henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (07/20/88)
SDI's Delta Star space signature-observation experiment delayed to next year; budget problems. TDRS-C, STS-26's payload, arrives at KSC. 10th anniversary of launch of the Pioneer Venus orbiter, which is still returning data. It has about 2 kg of fuel left, enough for another four years or so. House caps FY89 space-nuclear-power funding at FY88 level, instead of the 55% increase requested. A major reason is that SDI is the biggest potential customer, yet the programs get no military funding. Soviets gear up for intensive space activity: launch of the Phobos probes in July, a Soviet/Bulgarian mission to Mir in June, possible launch of the Soviet shuttle in August (with continuing confusion over whether the first launch will be manned), an imminent Mir EVA to repair the failed British/Dutch X-ray telescope on Kvant, and the usual steady stream of satellite launches. Soviet manned space experience, in man-hours, is now triple that of the US. Titov and Manarov are unloading Progress 36. NASA finishing major overhaul of shuttle launch-decision process, most notably making one person responsible for each milestone decision. Bob Crippen, now deputy director of shuttle operations, makes the final decision. He says that if there is a foulup "it will be my fault". [Maybe the Philips review accomplished something after all -- this is uncharacteristic of NASA.] Community political pressure shuts down the Kerr-McGee oxidizer plant pending completion of an independent study of plant safety. This plant is adjacent to parts of Henderson, Nevada; the Pacific Engineering plant that blew up was two miles away and the explosions still caused extensive damage in Henderson. The shutdown will slightly increase the serious shortfall in ammonium perchlorate production that will be felt in a year or so. Cause of the PE blast is still unclear; PE says it started with a leaking gas main, while the gas company claims its main was broken by the explosion. PE plans to rebuild in a remote area; K-M plans to stay where it is if the safety review results are positive. Ariane launches Intelsat 5 successfully on May 17, after a brief delay due to lightning warnings. Arianespace is gearing up for intensive activity; its backlog is 43 payloads with total order value circa $2.4G. 7-8 new payloads are expected this year. First flight of Ariane 4 is next on the agenda. [It went fine.] SDIO partially accepts review panel's recommendation to shift attention away from weapons and towards sensors, communications, and processing. Panel says these are the toughest parts, and will be needed regardless. Panel recommends early deployment of new-generation missile warning and tracking satellites plus 100 long-range ground-based interceptors to provide a thin defense for most of the US; all this could be done within the ABM treaty. Space-based interceptors would be added later, with lasers still later. However, more funding for surveillance and tracking will mean less for something else; the probable victims are the Army's neutral particle beam program and the Zenith Star space laser test. Observers suggest that one factor in all this is growing doubt about SDI's future under a new President. Inmarsat orders another Delta launch (it already has one contracted). This is the sixth commercial Delta sale. Short-duration SRB-seal test appears to have shown that SRBs will function normally with defects in all but one seal in a joint. USAF Titan 34D launch from Canaveral is imminent; payload is officially unidentified. There are four 34Ds in inventory, all for use in the near future; the only payload that has been officially identified is a pair of DSCS military comsats to be launched from Canaveral in 89. First Delta 2 to fly from the Cape in October. USAF has 23 Titan 4s on order, with another 25 expected through 1995, when launch rate will be 8/yr; an increase to 10/yr is expected then. This does not include NASA use of Titan 4, or conceivable commercial use. USAF expects that both Canaveral and Vandenberg will eventually need two launch sites for Titan 4. There are 8 Scouts in inventory. The Navy will use 4 for Transit navsats. The other 4 were earmarked for Asat tests, and the USAF now wants to sell them (possibly to other government agencies). The USAF would also like to sell up to 6 Atlas Es (inventory of 9, 2 reserved for NOAA and one for the USAF). Finally, there are 55 Titan 2 ex-ICBMs in inventory. 14 are being refurbished as launchers, with first flight probably July. The others are available if demand materializes. NASA asks industry to fund parts of the testing planned with the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite. After years of defending it against Administration opposition, Congress has turned hostile because of large cost overruns. ACTS is slated for shuttle launch in May 1992. -- Anyone who buys Wisconsin cheese is| Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology a traitor to mankind. --Pournelle |uunet!mnetor!utzoo! henry @zoo.toronto.edu