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Aviation History
1968
1968 - 2555.PDF
nternational. 7 November 196$ MeDONNELL DOUGLAS MINI-SATURN fhe interim civil space budget for the fiscal year 1969 is run- ning at only $3,850 million, the lowest figure since 1963. Despite this a provisional programme of new projects has been approved by NASA, although it is yet to be endorsed. Among the new projects is a new launch vehicle, intermediate in size between the Saturn S-1B and the Saturn V, of a type for which NASA has sponsored design studies over a period of several years. The new vehicle, a proposal for which was discussed by McDonnell Douglas at the XIX International Astronautics Federation conference in New York, will be developed for use with post-Apollo Earth-orbital space stations, and for launching unmanned interplanetary probes. The USAF also requires an inexpensive booster to reduce the cost of orbiting military payloads and it is possible that the civil and military requirements may be combined. The McDonnell Douglas proposal employs a cluster of four solid-propellant motors as the first stage, with the existing lox/Hs S-IVB as second stage. This booster could place 108,3001b into a 105 n.m. circular orbit and 76,0001b into polar orbit. For interplanetary flights, the vehicle could inject 22,0OOlb into a lunar transfer orbit, or (depending on velocity requirements) carry between 6,4001b and 15,0001b on a Mars flyby. The addition of various upper stages, for example the Apollo service module, or a Centaur, are possible. For example, a Centaur third stage could increase the payload in lunar transfer orbit to 36,7001b; the Mars flyby payloads could be increased to 23,60Olb-30,6001b. Further performance increments could be obtained by increasing the number of first-stage segments, increasing the fuel capacity of the S-IVB stage, or by employing a more powerful S-IVB motor. Alternatively, the launch vehicle could be downgraded for simpler flights by reducing the number of first-stage motors. According to McDonnell Douglas, testing already done on the 156in motors had shown that no major technology problems were likely to be encountered in the development of the proposed first-stage motors. The total thrust at lift-off, with the four-rooket cluster, would be 7,280,0001b (by comparison, that of the present Saturn V is 7,5OO,OOOlb). Each motor would have a moveable nozzl© te provide pitch, roll and yaw control. Only minor modifica- tions to the S-IVB stage (which delivers 205,0001b thrust in vacuo) would be required. SATURN IBs IN MOTHBALLS The last of 12 Saturn IBs (uprated Saturn Is) built in support of the Apollo programme has now been put in storage, along with six others, pending the indefinite start to the Apollo Applications Programme. The first stages are stored at Chrysler's New Orleans plant, while the upper stages are kept at the McDonnell Douglas factory at Sacramento, California. Indefinite storage is acceptable, although lifed items such as seals will need to be replaced before the rockets are used. The Saturn IBs were designed as stop-gap launchers to fly elements of Apollo in Earth orbit while the larger Saturn 5s were developed. In the event, recurring problems with the spacecraft pushed the schedule back so mat only four rockets were actually used. The first flight took place on February 26, 1966, when the first Apollo command and service modules were flown sub-orbitally. Subsequent Saturn IBs were flown on July 5, 1966 (a study of the hydrogen-fuelled S-IVB stage); August 25, 1966 (verification of Apollo systems for manned, Earth-orbit missions); and January 22 (test flight for the lunar excursion module, using the launch vehicle modified following the disastrous fire at Cape Kennedy on January 27, 1967). The fifth flight was that in which the vehicle was used to orbit the Apollo 7 in its 11-day flight last month. This will be the only Apollo flight to use the uprated Saturn 1, but the seven vehicles now surplus to the programme will be used for the Apollo Applications Programme. The recent NASA economies have forced a postponement in this project and « appears unlikely that the first launch will occur before 1971. Meanwhile an evaluation of the Apollo 7 flight has shown "tot the vehicle performed almost flawlessly. Launched during steady surface winds of 20kt (twice that recorded in previous «turn IB launchings), the trajectory was close to nominal and the orbit-insertion conditions were met satisfactorily. 757 JAPAN'S SPACE BUDGET GROWS Japan plans to spend $39.5 million (£16.5 million) on its space programme during the fiscal year 1969, more than twice the current expenditure. The national space programme is directed towards developing an ionosphere research satellite, for launch in 1971-1972, and a synchronous communications satellite, to be orbited in 1972-1973. It is reported that two satellites will be launched next year, using MU-4 launchers, while work will begin shortly on two further scientific satellite (all in addition to the ionosphere probe). • RUSSIA TO LAUNCH FRANCE'S ROSEAU A conference of French and Russian scientists at Paris to discuss collaborative space research ventures ended on October 11, after the decision had been taken to launch the French Roseau satellite by means of a Russian rocket Roseau is an IMP (interplanetary monitoring platform) type of spacecraft which, according to Space Daily, will be launched into an orbit having an apogee of between 62,000 miles and 124,000 miles. It will make measurements of fields and particles in regions of space which are unaffected by the magnetosphere, as well as measurements of solar plasma in the transition zone at the magnetosphere. Experimental transmissions of both monochrome and colour TV between France and Russia, using Molniya satellites, have been successfully concluded and telephonic trials using the same satellites are nearing completion. TITOV FOR MOON LANDING The Russian astronaut Gherman Titov is to be one of the crew members of the first Soviet lunar landing mission. Reporting this news in its issue of October 23, the Mexican newspaper Ultimas Noticias quoted the astronaut (who was in Mexico as part of the Russian contribution to the "Man in Peace" programme) as saying that he did not know when the launch would occur or who the other crew members would be. Maj Titov was the commander of the one-man Vostok 2 spacecraft which made 17 Earth orbits after being launched on August 6, 1961. RECENT COSMOS LAUNCHES Cosmos 244 was launched on October 2 into a 50° orbit. The apogee and perigee were 132 miles and 87 miles respectively. Cosmos 245 was launched on the following day on a 71° orbit. The apogee and perigee were 315 miles and 172 miles respectively. Cosmos 246, possibly a new reconnaissance satellite, was placed in a 65.4° orbit on October 17. The apogee and perigee were 216 miles and 91 miles. Cosmos 247 was launched into orbit on October 11. The orbital elements were: apogee, 225 miles; perigee, 127 miles; and inclination, 65.4°. Cosmos 248, launched on October 19, is believed to be the first of a new series of flights with spacecraft having, possibly, orbit-manoeuvre abilities. The initial parameters were: apogee, 343 miles; perigee 305 miles; and inclination, 62.3°. This is the first occasion on which this orbit has been used since the launch of Cosmos 217 on April 24 this year. On this occasion the satellite failed to attain the predicted orbit. Cosmos 249 was launched the following day into a very elliptical orbit, with an apogee of 1,350 miles and perigee of 319 miles. The inclination was 62.4°. It is possible that Cosmos 248 and 249 are part of the Soviet programme to develop docking techniques, since a later orbit of this satellite was found to have an apogee of 1,017 miles. Such perform- ance would be essential to the docking manoeuvres during space-station operations, a sector of research in which Russia is known to be actively interested. Results from Yanter The Soviet satellite Yantar 1, launched in October 1966 to study the operation of electric propulsion, was described by Russian scientists at the recent IAF con- ference in New York. The engine on board the satellite hat provided a velocity increment of 25 miles/sec.
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