Frontier Status 75
12 December 1997
by Dale M. Gray
For the last week, the frontier has been busy with launches, business deals and news on developing systems. Highlights reported for the week include:
- Shuttle Endeavor damaged and launch to Mir delayed
- Chinese Long March 2C/SD launches Iridium sats on Dec 8
- Atlas 2AS launches Galaxy 8 on Dec 8
- Russian Tsiklon-2 launches Cosmos 2347 Dec 9
- Pegasus license revoked by FAA until modification made
- X-34 engine tests completed
- Mars Pathfinder stamp issued
- Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility delivery delayed
SHUTTLE
The Shuttle Endeavor was damaged Dec 6 when a weld on a metal support broke while the payload bay doors were being closed. As a result, the support was thrust through both the heat resistant blanket and outer layer of the left door. The damage was repaired with a doubler reinforced patch before the doors were closed. The orbiter was moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Dec 12 to be mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters. Following the Dec 14 Shuttle Interface test, Endeavor will be moved to pad 39A on Dec 17 (NASA).
Following Columbias landing, 318 dents were found in the tiles. On the average, Shuttle flights result in only 150 dents. The damage may have occurred from thermal foam debris from the external tank hitting the tiles during the launch. The external foam rind for the Endeavor mission will be sanded down in critical areas to reduce the possibility of debris (Flatoday; NASA).
MIR
The scheduled launch of Endeavor to Mir has been bumped to Jan 20 at the request of the Russian Space Agency. The request is the result of Mir's full agenda of space walks and the docking of a Progress supply vessel in late Dec. The Shuttle will as usual bring supplies and equipment. Astronaut Andy Thomas, who will replace David Wolf, is the last US astronaut slated to stay on the Russian station. A 30 minute press conference with the present crew of Mir was held on Dec 12 (Flatoday; NASA).
ISS
Plans for the International Space Station (ISS) are being altered to include a module to test hardware and systems for a manned expedition to Mars in 2014. The $100 million inflatable capsule would replace the Habitat Module to be built by Boeing and launched in 2003. The TransHab would test self-sustaining life support systems, miniature electronics while working out bugs prior to launching the 500 -1000 day Mars mission. The module would be built at the Johnson Space Center and transported to the ISS in the Shuttle cargo bay. The 4545 kg module would have an 3.3 meter diameter core section surrounded by a multi-layer inflatable shell. Once in orbit and attached to the station, the module would be inflated to twice the size of other modules (Flatoday; AW&ST).
RUSSIA
Russia launched Cosmos 2347 from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Dec 9. The two-stage Tsiklon-2 (Cyclone) rocket placed the 3150 kg military satellite into a 429 x 410 km orbit, inclined 65 degrees. The satellite is believed to have been built by TsNPO Kometa for the Russian Military Space Forces ocean surveillance. This is the 102 launch of the Tsiklon-2 rocket which is built by the Yuzhnoye Machine-building Plant in the Ukraine (LS; AW&ST).
ATLAS
An Atlas 2AS rocket (AC-149) was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station launch pad 36B on Dec 8 at 6:52 pm (EST). The booster with a Centaur IIA upper stage carried the 3,555 kg Galaxy 8I telecommunications satellite built by Hughes Space and Communications. The $250 million mission was delayed 15 minutes so that weather balloons could be removed from the launch area. The satellite, owned by Galaxy Latin America, separated from the upper stage 29 minutes after launch. To be positioned in geostationary orbit at 95 degrees West longitude, the 9.9 kW satellite utilizing gallium arsenide solar cells will provide up to 300 channels of Spanish and Portuguese television programming for South and Central America as well as the Caribbean. The HS-601HP satellite features 32 Ku-band transponders rated at 118 watts. The satellite will be operated by PanAmSat Corp. for the Galaxy Latin American DIRECTV service and is expected to become operational in February (LS; Flatoday).
ILS
With the launch of AC-149 carrying Galaxy 8I, International Launch Services has successfully completed 8 Atlas launches in 1997. They have also launched commercial payloads on 3 Russian Proton rockets. Next year they plan to again launch 8 Atlas rockets while increasing Proton launches to 9 (Flatoday).
PEGASUS
The up coming Orbcom-1 mission has suffered a series of set-backs including having its launch license pulled by the FAA. First, a planned Dec 5 data flow test was canceled when the Eastern Test Range-Florida and a tracking station in Antigua did not receive the proper paper work and refused to participate. As a result, the Dec 11 launch of the 8 Orbcom satellites was delayed. The launch was further delayed by weather. The launch system was then grounded by the FAA until a venting system was installed on the 4th stage. The FAA was concerned that a build up of pressure in the 4th stage might lead to an explosion that would spread debris in space. The 4th stage was modified by Orbital and cleared for launch by the FAA on Dec 11 (SC; LS; Flatoday).
CHINA
A Long March 2C/SD rocket was launched from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on Dec 8. The rocket released two 657 kg Iridium satellites into 421 mile orbits about an hour after the launch. This brings the total number of Motorola-built Iridium satellites in orbit to 41. The launch follows a Sept qualifying launch of the Long March system which placed two dummy satellites into orbit. This is the eighth Iridium launch in as many months (Flatoday; LS).
JAPAN
During a Dec 1 hot-firing of the prototype of the new H2A second-stage engine, a fire occurred on the fuel injection system which will force a redesign of the LE-5B engine. The fire appears to have started in the injection assembly or adjacent valves. Problems have also occurred on two test-firings of the first stage engine. The LE-5B is built by Mitsubishi and is slated to begin flights in August of 1998 (SN).
EELV
The first payload to fly on the LockMart Evolved Expendable Launch System will be the GeoSat Follow On-2. US Navy ocean wind mapping satellite will be launched in 2001 or 2002 (SN).
MELVS
Two more options on the NASA / Boeing contract for Medium Expendable Launch Vehicle Services (MELVS) have been exercised. The first launch in early 2000 will loft the Gravity Probe-B. The second launch will contain both the JASON and TIMED satellites using a dual-payload attach fitting designed by Matra Marconi Space. The 1989 MELVS contract was for three launches and 12 options. Both Mars Pathfinder and Mars Surveyor were launched as options under this contract. Only three options remain to be exercised (Boeing).
X-34
A series of tests on the X-34 rocket engine have been successfully concluded at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The recent tests evaluated the thrust chamber assembly in flight-like conditions. The rocket engine is being developed using a shorter-than-usual design cycle that significantly lowers the cost of the engine. Fastrac engines are expected to cost about $1 million - a quarter of similar engines currently in use. The X-34 is slated to begin Mach 8 flight tests from White Sands Missile Range in late 1998. With 60,000 pounds of thrust the system is expected to be able to deliver 500 pound payloads to orbit for a dramatically lower cost (SC).
MARS
Budget woes for 1999 may cut an essential experiment from the Mars 2001 lander. The experiment would demonstrate that propellant could be made on Mars using the thin Martian atmosphere (SN).
NASA is also preparing to release a solicitation for an advanced live-support system for use on a 4-6 person Mars Transit vehicle. The system will feature contaminant control and water recovery. The Technology development contract will be awarded in April with a Jan 1999 decision on whether to proceed with full-scale (SN).
MARS PATHFINDER
On Dec 10, the US Post Office issued a commemorative stamp honoring Mars Pathfinder. The stamp was issued at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. A 2nd day issue ceremony was held at the Kennedy Space Station. The stamp shows the rover on the lander with a Martian background based on one of the first photos sent back (NASA).
MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR
The Global Surveyor is currently monitoring a Martian dust storm that has covered 20% of the planet. Because dust in the atmosphere absorbs more sunlight, it causes the atmospheric pressure to increase. As a result, mission controllers adjusted the crafts aerobraking orbit upward 3 miles to compensate for the changes in the density of the atmosphere (Flatoday).
ADVANCED X-RAY ASTROPHYSICS FACILITY
Delays in delivery of subcomponents and problems with software have resulted in a 2.5 month delay in the delivery of the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF). TRW, the prime contractor for the AXAF, has notified NASA that they will not be able to make the June 1 delivery date as promised. As a result, the $1.4 billion, Hubble-class, observatory will slip from an August 28 launch on Columbia. The delay results in a conflict with the extended maintenance of Columbia scheduled for Nov 1999. Other Shuttles cannot carry the telescope and are booked solid with the construction of the International Space Station. Once in orbit the AXAF is expected play a part in answering fundamental questions about the universe including its age and size (SN; HCSF; Orlando Sentinel; NASA).
HIPPARCOS
The European Space Agency has announced the publication of the Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogues. The catalogues are the result of the Hipparcos mission - the most comprehensive stellar survey to date. The 17 volume catalogue shows more than a million stars and contains the distance to the nearest 10,000 stars and the locations and shapes of 8,000 galaxies. The limits of the census are at the 11th magnitude, which was the limits of the Hipparcos satellite which was launched in 1989. Published simultaneously, the Millennium Star Atlas contains the 1548 star maps of the catalogues in a larger format (ESA).
LEGISLATION
The US Senate is now considering the Commercial Space Act which seeks to provide a stable climate for the growing space industry in the US. Space business in 1997 grew at a rate of 20% to the $77 billion level. Among its provisions, the bill seeks to study privatizing Americas interests in the International Space Station; creating licensing for reusable spacecraft; and convert surplus missiles for use on small scientific satellite missions (Flatoday).
SATELLITES
ETS-7:
The Japanese Engineering Test Satellite - 7, launched Dec 2 on an Ariane 4 spent nearly 2 weeks in uncontrolled spinning following the shut-down of its computers. The on-board fault detection system triggered the shut-down Nov 29. On Dec 11, it was reported that controllers successfully reprogrammed the attitude control software and reestablished control. The satellite is thought to be able to complete its mission (SC; SP).
TOMS:
On Dec 4, the Goddard Space Flight Center began moving the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer-EP (TOMS) from its previous 300 mile orbit to a 450 mile orbit. It will remain in the new orbit until the end of its mission and the launch of TOMS-3 - its replacement - in 2000. The move is to compensate for the loss of a second TOMS on the Japanese ADEOS. The second TOMS was in a 500 mile orbit to monitor global ozone levels. TOMS-EP was launched in 1996 and placed in its lower orbit to improve horizontal resolution of pollution sources (NASA).
TRMM:
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) has been confirmed to have reached its proper 350 km orbit (inclined 35 degrees). Initial systems are reported to be underway and proceeding well. Launched Nov 27 on a Japanese H-2 rocket, the TRMM is a joint NASDA/NASA mission (LS).
BUSINESS
Orion:
Orion Network Systems has signed an agreement with China Telecom to provide private date, voice and video network services in China. Services will begin immediately utilizing leased space on existing satellites until Orion launches their own satellite in October 1998 (SN).
Arianespace:
The French space agency, CNES, is contemplating the sale of its 32 percent holding in Arianespace to Aerospatiale. Smaller investors fear that the sale will dilute Arianespace's image as "pan-European".
SpaceDev:
SpaceDev, working to launch the first privately funded mission to an asteroid, announced on Dec 8 that they had acquired Integrated Space Systems (ISS ). ISS is a 3 year old California-based company specializing in engineering and technical services. The acquisition will give SpaceDev the engineering personnel and capability to develop and ultimately launch the Near Earth Asteroid Prospector (www.SpaceDev.Com).
COMING EVENTS
Courtesy J. Ray, and R. Baalke
(www.flatoday.com/space/next/97sked.htm)
(newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/)
- Dec - Long March 3B, Chinastar-1, Xichang Satellite Launching Facility, China.
- Dec 20 - Delta 2, Flight 251, Iridium (5 comsats), SLC-2, Vandenberg AFB
- Dec 20 - Ariane 42L, Flight 104, Intelsat 804 from ELA-2, Kourou, French Guiana.
- Dec 22 - ILS Proton, Asiasat-3, Baikonur, Kazakstan.
- Dec 23 - Soyuz-U, Progress M-37 to Mir, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakstan
- Dec 23 - Pegasus XL, ORBCOMM-1 (8 comsats), Wallops Flight Facility, VA.
- Dec 24 - Start -1 (w/ EarlyBird), Svolbodny, Russia
- Dec 29 - Delta 2, Flight 251, GPS IIR-3, Cape Canaveral Air Station
- Jan 5 - Athena-2, Lunar Prospector, Cape Canaveral Air Station.
- Jan 9 - Delta 2, Skynet-4D, Cape Canaveral Air Station.
- Jan 10 - Orbital Sciences Taurus, 2 ORBCOMM comsats ,Celestis-2, SLC-576, Vandenberg AFB
CENSUS
The space population remains at the base-line of 3. There are 2 Russians and 1 American on Mir. This marks the completion of 3017 day of continuous human presence in space.
SOURCES
Flatoday: Florida Today
(http://www.flatoday.com/space/txthome.htm)
CBS:
(http://uttm.com/space/space.html)
SpaceCast
(http://www.spacer.com/)
LS: Launch Space
(http://www.launchspace.com/)
(http://www.launchspace.com/feature/newsline/report.html)
JSR: Jonathans Space Report
(http://hea-www.harvard.edu/QEDT/jcm/space/space.html)
HCSF: Houston Chronicle Space Forum
(http://www.chron.com/content/interactive/space/forum/)
SN: Space News
(http://www.spacenews.com/news.html)
NASA
(http://spacelink.nasa.gov/NASA.News/NASA.News.Releases/.index.html)
(http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/status/)
AW&ST): Aviation Week & Space Technology
(http://www.awgnet.com/index.htm)
Archimedes Institute (space law)
(http://www.permanent.com/archimedes/)
DG
Dale M. Gray is a frontier historian working for GCM Services in Boise, Idaho. Frontier Status reports are weekly updates chronicling progress of the emerging space frontier. Editorial assistance by Rick Bier. Send comments/corrections or subscription requests (subscribe FS or unsubscribe FS) to DaleMGray@compuserve.com. Previous postings are archived at (http://www.interglobal.org/frontier/)
(c) Copyright Dale M. Gray December 12, 1997.
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