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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 0155.PDF
SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAMME TIM FURNISS / LONDON Cracks threaten Space Shuttle's return to flight Lift-off could be delayed after discovery of corrosion in rudder speed brake actuators The next launch of the Space Shuttle could be delayed from March 2005 into early 2006 follow ing the discovery of corrosion and microscopic cracks in some of the orbiter fleet's rudder speed-brake actuators. If detailed examinations cannot be performed and some type of replacement found, the STS 114 Discovery return-to-flight mission could be set back by nine months, says Mike Kostelnik, NASA's head of the Space Shuttle programme. "It's not the foam that's critical now, but the rudder speed brakes," he says. Discovery's actuators are acceptable, says Kostelnik, but spares are needed to be installed on the orbiter Atlantis, which under Columbia Accident Investigation Board recommendations, needs to be available to provide a "safe haven" should there be problems on the STS 114 flight. Speed brakes have overtaken foam as the critical return-to-flight issue INVESTIGATION Brazil blames management for explosion Brazil's defence ministry says poor funding and lax manage ment contributed to the explosion of a VLS satellite launcher at the country's Alcantara launch site on 22 August last year, killing 21 engineers and technicians. An electrical flaw triggered one of the VLS 1 booster's four solid rocket motors. The fault arose from a combination of poor deci sions by government managers that led to a breakdown of safety procedures, routine mainte nance, training and communic ations, says the ministry. Some technicians did not know ignitors had been installed on the four motors the day before the acci dent. Electrical cables for the ignitors were poorly insulated. COMMUNICATIONS ROB COPPINGER / LONDON Skynet 5 technologies head for approval date The jamming, survivability and encryption technologies for the UK military's Skynet 5 satellites are expected to be approved at the end of next month. The critical design review at the end of April will study the two satel lites' phased-array anti-jamming and protected telemetry equipment and their survivability against nuclear explosion electromagnetic pulses. The design uses sheet metal shielding for survivability, phased array systems for anti-jamming and encryption for telemetry protection. Approval will open the way for hardware to be ordered, built and tested this year. Construction of the core structures of the satellites is already under way. The Skynet design is based on EADS-Astrium's 4,000kg (8,8001b) Eurostar 3000 model and uses super-high-frequency and ultra- high-frequency communication systems. The company that will own the satellites is EADS unit Paradigm Secure Communications. Paradigm projects director And rew Stroomer says that while the critical design review approval will enable production of Skynet S's two satellites to begin, "we are looking at a third satellite. We would need to make a decision on whether we need it soon for it to be built in line with a 2012 or even 2015 launch." The first two satellites will be launched in late 2006 for a March 2007 commissioning, and are designed to operate for 12 years. AUDIT UK national space centre slammed in Beagle report The British National Space Centre has been criticised by the UK's National Audit Office for an inadequate emphasis on risks in its appraisal for funds for the failed Beagle 2 mission. The UK civil space activity report, published last week, also criticised the mission project team's budgetary control. The UK-built lander's costs rose 57% from 1999 to 2001 due to cost-plus contracts used in Beagle's early development. This led to the public fund contri bution increasing from £5 million ($9 million) initially to £18.3 mil lion. Fixed price contracts in the project's latter stages helped control spending, but the final cost of the project was still £42.5 million. Despite the criticism the report also said that in many respects Beagle 2 was success ful because it produced benefits for the UK's space industry and scientific community. IN ORBIT • The launch of China's second manned spaceflight, carrying two taikonauts aboard Shenzhou 6 for a five- to seven- day flight, is scheduled for the second half of 2005. The Long March 2F booster for the flight will be delivered to the Jiuquan launch centre in June-July 2005. • International Launch Services (ILS) launched an Atlas IIIA booster from Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral on 13 March, carrying the Space Systems/Loral-built, 4,150kg (9,1001b) MBSAT digital multi media satellite for the Japanese Mobile Broadcasting Corporation and SK Telecom of Korea. ILS also launched a Proton M-Breeze M booster from Baikonur on 15 March car rying the Eutelsat W3A communications satellite built by EADS Astrium. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 23-29 MARCH 2004 33
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