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October 17, 1991
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NASA Deputy Administrator J.R. Thompson
Thompson to Resign From NASA Nov. 8
NASA Deputy Administrator J.R. Thompson submitted his resignation to the President last month effective Nov. 8 due to personal circumstances. Thompson became NASA's deputy administrator July 6, 1989.
Thompson said, “I consider the last several years a highlight of my career with the agency. I have tremendous respect for the men and women of NASA who today lead the world in aeronautics and the exploration of space. Their collective achievements are unmatched anywhere in the world.”
He continued, ‘‘It has been a great privilege for me to serve under the leadership of President Bush, Vice President Quayle and NASA Administrator Richard Truly. Their strong support of America's civil space program and vision of the future command the admiration of all of us.”
Thompson is an internationally-recog-nized propulsion expert. He entered federal service in 1963 at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) as an engineer. After managing the Space Shuttle Main Engine project, Thompson was named MSFC associate director of engineering in 1982.
In 1983, Thompson joined Princeton University. However, he responded to a call to rejoin NASA in 1986 as MSFC director.
As deputy administrator, he spearheaded efforts to improve program management and upgrade institutional capabilities. Thompson also fought aggressively for a balanced civil aeronautics and space program.
NASA Administrator Truly said, ‘‘Our nation owes a profound measure of gratitude to J.R. Thompson. His brilliance, dedication and untiring efforts have been instrumental to the success of America’s space program.”
Important Findings
Gamma Ray Observatory
NASA announced that the Gamma Ray Observatory, deployed April 7, was renamed in honor of the Nobel Prize-winning American physicist Dr. Arthur Holly Compton. The new official name of the 17-ton orbiting spacecraft is the Arthur Holly Compton Gamma Ray Observatory or Compton Observatory.
The Compton Observatory was designed to study gamma rays, an invisible, high-energy form of radiation. Its instruments are used by scientists to study gamma ray sources such as black holes, cosmic gamma ray bursts, solar flares and quasars.
Dr. Compton's (1892-1962) groundbreaking series of experiments on the interaction of high-energy radiation and matter demonstrated the wave/particle duality of nature. His findings played a key role in the development of modern physics.
In the late 1930s, Compton conducted comprehensive studies of cosmic rays. Interactions of cosmic rays with interstellar gas are an important source of the gamma rays that the Compton Observatory is studying. His work provided significant clues to our present understanding of many of the basic physical processes that create gamma radiation.
Among the most significant findings from the Compton Observatory and its instruments to date were the results announced by NASA's Dr. Gerald Fishman.
He is the principal investigator for the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) designed to study the mysterious phenomenon of gamma ray bursts.
Before the mission, the prevailing belief was that the bursts come from neutron stars which are concentrated in the disc of the galaxy. However, BATSE has determined that they come uniformly from all directions throughout the sky and therefore cannot come from neutron stars.
The BATSE results indicate that either the bursts come from some exotic small objects very near to our solar system or they come from some extremely powerful distant objects located beyond our galaxy.
The Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope outlined the discovery of a strong gamma ray signal from the distant quasar 3C279. This quasar is about six billion light years away, the most distant gamma ray source ever detected.
The Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment captured the best ever observation of the glow of gamma ray radiation from the disc of our galaxy.
The Compton Observatory is the second of four planned in NASA’s Great Observatories program.
from Two Missions
Spacelab Life Sciences-1
Preliminary results from the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1) mission, flown in June, point to strong scientific discoveries. Indications are that the mission has provided new technology, offered first-time direct measurements and validated ground-based models. The findings are relevant to the health of spaceflight crews as well as important clinical problems.
Consistent with findings from similar experiments, white blood cell responsiveness, which helps the body fight infections, decreased. However, scientists observed that function can be increased twofold with the use of microcarriers—small glass beads—that promote cell interaction, which is essential for normal functioning.
Preliminary findings from the blood volume study show that within the first 24 hours of spaceflight, the volume of blood decreases by more than 10 percent. The redistribution of blood that occurs during spaceflight causes the blood volume to be less than optimal upon return to Earth. Readaptation results from an increase in plasma volume over several hours and red blood cell mass over a few days.
For the first time, the kidney's role in compensating for weightlessness was studied. Preliminary analysis shows very early changes occur in body compartment analysis and hormone results. Scientists say the importance of the renal involvement in blood volume and pressure control must now be considered in the assessment of the crew’s health status.
Direct and continuous measurement of central venous pressure produced unexpected results suggesting that much of the cardiovascular adaptation to space occurs on the launch pad and during launch.
The lung function was thought to be gravity-dependent; that is on Earth, the air flow goes more to the upper lung with blood flow greater at the bottom. Scientists expected that this imbalance would disappear in a weightless environment. However, it was retained in space. The inference is that the distribution of air and blood flow is not gravity dependent; scientists will have to look for other explanations to this phenomena.
The jellyfish, flown for the first time, metamorphosed from polyps to ephyrae in space. Space-formed jellyfish and ground-based controls are being studied in detail to determine whether there are differences in their structure or behavior.
SLS-1 scientists will continue to review data collected during the mission. Investigations will be continued in the SLS-2 mission scheduled for mid-1993.