Sky & Telescope February 1985 [antikvár]

A Visitor s Guide to NASANASA Headquarters400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, D. C. 20546 Administrator: James M. Beggs Annual budget: $7.5 billion (fiscal 1985) Origin: NASA was created by Congress in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) as America's civilian flight-research agency. Public information office: 202-453-8400 Past and current projects: From its Washington headquarters, NASA manages 12 field centers and five program offices: aeronautics and space technology, space science and applications, commercial programs, space tracking and data systems, and space flight. It controls virtually all civilian space activity in the United States, and its next major program is expected to be a manned orbiting space station.Tours and tips: NASA's three headquarters buildings are public but purely administrative. Recently added security measures will make it difficult to get inside without an appointment to see a specific individual, though the hallways are lined with many original works of art depicting space-exploration themes. A better bet would be to spend an entire day across the street at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, where NASA's triumphs are showcased for all to see.Ames Research CenterMoffett Field, California 94035 Public information office: 415-694-5091 Origin: Moffett Field Laboratory, whichbegan operating in 1941, conducted wartime research on aircraft structures for NACA. Renamed in 1944 for aerodynamics expert Joseph Ames, the center became part of NASA in 1958.Past and current projects: ARC developed the Pioneer spacecraft series, including Pioneers 10 and 11, which are now headed out of the solar system. The center's mammoth wind tunnels, as well as its management of the Diyden Flight Research Facility, support extensive studies of state-of-the-art aeronautical designs, particularly short and vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Ames is also the home of several NASA research aircraft, including the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. Other views of ARC appear on page 350 of last October's issue.Tours and tips: Ames' location on Moffett Field means you will have to pass through a security gate to get on the base. Tours of this "city of wind tunnels" are available during the week, but call 415-694-5091 in advance; large groups should contact the center two months in advance. The I'A- to 2-hour walking tours include a short orientation film and visits to a wind tunnel, a human centrifuge, and the experimental-aircraft hangar.Dryden Flight Research Facmi7P. O. Box 273, Edwards, California 93523Public affairs office: 805-258-8381Origin: A handful of engineers and technicians set up NACA's Muroc Flight Test Unit in 1946 in the high desert north of Los Angeles. By 1954, the unit had be-Headquarters in Washington, D. C., the center of NASA's universe.come the High Speed Flight Station, and it was incorporated into NASA in 1958.Past and current projects: Located on Edwards Air Force Base (home of the Right StufO, DFRF's advanced aeronautical research has included flight testing of X-series aircraft and the development of fly-by-wire computer control systems. It is a backup landing site for the Space Shuttle.Tours and tips: Tours begin promptly at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekdays; call 805-258-3311 for information. Following a half-hour film titled "X-1 to the Space Shuttle," and a stop at test pilot Joe Walker's X-IE, visitors are taken to the hangars where some of the many aircraft involved in active research programs may be seen. Depending on what is flying and what is on the ground, you may see an F-8 used for shuttle training, a new X-29 with forward-swept wings, the only remaining B-52B, a small squadron of F-104's, an F-lll, a prototype F-18A, or a modest Piper Commanche used for remote-control pilot training. The tour ends at the small museum-gift shop. In addition, of course, there's always the legendary Rogers Dry Lake, where high-fliers from Chuck Yea-ger to Sally Ride have returned to Earth.Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland 20771Public information office: 301-344-6255Origin: Authorized by Congress in August, 1958, dedicated May 1, 1959, and named for American rocket pioneer Robert H. Goddard.Past and current projects: GSFC has managed or supported the launch of most of the free worid's satellites, also developing over one third of the scientific experiments flown on these spacecraft. Today the center conducts research programs in Earth sciences, space applications, and spacecraft-tracking technology. Goddard also manages the National Space Science Data Center and the Wallops Flight Facility (see separate entry).Tours and tips: The visitor center offers replicas of several Earth satellites, such as the International Ultraviolet Explorer, as well as a Moon rock and spacesuits. Visitors can hear their voices "bounced" off an orbiting satellite and can view Robert Goddard memorabilia in a special room devoted to the rocket pioneer. Tours include the center's global communication facility, the computer center where satellite orbits are calculated, clean rooms and test areas for space instruments, and a mock-up of the shuttle cargo bay. For tour information, call 301-344-8101.