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Aviation History
1986
1986 - 0021.PDF
Soviets test station module MOSCOW The Cosmos-1686 Star Module still docked with Salyut 7 could form the basis of future Soviet space sta tions, the Soviet Union has revealed. Weighing more than 20 tonnes, including nearly 5 tonnes of cargo and more than 3 tonnes of fuel, Cosmos-1686 is almost as long as Salyut 7, is 4m diameter at its widest, and has 16m-span solar panels. Docked to Salyut, the module nearly doubles the available working space, says the Soviet Union. Cosmos-1686 is designed to test the vehicle's effectiveness as a multipurpose orbital module, a building block from which future space stations could be assembled in orbit, the Soviet Union has revealed. In 1978 the Cosmos-929 satellite was used to verify spacecraft performance in autonomous flight, leading to the assembly in orbit of the 40-tonne Salyut-6/Cosmos- 1627 complex in 1981, the Soviet Union reveals. Cos mos-1627 was used as a space tug to manoeuvre the unmanned Salyut 6 into different orbits. In March 1983, the Cos mos-1443 freighter docked with Salyut 7 after eight days autonomous flight and took over control of the then unmanned station, says the Soviet Union. The implica tion is that, now Salyut 7 is once again unmanned follow ing the unscheduled return to Earth of its crew, Cosmos- 1686 is in full charge of the station. Venus mapper is Magellan PASADENA ~ Magellan is the name chosen by Nasa for its $295 million Venus radar mapper, to be launched from Shuttle in April 1988. Boosted on its way by a Centaur G-Prime upper stage, Magellan will enter a elliptical orbit around Venus in July 1988. Magellan will map most of the planet with a maximum equivalent optical resolution of 250m. This compares with the 1km resolution obtained by the Soviet Venera 15 and 16 spacecraft and the 40km resolution of the US Pioneer Venus Observer. While Pioneer mapped about 40 per cent of the Venusian surface and the Venera 20 per cent, Magellan will map 92 per cent of the planet. To minimise cost, the radar mapping programme of the 1,030kg spacecraft will be conducted for 36min at the low point of each 250km by 780km polar orbit, covering a swath about 25km wide. Data will be transmitted during the following lllmin, while the remaining 39min of each orbit will be used to calibrate and point the space craft correctly. Venus will rotate just 20km during one orbit. SPACEFLIGHT Nasa free- flyer to spy Halley GREENBELT ~ The only Nasa satellite dedi cated solely to observing Halley's comet will be deployed by Shuttle later this month, only to be retrieved 45hr later. The 1-tonne Spartan- Halley is a modified Spartan 2 free-flyer. Its mission will be to measure from Earth orbit the comet's ultraviolet spec trum, looking for hydrogen and oxygen atoms, and carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur molecules—indicators that more complex compounds may exist in the ice and dust of the comet nucleus. Spartan-Halley will be carried on Shuttle mission 51L, scheduled for launch no earlier than January 22, and will be deployed some time between January 24 and 31, when Halley will be at its most active. n a 35-knot crosswind Rescue work at sea is seldom done in fine weather and calm seas. That's why the United States Coast Guard demands stringent requirements for their helicopters, including stability in flight - even in strong crosswinds - and protection against potential tail-rotor accident hazards. To meet the Coast Guard's challenge Aerospatiale used its innovative "fenestron" technology. Advanced technology first introduced in the Gazelle in 1966, technology Which has consistently proven performance, stability, safety and reliability. This proven technology has caught the interest of the U.S. Army. The "fenestron" has been requested in the specifications for the Army's next generation helicopter... the LHX. As we see it, advanced technology is synonymous with increased operational safety and reliability. This means adapting leading- edge technology to satisfy our customer's needs, which is one reason why the U.S.C.G. as well as fire departments, police units, hospitals, armed forces, and VIPs the world over place their trust in Aerospatiale... the world's leading helicopter exporter. that's special.that's aerospatiale. 98 aerospatiale
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