For Release: Immediately
Release No. 97-034
NASA Langley Story Opportunities - May 1997
LATEST SPACE SPIN-OFF - COMPOSITE PISTONS.NASA has
granted a California company the first license to use a tough,
space-age material to make high-performance pistons for internal
combustion engines. A carbon-carbon composite will maintain its
strength and stiffness at operating temperatures well above 2,500
degrees Fahrenheit and has nearly zero thermal expansion. Other
potential applications include oilless pistons for natural gas
pumps; and recreational vehicle engines for snowmobiles,
motorcycles, hovercraft and jet-skis. Interviews, photos and video
B-roll are available.
Public Affairs Contact:Keith Henry (757) 864-6120
X-34 WIND TUNNEL TESTING.A model of the X-34, a
technology demonstrator for NASA's Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)
development efforts, was tested in Langley's Low Turbulence
Pressure Tunnel to simulate the low-speed final approach to
landing. Tests also have been completed in Langley's 16-Foot
Transonic Tunnel to obtain aerodynamic characteristics near the
speed of sound (Mach 1.0). The X-34 will be a suborbital vehicle
launched from an L-1011 airplane, reaching altitudes up to 250,000
feet and speeds up to Mach 8. The X-34 will help demonstrate
low-cost launch vehicle flight operations and provide a testbed for
RLV technology component tests. Testing of various X-34 models will
continue through the summer and fall. Interviews, photos and video
B-roll are available.
NASA HQ Public Affairs Contact: Jim Cast (202)
358-1779
NASA Langley Public Affairs Contact:Ann Gaudreaux (757)
864-8150
X-33 WIND TUNNEL TESTING: The media is invited to view
selected X-33
wind tunnel testing.Tunnel testing for various X-33 models is
scheduled through mid-July. Interviews, photos and video B-roll are
available.
NASA HQ Public Affairs Contact: Jim Cast (202)
358-1779
NASA Langley Public Affairs Contact: Ann Gaudreaux (757)
864-8150
Lockheed Martin Public Affairs Contact: Jerry Rising
(805) 572-3190
80TH ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE AND TOURS. NASA Langley is
celebrating its 80th anniversary with an open house July 19 and
bi-monthly tours through December. NASA Langley's 80th anniversary
coincides with the 50th anniversary of supersonic flight, an
achievement in which Langley played a key role. Tour information,
interviews, photos, fact sheets and video B-roll are available.
Public Affairs Contact:Keith Henry (757) 864-6120
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Coming News:
June:The Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites
(MAPS) instrument is scheduled to be attached to the
Russian space station Mir. MAPS will study global carbon
monoxide pollution for one year. Contact: Catherine
Watson (757) 864-6122
July:When the Mars
Pathfinder probe enters the Martian atmosphere on
July 4, it will do so using information provided by
engineers at NASA Langley. NASA Langley engineers also helped
develop the flight software and design Pathfinder's heat shield. As
a member of the Pathfinder team, a NASA Langley engineer will be in
the control room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to oversee the
entry phase of the mission. Contact: Catherine Watson (757)
864-6122
July:The Mesosphere-Thermosphere Emissions for Ozone
Remote Sensing
(METEORS) instrument will be launched into the
Earth's upper atmosphere from the White Sands Missile Range.
The METEORS data will be used to better design a satellite
instrument that is scheduled to fly early in 2000. Contact:
Catherine Watson (757) 864-6122
September: During a space walk, STS-86 astronauts will
retrieve the Mir Environmental Effects Payload
(MEEP) from the Mir space station. MEEP was
attached to Mir in March 1996 (during STS-76) to study the types
and effects of space debris in low Earth orbit. Contact:
Catherine Watson (757) 864-6122
November:The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System
(CERES) instrument is scheduled for launch aboard the
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite via a Japanese
rocket. CERES will provide global data on the Earth's clouds and
energy budget as part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth
program. Contact: Catherine Watson (757) 864-6122
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