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Aviation History
1971
1971 - 0078.PDF
^ "I FLIGHT International, 14 January 1971 72-73 July-September: Intelsat 4b—second communications satellite for the Intelsat network. September: a scientific satellite called AFCRL, to study magnetic storms. Built and instrumented by the Air Force Cambridge (Mass) Research Laboratories. October-December: Intelsat 4c—third communications satellite for the Intelsat network. Late 1971: OAO-3—third Orbiting Astronomical Observa tory in a series of large telescope satellites to study the stellar universe (repeat mission after launch failure in November 1970). Late 1971: CAS—Franco-US Co-operative Applications Satellite, to test advanced techniques for meteorological satellites. ERNO JOINS SHUTTLE TEAM Erno Raumfahrttechnik GmbH has joined the McDonnell Douglas team for preliminary design studies on Nasa's space shuttle. The German company, at present engaged on its own lifting-body project (picture opposite), will work on systems analysis, aerodynamics, thermodynamics, structures, flight mechanics and controls. This is the third European company to form such a link with McDonnell after Hawker Siddeley and Aerospatiale, and negotiations are under way with other European firms for similar arrangements. In each case the company con cerned is funding its own activities and providing engineers to work as part of the central design and management team at McDonnell Douglas, St Louis. If MD wins a development contract from Nasa, the international arrange ments will be reviewed and any further participation by European companies will be on a sub-contract basis. FLIGHT EXPERIMENTS FOR APOLLO 14 Four en-route experiments are planned for the Apollo 14 mission to investigate the practical use of zero gravity. The tests will be fully set up before flight so that only initial activation, observation and photography will be required First-stage development of this huge 225 cu ft, 6.37m3 cryogenic tank was recently completed at Beech Aircraft Co, Wichita. Designed for use in future space shuttles and stations, the 1,470 Imp gal, 6,670lit tank measures 91 in, 2.3m in diameter. It will be capable of storing lox, hydrogen, helium or methane of the crew and these will take place in the fairly inactive period during the return to Earth. The main experiment will test electrophoretic separa tion which separates molecules by means of their different rates of movement through an alkaline solution. The system could be used to isolate pure organic samples for medical and biological research. This is prevented, however, by sedimentation and convectional mixing, and it is hoped that these can be avoided under weightless conditions. If suc cessful this system could be used on a large scale in manned space stations. A second demonstration will test heat transfer and con vection in weightless fluids and gases, information which would be valuable for designing manufacturing processes in space. A liquid transfer experiment with two tanks, one containing baffles, will examine the benefits of baffles in zero gravity with a view to designing future space re fuelling systems. The fourth experiment will evaluate the manufacture of metallurgical products in space by pro cessing materials in a small heating chamber, to be examined and tested after return to Earth. PIONEER LINE-UP EXPLOITED Using Pioneer 6 and Pioneer 8 spacecraft, scientists of Stanford University, Calif, are making what they regard as probably the most accurate measurements to date of the free electron density in the solar wind. The measurements will continue until next May because of unusual orbital mechanics by which the two spacecraft were recently aligned with Earth and which will enable them to remain so throughout this period. Pioneer 6 is at present 5.6 million miles, 9 million km inside the Earth's orbit and about 42° behind the Earth. Pioneer 8 is 2.5 million miles, 4 million km outside the Earth's orbit and about 66° behind. Alignment will be extended because Pioneer 8 is at perihelion and Pioneer 6 at aphelion, so that the orbital speeds of both satellites almost match that of the Earth. Pioneer 6 is therefore some 62 million miles, 100 million km away, with Pioneer 8 a further 38 million miles, 61 million km beyond it. The measurements are determined from the extent that signals between the Stanford University 150ft, 46m aerial and the two spacecraft are slowed by the electrons. The outstanding precision is achieved by subtracting the Earth- AEG-Telefunken is building a working model of its "double-action" flexible solar array. Use of Stem (Starable Tubular Extendible Members) elements permits o maximum extending/retracting speed of about 3.3ft/min, Im/min, and Kapton is used for the flexible sub-stratum. The 64.5 sq ft, 6m* should provide a power/weight ratio of l6Wjlb, 7W/kg after six months in orbit Phase I PhaseH
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