Jonathan's Space Report No. 437 2000 Oct 30, Cambridge, MA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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? ------------------------------- 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 status Unity +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 Due OV-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 .-------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 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 | | | | JSR: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/jsr/jsr.html | | Back issues: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/jsr/back | | Subscribe/unsub: mail majordomo@head-cfa.harvard.edu, (un)subscribe jsr | '-------------------------------------------------------------------------'