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Date: Fri, 16 Feb 90 01:44:57 -0500 (EST)
Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #52

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 11 : Issue 52

Today's Topics:
	     NASA Headline News for 02/15/90 (Forwarded)
		      Re: Imperial measurements
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Date: 15 Feb 90 22:05:29 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA Headline News for 02/15/90 (Forwarded)

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Thursday, February 15, 1990                   Audio: 202/755-1788
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This is NASA Headline News for Thursday, February 15....


News from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory dominates today's 
headlines.....

Magellan project officials at JPL say the Magellan spacecraft 
heading toward Venus is operating well.  A high-gain antenna 
calibration was completed this week.  Very little activity is 
planned during the remaining cruise phase of the mission.   
Magellan is scheduled to arrive at Venus August 10.  It will 
conduct extensive radar imaging of the Venusian surface.  

Meanwhile, a new radar image of a portion of Venus obtained by 
the Goldstone Radar Facility has been processed at JPL.  It shows 
an egg-shaped surface feature about 740 Miles wide along the 
planet's equator.

And...an image of the Venusian cloud tops taken by the Galileo 
spacecraft last week on the first leg of its flight to Jupiter 
has been released by project officials.  The data was stored in a 
computer and relayed from Galileo to JPL earlier this week.  
Other recorded images will be played back later this year.

And a final note from JPL...everything went well yesterday with 
the photo mission of Voyager 1.  The spacecraft cameras recorded 
64 images of our solar system from a distant of 3.7 billion Miles 
above and beyond our Sun.  All the planets except Mercury which 
is too close to the sun and Pluto which was too far away were 
snapped for the "family portrait". 


Launch managers at Kennedy Space Center report everything is 
going well for the February 22 launch of the Space Shuttle.  Pad 
workers are closing out the aft main engine area today.  The 
STS-36 flight crew arrives at the cape Sunday evening shortly 
after the launch team picks up the countdown at 8:00 P.M., 
Eastern time.   


NASA Administrator Richard Truly will participate in a news 
conference next Tuesday to help kick-off the National Engineer's 
Week 1990 Discover-E program.  The program is designed to 
interest students in a career in engineering.  During the week 
over 5500 engineers will visit junior high schools throughout the 
United States to encourge youngsters to study math and science. 


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Here's the broadcast schedule for public affairs events on NASA 
Select TV.  All times are Eastern.


Wednesday, February 21.....

     11:00 P.M.     Coverage begins of the STS-36 mission launch 
                    only.  Launch is scheduled between midnight 
                    and 4:00 A.M. on Feb. 22. 


Thursday, February 22.....

      1:30 A.M.     NASA Update will be transmitted.


All events and times are subject to change without notice.
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These reports are filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12 noon, 
Eastern time.
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A service of the Internal Communications Branch (LPC), NASA 
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

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Date: 14 Feb 90 17:16:16 GMT
From: bnrgate!bnr-fos!bmers58!pdbain@uunet.uu.net  (Peter Bain)
Subject: Re: Imperial measurements

There is a story about a software contractor who was hired to write
code to calculate range tables for the US Navy.  They used feet for
altitude and statute miles for range.  "No! We're the Navy.  Use
NAUTICAL miles!" the Navy said.  So the contractor changed the code to
use natical miles for the range.  And negative fathoms for the altitude.

     -peter

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End of SPACE Digest V11 #52
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