Jonathan's Space Report

Dec 3 1990 (no.61)
----------------------------------------------------

STS-35/Columbia was launched at 0649UT on Dec 2. The payload
consists of Astro-1, which is a group of UV telescopes on a Spacelab
pallet, mounted on the IPS (Instrument Pointing System) used
on Spacelab 2; and BBXRT, the Broad Band X-ray Telescope,
which is a Goddard Space Flight Center experiment. The commander,
Vance Brand, is the oldest person (59) to fly in space.

Soyuz TM-11 was launched a few hours later at 0813UT (I think, but needs
confirming) carrying Afanas'ev, Manarov and Akiyama toward the
Mir/Kvant/Kvant-2/Kristall/Soyuz TM-10 complex to join Manakov and
Strekalov.  Their launch means that 12 people are now in orbit, which is
a record.  Manakov, Strekalov and Akiyama will return to Earth in Soyuz
TM-10, with Afanas'ev and Manarov remaining in orbit.  The Progress M-5
cargo craft undocked on Nov 28 and returned a cargo capsule to
Kazakhstan. 
[NB Do not confuse:
Musa Khiramanovich MANAROV, civilian cosmonaut from Azerbijan
    with
Gennadiy Mikhailovich MANAKOV, Russian military pilot cosmonaut.]

The first Block IIB Navstar navigation satellite, GPS 23, was launched
on Nov 26 from Canaveral. The launch vehicle was the first Delta 7925,
which is the operational Delta II. Other recent launches were made by
the interim Delta II, model 6925, which has less powerful strap-on
Castor IV solid motors; the 7925 has Hercules GEM strap-on rockets.

The tenth Block 5D Defense Meterological Satellite Program military weather
satellite (DMSP Block 5D-2 F-10) was launched on Dec 1 by Atlas E
from Vandenberg. The spacecraft, built by GE Astro Space, is similar to
the civilian NOAA satellites but carries different sensors.

A Molniya-1 comsat was launched by Molniya from Plesetsk on Nov 23
for the Soviet Ministry of Communications. A Gorizont satellite, the second
in a month, was launched by Proton from Baykonur on the same day; it
will be used by the Russian Republic for domestic communications.

___________________________________
|Current STS status:              |
|Orbiters                         |
|                                 |
|OV-102 Columbia      Earth orbit |
|OV-103 Discovery       OPF Bay 1 |
|OV-104 Atlantis        OPF Bay 2 |
|                                 |
|ML/ET/SRB stacks                 |
|                                 |
|ML1                    VAB       |
|ML2/STS-39             VAB       |
|ML3                    LC39B     |
-----------------------------------

Acronym expansion:
 ET  External Tank
 LC  Launch Complex
 ML  Mobile Launch Platform
 OPF Orbiter Processing Facility
 OV  Orbiter Vehicle
 SRB Solid Rocket Booster
 STS Space Transportation System
 VAB Vehicle Assembly Building

(c) 1990 Jonathan McDowell