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Aviation History
1973
1973 - 1106.PDF
FLIGHT International, 26 April 1973 PLANNED SHUTTLE USE, 1979-1990 No of flights Costs* *($X1 million) Nasa 262 18,470 Defence Dept 218 12,700 Other 101 3,500 Total 581 34,700 the 581 launches expected from when the shuttle enters service in 1979 until 1990. This would give a launch rate of about one per week with total launch costs estimated at $10-5 million each, compared with $8 million for a Delta to $34 million for a Titan Ill/Centaur quoted by Nasa. The average shuttle payload is expected to be about 34,0001b, 15,400kg although the shuttle is to be capable of carrying 65,0001b, 29,500kg. Direct costs are therefore put at $309/lb, compared with up to $900/lb for expendable launchers. Initial investments should amount to about $8,100 mil lion (£3,350 million), according to Nasa, of which $5,150 million will be consumed by development of the shuttle itself plus $1,000 million to buy three operational vehicles. The space tug, which is an essential part of the system because it will be required for all launches to geosynchron ous orbit, will cost some $636 million to develop according to current estimates, while another $500 million will be required for purchase of an unspecified number of opera tional tugs. In addition, modification of facilities for shuttle use at Kennedy Space Centre and at the West Test Range will cost $300 million and $500 million respectively. The net investment is expected to exceed what would otherwise be required for expendable boosters by $6,400 million but Nasa estimates the subsequent return on investment to be better by $11-7 million. The ideal opera tional programme should result in a 13 per cent total return on investment but Nasa considers that ten per cent could be achieved with a launch rate of only 30 per year. Sen Proxmire is also understood to have requested cuts in Nasa's proposed 1974 research and development budget of $2,288 million. The R&D budget covers all Nasa's expenditure other than its own administration and con struction of facilities. Nasa has, in fact, been asked to state This unusual photograph of a spent Skylark rocket motor, just before its recovery parachute opened, was taken from a camera in the nosecone during the recent Argentine Earth-survey exercise. The area below it covers some 12,000 sq miles of Cordoba Province. Two Skylarks were successfully launched with Earth-pointing cameras on March 22 and 28 on the first operational Earth-survey mission using sounding rockets programme priorities so that cuts could be arranged accordingly. Sen Proxmire is attempting to obtain cuts ranging from ten per cent for more important programmes up to as much as 30 per cent for low priority work. Although this approach is intended to provide some kind of compromise, Nasa administrator Dr James Fletcher believes that all programmes have been reduced or stretched to the point where cuts of this size would necessi tate total cancellation of some programmes. Nasa is to study the effects of such cuts in time for an appropriations subcommittee meeting on June 1. The studies were requested at a recent hearing of the subcommittee when Sen Proxmire noted that more infor mation was required on Nasa's priorities and the effects on them of such cuts before any responsible decisions could be made. LUNOKHOD STATUS Lunokhod 2 was shut down on April 22 for the fourth time since its arrival, following an entire lunar day devoted to exploration of a large fissure. Soviet statements described the fissure as a straight furrow, thought to be up to 100m deep in places and 16km long and running close to the Taurus mountains. The Soviet automatic vehicle had been parked about 2km from the fissure during the previous night, at the end of which it was immediately driven to within 200m of the edge. The Sun was then still too low on the horizon for safe operation near the fissure and controllers had to await a higher sun angle before proceeding with the exploration. Since its arrival on January 16 near the Le Monnier crater on the edge of the Sea of Serenity, Lunokhod 2 has covered more than 20miles 31km or just over three times the distance covered by the first Lunokhod in its entire 11 months of operation. Preliminary Soviet analysis of the Lunokhod 2 data indicates that the local terrain includes large areas of exposed bedrock, while loose regolith covers the remaining surface to depths of 16-100ft, 5-30m. One Soviet report notes that the rock outcrops considerably increase the speed of the vehicle and implies that its eight wheels tend to stick in the loose material. A 210ft, 64m deep-space tracking antenna was opened at Tidbinbilla, Australia, on April 13 by Nasa Administrator Dr James Fletcher. Previously the only antenna of this size was that at Goldstone, Calif, opened in 1966. The Tidbinbilla aerial is the second in a three station network of which the third is nearing completion at Madrid, Spain. The smaller antenna in the picture is the original Tidbinbilla 85ft, 26m aerial opened in 1965
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