Atlantis launched 3 Nov on Atlas-3 mission.
NASA reviews safety of an experiment that has flown twice already -- injecting an astronaut with a couple of chemical tracers used to assess kidney function -- after a ground test 16 Oct sends Bonnie Dunbar into anaphylactic shock from a severe allergic reaction. Immediate medical attention prevented permanent damage.
Inmarsat discusses concepts for setting up an international civil GPS replacement, in the event that civil users insist on a system not run by the US military. It would proceed in four phases. The first, already on track to start in late 1995, is secondary navigation payloads on the Inmarsat 3A series, providing differential corrections, integrity data, and additional GPS-compatible ranging signals to existing GPS/Glonass users. The second would add Clarke-orbit payloads, on comsat hosts, providing GPS-compatible signals; this could be done cheaply with off- the-shelf technology for a pure-civilian market by omitting military requirements like nuclear hardening. The third would add similar payloads on the proposed Inmarsat-P global-cellular satellites, in medium circular orbits. At this point the system could supersede Glonass as a robust supplement to GPS. Finally, the fourth phase would add 15 dedicated navsats in medium-circular orbits, replacing GPS entirely for civil use. Inmarsat claims to be the natural operator for such a system, noting that navigation has been officially part of its mission since its founding.
NASA picks WIRE, the Wide-field InfraRed Explorer, as the fifth Small Explorer mission. Its primary mission is to observe starburst galaxies too faint to show up in the existing IRAS data. JPL and Utah State are building the telescope, and Goddard will supply the spacecraft (a clone of its design for the 1995 SWAS Small Explorer mission). Launch will be on Pegasus XL in 1998, into Sun-synchronous 500km orbit, for a four-month mission.
Malenchenko, Musabyev, and Merbold separate Soyuz TM-19 from Mir and fly a test of Mir's automatic docking system. It worked, on the rear port where TM-19 was located; the problems with Progress M-24 and Soyuz TM-20 were on the forward port. Not yet clear whether the problem is cured or merely localized to the forward port's antennas etc. Merbold was not involved in the test, but had to accompany the Russians in case they were unable to re-dock, in which case they would have flown their scheduled return to Earth a bit early.
Merbold's EuroMir mission is shaping up to be an incomplete success. The life-sciences objectives should be met, as will the goal of a better working relationship with the Russians, but the materials-processing experiments have had to be postponed due to the failure of the Czech-built materials furnace aboard Mir. Spare parts will be sent up to Mir, and the resident cosmonauts will run the materials experiments in time for the results to go down with the first shuttle-Mir mission.
Russia launches its first operational Clarke-orbit weather satellite, "Electro", Oct 31. Only a decade or so late...
Astra 1D launched by Ariane Oct 31.
Mixed reactions to the X-33 plans. NASA says firmly that there will be no government funding for an operational successor, but that it would do what it could to help -- the project's success is important to NASA, and NASA certainly doesn't want to see a major contractor go broke trying to build the thing -- and that there is enough money to be made to make it commercially worthwhile. Augustine comments that this will be true only if the new vehicle really reduces costs a lot: "a factor of two or three is not a breakthrough" (this probably refers to one version of the proposed CAN, which asks for a 75% reduction in government launch costs in the followon vehicle).
NASA is trying to build a streamlined management structure for the X-33, with the program office serving only one master and involving relatively few people. Mansfield wants USAF Col. Gary Payton to direct his launcher work, but the USAF is reluctant to release him from his duties at BMDO (where he oversaw DC-X). NASA is hoping that since Payton is eligible for retirement in the spring anyway, the USAF will let him go at least temporarily, with an eye on keeping military interests in mind in the project.
NASA prepares to seek bids for its Med Lite launcher program, anticipating controversy over the question of whether surplus Titan 2 missiles could be used, bypassing government "buy commercial" policies.
NASA evaluating 28 Discovery proposals, with scientists anxious because it's probably the only opportunity for US planetary missions soon, and many others watching the attempt at streamlining management. One novel aspect is that cost will be an issue; NASA was unhappy when it started to look like a program with a $150M/mission cost cap was going to get a lot of $149.999M proposals, and has made it plain that cheaper missions have a better chance. Late next month [reminder: all such times are with respect to the cover date], evaluations will be complete and the less competitive proposals will be dropped, after which Wes Huntress will pick "several" proposals for early work. "We've been deliberately vague. 'Several' depends on the quality of the proposals." The number that will fly is not yet settled. "Early work" also depends on the proposals; teams have been allowed to specify whether they want study money or are ready to begin bending metal.
USAF to negotiate 25-year lease with the Western Commercial Space Center for facilities at Vandenberg. WCSC, which is supporting the first LLV launch next year, plans to build a new pad and assembly facilities south of SLC-6. It will be designed for launchers between Pegasus and Delta size, and is to be operational in spring 1996. WCSC, a nonprofit company, has received small government grants to renovate the SLC-6 payload-prep room (to be used as part of the new facility) and to do the environmental studies for the new pad. It has spawned a for-profit subsidiary, California Commercial Spaceport Inc, which is already fundraising to do the major construction and operation. The WCSC lease will cover the payload-prep building and about 100 acres of Vandenberg land; it will not include the other parts of SLC-6, even though some are being used for the LLV launch. The new facility will have one pad, two enclosed assembly buildings, mobile launch platforms to carry assembled rockets to the pad, and at least one support building. One goal is to be able to do launches 14 days apart.
There is more to life than getting a job | Henry Spencer and making a living. --Barbara Morgan | henry@zoo.toronto.edu