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Aviation History
1999
1999 - 2348.PDF
SPACEFLIGHT Russian, US booster faults isolated TIM FURNISS/LONDON THE FAILURE of the first Proton M boosterlast month, was caused by a fire in the turbop- ump of the second stage engine. The fire was started by a stray par ticle of aluminium, says Russia's Khrunichev. AtT+2 77s, the fire started in the Voronezh-built No 3 engine, because ofthe particle - which was either left by a worker, or was the result of a faulty weld - and pro pelled into the turbopump during the engine operation. The Russian company says the turbopump will be redesigned to include a filter, while plans to improve the engine's fuel-injection system will be accelerated. Proton launches may resume at the end of this month, with the flight of me LM-1 communications satellite. Asuccessful Proton lift-off will clear the way for the launch on 12 November ofthe Zvezda Inter national Space Station module. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin and ILS International Launch Services hope to resume launches in late summer of the Atlas fleet, using the Pratt & Whitney RL-10 engine following the investigation into the explosion ofthe engine on a Boeing Delta III booster in May. Boeing says that the cause of die Delta III failure was a new manu facturing process used to solder parts of the combustion chamber. The four sections of the chamber are covered with strengthening brazed seams using silver wire, but flawed brazing left air pockets and allowed a joint to split under the stress of the launch. To eliminate the problem, the brazed seams will be plated. In addition, the US Air Force investigation into trie failure ofthe RL-10 on a Titan IV launch in April points to a computer software failure rather than an RL-10 prob lem, with improperly developed software causing an attitude con trol failure, says trie USAE • ZaryaISS module made US crew ill CREWMEMBERS of Space Shuttle Discovery/STS96, which docked with the Inter national Space Station (ISS) in May, suffered headaches, irritated eyes, nausea and vomiting inside the Russian Zarya control module, possibly caused by the build-up of excess carbon dioxide. The symptoms, which subsided when the crew returned to the Shuttle orbiter cabin, are believed to be related to circulation between the Shuttle and the connecting modules, which comprise the Zarya and the US Unity node. The crew did not report the symptoms until after landing, rais ing concerns about crew ethics and relations with ground teams during operational shifts. Immediate con fidential medical status reports to mission control could have allowed engineers to resolve the problem. US crews have been reticent about health issues in orbit for fear of curtailing missions or affecting their chances of flying other ones. This has strained relations with ground-based medical teams. This issue will have to be clearly defined before ISS occupation begins next March. Crews will be without a "safe haven" orbiter, although the Soyuz emergency return vehicle will be on hand. NASA says it will ensure that better atmosphere monitoring devices are carried on the next scheduled mission - STS101/ Atlantis to the ISS in December. • UK's Beagle 2 wins go-ahead THEUK's60kg(1301b)Beagle 2 Mars lander, which will fly piggyback on the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft in 2003, has been approved by the UK Government. The project, which will cost up to $40 million, will be paid for by industry and commercial sponsors, with the government contributing $8 million, says UK science minis ter Lord Sainsbury. It is believed that $5 million has already been pledged by industry, including the spacecraft builder, Matra Marconi Space, and Martin- Baker, which is developing the landing system. The Beagle 2, the brainchild of UK Open University professor Colin Pillinger, will carry a "mole" device to burrow into the Martian surface after landing on 25 December, 2003. The mole will collect from be neath the surface samples that have not been exposed to harsh oxidising conditions. An onboard instrument will be used to test for the presence of organic molecules that could indicate biological processes. • Deep Space 1 success THE SPECTRUM Astro-built Deep Space 1 (DS-1), the first of NASA's New Mil lennium programme spacecraft, flew to within 15km ofthe asteroid 9969 Braille on 29 July, returning images and science data. The DS- l's visible-light camera was incorrectly positioned during the flyby and could not detect the asteroid. The infrared imager returned images of Braille, howev er, showing it to resemble the larg er Vesta asteroid, which has a surface of basaltic rock. Scientists believe Braille may have broken away from Vesta. J ^ Japan completes HII-A booster static firing test JAPAN'S NASDA HAS performed the first static firing test of the SRB-A solid rocket booster for the new HII-A launch er. The booster fired for 102 s and reached 223t thrust. The test was intended to prove the design ofthe thrust vector con trol system that steers the booster's noz zle. Two Nissan SRB-A boosters will power the HII-A, which will make its debutnextyearwithnewLE5A cryogenic and LE5B first and second stage engines. The LE5B will be flown for the first time on an original HH carrying the MTSAT spacecraft next month. The LE5A has been static tested on the HII-A ground test vehicle at Tanegashima (left). Both engines have experienced development test problems. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 11 - 17 August 1999 27
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