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Aviation History
2000
2000 - 0342.PDF
SPMCBFUGHT NASA studies use of UAVs for research into earth sciences NASA PLANS to award at least two multiyear contracts to demonstrate whether un manned air vehicles (UAVs) can support earth science research. The space agency says the tech nology has progressed to the point that UAVs could "become a robust component of the suborbital pro gramme in earth science". The UAV-based Science Dem onstration Programme (UAVS- DP) is intended to show that hazardous research missions can be conducted from a long-duration, subsonic UAV NASA believes UAVs could be used for climate variability mea surement and prediction, disaster management, environmental mon itoring and to detect natural resources. The contracts could include payload development, sen sor integration, flight testing, deployment and operations sup port and data analysis. UAV plat form development and significant new instrument development are not covered. - NASA officials expect the select ed UAVs to be in operation within 24 months of contract award. The space agency has earmarked $12 million for UAVSDP between fis cal years 2000 and 2002. The dead line for bids is 5 April, with contract awards expected in July. NASA has concerns over UAV usage. "The UAV industry has made great progress in the devel opment of vehicle capabilities. Operation of this class of aircraft and die vehicle reliability are in the formative stages, however, and the ability to fly globally over a specific area may be limited. • NEWS IN BRIEF • ILS LAUNCH ILS International Launch Services launched an Atlas IIAS from Cape Canaveral on 3 February, carrying the Hispasat 1C communications satellite. This brought to 45 the number of launches of the Atlas II, IIA and IIAS. Russia reacts to NASA concern on Space Station module delays TIM FURNISS/LONDON RUSSIA WILL attempt to launch the much-delayed Zvezda service module aboard a Proton booster in June, according to officials. The move follows criticism from NASA administrator Daniel Goldin about Russia's delays to the International Space Station (ISS) and its renewed interest in continuing the opera tion of the Mir space station. The Zvezda launch will be dependent, however, on a suc cessful return to flight of the Proton, which is set to launch from Baikonur this month, car rying die Garuda 1 communica tions satellite. The mission is able to go ahead following Kazakhstan's formal lifting of a ban on Proton launches after two failures in July and October last year. Goldin, concerned by the Russian delays to the assembly of the ISS and its Mir commitment, has already ordered the completion of the $100 million US Interim Control Module (ICM). If there is further stalling by the Russians on NASA may launch the Interim Control Module in December die launch of the Zvezda, the ICM will be prepared for a possible launch in December. Goldin says: "To say we are frustrated and disappointed is an understatement." Russia has "to understand what the focus is here". Even if the Zvezda is launched as planned, the ICM will be sent to the ISS later, to provide additional orbital main tenance services, says Goldin. He plans to call an emergency meeting of all ISS partners after a review with Russia in Moscow- later this month. • The Progress Ml-1 tanker, which is docked to the Mir space station, has been used to raise the orbit of the Russian space base by 10km duringa 1.058s burn of its engine. Two more burns will be made, to increase the apogee of the orbit to 360km. Two cos monauts may be launched to the Mir in April, followed by anoth er Progress in June. • Mars exploration discussed REPRESENTATIVES from four international space agen cies met at the British National Space Centre in London this month to discuss their plans for Mars exploration. NASA intends to launch a Mars orbiter and lander nextjanuary, but these plans may change as a result of last year's investigations into the failures of die Mars Climate Orbit er and Mars Polar Lander. In 2003, the European Space Agency (ESA) plans to launch the Mars Express orbiter and the UK's Beagle 2 lander, while NASA also aims to launch a second lander car rying a Mars rover. Japan, meanwhile, hopes that its space-travelling Mars orbiter, Nozomi, will arrive at the red plan et in 2003. French space agency CNES' orbiter will follow in 2005. It will include four small craft, called Netlanders, which will land at various Mars surface locations. A third NASA Mars lander and rover will also be launched to gath er samples into a canister, which will be fired into Mars orbit and collected by the French orbiter for return to Earth. If the 2005 Mars sample return mission is delayed, ESA and CNES hope that operations of their orbiters can be extended to support the later mission. Meanwhile, following the detec tion by Stanford University of what may have been very faint signals from NASA's lost Polar Lander, a worldwide effort using a network of radio telescopes to make new contact has been inconclusive. Stanford had believed that it may have detected a faint signal on the lander's frequency while reviewing recorded data from earlier attempts to contact the craft after its apparently failed landing on 3 December. Q NASA test flies X-38 parafoilforCRVs THE WORLD'S largest para-foil parachute was test-flown last month as part of NASAs X-38 lifting body prototype project, . The project could lead to the development of four operational crew return vehicles (CRVs) for the International Space Station. They are designed to return crews in an emergency. The parafoil, tested over Ari zona, has a span of 43m (140ft) and a surface area of 696nv (7,500ft). The system carried an 8,160kg (18,0001b) pallet, simulating the X-38, which was dropped from a Lockheed Martin C-130 at an alti tude of 6,555m, landing safely 11 min later. Prototypes of the X-38 have been drop-tested, using smaller parafoils. A spaceflight test re entry and landing flight of a CRV from the Space Shuttle is planned for 2002. • 40 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15 - 21 February 2000
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