roberts@CMR.NCSL.NIST.GOV (John Roberts) (02/27/91)
>From: gandalf@pro-electric.cts.com (Ken Hollis) >Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle >Subject: Re : Re: Shuttle Status for 02/19/91 >Date: 26 Feb 91 10:16:08 GMT >Greetings and Salutations: >From: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen) >>I know that while it may be classified, what's the best rumours or >>guesses in regards to the entire payload, what is it ? >There are no further "Classified" per se payloads planned for the SST. The >list of payloads is basically imaging tests for SDI. There has been some >questions about whether or not the flight will be used for the Iraq war, >but the basic consensus is that they are not really set up for that (from >what I have heard). I can look around and see if there is more info on the >mission if anyone else is interested. >Ken Hollis >ProLine: gandalf@pro-electric >Internet: gandalf@pro-electric.cts.com >UUCP: crash!pro-electric!gandalf >ARPA: crash!pro-electric!gandalf@nosc.mil Indeed, Peter Yee posted a 1900-line report last week, describing the mission in great detail. Only a small fraction of the mission operation is to be classified. It is hoped that a large part of the imformation obtained will be made available to civilian researchers. For those who may have lost their copy, here is the first page or so: RELEASE: 91-25 STRATEGIC DEFENSE SYSTEM TESTS HIGHLIGHT STS-39 MISSION Mission STS-39 is the first unclassified Department of Defense- dedicated Space Shuttle mission, highlighted by around-the-clock observations of the atmosphere, gas releases, Shuttle engine firings, subsatellite gas releases and the Shuttle's orbital environment in wavelengths ranging from infrared to the far ultraviolet. Carried aboard Discovery on its 12th flight, the 39th Shuttle mission, will be Air Force Program-675 (AFP-675); the Infrared Background Signature Survey (IBSS) mounted on the Shuttle Pallet Satellite-II (SPAS- II); the Critical Ionization Velocity (CIV) experiment; three Chemical Release Observation (CRO) subsatellites; the Space Test Payload (STP-1) and a classified payload in a Multi-Purpose Experiment Canister (MPEC). Inside Discovery's crew cabin will be the Cloud Logic to Optimize the Use of Defense Systems-1A (CLOUDS-1A) experiment and the Radiation Monitoring Equipment-III (RME-III). Work with these payloads during the flight will involve extensive maneuvering, rendezvous and close proximity operations by Discovery. STS-39 is currently working toward a 3:49 a.m. EST launch on March 9, 1991. Landing is set for Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., at 11:14 a.m. EST on March 17, giving the flight a planned length of 8 days, 7 hours and 26 minutes. AFP-675 is a collection of scientific instruments to observe targets such as the atmosphere, the aurora and stars in infrared, far ultraviolet, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. AFP-675 instruments also will analyze the spectrum of various targets and gases released from or around the Shuttle. AFP-675 is sponsored by the U.S. Air Force's Space Systems Division and may provide a better understanding of the difficulties in identifying spacecraft with remote sensors and distinguishing those spacecraft from naturally occurring phenomena. The AFP-675 instruments also are to study several astronomical targets of interest. The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization's IBSS experiment, mounted on the SPAS-II platform, will be deployed and retrieved by Discovery so that SPAS-II can observe the Shuttle's engine firings from afar. IBSS will observe and record the infrared signature of these firings and also will perform infrared observations of other targets, including three CRO subsatellites to be released from Discovery. IBSS will observe common rocket fuels nitrogen tetroxide, monomethyl hydrazine and dimethyl hydrazine released from the three CRO subsatellites after they are deployed by Discovery. IBSS also will observe releases of the gases xenon, neon, carbon dioxide and nitric oxide from canisters in Discovery's payload bay. These gases are part of the CIV experiment, which, with instruments in the payload bay, will observe the releases simultaneously with IBSS. IBSS is sponsored by SDIO and information from its studies may assist in developing remote sensors that can identify missiles. The STP-1 experiment is a varied collection of scientific instruments, including one that will observe the luminous "airglow" effect of atomic oxygen on Discovery; one that will test a new method of flowing rocket propellants in weightlessness to assist in the design of future engines; and another to observe the fringes of Earth's atmosphere at various times, including sunrise and sunset, in ultraviolet wavelengths. STP-1 is sponsored by the Air Force's Space Systems Division. Inside the crew cabin, the CLOUDS-1A experiment is a camera the crew will use to photograph various cloud formations on the Earth to better understand cloud movements and structures. The RME-III experiment is designed to monitor radiation levels inside the cabin during the flight. Commanding Discovery will be Navy Capt. Michael L. Coats. Air Force Major L. Blaine Hammond will serve as pilot. Mission specialists include Gregory J. Harbaugh; USAF Lt. Col. Don McMonagle; USAF Col. Guion Bluford; C. Lacy Veach; and Richard J. Hieb. The flight crew will operate in two teams to accommodate 24-hour a day observations aboard Discovery, with each team working a 12-hour shift. On the Red Team will be Hammond, Veach and Hieb. On the Blue Team will be Harbaugh, McMonagle and Bluford. Coats will keep his own hours, independent of any assigned shift. (End of general release. Background information follows.) John Roberts roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov