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Aviation History
1993
1993 - 2018.PDF
SPACEFLIGHT Russians at sea over Atlantis BY TIM FURMSS Aconflict between the Rus sian Space Agency (RKA) and NPO Energia is delaying the finalisation of plans for the flight of the US Space Shuttle Atlantis STS71 to dock with the Mir space station in June 1995. Former astronaut Guy Gard ner, who heads NASA's Russian programmes office, says that he would like to fly two cosmo nauts aboard the Atlantis to begin a new shift on the Mir and bring the two resident cosmonauts and their US astro naut guest back from their space stint. While the RKA agrees, NPO Energia does not want to inter fere with training regimes. The present Russian programme is planned to start with the Nov ember launch of veteran Rus sian cosmonaut Sergei Kri- kalyov aboard the Discovery for a routine STS60 mission, last ing about a week. The flight may be delayed to early 1994, after the Hubble space repair and servicing mis sion has taken place, because of delays to the latest Discovery mission, the STS51. The Discovery would then be prepared for the STS63 flight in mid-1994, which Gardner con- Krikaloyov stays buoyant at NASA while Russia maintains training debate firms will be used to conduct a practice rendezvous and sta tion keeping with the Mir. Gardner would like Krikalyov's back-up, Vladimir Titov, to be flown on the STS63, but the Russians have not yet agreed. The STS63 will keep station at a distance of 200m. Ground controllers will practise com munications co-ordination, while communications between the Shuttle and the Mir will be assessed, using a specially de veloped radio. In March 1995, a NASA as tronaut will be launched to the Mir aboard a Soyuz booster from Baikonur and the Atlantis will dock in June, remaining attached to the Mir for five days of joint activities with a Spacelab module for additional life-sciences work. The Atlantis will be equipped with a $47 million docking- port/airlock, fitted with a Rus sian androgynous adaptor. The airlock will be mounted in the payload bay, which is attached to the tunnel running from the orbiter's airlock to the Spacelab module. USA counts the cost of satellite design The US General Accounting Office says that the Depart ment of Defense could save $18 billion by selecting a standard ised design for its communi cations satellites. The Congressional watchdog favours an Advanced Research Projects Agency proposal for a dual system of satellite buses, weighing 300kg and 1,000kg. The US Air Force has already proposed the production of a single common spacecraft bus for multiple applications, which would cut $10 billion from the budget. The two major large-scale projects, the US Navy UHF Follow On and US Air Force Defense Space Communica tions System spacecraft, are built by Hughes and Martin Marietta Aerospace. Lockheed is building the new Milstar fleet. Smaller com munications satellites are flown for multiple access, digital data and specialist applications. Congress' Office of Technol ogy Assessment (OTA) has al ready called for rationalisation in the design of the USA's range of remote-sensing and environmental-monitoring spacecraft, firstly combining the US Defence Meteorological Satellite Programme and the civilian Tiros/NOAA projects. Recognising the USA* plan to invest $30 billion in remote- sensing technologies to the year 2000, the OTA believes that it makes sense for the Pentagon, NASA and NOAA to merge their programmes. D China forms national space agency China has established a Na tional Space Administra tion, primarily to boost satellite-technology exports and to capitalise on the relative success of the country's launcher business. The new concern will incor porate China Aerospace, to which Long March booster manufacturer China Great Wall Industry reports. China has also established China Satellite Launch Agents Hong Kong to market launch ing, piggyback payloads, recov ery and tracking services "at 40% less than other compa nies". The Asia Pacific market is a rapid-growth area and China has already won con tracts to launch Asia Pacific company's APStar 1 and Asia- sat's second spacecraft. D The Shuttle may carry 500kg of Russian equipment to the Mir and return with 1,000kg, in the form of a failed gyrodyne component, says Gardner. If the Russians cannot agree, only the US astronaut will re turn aboard the Atlantis. Ger many has requested that NASA fly a national astronaut on the Atlantis to start a proposed three-month mission aboard the Mir, should the Russian cosmonauts not be able to fly the Shuttle mission. Gardner says that he is look ing at possible future US astro naut/Shuttle visits to the Mir on a series of Spacelab-Mir 1 missions, as precursors to the US Freedom Space Station. • NEWS IN BRIEF SIXTH ASTRA Societe Europeenne des Sat ellite of Luxembourg is plan ning to invest in a sixth Astra satellite, provided that the de velopment of digital television channels employing signal compression technologies re mains on track. FOURTH TELECOM Matra Marconi Space has re ceived the contract from France to build a fourth Tele com 2 spacecraft, while the third, the Telecom 2C, has been earmarked for an Ariane launch in October 1994. NEW WINDOW NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer satellite has opened a "new window on the heav ens", finding helium on Mars; volcanic debris from the moon Io, above Jupiter; and offering new views of the deep Universe, says NASA. LAUNCHER RACE In a bid not to lose out on the international small-launcher business, Aerospatiale is pro posing the development of two satellite boosters — pos sibly incorporating Russian propulsion units — to achieve a first launch in 1995. One off-the-shelf booster would be used to place 400kg into low Earth orbit at a price of $7 million, the other to place 2,800kg into a higher orbit for $25m. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 18 - 24 August, 1993 17
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