Administration

1993 · réf. 80330 — Washington DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration 1993. Presumed First Edition First printing. Wraps. Good. 2 ii 111 1 pages. Map. 13 Appendices. Index. Includes Executive Summary; Space Launch Activities; Space Science; Space Flight and Space Technology; Space Communications; Aeronautical Activities; Studies of the Planet Earth; Other Aeronautical and Space Activities; and Glossary. The annual "President's Report" is a good summary of the Government's aerospace activities each year. Mandated by law it contains information on aerospace activities conducted by 14 Federal departments and agencies as well as appendices containing useful historical data on spacecraft launches and budget figures. The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 directed that the annual Aeronautics and Space Report include a "comprehensive description of the programmed activities and the accomplishments of all agencies of the United States in the field of aeronautics and space activities during the preceding calendar year." This year's report has been prepared on a fiscal year basis which is consistent with the budgetary period now used in programs of the Federal Government. This report presents a fascinating snapshot of the U.S. space activities toward the end of the 20th Century. Fiscal Year FY 1992 was a significant one for U.S. aeronautics and space efforts. It included seven Space Shuttle missions and 14 Government launches of Expendable Launch Vehicles ELVs carrying a variety of payloads ranging from NASA missions to classified payloads. In addition there were eight launches of ELVs by commercial launch service providers operating under licenses issued by the Department of Transportation's Office of Commercial Space Transportation. On December 71991 the Air Force achieved initial launch capability for the new Atlas I1 launch vehicle in a commercial launch by General Dynamics with support from the Air Force. The other ELV missions launched four Navstar Global Positioning System two Defense Satellite Communications System and one Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellites as well as two classified payloads and four NASA spacecraft. The Shuttle missions included one using the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science ATLAS-1 to study the Sun and our atmosphere as well as the first flight of the newest orbiter Endeavour which rendezvoused with retrieved and replaced the perigee kick motor of the INTELSATVI F-3 satellite that the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization INTELSAT controllers then deployed into its intended orbit. In aeronautics efforts have ranged from development of new civil and military aircraft and technologies to research and development of ways to reduce aircraft noise and improve flight safety and security. A key environmental effort in FY 1992 was monitoring ozone depletion. One of the major Earth science highlights of the year was finding that like the ozone layer over the Antarctic regions with its well documented annual depletion the ozone layer in the Northern Hemisphere is increasingly vulnerable to depletion by synthetic chemicals. Several Federal agencies have cooperated to study this and other environmental problems so we can improve the prospects for future generations who will inhabit the Earth. The budgets for aeronautics and space-distributed among 14 different Federal agencies have promoted important advances in the Nation's scientific and technical knowledge promising to enhance the quality of life on Earth through improved scientific understanding provide a more viable economy and healthier environment and ensure we live in a safer world. National Aeronautics and Space Administration paperback