Jonathan’s Space Report, No. 437 30 October 2000
Shuttle and Stations
——————–
The STS-92 crew closed the hatches to the Space Station at around 1330
UTC on Oct 20. Discovery undocked from PMA-2 at 1508 UTC the same day
and separated from the vicinity of ISS at around 1550 UTC. Deorbit
attempts were waved off on Oct 22 and Oct 23; the deorbit burn finally
came at 1951:55 UTC on Oct 24, lowering the orbit from 378 x 389 km x
51.6 deg to 40 x 387 km x 51.6 deg. Discovery landed on Runway 22 at
Edwards AFB, California, at 2059 UTC on Oct 24 – the first Edwards
landing for a Space Shuttle since 1996.
The PMA-2/Unity/PMA-3/Z1/PMA-3/Zarya/Zvezda/Progress M1-3 complex
remains in orbit in automatic mode. The Expedition 1 crew of
Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalyov will be launched from Baykonur
next week to begin occupation of the station.
Current mass of the station is at least 71000 kg: my estimate,
based on somewhat uncertain figures, is:
Unity 9800 kg
3 PMAs 3900 kg
Truss (Z1) 8800 kg
Zarya 21000 kg
Zvezda 21600 kg
Progress M1-3 5400 kg
+ 500 kg fuel?
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71000 kg
Status of the docking ports: There are three types of docking ports. The
CBM (Common Berthing Mechanism) is used on the US side for permanent
attachments. The APAS system is used on the US side for Shuttle dockings
(each PMA Pressurized Mating Adapter has an APAS). The Russian SSVP
type ports are the old-style probe/drogue used for Soyuz, Progress and
other Russian modules.
Port Current statusUnity +Y CBM PMA-2, available for STS
Unity -Y CBM PMA-1, docked to Zarya
Unity +Z CBM Z1 Truss
Unity -Z CBM PMA-3, available for STS
Unity +X CBM empty (for Airlock)
Unity -X CBM empty (for Cupola)
Zarya +Y APAS Docked to PMA-1
Zarya -Y SSVP Docked to Zvezda
Zarya +Z SSVP empty, in reserve
Zarya -Z SSVP empty, available for Soyuz/Progress
Zvezda +Y SSVP Docked to Zarya
Zvezda -Y SSVP Docked to Progress M1-3; to be used for Soyuz
Zvezda +Z SSVP empty
Zvezda -Z SSVP empty, available for Soyuz/Progress
ISS Configuration schematic:
Z1 ^ Z
| | | |
– PMA-2 – UNITY – PMA-1 – ZARYA – ZVEZDA – PM1-3 Y <--| | | | PMA-3 |
Mir Configuration schematic:
Spektr Priroda ^ Z
|| |
PM43 – Kvant – Mir core – X <---| | Kristall Kvant-2 _| Y | SO |
Mir -X SSVP: empty, available for Soyuz
Mir +X SSVP: Kvant
Mir +Z SSVP: Priroda
Mir -Z SSVP: Kristall
Mir +Y SSVP: Kvant-2
Mir -Y SSVP: Spektr
Kristall -Z SSVP: SO
SO -Z APAS: empty, available for STS (in principle)
Kvant -X SSVP: Mir
Kvant +X SSVP: Progress M-43
Progress M-43 docked with Mir at 2116 UTC on Oct 20, presumably at the
Kvant docking port. To save fuel, a long 4-day rendezvous profile was
used instead of the usual 2-day one. Progress M1-2 undocked from Mir on
Oct 15 and was deorbited over the Pacific later the same day.
On Oct 29 Mir was in a 329 x 356 km x 51.6 deg orbit, after an apogee
raising burn by Progress M-43.
Current Launches
—————-
A US Air Force Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) payload,
DSCS III B-11, was launched on Oct 20 by a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The DSCS III satellites were
built by Lockheed Martin/Valley Forge. Centaur AC-140 entered a 148 x
898 km x 29.3 deg parking orbit and then a 218 x 35232 km x 26.0 deg
transfer orbit. DSCS III B-11 separated with its attached IABS-8 apogee
stage. The IABS-8 stage, with two Primex R4D liquid apogee engines,
circularized the orbit at geostationary altitude on Oct 21 and separated
from the DSCS.
The first Boeing GEM satellite, Thuraya 1, was launched on Oct 21. Built
by Boeing/El Segundo (formerly Hughes), it is based on the HS-702 design
but features a large 12-m diameter truss antenna for L-band mobile
telephone service. Launch mass of Thuraya is 5108 kg; dry mass is
probably around 3000 kg. The satellite will be delivered after on orbit
testing to Etisalat, the Emirates Telecom Corp of Abu Dhabi, and its
Thuraya Satellite subsidiary.
Thuraya was launched at 0552 UTC on Oct 21 by a Boeing Sea Launch
Zenit-3SL from the Odyssey platform in the Pacific Ocean at 154W 0N. The
two-stage Yuzhnoe Zenit core delivered Thuraya and its Energiya Blok
DM-SL upper stage to a -2212 x 182 km suborbital trajectory. The first
DM-SL burn placed the stack in a 180 x 200 km x 6.3 deg parking orbit at
0604 UTC; a second burn at 0733 UTC put Thuraya in a 210 x 35891 km x
6.3 deg geostationary transfer orbit. A later depletion burn lowered the
DM-SL stage perigee to 180 km, as burns by Thuraya’s liquid engine raised
it towards GEO.
Another International Launch Services Proton-K/Blok DM3 launch from
Baykonur orbited GE Americom’s GE 6 satellite. The Lockheed Martin
A2100 series satellite has a mass of 3552 kg at launch and 1900 kg dry.
It will provied broadcast and data services in North America from 72W.
The DM3 upper stage made two burns and placed the GE 6 in a 5850 x 35726
km x 18.7 deg intermediate transfer orbit at 0441 UTC on Oct 22.
Arianespace launched flight V134, an Ariane 44LP model, on Oct 29.
The vehicle placed Europe*Star FM1 in geostationary transfer orbit.
The satellite is a Loral FS-1300 model with a launch mass of 4167 kg
and a dry mass of 1717 kg; the satellite has two cruciform solar
arrays.
13 small objects have recently been cataloged associated with the
Kosmos-2306 calibration satellite, launched in 1995. The objects may be
calibration target subsatellites used to test Russian radars and study
atmospheric density. The first six targets were released in Apr 1997; it
is thought that five more targets remain to be released. Kosmos-2306 is
in a 198 x 208 km x 65.8 deg orbit, with reentry expected soon.
NASA’s Wind probe made its 32nd lunar flyby on Aug 19, with a closest
approach of 7600 km to the surface. This placed it on a 2 million km
apogee orbit, adjusted on Aug 26 to an approximately 567000 x 1620000 km
x 21.8 deg `Distant Prograde Orbit’, reaching apogee on Sep 29.
Erratum
——-
Phil Clark points out that strictly, Kosmos-2373 is the 20th
Yantar’-1KFT mission, but that the Yantar’-1KFT was only called Kometa
starting with the 7th flight, so I should have said “the 20th in the
Siluet/Kometa series”.
A Russian source informs me that the Dnepr rocket launched on Sep 26
was the 15A18 model. Both the 15A18 (R-36MUTTKh) and 15A18M (R-36M2)
ICBMs are thought to be being refurbished for use as Dnepr vehicles.
Table of Recent Launches
———————–
Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL.
DES.Sep 1 0325 ZY-2 Chang Zheng 4B Taiyuan Imaging 50A
Sep 5 0943 Sirius 2 Proton-K/DM3 Baykonur LC81L Commsat 51A
Sep 6 2233 Eutelsat W1 Ariane 44P Kourou ELA2 Commsat 52A
Sep 8 1245 Atlantis Space Shuttle Kennedy LC39B Spaceship 53A
Sep 14 2254 Astra 2B ) Ariane 5 Kourou ELA3 Commsat 54A
GE 7 ) Commsat 54B
Sep 21 1022 NOAA 16 Titan 23G Vandenberg SLC4W Weather 55A
Sep 25 1010 Kosmos-2372 Zenit-2 Baykonur LC45 Imaging 56A
Sep 26 1005 Tiungsat-1 ) Dnepr Baykonur LC109 Imaging 57A
MegSat-1 ) Science 57B
UniSat ) Science 57C
SaudiSat 1A ) Commsat 57D
SaudiSat 1B ) Commsat 57E
Sep 29 0930 Kosmos-2373 Soyuz-U Baykonur LC31 Imaging 58A
Oct 1 2200 GE-1A Proton-K/DM3 Baykonur LC81L Commsat 59A
Oct 6 2300 N-SAT-110 Ariane 42L Kourou ELA2 Commsat 60A
Oct 9 0538 HETE-2 Pegasus Kwajalein RW06/24 Astronomy 61A
Oct 11 2317 Discovery Space Shuttle Kennedy LC39A Spaceship 62A
Oct 13 1412 Kosmos-2374 ) Proton-K/DM-2 Baykonur Navsat 63A
Kosmos-2375 ) Navsat 63B
Kosmos-2376 ) Navsat 63C
Oct 16 2127 Progress M-43 Soyuz-U Baykonur LC1 Cargo 64A
Oct 20 0039 DSCS III B11 Atlas IIA Canaveral SLC36A Commsat 65A
Oct 20? K-2306 subsat 7 ) Kosmos-2306, LEO Calib 95-08N
K-2306 subsat 8 ) Calib 95-08P
K-2306 subsat 9 ) Calib 95-08Q
K-2306 subsat 10) Calib 95-08R
K-2306 subsat 11) Calib 95-08S
K-2306 subsat 12) Calib 95-08T
K-2306 subsat 13) Calib 95-08U
K-2306 subsat 14) Calib 95-08V
K-2306 subsat 15) Calib 95-08W
K-2306 subsat 16) Calib 95-08X
K-2306 subsat 17) Calib 95-08Y
K-2306 subsat 18) Calib 95-08Z
K-2306 subsat 19) Calib 95-08AA
Oct 21 0552 Thuraya 1 Zenit-3SL Odyssey, POR Commsat 66A
Oct 21 2200 GE 6 Proton-K/DM-3 Baykonur Commsat 67A
Oct 29 0559 Europe*Star FM1 Ariane 44LP Kourou ELA2 Commsat 68A
Current Shuttle Processing Status
_________________________________
Orbiters Location Mission Launch DueOV-102 Columbia Palmdale OMDP
OV-103 Discovery Edwards STS-92 2000 Oct ISS 3A
OV-104 Atlantis OPF Bay 3 STS-98 2001 Feb? ISS 5A
OV-105 Endeavour VAB Bay 1 STS-97 2000 Nov? ISS 4A
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| Jonathan McDowell | phone : (617) 495-7176 |
| Harvard-Smithsonian Center for | |
| Astrophysics | |
| 60 Garden St, MS6 | |
| Cambridge MA 02138 | inter : jcm@cfa.harvard.edu |
| USA | jmcdowell@cfa.harvard.edu |
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