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Date: Thu, 19 Jul 1990 01:46:34 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: SPACE Digest V12 #88

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 12 : Issue 88

Today's Topics:
          Re: LOOK FOR (SOVIET) UNION LABEL
       Mir cosmonauts prepare for space walk July 17th
                 Re: Energia
             Re: Re: NASA Budget

Administrivia:

    Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to
  [e-mail].  Other mail, esp. [un]subscription notices,
  should be sent to [e-mail], or, if urgent, to
             [e-mail]

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 17 Jul 90 09:50:46 GMT
From: usc!samsung!munnari.oz.au!goanna!minyos!monu6![e-mail]  (Steve Balogh)
Subject: Re: LOOK FOR (SOVIET) UNION LABEL

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Fraering Philip) writes:
>I haven't included the original article to save bandwidth.
>
>But please! Stop Shouting!

I think that his CAPS LOCK key must have been stuck ON. :-)

Steve

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Date: Tue, 17 Jul 90 13:31:58 -0400
From: Glenn Chapman <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: Mir cosmonauts prepare for space walk July 17th

    The Soviets have announced on short wave that the Mir station
crew, Anatoly Solyov and Alexander Balandin, are preparing for
the space walk to repair the Soyuz TM-9 late today (July 17).
As noted in previous postings the new expansion module, Krystall, brought
up a ladder and other equipment on June 10 to be used in the repair
of the thermal blankets that have come lose on the Soyuz TM-9 landing craft.
TV pictures of the cosmonauts entering Krystall showed them
climbing over a very large package set with a ladder like structure on the
top of it (probably the EVA ladder). Solyov and Balandin have flown
the Soyuz TM-9 to the front docking port in preparation
for the walk. It may be possible that they will plan to do this repair now
so that if problems occur the next cargo ship, Progress M-4, could
bring up anything else they need for this repair. However, the
time remaining may preclude this as to make time for the EVA the
Soyuz TM-11 replacement crew will be arriving on Aug. 1, while the Solyov and
Balandin will return on Aug. 8th (delayed from the original July 29th).
(Radio Moscow July 16)

The long delay in Krystall's docking has severally curtailed the expected
return from this Soyuz flight.  Originally it was planned that the mission
would produce 105 million roubles in processed material on Krystall for
return in Soyuz TM-10.  Since the flight cost 80 million roubles this would
indicate a 25 million roubles "profit."  However, now only 20% of the
originally planned time is available for zero G processing.  Even so the
successful docking of Krystall and Kvant 2 has allowed them to go ahead
with the production of the next two modules, planned for biomedical and
earth observation activities.  Current crews complain that 80% of their
working day is spent preparing activities and equipment.  They find
insufficient foot/hand holds to keep them at their workbenches, and have
rigged a set of ropes to aid in such activities or moving around the
station.  Also up to 80 waste containers have accumulated on Mir because
they need permission of the station controller/designer to eject them.
Lessons on this station are being applied to the new Mir 2, which is
currently being designed, and will look more like the NASA space station
rather than the current soviet series, but with a mass growing from 50
to 600 Tonnes during it lifetime.  Flight time is expected in the early
1990's (Spaceflight Jun. '90, and Radio Moscow)

The Soviet officials have stated that the second flight of their shuttle
system in 1991 will carry a module allowing a docking attempt with the Mir
space station. The vehicle used will be the second shuttle, Buran is being
retired. The first activity will be a docking by the unmanned shuttle with
Mir's Krystall module.  Then the Mir crew will undock their Soyuz capsule
from Mir, while the shuttle leaves the station, and both ships dock in mid
flight.  The Soyuz will return to Mir while the shuttle returns to earth.
Western researchers were shown versions of the shuttle's docking port
recently in Russia.  (Space News June 11, AW&ST Jun. 11).

                                                        Glenn Chapman
                                                        MIT Lincoln Lab

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Jul 90 18:07:55 EDT
From: John Roberts <[e-mail]>
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are those of the sender
    and do not reflect NIST policy or agreement.
Subject: Re: Energia


>From: bfmny0![e-mail]  (Tom Neff)
>Subject: Re: Energia

>>You may not have noticed, but they don't trust Buran. Something on the first
>>flight scared them, and they've been trying to fix it before they risk
>>another launch.

>I thought it was the price tag -- duplicating our money-waster for the
>sake of prestige no longer looked worth it amid the economic realities
>of Soviet perestroika.  Is there a specific reference for the notion
>of a Buran failure in flight?

There are several plausible motives:
 - Price - Buran and Energia seem to be particular targets for criticism
    among the Soviet public.
 - Risk vs prestige - One successful flight is very good for prestige. A
    second success provides a smaller increase in prestige, while a failure
    after only a few flights would result in a much greater loss of prestige.
 - Buran may not be fully developed yet.
 - With its other craft, the main useful feature of Buran for the USSR is its
    ability to bring objects back to earth intact. There may not be much
    demand for that right now.

There is an element of risk in using the space list as a reference, particularly
when I don't save a copy of everything ever posted. As best I can recall, there
was some mention that the main worry about the Buran flight was during the
automated landing - that it could have gone out of control and crashed. I never
saw anything specific on any failure of the first Energia launch. However,
as the Buran launch was approaching, somebody commented that it was a
courageous move on the part of the Soviets, since the Energia-only launch
had not been fully satisfactory. That's as close as I can pin it down.

Another recollection: I think it was initially debated whether the first launch
would be manned or unmanned. After the decision for an unmanned launch had been
made, the concensus seemed to be that the second launch would be manned. The
latest I can find is that the second launch will be unmanned (1991), with a
manned launch finally the following year.

>From earlier this year:
The current Buran orbiter will probably not be launched again, since its
electronics and life support are not up to standard.

>From July last year:
Buran was battery-powered during its launch, because its fuel cells were
not ready.

Speculation: As I recall, the launch of Buran was right around the time of
the first US Shuttle launch after Challenger. I suspect there was
tremendous political pressure to hurry up the launch. As a result, Buran may
have been launched when several years were still needed to produce a fully
usable system. Having succeeded on one launch, it would be insane to try
again until development had been completed.
       John Roberts
       [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date:         17 Jul 90 11:01:43 EDT
From: Dan Sullivan <[e-mail]>
Subject:      Re: Re: NASA Budget
To: <[e-mail]>
X-Office-To:  USENET SMTP

In my original posting I said:
"proposals for spending SO CALLED peace dividend"

My point is there is no such thing as a peace dividend. In any event, the
way the congresscritters work any money saved in one segment of the
budget will be spent in another (instead of paying bills the way most
of us working stiffs would).  The S&L bailout is an example of this.
Note that I did not say the S&L problem (that is a differnet story altogether)

Another poster mentioned not spending on the shuttle program, but spending
on something else again. Do you think a congresscritter wil let you get
away with saying you made a mistake and asking that money be spent on
the other program?  NO, he (generically) will chastise you for the mistake
then take your allowance away.

Any changes in NASAs budget, at this time, will be a negative one. They
will cut any large-scale project you want (quicker than you can blink an
eye), maybe even some small-scale ones as punishment -- but I do not think
this is the right time for them to approve any large-scale projects. NASA
has had too much bad press lately

Before this gets any more political, lets take this off the news group.
If anyone has any comments they can reply to me directly at:
    [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of SPACE Digest V12 #88
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