[Since Henry didn't get his copy, I have summarized it instead.]
Cover Story: General Dynamics manned lunar proposal.
Japan and Germany are planning a 5-day material science experiment on a M-3S-2 launcher.
Space Station Freedom thrusters begin developmental test firings.
NASA is happy that DoD has declassified most of their Shuttle missions. DoD is happy that unclassified missions are much cheaper to run.
French space industry continues to grow, as the rest of aerospace is stagnant or declining.
Endeavour launched on STS-54. TDRS-6 deployed, problems with DXS. [You already know lots about this mission.]
GD prepares for Atlas-Centaur return to flight in March. [It hasn't flown yet.] It is believed that two recent Centaur RL-10 failures are due to ice in the LOX turbopump. A solenoid is being added to prevent air getting in and freezing on the blades. GD also wants to sell a single-engine Centaur with a bigger RL-10, as it would be cheaper, more reliable and lighter than the current two-engine version. GD hopes for 5-7 launches in 1993.
Sources say that the Optus B2 Long March launch failure was caused by the Long March shroud failing, and suspect faulty work when it was opened and resealed before launch. China continues to deny blame. [It still is.]
Proposals to use GNSS (GPS and Glonass) in air transport for air traffic control.
GD lunar proposal for a $10-13 billion project, leading to a manned lunar mission in 2000. The goal is a "high-profile, ambitious space project for the next decade," i.e., a splashy PR stunt.
The basic idea is to launch a Titan 4 or Ariane 5 carrying a Centaur as the escape stage. (It would have one 35Klb RL-10, instead of the two 15Klb RL-10s on current Centaurs.) This would then dock in-orbit with a Shuttle carrying a lunar excursion vehicle, with landing legs and 35Klb of cryogenics for descent, ascent and return to Earth. The first two flights would deliver 9.7 metric tons of hardware each, with a 2-man crew on the third flight riding a modernized Apollo capsule.
NASA mumbles about the proposal, saying it's interesting, but Mars is the priority. Also, they are worried about weight and having cryogenics in the payload bay. [This is ostensibly why Shuttle-Centaur was canceled after STS-51L.]
HST returns lots of good data, despite the mirror aberration. A supernova shock wave, a double galactic nucleus and a young planetary nebular are mentioned.
COBE far-infrared results support a simple big bang, without "after shocks."