🚀 go-pugleaf

Aerospace plane project expects to declassify a lot of engine info as part
of upcoming security review.

Discovery [this is old news, obviously] will use one or more wastewater
dumps to study dispersal of the clouds of ice crystals that result.
Previous missions have flown through their own ice clouds several times.

Theater military commanders express strong support for the new Asat
program.

Mark Albrecht, Senate staff member with defense background, named as
staff head of National Space Council.  There is concern that the Council
will not have enough funding to operate effectively; OMB has granted
only $150k this year.

Employees at Italian Space Agency threaten strike over vagueness of
employment terms and inability to get answers; "no one wants to make
decisions".  This is on top of controversy caused by a call for new
astronaut candidates only weeks before final selection of an Italian
payload specialist for the tethered-satellite shuttle mission in 1991;
the announcement was extremely vague.

SDI prepares to launch the Delta Star mission, which will use various
sensors to observe sounding-rocket and satellite launches to gain more
information about rocket plumes and the Earth background.  At least one
shuttle mission will be included in the list of "targets".  Delta Star
is also notable for going from drawing pad to launch in one year.

General Dynamics arranges with European insurers to provide liability
insurance for 15 Atlas launches.

USAF Weapons Lab to build large high-resolution telescope for optical
tracking and optical compensation research.  Two other telescopes,
already part of the "Starfire" optical range, will move to the same
site near Albuquerque.  The main telescope will be a 3.5m reflector,
with  mirror spin-cast by U of Arizona.  U of A is happy about this
because USAF financial support will permit improving facilities and
speeding up delivery of other mirrors meant for astronomical telescopes.
-- 
Mars in 1980s:  USSR, 2 tries, |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
2 failures; USA, 0 tries.      | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu