Frontier Status 214

August 4, 2000

by Dale M. Gray

Frontier Historical Consultants

After months of frantic launches, the first week of August saw no space flights. While the major players are prepared for the next round of flights, governments and businesses have been adapting to the changing times. Lockheed Martin finished its plans to acquire Comsat. Iridium's hopes dim further. US considers a North Korean offer to drop missile development in exchange for satellite launches. Japan is putting plans for its own shuttle on hold.

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Highlights of the week of August 4 include:

Zvezda assumes control of the International Space Station
Soyuz prepared for launch of ISS-bound Progress
Hope X shuttle program put on hold
Space Cowboys premiers
Iridium savior backs out
Lockheed Martin completes Comsat purchase
SETI radio telescope gets major funding
Sea Launch Zenit places PAS-9 in orbit (week of September 28).

SHUTTLE

Atlantis

Preparations were underway this week to move Atlantis from the Orbiter Preparation Facility Bay 3 (OPF Bay 3) to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) high bay 1. Transfer will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Monday. At the VAB, it will be mated with its external tank and solid rocket boosters. Roll-out to Pad 39B is slated for August 14 with launch on STS-106 (ISS Flight 2A.2B) on September 8 (NASA).

Discovery

Discovery is in OPF Bay 1 where preparations are being made to close its payload bay doors. The orbiter is slated for transfer to the VAB on August 21. Launch is currently scheduled for October 5 (NASA).

Endeavor

The Shuttle Endeavor is in OPF Bay 2. This week it was outfitted with its left hand orbiter maneuvering system pod. Wireless video modifications continue (NASA).

ISS

Following last week's successful docking of the Zvezda Service Module with the orbiting elements of the International Space Station, the ISS has become the third brightest light in the night sky. Contol of the three component, 60-ton station has been successfully transferred to the Zvezda Service Module. Controllers are now preparing for the August 8 docking of a Progress supply vessel due to be launched on August 6 ( NASA; Spaceflight Now).

CSM

Boeing and Khrunichev have announced plans to build a Commercial Space Module (CSM). The privately funded CSM would be based on the back-up Zarya module and would deliver up to 3,000 kg of cargo to the International Space Station. Once docked, the module could be used in a variety of ways including: storage, crew quarters, multimedia, scientific and communications. The module could be ready for launch on a Proton as early as mid-2002. The module, while not directly competing with the Energia / SpaceHab Enterprise module, would create a shortage of docking ports. The Universal Docking Module will allow both private modules to be attached to the station, but at present is not slated to fly until 2003, a year after both commercial modules (SpaceViews).

Enermedia

Space Media Inc. has formed a multimedia partnership with RSC Energia to develop multimedia content from the Russian Service Module and the Russian Space Program archives. The new company has been named Enermedia LLC. Space Media is a subsidiary of SpaceHab. Together SpaceHab and Energia are constructing the Enterprise commercial module for the ISS (Space Media PR; Spaceflight Now).

LAUNCHES

Sea Launch

>From a location on the Equator in the remote Pacific Ocean, a Zenit 3SL rocket was successfully launched by the Sea Launch venture on July 28 at 6:42 p.m. EDT. The two-stage rocket featured a Blok DM upper stage attached to the PanAmSat-9 telecommunications satellite. This was the first launch of the Sea Launch system since the March 12 failure, which resulted in the loss of the first ICO Global satellite. From its 58 degree West longitude orbital slot, PAS-9 will provide video, data and Internet services to the Americas and western Europe. The 3,650 kg Hughes HS 601HP satellite has 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders. The next Sea Launch flight is slated for September 18 (Interfax reports an October launch date) with a Thuraya Satellite payload (Interfax; Spaceflight Now).

(Editor's note: The launch of PAS-9 should have appeared in the July 28, 2000 edition of Frontier Status. Because of a one-week hiatus in publication, the launch was included in this week's edition to assist in archival research.)

LAUNCH SYSTEMS

Hope X

The Japanese mini-Shuttle, Hope-X, has been put on hold. Development of the unmanned 20-ton shuttle is four years behind schedule and will now be "frozen for the time being". The shuttle was to be launched on the Japanese H-2 rocket, a program cancelled after a launch failure in November of 1999 (AP; NASDA; Spaceflight Now; Space.com).

X-34

The X-34 experimental rocket plane has begun a series of tests at the Edwards lakebed. The demonstrator is being subjected to a series of tow tests in which it is pulled behind a semi-truck and released. To-date it has been released at 5, 10 and 30 miles per hour. Twelve tests over the next six weeks are planned with speeds up to 80 miles per hour. The tests are designed to simulate roll-out after landing and to test guidance and navigation systems. After the end of the series, the X-34 will resume captive carry flights on Orbital Science's L-1011 aircraft. The X-34 is designed to test technologies associated with flight at up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to 50 miles (NASA MSFC PR).

Titan 4B

The next launch of the Titan 4B rocket is moving forward after clearing a problem with its classified payload. The rocket is expected to be launched from SLC-4 East at Vandenberg AFB on August 16. This is the third time the flight has been rescheduled due to technical problems (Vandenberg AFB; Spaceflight Now).

LEGISLATION

Republican Platform

At this week's Republican convention in Philadelphia, the George W. Bush campaign platform has been approved with language supportive of space programs. Specifically, the Presidential candidate supports heavy federal support for technology and space research, continued exploration of Mars and the solar system, and improvements to space travel. Later this month the Democrats will have a chance to air their views on space travel at their convention in Los Angeles (Florida Today).

Venezuela

The foreign minister of Venezuela has accused the United States of a "dangerous breach" for its support of the Beal Aerospace launch site in the contested Essequibo region. The area has been contested since the 1940s and has recently reentered the news when Guyana leased 197,000 square km to Beal Aerospace as a rocket launch site. Guyana has countered that the agreement was with a private company and not the U.S. government. Venezuela maintains that Guyana has signed mining, lumber and oil contracts in the Essequibo and the rocket launch site was "the last straw" (AP).

CHARISMA

Space Cowboys

Space Cowboys, the Hollywood version of the "Over the Hill Gang Meets John Glenn", premiered this past week across America. Touted as "plausible fiction" instead of "science fiction", the movie manages to entertain without breaking too many laws of physics. The movie was directed by Clint Eastwood, who starred in it along with James Garner, Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland (Gannett News Service; Space.com).

EXPLORATION

NEAR Shoemaker

The Eros-orbiting spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker has reversed its downward spiral and has moved its orbit upward. On July 31, the spacecraft fired its engine for one minute to raise its orbit to a circular 50 km. The burn marks the beginning of a gradual climb out of Eros' gravity to image portions of the asteroid hidden during earlier orbits. NEAR Shoemaker has recently been conducting close-in study of the asteroid to gain high- resolution data and passed within 18 km of the surface (NASA; NEAR Page; Space.com).

Cassini

On July 28, scientists loaded new software into Cassini to prepare it for its Jupiter encounter. The spacecraft will pass within 10 million km of Jupiter in December to get the gravitational boost necessary for its Saturn mission. During its passage by Jupiter, Cassini will work in tandem with the Galileo spacecraft to study the planet. The passage will also be used to test data handling capabilities of the spacecraft and on-the-ground support systems. This was the second set of software upgrades to be uplinked this year. The first batch, sent in March and April, gave the spacecraft the capability of using its reaction wheels to create stable positioning for sharper imaging. The spacecraft is reported to be in an excellent state of health. Cassini was launched in 1997 and will arrive at Saturn in November of 2004 ( Spaceflight Now; NASA / JPL).

Muses- C

The target asteroid for the Japanese Muses-C has been changed due to a tight launch schedule. The spacecraft will now target 1998 SF36, an asteroid that is categorized as a "Potentially Hazardous Object" with an orbit that passes within 0.05 AU of Earth. The new target replaces the asteroid 10302 (1989 ML). The spacecraft will be launched around November - December, 2002. It will swing by Earth in 2004 before arriving at the asteroid in September of 2005. In January of 2006, it will depart the asteroid and return a sample to Earth in June of 2007 (Don Yeomans, NASA MUSES-C Project Scientist; Space.com).

SATELLITES

MightySat

The MightySat satellite launched on a Minotaur rocket from Vandenberg AFB on July 19 is in orbit and functioning. Solar arrays and antennas are extended on the 121 kg satellite. The $21.5 million project will perform 10 experiments (USAF Materiel Command PR).

CHAMP

The CHAMP satellite launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on July 15 is in orbit and is functional. This despite evidence the satellite was hit by the Cosmos rocket payload fairing as it separated during the launch. The solar panels were successfully extended as well as the 4-meter boom. One of six sun trackers failed. These sun trackers will be used when / if the spacecraft enters safe mode. GPS receiver, star trackers and magnetometers have been switched on and brought into service. On July 17 another sun tracker failed. Subsequent analysis indicated that the two failures were linked to the collision with the payload fairing. A problem with nitrogen propellant consumption was detected that had the potential to bring the mission to an early end, but flight controllers were able to stabilize fuel consumption the next day. CHAMP is set to begin regular scientific observations of the upper atmosphere in early August ( Spaceflight Now).

AMATEUR ROCKETRY

Canadians in Space

A rocket team based out of Toronto, Canada has officially entered the race for the X-Prize. The da Vinci Project is headed by Brian Feeney who is supported by about 30 volunteers. To win the prize, Feeney must pilot a three-person space vehicle to an altitude of 100 km and then repeat the process in less than two weeks. Feeney expects to spend about $5 million on the attempt. The team is concentrating on a "rockoon" approach that will use a 5,000 pound rocket carried aloft to 40,000 feet by a 25-story hot-air balloon (Space.com).

Ky Michaelson

In an effort to win the coveted CATS prize, Ky Michaelson will launch a 19-foot long rocket from remote Nevada in October. The 9-inch diameter rocket will be powered by ammonium perchlorate. This will be his fourth attempt since 1995. His last attempt at a space shot reached only 77,000 feet when the second stage failed to fire. The October launch will cost him an estimated $50,000 -- part of which he hopes to recover with a payload of commemorative coins. Michaelson has become wealthy as a Hollywood stunt coordinator and specializes in a variety of explosives and rocket powered vehicles (PioneerPlanet / St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press). The CATS prize (Cheap Access To Space), offered by the Space Frontier Foundation, will award $50,000 to the first amateur team to put a rocket above 120 km and $250,000 to the first team to put a 2 kg payload to 200 km.

CATS Prize page

MARS

Mars Society

Using pallets, sweat and ingenuity, the Mars Society has salvaged its Arctic Mars base simulation laboratory. The Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in Haughton Crater on Devon Island. When the last of five supply paradrops failed, the Mars Society was left with out floors or an assembly crane. Wood pallets were pressed into service as floors and scaffolding replaced the crane. As a result, the $1.3 million project was completed only a week behind schedule. The facility was then opened to researchers for a few days in an abbreviated shakedown. The station will receive full use next season. Lessons learned operating a remote base in extreme conditions will be applied to early Mars missions (SpaceViews).

MILITARY

North Korea

Catching the Clinton Administration off- guard, North Korea has made an offer to drop its controversial missile development program in exchange for western assistance in launching satellites. The offer was made via Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G-8 World Economic Summit in Okinawa, Japan. North Korea is interested in launching one or two satellites per year and would not require that the launchings take place within North Korea. Clinton and Putin issued a joint statement on the offer before leaving the summit, stating that the proposal needs further investigation ( Spaceflight Now).

REMOTE SENSING FRONTIER

Radarsat

Canada's Radarsat-1 has completed a mosaic of the United States and presented the image to delegates attending the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The mosaic is composed of 190 images captured by Radarsat-1 and processed by the Canadian Space Agency. The Agency previously completed similar mosaics of Canada and Antarctica and is currently working on Africa (CSA PR).

GPS FRONTIER

New York Cabs

A pilot GPS system is being installed in 40 New York taxis in an attempt to cut attacks. The system would allow cab drivers to trigger a silent alarm that sends a signal to two security companies that pinpoints the location of the cab in trouble. The dispatchers can then immediately notify police. If the 45-day trial program is successful, the devices could be put in all 41,000 cabs in the city by the end of the year at a cost of about $8 to $10 million. It is believed that if police can respond to attacks within minutes, the criminals will be caught and the number of attacks will drop sharply. Last year 11 cab drivers were killed and ten have been killed so far this year (New York Times).

SCIENCE

Bugs From Space

A sub-orbital rocket was launched from White Sands Missile Range on July 26 that was carrying samples of primitive life. The rocket reached an altitude of 200 miles and returned its payload by parachute 50 miles from the launch site. Two primitive species representing radiation tolerant forms and those found near deep-sea thermal vents and in Yellowstone hot springs were sent aloft in a dime-sized culture. The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans experienced a 100,000 fold decrease in numbers. With millions of cells in the culture, it was able to quickly bounce back. The Yellowstone culture, a form of Archaea, did not fare as well with few survivors. The flight was part of an experiment to assess the theory that life may be able to travel between planets on meteor impact debris (Discovery.com).

SETI

Allen Telescope Array

With a monetary boost of $11.5 million provided by Microsoft founder Paul Allen and $1 million from Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Nathan Myhrvold, plans for the Allen Telescope Array were unveiled this past week. The $26 million telescope will feature 500 - 1,000 linked radio telescope dishes in northern California. The mass-produced dishes will resemble those used for home satellite television reception. Together they will form a field that will produce a single picture of stars. Project astronomers are currently producing a list of candidate stars for the search for extra terrestrial intellegence. The array will also be useful in traditional radio astronomy research (Reuters; Spaceflight Now; Space.com).

BUSINESS

Iridium

Iridium's 11th hour savior, Castle Harlan, has backed out of the deal. On July 28, the New York investment bank announced that it was no longer interested in investing $50 million in an Iridium bailout. Iridium declared bankruptcy nearly a year ago with debts of $4.4 billion. In March bankruptcy court gave permission for the satellites to be destroyed. Plans to de-orbit the satellite system were put on hold when Castle Harlan stepped forward and asked for 45 days to study a plan to revive the LEO communications system. Motorola, the lead investor in the original Iridium company, has kept the system operational through the bankruptcy in the hopes that a new investor would step forward. It has told the bankruptcy court that it would keep the system running until August 9 while it negotiates with parties associated with Castle Harlan about a possible bailout ( AP; F lorida Today; SpaceViews).

Comsat

Lockheed Martin has completed its purchase of Comsat, the US member of Intelsat. On Monday, July 31, the FCC approved the $2 billion deal. Lockheed Martin previously purchased 49 percent of the company. Comsat shareholders will receive one Lockheed share for each Comsat share. The $790 million deal required Congress to amend the 1962 Communications Satellite Act, which limited private ownership of Comsat. Lockheed Martin obtained 49 percent of Comsat last September. The deal will also make Lockheed Martin the largest shareowner of Intelsat, which is in the process of privatizing. Intelsat was created in 1971 as an intergovernmental satellite organization. It currently has 143 member countries (Reuters; AP).

EchoStar

EchoStar Communications has reported that four of its orbiting satellites are uninsured. Three policies for EchoStar I, II and III expired on July 25. The company was unable to obtain new insurance at a reasonable rate. A fourth satellite, EchoStar IV, is the subject of a $219.3 million claim following a solar array failure. EchoStar has filed an antitrust suit against the satellite insurance industry, claiming that insurance carriers colluded to boycott EchoStar unless the company accept $88 million for the EchoStar IV claim. EchoStar's bond covenants require it to have at least half of its six orbiting satellites insured. EchoStar is making plans for self-insurance if it cannot negotiate a reasonable coverage rate from an insurance carrier (Multichannel News).

Hispasat

Hispasat S. A. has contracted with International Launch Services (ILS) for the launch of its Hispasat 1D in the third quarter of 2002. The Spacebus 3000 satellite will be manufactured by Alcatel Space Industries. It will provide satellite communications and DBS television to Europe and the Americas (ILS PR; Spaceflight Now).

SPACE STOCKS

The stock listing is for informational purposes only and not intended for trading purposes. Frontier Status shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Additional stocks may be listed by request (dalegray@micron.net).

Company Ticker Friday Close Previous Friday Change

Boeing BA 49 43.8125 5.1875

EchoStar DISH 40.5625 36.75 3.8125

GlobalStar GSTRF 7.5625 8.25 -0.6875

Hughes Electronics GMH 27.125 26.375 0.75

Lockheed Martin LMT 28.8125 28.0 0.8125

Loral Space LOR 6.375 5.375 1.0

Motorola MOT 35.4375 33.25 2.1875

Orbital Sciences ORB 14.5 13.84375 0.65625

Sirius SIRI 45.0 37.0 7.0

SpaceDev SPDVE.OB 1.3125 NA NA

SpaceHab SPAB 5.5 5.625 -0.125

TRW TRW 48.1875 43.75 4.4375

COMING EVENTS

Courtesy J. Ray and SpaceViews

August 6 - Soyuz-U, Progress M1 supply ship to ISS, Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
August 8 - Progress docking with ISS. 4:14 p.m EDT.
August 9 - Starsem Soyuz/Fregat, Cluster 2, FM5 and FM8, Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
August 10-13 - Third International Mars Society Convention, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
August 16 - Titan 4B, NRO payload, Vandenberg AFB, SLC-4E.
August 17 - Ariane 4, Brasilsat B4 & Nilesat 102, Kourou French Guiana.
August 23 - Delta 3 - Demonstration flight, launch complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
August 25 - ISC Kosmotras Dnepr, 5 satellites, Area 109, Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
August 26 - Proton K/ Block DM-2, Kosmos, Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
August 29 - Titan II, NOAA L, SLC-4W, Vandenberg AFB.
August - GSLV (Indian Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle), Sriharikota, India.
September 8 - Shuttle Atlantis, STS-106 (ISS 2A.2b), SpaceHab Double Module, pad 39-B, Kennedy Space Center.
September 12 - Titan II, NOAA L G-13, SLC-4W, Vandenberg AFB.
September 14 - Soyuz-U, Progress M2, Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
September 18 - Sea Launch Zenit 3SL, Thuraya, Equatorial Pacific.
September - Ariane 5, Astra 2B and GE-7, Kourou, French Guiana.
October 6 - Pegasus XL, HETE 2, Kwajalein Missile Range.
October 6 - Shuttle Discovery, STS-92 (ISS 3A), Kennedy Space Center.

FRONTIER CENSUS REPORT

The space population remains at the baseline of zero. Humans have spent a total of 268.5 man-days in orbit in the year 2000. The first element of the International Space Station has been in orbit for 624 days. The occupation of the International Space Station is expected to begin in early November, 2000.

SOURCES

SERVICES

89 articles archived; 70 used

Dale M. Gray is the president of Frontier Historical Consultants. Frontier Status reports are a free weekly annotated index chronicling the progress of the emerging "space frontier". Send subscription requests (subscribe or unsubscribe).

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