Spaceflight A British Interplanetary Society Publication

Also in this issue GEOsats in peril th 50anniversary of Falcon HEAVY SATURN V Charles First in a Kohlhase new series space Milestones to explorer the Moon

Vol 59 No 11 November 2017 £4.50

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Editor: Published by the British Interplanetary Society David Baker, PhD, BSc, FBIS, FRHS Sub-editor: Volume 59 No. 11 November 2017 Ann Page Production Assistant: 411 Sizing launch vehicles Ben Jones Superlatives reign supreme when manufacturers and launch vehicle providers speak of their rockets but just what are the parameters that Spaceflight Promotion: define, small, medium, heavy or super-heavy rockets? FACTCHECKER Gillian Norman answers that question and asks just how do the claims add up? Spaceflight Arthur C. Clarke House, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, 412-415 Countdown to Falcon Heavy London, SW8 1SZ, England. SpaceX is getting set to fly its super-heavy rocket, as audacious in its Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 3160 goal as anything launched to date by this entrepreneurial company. We Fax: +44 (0)20 7582 7167 assess the challenge and the risk and rate it against competitors as Elon Email: [email protected] Musk boasts bold new objectives. www.bis-space.com ADVERTISING 416-423 Thunder at the Cape Tel: +44 (0)1424 883401 Fifty years ago, in November 1967, Email: [email protected] NASA took a giant leap forward with DISTRIBUTION the launch of the world’s biggest Spaceflight may be received worldwide by mail through membership of the British rocket, the Saturn V. Spaceflight Interplanetary Society. Details including Library begins its “Apollo at 50” coverage subscriptions are available from the above with a report on this remarkable address. event and provides detailed * * * parametric information about the Spaceflight is obtainable from UK newsagents flight itself. and other retail outlets in many countries. In the event of difficulty contact: Warners Group Distribution, The Maltings, Manor Lane, 424-429 Navigating the Solar System Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH, England. Charley Kohlhase reflects on a life supporting deep-space navigation. Tel: +44 (0)1778 391 000 Kohlhase was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2003 Fax: +44 (0)1778 393 668 for an outstanding career of mission design achievements from the * * * Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Cassini planetary exploration programmes. Spaceflight is a publication which promotes the mission of The British Interplanetary Society. Opinions in signed articles are those of the 430-431 Saving the Geostationary Orbit contributors and do not necessarily reflect the Stuart Eves, the lead mission concepts engineer at Surrey Satellite views of the Editor or the Council of the British Technology Ltd, presents a disturbing view of physical forces first Interplanetary Society. observed in the behaviour of asteroids to the life – and death – of * * * geostationary satellites, posing explanations for their demise. Back issues of Spaceflight are available from the Society. For details of issues and prices go to www.bis-space.com or send an sae to the address at top. * * * Regular Features Published monthly by the British Interplanetary 404-405 News Analysis – Back to the Moon: Back to the Future? Society. Registered Company No: 402498. Registered Charity No: 250556. Printed in the UK by Latimer Trend & Company Ltd. 405 A Letter from the Editor * * * Copyright © British Interplanetary Society 407 Briefing notes – news shorts from around the world 2017 ISSN 0038-6340. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced 408-410 ISS Report – 9 August - 8 September 2017 or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo- copying or recording by any information storage 432-433 Satellite Digest – 538 August 2017 or retrieval system without written permission from the Publishers. Photocopying permitted by license only. 435-437 Society News – World Space Week is here again! – NLV study’s fifth * * * ”working day” – Skyfarm: Agriculture in space The British Interplanetary Society is a company limited by guarantee. 438 What’s On

Mission The British Interplanetary Society promotes the exploration and use of space for the benefit of humanity, by connecting people to create, educate and inspire, and advance knowledge in Cover image: Apollo 4 in place on LC-39A the night before launch. Note the raised flame trench 13 m all aspects of astronautics. above the surface, which could not be sunk below ground level due to the high water table. NASA-KSC

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BACK TO THE MOON Back to the Future?

Private companies such as Moon Express are paving the way for a much bigger involvement from commercial entrepreneurs in putting humans back on the Moon. Moon Express

uture goals and objectives for human “scout” class vehicle capable of orbit, landing or Astrobotic plans to launch as a secondary space flight are at a crossroads, with deep-space missions. payload on an Atlas 5 in 2019. As an outsider, candidates including Moon-first, Mars- Currently in the design stage, MX-9 would Blue Origin is working up its own, much Ffirst or deep-space ventures such as asteroid weigh 2,350 kg fuelled, provide a payload larger, lunar lander for placing several tonnes retrieval – even extended and expanded capability of 500 kg with a 200 W power supply of logistical supplies on the Moon on its Blue commercial space stations. But two recent and engage sample-return missions to the Moon vehicle, launched either by NASA’s events have contrived to give an indication Moon. It is an outgrowth of MX-5, a 1,300 kg Space Launch System or Blue Origin’s own about the direction Old Space government soft-lander with a 150 kg payload capacity New Glenn vehicle. programmes might take. In considering how designed as a workhorse for a wide variety of These moves to engage New Space in those events might pair and point the way configurations and missions. sending small-scale landers to the Moon forward we find that the conclusion is a unique In a related and parallel move, NASA is in has found a resonance with a second set of mix of Old and New Space. the final throes of commercial solicitation for decisions which emerged within the last several In July an agreement was reached between a transportation system to deliver scientific weeks. the International Lunar Observatory Association payloads to the lunar surface and this comes (ILOA) and Moon Express to deliver the first at the tip of a broader plan to engage in the New broom? scientific observatory to the lunar South Pole commercial development of lunar landers. Earlier than Capitol Hill-watchers had in 2019. Designated ILO-1, this spacecraft The work was described on 7 September by anticipated, on 7 September the White House will benefit from the expertise advanced by NASA’s Jason Crusan, the director of advanced announced that it was to put Jim Bridenstine Moon Express which was founded in 2010 and explorations systems, at a hearing before a forward for the top job at NASA. Born in 1975, partnered with NASA as it entered the Google Senate space subcommittee: this former naval aviator, proficient in the E-2C LunarXPRIZE. “What we are now looking at doing is Hawkeye, and a Republican Congressman Moon Express expanded its declared goals actually buying landed delivery services in since 2012, is a passionate enthusiast for and this year announced a lunar prospecting the next fiscal year, of actually buying the first space and has engaged politically in trying to mission to the Moon by 2020, with Lunar Scout ability to land small payloads,” he said. “We’re raise the profile of the national space agency. MX-1, which has a mass of 250 kg and provides preparing for the solicitation as we speak.” But he has courted with equal passion New a payload capability of 30 kg supported by a Quietly, this effort has been under way for Space bodies, entrepreneurs and companies power supply of 200 W. It plans to land MX-2 the last three years, slowly advancing with and it is this mix of Old with New that has found in 2018 at the South Pole and to support the three companies developing lunar landers. support within NASA itself. ILO-1 expedition a year after that. MX-2 has a Two are now ready to start launching missions However, despite supporting Ted Cruz in similar payload and power capability but comes for NASA, one of whom is Moon Express, the the nomination for Republican Presidential as dual-stage spacecraft weighing 500 kg as a other being Astrobotic with its Peregrine lander. candidate, Bridenstine’s political base, his

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current partisan support for the President has raised some eyebrows and attracted not a little opposition. Several members of Congress, in both Houses, have raised concerns about a n July 2019 we celebrate the 50th the January 2018 issue for that) followed by working politician taking up the post of NASA anniversary of the day men first landed the second launch of a Saturn V (April 2018 Administrator at a time when bipartisan support on the Moon, an event which stands as a issue), a mission which failed to mirror the was an essential prerequisite for achieving Ilandmark on the long road to the stars. For almost flawless performance of Apollo 4 just some level of conciliation. the first time, humans broke free of Earth’s 50 years ago. The universal surprise stems from gravitational field and stood on the surface Toward the end of next year, in the Bridenstine’s lack of professional or career of another world in space. It was a seminal October issue we recall the first manned experience in science or engineering and the moment, a demonstration that ambition Apollo flight (October) and the first flight to fact that he goes on record as questioning trumps apathy and that great things are the lunar orbit and back (December), before climate change as a man-made phenomenon. possible for those who dare. starting in on the great events of 1969 with While not an uncommon view, NASA is To acknowledge this great event, and the first manned flight of a Lunar Module nevertheless strongly convinced of the need to provide generations who were not (March), the first full dress rehearsal around to retain Earth science and climate change alive at the time with a countdown of their the Moon and back (May) and the flight of studies as part of its mandate. own, the British Interplanetary Society Apollo 11 (July). We round out that year However, while NASA has achieved much plans a series of talks, presentations and with the pin-point landing of Apollo 12 under engineers and scientists brought to the publishing events charting the steps taken (November). top position, for almost nine years (February to accomplish the goal publicly declared by But there is much more coming and I will 1961- October 1968) a renowned civil servant President Kennedy on 25 May 1961 – to have more to say about that over the next and political negotiator, former Marine James land humans on the Moon and to do it by couple of months. Meanwhile, in this issue E Webb, managed the space agency through the end of that decade. we look to the imminent flight of Falcon its toughest and strongest years. For some, We launch those events here in Heavy, define the various classifications Bridenstine is in that mould and his political Spaceflight with the start of a running series of satellite launcher in the second of our experience might be extremely useful to an of features recalling, 50 years after the FACTCHECKER series, look back to deep- agency that embraces geeks but lacks a savvy event, milestone flights on the road to the space robotic missions remembered by understanding of Congress. Moon. This month, replacing the Flashback pioneer Charley Kohlhase, and learn why feature, which traditionally reflects on GEO satellites might be in danger. Joined up dots events 50 years ago, we remember the All that, plus the regular news and So how does all this come together? launch of the first Saturn V – Apollo 4. An comment including positive reaction to a President Trump has taken his time selecting event which in itself was arguably the most paper in the peer-reviewed Journal (JBIS) White House nominees for a wide range of important to that date in demonstrating with proposals on how to feed several government positions and he was not expected essential technologies key to the success million occupants of a space colony. Always to name a new NASA Administrator until the of the programme. a pioneer in serious discussion about space end of the year. Bridenstine has been lobbying Over the next several years we will science, engineering and technology and hard for this job and he has had several “off follow that with similar milestones, the next about future concepts, JBIS continues to the record” discussions with senior NASA being the first launch of the Lunar Module, grow its unique role in global academic managers. It is no secret that he is in favour of a albeit unmanned, on a Saturn IB rocket (see space literature. partnership between public and private bodies. Neither is it a secret that he strongly favours Nominee for NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine will face tougher challenges in acceptance hearings a concerted push to return to the Moon, to before Congress than he finds flying the E-2C Hawkeye. US Navy develop the infrastructure, the technology and the experience of living and working in deep space at least several days away from Earth before heading for Mars. There is much to be said for this approach. The gradual escalation of interest between NASA and entrepreneurial companies in developing the means to get back on the Moon is a progressive model which recognises the enormous challenges facing a push straight for Mars. Without a Moon-first learning curve there could be a vacuum in deep-space exploration for at least 15-20 more years before the funding, the technology and the support is ready for the ultimate challenge of putting human boot prints on Mars. Moon-first means we could have deep-space destinations on the flight plan within five years and it probably would accelerate, rather than defer, a landing on the Red Planet.

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low-enriched uranium before spending a projects, that further compacts the market. Briefing notes year testing and refining the manufacture of For its part, Orbital ATK gains robust • Dormant for several months as it speeds fuel elements at a special facility at NASA’s leverage in its competitiveness against toward its next target, the New Horizons Marshall Space Flight Center. SpaceX for commercial space launch spacecraft woke up on cue with a stream systems and supply vehicles. of data received at the mission operations • OneWeb has signed a joint-venture deal centre at the Johns Hopkins Applied with Airbus Defence and Space over its plan • Blue Origin is upping the capability of its Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, to build 900 satellites, with initial production suborbital New Shepard rocket and its New on 11 September. The spacecraft had in France. The first 10 satellites are being Glenn launch system as plans develop successfully executed the procedures built in Toulouse before production shifts for the company to fly six humans on a prior to three days of activation into a fully to a new $85 million production plant in suborbital hop in 2018. Meanwhile, before operational status. After passing Pluto in Exploration Park, Florida. But OneWeb the end of this year, the third iteration of July 2015, New Horizons entered the first of wants to maintain the production of small New Shepard is expected to fly in support of two hibernation periods, which lasted 157 satellites at the Toulouse factory and plans development of New Glenn, which now has days before the wake-up session began. to introduce other players who also want a larger, 7 m diameter, payload fairing. With On 11 September the spacecraft was 5.82 small satellites. The joint venture has been seven BE-4 rocket motors, the two-stage billion kilometres from Earth with radio constructed on the basis that it will serve New Glenn will produce a launch thrust of signals taking 5 hours 24 minutes to travel as a node for a wide range of users, says 17,100 kN and carry 45 tonnes to LEO or this distance. On 9 December this year, New OneWeb CEO Brian Holz, although they 13 tonnes to GTO. With Jeff Bezos having Horizons will perform a trajectory correction do not plan to produce satellites smaller invested $2.5 billion in New Glenn, Blue manoeuvre and will again enter hibernation than 150 kg. The first launch is planned for Origin has already secured one launch from 12 days later, waking up again for the final March 2018 with a cluster of 32 satellites on Eutelsat and five from OneWeb. The large time on 4 June 2018. New Horizons is a Soyuz rocket from Arianespace’s Kourou diameter fairing is a response to customer now less than 593 million km from its next facility. Flights will follow at an accelerated requests, encapsulating a greater number Kuiper Belt target, 2014 MU69, which has rate allowing the service to begin in 2019. of smaller satellites and those with larger an estimated diameter of only 45 km. It will antenna structures. encounter MU69 at a fly-by distance of just • Northrop Grumman has acquired Orbital 3,500 km, versus the 12,500 km fly-by of ATK for $9.2 billion in a move which has • With unprecedented demand placed on Pluto, on 1 January 2019. MU69 is either brought fears of vertical integration in military space services by all branches of a binary or contact object and because it is an already shrinking list of competitors. the armed forces and security services, in a near circular orbit with a low inclination Analysts are concerned that constraints pressure is building to establish a separate to the ecliptic of 2.45º it may be composed on government spending and the drive Space Corps to support the Department of of primordial material which came together to cut costs is reducing the number of Defense across a wide range of spectrum before Pluto formed. The close approach players and risks increased prices due to platforms. With a boost of 20% in the 2018 should allow the New Horizons LORRI lack of competition. Orbital ATK is one of funding requested by the Air Force for its camera to resolve features as small as 70 two companies which will probably contest space programmes, it defends retained m, compared to 183 m at Pluto. contracts for rocket motors to power the management of space systems by asserting replacement for Minuteman ICBMs. Boeing that 90% of all military space infrastructure • As part of its investigation into alternative and Northrop Grumman were expected to supports Air Force requirements. The propulsion technologies, NASA has compete the contract between Orbital ATK drive to separate space from the Air Force engaged BWXT Nuclear Energy Inc., in an and Aerojet Rocketdyne. The acquisition is led by Representative (R-Ala) Mike $18 million, three-year, contract to develop of Orbital ATK adds complete systems Rogers who criticises the Air Force for a concepts and refine design studies for a integration to Northrop Grumman’s lack of foresight and an unwillingness to nuclear thermal propulsion system. leadership in satellite payloads, providing engage change while starving it of funds. NASA’s Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) its new owner with experience in buses, In response, the Air Force has stood up a study has resurrected a concept which was launchers and associated areas. As both new office which will be led by a three-star an installed programme in the late 1960s companies operate in highly classified deputy chief of staff for operations. but which was cancelled in 1972 at a time of severe budget cuts under the Nixon New Horizons flight controllers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory monitor incoming administration. Nuclear thermal systems signals after the spacecraft woke up on 11 September. JH-APL dispense with the need for an oxidant to engage combustion for accelerating expelled gases when burned with a fuel. The temperature of the fuel is raised by passing liquid hydrogen through a nuclear reactor and out through a conventional expansion nozzle. Known as NERVA (Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application), the original programme was rendered superfluous when plans for a manned Mars landing in the 1980s were cancelled. BWXT has just begun investigating the feasibility of using

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ISS Report 9 August – 8 September 2017 By George Spiteri

As Tropical Storm Harvey continued along the Gulf Coast, Randy Bresnik took this photo on 28 August from the orbiting laboratory. NASA

Expedition 53 is in its first week of operations. Following the safe return conjunction with NASA’s three Synchronised to Earth in early September of Russian Fyodor Yurchikhin and Americans Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer, the International Space Station is crewed Satellites (SPHERES) inside Kibo. Yurchikhin by its new commander, American Randy Bresnik, with flight engineers, and Ryazanskiy reviewed their EVA timelines Russian Sergey Ryazanskiy and Italian Paolo Nespoli. with ground specialists whilst Bresnik answered questions on Facebook Live about the n 9 August, the thrusters of Progress failed units that were stowed outside the station. forthcoming solar eclipse and described seeing MS-06/ 67P were fired for 125.1 The unit underwent a series of diagnostic tests his first aurora on this mission as “absolutely seconds at 12:25 UTC to raise the on 7 September, involving Bresnik and Nespoli amazing” when the station flew over southern Ostation’s altitude by 440 metres and place it in a swapping out some electronics gear and Australia. 401.89 x 425.60 km orbit in preparation for the testing the device while it was connected to a The crew enjoyed a light-duty weekend next Soyuz departure and arrival. Yurchikhin laptop computer. 12/13 August, which involved talking to and Ryazanskiy conducted leak checks, The US segment crew participated in a family and friends and conducting regular installed batteries and prepared their Orlan series of eye exams working with Optical housekeeping chores, including praise by EVA suits for their forthcoming spacewalk, Coherence Tomography (OCT) gear on 10 Houston for Fischer’s “best cleaning it’s ever whilst Fischer and Nespoli performed on board August. OCT is a medical imaging technique had” of the station’s smoke detectors. training in preparation for the arrival of the next that captures imagery of the retina using light Dragon unmanned vehicle. waves. Yurchikhin and Ryazanskiy continued to A Dragon takes flight Ground robotics engineers moved a failed prepare for their spacewalk before conducting SpaceX launched its Dragon spacecraft on a power switching unit to the interior of the station eye tests using a fundoscope for a more Falcon9 rocket on the Commercial Resupply in a unique repair detailed look at the Service-12 (CRS-12) mission from Launch attempt in orbit by ‘Fischer…said his perspective eye’s interior. Fischer Complex 39A at KSC at 16:31UTC (12:31 local the crew, which could had changed seeing “this world took time out to time) on 14 August. Eight minutes after launch pave the way for future without borders”.’ participate in the first the first stage of the rocket made a successful component repairs on interplanetary missions. podcast from space. He spoke to NASA’s Public touchdown at Landing Zone-1 (LZ-1) at Cape Following three days of operations, which Affairs Officers about life aboard the complex, Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). This were completed on 9 August, technicians used which he typically described as “awesome” and was the sole flight for the newly built Dragon-1 the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator said his perspective had changed seeing “this spacecraft, with CRS-13 through 20 planned (SPDM) or Dextre and the Japanese Remote world without borders”. to be flown by refurbished vehicles that have Manipulator System (JEMRMS) to move the Fischer tweeted his “congrats to the middle previously visited the ISS. failed Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) into the schools competing in the Zero Robotics” On 15 August, Yurchikhin and Ryazanskiy ISS via Kibo’s airlock. The MBSU is one of two competition on 11 August as he worked in donned their Orlan suits to perform a full dress

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rehearsal for their spacewalk. Fischer and with ground specialists. The US segment delivered by the latest Dragon vehicle and had Nespoli conducted final on board training in crew participated in several studies including been hand painted by pediatric cancer patients, anticipation of Dragon’s arrival and Whitson Canada’s Vascular Echo experiment which aiming to raise awareness of childhood cancer. demonstrated spreading peanut butter onto examines the changes in blood vessels and the The suit named “Hope” followed an earlier one cookies for Woman’s Day Magazine, adding heart while crewmembers are in space. They called “Courage” that flew on the ISS in 2016 that her favourite dessert was “space apple also completed a weekly questionnaire for (Spaceflight Vol 58 No. 12 p 448) and was worn pie....we use tortillas and spiced apples...and I ESA’s Space Headaches investigation. by Fischer for the benefit of TV viewers who add raisins”. described it as the “coolest thing in space”. Dragon was grappled by Canadarm2 eight Solar eclipse On 24 August, Yurchikhin continued to load minutes ahead of schedule at 10:52 UTC on The crew continued with Dragon cargo items into Soyuz and prepare the spacecraft 16 August as the complex flew off the northern operations during their light-duty weekend for landing. Bresnik and Nespoli joined forces coast of New Zealand, prompting CapCom 19/20 August and devoted 21 August to to measure the effectiveness of the new Mini Andreas Mogensen to radio the crew “on a job photographing the total solar eclipse from Exercise Device-2 (MED-2), which is smaller well done, you guys have just won yourselves orbit as the ISS made three passes over and less bulky than other exercise equipment on some fresh food”. Over two hours later at 13:07 the continental United States. NASA TV’s the station. Fischer scanned his leg artery with UTC Dragon was berthed onto the Earth facing Rob Navias said the crew “were glued to the an ultrasound device, whilst Whitson devoted port of Harmony. windows” during the second pass over southern part of the day to swapping cell cultures inside Dragon delivered 2,910 kg to the Station, Canada and Whitson described the view from the ADvanced Space Experiment Processor including the 1,258 kg ISS Cosmic Ray the Cupola as “impressive to see the dark spot (ADSEP), which was delivered by Dragon. Energetics and Mass (ISS-CREAM) instrument as we passed by”. The following day, the crew worked with housed in Dragon’s trunk which will measure Robotics NASA’s extremely high energy cosmic rays. The crew controllers ‘…favourite dessert was “space apple pie… Genes in opened the hatch to Dragon the same day to at Houston we use tortillas and spiced apples... Space biology begin one month of cargo operations. Amongst extracted the and I add raisins”.’ experiment, the variety of science investigations inside the ISS-CREAM from Dragon’s trunk on 22 August conducted more Soyuz and Dragon cargo By George Spiteri vehicle were two key life science studies to and installed the astrophysics experiment transfers and performed maintenance to the improve therapies against Parkinson’s disease outside Kibo to begin its scientific research. Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC). and ways to explore growing lung tissue Ryazanskiy performed blood tests, whilst The crew monitored the progress of respectively. Nespoli conducted eye tests and bone marrow Hurricane Harvey during their light-duty Yurchikhin and Ryazanskiy left Pirs at studies. Fischer and Bresnik entered the BEAM weekend of 26/27 August as it moved across 14:36 UTC on 17 August to begin the 43rd expandable module to take further readings Texas, prompting Fischer to tweet “Here’s Russian EVA from the ISS. They manually and surface samples and later teamed up with a prayer for family, friends and everyone”. deployed five nanosatellites between 15:10 Whitson to speak to the new 2017 class of Flight controllers at mission control just south UTC and 15:29 UTC. Two were dedicated NASA and Canadian astronauts who reported of Houston remained at their posts and to the 60th anniversary of Sputnik 1 and the for training at JSC the previous day. NASA posted on its website that “critical staff” 160th anniversary of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky’s The highlight of 23 August was a supported ISS operations by sleeping in cots birth, whilst the other three were for scientific conversation all six crewmembers had with and even on the floor, but the gates to JSC were purposes including one with casings made children cancer patients including Fischer’s closed to all but essential personnel over the using 3D printing technology. The cosmonauts own daughter who had thyroid cancer, as part of weekend and did not reopen until 5 September. also retrieved a materials science sample pallet the Unity Space Suit Project. The garment was The thrusters on Progress 67 were again just outside Pirs’ hatch and photographed another experiment pallet and an antenna Astronaut Peggy Whitson checks out a tiny robotic experiment floating inside the Japanese Kibo boom before installing handrails and struts to laboratory module. NASA help future spacewalkers move about outside the Russian segment. Their final task was to install ten temperature sensors outside Poisk and they serviced another external experiment before returning to Pirs after 7hrs 34mins. Yurchikhin is now the world’s fourth most experience spacewalker with a total of 59hrs 28mins EVA time on nine spacewalks and wore the new upgraded Orlan MKS suit delivered by Progress 66 (Spaceflight Vol 59 No 5 p 170) whilst Ryazanskiy used the older Orlan MK version. This was the 202nd EVA dedicated to ISS assembly and maintenance totalling 52days 10hrs 15mins. On 18 August, Ryazanskiy tweeted his “deepest condolences for the victims of terrorist act” in Barcelona, Spain the previous day. The cosmonauts spent the day cleaning up after their EVA and reviewed the spacewalk

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Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson, left, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, centre, and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA, inside the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft shortly after they landed near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on 3 September. NASA fired for 177 seconds at 04.55 UTC on27 entry and TV captured the first pictures of the your eyes that’s a problem” and both astronauts August to raise the orbit by 0.6km and place Descent module under its huge main parachute laughingly acknowledged a Soyuz landing is the complex in a 402.2 x 422.5km orbit for the 14 minutes before touchdown. “much like a good car crash!” next Soyuz departure and arrival. Soyuz landed 143.2 km south east of Bresnik and Nespoli spent 4 September On 28 August, the crew worked with the Dzhezkazgan at 01:22 UTC (07:22 local time) conducting Dragon transfers and worked with high-intensity, low-volume Sprint experiment on 3 September, completing a record breaking the ongoing Fine Motor Skills and the MED-2 and performed maintenance to the mouse mission for Whitson of 289 days 5 hrs 1 min with studies the following day. The crew devoted habitat whilst Yurchikhin’s crew resumed Yurchikhin and Fischer logging 135 days 18 hrs several days filming Hurricane Irma as it moved loading their Soyuz vehicle the following day. 8 min in space. This was the first Soyuz landing across the Caribbean and southern Florida. Whitson worked with NASA’s Lung Tissue with two US astronauts since November 2010 On 6 September, the crew resumed work with experiment on 30 August, which uses the (Spaceflight Vol 53 No. 2 p 59). Yurchikhin has MED-2 and the Genes in Space experiments. microgravity environment to test strategies for a cumulative time Nespoli checked ‘…adjusting to gravity is OK as long growing new lung tissues. NASA had to cancel of over 672 days out physics and life the final inflight interview with Whitson due to in space on his five as your eyes are open but if you science equipment, Hurricane Harvey, but she answered some missions, ranking close your eyes that’s a problem!’ cleaned and questions via email with AP’s Marcia Dunn on him as the seventh most experienced space installed handrails on the Electromagnetic 1 September and said the flight had “gone by traveller, whilst Whitson is close behind him Levitation device and swapped out gear inside very quickly” adding that “the slowest time has in eighth place with almost 666 days on her the Space Automated Bioproduct Lab (SABL). been the last week or so”. three spaceflights as the most experienced US Nespoli worked with ESA’s Magvector astronaut. magnetic field experiment on 7 September. This Peggy sets a record Whitson and Fischer received a study investigates how the Earth’s magnetic Yurchikhin relinquished command of the ISS congratulatory telephone call from President field interacts with an electrical conductor to Bresnik on 1 September who said he was Trump who described Whitson as “an inspiration potentially improving electrical experiments “humbled to accept the responsibility” during to us all” and the two US astronauts took part in space. Bresnik focused on NASA’s Light the traditional crew ceremony. in a lengthy post flight press conference in Microscopy Module (LMM) investigation. Yurchikhin, Whitson and Fischer floated Houston where Whitson admitted the hardest This state of the art light imaging microscope into their Soyuz MS-04/50S vehicle and closed part of the mission was that “she got bored facility provides researchers with powerful the hatches at 18:43 UTC on 2 September. with the food”. She was told on the eve of her diagnostic hardware and software aboard the Soyuz undocked from Poisk at 21:58 UTC as launch that her flight could be extended and ISS. Ryazanskiy devoted two days conducting the complex flew 405.5km over south eastern said she’d “love to fly again, but I don’t think Earth observations and photography courtesy Mongolia to signal the official start of Expedition that’s practical”. Fischer said that they were of Russia’s Ekon-M experiment. 53. Soyuz performed a 4 min 39 sec de-orbit “averaging up to sixty hours of science a week”. The crew continued to monitor Hurricane burn at 00:28 UTC on 3 September. Yurchikhin He added that “adjusting to gravity is OK as Irma on 8 September, worked with the mouse radioed that “everything is good” following re- long as your eyes are open but if you close habitat and performed further Dragon transfers.

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retain the shroud, which had a length of 17.12 m, a diameter of 6.6 m and a mass of 11,544 kg, Sizing launch vehicles until the assembly reached orbit and became weightless. Only at that point was it safe to eject In the second of our occasional FACTCHECKER series, Spaceflight takes the four-segment shroud. But there are very a look at the standards for categorising launch vehicles and at their few opportunities to take advantage of such a payload carrying capabilities. massive lift capability such as that provided by the two-stage Saturn V and had that capacity not What’s in a word? A lot, when it comes to vehicle, not the thrust or the launch weight of been available it would have been necessary to categorising capabilities based upon a lexicon the rocket. have designed a shroud which could have been liberally stretched to extremes by the advertising By definition, the payload is the mass ejected on the way up out of the atmosphere. and promotional world supporting commercial injected into orbit independent of the Some launchers grow from one category to competitiveness. But when it comes to the propulsive means by which it arrived there. It the next. Officially, with a LEO payload capability factual categorisation of rockets and launch includes anything which may remain attached of 16,000 kg, the Ariane VG is a medium-class vehicles, superlatives thrown around in the to the terminal stage but which may not be launcher, just moving up to the heavy-launcher retail world frequently bleed across to the part of the element intended to operate in that category with the more powerful ES variant technical language of commercial launch orbit. For instance, should the payload shroud capable of carrying more than 20,000 kg to providers and their marketing departments protecting the launch vehicle during ascent LEO. Ariane 6 will be at the lower band of the tuned to hyperbole. through the denser layers of the atmosphere “heavy” category, a band occupied by Russia’s Just what is a “heavy” expendable launch be retained, the mass of that structure is Proton rocket for almost 50 years, albeit with vehicle (ELV), or a “super-heavy”, and how charged to the payload weight of the launch varying degrees of success. By these formal does that relate to other launchers and their vehicle. categories, the Atlas V, at 18,800 kg, is a unique payload capabilities? Is the Falcon 9 In most cases, the payload shroud is Medium launcher for LEO payloads while the Heavy, really a “heavy” lift vehicle? jettisoned as soon as the atmospheric Delta IV, at a maximum lift of 28,790 kg, is a As our accompanying table shows, there are pressure on the front of the ascending vehicle Heavy. distinct parameters for classifications relating to is below the level which can be tolerated by But to answer the original question, is Elon rockets and launch vehicles. Ballistic missiles the structural assembly of the satellite or Musk correct in categorising his Falcon Heavy developed for the military carry warheads, spacecraft it encapsulates. But not always. as a Heavy? No, it is a Super Heavy with a while space launch vehicles carry payloads. For instance, the lifting power of the first payload capability to LEO of almost 64 tonnes. This is the parameter used to assess whether two stages of the Saturn V was so great as There has been only one other launcher with a a launcher is “small”, “medium”, “heavy” or to allow the payload shroud attached to the payload greater than this: the legendary Saturn “super heavy”. And when it comes to satellites Skylab launch vehicle to be retained all the V. Moreover, SpaceX now has launchers for and spacecraft, it is the payload mass capability way to orbit. commercial service in both the Heavy and which rates the classification of the launch In that case it had been felt prudent to Super Heavy categories.

A Falcon 9 (below) stands on the historic Launch Classification by LEO payload* Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Class Mass (kg) Mass (lb) to launch the SES-10 satellite. SpaceX Small <1,995 <4,400 Medium 1,995-19,958 4,400-44,000 Heavy 19,958-49,900 44,000-110,000 Super Heavy >49,900 >110,000 *Low Earth Orbit

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Countdown to Falcon Heavy

An artist's impression of Falcon Heavy lifting off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX

Within the next few weeks, final preparations will see the launch of the designated Falcon 9 Full Thrust (its initial name most powerful rocket since Saturn V lifted off on an inaugural test shot. was Falcon 9-R), a definitive partially reusable It promises to usher in a new era of super-heavy commercial rocketry, launcher, with the first stage fully configured challenging the dominant position previously held by established for soft landing and re-use. It is also referred operators such as United Launch Alliance and Arianespace. to as the Falcon 9 v1.2. With nine upgraded Merlin 1D rocket motors, the first stage has a his day has been a long time coming. a qualification flight for the Dragon spacecraft, sea-level thrust of 7,607 kN and a single motor Elon Musk began talking about Falcon followed by four more launches, the last on 1 Heavy more than a decade ago, when March 2013. All had been a success in their Tinitially it was known as Falcon 9 Heavy. Back primary objective, one a partial success in a then it was expected to fly around 2011, then secondary objective and none had succeeded deferred while technical challenges with the in making a first stage return landing on the Falcon 9 launcher were sorted out. From two attempts made. Each carried nine Merlin the outset, SpaceX sought a common core 1C rocket motors with a total combined thrust concept from which could emerge a direct line of 5,004 kN, just a little more than the thrust of increasingly more capable launch vehicles, of early Saturn I rockets. A single Merlin 1C each derived from the initial design. powered the second stage. The key advantage with Falcon Heavy The Falcon 9 v1.1 which followed with a first – that it's an evolution of an existing family launch on 29 September 2013 had a sea-level of launchers – was also its Achilles heel. thrust of 5,885 kN, equal to NASA’s Saturn IB, Difficulties with the Falcon 9 had a knock-on and was equipped with nine Merlin 1D motors effect on plans for the heavy lifter. Only when arranged in an octagonal pattern around the Falcon 9 had matured, and more powerful base of the first stage, an additional 1D in the variants had been proven, could Falcon second stage. With a published low-Earth orbit Heavy really achieve definitive design status. (LEO) payload capability increased from 9,000 However, simultaneous development of several kg to 13,150 kg, this more potent Falcon 9 evolving configurations put the brakes on gave away 30% in potential payload capacity detailed design of the definitive “super heavy” for its stage-return capability. This variant class and that has been the reason for its delay. carried four extendable legs for flights where a soft landing was attempted. Fourteen of the 15 Genetics launch attempts were successful, the last flight SpaceX entered the launcher world with its occurring on 17 January 2016. Falcon 9 v1.0 first launched on 4 June 2010 as The third version of the core rocket was

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of the same type in the upper stage. With a payload to LEO of 22,800 kg, Falcon 9FT made its first flight on 22 December 2015 and has achieved a 100% success rate on its 22 flights to date, the most recent with the launch of the X-37B on 7 September. Maturation through acceptance by the Department of Defense as a bidder for highly classified military payloads opened a major market for SpaceX and the Falcon 9FT. After initial launch operations from LC-40 at Cape Canaveral, flight activity switched to LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center following the loss of a launcher in a pre- flight explosion on 1 September 2016 which all but destroyed the pad. Acquiring launch rights to LC-39A was a significant milestone for SpaceX and a landmark shift for this commercial provider. Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 Falcon 9 v1.1 Falcon 9 v1.2 (FT) Falcon Heavy NASA had already earmarked LC-39B for its Space Launch System and reworked structures Beginning with the Falcon 1 first flown in March 2004, SpaceX has assembled a highly competitive at the adjacent pad enabled Musk to get his big family of launchers culminating in Falcon Heavy. Via David Baker rockets ready to fly from what is arguably the most historic pad in US space history. to the pad. The first launch from this reworked 9FT which, with its proven payload capability to Redesign work on LC-39A began in 2013 facility took place on 19 February 2017 with the geosynchronous transfer orbit, got the required and was actively pursued after the leasing launch of a Dragon capsule to the International performance earlier and on a cheaper rocket. agreement was official from April 2014. But Space Station (CRS-10). Inmarsat followed with a launch contract for instead of bringing rockets up from the Vehicle three flights of a Falcon Heavy in 2014 but Assembly Building, SpaceX built a large Triple-barrelled these were switched to Ariane 5 when the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) compatible SpaceX received early interest in the Falcon heavy-lifter was delayed. with the dimensions of both Falcon 9FT and Heavy, long before it had reached the definitive The real trigger for commercial development Falcon Heavy. The HIF would be used for design stage. In 2012, Intelsat signed a holding of the Falcon Heavy came via the agreement checkout, horizontal assembly, integration, and contract – the first for the upgraded launcher – with the Department of Defense in May 2012 testing before moving it up the ramp and on but in August 2016 this was shifted to a Falcon for SpaceX to fly a Space Test Program 2 (STP-2) mission. In April 2015, SpaceX The sheer size of three Falcon 9FT core stages connected in parallel is evident from this facility image outlined its certification programme for carrying showing three standard cores adjacent to each other. SpaceX national security payloads, a clear challenger to United Launch Alliance which, until this time, had a clear run at highly classified government payloads. It required three successful flights of the Falcon Heavy including two consecutive launches, but delays and deferments pushed out the flight of STP-2 after SpaceX announced it would not fly the Heavy before November 2017. Just as the contractual security of the launcher’s potential was evolving, so too was the very nature of the rocket itself. When initially defined, as Falcon 9-S9-2005, it had a launch capability to LEO of 24,750kg but in April 2011 this was upgraded to 53,000 kg, providing a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) capability of 21,200 kg to an orbital inclination of 27º. This offered a capacity to deliver 13,200 kg to the vicinity of Mars. Overall, payload capabilities would grow as the engineering, technology and vehicle layout changed over time. The precise date on which Falcon Heavy can launch is contingent upon reactivating LC- 40 following the significant damage inflicted there by the prelaunch failure in 2016. When operations can shift from LC-39A, moving single-stick rocket customers back where they

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were always scheduled to fly from, work at the The bulbous payload fairing (right) is capable of former Shuttle pad can adapt it for the bigger encapsulating even the biggest national security rocket and return Falcon 9FT to the original payloads and may provide protection for cislunar complex. habitats which NASA seeks for sustained human presence on deep-space missions. SpaceX Conceptually, Falcon Heavy is a triple- barrel development of the single-stick Falcon with three first stages strapped together in line structural margin is 40% above calculated and firing in parallel. This is not dissimilar to flight loads, almost twice that required for the Delta IV Heavy and proposed adaptations launchers carrying exclusively unmanned of Atlas V Heavy and Russia’s Angara launch payloads. Note that the progressive margin vehicle. But problems associated with operating is not linear but logarithmic and based on a three core stages in parallel are greater than parallel redundancy scale. the collective sum of those elements. Vibration, All three boost stages employ Merlin 1D acoustic shock, tensile and compression loads, rocket motors producing a total lift-off thrust as well as airflow, thermal plume impingement of 22,819 kN, increasing to a vacuum thrust of and oscillations in the transonic regions and 24,681 kN, while the upper stage has a single areas of maximum dynamic pressure, all bring Merlin 1D with a vacuum thrust of 934kN and unique challenges. relevant expansion nozzle of 117:1, since it will not operate in the atmosphere, and a burn Building it big time of 397 seconds. Because it is required Despite these daunting challenges, SpaceX to re-start in space, it is equipped with dual has tasked its engineers with producing a redundant TEA-TEB pyrophoric igniters. man-rated vehicle, one capable of passing Essentially, each of the triple-core booster reinforced. SpaceX is scheduled to perform the much more stringent criteria for supporting stages are identical to the Falcon 9FT but several one or more demonstration firings on the pad human space flight. Falcon heavy will be discrete changes take account of the unique to fine-tune the precise ignition sequence. capable of sending manned vehicles to the configuration and associated loads. Also, Another area of concern is the impact of Moon and back and for that it needs the higher because the near-simultaneous ignition of the aerodynamic forces between the bottom of the reliability rating to clear international standards 27 booster motors will impose unprecedented payload fairing and the side boosters, a wide and NASA requirements. For this reason, the loads, the middle stage has been structurally range of pressure profiles and wave forms

A key to the long-term economic advantage with Falcon heavy lies in its reusable core stage, only the first step for SpaceX in development of second stage and fairing reuse as well. SpaceX

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interacting between the various elements in this area. The most difficult area to simulate pre-flight is the separation of the boosters from the centre stage, coming about 156 seconds into flight. Separation devices have been tested and verified but not in the aerodynamic environment to be encountered during flight.

The long haul Elon Musk is confident the concept will be made to work – eventually – but he is wary of encouraging over-confident expectations, at least for this first shot. While describing Falcon heavy at an ISS conference in July, only the audience believed he was joking when he said he would be happy if it got far enough away from the pad so as not to demolish what had become a national monument! In fact, NASA is aware that its SLS pad (LC-39B) is only 2,657 m away and any early termination or explosive detonation of the stack could, theoretically, rain destruction upon the pad, which has been The octagon configuration of nine Merlin 1D rocket motors, a grand total of 27 of which will lift Falcon substantially modified to accommodate the Heavy off the launch pad. SpaceX SLS at a cost of $120 million to the agency. “It actually ended up being way harder to growing to 130,000 kg for the Block 2 version Currently, if SpaceX can get Falcon Heavy do Falcon Heavy than we thought”, Musk coming along by 2029. off in November, or shortly thereafter, it expects said. “At first it sounds real easy. You just But variations with Falcon Heavy are to launch Arabsat 6A early in 2018, followed by stick two first stages on as strap-on boosters. always possible and more flexible and capable the US Department of Defense STP-2 mission How hard could that be? But then everything mission options for a variety of configurations on 30 April 2018, along with several satellites changes. All the loads change. Aerodynamics and operations are hinted at. SpaceX is largely as secondary payloads. This flight will qualify totally change. You’ve tripled the vibration and driven by customer needs; it has no taxpayer as a part of the certification process for the Air acoustics…The amount of load you’re putting funding base like NASA and must get its Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle through that centre core is crazy because you money back – essentially the driving force services contract. ViaSat-3 is scheduled for have two super-powerful boosters also shoving behind econometrically-based business plans a launch on Falcon Heavy in 2020, but there that centre core, so we had to redesign the driving innovative technology and upping the is an interesting fifth mission hovering in the whole centre core airframe. Then we’ve got the risk barrier (see Spaceflight Vol 59 No 10 p 365 shadows. separation systems. It just ended up being way, “A Letter from the Editor”). In 2016, SpaceX began discussions with way more difficult than we originally thought. an anonymous party regarding a circumlunar We were pretty naive about that.” Return to sender “tourist” flight by unnamed persons aboard Over time, as design changes fed in to the One way in which operating processes could a Dragon 2 spacecraft. Dragon 2 has itself overall capability, the payload increased, rising be changed lies in the possibility of a propellant had several delays but now appears to be in May 2016 to 54,400 kg for a LEO orbit and to crossfeed system which would allow the outer aimed at a late 2018 inaugural flight. Several 63,800 kg in April this year. That definitive value boosters to feed fuel and oxidiser to the centre missions will be necessary for NASA to clear will offer customers a 26,700 kg lift to GTO, or core, depleting these faster and allowing them it for carrying astronauts to the ISS. But one of deliver 8,000 kg with reusable stages. SpaceX to jettison much earlier, leaving the main stage those qualification flights mounted by SpaceX boasts that Falcon Heavy will get 16,800 kg to burn longer. But SpaceX has its sights on just might be the circumlunar flight alluded to. to Mars or 3,500 kg to the edge of the solar even further and more ambitious aims for Probably for 2019, when NASA’s SLS/Orion is system. For the time being, SpaceX is happy lowering costs and maintaining a competitive planned to fly a similar mission profile – without to go for less demanding payloads, confident price, as Musk described in July at that ISS a crew. already that it exceeds the Delta IV heavy – conference: Now that really would be some coup! currently America’s biggest rocket – which has “I think we are quite close to being able Particularly in the year that NASA celebrates a LEO payload capability of 28,800 kg. to recover the fairing…about a 5 or 6 million the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, For the future, Vulcan is billed as the dollar piece of equipment. We've got a decent launched by the mighty Saturn V. replacement rocket for Delta and Atlas and will shot of recovering a fairing by the end of the If all this comes together as planned, give United Launch Alliance a maximum LEO year, and reflight by late this year or early SpaceX is on track to offer the world’s most lift of 32,000 kg, while Jeff Bezos claims his next…Upper stage is about 20 percent of the powerful liquid propellant launcher ever flown New Glenn will be capable of lifting 40,825 kg cost of the mission. So if you get boost stage at a cost far below prices currently charged for to the same orbit. Both are advertised to fly in and fairing we're around 80 percent reusable… a rocket with half this capability. At a quoted 2019, the same year as now envisaged for the for a lot of missions, we could even bring the price to the customer of $90 million, that’s Space Launch System (SLS), but Vulcan will second stage back. So we’re going to try to do close to $1,400/kilogramme. Providing you only have this advanced lift capacity from 2024. that, but our primary focus for the next couple have a heavy lift to LEO or GTO, you can’t do Initially, SLS will have a LEO lift of 70,000 kg, of years will be Crew Dragon.” better than that.

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SATURN V 50th anniversary 1967-2017

THUNDER AT THE CAPE As we look toward the 50th anniversary of the first landing by humans on the lunar surface which we celebrate in July 2019, Spaceflight will bring a series of “countdown” reports acknowledging key milestones on Apollo’s road to the Moon. This month, we remember the first flight of the giant Saturn V, a monumental stride toward the goal set by President Kennedy in 1961.

The man who dreamed big – and saw the realisation of his imagination. Wernher von Braun poses next to a surviving Saturn V. David Baker

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here was never any certainty that it would work, but when the five most powerful rocket motors ever built burst Tinto life signalling lift-off for the world’s biggest rocket on 9 November 1967, hopes ran high that after the tragic fire less than ten months earlier, this was the essential turning point to get Apollo back on track. To say that it was audacious is an understatement but in the heady days of the early 1960s it was the signpost to a future defined by bold steps and daring missions to Earth orbit and beyond. In the aftermath of the shock of Sputnik 1, in 1957 the United States craved superiority in rocket power and lifting capacity and, for a while, Wernher von Braun seemed to have all the answers. After all, following his arrival in the United States in 1945, he had a commendable track record working for the US government. Employed at first by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), von Braun had developed the Redstone rocket from which came the launcher to put America’s first The capacious LOX tank of the S-IC first stage dwarfs the workers. Note slosh baffles built in to the satellite in orbit on 31 January 1958, and to walls of the cylindrical structure. Boeing lift NASA’s first astronaut into space on 5 May 1961. He had managed the development of the This followed the decision to number Saturn and sequentially was doomed to take so much mighty Saturn I and its derivative, the Saturn I flights in single digits (SA-1, SA-2, etc) and more time that it would prevent a Moon landing IB, and had prepared a series of much more Saturn IB flights in the 200-series. during the 1960s. powerful rockets for highly ambitious flights But sources differ as to whether the letter It was a bold strategy, as this was the not beyond Earth to the Moon and Mars. sequence goes Saturn Apollo (SA) or Apollo only the first test of the sprawling Launch From these proposals, when NASA Saturn (AS); the former is preferred by the Complex 39, of the first two stages of the Saturn absorbed the von Braun team and named Marshall Space Flight Center (home of the V and of the Instrument Unit attached above its facility the Marshall Space Flight Center, Saturn V), while all programme documents the S-IVB third stage, itself a development of the Saturn V was selected as the rocket to adopt the latter. The issue is academic. Without the one used for Saturn IB, but it was also the accomplish new challenges posed by politicians Apollo there would have been no Saturn V and inaugural use of the complex command and determined to place the United States on the without Saturn V there would have been no control functions of the launch vehicle as an front row in the race for space. And it was von Apollo. It was as simple as that. integrated entity. Braun who provided the first heavy-lift rocket Numerically, the first Saturn V flight was It was also the first time the S-IVB stage, when the Saturn I lifted off on 27 October 1961. Apollo 4, preceded by Apollo 1 named for the already successfully flown on three Saturn Now it was the turn of a very much bigger first manned flight, which should have carried IB missions, would be commanded to fire a rocket, infinitely more complex and difficult to astronauts Grissom, White and Chaffee into second time in space, simulating the trans-lunar design, build and fly. orbit in February 1967 but they perished in the insertion manoeuvre essential for pushing the The technical development of Saturn V fire that broke out inside their spacecraft on 27 has been told many times in numerous places January. Retrospectively, the two flights that had and we will not repeat that story here but the previously carried unmanned Apollo spacecraft seminal flight of Apollo 4 was to usher in the (AS-201 and AS-202) were designated Apollo operational phase and a flurry of manned Apollo 2 and Apollo 3; being an S-IVB development missions. This launch opened a new chapter in mission, another supporting flight (AS-203) did the story of the Apollo programme and for that not carry an Apollo spacecraft. reason is a landmark event, arguably one of the most important in the history of America’s Moon Objectives programme. There was very little in the way of legacy development for the first flight of Saturn V, the What’s in a number? several objectives being almost totally unique Pursuant to a memorandum dated 26 October and without precedent, a product of the “all- 1962, the first flight hardware was assigned up” systems testing philosophy of George E the flight number AS-501, the 500-series being Mueller and the more than 100 US Air Force An aerial view of the Saturn V launch facilities assigned to Saturn V launchers, with separate officers drafted in to NASA during 1963 to (LC-39) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Pad A stages and elements each assigned a suffix so get the programme back on track. Until that lies to the top right but note the “kink” in the road that the first stage became S-IC-501, the second time, the overly conservative approach of the to Pad B where a spur was originally intended to stage S-II-501 and the third stage S-IVB-501. Germans in flying each element separately support a Pad C, never built. NASA-KSC

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Apollo/LM configuration to the Moon. Stopping manned missions. just 19 seconds short of achieving escape To support all this, Univac 642 and the more velocity on this first flight, the S-IVB would be powerful 494 computers were installed, fed called upon to fire to push Apollo more than by 48 Univac 1230 computers at the remote 18,000 km above Earth before falling back, tracking stations, each employing Univac Apollo’s Service Propulsion System engine 1218s for antenna positioning. Six massive being used to accelerate the Command Module Univac 494 switching systems were located to lunar return velocities in an ultimate test of at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and at the heat shield. Houston, capable of reading messages from Another objective concerned the evaluation the 1230s and the 1218s around the world, of the space vehicle emergency detection checking, filtering, switching and distributing subsystem, which on this flight was flown data. Each could store two millions bits of open-loop. Crew safety was crucial and for information in a memory core, expanded to a certification as a man-rated launcher, the EDS capacity of 46 megabits through a FH-880 fast had to show that it could support all planned storage drum read within 17 thousandths of a abort modes and liberate the crew from an second ingesting data at 40.8 kbps. In its day, impending catastrophe. Multiple modes were these were heady capabilities! designed into the vehicle, some involving the Saturn V, others the Apollo spacecraft itself. Ambitious goals Of equal importance were the operational The Saturn V hardware for Apollo 4 began support and recovery operations, the latter arriving at the Cape in August 1966 with the CSM-017 (incorporating Service Module 020, conducted by the Department of Defense in S-IVB stage which went straight to the Low Bay switched after damage to SM-017) atop the what was tantamount to a rehearsal for the area of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), spacecraft LM adapter in the capacious Vehicle extended recovery plan required for spacecraft followed by the Instrument Unit. The S-IC first Assembly Building during stacking on AS-501-S- returning from the Moon. stage was delivered to the Cape by barge the IVB and its instrument unit. (NASA-KSC) The general supporting infrastructure following month, offloaded and moved to the was also expanded, with new satellites, two transfer aisle in the VAB. The cryogenic S-II verification vehicle, AS-500F, to the same tracking ships with 3.66 m dishes and eight second stage docked at the Cape in January pad on 25 May 1966, exactly five years to Apollo Range Instrumentation Aircraft (ARIA) 1967 by which time the Command and Service the day since President John F Kennedy filling in the gaps. Ground stations and new Modules (017, with the new safety hatch) had had publicly declared NASA’s primary goal of upgraded data acquisition and communication arrived. A wide range of tests were carried placing astronauts on the Moon by the end facilities expanded the new Manned Space out on each stage before erection on Mobile of that decade. The all-important Countdown Flight Network (MSFN). Each Saturn V/Apollo Launcher 1 (ML-1) and several de-erections Demonstration Test (CDDT) for Apollo 4 began flight would require unprecedented support, were required as leak checks and inspections on 27 September but numerous problems were with volumes of telemetry and data handled at revealed problems. encountered with several items of equipment high levels of access around the globe, each AS-501 was rolled out to LC-39A on 26 changed as a result, including the fuel cells in launch calling up a worldwide network far more August 1967 atop ML-1, the same Mobile the Apollo Service Module. advanced than anything required for previous Launcher which had carried the facilities Earlier, quality deficiencies in spacecraft manufacture discovered by the Apollo fire The configuration of the Saturn V. AS-501 carried 32 rocket motors just to get into orbit. NASA-MSFC review board were found in CSM-017 (the Service Module had been exchanged with SM-020 when the original hardware had been damaged in an explosion) with more than 1,400 wiring errors found. This had a knock-on effect in preparing Apollo 4 for flight but there had been serious problems with the S-II second stage as well, which had pushed the first flight from an anticipated June 1967. Everything about the flight was wrapped in superlatives: some 300,000 people had been involved in the development of the giant rocket; standing 110.6 m high, it was 18 m taller than the Statue of Liberty. Containing 2,500 tonnes of propellant, the average car could travel around the world 400 times on that quantity of fuel; the first stage alone generated twice as much energy as all the moving waters of North America channelled through turbines at the same time. The lifting capacity of this first Saturn V was greater than all the spacecraft previously launched by the United States; although physically impossible to focus it in

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a single explosion, the potential energy of all after which flight control passed to Houston but before launch, the sky this day filled with three stages could create a blast wave as great for this unmanned flight, KSC would provide streaks of light reflected from the dark, wispy as that from a small atomic bomb. management of the ascent. clouds. The final stage of the countdown had From Firing Room 1 at the Launch Control been underway since 22:30 hrs local time, Getting ready Center, the clock ticked closer to the planned 6 November. Just short of 24 hours later, Prelaunch preparations and countdown lift-off time of 7.00 am EST on Thursday 9 a potential problem was picked up with a started at midday, local time, on 4 November. November with managers monitoring progress reported heat loss in a spacecraft fuel cell liquid In all, minor difficulties held up the published in what was as complex a set of preparations hydrogen tank. At 05:32 hrs on 8 November countdown events sequence by 3 hrs 59 min, as the ascent of the rocket itself. Outside, the decision was made to continue the count more than absorbed by the 7 hrs 30 min of 5 km from the Saturn V, some 500 news without reloading the hydrogen. built-in holds and no recycling of the countdown reporters waited pensively for an experience The final stage of the countdown had gone was required. Largely unknown to the public, no one could have anticipated and none well, surprisingly free of anomalies anticipated a major achievement had already been made, would forget. Preparations for this event were with this new and untried vehicle. The final the protracted five-day countdown itself being a fuelled by expectation, of the excitement of this planned 90 minute hold released the clock and significant test of the system. giant rocket, weighing more than a US Navy the countdown resumed at 03:00 hrs on the During the final week before the flight, destroyer, audaciously sent on its way. day of launch with four hours to go. At T-3 min several thousand people converged on the The great anchor men of the American 10 sec the vehicle went to automatic sequence Cape with turnpikes and freeways clogged media gathered at the Cape to cover this event, and the ignition command went in at T-8.9 sec. for some time, a total of more than 700 VIPs giants such as Jules Bergman for ABC News As viewed from the VIP stand the base of receiving police escort or flying in by helicopters and Walter Cronkite for CBS. The BBC had the first stage boiled with fire, billowing clouds from local air strips. The weather had not been Reginald Turnill and a host of reporters from of red and yellow flame burst from under the kind, wind and rain pushing the planned date around the world. There was an atmosphere rocket rapidly followed by two elongated to this inclement date in the year. But still they of expectation as the world’s press gathered troughs of fire and smoke panning out along came, filling the shoreline and favoured viewing to report on what was perhaps NASA’s the pad, channelled by a flame trench specially spots from Cocoa Beach up the coast. biggest gamble this far – that an untried rocket designed to protect the structure. For seven The launch would be controlled from of unprecedented size, with unparalleled seconds the vehicle was held to the pad, the the Kennedy Space Center, where 450 performance and unique capabilities would five F-1 engines delivering a total thrust of technicians, engineers and personnel working reverse the dark events in a year in which US 33,620 kN, three times more powerful than any for government and its prime contractors astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts had lost other rocket launched by the United States and monitored every minute step, but the flight would their lives on the path to space. five times more powerful than the Saturn IB. be controlled from Mission Control in Houston. Lift-off occurred at precisely 7:00:01 hrs This had first been a division of control marked Lift-off! local time, one second later than planned. by a fixed point in the ascent. With Saturn it The Sun began to come up over the eastern The light from the five F-1 engines was, was clearance of the Launch Umbilical Tower horizon on 9 November less than an hour unbelievably, brighter than the Sun and the

The enormous size of the Saturn V is evident in this surviving example on display in the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC. NASA

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ground transmitted the vibration before the AS-501 is carried from the VAB to the pad by shock wave and its thunderous sound reached Crawler Transporter, 26 August 1967. NASA-KSC the VAB, where all but the most vital personnel were watching unfolding events. Compressed propellants and the shape of the expansion air battered the roofs of broadcasting vans nozzle. When the last Saturn V was launched near the press stand and reporters clapped on 14 May 1973, it would never be repeated. their hands to deafened ears, a noise so loud Even the almost equally powerful Shuttle it pressed against the human rib cage. Nearby launches would offer an experience totally cars rocked visibly and security alarms were different, quieter and with almost routine triggered. grandeur as the winged orbiter leapt from its From the CBS news building the usual launch pad. calm, controlled dialogue of Walter Cronkite But Saturn V was very different – brute force broke down as the very structure threatened to and violence combined in a deafening thunder collapse under the pressure of the thunderous disproportionate to its apparent size from so shock waves battering the walls and windows great a distance, calculated as the closest the like fists on the metal roof: “The building is unprotected human ear could stand without shaking…the noise is terrific, the building’s permanent damage. It lit the morning sky and shaking. This big glass window is shaking as sent metal covers weighing several tonnes, we’re holding it with our hands…LOOK AT unsecured by blasé contractors, hurtling THAT ROCKET GO!” several hundred metres from the base of the Engineers and technicians in contractor launch pad. And it remodelled the volcanic buildings put their hands upon the thin walls ash aggregate covering the inverted-Vee blast that for several seconds seemed helpless deflector into glass, so intense was the heat under the barrage of moving air waves from the five F-1 engines. assaulting everything with a physically To the viewer 5 km away, the vehicle present force. The sight and sound were an appeared to rise very slowly, and to tilt indescribable experience. Nothing like it had alarmingly away from the LUT, against which it ever been experienced at the Cape and few climbed ponderously at first in a programmed were left unshaken by the experience, which at manoeuvre designed in to the ascent phase first seemed to defy logic. The tiny pencil-like to prevent it colliding with the steel structure object 5 km away rising ever so slowly into the and its nine swing arms. Exclamations from sky and into a thin veil of cloud which did much newcomers to rocketry in the VIP stand, to magnify the reverberating sound. ignorant of the yaw manoeuvre programmed in The effect of the kerosene/oxygen-burning at lift-off +1.26 sec, screamed that it was about F-1 engines created an experience unlike to fall over. But that effect was visible and anything which had been felt before, focused alarming to the uninitiated. Halted at 10 sec, it specifically by the specific mixture ratio of the gave way almost instantly to the roll and pitch

Several structural, test and facilities checkout vehicles were employed in the years preceding the first flight of a Saturn V. NASA-MSFC

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The first Saturn V lights up the early morning sky after an on-time launch at 7.00 am local time, 9 November 1967. NASA-KSC programmes followed at 32 sec by shutdown of the roll manoeuvre.

Smooth all the way As Apollo 4 ascended, of 2,687 measurements from the vehicle at lift-off only 45 failed and flight controllers in Firing Room 1 monitored conditions throughout the first stage, and the S-II second stage as it got ready to fire, its own countdown under way as engineers from the contractor stared wide-eyed at the rolling telemetry from the square TV screens in the Launch Control Center. For the time being, however, the vehicle climbed ever higher, the visible flame now 500 m long and growing. Critical events came first at 1 min 1.4 sec when the ascending stack went supersonic 7.4 km off the ground and then, at 1 min 18.5 sec, when it reached maximum aerodynamic pressure at 13.3 km altitude. As the vehicle arched over, the inner F-1 engine was shut down by timer 2 min 15 sec into flight, the stage pitch programme arrested 10 sec later. Accelerations dropped and then began to build as propellant burned off and the stack got lighter, the outboard engines shutting down at 2 min 30 sec on liquid oxygen depletion. At ignition on the pad, AS-501 weighed 2,822,071 kg, and burned off 44,336 kg prior to lift-off. When the S-IC separated less than a second after S-IC shutdown and the S-II stage ignited its five cryogenic J-2 engines 0.6 sec after that (2 min 32 sec after lift-off), the stack weighed a mere 636,928 kg, some 77% of the weight being shed in the first 150 seconds. Another moment of gasping uncertainty for viewers watching TV screens came with ignition of eight forward-facing retrorockets, four in each fairing over the four outer F-1 engines, delivering a total thrust of 2,696 kN for 0.6 sec.

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the smooth flight of the S-II propulsion phase with a mass of 126,525 kg. At orbit insertion the replaced the violent and vibration-filled ride on assembly was at an altitude of 192.6 km and hydrocarbon fuel and continued for 29 seconds a downrange distance of 2,448 km at a space before the interstage adapter separated and fell fixed velocity of 7,789.7 m/sec. Following its away, followed at 3 min 7 sec by jettisoning of own ballistic trajectory the S-IC came down the Apollo Launch Escape System (LES). This 630 km from Cape Canaveral at 9 min 31 sec, event marked the transition from abort modes followed by the S-II, 9 min 15 sec later, some based on severing the Command Module 3,915 km from the launch site. and carrying it to a safe distance for descent The stack remained in Earth orbit for about and recovery to one in which the complete two revolutions with a small continuous thrust Apollo spacecraft would separate and fire its obtained from venting of the liquid hydrogen Service Propulsion System to lift away from an tank to settle propellants in the outlet lines for offending stack. the all-important re-ignition of the J-2 engine. On through an engine mixture ratio shift That came at 3 hrs 11 min 40 sec, the J-2 firing from 5.53:1 (LOX/fuel) to 4.52:1 at 7 min 15 for exactly five minutes, reaching a space fixed sec, which reduced thrust from 5,057 kN to velocity of 9,412.73 m/sec (33,885 km/hr). As 4,085 kN, the S-II continued to provide stable crucial as achieving orbit, this re-ignition of the performance. Shutdown came at 8 min 39 sec S-IVB demonstrated a capability essential to The structural breakdown of the Saturn V, with on liquid oxygen depletion and stage separation getting Apollo to a cislunar trajectory – on this separation planes identified. NASA-MSFC 0.8 sec later followed almost instantaneously initial demonstration a highly elliptical orbit just Ignited when acceleration dropped below 0.5 g, with ignition of four retro-rockets on the S-II/S- short of escape velocity. they decelerated the massive stage to prevent IVB interstage adapter, producing a total thrust For 10 min 2 sec the stack coasted upward it shunting into the base of the S-II and its five of 620 kN for 1.52 sec. That adapter remained until the Apollo spacecraft separated from the J-2 engines in a flash that appeared to engulf attached to the S-II and fell away with it. Spacecraft LM Adapter (SLA), its four panels the stack before the S-IC began to fall behind. However, because the unloaded stack would pivoting outward exposing LTA-10R which While the S-IC required encouragement to spring forward on the rebound, milliseconds would remain attached to the doomed S-IVB. slow down, the ascending stack needed a push before stage separation, two diametrically Comprising a basic cruciform structure, the to settle the otherwise weightless cryogenic opposed ullage rockets at the base of the S-IVB Lunar Module test article had a ballasted liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen propellants in the fired, producing a total 30.2 kN of thrust for four mass of 13,380 kg, slightly less overall than outlets to the J-2 engine turbopumps. Named seconds, ensuring positive acceleration and a representative Lunar Module but with ullage rockets (after the brewer’s term for the settling of propellants in the outlet lines. Ignition heavier structural members. Centre of gravity void left at the top of a vat), eight solid propellant of the single J-2 on the S-IVB came at 8 min and moments of inertia were very close to rockets were attached circumferentially around 40.7 sec. The S-IVB and its Apollo payload now an operational LM, and development flight the interstage adapter. Each delivered a thrust had a mass of 160,085 kg. It had reached an instrument packages were provided delivering of 100 kN for four seconds to provide a small altitude of 192.34 km, a downrange distance data only up to the end of the first S-IVB burn. positive acceleration to the stack and to add of 1,477.6 km and was travelling at a space At launch, the Apollo spacecraft and LTA- additional pressure at the engine inlet. fixed velocity of 6,814 m/sec, 87.47% of orbital 10R alone weighed 36,782 kg, with the SLA and At S-IC shutdown the stack was at a height velocity. LES contributing to a total payload of 42,493 of 63.7 km, a downrange distance of 82.6 km After jettisoning the ullage motor cases at 8 kg. At separation the Apollo spacecraft had a with a space-fixed velocity of a 2,691.8 m/ min 52.5 sec, the S-IVB stage burned for 2 min mass of 23,427 kg. Just 3 hr 28 min 6.6 sec sec, just 34% of the speed required to reach 24.9 sec, with shutdown at 11 min 5.64 sec on after launch, delivering a thrust of 95.556 kN, orbital velocity. With the higher performance signals from the guidance system. The S-IVB/ the SPS engine fired in a non-ullage ignition of the cryogenic engines and the lighter load, Apollo entered an orbit of 187.2 x 183.6 km for 16 seconds, propelling the spacecraft to an

Reactions As a result of the success of AS-501, NASA successful mission of Apollo 4, flights for revised its schedule of Apollo flights leading 1968 were scheduled as: up to the first Moon landing, confident that AS-204/Apollo 5 (Saturn IB) First unmanned crucial tests had verified the design integrity test of the Lunar Module in Earth orbit, of the launch vehicle and spacecraft. delayed from late 1967 to early 1968. As Spaceflight charts the 50th anniversary AS-502 (Saturn V) Second unmanned test of of Apollo flight activity over the next several the Saturn V and a duplicate of AS-501. years, we will update this schedule to reflect AS-503 (Saturn V) Third unmanned Saturn the accelerated pace of the fast-changing V flight for manned flight qualification and programme. But immediately after the dynamic test of the Apollo heat shield. AS-206 (Saturn IB) Second unmanned flight Command Module 017 is recovered (left) by the test of the Lunar Module. USS Bennington after a near-flawless flight that AS-205 (Saturn IB) First manned Earth-orbit demonstrated the ability of the heat shield to flight of the Apollo spacecraft on a 10-day withstand lunar return velocities. US Navy mission.

422 Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 rockets A night to remember… apogee of 18,316 km, which it achieved at 5 hr ❝ Five of us (were) lounging around the ready suddenly. It was very easy to let your imagination 48 min 43 sec. room listening to the Apollo 4 countdown. We infect your brain. This is a very dangerous place Shortly before that, at 5 hrs 36 min 42 sec were members of the Red Team group, electrical and everything seemed to be moving in the after launch the inert S-IVB reached an apogee systems experts on all hardware interfaces heavy foggy mist. There was no way to talk to of 16,745 km and began its long fall back to the between the firing room and the Saturn V vehicle. each other, heck, we could barely see each other Pacific Ocean, impacting at 8 hrs 3 min 7 sec. Our ears were now being drawn into a developing and we hadn't thought of this problem so we held On its present course the Command Module situation happening on the net. No response was on to each other’s yellow protective clothing like would re-enter the atmosphere at a flight path received from an electrical circuit that enabled kindergartners crossing the street. We all wore angle (gamma) of -8.75º incurring unacceptable separation of the S-II (second) stage in flight. safety helmets but they just did not make you feel decelerations of up to 16 g. The objective was This circuit is controlled by a series of relays like you were really safe. to lower the approach angle, reduce g-loads at located almost directly beneath that cold beast After we climbed up the last step prior to re-entry and accelerate the vehicle to simulate that was spewing out all kinds of funny coloured, opening the sealed submarine-type entry door a lunar return velocity. very cold gases -- the Saturn V rocket. We took that led into the second level we slowly opened With the Apollo CSM barrelling back toward a look at our blueprints and found the relay that the heavy steel hatch-type pressurized door. It the Earth and at an altitude of 1,628 km, at 8 hr must be the problem and called for a halt in the was like stepping into the jaws of a huge steaming 10 min 54.8 sec the SPS fired again, this time countdown to a point where we could cycle the dragon. The nitrogen fog, used to suppress fire, for 4 min 40.6 sec, increasing velocity by 2,156 switch on the electrical networks console to see if and the dim red glow from the emergency lights m/sec (including the gravitational acceleration the relay would pick up -- that was a “no go”. Now of level A made it look like a Hollywood swamp component) and levelling off the entry gamma. things got serious. The NASA Test Conductor scene. We started making our way through the 21 The Command Module separated from the was talking “scrub the launch” but our Stage Test compartments to find our relay rack as the noise Service Module at 8 hr 18 min 02.6 sec and Conductor was talking “go to the pad”. took on a more penetrating tone that seemed to at an altitude of 270.4 km. Entry interface The red ‘phone rings: “Bill, how sure are you bounce from wall to wall. occurred at 121,920 m and a velocity of 11,139 that this relay is the problem? Are we going to The smell became a mixture of kerosene m/sec and at a space-fixed flight path angle of send people to the pad to rewire the rocket with a mild touch of burnt paint and rubber; my -6.93º. During entry the spacecraft flew a “roller and not be able to launch because we guessed goose bumps were changing to a weird colour of coaster” path similar to that which would be wrong?” said Filbert C Martin. “It's worth a shot, purple. Realising this was a much worse place to required when returning from the Moon, albeit the signal is not reaching the vehicle and that relay be trapped in, the team moved more rapidly. We increasing heat load but reducing heat rate. module is the only active component between the replaced the old relay module and they cycled the Maximum deceleration encountered was a Firing Room console and the vehicle. Snap out switch on the Firing Room console. We checked relatively benign 7.27 g. the old relay module and snap in the new one that the relay kicked in and that the signal was Splashdown occurred at an elapsed time and we will be able to tell if that was the problem picked up on the vehicle. We resealed the cabinet of 8 hr 37 min 9.2 sec, a mere 18.5 km from in a few seconds. The five of us got the word to and got the (!) out of there without any more the predicted point. The Command Module head for the launch pad. It was 11:30 pm. It was sightseeing. weighed 4,781 kg; all that remained of a mighty a dark, slow, three mile trip. As we got closer to The drive back to the ready room was fast, the rocket which only a few hours earlier had stood the Saturn V it was shrouded in a white cloud five of us like stone figures, thinking about where on Launch Complex 39A. Recovered by the of venting gases which relieved the pressures we had been and what we had just accomplished. USS Bennington, several weeks of intensive building up inside the vehicle’s fuel tanks. What could have happened and didn't. All of this analysis would prove the validity of the Saturn Our goal was to enter this two-level hermetically without ever realizing that this experience was V and the Apollo heat shield. sealed, all welded steel coffin called the Mobile as close to being in the shoes of a Saturn V Press reports were loaded with superlatives, Launch Platform (MLP) topped by a fully loaded astronaut as any of us would ever be again. ❞

but the only ones that mattered were enshrined 363 ft high Saturn V. We finally stopped and left From the memoirs of William E Moore, who grew up as within the near-perfect performance of Apollo 4. our van to walk up and into the second level of the a farm boy in West Virginia. The gateway to the Moon was open. MLP. We were now within 25 ft of this “bomb” that sounded like its giant fuse had been lit, and we were soon going to get much closer. The Saturn V was more noisy and ghostly AS-504 (Saturn V) First manned flight of than I had ever expected and it had grown more Saturn V with Apollo/Lunar module for a threatening. The venting fuel made loud hissing full checkout of the vehicles in Earth orbit sounds when relief valves popped or opened up including independent flight of the LM. With some uncertainty as to the precise sequence after that, NASA provisionally planned five manned Saturn V flights for 1969 (AS-505-509), the first four of which were assigned lunar mission development objectives. Not discounting the possibility of an earlier attempt, the first Moon landing was provisionally pencilled in for AS-509 at the end of 1969. But for that to happen, every precursor Colin Mackellar visits Honeysuckle Creek in October 1971 and (inset, left to right) Mike Dinn, Colin step had to be a success. MackellarExtracted andfrom Hamish the memoirs Lindsay of taken William at Tidbinbilla. E Moore, V whoia HSK grew website up as a farm boy in West Virginia to help make the first flight of a Saturn V a stunning success.

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Navigating the Solar System memories of a space explorer by Charley Kohlhase

A 3.6 x 7.6 m mural depicting the Roman god Saturn pulling away a veil that allows NASA's Cassini orbiter and ESA's Huygens probes to uncover the mysteries of Saturn, its moons, and Titan. It was painted by eight Latin American students at the Academia de Arte Yepes, Los Angeles. Academia de Arte Yepes

his quest to explore likely began to describe the Mars geometry for a safe flyby trained on my modest delivery. I rambled on when my grandmother began telling on the sunlit side of the red planet. By “safe”, for some twenty minutes, a few questions were me stories at age five about two small he meant not too close to risk impact, given our asked, and the two super brains finally excused Tbugs always needing problem-solving advice. navigation uncertainties. themselves. I have no idea how I came across, A few years later I began reading adventure I walked into a small conference room, but I will never forget the experience. stories, taking on The Count of Monte Cristo mentally rehearsed what I planned to say Did both men already know about Hohmann and Don Quixote. I also began to treasure concerning a trajectory to Mars, then waited transfer ellipses? Probably their greatest Earth’s biodiversity during these early days in for the remainder of the invitees. A few minutes interest was in the exact launch and arrival eastern Tennessee, later gazing towards the passed before the door opened and in walked dates for the next mission to Mars. Based constellations at night. Drs. William Pickering (director of JPL) upon the periods of Earth and Mars around the When I changed my major at Georgia Tech and Wernher von Braun. I can still see von sun, favourable near-Hohmann opportunities in 1955 to physics from my father’s dictate of Braun’s massive head with its aura of hyper repeat every 25.6 months. As it turned out, JPL mechanical engineering, he proclaimed it my intelligence. They walked around to my side of could not get two spacecraft ready for launch greatest mistake and ended financial support the conference table that faced the blackboard. until the 1964 opportunity. forever. Fortunately, the math and physics Surrounded by such legends, I would surely departments paid me as a student instructor, have had a heart attack at that moment were Deep space navigation allowing me to graduate on time in 1957. After it not for my young age of 24. My supervisor The interplanetary “radio navigation” process serving in the US Navy for 2 years, I joined called the meeting to order and introduced me consists of collecting thousands of range the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 1959 to as I struggled on wobbly legs to circumnavigate and range-rate data points between the begin a space career. the table and reach the blackboard. I can still tracking stations and the spacecraft en-route remember raising my hand unsteadily with a to the destination planet, then using onboard Encounter with von Braun piece of chalk to draw the Sun, with an ellipse cameras to take optical pictures of the planet’s It was early 1960. I had been at JPL for eight connecting the orbits of Earth and Mars. natural satellites against a star background months, when my supervisor asked me to The conference room’s mahogany table for precise aiming point control during final design a trajectory from Earth to Mars at the elevated the godliness of the Pickering and approach. next opportunity. He wanted to know the most von Braun arms resting on the polished wood. The radio navigation portion of the flight favourable launch and arrival dates, asking me Their faces were serious, eyes and ears used huge computers on Earth to solve for

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When gravity assist deflected the two Voyagers out of the ecliptic plane, flying “under” Saturn, Voyager 1 was raised above the ecliptic at a 35º angle. JPL

every parameter that could affect the estimated giants is roughly 160, with 22 of the additional spacecraft trajectory. This included not only the moons discovered by Voyager. As the four masses of other bodies in the solar system, but planets and numerous moons each have also the exact locations of the large tracking different orbital periods, at any time they will antennas. The role of the programme was to all be in slightly different positions. The mission “adjust” all modelled parameters to produce the design challenge was to search for the best smallest statistical errors between the actual observation geometries given the locations radio observations and the calculated values and timing of the gravity-assist corridors across that would exist if the estimated orbit had the the LD/AD space. parameters assumed in the computer run. To reduce this huge space of possibilities, Over the years, the JPL navigators became flybys at Jupiter were examined for every 1.77 famous for achieving target-relative accuracies days (the period of volcanic Io) and at Saturn of several hundred kilometres during the every 16 days (the period of the large moon 1960s, diminishing to less than 10 km during Titan). Jupiter radiation levels for Voyager 1 the 1990s and later. This was key to minimising near Io’s orbit were intense (500 times lethal onboard propellant to correct flight path levels for humans), so spacecraft designers dispersions with midcourse manoeuvres. It has had used 22 kg of tantalum shields to cover often been noted that the Voyager 2 navigation sensitive electronic parts that could not be accuracy at Neptune was roughly equivalent replaced. For added security, Voyager 2 was to sinking a 3,600 km golf putt, with a few tiny given a safer passage at 10 Jupiter radii. nudges along the way. These measures reduced the 10,000 The gravity-assist opportunity to fly the possibilities down to several hundred, and “Grand Tour” from Earth to Jupiter to Saturn eventually to 98 cases after further allowance to Uranus to Neptune existed for about a 30- for communication geometries, navigation day launch period in each of the years 1976, factors, satellite viewing, and the option for 1977, and 1978, then not repeating for another Voyager 2 to either proceed on to Uranus and 176 years. The Goldilocks year was 1977 Neptune -- or to target another Titan flyby at when encounters with the Galilean satellites Io Saturn in the event Voyager 1 failed to capture through Callisto were ideal, with encounters in the important Titan science. 1976 too close to the planet and in 1978 too far. A wide range of Saturn arrival dates was Gravity assist possible, resulting in over 10,000 launch-date/ Many of the great interplanetary missions arrival-date (LD/AD) possibilities. would not have been possible without the use Cassini project manager (right) and author prepare to install the DVD carrying 616,420 When we began the process of winnowing of gravity assist. Even prior to Voyager, the signatures from 81 different countries on a small down the number of cases, Jupiter had 16 1973 Mariner-Venus-Mercury mission could pedestal on the side of the Cassini spacecraft; known moons, Saturn 13, Uranus 5, and not have achieved the extra Mercury flybys DVD cover design by author. NASA/JPL Neptune 2. Today the total for all four gas without this critical technique. More recently,

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the Cassini mission to Saturn used over 125 gravity-assisted flybys of Titan to shape the Neptune Ecliptic orbit around the ringed world -- and this after North Pole North Pole reaching the planet following a clever Venus- Venus-Earth-Jupiter series of gravity-assisted flybys on the way. Voyager 2 at Neptune Leonhard Euler won the Academie des closest approach Sciences prize in 1780 for his understanding Ascending of the perturbations of cometary orbits by the node planets. Many after Euler knew that small bodies could be flung into or out of the solar Neptune, Earth and Sun system by passage near a large planet such as occultation zones Jupiter. But was there one specific person who developed the principles of gravity assist and Descending node applied them in a specific way to enable more Earth and Sun efficient missions to the planets? Success has many fathers, but the most Equatorial vocal was Dr Michael Minovitch, who in 1961 ring-arc orbits claimed that he alone was first to develop Voyager 2 at Triton the principles behind “gravity propulsion”. closest approach But research concludes that the principles of gravity assist were first realized by German From this perspective, Neptune is coming out of the rocket-propulsion engineer Krafft Ehricke, who paper at the viewer and the Voyager 2 trajectory is in also spent many years studying the industrial the plane of the paper. Note the position of Triton and development of the Moon. the gravitational bending of the trajectory required To understand gravity assist, a simple to reach it by diving closely over the northern polar analogy is useful. In the cartoon sketch, the regions of Neptune. NASA-JPL action is seen by an observer sitting on the Solar Junction train station platform (the Sun). The oncoming train represents Jupiter moving The Ranger Manoeuvre Model (right), designed in its orbit around the Sun, and the tennis ball by Kohlhase and JPL colleague Dave Curkendall, represents the spacecraft as it first approaches, used to check mid-course corrections on early interacts with, and finally leaves Jupiter. Were unmanned flights to the Moon. Author the train at rest, the conductor would see the ball approach at 48 km/hr, rebound off the front direction at up to 128 km/hr relative to the train. of the train, and fly back in the other direction The train, however, is already moving 80 km/hr at 48 km/hr. relative to the observer on the station platform. As the train is moving at 80 km/hr, however, The station observer would therefore see the the conductor would see the ball approaching ball moving at up to 208 km/hr – even though it at 128 km/hr relative to the train. If the collision was originally moving at only 48 km/hr when it is perfectly elastic, the conductor would see approached and impacted the front of the train. the ball bounce off and fly back in the other The tennis ball has gained speed relative to the solar observer, but not relative to the

The exchange of energy for gravity assist Jupiter Express after the rebound from the at Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, train. Naturally, energy must be conserved for 5 September. This confused the press until accelerating Voyager above the solar system’s the solar system as a whole, thus Jupiter must we told them that Voyager 1 would overtake escape velocity, imparted by the encounter with have lost the same amount of energy as the Voyager 2 in December of 1977 and thereafter Jupiter and not the launch vehicle David Baker spacecraft gained. In fact, when Voyager flew always arrive first at each planet. past Jupiter its Sun-relative gravity-assist gain There were more than a few surprises was 16 km/sec, while mighty Jupiter was only during these early moments. The Voyager slowed in its orbit by 0.3 m per trillion years! 2 attitude control gyros began switching to backup gyros when the Titan rolled rapidly to Launch scares its downrange flight azimuth. From that point John Casani was the Voyager project manager forward, all rocket stages burned normally, during launch, with me as mission advisor. injecting the spacecraft for Jupiter but with The launch vehicle was the huge Titan III-E/ telemetry showing that the scan platform boom Centaur with a solid rocket kick stage on top had not deployed -- with later analysis showing between the Centaur and the spacecraft. The it very close to full deployment. launch vehicle was 50 m tall and weighed John had asked me before launch to select 680,000 kg. The first launch (Voyager 2) any biased shutdown conditions for the Centaur occurred on 20 August 1977, and the second inertial guidance system. I told him to instruct launch (Voyager 1) occurred 16 days later on the launch vehicle people to shut down 14 m/

426 Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 australian space

Relative to the station platform (the Sun), the tennis ball (the spacecraft) only gains speed if the train (Jupiter or the assisting planet) is moving See text for full explanation. Kohlhase/Hovland sec early (about 50 km/h out of 58,000 km/h), but with only 3 seconds of propellant burn time passed it to the JPL director, who passed it so that we would not waste precious hydrazine left in its tanks before fuel depletion. A close on to NASA. The request eventually reached propellant in correcting for a possible Centaur call, indeed! James Beggs, the NASA administrator who over-burn. The bias was just about right when said, “Request denied”. When asked why, he it came time to do a small midcourse correction Uranus and Challenger replied, “Because the White House doesn’t two weeks after launch. The launch of Shuttle Challenger was originally want the launch slipped.” We later learned that I was relieved about my input, but puzzled scheduled for July of 1985, but then slipped to Reagan had wanted to make a show of US later when the hydrazine used for the first 22 January 1986. As our Voyager 2 Uranus space power by having Christa McAuliffe send manoeuvre produced 8% less velocity than encounter had been targeted years earlier for a harmless command to Voyager 2 from the calculated. In time, it was realised that 24 January, it occurred to me that Voyager Shuttle as it orbited Earth, just as Voyager 2 exhaust impingement on the blanket-wrapped management should request a one-week slip was whipping past Uranus. adapter struts (connecting the spacecraft to in the Challenger launch, to provide a bit of The prescribed launch date eventually the solid rocket kick stage) had reduced the insurance should some surprise on Shuttle take came, with Challenger slipping to the 26th due effectiveness of a given amount of hydrazine needed ground support away from Voyager 2. to weather problems. We flew past Uranus by 15% rather than the 7% initially predicted by So I made the request to my boss, who successfully on 24 January, with everything the engineers. While spacecraft engineers were adding Over eight years, the many Neptune aim possibilities were reduced to the values displayed here. JPL another set of springs to the boom deployment for the Voyager 1 spacecraft, I had already begun to worry about the reduced probability of Voyager 2 being able to navigate the Grand Tour should that option be chosen. Much later in the mission, however, we implemented some clever navigation actions to reduce the velocity requirements needed to reach Neptune. A greater scare occurred during the Voyager 1 launch. After liftoff, the second stage of the Titan III-E underperformed, requiring the Centaur to burn an extra 550 kg of propellant to achieve its parking orbit around the earth. We then all waited an anxious 30 minutes to see if the Centaur had enough propellant to achieve a normal injection for Jupiter. It did,

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working like a charm, the newsroom full of 300 the findings indicated that it had simply been reporters from around the world, and another too cold to launch. The stiff O-rings in the joint 600 VIPs in assorted conference rooms. It was between the lower two segments of the right clear that we were getting great photos of the booster were unable to seal off hot burning moons of Uranus, but it would take a couple of propellant gases under pressure, leading days to prepare and release the best of these eventually to detachment and collision with the discoveries to the eager media. external tank, from there leading quickly to an Then Challenger missed the 27th as a explosion 73 seconds into the flight. result of ground servicing equipment. We were Nobel laureate Richard Feynman had later preparing to hold another Uranus briefing as demonstrated this temperature problem by everyone stopped to watch the Challenger simply immersing a rubber ring in a glass of launch the following day, already two hours ice water. Allan McDonald, a key engineer at into its firing window. I can still remember, Morton Thiokol, had recommended against the about a minute into the flight, there appeared launch of Challenger, but had been overruled to be an explosion of some sort and all of by his management, presumably wishing to not us were deadly quiet, hoping it was the way disappoint the White House. booster separations might look under certain It is amazing to me that none of the reporters conditions. ever picked up on this. Had Reagan been But soon, we all became aware that we had confronted, however, he had an easy answer just witnessed a major tragedy, fearing that no by simply admitting that he had wanted the one aboard Challenger had survived. By an double success, but that he naturally assumed hour later, 90% of the Uranus press had cleared those in charge would never have risked the out of the von Karman auditorium, rushing off safety of the Challenger crew. to catch planes to the Cape to cover the human Ironically, the Challenger launch did slip disaster. More than ever, the media’s mantra of of its own accord past our Uranus encounter. “if it bleeds, it leads” was in full control. Had Beggs originally agreed to a one-week After pouring over Challenger failure data, slip from 22 January to 29 January, the temperature might have been warm enough for The author (left) with legendary astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, discover of Pluto, in 1989. Author a successful launch. Aside from the tragic loss of lives, the company lost millions in lawsuits by the Challenger families. Much later, Shuttle failure probabilities were raised from 1 chance in 100,000 to 1 chance in 100.

Mars Sample Return Scientists have sought to collect and return samples of the Martian soil from many different locations on the Red Planet. At little as 500 grams could be divided into tiny allotments and then sent to many great laboratories on Earth for careful examination and analysis. To many, this is the Holy Grail of Mars exploration – even though a few suggest that only a microscope is needed to see microorganisms within a drop of water from the subsurface. The engineering challenges for Mars Sample Return Collection (MSRC) are many, with proposals ranging from orbital rendezvous with a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) carrying the samples (the favoured NASA/JPL approach) to direct return from the Martian surface using in-situ propellants (advocated by Robert Zubrin of the Mars Society). In the JPL approach, a mission to Mars in 2020 will cache 20-30 samples in small tubes that can be sealed and dropped at a known location. A second mission will next be planned for a later Mars opportunity that will either be an orbiter with sample rendezvous and Earth-return capability, or a “fetch rover” with MAV for collecting and launching the samples into orbit around Mars. The third mission in the campaign will use the

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Inspired by such sci-fi stories as Rendezvous With Rama, the author creates a futuristic sci-fi scene entitled Outpost (left) that envisages a distant future in which humans colonise the galaxy. Author

of years into the future, and other Ripley-like specialties). The 27 years devoted to the Voyager and Cassini missions allowed me to become friends with famous scientists, sci-fi authors, and even Neil Armstrong, but the time I spent in 1995 with a group of eight young Los Angeles painters ❝ More than ever, the propellants for follow-on robotic and human from the Academia de Arte Yepes was hard to missions of exploration. He further asserts beat. Ranging in age from 8 to 17, based upon media’s mantra of 'if that a sufficient amount of propellant can be a sketch I gave them they created a 3.6 x 7.6 made while conducting the sample collection metre Cassini mural depicting the Roman god it bleeds, it leads' was activities before the next Mars-to-Earth launch Saturn pulling a veil off the Saturn system to in full control. ❞ period opportunity opens. reveal the mysteries to be discovered. For the Cassini/Huygens mission, my alternate to the second mission. Public outreach primary responsibility was pre-launch design To estimate risk, one needs to know how I was always very devoted to public outreach, of the Saturn tour, but I also led many outreach many “key events” must be done successfully either by explaining matters in person or by opportunities. Perhaps the most widely in order to return the samples to Earth. Typical creating products for fans seeking educational known was the international signature DVD key events include launch, cruise to Mars with or gee-whiz facts. This went on for over 40 from 616,420 people of Earth (see Feb/Mar trajectory corrections en route, Mars orbit years, with several memorable and rewarding 1999 issue of Smithsonian Air & Space). To insertion or EDL (entry, descent, and landing), interactions. Products ranged from posters to date, the Cassini and Huygens discoveries sample collection and launch into Mars orbit, murals to educational handouts to computer have been amazing, from the Titan lakes and sample rendezvous and transfer, injection from animations. All were created to excite and Enceladus plumes to the strange dark stripes Mars orbit for interplanetary return to Earth, inspire the public. and moonlets within the vast rings. and successful recovery of the ERV (Earth In 1977, Dr. James Blinn wrote software that The next 25 years will see robotic missions return vehicle). we could both use to create flyby animations explore the subsurface regions on Europa and If one assumes, for example, 15 key events of the Voyager spacecraft from the viewpoint Enceladus, while sample return missions will (for a three-mission campaign) each with a of a person riding along with Voyager as it bring back small amounts of Martian soil for the success probability of 0.98 (optimistic), the pointed its cameras at the different planetary great laboratories on Earth to examine. Micro chance for campaign success is roughly 74%. and satellite targets near closest approach. spacecraft will begin journeys to Earth-like But if the key events each have a 0.95 (perhaps Jim eventually became known to many as planets around near stars. Piloted (“manned”) more realistic) chance of accomplishing their the father of modern computer-generated missions will establish small outposts on the objective, the campaign success drops to 46%. imagery– today known as CGI. Moon, as well as the first small colony on Mars. Naturally, replacement assets should be ready The Voyager Neptune Travel Guide was While back on Earth, priorities will hopefully be in the event of a failure, achieving campaign very popular, undergoing three Government placed on slowing climate warming, on saving success levels of 80%, but that raises the Printing Office print cycles. One could find our vanishing biodiversity from further damage, total cost for the campaign. Then again, the simple answers to mission and spacecraft on getting rid of weapons of mass destruction, campaign cost is only 1% of the annual U.S. questions, as well as to gee-whiz facts (e.g., and on managing Earth’s human population to defence budget! amount of scientific data returned, navigation be in better balance with the planet’s natural What about the Zubrin proposal? He argues accuracies, radio telescope sensitivities, resources. All of these tasks will require the that it is both lowest cost and lowest risk, and amazing discoveries at the gas giants and their utmost trust and commitment among the offers the potential of in-situ production of moons, passage by distant stars thousands planet’s scientists and the nation’s leaders.

Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 429 rockets

Saving the Geostationary Orbit

By Dr Stuart Eves Lead Mission Concepts Engineer, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited

But we have a problem. Satellites have Geostationary satellites such as Airbus Defence finite lifetimes, and so run out of station- and Space's SES-12 (above) have dominated keeping propellant eventually. Some also applications in telecommunications, broadcasting and data relay – but are they under threat? ADS cease functioning earlier in their lives, either as s many BIS members will know, in a result of an electrical or mechanical failure, Arthur C Clarke (left) did much to circulate 1945, the science fiction author Arthur or occasionally, (we suspect), as the result of discussion on the value of geostationary orbits C Clarke wrote a paper in Wireless an unfortunate meteoroid strike. Although most for applications serving operators on Earth. BIS AWorld which first popularised the concept of satellite operators now responsibly manoeuvre the Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite. their ageing hardware into higher “graveyard” a satellite that was not properly passivated at Based on earlier work by a largely forgotten orbits before the satellite’s ultimate demise, the end of its life, which is normally achieved Slovene scientist, Herman Noordung, Clarke’s more than 50 years of GEO operations have by venting any residual propellant into space, idea was to exploit the unique orbital altitude resulted in multiple defunct satellites and other and disconnecting its batteries to prevent a (35,786 km) where satellites match the Earth’s uncontrolled debris objects, such as rocket dangerous overcharging scenario in which sidereal rotation period, thereby appearing bodies, which could cause collisions. it could explode. These risks arise because fixed in the sky relative to the Earth, andso And the problem is worse than we thought. a defunct satellite no longer has an active providing a convenient location from which to Recent observations of the GEO orbit region thermal control subsystem, and so can reach relay telephone communications. by the US commercial entity ComSpOC temperatures that it was not designed to The first truly geostationary, (as opposed have approximately doubled the number of withstand. Indeed, repeated thermal cycling to geosynchronous), satellite, Syncom 3, trackable objects up there, to a figure in excess is a third process that could lead to materials was not launched until 1964, but this prime of 2,000, (as compared with the official US fracturing and breaking off their host satellite. “orbital real-estate” was soon exploited for civil catalogue). Some discrepancy between these But the mechanism which may actually be applications including direct-broadcast TV and two catalogues is to be expected, as the US responsible for much of the debris population weather satellites, and for military missions chooses not to publish the orbital data for its could be one that was first identified in including missile warning, signals intelligence military satellites in GEO. But this does not connection with asteroids. The YORP effect and data relay. Some science missions, account for the majority of the newly-catalogued (opposite page, above right) involves solar including the Solar Dynamics Observatory, objects, most of which are probably debris, and energy heating the body in question. As the have also been placed in GEO orbit. In the which must have their origins in GEO. asteroid rotates, the “hot spot” re-radiates future, such monitoring missions may help to We’re not sure what’s causing this debris, the energy in a specific direction and this can provide warning of extreme space weather but one possible source of these objects is modify its orbit and also cause it to spin up over events generated by the Sun. We all, therefore, an unrecorded collision between two defunct time. If this mechanism also works on satellites, potentially benefit from the satellites in GEO. GEO satellites. Another is the fragmentation of it is plausible that they are spinning up to the

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The estimated mean YORP effect (right) as observed on a near-Earth asteroid with a diameter of approximately 30 m, showing the changes on rotation rate (left panel) and obliquity (right panel). Changes to the rate of rotation do not depend on the thermal conductivity in the plane-parallel model, but they are so dependent in obliquity. Via David Baker

A schematic representation (left) showing the two variants of the Yarkovsky effect, with the diurnal influence at left and the seasonal impact at right. While sunlight heats up the body on the nearside at noon, thermal recoil effects displace it in the solar direction. At left, the rotation of the body forces maximum emissions to the afternoon side whereas thermal relaxation occurs as a seasonal variation on a timescale comparable to the body’s period of revolution. Via David Baker

point where they are shedding their solar satellites may have reached 1 Hz, and hence short-range surveillance of these problematic blanketing material and possibly other larger we require much more frequent photometric objects in GEO via an inspection satellite to see appendages, such as solar panels, too. sampling than is necessary for simply detecting exactly how extended exposure to the space In addition, the variations in the grave-yarded the satellites, or indeed, for observing stars. If environment has degraded their materials. But satellites’ orbits caused by the related Yarkovsky these hypotheses are confirmed by observation, the first step to improve our understanding is to effect (above) may modify their eccentricities it has two significant implications for the satellite reach out to the astronomical community to ask to the point where their perigee altitudes drop industry. One is that we probably already have for help in characterising the rotation rates of back down to GEO height and create a hazard some challenging, rapidly-spinning objects to the most problematic objects. again. These orbital changes can potentially be deal with in the vicinity of GEO, and a second monitored with existing tracking telescopes, but is that the current policy of retiring satellites to the rotational consequence of the YORP effect, a super-synchronous graveyard orbit, and then (assuming it exists), are harder to measure and abandoning them, may have to be revisited. much less well understood. However, help may It has been proposed that, rather than be at hand. being abandoned at the end of their lives, GEO satellites could instead be delivered to Made to measure a necropolis; an active orbiting repository to Astronomers have made photometric which they could be attached. The necropolis measurements for many years, observing would be able to make collision avoidance intrinsic pulsations in variable stars, eclipsing manoeuvres when required, and could also binaries, rotating asteroids and more recently, ensure that GEO satellites were properly planetary transits. Indeed, this science is now passivated at the end of their lives. so advanced that it is possible to detect the For active satellites, this is relatively feasible intensity variations due to the differing reflective – robotic technology is already close to having phases of a planet as it orbits its parent star, at the required capabilities, and various “space intensity levels of one part in 105. tugs” are currently under development. But it We probably don’t require this level of is comparatively easy to attach a space tug to sensitivity for measuring rotation rates on a cooperative, stable target spacecraft. Much satellites; they are irregular shapes, and the more challenging is the task of capturing a projected area seen from the Earth could change rapidly spinning or tumbling object that the significantly over one rotation period, leading YORP effect may have created. to a large variation in apparent magnitude. To design an appropriate satellite capture The Russian civil engineer I O Yarkovsky But what we do need is temporal resolution. system, we urgently need to know what the true published his concept of the effect described in The rotation rates of some long-abandoned state of affairs is in GEO. Ultimately we may need the above pamphlet during 1901. David Baker

Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 431 satellite digest

Satellite Digest is Spaceflight’s regular listing of world space launches. It is prepared by Geoff Richards using orbital data from Satellite Digest-538 the United States Strategic Command Space-Track.Org website.

Spacecraft International Date Launch Vehicle Mass Orbital Inclin. Period Perigee Apogee Notes Designation Site kg Epoch deg min km km OptSat-3000 2017-044A Aug 2.08 CSG Vega 368 Aug 5.92 97.20 93.62 452 455 [1] Venμs 2017-044B 264 Aug 10.42 98.35 99.23 723 724 [2] Dragon CRS 12 2017-045A Aug 14.69 KSC Falcon 9FT 10,600 Aug 16.41 51.64 92.56 401 408 [3] Kosmos 2520 2017-046A Aug 16.92 Baykonur Proton-M-Briz-M 2,500? Aug 18.99 0.09 1,428.47 35,512 35,766 [4] TDRS 13 2017-047A Aug 18.52 ETR Atlas V 401 3,454 Aug 30.48 7.01 1,436.10 35,775 35,802 [5] Michibiki 3 2017-048A Aug 19.23 Tanegashima H-IIA 204 4,700 Aug 28.64 0.09 1,435.98 35,764 35,808 [6] FormoSat 5 2017-049A Aug 24.79 WTR Falcon 9FT 475 Aug 24.92 98.29 99.22 717 730 [7] ORS 5 2017-050A Aug 26.25 ETR Minotaur 4 113 Aug 26 0.02 96.52 599 604 [8] Prometheus 2-02 2017-050B 2 Aug 26.83 24.52 94.35 388 602 [9] Prometheus 2-04 2017-050C 2 Aug 26.46 24.53 94.31 384 603 [9] DFHR 2017-050D 3 Aug 28.63 24.70 94.77 431 600 [10] IRNSS 1H 2017-051A Aug 31.56 SHAR PSLV-XL 2,700? Aug 31.85 19.15 159.29 162 6,563 [11] DFHR 2017-050D 3 Aug 28.63 24.70 94.77 431 600 [10] IRNSS 1H 2017-051A Aug 31.56 SHAR PSLV-XL 2,700? Aug 31.85 19.15 159.29 162 6,563 [11)

Notes 1. SHALOM (Spaceborne Hyperspectral Applicative Land and Ocean Mission) military reconnaissance satellite built by IAI using the IMPS bus for Italy’s Ministry of Defence carrying a high-resolution scanner (Jupiter) for Earth observation. Orbital data is withheld, that given is from amateur trackers.

2. Vegetation and Environment Monitoring New Micro-Satellite is an Earth survey satellite built using an IMPS bus by IAI for CNES and ISA carrying a 0.25 m telescope and visible/infra-red multispectral scanner (VSSC) to observe the Earth and two IHET xenon electric thrusters for performance test. Part of the GMES programme.

3. Dragon freighter spacecraft, ISS Mission SpX-12, built and launched by SpaceX as part of NASA’s CRS programme for transport to ISS with 1,652 kg of internal cargo including new experiments, the Kestrel Eye 2M satellite and an NRCSD deployer with three Cubesats, and 1,258 kg of unpressurised cargo: the CREAM cosmic radiation experiment. Launch vehicle first stage successfully landed at LZ-1 back at the launch site. Spacecraft captured by the ISS arm August 16.45 and docked at the ISS/Harmony nadir port August 16.55. CREAM was transferred to the Kibo-EF module August 21. Kestrel Eye is a 50 kg tactical reconnaissance satellite built using a MAGICBus by Adcole Maryland Aerospace for the US Army carrying a 0.25 m telescope and scanner for Earth imaging. Cubesats comprise the ElaNa 22 mission and are ASTERIA, Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics, an astronomy and technology development 12 kg 6U Cubesat built by JPL carrying a CMOS camera/photometer with image stabilisation for stellar observation and a high-precision attitude control system to demonstrate stellar transit photometry in collaboration with MIT; Dellingr, named for a Norse god, a geophysics and technology development 6U Cubesat built by NASA Goddard carrying a mass spectrometer (INMS) for the neutral and ionised hydrogen, helium, oxygen and nitrogen composition and total ion concentration of the exosphere and thermosphere, three fluxgate magnetometers for the Earth’s field and a DANDY deployment system for performance test, and OSIRIS-3U, Orbital Satellite for Investigating the Response of the Ionosphere to Stimulation and Space Weather, a geophysics and technology development 3U Cubesat built by Pennsylvania State University carrying a Langmuir probe for electron density and temperature, a GPS receiver for atmospheric data from occultation and a CERTO beacon transmitter for coherent electromagnetic radio tomography of the ionosphere.

4. Blagovest 11L (Evangelism) communications satellite built using an Ekspress-2000 bus by ISS Reshetnev for MORF. Launched into geostationary drift orbit over the Indian Ocean and will be stationed over 45°E during September for communications, including Internet service, to Russian military users.

5. Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS M) using the Boeing 601HP bus, launched for NASA by ULA. Mass quoted above is at launch. The satellite is the third of a third-generation design and is in an inclined geosynchronous orbit centred over 150°W for test. It will be located over 49°W as an orbital spare.

6. Quasi-Zenith Satellite 3, a navigation satellite to augment the GPS system over Japan built using a Mitsubishi DS2000 bus, launched by Mitsubishi for JAXA as agent for a group of four Japanese Ministries. Mass quoted above is at launch, dry mass is about 2,500 kg. Satellite also carries a communications transponder for the Q-ANPI emergency message broadcast system. Satellite is stationed over 127°E.

7. Earth survey satellite built by NSPO carrying a 0.45 m telescope and visible/infra-red panchromatic and multispectral CMOS scanner (RSI) for Earth imaging and a multi-function plasma sensor (AIP) functioning as a Langmuir probe, retarding potential analyser, ion trap and ion drift meter to measure ionospheric properties.

8. Operationally Responsive Space, also known as SensorSat, is a technology development satellite built by MIT Lincoln Laboratory forthe USAF carrying a telescope and sensors (GeOST) for detecting and tracking other satellites in the geosynchronous region, also to be used operationally as a follow-on to SBSS. First Minotaur 4 with an extra Orion 38 fifth stage which was used to achieve large plane change to place satellite in equatorial orbit. Detailed orbital data is withheld, that given is from launch commentary. Remaining payloads are unconfirmed.

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9. Prometheus are two 1.5U Cubesats built by Los Alamos National Laboratory for US Special Operations Command (USSocom), each carrying two software-defined radios for communicating with remote users. Cubesats were deployed from the launch vehicle fourth stage, which apparently then deployed a large drag brake which produced an extremely rapid decay. 2017-050C is decaying rapidly and has either also deployed a drag brake or been mis-identified as a payload.

10. DARPA High Frequency Receiver 3U Cubesat built by Space Dynamics Laboratory of Utah State University (SDL) for DARPA carrying an HF receiver with a deployable antenna spanning 6 m, possibly for ionospheric research.

11. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System navigation satellite built by ISRO using an I-1000 bus. Satellite mass at launch was 1,425 kg, dry mass is 598 kg. The payload fairing failed to separate during launch vehicle second-stage burn, leaving satellite enclosed and in too low an orbit. Planned final orbit was inclined geosynchronous centred over 55°E to replace IRNSS 1A in the NavIC constellation. Additions and Updates Designation Comments 1997-030E Iridium 13 was manoeuvred from a reserve orbit back into the Iridium constellation August 17. 1997-051F Iridium 30 was manoeuvred out of the Iridium constellation to a disposal orbit August 3. Add orbit: Aug 9.58 86.39° 93.63 min 194 km 714 km 1997-051G Iridium 31 was manoeuvred out of the Iridium constellation to a reserve orbit August 26. 1997-059A Echostar 3 control was regained and it was manoeuvred to a westward drift retirement orbit August 19. 1997-061A Cassini performed a distant non-targeted fly-by of Titan at 114,990 km on August 11.21, lowering periapsis to about 1,600 km. 1998-019A Iridium 55 was manoeuvred out of the Iridium constellation to a reserve orbit August 12. 1998-019C Iridium 58 was manoeuvred out of the Iridium constellation to a reserve orbit August 19. 1998-051E Iridium 77 was manoeuvred from a reserve orbit to a disposal orbit August 23. Add orbit: Aug 31.05 86.41° 93.17 min 171 km 692 km 1999-042A Telkom 1 suffered attitude control difficulties from August 25. On August 29 it shed a number of fragments and entered a slow westward drift. 2002-015A JCSat 2A was manoeuvred off station at 136°E August 21 and is drifting to the west. 2002-042B Kodama was switched off August 5. 2002-062A Nimiq 2 was manoeuvred off station at 63°W August 19 and is drifting to the east. 2003-033A Echostar 12 was manoeuvred off station at 61.5°W August 19 and relocated at 86.4°W September 3 to replace the failed Echostar 3. 2005-050A Kosmos 2419 (Uragan-M 714) was switched off August 24. 2010-041B Kosmos 2465 (Uragan-M 737) was switched off August 25. 2014-058A Luch (Olimp-K) was relocated at 32.7°E August 17. 2016-017A TGO halted aerobraking operations June 25 for the Mars solar conjunction period and resumed August 30. 2016-022 Tomsk TPU-120 was hand-deployed during an EVA from the ISS/Pirs airlock August 17.63. Add object and orbit: Tomsk TPU-120 1998-067MZ Aug 18.60 51.64° 92.51 min 397 km 408 km 2016-036A USA 268 is now stationed over 105°E, according to amateur trackers. 2017-025A Inmarsat 5 F4 has circularised its orbit over 83.5°E. Add orbit: Aug 7.89 0.07° 1,435.99 min 35,784 km 35,789 km 2017-032A EchoStar 21 was declared operational August 29. 2017-033 Four small satellites were hand-deployed during an EVA from the ISS/Pirs airlock August 17.64. It is not yet clear which object corresponds to which payload, including Tomsk TPU-120, see 2016-022 above. Add objects and orbits (Sfera is also known as TS-530 Zerkalo): TNS-0 2 1998-067NA Aug 18.60 51.64° 92.52 min 397 km 408 km Tanyusha YuZGU 1 1998-067NB Aug 18.60 51.64° 92.52 min 398 km 408 km Tanyusha YuZGU 2 1998-067NC Aug 18.60 51.64° 92.52 min 399 km 407 km Sfera-53 2 1998-067ND Aug 18.60 51.64° 92.53 min 398 km 408 km 2017-036U,W,X The 3 Diamonds Cubesats were declared operational August 21. 2017-037A Kosmos 2519 released a small inspector satellite August 23 to provide data on the condition and appearance of the parent satellite and possibly also of Kosmos 2486 which is in the same orbital plane. Add object and orbit: Sputnik-Inspektor 2017-037D Aug 23.93 97.92° 97.90 min 650 km 670 km 2017-040A Hellas Sat 3 (Inmarsat SEAN) was manoeuvred off its test station at 34.5°E August 2 and relocated at 39°E, co-located with Hellas Sat 2, August 9. 2017-041A Intelsat 35e was manoeuvred off its test station at 33°W August 11 and relocated at 34.5°W, co-located with Intelsat 903, August 14. 2017-042 Flock 2k-42, both the MKA-N Cubesats and, reportedly, all three CICERO Cubesats have failed to transmit. Ecuador UTE-YuZGU suffered low battery charge and ceased transmitting July 30. All seven, plus Mayak, which failed to deploy its reflector, and Iskra-MAI-85, which is functional, are yet to be assigned to their corresponding objects. Lemur 2 ArtFischer is usable despite being in the wrong orbit; possibly it hung up in its deployer until after the final stage manoeuvred to the lower orbit.

International Space Station activity Recently detailed orbital decays There were the following orbital manoeuvres of ISS during August, boosted by No payloads decayed during August. Progress MS-06: Pre-manoeuvre orbit: Aug 9.53 51.64° 92.55 min 400 km 409 km Post-manoeuvre orbit: Aug 9.88 51.64° 92.56 min 401 km 409 km Pre-manoeuvre orbit: Aug 26.99 51.64° 92.55 min 401 km 408 km Post-manoeuvre orbit: Aug 27.49 51.64° 92.57 min 402 km 408 km End-of-August orbital data: Aug 31.87 51.64° 92.57 min 402 km 408 km

Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 433 society news

436 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 society news World Space Week is here again!

UK, on Sunday 1 October, Col Worden will be by Dilip Sharan) joined by TV presenter Dallas Campbell. They ● Battle Memorial Hall is celebrating 60 years will be “In Conversation” on the Speakeasy since SPUTNIK with a free exhibition. stage from 13:30 hrs to officially launch the ● The University of Wolverhampton will activities for World Space Week 2017. celebrate the 2017 Word Space Week New Scientist Live are also running “Lunch “Exploring New Worlds In Space” with two with an Astronaut” competition on Friday 29 short talks on how to reach the stars and their September courtesy of Vixen International planets. and The British Interplanetary Society’s World ● CCP Games, creators of the competitive Space Week UK. space combat online multiplayer videogame Col Worden is a long-term advocate of ‘EVE: Valkyrie - Warzone’ are running an STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and in-game event to promote World Space Week Mathematics) and always makes time to visit 2017, which will run from 4-10th October. he 2017 theme, set by World Space schools to talk with the next generation; this ● There are also several book launches this Week Association is: “Exploring New tour is no different. Col Worden will be taking World Space Week, including BIS Members: Worlds”. It encourages us to look his “Exploring New Worlds” presentation to Tim Peake’s “Ask an Astronaut”, Dallas Toutwards and inspire the next generation of several schools throughout his tour, thanks Campbell’s “Ad Astra: An Illustrated Guide space explorers to explore the possibilities to the sponsorship from Reaction Engines to Leaving the Planet” and pre-order your beyond our Earth and celebrates the work and Vixen International. Col Worden’s Tour copy of Laurence King’s publication “Space done by companies such as Lockheed Martin includes appearances at: Racers”. with the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle ● New Scientist Live, ExCel London 28th If you know of any space-related event and SpaceX with their visions of human Sept-1st Oct happening between 4-10 October, please spaceflight and the goal of a Mars colony. In ● British Interplanetary Society open day in contact Vix Southgate at worldspaceweek@ addition to human spaceflight challenges, this Vauxhall, London. 4th Oct bis-space.com or register them on the global year’s theme reflects on the challenges faced ● National Space Centre, Leicester. 7th Oct. calendar at www.worldspaceweek.org/ by robotic missions such as New Horizons ● Dark Sky Wales, Trecynon, Wales. 9th Oct events/add-event/ and the potential for advances in astrobiology. ● The University of Sheffield. 13th Oct Have a great World Space Week 2017 One of the major attractions for this year’s ● “Fly with me to the Moon” VIP event, - however you celebrate – we would like to World Space Week in the UK will be the UK Curzon Cinema, Sheffield. 14th Oct know about it! tour of Apollo 15 astronaut Col Al Worden In addition to Col. Worden’s visit, the UK entitled “Fly with me to the Moon”. is growing its registered events. We have Col Worden is spending three weeks in the over 40 exceptional events registered, but we UK from late September through to the middle still need more to maintain the UK’s global of October to promote not only the British ranking! So if you know of an event, please Interplanetary Society and its role as World make sure it is registered! Space Week’s UK Coordinator, but to inspire Here are some of the WSWUK events a wide spectrum of people about space in 2017. Please contact worldspaceweek@ exploration and the benefits of space flight bis-space.com to find out more about what is and space science. happening in and how you can get involved in Al’s UK Tour begins at New Scientist Live WSW2017! in the ExCel centre, London, from the 28th ● Meet space explorers in our blow-up September to the 1st October. planetarium, create your own galaxy next to During the four-day New Scientist Live real spacecraft, or hold a comet in your hand event, Col Al Worden will be on the VIP stage and celebrate Cassini’s finale with Imperial with Tim Peake and Helen Sharman (three College, London BIS astronaut members on one stage!!) and ● Winchester Science Centre is hosting a he will be making regular appearances on The special Star Wars themed weekend, with British Interplanetary Society/World Space costumed characters, live shows delving into Week UK stand (no. 121). the science of Star Wars. There will be regular autograph sessions ● Milton Keynes Astronomical Society is over the four days, where Col Worden will be hosting a series of space-related talks, as Col Alfred M Worden, CM Pilot on Apollo 15, will signing pictures and copies of his biography follows: France in Space (presented by Pierre appear at several venues during World Space ‘Falling to Earth’. Girard) Britons in Space (presented by Mike Week 2017, the 60th anniversary of the launch of To pre-launch World Space Week in the Leggett) The Indian Space Agency (presented Sputnik 1. Michael Cockerhan Photography

Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 435 society news NLV study’s fifth “working day” he BIS Nanosat Launch Vehicle study to date had been accepted for RISpace Feasibility Study continues apace, 2017 in Glasgow, and was scheduled for with working days at the BIS HQ 11.35 am on Wednesday 25 October during Tin London every couple of months or so, the “Access to Space II” session (http:// interspersed with fortnightly Skype meetings rispace.org/schedule/wednesday-25- and regular online forum activity. This BIS october-2017/ ), but unfortunately James Technical Project is now some 80% of the way Coleman’s abstract on the new “ABM” market through its two-year span, and starting to work survey technique had not been successful. towards the final report, due by March 2018. After the meeting, less formal discussion took At present, the conclusion is that a three- place in “The Griffin” pub down the road! stage liquid fuelled rocket, launched vertically At the previous such meeting on 17 June, from the northern coast of Scotland, is the the theme had been “Starting to bring Phase most short-term economically efficient method 1 of the study to a conclusion”. In the morning, of launching a small (c.100kg) gross payload progress to date was reviewed, an outline of into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). the final report discussed, and the costs of Working Day 5 was on Saturday 5 August, the “Required Infrastructure” (i.e. launch site where the theme was “Working towards the selection, UKSA licensing, insurance, ITU Final Report”. The day included progress and Ofcom compliance, range trajectory and updates from study members, including safety etc) revisited. A screenshot from the 3D animation of a demonstration of the ASTOS trajectory After lunch, a single sheet summary of the BIS Nanosat Launch Vehicle and simulation software complete with 3D the current state of the study was drafted, a Feasibility Study. Robin Brand animation of a BIS NLV launch, an update newcomer to the study gave his point of view, on alternative launch vehicle configurations, feedback from members who had attended space.com/members-area/members-videos/ an economic model update, an ABM market the UKSC in Manchester was provided, and members-lecture-videos-2017. survey update, a briefing on progress with a RISpace 2017 in Glasgow anticipated. For further information or to join the project, new rocket optimisation tool, and a description During the week prior to that, on 14 June, see the introductory webpage www.bis-space. of a study member’s visit to two potential Robin Brand had given his third talk on the com/what-we-do/projects/project-nlv, or launch sites in Scotland. NLV study, this time at the BIS HQ in London. contact Robin Brand, email robin.brand@bis- Project leader Robin Brand confirmed that A video recording was made, and this is now space.com. For the previous report on the BIS his presentation of a paper on the BIS NLV available online to BIS members at www.bis- NLV study, see Spaceflight, Vol 59 No 4 p 156. SKYFARM: Agriculture in space paper by BIS President Mark cereals, chocolate bars, table sauces and Hempsell in the January Issue of other branded products to supplement the the BIS Journal, JBIS, has caused basics grown on the colonies themselves. After aA wave of interest and there is an extended all I eat food produced everywhere from my correspondence section in the July issue back garden to New Zealand. Why shouldn’t discussing the problems and issues it raised. Space colonists enjoy the same variety?” The paper outlined a specialist facility The Skyfarm is a large colony-like facility located in Earth orbit that could produce food in the form of a disk seven kilometres in for four million people living in space. “The diameter with 34 concentric floors. It spins concept grew out of world building work I was once every 108 seconds so the lowest floor doing for a novel,” confesses Mark Hempsell. has a little over one Earth gravity while “It occurred to me that people living in the upper floor has a third Earth gravity. A space colonies would want the variety and three-petal mask rotates every three days so sophistication of diet we enjoy on Earth, but some floors get a daily cycle with an eight even big space colonies would not be able to hour night, other floors have continuous support that with agriculture which was part of sunlight. The temperature and atmospheric the colony. composition of each floor can also be altered, “The Skyfarm would supply breakfast so each crop can get the optimum conditions for its growth. Measuring some seven kilometres in diameter, The Skyfarm would export 8,000 tonnes the rotating Spacefarm described in the January a day. The study assumed this food would 2017 issue of JBIS would provide food for be carried on eight flights of specialist inhabitants on space colonies. Mark Hempsell transport spacecraft. In the paper this cargo

436 Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 society news

was assumed to be carried in pressurised containers, a space equivalent of the terrestrial shipping container. In his letter to JBIS, Henry Spencer queried whether it would be more efficient to have the cargo carried in large pressurised holds. Another letter in JBIS from Sandy Morrison queried if the Skyfarm could produce the 20 kg of food from each square metre each year as the paper assumed, given terrestrial agriculture manages around 1 kg from each square metre. This highlights the uncertainty on this important point. There are several websites claiming greenhouse farming reaching 30 kg per square metre, but the crop always seems to be tomatoes, so let us hope future inhabitants of space will have a taste for that particular fruit as they are likely to be eating a lot of them. Pressurised shipping containers deliver food from the Spacefarm. Mark Hempsell A counter argument is made by Stephen Ashworth who argues the crop yields could “I was surprised how easy it was to trade isolated and self-sufficient but rather hubs in be higher if the Skyfarm used “high tech” food between colonies in Earth orbit. The energy an Earth orbit economy. However the energy production using such as bacteria, yeasts and required is less than most terrestrial transport and time required to reach colonies that fungi. His letter also queried why the study and although the journey times can be up to are spread throughout the solar system or had only considered Earth orbits and not its three months, this is no worse than sea travel interstellar space means we will need to have role in colonies beyond Earth. which manged to sustain a global trading massive improvements in propulsion if they “Stephen’s point highlights the key network before the aviation age. are going to be able to effectively trade as part conclusion of the paper,” said Hempsell. “So I don’t think space colonies will be of a wider economy.”

New BIS Members Journal of the British Nathan Kennedy, Hampshire Interplanetary Society Steven Agid, USA JBIS Helen Schnell, Tyne & Wear Andree Wilson, London Jordi Gutierrez, Spain Alastair Broom, Edinburgh Andrew Howley, Nottinghamshire David Ortola, Spain The May/June 2017 issue of the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society is now Ramona Kuh, London available and contains the following papers: John Traphagan, Texas Interstellar Communications using Microbial Data On-Board Power for Interstellar Generation Ships: Storage: Implications for SETI Application of Cassenti’s Toroidal Ion Scoop by Robert Zubrin by Gregory L. Matloff A 50th Apollo Sailships vs. Fusion Rockets: A Contrarian View A Rationale for Alien Megastructures Anniversary offer by James Benford by Gregory L. Matloff Michael Butler has copies (in excellent HERITAGE: A Monte Carlo Code to Evaluate the Viability of Performance Predictions for Interstellar Missions using condition) of Spaceflight magazine Interstellar Travels using a Multi-Generational Crew the Special Theory of Relativity from the period 1969-75 when he was by Frédéric Marin by Brice Cassenti and Laura Cassenti a member of the BIS and is looking to find a home for them. He also has Nanobots and Fairyflies Do No Harm? Cultural Imperialism and the Ethics of original copies of The Daily Telegraph by Robert Alan Mole Active SETI by John W. Traphagan from 1969-1972 covering every day On the Feasibility of Human Interstellar Flights from of the Apollo 11-17 lunar landing Economic, Energetic and Other Perspectives missions. If anyone is interested, by Jiří Mazurek please do not contact the BIS or Copies of JBIS, priced at £15 for members, £40 to non-members plus P&P. Spaceflight, but communicate directly Full list of available issues – www.bis-space.com/eshop/products-page/publications/jbis/ with Michael at: Back issues are also available and can be obtained from The British Interplanetary Society, Arthur C Clarke House, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ, England [email protected]

Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 437 what’s on

Call for Papers BIS Lectures and Meetings Symposium on Space Elevators 7 November 2017 Space Day 2017 The space elevator has captured the imagination of scientists and writers for decades. The 7 October 2017, 11 am - 4.30 pm transition to low-cost, low-energy access to space via a smooth, gentle ride on an elevator has Venue: The Hive, Sawmill Walk, The Butts, Worcester, WR1 3PD been compared to the transition from the horse-drawn carriage to the railways. The necessary strong, light-weight material remains elusive, but progress has been made in a number of The West Midlands Branch of the BIS has been running this event for several years now and areas. A good summary is found in JBIS, 69, no.6-7, June-July 2016. last year’s event was our largest so far with 22 exhibitors, two talks, two children’s shows, a build-a-model-spaceship competition and last but not least Rocket Motor static firings! The Speakers are invited to submit presentation proposals for talks of up to 40 minutes duration 2017 event, currently in the early planning stage, will be a similar event. on topics related to space elevators. The scope may include marketing, finance, management, history (past and future) and science fiction, as well as scientific and technological topics Visiting the event is fascinating – from a stand run by a local Astronomy club you wander a such as materials research, climbers, power transmission, simulation and space debris. few yards to the next stand and you can be chatting to a Science Fiction author or maybe an Presentations will also be considered on associated technologies. Please send details of your author who has been writing books documenting Space Exploration. Then onto a company proposed presentation to [email protected] before end-July 2017. Proposal acceptance will like Reaction Engines pioneering break through propulsion technology. You turn round to be by mid-September 2017. look at the Leicester University stand and you could find yourself chatting to one of the UK’s top X Ray Astronomy researchers! Then of course there are: Planetarium shows, Talks, Book Once Explorers, Always Explorers readings, Build a Model Spaceship Competition., Finally you might even see a Static Rocket 3rd Colin Pillinger Memorial Talk Motor firing! Do spread the word about Space Day and hope to see you there! 10 November 2017, 6.30 pm - 8 pm Call for Papers Venue: University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road, Bristol, UN Space Treaty Symposium BS8 1TH 10 October 2017 As astronauts prepare to follow robots into deep space for the first time in nearly fifty years, now, The British Interplanetary Society is holding a one day symposium to celebrate the 50th more than ever, international cooperation underpins this great human journey of discovery. anniversary of the UN Space Treaty which has been the foundation of space law for half a Reaching back to the days of Apollo for inspiration and looking forward to the voyages of century. The Society invites proposed papers as contributions to this symposium on two discovery now being planned, Dr David Parker offers a personal and engaging insight into what themes: Theme 1 - The history of the UN Space Treaty and its contribution to the exploration we are doing and where we are going in Europe’s exploration of space. and exploitation of space. Theme 2 - The future of the UN Space Treaty and how it may need to change to reflect the changes in space activity such as the growth in non-government activity. Brian Blessed Speakers are asked to send details of their papers via the BIS, un_space_treaty_symposium@ 15 November 2017, 7 pm bis-space.com, to Mark Hempsell and Jerry Stone, coordinators of the symposium. Venue: BIS, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ Join us for an evening with one of Britain’s most celebrated personalities, Brian Blessed. Brian 15th Reinventing Space Conference has had a huge interest in Space from an early age and will take the audience through his career 24-26 October 2017 as an actor portraying characters in science fiction, as well as his Russian space training. He will Venue: Strathclyde University, Technology & Innovation Centre, 99 George also share his thoughts on the future of space exploration and his enthusiasm for all things Street, Glasgow, G1 1RD Space. Members £10, non-Members: £20. Website: http://rispace.org/ West Midlands Branch Talk The focus of the 2017 conference will be on the novel applications that are becoming 18 November 2017, 1.45 pm commercially viable as space technology improves. These include space tugs; space tourism; Venue: The Gardeners Arms, Vines Lane, Droitwich, WR9 8LU satellite refuelling; debris removal; debris exploitation; manufacturing in orbit; real-time The West Midlands Branch is continuing its varied series of talks and lectures at the Gardeners video from space; space mining; etc. Arms. Our speakers for the afternoon are: Mark Yates – Apollo Era Artefacts and Gerry Webb – We also anticipate animated discussion on “The Norms of Behaviour in Space”, which are The Fermi Paradox. becoming increasingly important as we move towards the era of mega-constellation, the For further details please visit the BIS Website or the BIS WM Facebook page. Come and join us need for Space Traffic Control, and hence the requirement for significantly enhanced space for what will be an interesting and entertaining afternoon. situation awareness. RISpace brings together industry, agency, government, financiers, academia and end users. The Fermi Paradox 4th BIS Belgium Annual Space Symposium 28 November 2017 Venue: BIS, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ 28 October 2017, 2 pm The British Interplanetary Society will host a one day symposium to discuss the problems posed Venue: Armand Pien Observatory, Gezusters Lovelingstraat 1, 9000 Ghent, by the Fermi Paradox. The format will be similar to the sold out and well received symposium Belgium on ‘Future Histories and Forecasting’ held on the 25th January this year, with 10-12 speakers, BIS Belgium has organised its 4th symposium at a new venue in Ghent. There will be four refreshment breaks and lunch supplied. More details coming soon, including draft programme. presentations: • Lieven Roesems – Blue Origin: Accomplishments and plans for the future Christmas Get-Together • Bart Hendrickx - Planetary Exploration Update about planetary missions currently 6 December 2017, 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm underway and the ones that will be launched in the future Venue: BIS, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ • Elisaveta Orlova – Extraterrestrial life challenge This informal event provides an excellent opportunity to meet with friends again and talk with • Philip Corneille – Spacefarers’ wristwatches 1961-2021 Society representatives. Tickets £20 including refreshments. Each member may obtain a ticket More detailed info about the presentations can be found at www.bis-space.com/belgium/ for one guest.

Readers are reminded that these Notices contain only a reduced description of the event. Full details can be found online: www.bis-space.com/whats-on

438 Spaceflight Vol 59 November 2017 The British Interplanetary Society SPECIAL OFFER Receive three 2017 issues of Spaceflight FREE when new members join for 2018!* Why not take a digital subscription where a PDF version of your chosen publication(s) is delivered to your inbox each month? Go to www.bis-space.com/digital

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