henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (07/18/89)
This is the big Paris-air-show preview issue. The front cover is a two-page foldout of Buran arriving at Le Bourget on top of Mriya. This was the 15th flight of Buran on Mriya, the Soviets say. The orbiter is attached with tubular supports fore and aft; interestingly enough, it is *not* attached to the two large payload supports on top of Mriya's wing center section. Japanese construction company proposes using an underground silo as a compressed-air gas gun for space launches. The silo would be 2km deep and 10m dia, with the vehicle leaving the muzzle at Mach 1. The Hazama-Gumi Construction Co. says this would lead to major savings in fuel and increases in payload, at a capital cost of about $3.3G. DoT study says US commercial launch suppliers would benefit from a serious effort to improve procedures for private use of government facilities. Foreign suppliers can commit to launch dates three years in advance, but the USAF won't promise availability of US launch facilities more than a year ahead. Various other policies can cost commercial users quite a bit when delays occur. The study does say that commercial fears of being actually bumped from the schedule by government payloads are exaggerated. Recent events in China leave uncertain the fate of efforts that had been underway to reorganize Chinese aerospace activity for better export potential. The Chinese did have booster models at Le Bourget, and are talking about development of two more booster versions, but nobody knows what the policy situation will be. Aerospace planes are big at Le Bourget: large models of NASP (US), Sanger (West Germany), Hope (Japan), and Hotol (UK) all in evidence. OSC/Hercules to sign deal with Ball Aerospace to launch miniature comsats into Clarke orbit on Pegasus. [This will presumably mean a small upper stage or two, since Pegasus is built for low orbit.] Ball is developing a new small comsat design, 400-1000 lbs, specifically for Pegasus launch, and has an agreement with OSC/H. giving it exclusive rights to Clarke- orbit launches from Pegasus for 1990-91. Indonesia and Thailand are reported to be potential early customers, and some European countries are also interested. The Ball satellites would carry only a few transponders, and would be most useful for specialized tasks like filling in for failing satellites or providing communications to relatively small customers. Pegasus managers say the cost of Clarke-orbit missions might be reduced to about $20M this way, as opposed to $100M for current systems, opening up a wide range of possibilities for low-cost use of high orbits. Pegasus is still on track for first launch in August. Space-agency managers from a number of countries meet at Le Bourget to begin coordination of planning for space rescue systems and manned- spacecraft compatibility in areas like docking systems and operating pressures. Soviets study development of a large comsat for both internal use and commercial export markets. Soviets expected to begin marketing satellite radar imaging data with a resolution of 25m in addition to existing remote-sensing services. Israeli government approves covering most of the operating costs of the proposed Amos comsat, assuming Israel Aircraft Industries (the sponsor of the concept) can find commercial funding for construction and launch. The first Ariane 44L (the maximum-boost configuration of the Ariane 4) launches German and Japanese comsats June 5, after repeated schedule slips due to minor technical problems. Pictures of work underway at Kourou on the Ariane 5 production and launch facilities. They will include an SRB test stand that permits firing the Ariane 5 SRBs in a vertical orientation in the same climatic conditions as real launches, and a solid-fuel casting facility for making the booster segments. Story on Ball Aerospace's large-array image-intensifying sensors, one of which will be the sensor on the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (first of the second-generation instruments that will eventually replace the current ones on the Hubble telescope). They also have potential military applications, since they can see everything from visible light to soft X-rays, are very sensitive, and are highly radiation-resistant. The technology is loosely based on current military image-intensifier technology. Rockwell International says that cutting production costs for ALS engines appears best done through simple designs, new production processes, and less use of exotic materials. The efficiency of the manufacturing process is more important than ultimate maximum engine performance, Rockwell says. Rockwell's Rocketdyne division is studying an oxyhydrogen engine with somewhat more thrust than the SSME but lower pressures and temperatures and reduced reusability requirements. The reduced demands can greatly reduce the complexity of the engine; for example, the pumps total about 600 parts, versus 2300 on the SSME. Letter from Jonathan McDowell at the Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass, pointing out that the new orbiter's name is "Endeavour", not the USized spelling "Endeavor" that AW&ST erroneously used. "The NASA press release consistently uses the spelling `Endeavour' and makes it clear that the new shuttle is named after Capt. James Cook's British ship of that name... Proper nouns do not change their spelling upon crossing the Atlantic." -- $10 million equals 18 PM | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology (Pentagon-Minutes). -Tom Neff | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
Ralf.Brown@B.GP.CS.CMU.EDU (07/18/89)
In article <1989Jul18.030914.3417@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) wrote: }Story on Ball Aerospace's large-array image-intensifying sensors, one of }which will be the sensor on the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph }(first of the second-generation instruments that will eventually replace }the current ones on the Hubble telescope). They also have potential Any bets on whether the replacement will be done before or after launch? :-) }Rockwell International says that cutting production costs for ALS engines }appears best done through simple designs, new production processes, and }less use of exotic materials. The efficiency of the manufacturing process }is more important than ultimate maximum engine performance, Rockwell says. BDB rears its head again.... -- UUCP: {ucbvax,harvard}!cs.cmu.edu!ralf -=-=-=-=- Voice: (412) 268-3053 (school) ARPA: ralf@cs.cmu.edu BIT: ralf%cs.cmu.edu@CMUCCVMA FIDO: Ralf Brown 1:129/46 FAX: available on request Disclaimer? I claimed something? PROGRAM n. A magic spell cast over a computer allowing it to turn one's input into error messages. tr.v. To engage in a pastime similar to banging one's head against a wall, but with fewer opportunies for reward. -- from a flyer advertising for _Inside_Turbo_Pascal_