Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V12_5/V12_548.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V12 #548

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 12 : Issue 548

Today's Topics:
               * SpaceNews 12-Nov-90 *
 Charles F. Radley has an interest in space stations being expensive.
            CRAF/Cassini Update - 11/09/90

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Date: 10 Nov 90 20:05:38 GMT
From: ka2qhd![e-mail]  (John Magliacane)
Organization: KA2QHD - OCEAN NJ
Subject: * SpaceNews 12-Nov-90 *
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SB SPACE @ ALLBBS < KD2BD $SPC1112
* SpaceNews  12-Nov-90 *

Bulletin ID: $SPC1112


                              =========
                              SpaceNews
                              =========

                      MONDAY NOVEMBER 12, 1990

SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, United States.
It is published every week and is made available for unlimited distribution.



* ARIANE LAUNCH *
=================
An Ariane launch on 20-Nov-90 will carry two spacecraft manufactured by
GE Astro Space in New Jersey.  The two satellites are Satcom C1 for GE
American Communications and Gstar 4 for GTE Spacenet.  Final launch
preparations are taking place.  The launch window will extend from 6:15
to 9:30 PM EST.


* PACSATs ON-LINE *
===================
The Packet Bulletin Board software which has been running in 'beta test'
versions on UoSAT-OSCAR-14 since July has now been loaded to AO-16.  This
follows a period of intense development by Jeff Ward, G0/K8KA, and Harold
Price, NK6K, getting software ready for hundreds of users expected to access
AO-16 and UO-14.

The programs loaded to the satellites, when combined with several ground
station client programs, implement the PACSAT communications protocols
proposed by Jeff and Harold in papers presented at the recent ARRL Amateur
Radio Computer Networking Conference.  The protocols provide a connected-mode
file transfer facility called FTL0 and a standard broadcast mode for bulletins
and other items of general interest.

When someone is up or downloading in connected mode you will see packets from
the FTL0 server callsign:  PACSAT-0 (on AO-16) or UOSAT3-12 (on UO-14).
Bulletins being broadcast will have source callsigns UOSAT3-11 or PACSAT-11.
These packets may contain some ASCII text, although each will begin with a
short binary header.

The PACSAT protocol suite requires special groundstation software to interpret
binary headers and implement protocol handshakes. Papers in the 9th ARRL
Networking Conference proceedings describe the protocols in detail.  Software
for ground stations with IBM-PC type computers will be made available free by
UoS through dial-up bulletin boards and on-line information systems.

The release of the ground station software, expected around 8 or 9 November,
will mark the official opening of UO-14 and AO-16 for communications by any
suitably-equipped, licensed radio amateur.  With LO-19 following shortly and
FO-20 already providing service, the Amateur Satellite Service will soon have
a useful and interesting network of store-and-forward satellites.


* SALYUT-7 NEWS *
=================
The presently unused and long abandoned Soviet space station 'Salyut-7' is
tumbling uncontrollably and is predicted to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere
in mid-January.  Attempts to boost the 60 metric ton structure to a higher
orbit have failed.  Salyut-7 should produce quite a spectacular light show
if it re-enters the atmosphere away from sunlight.

Here is element set 630 for Salyut-7 as released by NASA on 08-Nov-90:

Epoch    : 90 310.56350817
Incli    : 51.5998
RAAN     : 295.9675
Eccn     : 3.895E-04
ArgPer   : 71.5486
MeanAn   : 288.6002
MeanMo   : 15.81020057
Decay    : 8.7992E-04
Orbit #  : 48723


* RS-14/RUDAK-2 NEWS *
======================
Reliable sources within the Soviet Union indicate that the launch of RS-14/
RUDAK-2 is now expected to happen on or about November 24, 1990.  UA3CR
requests the help of radio amateurs all over the world to collect telemetry
and send it via packet radio or via a SSB net to him.  The first day's worth
of telemetry will transmitted via a CW beacon at 20 WPM on 145.822 or on
145.948 MHz SSB and will be vitally important to ground controllers.  Later,
after ALL systems are working properly on the RUDAK-2 transponder,
PSK/BBS/MODE B operations will begin.


* TNX QSL! *
============
A special thanks to all those who sent QSLs, cards and letters to SpaceNews:

DJ9PE : Bernd Beckmann, Munchen, Germany
K2URZ : Dan Tannenbaum, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S.A.
NM1K  : Rusty Hack, Enfield, Connecticut, U.S.A.
N3IKS : John F. Gibson III, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
N4SDW : Chuck Mulligan, Tequesta, Florida, U.S.A.
WB1CKI: Gordon Young, Enfield, Connecticut, U.S.A.
ZL1PK : Phil King, Hamilton, New Zealand

...and e-mail messages:

VE3EAR, KB5HPN, KB6BBZ, KB8FRW, KE8BG, WB9JEJ


* FEEDBACK WELCOMED *
=====================
Feedback regarding SpaceNews can be directed to the editor (John) via any
of the following paths:

UUCP   : [e-mail]
AMPR   : KD2BD @ NN2Z.NJ.USA.NA

MAIL   : John A. Magliacane
         Department of Electronics Technology
         Advanced Technology Center
         Brookdale Community College
         765 Newman Springs Road
         Lincroft, New Jersey 07738
         U.S.A.


       << If you like what you see, send us your QSL card! >>

/EX
--
John A. Magliacane                 FAX  : [phone]
Electronics Technology Department  AMPR : KD2BD @ NN2Z.NJ.USA.NA
Brookdale Community College        UUCP : ...!rutgers!ka2qhd!kd2bd
Lincroft, NJ  07738  USA           VOICE: [phone] ext 607

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

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Date: 31 Oct 90 21:00:35 GMT
From: usc!samsung!umich!sharkey!cfctech!teemc!fmeed1![e-mail]  (Russ Cage)
Organization: Ford Motor Co., Electronics Div., Dearborn, MI
Subject: Charles F. Radley has an interest in space stations being expensive.
References: <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Charles Frank Radley) writes:
[in response to Allen Sherzer]
>+ and almost an order of magnitude reduction in launch
>+ costs for large payloads. All that is needed to demonstrate the
>+ concept is about 5% of one years spending on Freedom.
>
>Sounds cheap enough.  Let them get on with.    But not with my
>budget.

When I read this, I thought he meant the TAXPAYERS' budget,
which left me wondering why a taxpayer would be against
saving taxpayers some money, but later he says...

> >>Any of those guys coming to southern California any time soon?
> >+ Invite them down
> >Hah !  I value my job too much.
>+ That's an interesting remark. Why would inviting some speakers
>+ in get you fired?
>
>I work for a Freedom contractor.    LLNL represents the
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>competition.
 ^^^^^^^^^^^

In other words, if LLNL saves the taxpayers some money, CFR is
out of a job.  Radley's interests lie in making certain that
the LLNL concept is dismissed before being investigated, so
that it does not replace the SS. Fred project.

As a taxpayer, my interests are different.  My interests are:

1.)    Determine if the LLNL concept will work, and if so,
2.)    Put Charles Frank Radley and all the other contractors
    working on Fred out on the street post haste.

Finally, I noticed a large number of non sequiturs in the
quoted article (all by CFR).  I think he is scared.  Example:

>+ They assume launchers will be grounded in their schedules. They
>+ assume things won't work and plan for backup approaches when
>+they fail.
>
>Really ?  Then their development schedules are even more success
>oriented than I thought if they think they already have that
>covered.

Either CFR doesn't know what "success-orientation" is, or he
is misrepresenting the LLNL approach to the net.  Neither speaks
well for him.

Hint, Charles:  A "success-oriented" project is one which assumes
that all goals will be met and all efforts will succeed, and has
no contingency plan if failures occur or schedules slip.  NASA's
plan allows for no alternate launcher and no launch failures; if
any occur, the entire project is likely to fail.  Success depends
on many launches all working and being more or less on schedule.
This is very unlikely, as the events since 1986 have shown.  The
LLNL plan has no such dependency on specific launchers and does
not depend on success of every sub-effort to get a working station.
--
Russ Cage    Ford Powertrain Engineering Development Department
Work:  itivax.iti.org!cfctech!fmeed1!cage   (CHATTY MAIL NOT ANSWERED HERE)
Home:  [e-mail]  (All non-business mail)
Member:  HASA, "S" division.

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

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Date: 11 Nov 90 00:19:24 GMT
From: usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
Subject: CRAF/Cassini Update - 11/09/90
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                         CRAF/Cassini Status Report
                             November 9, 1990

   The good news concerning the CRAF/Cassini mission, is that it looks like
both missions will be funded.  Congress approved both missions earlier in the
year, but during the recent budget negotiations, it looked like that the CRAF
portion was not going to be funded.  The total budget for both missions is
1.6 billion dollars, with 145 million needed in the 1991 fiscal year budget to
get the projects started.  Only 95 million was approved - being 50 million
short, things were looking grim for the CRAF mission, as the Cassini mission
has priority.  However, most of the 50 million has since been restored which
should enable the start of both the CRAF and Cassini missions.

     The CRAF/Cassini missions will be the first to use the next generation
spacecraft using the Mariner Mark II design.  The CRAF spacecraft
(Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby) will meet with the Comet Kopff near
the orbit of Jupiter and travel along side it for at least three years.
It will also launch a penetrator which will directly sample the comet's
nucleus.  On the way to to Comet Kopff, CRAF will flyby the asteroid
Hamburga.  JPL is currently in negotiations with the McDonald's hamburger
franchise to arrange some kind of advertising deal (this is no joke).

         Key Scheduled Dates for the CRAF Mission
         --------------------------------------------
           08/22/95 - Titan IV/Centaur Launch
           01/22/98 - 449 Hamburga Asteroid Flyby
           08/14/00 - Comet Kopff Arrival
           08/20/01 - CRAF Penetrator to Kopff
           03/31/03 - End of Primary Mission


     The Cassini mission will go to Saturn, using gravity assists from the
Earth and Jupiter.  This trajectory is called EJGA (Earth-Jupiter Gravity
Assist).  A probe named Huygens will be dropped off at Saturn's largest moon,
Titan.  The Cassini mission is an international mission.  The European
Space Agency (ESA) will supply the Huygens probe, Germany will supply the
propulsion module, and Italy will provide the High Gain Antenna, sun sensors,
and radio science instruments.  ESA has already approved the science
instruments that will be on the Titan probe.  NASA has selected the science
instruments that will be onboard the Cassini orbiter; however, this list is not
quite official yet -- it is sitting on the desk of Richard Truly, NASA's
administrator, awaiting his signature.

         Key Scheduled Dates for the Cassini Mission (EJGA Trajectory)
         -------------------------------------------------------------
           08/22/96 - Titan IV/Centaur Launch
           03/29/97 - 66 Maja Asteroid Flyby
           06/08/98 - Earth Gravity Assist
           02/06/00 - Jupiter Gravity Assist
           12/06/02 - Saturn Arrival
           03/27/03 - Titan Probe Release
           03/29/03 - Orbiter Deflection Maneuver
           04/18/03 - Titan Probe Entry
           06/30/03 - Iapetus Flyby
           05/20/04 - Dione Flyby
           09/12/04 - Enceladus Flyby
           08/14/05 - Iapetus Flyby
           12/31/06 - End of Primary Mission

     The Maja asteroid that Cassini will encounter is a type C asteroid, 39
kilometers in size.

     When Cassini arrives at Saturn in December, 2002,  it will perform a
SOI (Saturn Orbit Insertion) burn.  The spacecraft will actually pass through
the outer rings of Saturn during SOI, passing between the F and G rings at a
distance of 2.6 Saturn radii from the planet.  After SOI, the
Huygens probe will be released on the subsequent orbit.  Two days after
probe release, the Cassini orbiter will perform a deflection manuever.  This
deflection maneuver serves two purposes: it ensures the Cassini orbiter
doesn't follow the Hugyens probe into Titan, and it positions the orbiter to
lag behind the probe about 3.5 hours so that science data can be received
from the Huygens probe as it descends into the atmosphere of Titan.  It will
take the Huygens probe about 3 hours to parachute all the way down to the
surface of Titan; if the probe survives the landing, valuable data will
continue to be transmitted back for about 30 more minutes.  No more data will
be returned to the Cassini orbiter from Huygens on any subsequent orbits, as
the battery onboard Huygens will have rundown by then.

    During its four year orbital tour of Saturn, Cassini will make 60 orbits
of the planet.  Compare this with Galileo, which will make about 10 orbits
around Jupiter in two years.  Galileo has the luxury of using gravity assists
of the four large Galileon moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto), while
at Saturn, there is only one large moon, Titan, that Cassini can take
advantage of.  Because of this, Cassini will make close flybys of Titan on
35 of the 60 orbits.  Each Titan flyby is designed so that the Cassini
will be deflected a little further out of Saturn's ecliptic plane, so that
at the end of four years, the spacecraft will be in polar orbit around
Saturn at an inclination of between 80 to 90 degrees.  A polar orbit puts
Cassini into a unique advantage point where many star occultations can be
observed through Saturn's rings.  Cassini will be carrying a Titan Radar
Mapper which it will use to map the surface of Titan during its numerous
flybys of the moon.  The Titan Radar Mapper is a SAR (Synthetic Aperture
Radar), similiar to the one used by the Magellan spacecraft at Venus.

     Also, still being looked at, are alternate trajectory routes to Saturn.
A VEJGA (Venus-Earth-Jupiter Gravity Assist) trajectory has been developed
which would use an additional gravity assist of Venus.  This trajectory has
the advantage of reducing the launch energy, which in turn, means a heavier
payload can be launched.  Note that the VEJGA trajectory is only preliminary,
and the EJGA trajectory is still the official route that Cassini will take.

         Key Dates for the Cassini Mission (VEJGA Trajectory)
         ----------------------------------------------------
           11/28/95 - Titan IV/Centaur Launch
           12/04/96 - Venus Gravity Assist
           07/05/98 - Earth Gravity Assist
           11/11/98 - Clarissa Asteriod Flyby
           03/28/00 - Jupiter Gravity Assist
           12/07/03 - Saturn Arrival

     This trajectory will have Cassini pass near the Clarissa Asteroid, a
type F asteroid which is 21 kilometers in size.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [e-mail]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [e-mail]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

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

End of SPACE Digest V12 #548
*******************