NASA safety center releases initial reports
Posted: Sun, May 16, 2004, 12:40 PM ET (1640 GMT)
An independent safety center established by NASA partially in response to the Columbia accident last year has released its initial set of reports. NASA's Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), located at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia, performed four "Pathfinder" studies of various NASA programs in its first six months, only one of which was related to the space shuttle program. In that study, the center studied whether grease used in gears in the shuttle's rudder speed brakes would lose its effectiveness over time; the study found that the grease still worked properly. Other studies looked at concerns involving the aerodynamic properties of the X-43A, a hypersonic test vehicle that performed its first successful test flight in March; leaks of propellant in the CALIPSO earth science spacecraft currently under development; and issues of staffing and instrumentation on the Mars Exploration Rovers project. NESC has received 49 requests for studies of various NASA programs since its creation, and center officials said requests are now being received at the rate of 200 per year.
An independent safety center established by NASA partially in response to the Columbia accident last year has released its initial set of reports. NASA's Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), located at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia, performed four "Pathfinder" studies of various NASA programs in its first six months, only one of which was related to the space shuttle program. In that study, the center studied whether grease used in gears in the shuttle's rudder speed brakes would lose its effectiveness over time; the study found that the grease still worked properly. Other studies looked at concerns involving the aerodynamic properties of the X-43A, a hypersonic test vehicle that performed its first successful test flight in March; leaks of propellant in the CALIPSO earth science spacecraft currently under development; and issues of staffing and instrumentation on the Mars Exploration Rovers project. NESC has received 49 requests for studies of various NASA programs since its creation, and center officials said requests are now being received at the rate of 200 per year.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Starship explodes during preparations for static-fire test
Posted: Sun, Jun 22 6:52 AM ET (1052 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, June 22
Detection of semi-heavy water ice around young sunlike star
Netherlands Research School for Astronomy — 5:10 pm ET (2110 GMT) New Global Research Center a Rosetta Stone for Understanding the Universe at All Scales
Institute for Advanced Study — 5:09 pm ET (2109 GMT) A New GPS for the Intergalactic Medium: Astronomers Have Found the Home Address for Universe's "Missing" Matter
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics — 5:08 pm ET (2108 GMT) ESA’s Proba-3 mission captures first images of the solar corona using an artificial eclipse created by two satellites
Sener — 5:06 pm ET (2106 GMT) Spaceport America and the Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance Join Forces Through a Collaborative MOU
Spaceport America — 5:04 pm ET (2104 GMT) |
