April 5, 1982

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Avionics

U. S. to Launch Insat Satellite for India

Palo Alto, Calif. —Multiservice satellite to be launched for India from Kennedy Space Center Apr. 8 — 14 months later than initially planned—is the first in a series intended to provide that nation with a hitherto untried combination of domestic telecommunications and meteorological and direct broadcast television services from a single geostationary space platform.

By Benjamin M. Elson13 min

Shuttle Mission 3

Space Shuttle Completes Its Third Mission

White Sands Missile Range, N. M.— Space shuttle Columbia followed a different ground track from previous missions and glided to the isolated Northrup Strip here in south-central New Mexico to cap its extended third mission in space with a successful landing on the compacted gypsum runway.

Shuttle Mission 3

Harsh Environment Encountered On Third Flight of Shuttle

Johnson Space Center—Space shuttle orbiter successfully endured environmental extremes more severe during the third flight than it is expected to encounter in operational service. The mission was completed with sufficient reserves to have permitted Columbia to fly at least two days beyond the unscheduled extra day the spacecraft remained in orbit because of unacceptable visibility and turbulence at its prime landing site.

Aeronautical Engineering

Forward-Swept-Wing Aircraft Advances

Bethpage, N. Y.—Grumman Aerospace Corp. has begun construction of the first of two full-scale X-29A forward-sweptwing technology demonstrators for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency using elements of existing aircraft to keep development time and cost to a minimum.

By Keith F. Mordoff5 min

Editorial

Landsat: Private or Public?

A Senate science, technology and space subcommittee hearing last week designed to throw the spotlight on some pressing public policy questions in its cognizance turned into an example instead of the kinds of troubles space science and applications is having.

By William H. Gregory4 min

March 291982

April 121982

April 5, 1982

April 5, 1982

Thrust Reduction Cited in 727 Accident