Need a special petroleum sulfonate? Consider Witco Chemical's vast experience. Witco Chemical's Sonneborn Division has been the prime producer of petroleum sulfonates for many years. (We market them under the trade name Petronate®.) In the last three decades, our Sonneborn Division's research has made tremendous strides in the production and planned modification of petroleum sulfonates as well as in new industrial applications of these versatile compounds. We manufacture the broadest range of top-quality oil and water soluble petroleum sulfonates and specialized sulfonate blends in the world. Each one of them is derived from carefully selected raw materials. Up-to-date processing techniques are used to provide the utmost in functionality, ease of handling and economy. Many special formulations are also available and new ones -are often designed to overcome specific problems. Soif you need a special petroleum sulfonate, consider the petroleum sulfonate pioneer ...Witco Chemical.
Quality sulfonates: yesterday, today and tomorrow. Ch£mW?al
277 Park Avenue,
Sonneborn Division New York, N.Y. 10017.
DSend technical data on sulfonates. • Have sales representative call. Name: Company: Address: City: State· 28
Zip:
CIRCLE 21 ON READER SERVICE CARD C&EN Jan. 22, 1973
science, technology, and medicine will be of incalculable value. For example, detailed studies of atomic and molecular structure should be possible. In communications, x-ray lasers could carry much more information than optical lasers and should be less susceptible to weather conditions. According to some experts, it should be possible to focus an x-ray laser beam to a diameter of 1 A. Such a thin beam would be invaluable in cancer therapy and in building integrated circuits.
Space industry hopes tied to space shuttle With Apollo 17 safely in the barn, and Skylab on target the biggest space effort on the books is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's space shuttle. Though still at the mercy of the budget, the shuttle has been given the green light and on it rides the hopes of the space industry. Some observers believe that the very existence of the space industry hangs on the success of the shuttle. In Washington, D.C., last week, that portion of the space industry represented by the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics offered at the institute's annual meeting its assessment of the shuttle program and the future of the space business. The industry is less than euphoric about the shuttle program, considers it the minimum possible program, and points to a major flaw in the lack of a space tug. As lean as the shuttle program may be it does keep alive space industry hopes with a scenario that runs through the 1980's. To date there have been about 600 launches by the U.S. at a cost of about $60 billion. The AI A A report projects about 300 non-Soviet launches of all kinds during the balance of the 1970's. If they maintain their current pace, the Soviets will make another 400 launches during the same period. According to the AIAA report, the 1980's will see a "more pragmatic" program of space exploration instead of the spectaculars of the 1960's. A growing interest by the United Nations will also lend a more international character to space exploration and utilization, with particular benefit to developing countries. Present programs of scientific and engineering interest will be strengthened, with some of them being transferred to orbital laboratories. The principal function of space transportation systems through the 1980's will be to deliver payloads into geocentric orbits. Corollary functions will be to visit these payloads for maintenance, repair, and replacement as required. Some payloads will be placed in interplanetary orbits. About 40% of the payloads in the current plans are to be placed in orbits from 185 km. to 500 km. in altitude. The remaining 60% of the payloads will
go into high earth orbits, with altitudes of about 35,000 km. A major problem, which the AIAA report believes will not be solved with present NASA plans, is transferring men and equipment between low and high earth orbits. AIAA suggests that an interorbital transfer stage, or "space tug," be developed at the same time as the space shuttle. Current NASA-shuttle specifications indicate that the shuttle will have a payload of 65,000 pounds contained in a bay 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. It is intended to operate between the earth's surface and low orbits. The most advanced launch vehicles now available are the Saturn V and the Titan III. Although satisfactory for their designed use, they are completely expendable. So NASA has been authorized to develop partially re-usable launchers. These constitute the space shuttle system. The booster stage of the shuttle consists of two recoverable solid propellant rocket motors. The main stage is a liquid fuel rocket attached to the shuttle vehicle containing the payload. The shuttle vehicle, or orbiter, can be used 100 times or more. The main stage rocket motor is not recoverable. After completing its mission in orbit, the orbiter re-enters the atmosphere with its return payload and glides to an unpowered landing much like a conventional airplane. Once the present shuttle orbiter is operational, development of a recoverable main stage might be consistent with future mission requirements. The main stage is not recoverable because of budget limitations that do not permit the necessary design and development costs in present plans. AIAA says that there appear to be no insurmountable technical problems in the current NASA-shuttle program. However, there are three areas where development work should be concentrated in the next few years. These are materials required for thermal protection during re-entry, liquid propellants for the orbiter's main stage, and operation of the solid boosters, including their ocean recovery. The fact that all projected launch areas are located away from public access precludes any detrimental effect on the public. Also, the low frequency of launches ensures that there will be virtually no long-term buildup of anything that might constitute an environmental hazard. Historically, because launch costs are the most important, every satellite has been optimized for low mass, low volume, and high performance. With the shuttle system, mass and volume constraints will be nonexistent for many missions and it will be possible to optimize the payload for reliability and long life. Whatever the economic advantages of the re-usable shuttle system, the AIAA assessment is that the principal benefit of the shuttle is the continuation of a strong U.S. space program.
