klaes@advax.enet.dec.com (Larry Klaes) (01/29/91)
Jonathan McDowell has asked me to post his Space Reports until
he has access to the network again. The following Reports date
from November 26, 1990 to January 24, 1991. - Larry Klaes
Jonathan's Space Report
Nov 26 1990 (no.60)
----------------------------------------------------
STS-38/Atlantis was launched on Nov 15 and reportedly deployed the
AFP-658 recon satellite into a 28 degree inclination orbit. Atlantis
landed at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov 20.
STS-35/Columbia is due for launch in early December. Crew are Vance
Brand, commander; Guy Gardner, pilot; Mike Lounge, Dr. Jeffrey
Hoffman, Dr. Robert Parker, mission specialists; Dr. Ron Parise and
Dr. Sam Durrance, payload specialists. This will be the last
spaceflight by an Apollo astronaut; Brand first flew on the last
Apollo mission, the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz flight.
The EO-5 (5th long stay) crew, Gennadiy Manakov and Gennadiy Strekalov
continue in orbit aboard the Mir/Kvant/Kvant-2/Kristall/Soyuz TM-10/
Progress M-5 complex. Soyuz TM-11 is due for launch on Dec 2, carrying
the replacement EO-6 crew, Viktor Afanas'ev of the Soviet Air Force and
Musa Manarov of NPO Energiya (the organization that operates the
civilian cosmonaut team). The third seat will be filled by passenger
Toyohiro Akiyama of the Tokyo Broadcasting System, who will return with
the EO-5 crew on board Soyuz TM-7.
Kosmos-2103 was launched on Nov 14 by a two-stage version of the
Tsiklon from Baykonur, It is a Soviet Naval Intelligence ferret
satellite which listens to the electronic emissions from ships;
it is in a 400 km circular orbit at 65 degrees to the equator.
Kosmos-2104 was launched on Nov 16 by Soyuz from Plesetsk. It is
a GRU (Soviet military intelligence) imaging recon satellite.
Kosmos-2105 was launched on Nov 20 by Molniya from Plesetsk. It is a
PVO (Soviet Air Defence Command) missile early warning satellite in a
600x39300 km x 63 degree orbit.
Two US comsats, Satcom C1 and GSTAR 4, were launched by Ariane 42P on
Nov 20. Satcom C1 is a C-band (6/4 GHz) cable TV relay satellite
operated by GE American Communications (formerly RCA Americom). GSTAR 4
is operated by GTE Spacenet as part of its Ku-band (14/12 GHz)
communications network. Both satellites were built by GE Astro Space.
--- Hubble Space Telescope update ----
At a workshop at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) on Nov
16, HST observers and STScI staff started to revise the telescope's
observing program. The Orbital Verification period is now essentially
complete and Science Verification is beginning (lots of calibration
observations and test exposures). Proper scheduled observing will begin
around July '91. Contrary to initial expectations, it seems to me that
programs using the cameras are in better shape than the spectrographs.
Because of the aberration, HST can't see extremely faint objects, or
moderately faint objects which are right next to rather bright ones
(they get lost in the fuzzed out image of the bright one, and if the
brightness of your faint object is comparable to the uncertainty in the
shape of the point spread function of the bright object, no amount of
deconvolution will help you). But it can do very good imaging of groups
of bright objects very close to one another, like the R136 cluster, or,
with some extra observing time, of a point source on a diffuse
background (like the core of NGC 7457). Deconvolution techniques seem
to work pretty well; relative to radio astronomy, you have a a much
better sampled point spread function, but it varies in shape from one
part of the detector to another in nasty ways, so it's not an easy task.
FOC seems to be working really well and will get nice UV pictures. The
spectrographs, however, have the problem that because of the fuzzed out
images, not all the light goes down the spectrograph slit. If you can
open up the aperture to let more light in, that's no problem, but that
can lose spectral resolution or let in light from a nearby object. If
that's a problem for you, you're stuck with integrating for 5 times as
long, and the time reallocation committee is going to take a lot of
convincing. The Faint Object Spectrograph itself seems to be working
fine except for substandard shielding against the Earth's magnetic field,
but that shouldn't be too bad for most programs. The telescope's
pointing software and the solar array jitter are still giving problems,
but in a few months things should improve enough for most purposes.
All in all my impression is that while the telescope is not what it
might have been, and some of the key projects (particularly the distance
scale) are dead in the water until the repair mission, most observer's
projects really can still be done without too much loss of science - I'm
much more optimistic than I was a month or so ago.
___________________________________
|Current STS status: |
|Orbiters |
| |
|OV-102 Columbia LC39B |
|OV-103 Discovery OPF Bay 1 |
|OV-104 Atlantis OPF Bay 2 |
| |
|ML/ET/SRB stacks |
| |
|ML1 VAB |
|ML2/STS-39 VAB |
|ML3/STS-35/ET/OV102 LC39B |
-----------------------------------
(c) 1990 Jonathan McDowell
Jonathan's Space Report
Dec 3 1990 (no.61)
----------------------------------------------------
STS-35/Columbia was launched at 0649UT on Dec 2. The payload
consists of Astro-1, which is a group of UV telescopes on a Spacelab
pallet, mounted on the IPS (Instrument Pointing System) used
on Spacelab 2; and BBXRT, the Broad Band X-ray Telescope,
which is a Goddard Space Flight Center experiment. The commander,
Vance Brand, is the oldest person (59) to fly in space.
Soyuz TM-11 was launched a few hours later at 0813UT (I think, but
needs confirming) carrying Afanas'ev, Manarov and Akiyama toward the
Mir/Kvant/Kvant-2/Kristall/Soyuz TM-10 complex to join Manakov and
Strekalov. Their launch means that 12 people are now in orbit, which is
a record. Manakov, Strekalov and Akiyama will return to Earth in Soyuz
TM-10, with Afanas'ev and Manarov remaining in orbit. The Progress M-5
cargo craft undocked on Nov 28 and returned a cargo capsule to Kazakhstan.
[NB Do not confuse: Musa Khiramanovich MANAROV, civilian cosmonaut
from Azerbijan with Gennadiy Mikhailovich MANAKOV, Russian
military pilot cosmonaut.]
The first Block IIB Navstar navigation satellite, GPS 23, was launched
on Nov 26 from Canaveral. The launch vehicle was the first Delta 7925,
which is the operational Delta II. Other recent launches were made by
the interim Delta II, model 6925, which has less powerful strap-on
Castor IV solid motors; the 7925 has Hercules GEM strap-on rockets.
The tenth Block 5D Defense Meterological Satellite Program military weather
satellite (DMSP Block 5D-2 F-10) was launched on Dec 1 by Atlas E
from Vandenberg. The spacecraft, built by GE Astro Space, is similar to
the civilian NOAA satellites but carries different sensors.
A Molniya-1 comsat was launched by Molniya from Plesetsk on Nov 23
for the Soviet Ministry of Communications. A Gorizont satellite, the second
in a month, was launched by Proton from Baykonur on the same day; it
will be used by the Russian Republic for domestic communications.
___________________________________
|Current STS status: |
|Orbiters |
| |
|OV-102 Columbia Earth orbit |
|OV-103 Discovery OPF Bay 1 |
|OV-104 Atlantis OPF Bay 2 |
| |
|ML/ET/SRB stacks |
| |
|ML1 VAB |
|ML2/STS-39 VAB |
|ML3 LC39B |
-----------------------------------
Acronym expansion:
ET External Tank
LC Launch Complex
ML Mobile Launch Platform
OPF Orbiter Processing Facility
OV Orbiter Vehicle
SRB Solid Rocket Booster
STS Space Transportation System
VAB Vehicle Assembly Building
(c) 1990 Jonathan McDowell
Jonathan's Space Report
Dec 14 1990 (no.62)
----------------------------------------------------
Despite multiple spacecraft and payload failures, both Astro-1 and BBXRT
returned important results last week. Columbia landed Dec 11 at Edwards
AFB on Runway 22.
The Galileo spacecraft flew 960 km from Earth at 2035 UT on Dec 8
in a gravity assist maneuver.
Soyuz TM-11 docked with Mir's forward port on Dec 4. Manakov, Strekalov
and Akiyama returned to Earth on Dec 10 in Soyuz TM-10. The new
crewmembers of the Mir/Kvant/Kvant-2/Kristall/Soyuz TM-11 complex are
Afanas'ev and Manarov. The rear port of Kvant is free to receive the
Progress M-6 cargo craft due for launch soon. Orbit of the complex is
371x405 km.
Meanwhile, the abandoned Salyut-7/Kosmos-1686 complex had decayed
to a 308x312 km orbit by Dec 3, dropping 0.5 km/day with reentry
expected in January or February.
Kosmos-2106 was launched by Tsiklon from Plesetsk on Nov 28.
It is probably a radar calibration satellite used to deploy
targets for the Soviet PVO (Air Defence Force) radar system.
Kosmos-2107 was launched from Baykonur on Dec 4. It is
a naval electronic surveillance spacecraft.
Kosmos-2108 was launched by Soyuz from Plesetsk on Dec 4.
It is a recon satellite carrying a set of film return capsules,
and will remain in orbit until early February.
Kosmos-2101 had been in orbit for 60 days on Nov 30 when it
was deorbited. It was a Kosmos-1246 class mapping satellite,
distinguished from the usual recon satellites by its higher
perigee; it set a new record lifetime for the type.
Kosmos-2104 had been in orbit for 18 days when it landed on Dec 4. It
was probably a recon satellite, but its orbit is unusual. It remained in
a 240x362 km orbit inclined at 62.8 deg (a standard recon sat inclination)
for five days, then lowered its apogee by 80 km to a 230x282 km orbit;
five days later its orbit was lowered again to 204x254 km and maintained
at that altitude. It was probably a Vostok class recon sat, but again the
lifetime is unusually long for the type.
___________________________________
|Current STS status: |
|Orbiters |
| |
|OV-102 Columbia EAFB RW22 |
|OV-103 Discovery OPF Bay 1 |
|OV-104 Atlantis OPF Bay 2 |
| |
|ML/ET/SRB stacks |
| |
|ML2/STS-39 VAB |
-----------------------------------
(c) 1990 Jonathan McDowell
Jonathan's Space Report
Dec 27 1990 (no.63)
----------------------------------------------------
Columbia returned to KSC on Dec 20 and will be stored in the VAB prior
to processing for STS-40. Discovery is being prepared for the STS-39
mission. The STS-39 external tank was mated to the solid rocket
boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building this week.
STS schedule:
STS-39 February Discovery AFP-675 and IBSS
STS-37 April Atlantis Gamma Ray Observatory
STS-40 May Columbia Spacelab Life Sciences 1
Afans'ev and Manarov continue in orbit aboard the
Mir/Kvant/Kvant-2/Kristall/Soyuz TM-11 complex.
Kosmos-1631 reentered on Dec 8. It was a radar calibration satellite.
The Pakistani amateur radio satellite BADR-A reentered on Dec 8.
The Kosmos-2102 recon satellite reentered on Dec 12, completing its 2
month mission as predicted in issue 57.
Kosmos-2109, 2110, and 2111 were launched on Dec 8 by a single Proton
vehicle from Baykonur. They are GLONASS navigation satellites, the
Soviet version of the American Navstar GPS system, in 20,000 km high
orbits at 65 degree inclination.
Kosmos-2112 was launched on Dec 12 by the R-14 based Kosmos launch
vehicle from Plesetsk. It is in a 700 km orbit at 74 degrees inclination,
and believed to be a store-dump communications relay satellite used
by the Soviet military or the KGB.
___________________________________
|Current STS status: |
|Orbiters |
| |
|OV-102 Columbia VAB |
|OV-103 Discovery OPF Bay 1 |
|OV-104 Atlantis OPF Bay 2 |
| |
|ML/ET/SRB stacks |
| |
|ML2/STS-39/ET VAB Bay 1 |
-----------------------------------
(c) 1990 Jonathan McDowell
Jonathan's Space Report
Jan 24 1991 (no.64)
----------------------------------------------------
Afans'ev and Manarov continue in orbit aboard the
Mir/Kvant/Kvant-2/Kristall/Soyuz TM-11/Progress M-6 complex. The
Progress M-6 cargo craft was launched on Jan 14 to resupply the station.
Discovery will be moved to the VAB at the end of the month to be
mated to the external tank and solid boosters for mission STS-39,
an unclassified military mission due for launch in late Feb or
early Mar. Stacking of solid boosters for the GRO deployment mission
STS-37 has begun.
The NATO IV-A comsat was launched by Delta 7925 from Canaveral on Jan 8
into geostationary orbit, to provide communications for NATO forces.
Most NATO satellites are positioned over the Atlantic. There were four
NATO III satellites launched between 1976 and 1984, and two smaller NATO
II satellites launched in 1970 and 1971. These were preceded by the
Initial Defence Satellite Communications Program (IDCSP) of small
sub-synchronous satellites, which was a US system retrospectively
considered to have been the NATO I program.
An Ariane 4 rocket launched two geostationary TV broadcasting satellites
on Jan 15, Italsat 1 from Italy and Eutelsat II F-2 for the European
Telecommunications Satellite Organization.
Two Raduga comsats were launched in late December by Proton rockets from
Baykonur. The first, on Dec 20, was the 26th standard Raduga TV relay
satellite. The second, on Dec 27, was the second advanced Raduga-1
satellite, which first flew in 1989. Raduga ('Rainbow') is a C-band
satellite relaying TV and telephone communications in the Soviet Union.
Kosmos-2113, launched on Dec 21, is a new 7-tonne long duration digital
imaging recon satellite, replacing Kosmos-2072 which was deorbited on
Nov 21 after a 222-day mission. It was launched from Baykonur on a
Soyuz booster, and is the most advanced Soviet spy satellite.
Kosmos-2114, 2115, 2116, 2117, 2118, and 2119 are six small satellites
launched on a single three-stage Tsiklon launch vehicle from Plesetsk.
They are probably military communication relays. A couple of these
six-satellite launches occur each year, and appear to be replacing the
older octuplet system launched by the Kosmos R-14.
Kosmos-2120, launched by Soyuz from Plesetsk on Dec 26 into a low 82
degree orbit, is probably a Vostok based recon satellite. By mid
January it had undergone a number of large maneuvers to inspect
particular ground targets.
___________________________________
|Current STS status: |
|Orbiters |
| |
|OV-102 Columbia VAB Bay 2 |
|OV-103 Discovery OPF Bay 1 |
|OV-104 Atlantis OPF Bay 2 |
| |
|ML/ET/SRB stacks |
| |
|ML1/STS-37 VAB Bay 3 |
|ML2/STS-39/ET VAB Bay 1 |
-----------------------------------
(c) 1991 Jonathan McDowell
Larry Klaes klaes@advax.enet.dec.com
or ...!decwrl!advax.enet.dec.com!klaes
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"All the Universe, or nothing!" - H. G. Wells