NASA Daily News Summary
For Release: Jan. 29, 1999
Media Advisory m99-019


TODAY'S SUMMARY:

VIDEO FILE FOR JAN. 29, 1999

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

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

Index of 1999 NASA News Releases:
http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html

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NASA VIDEO FILE FOR JAN. 29, 1999 -- UPDATED


ITEM 1:  X-33 LAUNCH SITE TEST FROM EDWARDS AIR FORCE 
         BASE, CA
ITEM 2.  LUNAR PROSPECTOR (replay)

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ITEM 1:  X-33 Launch Site Test from Edwards Air Force Base,
         CA
               B-Roll, animation, interviews

     NASA is using spacecraft processing expertise developed 
during its 93 Space Shuttle launches to improve how it will 
ready for flight the reusable launch vehicles (RLV) of the 
future.  This will save time and money. 
     Today NASA tested the Vehicle Positioning System 
(VPS), a new laser-guided system designed to speed up 
turnaround time between RLV flights. NASA engineers at the 
Kennedy Space Center and Lockheed Martin engineers developed 
the VPS.
     The X-33 is a half-scale prototype of Venture Star (TM), 
a reusable launch vehicle being developed by Lockheed Martin. 
RLVs such as Venture Star (TM) will operate much like 
airplanes, but with single-stage-to-orbit capability. This 
type of RLV design could dramatically reduce the cost of 
putting payloads into space from the current $10,000 per 
pound to $1,000 per pound. Such a reduction would make space 
more accessible to industry and researchers. The X-33 will 
make as many as 15 test flights to prove its systems and 
performance.

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  Jim Cast 
202/358-1779.
Contact at NASA Kennedy Space Center, FL:  Joel Wells 
407/867-2468.


ITEM 2.  LUNAR PROSPECTOR (replay)

     Lunar Prospector's orbit over the poles of the Moon will 
be lowered to 19 miles (30 km) at 11:00 PST tonight to give 
its science instruments an unprecedented close-up view of the 
lunar surface for the next six months.  The Discovery Program 
mission completed its one-year main mission in late December 
at an altitude of 63 miles (100 km).
     * Video File Replays
     * New Video File Featuring Interview of Lunar Research 
       Institute's Principal Investigator on the Spacecraft's 
       Latest Maneuver and the Spacecraft's  Future

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  Douglas Isbell 
202/358-1753.
Contact at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA:  
David Morse 650/604-4724.


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

For the most recent NASA Video File Advisory, see:
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt

For general information on NASA Television, see:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

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END OF DAILY NEWS SUMMARY