage in the area of the 17-inch disconnect and in the aft compartment, all well within allowable limits. Also, the liquid oxygen MPS lines were proved free of problems. Today on Launch Complex 39A, liquid hydrogen boil off operations were completed at about 10:00 a.m. EDT. Following purge operations of the External Tank, the pad will be reopened for normal work. Access will be gained in the aft compartment and work will continue to ready Atlantis for flight. Also, following the purges, potable water samples will be taken. On October 28, a main engine flight readiness test is scheduled. (KSC Space Shuttle Processing Status Report, Oct. 25, 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 26: HAZARDOUS FUELS INCIDENTS BOTH AT LC39 AND CCAFS
  Operations were halted briefly at Pad 39A this morning as SCAPE operations were instituted to repair minor leaks at the hypergolic oxidizer and fuel farms. Hazardous materials specialists were called to Launch Complex 39A about 8:30 a.m. EDT when sensors detected traces of hypergolic fuels seeping from a few valves. Because the fuels evaporated immediately, the exact amount of the leak is unknown, said Kennedy Space Center spokesman Bruce Buckingham. “We fixed the leak and no further action is required,” he said. The pad was reopened for operations at 10:30 a.m. EDT. The leaks were thought to have been caused by cooler weather experienced overnight and no delay in the launch schedule is expected.
  
  Purge operations of the External Tank have been completed following October 24’s successful tanking test. Access was gained to the aft compartment and work continues to ready Atlantis for flight. Fuel cell voltage adjustments will also be made at the pad today. The Flight Readiness Review has been scheduled for October 29 and 30, after which a firm launch date is expected to be announced.
  
  At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station another hazardous fuels incident occurred about 12:45 p.m. EDT. Technicians were working in a small laboratory near Hangar S with a small amount of nitrogen tetroxide when a power outage occurred, causing ventilation fans to stop. Some fifty to sixty persons were evacuated as a precautionary measure and the area was reopened a half hour later. (KSC Space Shuttle Processing Status Report, Oct. 26, 1990; Brown, Florida Today, Oct 27, 1990 – edited)
  
• #207 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:33
• October 26: PERSIAN GULF FAMILY SUPPORT MEETING
  Family members and loved ones of military personnel deployed in the Persian Gulf area will gather Sunday, October 28, at a special support meeting sponsored by the Clear Lake Service Center of the American Red Cross. The meeting will be held at the United Way Building, 18301A Egret Bay Blvd, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. CDT. Those attending will have the opportunity to meet, interact and share with others in similar situations. (JSC Space News Roundup, Oct. 26, 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 29: BUSH URGES SOLIDARITY – GORBACHEV URGES PEACEFUL SOLUTION
  President Bush on Saturday, October 27, called on West European leaders meeting at a summit to keep Iraq from dividing them by exploiting their desires to see the release of foreigners held in Iraq and Kuwait. Bush telephoned Italian Premier Giulio Andreotti shortly before the start of a summit of the 12-nation European Community, the first meeting of the leaders since Iraq's August 2 invasion of Kuwait.Bush "spoke of the need for solidarity and strong cohesion, also regarding the hostages," said Italian spokesman Pio Mastrobuoni.
  
  Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been making separate offers to European countries to release foreigners who are being held as "human shields" at strategic locations in Iraq. Mastrobuoni said Italy did not want to give Saddam any inkling there might be a break in solidarity. "We are solid and he is failing," said a British official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. German Chancellor Helmut Kohl said Western nations wanted the hostages released but all of them - and not just Europeans, according to spokesman Hans Klein.
  
  Saddam has recently allowed small groups of hostages to leave, some after visits to Baghdad by prominent figures. Iraqi has said it is freeing all French hostages. French spokesman Hubert Vedrine said the release of the French hostages was decided unilaterally by the Iraqis and did not affect French solidarity with the anti-Iraq coalition. British officials said they expected the summit participants to release a statement on the Persian Gulf. But Vedrine doubted it would differ greatly from previous community statements on the issue.
  
  Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said today the Persian Gulf crisis must be settled peacefully and indicated his envoy to Baghdad found signs Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein may be softening his position on the conquest of Kuwait. Saddam, for his part, said in an interview that his talks with Soviet envoy Yevgeny Primakov were "wide-ranging, deep and very useful." Saddam also criticized President Bush for comparing the Iraqi leader to Hitler.
  
  In another development, an Iraqi Airways plane flew out of Kuwait with French hostages following Iraq's decision to free French citizens held in Iraq and Iraqi-occupied Kuwait. Gorbachev, concluding a two-day meeting with French President Francois Mitterrand, told reporters in France that war in the Persian Gulf is unacceptable and suggested Saudi Arabia work toward an "inter-Arab" solution to the conflict.
  
  Primakov flew to Saudi Arabia from Baghdad today after an apparent failure to persuade Saddam to end his nearly 3-month-old occupation of Kuwait. Some Arab newspapers had described Primakov's mission as a "last chance for peace," and the U.N. Security Council delayed a motion to brand Iraq a war criminal to give Primakov time to talk to the Iraqi leadership. Egypt's Middle East News Agency quoted Soviet sources as saying Primakov discussed the continuing plight of some 3,000 Soviet nationals in Iraq. Neither Baghdad nor Moscow has described the Soviets as hostages, and Iraq has allowed a number to be flown home. But Saddam has indicated the majority of Soviets must stay in Iraq to fulfill their contracts.
  
  Saddam, aside from his positive assessment of his talks with Primakov, also told the Cable News Network he finds Bush's repeated comparison of him to Hitler somewhat hypocritical. "Don't you think Mr. Bush would have committed an error in that description which he applied to a head of state with which he has had dealings and indeed he still has a resident embassy (in Iraq), with which he will still seek to conduct diplomatic dealings?" Saddam asked. "He (Bush) will be closing the door for any dialogue or any possibility with that `Hitler-head-of-state' in search of solutions to the crisis," Saddam said. (Deseret News / UPI, Oct. 28 & 29, 1990 – edited)
  
• #208 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:36
• October 29: ENGINE CHECK FOR ATLANTIS – FRR STARTS TODAY
  A Flight Readiness Review for STS-38 is being held today at Kennedy Space Center. NASA and contractor representatives will discuss the readiness to launch the orbiter Atlantis. At the conclusion of the review tomorrow, an official launch date and window will be announced. On Wednesday, October 31, a flight readiness test of the shuttle’s three main engines will be conducted at Launch Complex 39A. The test includes a total check of the engines’ electrical system and cycling of the engine valves. Later in the week, ordnance devices will be installed on the vehicle and tests of the firing circuit will be conducted. (KSC Shuttle Status Report, Oct. 29, 1990; Halvorson, Florida Today, Oct. 28, 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 30: ATLANTIS LAUNCH DATE SET AS COLUMBIA PASSES TANKING TEST
  NASA and Department of Defense managers today established November 9 as the target date for the launch of STS-38. The four-hour launch period for this classified DOD flight begins at 6:30 p.m. EST. Observers are expecting lift-off at 6:47 p.m. EST. The decision to launch Atlantis on the 9th was made following the STS-38 Flight Readiness Review at Kennedy Space Center. Also today, Columbia passed her crucial tanking test on Pad 39B and finally was declared ready to fly.
  
  With a November 9 launch of Atlantis plenty of time will remain to launch Columbia in early December on the Astro-1 astronomy flight postponed since May. NASA could come away with six of nine flights planned at the start of the year for 1990 and will now be able to set a firm launch schedule for 1991. Discovery is in processing for the first mission of 1991, STS-39; this unclassified Department of Defense flight is tentatively set for a February 26 launch.
  
  (Cast and Young, KSC News Release No. 90-86, Oct. 30, 1990; Halvorson, Florida Today, Oct. 31, 1990; JSC Space News Roundup, Nov. 2, 1990; Countdown, December 1990 – edited)
  
  
  October 30: JOHN YOUNG HEADS PROCEDURES INVESTIGATION
  Veteran astronaut John Young is at work for NASA again, but this time he is heading an investigation of safety procedures and a series of shuttle launch processing accidents at Kennedy Space Center – such as a payload bay door that was hit by an overhead crane, a fuel cell that was damaged, and an RCS jet that was dropped. Young is Special Assistant for Engineering Operations and Safety to the center director at Johnson Space Center; he will report next week to William Lenoir, the NASA Associate Administrator for Spaceflight and the man who appointed the panel. The investigative findings will be passed along to KSC Director Forrest McCartney and to shuttle program managers. NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel is also at KSC for two days of detailed interviews with space center employees. “We’re going to spend time talking to the individual technicians, the hands-on folks,” said the panel’s Executive Director Gil Roth.
  
  Space Shuttle Program Director Robert Crippen, speaking of Young’s investigative team, said, “Sometimes having an outside set of eyeballs will enable you to see some things that aren’t obvious.” Johnson Space Center’s Dan Germany said, “There’s a tendency for some people to think that this is like some big witch hunt. It’s not. They’ll be seeing what loose ends need to be tied up.” Germany is Manager of the Orbiter Projects Office at JSC. NASA’S Deputy Administrator J.R. Thompson said, “When I look at the quantity of the work down (at KSC) and compare it to the quality of the work, it’s an outstanding job.” (Brown & Halvorson, Florida Today, Oct. 31, 1990; Space News, Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 1990; Countdown, January 1991 – edited)
  
  
  October 30: 200TH DELTA ROCKET LAUNCH EXPECTED THIS EVENING
  McDonnell Douglas Co. will attempt to launch its 200th Delta rocket today during a launch window which extends from 6:16 to 7:22 p.m. EST. “We’re getting ready to put a little ball of fire into the sky,” was the way McDonnell Douglas employee Ray Adams expressed it. Air Force meteorologists say there is an 80-percent chance that the weather will be favorable for a launch. The Delta will lift an Inmarsat 2-F1 spacecraft into orbit. The $90 million craft is owned by a 61-nation consortium known as the International Maritime Satellite Organization which operates a system of satellites that provide telephone, fax and data services for ships at sea, aircraft in flight and land support vehicles. Founded in 1982, the consortium is based in London, England. It has invested $610 million to build and launch four Inmarsat 2 spacecraft and to construct ground stations that will relay transmissions over the satellite constellation, according to Gavin Trevitt, an Inmarsat spokesman.
  
  The 3,054-pound Inmarsat 2-F1 will be deployed some 44 minutes after the Delta’s lift-off and will become fully operational by December in its orbit 23,000 miles above Earth. The satellite represents the first launch of communications satellites based on Eurostar, a modular designed three-axis stabilized satellite platform. The platform was designed jointly by British Aerospace and Matra Espace of France. The satellite operates at L- and C-band frequencies and will provide reliable high-frequency communications for “anyone on the go anywhere on Earth,” as Inmarsat Director of Engineering Almad Ghais puts it.
  
  (Countdown, January 1991; Chronology of KSC and KSC Related Events for 1990, KHR-15, March 1991 – edited)
  

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• #209 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:38
• And the Delta jumped over the Moon
  
  “This is the kind of flight we like – watching that bird go up and doing what it is supposed to do. There aren’t many launchers in the world who can claim 200. Honestly, it’s a thrill for me and the entire Delta launch team.”
  
  - Ray Adams, McDonnell Douglas launch commentator
  
  
  A VENERABLE MILESTONE
  
  A shuttle crew receives a cake before launch. On October 30, 1990, the space community should have provided 200 cakes for the Delta launcher. The familiar name in the space family reached a venerable milestone in its three-decade career on that day. The lift-off of the McDonnell Douglas booster with Inmarsat 2-F1 marked the 200th Delta launch stretching back to 1960.
  
  Thirty years of evolution stood behind Delta 200, poised under a moonlit sky for a 6:16 p.m. launch. If the satellite’s owners, the International Maritime Satellite Organization, had any worries over the launch, they did not come from the Delta’s success rate – 98.5 percent. However, they may have hoped that history did not repeat itself in one instance. The 100th Delta launch on January 18, 1974, failed to place a Skynet communications satellite into orbit.
  
  
  ”Lift-off, exactly on time – with the liquid-fueled Rocketdyne RS-27 engine burning RP-1 kerosene and liquid oxygen… In addition six of the nine solid strap-on motors light at lift-off and burn for 55 seconds… A minute into flight – the remaining three solid boosters start and burn for about a minute…
  
  At four minutes 24.5 seconds, the main engine cuts off, Stage one separation occurs eight seconds later. After coasting for another six seconds, the second stage engine starts. It uses an Aerojet AJ10-118k engine, burning Aerozine-50 and nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer. It also houses the Delta’s inertial guidance system and the computer which provides timing for the sequencing of commands…
  
  The second stage, which can be restarted, first cuts of eleven minutes 17 seconds after lift-off. The stage then restarts 8.5 minutes later, giving a swift, final kick lasting just 15 seconds… A Payload Assist Module, which has also been used aboard the shuttle, acts as a third stage, firing 21 minutes 35 seconds after launch for 2.5 minutes. The Inmarsat satellite separates from the launch vehicle at 43 minutes 45 seconds into the mission…”
  

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• #210 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:38

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• #211 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:41
• DELTA THROUGH THE DECADES
  
  For the last four years the Delta program has had 100 percent reliability, even as the launch rates have been increasing toward one a month. The last failure ironically came in 1986, just three months after the Challenger accident. However, it is due to Challenger that the Delta is flying at all anymore. As the Space Shuttle was being developed in the 1970s, NASA insisted – and the government approved – that the shuttle would become the “National Space Transportation System,” the sole launch vehicle of the United States. All Expendable Launch Vehicles, including the proven Delta, were to be phased out. In 1984, production of Delta rockets came to a halt after 24 years of service, and by the time of the Challenger accident only a handful remained.
  
  After the shuttle accident, President Reagan announced the shuttle would carry no commercial satellites anymore, opening the way for the rebirth of the Delta line. The Air Force played the role of midwife by selecting the Delta as its medium launch vehicle for launching a constellation of navigation satellites. The initial contract to McDonnell Douglas called for the production of twenty upgraded Delta IIs, with launches commencing in 1989. At the same time, the reopening of the production line gave McDonnell Douglas a boost toward marketing the launcher commercially. NASA no longer launches the booster it helped spawn.
   
  Today’s booster actually traces its history back to the Air Force’s Thor missile. The project gained a formal go-ahead in November 1955 as the USAF counterpart to the Army’s Jupiter Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile, designed to deliver a 1.5-megaton warhead distance of 1,600 miles. In December 1955, the Thor contract was awarded to the Douglas Aircraft Company, now merged with McDonnell Aircraft. In just 13 months, the Thor with its distinctive flat-topped nose cone emerged. Its rapid development was accelerated by incorporating it with already-developed systems. For example, its single MB-3 engine, manufactured by Rocketdyne, essentially was a second-generation design taken from the Atlas engine.
  
  The Thor’s inauguration did not hint at the distinguished career ahead of it. On January 25, 1957, the first test vehicle rose a few inches – and exploded. The Thor did not achieve a totally successful flight until the fifth try, which came on September 20, 1957. Success followed rapidly. By eral 1958, Thor had flown its full range. A year later it was declared operational and was deployed in Europe. Even before becoming an operational IRBM, Thor was being transformed into a space launcher by the Air Force.
  
  Upper staged named “Able,” derived from the Vanguard program, were added. The first Thor-Able, with a liquid-fueled second stage, flew on July 9, 1958, on a suborbital test of reentry nose cone designs. By addition of a solid-fueled third stage, the Air Force attempted to launch a Pioneer probe to the Moon. The flight, called Thor-Able 1, ended in failure on August 17, 1958, when the launcher exploded at an altitude of ten miles.
  
  The young space program had not yet developed enough muscle for the Moon. Thor-Able 2, launched October 11, 1958, lofted the partially successful Pioneer 1. The booster failed to provide enough thrust for Pioneer 1 to reach the Moon, but the tiny 84-pound probe did explore space out to an altitude of 70,700 miles, measuring the Van Allen radiation belts. On November 8, 1958, Thor-Able 3 lifted off with Pioneer 2, but only reached an altitude of 1,963 miles, when the third stage failed to start.
  
  Thor’s career as a Moon rocket ended – however, its modification and evolution from an IRBM was just beginning. The Air Force fitted the missile with an Agena-A upper stage and used it for the Discoverer flights which developed reentry capsules for spy satellites. The Air Force continued to use the Thor for a variety of orbital and suborbital missions into the early 1970s. Indeed, the military’s version, which retained the Thor name, reached the 200-flight milestone long before its Delta derivative. In all, the Air Force launched 220 Thors.
  

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• #212 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:43
• NASA’s interest in the booster dates back to January 1959, when it was approved, with a new upper stage, as a launcher for intermediate-weight civilian payloads. The project gained the name Thor-Delta because it came as the fourth – or “D” – derivative of the missile, the Air Force’s Thor-Able, Thor-Able-Star, and Thor-Agena-A being the first three. After a few flights, the name was clipped to simply Delta.
  
  On May 13, 1960, the Thor-Delta’s first mission, to launch an Echo orbiting balloon, ended as had its first try as a missile – in failure. Its new second stage failed. However, soon it was on its way to racking up one of the best reliability records in space history. On August 12, 1960, it successfully launched the Echo 1, a silvery balloon which acted as a crude communications satellite by reflecting radio signals.
  

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• #213 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:49
• From the first launch carrying the 100-pound Echo, the Delta became NASA’s primary launch vehicle for boosting civil communications, weather, and scientific satellites. The design steadily evolved until its Thor heritage became unrecognizable. High water years for the Delta came in 1967 and 1975. In each of those years, a dozen Deltas flew successfully. Before its present revival, the Delta launch rate had trickled down to just one or two a year in the middle 1980s period. Indeed, no Deltas flew in 1985 – the only year that witnessed zero launches.
  
  The revival picked up steam in 1989 with eight Delta launches. McDonnell Douglas has the capacity to launch twelve Delta IIs per year, with about half the flights being commercial and the other half for the Air Force. The Deltas keep moving up and out in larger and more refined versions – and the countdown towards more launch milestones is on. In November of this year, the largest version of the Delta, 7925, will take flight for the first time. Equipped with new solid boosters, the 7925 can loft just over 4,000 pounds to geostationary transfer orbit.
  
  (Countdown, January 1991 – edited)
  
  
  Dear Editor:
  Thanks for the article covering the Delta launch vehicle. The year just past was the most active in terms of orbital launches by the United States since 1978. The Delta launcher was responsible for nearly half of the year’s total. Certainly enough is not written about these versatile machines.
  
  As I’m sure you’re aware, the caption for the photo at the top of page 11 should have been “Delta 138” not “Delta 178.” I remember Delta 178 much too well, as I was an observer at Port Canaveral on the day of its failed launch on May 3, 1986.
  
  Your article states that the Air Force launched 220 Thors. I addition to that total, NASA launched a number of Thors. They were used for several Pioneer, Tiros, Nimbus and OGO missions. The first Canadian satellite, Alouette 1, was also launched by a Thor (Agena) on September 29, 1962, from Vandenberg AFB. I believe that the final total number of Thor orbital launch attempts was close to 240. Thirty or so of those launches were unsuccessful; not bad for a pre-1960 vintage vehicle.
  
  Amazingly, 29 Thors were launched in 1962, with 26 successes. This still stands as the highest annual launch total for a U.S. launch vehicle.
  - Tim Johnson, Chicago, IL
  
  
  Thanks for the correction on the picture caption and the Thor information. By any count, it’s a peck of launches!
  - Dixon P. Otto
  
  (Countdown, February 1991)
  

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• #214 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:50

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• #215 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:50

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• #216 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:51

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• #217 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:52
• October 31: ATLANTIS MAIN ENGINE TEST AT PAD 39A
  A flight readiness test of the three main engines began early this morning. This test includes a total check of the engines’ electrical system and cycling of the engine valves. Closeouts of the aft compartment will begin November 1 and the two “emergency” space suits are scheduled to be installed in the orbiter airlock on November 2. As standard practice, two suits are always flown in the shuttle in case of an unplanned spacewalk during the mission.
  
  Talking about main engines, the first of three SSMEs for the new orbiter Endeavour arrived at Kennedy Space Center today. Engine No. 2032 will be inspected and stored in the Vehicle Assembly Building main engine shop until Endeavour arrives in May of 1991. This engine features the improved controller with a larger capacity memory and upgraded with wire harnesses. (KSC Shuttle Status Report, Oct. 31, 1990 – edited)
  

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• #218 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:54
• CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS: November 1990
  
  “Just as NASA was beginning to roll, the Air Force threw a rock at their plans.”
  
  - Countdown magazine, December 1990
  
  
  BREAKING NEWS: ATLANTIS STS-38 LAUNCH DELAYED DUE TO “CARGO ANOMALIES”
  
  Atlantis' secret military flight next week has been postponed because of problems with a satellite aboard the shuttle that reportedly will spy on Iraq. The Air Force said Wednesday, October 31, it was delaying the November 9 launch "to resolve anomalies discovered during cargo testing." Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Lewonnie Belcher said, “The details are classified and right now it’s too early to declare a new launch date. Sources speaking on condition of anonymity estimated the delay would be one to three weeks.
  
  The delay was disappointing news for NASA, which just last week pronounced Atlantis free of dangerous hydrogen leaks and ready to fly after being grounded during the summer along with Columbia. Columbia passed a leak test as well on Tuesday. NASA managers have not yet decided the question of moving up Columbia’s launch date, but agency spokesman Dave Steltz said, “That’s not to say it won’t be considered this morning (Nov. 1) or later.” Preparations for the Atlantis mission have continued despite the payload problem.
  
  “NASA is working with the Air Force to help resolve the anomalies discovered during cargo testing,” said Shuttle Director Robert Crippen. “Due to the classified nature of the payload, details of the work being conducted cannot be discussed. I am confident that the launch team will resolve the problems so that Atlantis and the STS-38 mission can be launched. At this time, we are continuing to proceed with the schedule to fly STS-38 before STS-35.”
  
  (Deseret News, Nov. 1, 1990; Chronology of KSC and KSC Related Events for 1990, KHR-15, March 1991 – edited)
  
• #219 by Ares67 on 16 Dec, 2016 00:55
• November 1: “PLEASE DO NOT FORGET THE GUEST HOSTAGES”
  Iraq is offering to let relatives visit foreign captives for the holidays, but the White House demanded today that the Baghdad government let them come home instead. Iraq is holding hundreds of Westerners at strategic installations as shields against a feared attack. In letters released today by a U.S. official, two of the captive Americans described their isolation and anxiety. "You can survive. But individually interned, (one) must be psychologically capable of living alone within himself," said one of the letters. It ended with a plea: "Please do not forget the guest hostages." Iraq refers to the captives as guests. The names of the letter-writers were not released for security reasons. The letters were brought to the U.S. Embassy by non-American foreigners, said an official.
  
  President Bush, in a speech in Burlington, Massachusetts, said today the United States and the world community were "united in anger and outrage" at the treatment of hostages by Iraq's "brutal dictator," Saddam Hussein. A spokesman for the Iraqi government insisted Wednesday, October 31, that diplomats in Kuwait and other foreigners in Iraq and Kuwait were "well-treated and all receive good care."
  
  Presidential spokesman Marlin Fitzwater, asked about Iraq's offer to allow holiday visits by families of hostages, said: "Why doesn't he (Saddam) let the hostages come home? That would be the best way - or better yet, Thanksgiving."
  
  The Iraqi offer on Wednesday came just hours after Bush said he was fed up with the treatment of American diplomats in occupied Kuwait. Iraqi troops are trying to starve them out of the U.S. Embassy. Bush said Thursday he still hoped for a peaceful solution to the gulf crisis but insisted "there will be no compromise" on the United Nations demands for a complete withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
  
  The White House, meantime, was silent on comments made Wednesday night by Vice President Dan Quayle, who said it was not enough to force Saddam out of Kuwait. He said the world cannot allow the Iraqi leader to keep his arsenal of chemical weapons and ballistic missiles. "We would have to go beyond that if those objectives would be achieved because you cannot simply allow Saddam Hussein to have this military power and have the technology into the future," the Vice President said in an interview on "The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour."
  
  Meanwhile, a published report today quoted U.S. officials as saying that if there is an allied assault on Kuwait by sea, Iraq plans to blow up several oil tankers. The report in the Washington Times said three tankers are anchored near the Saudi Arabian coast, and there may be others as well. The information was attributed to Pentagon, military and intelligence officials, who were not named. In Washington, oil experts told U.S. lawmakers that the outbreak of war over Iraq's refusal to relinquish Kuwait could triple oil prices to $100 a barrel - causing gasoline prices to rise to $3 a gallon. (Deseret News, Nov. 1, 1990 – edited)