Jonathan’s Space Report No. 555 – 2005 Oct 4

Soyuz TMA-7
———–

Soyuz spacecraft No. 217 was launched as Soyuz TMA-7 on Oct 1. Soyuz TMA-7 separated from the Soyuz-FG rocket’s final stage about 9 minutes after launch, beginning its rendezvous with the Station which was completed with docking at 0527 UTC on Oct 3.

The crew of TMA-7 consisted of Valeriy Tokarev (Soyuz commander), Bill McArthur (Soyuz flight engineer), and Greg Olsen (spaceflight participant). Once aboard Station, McArthur became the Expedition 12 commander and Tokarev the Expedition 12 flight engineer. Olsen is a tourist who paid the Russians for his ride. The Expedition 11 crew of Sergey Krikalyov and John Phillips will return to Earth with Olsen on TMA-6, leaving Expedition 12 on the Station.

GPS IIR-M1
———-

The US DoD’s latest navigation satellite was launched on Sep 26 aboard a Boeing Delta 7925 from Cape Canaveral. GPS space vehicle 57 is the first Block IIR-M version, which has the same basic design as the IIR satellites using the Lockheed Martin 4000 series satellite, but adds extra navigation signals for both civil and military users.

POPPY
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The release of pictures of the POPPY satellite (see JSR 554) confirms that the early POPPY were almost identical to the ellipsoidal, Vanguard-derived, GGSE satellites. A latter POPPY version seems to have the same basic structure but is entirely covered with solar cells for extra power; this is probably the version launched in groups of four in 1969 and 1971.

Table of Recent Launches
———————–

Date UT       Name            Launch Vehicle  Site            Mission    INTL.  
                                                                          DES.
Sep  2 0950   Kosmos-2415       Soyuz-U         Baykonur LC31    Imaging     34A
Sep  8 1308   Progress M-54     Soyuz-U         Baykonur LC1     Cargo       35A
Sep  8 2153   Anik F1R          Proton-M/Briz-M Baykonur LC200/39 Comms      36A
Sep 23 0224   STP-R1            Minotaur        Vandenberg SLC8  Tech        37A
Sep 26 0337   Navstar GPS 57    Delta 7925      Canaveral SLC17A Navigation  38A
Oct  1 0355   Soyuz TMA-7       Soyuz-FG        Baykonur LC1     Spaceship   39A

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|  Jonathan McDowell                 |  phone : (617) 495-7176            |
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