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".

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Understanding the Frontier

Space Launch Initiative
Frontier Processes at Work

Current Space Development as a Manifestation of Historic Frontier Processes

Why has the U. S. State Department Declared War on the American Satellite Industry?

Congress is Closing The Wrong Barn Door

Intelligent Life in Washington

Wither Iridium?

High Flight from the High Country

Robotic Spacecraft: Loaded for Bear or Barely Loaded?

Wanted: Freedom

Go Web, Young Man!

Imponderables
"Why", asked the Mad Hatter, "is a raven like a writing desk?"

Forging Plowshares into Spears

Amateur Rocketry Takes Flight

Why Compton Had to Die

The New Frontier

Previous postings are archived at:FSR Archive and ASI.org

Frontier Status 226

October 27, 2000

by Dale M. Gray

Frontier Historical Consultants

A wild week on the frontier as a Shuttle lands in California, Mir is condemned and reprieved in less than a week, Proton and Sea Launch deliver the goods to orbit, and the world counts down for the launch of the first crew to the International Space Station.

(Note: This is the first Frontier Status Report since September 22. The editor has been working on an archaeological project in a remote desert location and as a result was unable to produce issues 222-225. Data for this period has been collected, archived and awaits indexing at some future time. Researchers interested in material from this period may obtain it through specific requests.)

The history of the new high frontier is now at your fingertips. Research topics from past issues of Frontier Status at Cortesi.com.

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Highlights of the week of October 27 include:

Shuttle undocks from ISS and lands safely
Sea Launch lofts Thuraya-1
Progress docks with Mir, boosts orbit
Beal Aerospace calls it quits
Proton K launches GE-6
NASA announces new Mars missions

SHUTTLE

Discovery

Having attached the Z-1 Truss and the PMA-3 adapter to the Unity Module and successfully completed four spacewalks to connect cables and install equipment on the outside the International Space Station, Discovery's crew buttoned up the hatches of the Station and prepared for departure. The Shuttle disconnected from the station on Friday, October 20 at 11:08 a.m. EDT. The landing marked what may be the last time in human history when a spacecraft landed and leaving no one in orbit (NASA; Florida Today).

The landing opportunities at Kennedy Shuttle Landing Facility on October 22 and 23 were waved-off due to excessive winds from the northeast in Florida and clouds in California. Ultimately, the Shuttle was bumped to the back- up landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, where it touched down at 5:00 p.m. (PDT?) on Tuesday, October 24. It had been 24 missions since a shuttle landed at Edwards, the last occurring in March of 1996 (STS-76). The Shuttle experienced a few of the usual dings in its protective tile exterior, but was otherwise in excellent shape. It will next be ferried back to Florida to be prepared for its February 15 flight back to the occupied International Space Station with its first crew rotation (NASA; Florida Today; Spaceflight Now Space.com).

The crew was made up of commander Brian Duffy, pilot Pamela Melroy, Koichi Wakata, Leroy Chiao, William McArthur, Peter "Jeff" Wisoff and Michael Lopez-Alegria (Spaceflight Now).

Endeavor

In preparation for the 6th Shuttle flight to the International Space Station, the Shuttle Endeavor was mated with its external tank and solid rocket boosters in Vehicle High Bay 1. The Shuttle will begin its journey to Launch Pad 39B at 7 a.m. on October 31 and will arrive around 1:30 p.m. the same day. Auxiliary power unit hot tests are slated for the morning of November 1. Terminal Countdown Demonstration test is scheduled for November 7-8. Endeavor is scheduled to lift-off on November 30 at 10:01 p.m. with time to be adjusted to match ISS orbit (NASA).

Atlantis

Atlantis is in the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3. Leak and function tests of the main propulsion system have been completed. Replacement of a window is in process. Launch on the 7th ISS Shuttle mission to deliver the U. S. Laboratory is slated for January 18, 2001 (NASA).

ISS

The first resident crew of the International Space Station are completing the final preparations for their flight to the station. Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev will be launched on a Soyuz rocket on October 31 around 2:53 a.m. EST. The Soyuz capsule, which will also serve as a lifeboat for the crew, will dock with the Station on November 2, 2000. Mission commentary will be available through NASA Spaceflight and NASA TV. Coverage of the launch will begin at 1:00 a.m. CST October 31. The crew will return on Shuttle Discovery at the end of its February flight to the Station on STS-102 (NASA; Space.com).

The International Space Station is in good shape following the departure of the Discovery crew. One of three flight control computers was taken off-line due to a potential software issue. The station can run on only one flight control computer if necessary. The Station is currently in a 245 x 233 statute mile orbit ( NASA Spaceflight).

MIR

Progress

The Progress M43 supply ship, launched October 16 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, successfully docked with the Mir space station on Saturday, October 21. The supply vessel carried food and clothing for a crew that will visit the station in early 2001. The Progress ship and its fuel will also be used to boost the 143-ton station into a higher orbit. This will allow Russian managers to either control a reentry in the spring or will allow the station to be reoccupied. MirCorp, which was to pay $10 million for the launch, has promised payment within four weeks. MirCorp President Jeffrey Manber stated that increased solar activity has caused the Earth's atmosphere to expand, resulting in increased decay in the station's orbit. The reboosting of the station was necessary before the financing could be put in place. This was the 110th docking with the station. Mir is currently in a 329 x 356 km x 51.6-degree orbit (AP; Jonathan's Space Report; Spaceflight Now).

Mir's Future

In the absence of funds from MirCorp, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov stated that the aging space station will be brought down in a controlled reentry in February of 2001. The Deputy Prime Minister's comments left little room for hope to save the station, but the official policy concerning the station emerged from a Cabinet meeting on October 26. The Cabinet pledged 750 million rubles ($27 million) to keep the station aloft until February. The New York Times reported that the Russians are increasingly disenchanted with MirCorp, but have given the company a month to decide whether they can find the financing to save the station (AP; ITAR-TASS; New York Times; Reuters; ABC News; Space.com).

LAUNCHES

Sea Launch / Thuraya-1

>From a position in the Equatorial Pacific, a Zenit-3SL rocket was launched from the SeaLaunch Platform at 10:52 p.m. PDT (1:52 a.m. EDT). At T+2:45 minutes the rockets RD-171 first stage engine completed its work and the stage separated. During the firing of the second stage, at T+4:10 seconds, the rocket's nose cone and payload fairing separated to reduce the rocket's mass. The second stage shut down on schedule at T+7:30 minutes. A minute later the second stage separated from the Blok DM-SL upper stage. The first of the two upper stage firings continued until T+13:05 minutes. The second firing occurred at T+101 minutes for 6:35 minutes. The satellite was released into geosynchronous transfer orbit at T+119 minutes. Twenty-three minutes later, ground controllers reported establishing contact with the satellites. The rocket was carrying the heaviest commercial satellite to be launched to date. Thuraya-1, listed at 5,108 kg (11,260 pounds) is reported to be the heaviest commercial satellite ever launched. The launch was delayed two days due to an instrumentation problem. The next Sea Launch flight, that of the first XM Radio satellite, is slated for early 2001 (Sea Launch PR; Bo eing Press Release; Spaceflight Now).

Thuraya-1, built for the Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co. of the United Arab Emirates, was the first Boeing-built geosynchronous mobile (GEM) satellite to be launched. The satellite was based on the Boeing 702 (formerly Hughes 702) body-stabilized platform. The satellite is capable of switching incoming telephone calls from one hand-held telephone to another or through traditional land-based networks using a 12.24-meter aperture L-band reflector. The Thuraya-1 can handle 13,750 simultaneous calls using an enhanced phased-array antenna and spot beams. It will be positioned at 44 degrees East longitude. The $960 million contract signed by Hughes in 1997 includes two satellites (one on-ground spare), launch, ground facilities in the United Arab Emirates and user handsets. The satellite will serve the Middle East, North and Central Africa and India with a design life of 12 years (Boeing PR; Jonathan's Space Report).

Proton K / GE-6

An International Launch Services Proton K rocket with a Blok DM-3 upper stage was launched on October 21 at 6 p.m. EDT (Launch occurred on October 22 local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. At T+2:25 minutes the six RD-253 engines completed their burn and the first stage separated from the rocket. The four RD-0210 second stage engines burned until just before T+6 minutes when the second stage dropped away. The third stage powered by a single RD-0210 engine completed its burn around 9:30 minutes and separated from the Blok DM- 3/payload at T+10:10 minutes. The upper stage fired twice, the first at T+73:49 for six minutes to raise one end of the orbit to 20,000 miles and again when the spacecraft reached the high point to raise the low point of the orbit. The American GE-6 satellite was released in to a geostationary transfer orbit of 35,786 x 5,850-km at T+ 6 hours, 41 minutes. Under its own power, the satellite will now make its way to its 72 degrees West Longitude orbital slot. This was the third Proton launch in as many weeks (Interfax; Jonathan's Space Report; ILS Press Release; Space.com).

The GE-6 satellite, owned by GE Americom was manufactured by Lockheed Martin CSS corporation on an A2100 satellite bus. It will be used for DBS television broadcasting, media and entertainment distribution in North America along with enterprise and Internet protocol (IP) solutions. The satellite has 24 C band (36 MHz) and 28 Ku band (36 MHz and 72 MHz) transponders. The satellite is expected to be operational by November 15, 2000 (Interfax; BusinessWire; Americom PR; Lockheed Martin Press Release).

LAUNCH SYSTEMS

Proton

The launch of a Proton rocket on October 11 resulted in fireworks in the American Midwest two days later. A meteorite reported in central Kansas turned out to be flaming debris from the rocket's spent fourth stage reentering the atmosphere after a successful flight. Rush County, Kansas farmer Craig Rixon recovered two large and several small fragments on the ground. The longest was 10 x 6 inches. Rixon called Rush County Sheriff Jack Mendenhall, who had seen the flaming debris fall while attending a local high school football game. Mendenhall forwarded a sample to Doug Wereb, a former space science educator at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. Wereb identified the fragments as part of the Proton fourth stage rocket casing. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (AP) confirmed the flight path of the rocket stage.

Beal

This past week, one of the best of the start-up launch companies called it quits. Having spent millions of dollars on the development of its BA-2C rocket, Beal Aerospace has closed up its shop, effective October 23. In a closing shot, Andrew Beal sharply criticized NASA for its Space Launch Initiative and the military's EELV program, which made it impossible for Beal to compete in the launch market. During its quest for the brass ring of lower launch costs, Beal Aerospace made significant advances in the hydrogen peroxide production technology, and developed and tested a powerful second stage engine. It was thwarted in its quest for a launch site by environmental regulations and only recently signed an agreement with Guyana (Boston Globe; Beal Aerospace Press Release; Spaceflight Now; Space.com).

TECHNOLOGY

XRS-2200

For the first time two paired XRS-2200 engines have been mounted side-by-side for qualification tests at the Stennis Space Center. The linear aerospike engines have been tested individually 14 times with a combined test time equivalent to seven launches. The engines will be mounted in tandem in the X-33 technology demonstrator. The first tests will be short duration, but will be gradually extended until they simulate the launch of the X-33 ( Spaceflight Now).

LEGISLATION

US Presidential Race

In response to a set of five questions sent by Space.com, US Presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore both prioritize completing the International Space Station. However, once the station is completed, their ambitions for the station differ. Gore hopes the station would be the beginning of a "forward-looking policy on human exploration" with aggressive robotic missions to the Moon and Mars as precursors to human exploration. Bush favors handing the Station over to a non- governmental organization (NGO) to administer. Both candidates supported teaching space topics in school -- though differing in areas of study. Gore favored topics that show space knowledge can improve our lives on Earth. Bush said space provided motivation for students in math and the sciences, but also noted that space has made us "better stewards of the Earth". Neither candidate answered the question poised whether they believe there is life existing elsewhere in the universe, but Gore stated that he would support the Origins program that is searching for life in the universe through four orbiting observatories ( Space.com).

EXPLORATION

NEAR Shoemaker

On October 26, the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft made a daring swoop to within three miles (5.3 km) of the surface of asteroid Eros. A series of three engine burns on October 25 sent the spacecraft hurtling toward the asteroid at a rate of 14 miles per hour (6 m/s). A maneuver on October 26 altered the orbit again, this time into a stable 200-km circular orbit. The diving maneuver is expected to produce images of boulders with diameters of as little as two meters across. The probe�s X-Ray/Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (XGRS) is also expected to provide important data on the composition of the asteroid ( NASA; Spacescience Headlines; Space.com; Spaceflight Now).

Mars

On October 26, NASA announced ambitious new plans for robotic exploration of Mars. Earlier in the week, France signed a "statement of intent" to participate in the Mars exploration program. The new plan is the result of six months study and will build on already announced plans to send an orbiter in 2001 (Mars Odyssey) and twin rovers in 2003 (Mars Exploration Rovers). The new plans included a new powerful scientific orbiter to be launched in 2005 to study the planet in greater detail and search for evidence of water. The Reconnaissance Orbiter will have a resolution of 20 to 30 cm. A mobile science laboratory is proposed for launch in 2007. This laboratory will pave the way for future sample return missions. It will also demonstrate hazard avoidance and accurate landing technology. A line of small "Scout" missions will provide opportunities for still to be proposed mission beginning as early as 2007. The first sample return mission is expected to be launched in 2014, but could be fast-tracked to launch as early as 2011. A second sample return mission is slated for launch in 2016 (NASA; Space.com; Space.com).

SATELLITES

MSX

The Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite, built and launched for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization has turned its MIT-built sensor away from Earth to begin finding and tracking lost satellites. Built to monitor space-based threats (incoming ballistic missiles), the satellite was transferred from the Department of Defense to the USAF Space Command on October 1. The satellite has already found over 100 lost objects or object that were in the process of being lost. It has also reduced the number of lost satellites in key orbits from 63 to 13. The satellite makes over 1,000 observations each day, allowing the USAF to locate each object in deep space orbits every two days. The system cost only $7.1 million to operate in 1998 and 1999 with a $2 million reduction in costs expected in 2000. The satellite was launched in April of 1996. The satellite completed its mission in 1998 (SpaceDaily.com; Spaceflight Now).

INTERNET IN THE SKY FRONTIER

NET-36

In a deal with Excite@Home, PanAmSat's NET- 36 will buy multiple high-speed Internet connections that will link its satellite Internet broadcast network. Using the Excite@Home network connections, NET-36 content providers and MSOs will be able to bypass congestion and peering point on the Web (CableWorld).

REMOTE SENSING

EarthWatch

Rebounding from a satellite lost in 1998, EarthWatch is gearing up for the November 19 launch of its QuickBird 1. The satellite, built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies, will be launched on a Cosmos rocket. The satellite will be placed in a 66-degree inclined orbit with an altitude of 600 km. The satellite will produce high quality photographs capable of imagine a car or even an adult lying on the ground. Images will be made available commercially beginning in early 2001.

MILITARY

China Spying

A review of documents supplied during a 1995 defection has revealed that Chinese spying efforts in the U.S. during the 1980s shifted from nuclear weapons to missile technology. The recent revelation comes after a recent effort by the CIA and other intelligence agencies to translate 13,000 pages of secret Chinese documents. The documents revealed that China was able to harvest massive amounts of data on ballistic missiles and reentry vehicles. The information appears to originate from defense officials or missile contractors rather from Los Alamos -- the previous focus of the U.S. investigation. The Chinese documents appear to be a five-year "strategic plan" for developing the country's new generation of ballistic missiles. The delay in translation was due to the CIA assessment of the defector as a double agent -- casting doubts on the validity of the documents. The documents have since been characterized as "an embarrassment of riches." One cannot help but wonder if the Chinese are now mounting investigations on how their covert missile spy information leaked back to the Americans (AP; DG commentary).

India

India's Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced plans to construct and deploy a remote-sensing satellite. The satellite, to be launched in 2003, will have one-meter resolution and will be built at a cost of 2.3 billion rupees ($51 million US). The satellite's stated purpose will be for thematic mapping and cartographic applications (Agence France Presse).

HISTORY

Russian Space Disaster

On Tuesday, October 24, the Baikonur Cosmodrome was closed to observe a day of mourning for two Soviet-era launch pad explosions that killed 100 people. An R-16 ICBM missile exploded prior to a test launch on October 24, 1960, killing 92 workers and injuring 30 others. Details of the accident emerged in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union. On October 24, 1963, an R9A ICBM exploded on the pad killing eight workers. Baikonur has suspended all work on October 24 since that time (AP).

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

On October 25, the Smithsonian Institution formally opened ground on its new air and space center. The $238 million, 710,000 square foot facility, will be built adjacent to Dulles International Airport on a 176-acre site. The building will house 200 aircraft and 100 space artifacts when completed in December of 2003. The annex will be named the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center after the businessman who donated $60 million to get the project underway. Ground breaking officials used the same shovel that was used when the current Air and Space Museum on the Capital Mall was started in 1972 (AP).

DS 42

The 70-meter main antenna at the Canberra Deep Space Complex, Australia, is being demolished. The dish, which was built in 1965, has played an integral role in America's space effort. The antenna was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The antenna relayed information from Apollo, the Shuttle, Voyager and Galileo. The demolition was ordered due to its age and increasing maintenance costs. It will take about eight weeks to dismantle the antenna. Most of the materials will be recycled (Canberra Times).

BUSINESS

Memorabilia

As an ultimate offering on the space memorabilia market, Russia is prepared to sell a Soyuz capsule that has flown to space. The Soyuz TM-26 capsule was the one that ferried Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Soloviev and Pavel Vinogradov to the Mir station on August 5, 1997. The mission was critical in that the pair of cosmonauts had to make emergency repairs to Mir following the collision of a supply vehicle with the station. The capsule returned to Earth on February 19, 1998 after 198 days in space. The Soyuz is being sold through SpaceHab on line at the spacestore. The buyer will also get a guided tour of Star City in Russia (AP).

Space.com / Gannett

The space-oriented multi-media company Space.com and the newspaper/magazine/television giant Gannett Co. have formed a strategic partnership in which Gannett becomes an equity partner in Space.com and Space.com acquires Gannett's media properties for publishing, broadcast, Web and software businesses. As a result, Space News and Florida Today's Space Online will become powerful additions to Space.com's media assets. Closing is expected in November (Florida Today).

SkyCorp

On October 20, SkyCorp announced the signing of a Space Act Agreement with NASA Under terms of the Agreement, SkyCorp and NASA will work together on the development of new space technology. At the heart of the SkyCorp plan is to utilize a standard personal computer, modified for the space environment, as a free-flying web server. SkyCorp plans to us a 500 MHz Power Mac G4 as the base of its technology demonstrator. The experiment will be used to refine techniques neccessary for the deployment of inexpensive satellites. This is among the first agreements signed by NASA in the commercialization of the International Space Station (SpaceDaily.com).

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 September 22 Change

Boeing BA 63.75 65.5 -1.75

EchoStar DISH 45.5625 51.375 -5.8125

GlobalStar GSTRF 6.025 9.6875 -3.6875

Hughes Electronics GMH 31.73 37.00 -5.27

Lockheed Martin LMT 34.55 30.375 4.175

Loral Space LOR 5.1875 5.875 -0.6875

Motorola MOT 21.875 31.5 -9.625

Orbital Sciences ORB 8.0625 7.9375 0.125

Sirius SIRI 48.125 53.0625 -4.9375

SpaceDev SPDVE.OB 1.0625 0.9688 0.0937

SpaceHab SPAB 4.3125 5.5625 -1.25

TRW TRW 39.8125 42.6875 -2.875

COMING EVENTS

Courtesy J. Ray and SpaceViews

October 28 - Ariane 44LP, Europe*Star FM-1, ELA-2 Kourou, French Guiana.
October 30 (at the earliest) - Cosmos 3-M, QuickBird-1, Plesetsk, Russia.
October 31 - Soyuz, Expedition 1, Baikonur Cosmodrome.
November 2 - Expedition 1 arrives at the International Space Station.
November 9 - USAF Delta 2, NAVSTAR 2R-6, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
November 14 - Soyuz-U, ISS flight 2P, Progress M1, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
November 14 - Ariane 507, PAS-1R / AMSAT Phase 3-D / STRV 1 C/1D, from ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana.
November 14-15 - 6th Annual Cape Canaveral Spaceport Symposium- Cape Canaveral, Florida.
November 16 (no earlier than) - Boeing Delta 2, Earth Observing-1 and SAC-C/Citizen Explorer-1 / Munin, from SLC-2W, Vandenberg AFB.
November 19 - Cosmos, Quickbird-1, Plesetsk, Russia.
November 23 - Proton M / Briz M (inaugural flight), Ekran- M16, from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
November 30 - Shuttle Endeavor, 6th ISS Flight (STS-97), PV Module P6, Launch Pad 39B, Kennedy Space Center.
December 12 - November 14 - Soyuz-U, ISS flight 3P, Progress M1, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
December 14 - Titan 4B, Milstar 2-F2, from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
January 18 - Shuttle Atlantis, 7th ISS Flight (STS-98), U.S. Laboratory, Kennedy Space Center.

FRONTIER CENSUS REPORT

The week began with five Americans, an American born in Spain, and a Japanese astronaut in orbit in the Shuttle Discovery, having undocked from the International Space Station on October 20. With the landing of Discovery on Tuesday, October 24, the space population dropped to zero. Note: There is a very real likelihood that this week may be the last time in history when no member of our race is in orbit. Humans have spent a total of 442.5 man-days in orbit in the year 2000. The first element of the International Space Station has been in space for 706 days. The permanent occupation of the International Space Station is expected to begin in 6 days on November 2, 2000.

SOURCES

SERVICES

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