NASA Daily News Summary
For Release: Dec. 1, 1998
Media Advisory 98-86

TODAY'S SUMMARY:

**********
NASA Announces Research Grants in Microgravity Biotechnology
Cameras Aid San Francisco Airport Weather Reports
NASA Selects Litton/PRC For NASA Sounding Rocket Program
STS-88 Launch Scheduled for Dec. 3, 1998

NASA Video File for Dec. 1, 1998

**********
CAMERAS AID SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT WEATHER REPORTS

     New digital video cameras installed by NASA at the San Carlos, CA, airport 
control tower, are helping to better report current weather conditions for aircraft 
landing at San Francisco International Airport, some 10 miles away.

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC :  Michael Braukus 202-358-
1979

Full text available at:
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1998/98-218.txt

^^^^^^

NASA ANNOUNCES RESEARCH GRANTS IN MICROGRAVITY 
BIOTECHNOLOGY

NASA has selected 48 researchers to receive grants totaling approximately $33 
million to conduct microgravity bitotechnology research.  Forty of the grants are 
to conduct ground-based research, while the remaining eight are flight definition 
efforts.

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC :  Renee N. Juhans 202-358-
1712

Full text available at:
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1998/98-217.txt

^^^^^^
STS-88 LAUNCH COUNT DOWN STARTED ON SCHEDULE

STS-88 launch count down started on schedule yesterday at 7 am.  NASA 
Shuttle managers have set Thursday, Dec. 3 as the launch date for STS-88, the 
first shuttle mission in the assembly of the International Space Station.  The night 
time launch, at approximately 4;00 a.m. will be spectacular sight in the skies over 
the Kennedy Space Center

http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-88/countdown.html

^^^^^
If any news releases are issued later today, summaries and Internet URLs will be 
e-mailed to this list.

Index of NASA News Releases:
http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1998/index.html

**********

Video File for December 1, 1998

ITEM 1:STS-88 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION B-ROLL (re-play)
    Footage includes mission animation detailing the orbital 
mating of Unity and Zarya, completed Station animation, 
spacewalkers training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, past 
spacewalks, and hardware preparation.
    Contact at Johnson Space Center:    James Hartsfield 281/483-5111
    Contact at  Headquarters:    Dwayne Brown 202/358-1726

ITEM 2:    STS-88 CREW INTERVIEWS (replay)
        Contact at Johnson Space Center:    Doug Peterson 281/483-5111

ITEM 3:     NASA CAMERAS TO IMPROVE AIRCRAFT LANDING EFFICIENCY
     Air traffic controllers are now able to land aircraft more effeciently at San 
Francisco International Airport thanks to new digital video cameras installed by 
NASA at the San Carlos airport control tower, some 10 miles away.
    Contact at Ames Research Center:  Mike Mewhinney 650/604-3937
    Contact at Headquarters:  Mike Braukus 202/358-1979

ITEM 4     NASA NAMES ISS LABORATORY MODULE
    Highlights of the ceremony where in Space Station Senior Managers unveiled 
the name of the U.S. lab module.
    Contact at Johnson Space Center:    James Hartsfield 281/483-5111
    Contact at Headquarters:        Dwayne Brown 202/358-1726

^^^^^
The NASA Video File normally airs at noon, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 
p.m. and midnight Eastern time.  NASA Television is available 
on GE-2, transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, with 
vertical  polarization.  Frequency is on 3880.0 megahertz, 
with audio on 6.8 megahertz.

Ray Castillo
NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  202/358-4555.

The most recent NASA Video File Advisory can be found at:
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt

**********

CONTRACT AWARDS

NASA SELECTS LITTON/PRC FOR NASA SOUNDING ROCKET PROGRAM

     NASA has selcted Litton/PRC of McLean, VA, to perform services for a new 
contract which consolidates several previous service and supply contracts and 
other work supporting NASA's Sounding Rocket Program.

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC :  Don Savage 202-358-1727

NASA contract awards are posted to:
http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/award.html

**********

The NASA Daily News Summary is issued at approximately 2:00  
p.m. Eastern time on business days when news releases, new 
Video File material or live events are scheduled.  Members of 
the news media who wish to subscribe to or unsubscribe from 
this list should send an e-mail message to:

brian.dunbar@hq.nasa.gov

**********

END OF DAILY NEWS SUMMARY