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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 1240.PDF
OPERATIONS: SPACEFLIGHT Kristal module faces new delay New technical problems have delayed launch of the Kristal module to the Mir space station from 18 April to at least 1 June. The Soviets have experi enced difficulties adjusting the computing systems on the Mir station, says Yuri Semenov, gen eral designer of the Energia scientific production association. Mir's comptuer is ". . . under going difficulties because new spacecraft keep arriving and the computer adjustment has turned out harder than expected", says Semenov. When the 20t Kvant 2 module docked to Mir last year, the core station's 12 gyrodyne attitude control system instruments were operated for the first time and "there were, breakdowns", admits Semenov. Before Kristal is launched, the Soviets will dispatch a Progress unmanned tanker to replenish the station's propellant supply in order to place it in the correct orbit to receive the new module. The craft is expected to be a Progress M. although there is one original Progress, number 42, still to be launched. The Kristal laboratory will be dedicated to microgravity indus trial processing and is the second largest 20t-class module to be launched to Mir. It is expected to be designated Kvant 3 when launched by Proton from Baikonur. Kvant 1 is a smaller astrophysics module mounted at the rear of Mir, while the larger modules dock at the front. The Kristal module also incor porates a docking port of its own to which the Soviets plan to attach the space shuttle Buran after an automatic test flight, possibly next year. When the Mir core module was launched in 1986, the Soviet Union said that it would be fully operational in 1990 with four attached 20t-class modules. Full operations are not expected until 1993. • TRW wins USAF Lightsat contract The US Air Force Space Sys tems division has awarded TRW Space and Technology Group a $5million contract to build a lightweight, 500kg, space test experimental platform (STEP 1) satellite, to be launched on a small Pegasus-class booster in 1992. The deal includes an option for at least a further 11 "Lightsats" over six years. STEP 1 will carry experiments to study radio propagation fre quencies in the ionosphere; global electronic density; and at mospheric drag and density. It will be placed into a 1,500km X 195km elliptical orbit. The satellite "core", says TRW, will provide attitude control, communications, command, telemetry and 300W electrical power. Attitude control will be by any of three modes, gravity- gradient, spin or three-axis stabilisation. • Hubble dqiloyment should throw new light on the Universe Hubble deployed successfully T^he Hubble space telescope was successfully deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery on 25 April. Following several months of intensive in-orbit checkout, Hubble will begin op tical observations, enabling astronomers to peer 14 billion light years into the Universe, seven times further than Earth- bound telescopes, seeing objects 081 F1./G//7-TELEPH0NE NUMBERS As from 6 May, Flight's 01 telephone number prefix will be replaced by 081. For example, 01-661 3321 will become 081-661 3321 or +4481 661 3321 if dialling from outside the United Kingdom. 50 times fainter than previously observed. Discovery's launch from Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center was just three minutes late and was the first since STS 61C in January 1986 to take place with a sister Shuttle on another launch pad. Columbia is on Pad 39A awaiting a May launch: Hubble was deployed by mis sion specialist Steven Hawley, using the Shuttle robot arm, after the two solar panels were un furled and tested. One of the panels failed to unfurl at first but new computer commands rec tified the problem, although mis sion specialists Bruce McCandless and Kathryn Sulli van were ready to perform a well- rehearsed spacewalk to pull the panel out. • Asia Satellite loks ahead BY PHIL BANGSBERG IN HONG KONG AsiaSat I, Asia's first commer- xVcial telecommunications sat ellite, has now started its operational testing and is ex pected to begin providing ser vices in the next two weeks. "The tests are proceeding smoothly and everything is in order so far," says Chiu Ya-hui, operations manager of Asia Satellite Tele communications. The former Westar VI, built by the Hughes Aircraft unit of Gen eral Motors, was launched on 7 April aboard a Chinese Long March 3 rocket. Its coverage ex tends from Japan in the north to Thailand in the south and west ward to the Middle East. The commercial and technical success of AsiaSat I makes the appearance of AsiaSat II by the end of 1993 more and more certain, says the operating company's chief executive, Terry Seddon. It is far from certain, however, that another Chinese rocket will launch it. "Without a doubt we'll put the bid out to international tender. Any politi cal uncertainty will be part of our assessment," he says. The souring of US—China relations after the 4 June massa cre of pro-democracy demonstra tors in Beijing led Congress to pass a Bill last November prohibiting the export of US- made satellites for launch by Chinese rockets. Only a personal ruling by President Bush allowed AsiaSat I to go off as intended. China's $30 million price tag was about 30% less than a launch by the European Arianespace consortium and 50% cheaper than a US launch, Seddon says. The lower price charged by China gave rise to claims its launches are subsidised, but Seddon disputes this, as do the Chinese. "Launching a satellite is very manpower-orientated, just like any other task that takes 18 months or so. Just look at the differential in Chinese salaries. 'Subsidies' isn't the right word. But they do have a competitive advantage," he adds. • 12 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 2-8 May 1990
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