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Aviation History
1972
1972 - 1940.PDF
FLIGHT International, 27 July 1972 141 SPACE POWER STATION STUDY Nasa has commissioned a study to explore the feasibility of establishing solar power stations in space. In a six-month, $197,400 study, five US firms will together assess key technical problems involved in placing a satellite in syn chronous orbit to convert solar energy to electric power and then transmit the power to Earth via a microwave beam. A particular concept is to be studied for comparison with other methods of producing large amounts of power on Earth from the solar energy. It comprises a five-mile square solar collector aerial in geostationary orbit and facing the Sun. Linked to this by a two-mile electrical transmission line is a control station complete with cooling equipment. This is attached to a one-mile square slot-array microwave antenna directed at Earth. A six-mile-square antenna on Earth would receive the signals for conversion to electrical energy. Such a satellite is estimated to be capable of producing 10,000MW. The study team led by A. D. Little Inc, and including Grumman, Textron, Spectrolab Heliotek and Raytheon, will focus on analysis of critical areas. Among these will be determination of the manageability and control of very large structures in space, as well as of key advances required to make such a concept feasible and economically attractive. The environmental, technical and economic impact of such a station will also be assessed. NEW US METSAT GETS UNDER WAY Construction of the first of Nasa's new Synchronous Meteorological Satellite (SMS) flight models has begun at Philco-Ford, Calif. It is one of three advanced weather satellites being built for Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre. All three will be identical, but the first two will be operated initially by Nasa before being turned over to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The third satellite is being built for direct Lockheed has completed initial studies of the use of an Agena booster as an interim space tug, depicted here boosting a shuttle-launched communications satellite to synchronous orbit. Such a tug would not be recoverable but may be required temporarily if reusable-tug development has to be postponed until after the shuttle. Lockheed expects Nasa to place follow-on studies later this year delivery to NOAA and will be renamed Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-A. From 22,300 miles above the Equator, the SMS will return photographs of cloud patterns every 30min, as well as relaying data from remote Earth-based locations. The first is to be launched in October 1973 with the other two following at six-month intervals. The first spacecraft is, in fact, termed a "protoflight" model—a qualification model that will actually be flown. This is one of several relatively new cost-saving practices which has emerged from increased knowledge of spacecraft construction. 58th Eldo Council session The recent cancellation of the ESC meeting deprived the 58th Eldo Council session last week of its expected agenda. Instead, the council released an unspecified amount of money to cover budget require ments until October 1, by which date the rescheduled ESC meeting should have taken place. It was also noted that firms and organisations currently concerned with Europa III plan to study legal and organisational questions preliminary to setting up a definitive group to develop the launcher. Blue Streak order signed Eldo has ordered two more Blue Streak boosters from Hawker Siddeley Dynamics for use in the second and third operational Europa II vehicles, F.15 and F.16. HSD has also been authorised to initiate prepara tion for the F.17 and F.18 boosters. Soviet octuple launch The Soviet Union has announced the launch of eight satellites by a single launch vehicle. The satellites, Cosmos 504-511, were placed in a 115min orbit on July 20. This is the third such octuple launch by the Russians. The altitudes, between 885 miles and 957 miles, are very close to those of the previous clusters. European metsat agreement Esro last week ratified an agreement made last May with the French space authority, CNES, for the joint production of a European weather satellite. Based on France's Meteosat, the spacecraft will be developed at the CNES Toulouse facility at a planned cost of $119 million. A Thor-Delta will place it in syn chronous orbit in 1976. A structural model of a Synchronous Meteorology Satellite is under going vibration tests at Phi/co-Ford's Western Development labora tories, Calif (see item this page)
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