henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (07/21/89)
Soviets talk to managers for both NASP and Sanger, indicating interest in joint hypersonic programs. The US is interested in joint efforts between NASP and Sanger, but German engineers say the US is too secretive about its program. A number of European companies are interested in NASP work, but there are concerns about US technology-transfer restrictions. Europeans tell US that they consider the inter-government agreements on the space station to be promises, which should be kept or there will be serious repercussions. The Europeans, unlike many in the US, think maintaining the content of the station is more important than maintaining its schedule, if push comes to shove. Lockheed and Aerospatiale team up to (among other things) propose a modified Hermes as the space-station rescue vehicle. Successful first launch of Titan 4 on June 14, carrying a missile-warning satellite to Clarke orbit. Successful Delta 2 launch June 10, carrying a Navstar. The Delta and the Titan 4 changed places in the Cape launch schedule several times as minor technical problems delayed each. Columbia mission, set for launch July 31, will carry two low-orbit DoD satellites, one 20600 lbs and one 275 lbs. NASA issues yet another long-range shuttle manifest. This one forecasts a rather more gradual climb in launch rate, reaching 13-14 in 1993 as space station activity begins. It includes several reserve slots, being held open in hopes of accommodating future delays without requiring another major revision. Several expendables are included, notably a Titan 4 for CRAF in 1995. SDI sounding-rocket neutral-particle beam experiment delayed to at least mid-July after they pushed the button and nothing happened! The failure of the Aries sounding rocket to ignite on command is being investigated. More on Buran's appearance at Le Bourget. Photo from above showing Buran on Mriya; Buran looks tiny compared to the US orbiters on 747back. The orbiters are almost exactly the same size -- the difference in appearance is because Mriya is so bloody enormous. Yuri P. Semyonov, chief designer of Buran, says "Anyone who says Buran is a copy of the US shuttle is a fool". Despite the general similarity in shape, the systems are very different. Semyonov revealed that Buran was battery-powered during its flight last fall, as its fuel cells are not yet ready for flight. (The USSR does not seem to be giving Buran a very high priority at present.) What surprised US observers most was the Soviet decision to fly Buran in during rainy weather. The US shuttle carrier is never flown through rain or even damp-looking clouds, and a weather aircraft precedes it to be sure. But Buran/Mriya came in for a landing at Paris through wet clouds and visible rain, with no escort. Semyonov says: "We are not afraid of rain." The Soviet tiles seem to be rather more durable than the US ones, although apparently they are less heat-resistant, and may need replacement after only 10 missions. Semyonov did not discuss the specifics of the tile design. US observers were generally impressed with the appearance of Buran's tiles; there is little sign that Buran had flown a reentry. Some of this may be just weather exposure: photos just after Buran's landing showed more upper- surface blackening than was visible at Paris, and the difference may be because Buran has been sitting outside at Baikonur. There was a bit of streaking in some areas on the wings where filler material between tiles had apparently melted; the same thing happens on the US orbiters. Buran's propulsion systems are a bit different from the US ones. Notably, Burans attitude-control and maneuvering engines burn LOX and kerosene rather than hypergolic fuels. There are general similarities in overall thruster placement, but many detail differences. An important internal difference is that the shuttle's nose jets run off tanks in the nose, whereas Buran puts all its major tankage in the tail, with only small supplementary tanks in the nose. Unlike the US orbiters, no tailcone fairing is used for ferrying Buran on Mriya. Anatoli Bulanenko, deputy chief designer at Antonov, says that such a fairing was used when carrying orbiters on smaller aircraft, but Mriya's wide-span horizontal tail has no central vertical fin and there were no turbulence problems with it. [Mriya's tailspan exceeds the wingspan of WW2 heavy bombers.] Bulanenko says "...it was very simple for us... it was just another payload." Arianespace explores the idea of marketing small-satellite launch services for Pegasus. Frederic d'Allest, Arianespace chairman, says "We are intrigued with Pegasus..." but cautions that the idea is only being explored, with no specific agreement yet being negotiated. Arianespace reports net profit of about $20M for FY1988. Internal NASA review underway on Shuttle-C. The definitive design takes the shuttle tail section, minus fin and minus one SSME, with a cylindrical payload section instead of the orbiter, plus existing ET and SRBs. In addition to the space station, SDI's Zenith Star is another possible payload, and various other groups are interested. The payload envelope is 81x15 ft, with growth potential to 96 ft. The reference mission is 100 klbs into 220nm orbit from KSC. Second-generation improvements could include recovering the tail section and increasing payload diameter to 24ft. A decision on further work is expected in late summer. [This being the 20th anniversary of Apollo 11's landing on the Moon -- landing at 1617 EDT, Armstrong's "one small step" at 2256 EDT -- it seems an appropriate time to editorialize a bit...] YOUR CHOICE ----------- In all the fuss about lunar bases and Mars missions, it is easy to lose track of one big, unpleasant, nasty fact that has gone from unlikely to certain in the last 20 years. Unless something changes radically... None of us is going. Ever. Remember the early days of the shuttle program, when weekly launches were seriously planned, and the shuttle was going to open up space? Remember "routine access to space"? Well, you and I may remember it, but as far as NASA is concerned, it's dead, buried, and forgotten. And most of the other players in the business never believed in it in the first place. (For reasons that shouldn't be hard to think of, I'm talking here about spaceflight in the "free world", and ignoring the fact that the USSR *has* routine access to space, for anyone they feel like sending up.) Oh, there are a few "crazies" here and there who disagree... but they aren't making much progress against entrenched Expert Opinion, and consequently they may never get a chance to try for real. Remember when Jerry Pournelle said "we're going if we have to walk!"? Did you agree? Did you think you meant it? I did. Of course, we never really thought we'd have to walk. All we had to do was wait for a few years, contributing a bit of cheerleading here and there, and we could thumb a ride. Or, if worst came to worst, buy a ticket. But that's not the way it worked out. The "No Riders" signs on the trucks not only haven't come off, they've been joined by new signs, paint still wet, saying "Teamsters Union Only -- No Non-Union Personnel Allowed On This Vehicle". You can ride the bus, but you have to pay in Swiss francs and learn Russian first... and the driver inspects your baggage before deciding whether to let you on. Put your thumb, and the rest of your hand, back down by your side and give it a rest; nobody is paying attention. You can stand there FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, and nobody will pick you up. Is space *important* to you, worth time and effort and sacrifice, or just a spectator sport? Remember "we're going if we have to walk!"? Did you say that? Did you *mean* it? If so, why aren't you putting on your walking shoes? Or are you still waiting for the ride that isn't going to come? Yes, I know... It's one ghodawful long walk, and the odds are you won't make it. Do you really think the odds are better if you don't try? There are 168 hours in a week. After deducting sleep and some minimal survival necessities, most people have about 100 hours for activities they have some choice about. Is space *important* to you? Does it matter enough to spend, say, one whole hour a week doing something to slightly increase your chances of getting up there someday? *DOING* something, mind you, not reading a book or scanning Usenet or something else quiet and easy and pleasant, but going out and taking trouble and making an effort and spending time that could be more enjoyably spent on something else? One hour out of a hundred? Then why haven't you done it lately? And please don't try to claim there's nothing you can do. Go harass your Congressman about the Space Launch Services Purchase Act, HR2674 -- ask him whether he supports it, and if not, why not. (Don't just pick up the phone, go VISIT him -- it only takes an hour or so, and it has much more impact. If you don't know who he is or where he is, FIND OUT.) Find and start putting some effort into a group that is *doing* something in space, like Amsat or SSI or WSF. (Not just a bunch of cheerleaders, like some we could name -- walking shoes, remember?) If you *really* think those signs are going to come off those trucks in your lifetime, start badgering the right people about NASA funding. (The word is "badgering", not "watching".) If, like me, you think those signs are there to stay, find out who else is working on building trucks and what you can do to help. Or get together with some like-minded friends and start working on how to make better truck mudguards, or something like that -- you'd be amazed at how little work is really being done, and how much a few determined people can help. There are lots of ways to stop putting wear on your behind and start putting it on your shoes. Or you can just go back to watching TV and dreaming about that ride that might come someday, maybe. Like you've been doing for 20 years now. Your choice. -- 1961-1969: 8 years of Apollo. | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology 1969-1989: 20 years of nothing.| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu