NASA Daily News Summary
For Release: August 19, 1999
Media Advisory m99-170


Summary:

NASA SELECTS MINIATURE SPACECRAFT TO TEST SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Video File for August 19, 1999


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NASA SELECTS MINIATURE SPACECRAFT TO TEST SPACE TECHNOLOGY

They're each about the size of a large birthday cake, weigh about 
as much as a desktop computer, and are smart enough to fly in 
formation far from Earth while they test new technologies.  They 
are three very small satellites, called the Nanosat Constellation 
Trailblazer mission, and today NASA selected them as the agency's 
latest New Millennium mission.  The mission will validate methods 
of operating several spacecraft as a system, and test eight 
technologies in the harsh space environment near the boundary of 
Earth's protective magnetic field, or magnetosphere. 

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  Donald Savage 
202/358-1547.

For full text, see:
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-095.txt 


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If NASA issues additional news releases later today, we will 
e-mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list.

Index of 1999 NASA News Releases:

     http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html

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Video File for August 19, 1999

Item 1 - NASA Selects Miniature Spacecraft to Test Space 
         Technology - animation and B-roll

Item 2 - New 250,000-pound Hybrid Rocket Motor Tested at Stennis 
         Space Center (replay)

Item 3 - Special Request Feed of Mir space station (replay)

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Video File for August 19, 1999

Item 1 - NASA Selects Miniature Spacecraft to Test Space 
         Technology (animation & B-Roll))

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  Donald Savage 
202/358-1547.
Contact at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD:  Jim
Sahli 301/286-0697.

Item 1a - Miniature Spacecraft to Test Space          TRT:  :25
          Technology (animation)

NASA plans to use very small satellites called Nanosats to test 
new space technology.  The Nanosat category of spacecraft weighs 
approximately 10Kg.  These satellites can dramatically decrease 
weight, size and costs of missions while increasing their science 
capabilities.

Item 1b - Miniature Spacecraft to Test Space          TRT:  2:03
          Technology (animation)

Future missions could deploy hundreds of Nanosats from a single 
launch.  These missions could help us better understand the subtle 
nuances in Earth's magnetosphere.

Item 1c - B-roll                                      TRT:   :60

B-roll of a full-scale model of one three very small satellites, 
called the Nanosat Constellation Trailblazer mission, part of 
NASA's latest New Millennium mission.  They're each about the size 
of a large birthday cake, weigh about as much as a desktop 
computer, and are smart enough to fly in formation far from the 
Earth while they test new technologies.  The mission will validate 
methods of operating several spacecraft as a system, and test 
eight technologies in the harsh space environment near the 
boundary of Earth's protective magnetic field, or magnetosphere.


Item 2 - New 250,000-pound Hybrid Rocket Motor Tested at Stennis 
         Space Center

Contact at NASA Stennis Space Center, Stennis, MS:  Lanee Cooksey 
228/688-3341.
Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  Jim Cast 202/358-
1779.

Item 2a - 250K Engine Tests                           TRT - 1:58

Video shows arrival, installation and test firing of a 250,000 
pound thrust hybrid rocket motor, the largest ever tested at 
NASA's Stennis Space Center, MS. This test, conducted Aug. 13, 
1999, was the first successful long-duration firing of the 250K, a 
rocket similar to the space shuttle boosters.

Item 2b - Interview excerpts: Robert Bruce,           TRT - 1:15
          Test Projects Office Chief

Item 2c - Interview excerpts: Pam Mitchell, Hydrogen  TRT - :59
          Propulsion Technology Manager, Michoud Space Systems


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