Spaceflight A British Interplanetary Society Publication

CASSINI Space art Grand finale in Wells Australia’s Smallsats place in UK space

Rocket Targeting models Icarus down under

Vol 59 No 10 October 2017 £4.50

www.bis-space.com

contents

Editor: Published by the British Interplanetary Society David Baker, PhD, BSc, FBIS, FRHS Sub-editor: Volume 59 No. 10 October 2017 Ann Page Production Assistant: 371 A Target for Icarus Ben Jones Peter Milne continues his occasional series on the Icarus interstellar project with a description of the evolving work to find a suitable Spaceflight Promotion: destination for the spacecraft, finding several options but only one Gillian Norman preferred target. Spaceflight Arthur C. Clarke House, 372-376 “Houston, this is Honeysuckle…” 27/29 South Lambeth Road, A veteran of more space missions than most people can remember, London, SW8 1SZ, England. Hamish Lindsay describes the vital role played by Australia’s tracking Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 3160 Fax: +44 (0)20 7582 7167 stations during manned and unmanned flights, including personal Email: [email protected] memories of the Honeysuckle Creek facility. www.bis-space.com 377-379 New Horizons for Space Modellers ADVERTISING Spaceflight asked Tony Radosevic to describe the motivation behind Tel: +44 (0)1424 883401 his new range of model kits depicting early launch vehicles, ICBMs Email: [email protected] and spacecraft and to tell us what he envisaged for the future of his DISTRIBUTION company in Australia. Spaceflight may be received worldwide by mail through membership of the British Interplanetary Society. Details including Library 380-383 Cassini - The Grand Finale 1: Steps onto the stage subscriptions are available from the above A historic mission is coming to an end and, in the first of a three-part address. series, Spaceflight looks back 20 years to the origins and extraordinary * * * accomplishments of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, a triumph for Spaceflight is obtainable from UK newsagents international cooperation. and other retail outlets in many countries. In the event of difficulty contact: Warners 384-387 Visions of Space Revisited Group Distribution, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Chris Starr played a major role in gathering together a stellar range of Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH, England. space art and speakers at Wells Museum during June and presents just Tel: +44 (0)1778 391 000 Fax: +44 (0)1778 393 668 some of the remarkable range of subjects and talent on display. * * * Spaceflight is a publication which promotes the mission of The British Interplanetary Society. Opinions in signed articles are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or the Council of the British Interplanetary Society. * * * Regular Features Back issues of Spaceflight are available from the Society. For details of issues and prices go 364-365 News Analysis – Smallsats are “Go”! to www.bis-space.com or send an sae to the address at top. 365 A Letter from the Editor * * * Published monthly by the British Interplanetary Society. Registered Company No: 402498. 367 Briefing notes – news shorts from around the world Registered Charity No: 250556. Printed in the UK by Latimer Trend & Company Ltd. 368-370 ISS Report – 9 July - 8 August 2017 * * * Copyright © British Interplanetary Society 388 Flashback – A regular feature looking back 50 years ago this month 2017 ISSN 0038-6340. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, 389 Obituary – U R Rao 1932-2017 electronic or mechanical, including photo- copying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission 390-393 Satellite Digest – 537 July 2017 from the Publishers. Photocopying permitted by license only. 394 Correspondence – Natural selection? – Declarations of faith * * * The British Interplanetary Society is a company 396-397 Society News – BIS Silver Pin for Michael Foale limited by guarantee.

Mission 398 What’s On The British Interplanetary Society promotes the exploration and use of space for the benefit SpaceX successfully launched its 12th commercial resupply mission to the International of humanity, by connecting people to create, Cover image: educate and inspire, and advance knowledge in Space Station on 14 August and looks forward to launching Falcon Heavy from the same LC-39A later all aspects of astronautics. this year (see page 367). Joel Powell

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 363 news analysis

SSTL subsidiary DMC International Imaging (above) provides data from the Disaster Monitoring Constellation satellites. Right: SSTL’s Kazakhstan’s Kaz and Telesat-7 prototype LEO satellites. SSTL Smallsats are “Go”! uring the 31st Annual Conference on former SSTL employees. ISM says that the idea 500 kg or less. It includes cubesats, nanosats, Small Satellites at Logan, Utah, on 8 for Faraday came from SSTL’s TechDemoSat, picosats and free-flying circuit boards – if August, a debate was held regarding launched in 2014 carrying a range of equipment you are into “virtual” connections between Dthe general upturn in “smallsat” enabling from British industry. components (which the military are when they technology. It was promulgated that there Faraday is itself a spacecraft bus, the launch electronic components to look like may be a threat from consolidation based on first of which is planned for launch to a Sun- space debris, “talking” to each other across optimum revenue streaming. It was decided synchronous orbit in early 2019 to operate space) – but generally speaking they are very that there is very little danger to what is an a wide range of small payloads in a six- cheap, simple and highly effective at putting up increasingly vibrant industry, so influential that month demonstration for a variety of different payloads for customers unable to afford large it is having knock-on effects far away from the customers. Following which, the bus itself could satellites on dedicated launchers. Except that clean-rooms and test facilities of specialist continue to operate for up to five years for one is where the knock-on effect of an expanding smallsat manufacturers. or more payloads identified by specific users. market delivers its own rewards. But before we get into those knock-effects, Faraday and SSTL have reached agreement Companies like Virgin Galactic, which good news for British space business came on flying missions annually for three years to cleverly attracted bucket loads of publicity by with word that Surrey Satellite Technology see how far the demonstration and qualification getting people with large disposable incomes Ltd (SSTL) and In-Space Missions Ltd (ISM), takes it. But if current trends are anything to go to sign up to fun flights to the edge of space, have signed a deal setting up Faraday – a joint by, it could easily be the start of something big. are now turning that technology into the really project designed to market SSTL smallsats and interesting – and deliverable – revenue- provide platforms ranging from 50 kg down to What are smallsats? earning technologies: smallsat launchers. circuit boards for customers. In-Space Missions Today, the word is flexible but generally There is a very wide gap between researchers, Ltd grew out of SSTL put together in 2015 by indicates anything sent into space weighing technologists, institutions and universities who

364 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 news analysis

are unable to afford anything more expensive than balloon-carriers or sounding rockets and those who buy dedicated satellites for major research projects. lon Musk is getting ready for one of technology, engineering and development, That gap is being addressed with a range his most audacious commitments: expect tests to succeed because they are of smallsat launcher concepts, several of which the launch of the first Falcon Heavy, designed as verification shots. If they fail are very likely to deliver on their promise. And Eessentially three Falcon 9 rockets strapped there is uproar, vilification from the media the growth in smallsat payloads and customers together. It is high risk and it is to be and a cloak of shame. It should not be so. is riding an upward curve that will very soon applauded. It is where the space industry Commercial space is succeeding cross over the falling curve of launch costs used to be: testing new ideas with only a 50- because it is trying, failing, and trying again based on frequent use and lower prices off the 50 chance of succeeding first time around. It – eventually (quite quickly) succeeding, launch pad. When those lines cross, revenue is a return to basics and it is to be welcomed. running rings around the ponderous and risk- streams can feed further development for Generally, in “old space” industries, averse agencies from which they get their better, and cheaper, launchers and they turn a testing has now become the applauded custom. Yet it was the very philosophy of profit. verification of an assumption. Be it launch high-risk followed by teams that succeeded vehicle or spacecraft, nowadays a test in putting NASA astronauts around the New spaces shot is expected to work perfectly and we Moon less than seven years after the first But there is more to this. In a trend reminiscent assume that it will. This is a cultural shift in US manned space flight. Now, it takes of that first surge toward “commercial space” in the way space projects proceed and it is an longer than that to conduct consultative the early 1980s, venture capitalists are looking endemic misappropriation of what testing studies between government and industry to put their money into early-stage companies is all about – which should be about trying to develop a small space probe. to fast-track a plethora of promising applications something that may not work but from which But if that is taken exclusively it is a little such as imaging, asset tracking, data collection lessons can be learned. unfair and misses the point. The Apollo and forward-transfer, as well as new and Failure is very definitely an option when Moon programme absorbed a huge amount untried roles and functions looking for a market. it produces lessons applied to further of government funding and at peak year Cutting-edge technology such as artificial developments which lead to more robust, cost America twice the current level of intelligence is also converging on the smallsat and more reliable, vehicles, systems, NASA’s annual budget; you could do a lot market with the possibility of connecting in-orbit subsystems and components. Testing was with double the present level of expenditure infrastructure to terrestrial nodes on a much always synonymous with experimentation – which, nevertheless, as a percentage of wider scale than anything heretofore. believing something could be made to work government spending would still be less Venture capitalists like quick returns and but “testing” elements of it until it was seen than 1% of taxpayers’ money. But that is not some of the support to accelerate financial to do so. the problem. The real brake on progress in payback is coming from the space industry In the great pioneering days of space projects is that too many have been itself. For example, Kongsberg Satellite experimentation with rocket motors and run as government-funded programmes Services is recruiting smallsat companies to launch vehicles, testing frequently led to the where micro-management and a risk averse spread the risk and prevent this becoming a loss of up to 60% of test-shots designed to culture has stultified development. bubble predestined to burst. Start-ups such demonstrate a capability which, at times, As Admiral Hyman Rickover, the founding as Tyvack Nanosatellite Systems may have the laws of physics and engineering all too father of America’s nuclear powered the perfect answer to insulate this market from frequently demonstrated was elusive. But submarine fleets from the late 1950s, said: the “boom-and-bust” cycle which has affected test, failure, test, failure and further testing “Success teaches us nothing; only failure too many industry trends, witnessed by the equalled unprecedented reliability and teaches us anything.” We have a lot to learn computer bubble in the 1970s. success – eventually. from that philosophy. Inherently, humans are Tyvack prefers not to go to venture capital Today we are afraid to try and to test risk-takers and love racing as close as they but to take on smaller scale growth, operating because we are afraid of failure. Government can to the wall of failure – if only to learn by a pay-as-you-go policy where you only spend agencies and bureaucratic institutions, such it. Pioneers like Elon Musk love the rush that what you get; that sharpens the perception as national space bodies responsible for comes from the race. and cuts risk out of directional assessments on where to put hard-earned cash. President Marco Villa claims that 90% of smallsat is based on the burgeoning expectations of similarities here with the smartphone industry, companies are seduced by the offer of cash companies such as OneWeb, SpaceX and where applications, not style-chasing, drive dispensed by venture capitalists, despite the Planet Labs with major constellations of LEO replacement cycles. temporal nature of that support. payloads topping the launch inventories and Smallsat protagonists see the industry challenging the conventional routes using following, then synergising with, the personal Fine forecast bigger satellites in geostationary orbits. communications market, blending different The weather for smallsats is good, says British- From analysis of published filings, most regional (and national) service providers – such based Orbital Access Ltd (OAL) who claim a of this smallsat gowth will sit in the 400-650 as Galileo – into grid networks. These would tenfold increase in payloads sent to low-Earth km LEO band where life will be short and integrate hand-held devices and space-based orbit (LEO) in the next twenty years. Compared technology updates propel replacement cycles interconnects. In this way, smallsats can create to 269 smallsats launched in 2016, OAL driven by evolving applications and engineering the universal global access node in which projects a median figure of 2,765 per year by improvements in smallsat design. The migration service providers ride on LEO constellations 2036, showing a potential top-end projection to higher orbits is expected to come half way rather than satellite services being hired by of 4,040 smallsats launched per annum. This through the expansion phase but there are providers.

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 365 news analysis

366 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 news

Briefing notes

• When the Trump administration presented its budget for NASA covering the financial year starting 1 October this year (Fiscal Year 2018), readers may recall that it deleted funds for education, significantly downsized funding for environmental research and atmospheric science, and terminated several important missions designed to advance science in understating changes to our environment (Spaceflight Vol 59 Orion received its first electrical power-up in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Facility at No 5 pp165-167). The White House also NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in early August. Boeing cancelled the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) along with a proposed lander for astronauts will not fly in this capsule on this belief that this launch will succeed, after the orbiter mission to Jupiter’s Europa flight, a large majority of the subsystems admitting that he has never faced such moon. However, as we consistently remind and avionics are the same design that a challenge as strapping three Falcon 9s readers, the President’s declarations of astronauts will rely on. Launching on together to make a Heavy. It is reminiscent intent over projects and programmes NASA’s Space Launch System, the EM-1 of the enormous challenge faced by Martin usually presented in the UK media as a fait flight is critical to confirming the Orion Marietta in getting the stage one of the Titan accompli are merely proposals which have spacecraft and all of its interdependent III to remain intact when the two flanking to go before Congress – where they can systems operate as designed in the solid rocket boosters lit up, expanded and be reduced, added to or torn up – before unforgiving environment of deep space. squeezed in on its propellant tanks before they are enacted or trashed. Congress With the successful initial power on behind the stack lifted off and headed spaceward. has delivered its initial judgement on those them, engineers and technicians will now But Falcon 9 is different and developing the declarations we covered a few months continue integrating the 55 components Heavy off the back of this launch vehicle back, and made significant changes. On 27 that make up the spacecraft avionics suite, has been a major challenge to SpaceX. If July an appropriations bill was approved by connecting them with nearly 400 harnesses. it succeeds it will be one of Musk’s most a Senate committee which restores funding Over the course of the next two to three momentous achievements. for education, Earth science missions and months, as each system is installed, they a clutch of satellites, the RESTORE-L will perform thorough functional tests to • SpaceX has informed NASA that it has satellite servicing initiative, and increased ensure Orion is ready to move to the all- put its proposed Red Dragon Mars lander significantly funds for the SLS and for important environmental testing phase. down at the bottom of its priorities as it Orion. Similarly, a House bill endorses descales the ambitious plans to recover these programmes and raises the NASA • With a value of $21.2 billion placed on its Crew Dragon on land (Spaceflight Vol budget from the White House’s proposed it by financial markets here and in the 59 No 9 p 327). It has also abandoned $19.1 billion to almost $19.9 billion, while United States, SpaceX has raised $351 the strategic deep-space exploration plan the House recommends a total $19.5 million in its latest funding round during rolled out at the International Astronautical billion. But don’t expect a resolution before July. This latest valuation, and release of Congress in Guadalajaro, Mexico, last the fiscal year starts on 1 October. NASA is funding, makes this company one of the year. Instead, Elon Musk plans to unveil expected to make do with the 2017 funding most valuable privately-owned companies his latest strategy at this year’s Congress, levels until the two sides in Congress are in the world and represents a 75% increase in Adelaide, Australia, 25-29 September. reconciled. Overall, however, this is very since its last funding round in January Musk says that his new plan will involve a good news. 2015, when its value stood at $12 billion. Mars lander which will be a “vastly bigger The latest funding brings the total raised by ship” than Red Dragon. Meanwhile, NASA • Engineers at Lockheed Martin (NYSE: SpaceX thus far to $1.58 billion on previous continues to support his endeavour with LMT) and NASA breathed life into the next rounds dating back to 2002. It is as yet an agreement to provide support with Orion crew module when they powered uncertain what SpaceX needs this money navigation and tracking, leaving SpaceX up the spacecraft for the first time at the for but with highly ambitious projects under to deliver on a supersonic retro-propulsion Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Designed way, including a massive constellation for concept which will reach the surface of for human spaceflight, this Orion will be broadband users and development of new Mars through autonomous technology. the first to fly more than 65,000 km beyond space transportation infrastructure, several the Moon during its nearly three-week ventures vie for priority. • The five remaining contenders for the Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) flight. The Google Lunar X Prize competition have a initial power-on event was the first time the • Elon Musk continues to claim that the first little extra time to submit their concepts, the vehicle management computers and the flight of the Falcon Heavy will take place final date having now shifted from the end power and data units were installed on the this November but the founder of SpaceX is of 2017 to 31 March 2018. Requirements Crew Module, loaded with flight software in no mood to get launch-happy, stating that include landing on the Moon, moving at and tested. Evaluating these core systems, “There’s a real good chance that vehicle least 500 metres and sending back video. thought of as the “brain and heart” of the does not make it to orbit. I want to make Google is still concerned that this extra Orion capsule, is the first step in testing all sure and set expectations accordingly.” time may yet result in nobody being ready of the crew module subsystems. Although In fact, Musk consistently downplays any in time.

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 367 space stations ISS Report 9 July – 8 August 2017

By George Spiteri

Expedition 52 Flight Engineer Jack Fischer, photographed looking out of the International Space Station’s Cupola windows. NASA

Expedition 52 is into its third month of operations. The International Space The crew worked with the Fluid Shifts Station returned to a six-person complement in late July, crewed by its experiment on 14 July and Fischer tweeted Russian commander Fyodor Yurchikhin with flight engineers, Russian during their light-duty weekend 15/16 July; Sergey Ryazanskiy, Americans Peggy Whitson, Jack Fischer and Randy “After a long week of rocking science, Bresnik, and Italian Paolo Nespoli. sometimes we curl up and watch a movie – bungee chairs are shockingly comfy!” n 9 July, the crew enjoyed a light-duty experiments and continued with various On 17 July, the crew performed ultrasound day conducting regular housekeeping maintenance tasks. scans for NASA’s Cardio Ox experiment, which chores, exercising, talking to family Fischer took part in NASA’s high intensity a NASA blog explained “seeks to determine Oand friends and planning for the week ahead. low volume VO2max investigation on 12 July, whether biological markers of oxidative and The following day, all three crewmembers whilst Whitson set up gear for JAXA’s Two- inflammatory stress are elevated during and conducted a routine emergency evacuation Phase Flow experiment, observing how heat after spaceflight and whether this could result drill by simulating an undocking and descent transfers from liquids in microgravity to help in an increased, long term risk of the hardening in their Soyuz vehicle. Whitson spent the rest improve the design of thermal management of the arteries” for astronauts. Whitson did of the day working ‘After a long week of rocking science, systems in future more work with the Mag 3D investigation and with NASA’s Mag space platforms. Yurchikhin focused on the Russian Fagen sometimes we curl up and watch a 3D experiment, On 13 July, biological experiment. which explores how movie – bungee chairs are Fischer installed The following day saw the crew set up magnetic tools may shockingly comfy!’ new equipment on the hardware for NASA’s Capillary Structures enhance cell and tissue culture capabilities in the Window Observational Research Facility experiment. This investigation studies a new orbit. Fischer took time out to answer questions (WORF) inside Destiny. WORF hosts a variety method using structures of specific shapes from CBS and WBZ Radio, whilst Yurchikhin of Earth sensing payloads to study the planet to manage fluid and gas mixtures. They also resumed plumbing work, repairing a hose through a large window on the Earth-facing cleaned Smoke Detector B inside Kibo using inside the station’s Russian segment. side of the US laboratory. Whitson installed an a Connector Clean Tool Kit and a Nitrogen Whitson was back at work with the Mag incubator for the Space Automated Bioproduct cartridge to remove particles and prevent 3D study on 11 July, whilst Fischer replaced a Lab (SABL) inside Destiny, a device which inadvertent alarm trips. failed water separator inside Tranquility, which conducts research that provides insights is part of the Common Cabin Air Assembly benefiting pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and Food facts (CCAA) that controls the station’s temperature agricultural industries. Yurchikhin continued to Yurchikhin completed loading Progress with and humidity. Yurchikhin worked on two pack unwanted items into Progress, ahead of unwanted items on 19 July and joined his US Russian Earth observation and photography its undocking. colleagues by completing a food questionnaire

368 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 space stations

designed to explore if the current food “incredibly beautiful....the oranges and blues Fluid Shifts investigation and the trio continued available on the ISS is acceptable for even are amazing, just breathtaking”. with Earth photography for the Crew Earth longer interplanetary missions. The crew’s Whitson continued with the ADCs in Observations programme (CEO). input aims to develop strategies to improve Microgravity experiment on 24 July, whilst futuristic food systems in support of their Fischer swapped out a hard drive for NASA’s Soyuz launch health and performance. Whitson worked with Meteor study, which measures the composition Soyuz MS-05/51S was launched atop a Soyuz NASA’s Efficacy and Metabolism of Azonafide of meteors orbiting and entering Earth’s FG rocket from Baikonur’s Site 1 at 15:41 Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Microgravity atmosphere. UTC (21:41 local time) on 28 July, carrying (ADCs in Microgravity) investigation. NASA On 25 July, the crew conducted further spacecraft commander Sergey Ryazanskiy said this study “may speed up the development work with the Fluid Shifts study. Yurchikhin (42), a Russian biochemist on his second of targeted therapies for cancer patients, assisted Whitson with the Russian Chibis spaceflight, whose grandfather worked on increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) suit, Sputnik, retired US Marine Colonel Randy treatment” and reducing unwanted side which is designed to counteract the tendency Bresnik (49), also on his second mission and effects. for fluids to pool in the upper body by reducing former Italian Army Major Paolo Nespoli (60) Progress MS-05/66P was undocked from lower body pressure. Fischer performed brain on his third mission. Ryazanskiy became the Pirs at 17:46 UTC on 20 July and sent to a and ear fluid pressure tests and eye exams on first scientist to command a Soyuz spacecraft planned destructive re-entry over the Pacific Whitson as part of the investigation. He also to the Station and Nespoli the first person over Ocean over three hours later. Yurchikhin spent worked with the WORF facility and NASA’s 60 years of age to launch to the ISS on a long the day configuring tools for an upcoming Rodent Research-5 (RR-5) habitat. duration mission. Russian EVA whilst Whitson and Fischer did Fyodor Yurchikhin ‘Earth (is)…incredibly beautiful.... Soyuz performed further work with the ADCs in Microgravity worked with the a six hour, four orbit, the oranges and blues are amazing, experiment. The crew ended their working various life support rendezvous profile week on 21 July with Whitson and Fischer systems inside the just breathtaking.’ before docking to conducting ultrasound images of their blood Russian segment and sampled the station’s air Rassvet six minutes ahead of schedule at vessels for the Fluid Shifts investigation, whilst for a quality check on 26 July. Fischer swabbed 21:54 UTC as the complex flew 405.5 km Yurchikhin performed maintenance tasks in the his mouth and body for an experiment tracking above Germany. Over two hours later the crew Russian segment. microbes in space on behalf of NASA’s Microbial entered the Station to return it to six person Aside from their weekend housekeeping Tracking-2 experiment. Whitson performed operations, making it this the first time the chores 22/23 July, Yurchikhin answered more research with the ADCs in Microgravity ISS had four United States Orbital Segment questions from Russian schoolchildren in study and spoke with the Guinness Book of (USOS) astronauts on board. Tomsk and Sochi about life aboard the station World Records. America’s most experienced During a pre-launch press conference, and the experiments the crew are conducting. astronaut told the famous publication that “the Ryazanskiy lamented the fact that although Fischer continued to post some spectacular records are important for NASA....not just me”. there would only be two Russians on the imagery of Earth, including aurora and glaciers Whitson and Fischer worked with the station, “the volume of work remains the from his orbital vantage point. Two days later, Capillary Structures experiment on 27 July, same....we’ll have to use our free time and during an interview with a radio station from his Yurchikhin joined his US colleagues for a evenings to conduct science experiments”. home state of Colorado, he described Earth as further session with the LBNP as part of the The new arrivals spent the weekend of 29/30

In a press conference shortly before their flight to the ISS, (from left), ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, Russia’s Sergey Ryazanskiy and NASA’s Randy Bresnik get to describe their upcoming mission. NASA

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 369 space stations

Astronaut Paolo Nespoli ingressed the Muscle Atrophy Research & Exercise System (MARES) chair in ESA’s Columbus module and adjusted pads and constraints for the Sarcolab-3 ankle protocol. The data collected will be compared to pre and postflight measurements to assess the impact of microgravity induced muscle loss ESA

July familiarising themselves to their new study. Yurchikhin assisted Ryazanskiy with platforms inside Kibo. Bresnik and Nespoli orbital home and one of their first tasks was a transferring items from Soyuz to the station and conducted ultrasound scans on their legs for mandatory safety briefing led by Yurchikhin. Whitson and Fischer participated in the third of the MARES experiment. On 31 July, Bresnik and Nespoli began five days of bone scans and sampling for the Bresnik and Nespoli ended their first week on several days of operations with ESA’s Muscle RR-5 experiment. orbit on 4 August jotting down their experiences Atrophy Research and Exercise System The USOS crew performed maintenance for ESA’s Space Headaches study, which (MARES) inside Columbus, which aims to to two EMU suits (Nos. 3006 and 3008) aims to help doctors understand why some better understand ‘…the volume of work remains inside Quest on crewmembers complain of the symptom in the effects of 2 August. The space. Results from this experiment may help to the same....we’ll have to use our microgravity on the Russian crewmen improve the performance of astronauts during muscular system. free time and evenings to conduct conducted further space flight and on Earth. Whitson worked with Fischer and Bresnik science experiments.’ Earth observations the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR), whilst entered the Bigelow Expandable Activity with the Ekon-M and Uragan (Hurricane) Yurchikhin and Ryazanskiy conducted further Module (BEAM), flipped the 10 mm thick studies and worked with the Kontent Earth observation photography. Radiation Environment Monitor (REM) shield experiment, which investigates crewmembers’ The weekend of 5/6 August were light- and photographed it. The REM was previously psychophysiological state during long duration duty days for the crew, who resumed work printed on the 3D printer aboard the ISS and missions. Nespoli conducted his first interview on 7 August following reports by RIA Novosti installed in BEAM (Spaceflight Vol 59 No. 9 p since he arrived at the ISS with Italian media that there was a “brief interruption in the voice 329). BEAM is just over halfway into its planned and described “the station more or less the way communication on the ISS” over the weekend. two year demonstration aboard the ISS. I left it”, but added more experiments were now Ground teams were discussing a forward plan Yurchikhin and Ryazanskiy conducted Earth being conducted because “earlier we used to after troubleshooting the issue. The crew also observation and photography with the Russian spend a lot of time maintaining” the station. completed a replacement of a scratched pane Ekon-M hardware and started the Cosmocard On 3 August, Fischer installed new on Cupola window No 6 with a spare. experiment for a 24 hour long ECG recording. electronics gear in a science rack to speed On 8 August, the crew worked with ESA’s Fischer tweeted a photograph of Super up the communications rate at which data is Circadian Rhythms biology experiment and Typhoon Noru “gaining momentum” in the uploaded and downloaded from the station. performed a routine on-board emergency western Pacific Ocean on 1 August, whilst Whitson swapped out samples exposed to simulation which on completion they reviewed Bresnik spent the day working inside Kibo high temperatures inside a specialised furnace with the various ground teams around the and Nespoli continued with the MARES and installed a pair of NanoRacks research world.

370 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 interstellar

GI 406 Lalande 21185 GI 447 star system was required so that the mission planning and spacecraft design could take SUN AND EARTH place. The α Centauri star system is not only Barnards Star the closest to the solar system (at 4.37 light- Procyon 61 Cygni Proxima and Alpha Centauri GI 905 years) it is also comprised of three different star types, and a mission to this system would also offer an interesting path through the local inter- stellar medium. Consequently, α Centauri was GI 244 chosen as the target for the Icarus mission. Subsequent to that decision a planet was thought to have been discovered, orbiting Lacaille 8760 Sirius α Centauri B, but that detection has not Epsilon Iridani been confirmed and is now considered Epsilon Indi GI 65 unlikely. However, another planet has since Tau Ceti been identified orbiting Proxima Centauri. GI 866 Lacaille 9352 This detection seems much more secure, although follow-up studies are still required for confirmation. In fact, this planet is within the habitable zone for Proxima Centauri. The A Target design work for the Icarus mission was well advanced, however, and so the main target remains the binary α Centauri system with a for Icarus By Peter Milne FBIS sub-probe to investigate Proxima Centauri. A more detailed exposition of the choice of target star system, based on knowledge Star systems in the vicinity of Earth serving as potential targets for Icarus. Via Peter Milne as it was at the start of the Icarus study, can n recent years, great strides have been 1AU (the same orbital radius as the Earth) to be found in JBIS, Vol 63, pp 419-425, 2010 made with the discovery of many exoplanets 5.8AU (equivalent to just beyond the orbit of (Project Icarus: Astronomical Considerations orbiting distant stars. When Project Icarus Jupiter in our solar system). There were also Relating to the Choice of Target Star, I. A. Icommenced however, that picture was very suggestions of other planets orbiting this star. Crawford). different and only a more limited number of The planet known to orbit around GJ674 Previous Spaceflight articles (Vol 58, No 4 exoplanets had been identified. The Icarus was a giant rocky planet, only 11 times the and Vol 59 No 1) have described the variants of objective was defined as designing a fusion- mass of the Earth. Its orbit was very close to the Icarus spacecraft that are being designed, based spacecraft capable of reaching, and the star, at 0.04AU (one tenth of the distance with the α Centauri star system as the target. performing in-situ investigations around a star between the Sun and Mercury!). Even ε There are detailed differences between those and its accompanying planetary system within Eridani, at a distance of 10.5 light-years, would variants, principally concerning the propulsion a 100-year mission timeframe. This limited be a challenging first inter-stellar target for system, but all aim to decelerate into the α the range of the mission and the search for a project Icarus. Whilst no closer star systems Centauri star system and commence scientific suitable target star system was constrained to with planets had been identified at that time, investigations within 100 years of leaving be within 15 light-years of Earth. the statistics of planetary star systems were Earth. The target star system should be of great becoming clear, and several tens of percent The typical mission profile comprises scientific interest. Although, as a nearby star of stars were believed to be accompanied by acceleration, coast and deceleration phases, system, future observations from Earth will planets. although the durations vary between the likely have generated detailed information, As a brief summary, massive planets were spacecraft designs. As examples, the Firefly there will be information that can only be thought to be common, but with long orbital design accelerates for 10 years, coasts gleaned from in-situ measurements. This periods, and lower mass planets had been for 85 years and decelerates for 5 years, could include its photospheric structure, identified with short orbital periods (<140 days) while the Endeavour design accelerates magnetic properties and stellar wind. In-situ and it was believed that longer period lower for approximately 3 years, coasts for observations of a main sequence star would mass planets would be identified. Lower mass approximately 94 years, and decelerates for also allow comparisons with the Sun. That planets had been found to be common orbiting approximately 3 years. said, the existence of a planetary system or M dwarf stars but the larger planets were rarer After arrival in the α Centauri star system, even a potentially habitable planetary system for this type of star. But, the majority of stars probes would be launched to investigate each would trump other scientific motivations. within 15 light-years of Earth are M dwarfs, of the stars and any planets by then found to At the time of the mission definition for although no planets had yet been discovered. be orbiting them. A flyby probe to investigate Project Icarus, only two star systems within When the first inter-stellar exploration Proxima Centauri would be dispatched during the 15 light-year range were known to include voyage does take place, astronomical the coast phase. The probe to Proxima planetary systems. Those were ε Eridani (10.5 techniques will have advanced and a much Centauri cannot decelerate because the mass light-years distant) and GJ 674 (14.8 light- clearer picture will exist, allowing the mission to of the fuel burden required would compromise years distant). ε Eridani was known to have have been planned to maximise the scientific the mission to α Centauri, and the probe would a giant planet, around 1.5 times the mass data that will be collected. For Project Icarus also become more complex and more massive of Jupiter, in an eccentric orbit ranging from however, a decision to target a particular in its own right.

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 371 space stations “Houston, this is Honeysuckle…”

By Hamish Lindsay

Author Hamish Lindsay at the servo controls of the antenna during a period collecting signals from the Central Station on the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package. Hamish Lindsay

In the early days of the Space Race, NASA's efforts relied on the global meaning it could transmit instructions from the network of tracking stations established by Flight Director Chris Kraft. ground. Only government personnel worked Among them was Honeysuckle Creek, near the Australian capital of at the tracking stations, but after Mercury Canberra. Hamish Lindsay was among those listening in. the station staff were employed by private companies. ne dark night I was walking down a during their voyages and went to great lengths In November 1961 NASA began “piloted” country road in Tasmania and looked to spread tracking stations all around the orbital flights with the chimp “Enos” at the up to see Sputnik cruising among the world, as all the early flights were Earth orbital controls. Muchea tracked the chimp who Ostars above me. At the time I didn’t know much and there were no communication satellites. performed well despite a breakdown in his about America’s activities, but I remember Located opposite the launching spaceport equipment, punishing him whether he pulled being apprehensive that it was the Russians in Florida, Australia was a key location for the right or wrong levers. Royal Australian Air leading the race into space. Little did I know I the tracking network with a number of critical Force doctor Warren Bishop on the Muchea was to join the team that finally won the race stations spread around the continent. Australia medical console said after, “No problem for a to the Moon. was also the first point to confirm a spacecraft chimp – no problem for a man.” It is interesting to note that nearly all early had entered the planned orbit. There were two sub-orbital manned flights science fiction and theoretical proposals sent before John Glenn became the first American their heroes and their ships off into the wide Project Mercury to orbit the Earth, followed by three successful black yonder without constant communication America’s first attempt to get a man into space flights to end the Mercury programme. All were back to base. Like the sailing ships of was the Mercury Project. Two stations were successfully tracked by Muchea and Red Lake. yesteryear, once over the horizon wait until built in Australia for Mercury, one at Red Lake, they return for news. near Woomera in South Australia, and one The Gemini Program From the beginning, NASA was keen to at Muchea, near Perth, Western Australia. The company I worked for won the contract to keep in continuous contact with their astronauts Muchea was an important command station, run Carnarvon so I joined the Muchea team

372 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 australian space

after Gordon Cooper’s flight for training to work Before a mission the flight control team at Carnarvon on NASA’s next step, the Gemini would arrive and we would go through all the Program – to fly two men, rendezvous, try a procedures again before running the mission spacewalk and learn orbital mechanics. from the station. To me it was a special time, My position at Carnarvon was operating and the station was a-buzz with excitement as we maintaining the voice receivers and the station all tried to do what the controllers wanted and time standards. In those days transistors were we were expected to work all sorts of hours. just appearing, so all my equipment was valves I could wander up to the control room during – I think I only had four quite large transistors down times and discuss the mission with the in the time standards. I remember testing every NASA engineers, capsule communicators, valve before each mission, and changing up to doctors and astronauts. At Honeysuckle Creek 300 for maximum reliability. with Apollo missions there was no flight control At Carnarvon we used to work through our team; no Americans – the missions were all nights because the astronauts were up and run from Mission Control in Houston; to us it Surrounded by keyboards, paper tape punches active during the “day” in the United States. I was just like a normal day at work. and readers, Bryan Sullivan in the computer remember quite vividly a strange experience Every mission had a detailed Flight Plan room at Honeysuckle with two Univac 642B during the 14-day Gemini mission. I had been we all followed. Every event from launch computers at left. Hamish Lindsay inside the building with no windows for two to splashdown was given Ground Elapsed days, sleeping beside my equipment, and I Time (GET), the time from launch in hours, with the tracking station. She only had a party woke up and proceeded down to the canteen minutes and seconds. It meant the whole line of telephones connected through the top for breakfast. As I passed the front door I mission could be planned in detail in strand of local property fences but was able to looked out and saw the Sun setting! My whole advance, whatever time the spacecraft was relay pages of pointing data and information being and body clock was confused with shock launched. At the moment of lift-off then the to the technician in the Carnarvon telephone for a moment – breakfast at sunset? GET could be directly related to any time zone exchange, 210 km to the north, who passed A big difference between Gemini Earth-orbit on Earth. the figures on to the station. She did this until and Apollo lunar missions were the tracking The first Gemini mission, an unmanned trial, 3:45 am, allowing us to track the spacecraft. times. Gemini’s orbit provided a maximum at Carnarvon had the flavour of the Australian Flown in June 1965, Gemini IV was one of duration of 12-minute passes, while on Apollo outback. It was 10:22 pm local time on 8 my most exciting missions. With Commander lunar missions a pass lasted as long as the April 1964. We were still putting the finishing Jim McDivitt and Pilot Ed White it had a Moon was in view, up to 11 hours. During touches to the new station and standing by secret – a spacewalk, or EVA (Extra Vehicular Gemini, every pass was frantic activity in the for the launch when we were suddenly cut Activity), was being covertly planned called station to get all the commands, telemetry, off from the outside world by a lightning strike Plan X. Double sealed envelopes were given conversation and tracking data completed in 105 km south of the station. The postmistress to remote site team leaders with instructions the few minutes the spacecraft was in view – at Hamelin Pool, Mrs Lillian O’Donahue, was not to open until advised, and if not advised sometimes a pass was only one minute long. roused up and asked if she could get in touch to return the envelopes unopened. During the final week of training a message arrived from Hamish at the voice receivers during the flight of Gemini V inAugust 1965. Hamish Lindsay HQ “We are go for EVA” and the media were informed. Gemini IV was the first time the Houston Mission Control Center was used for a flight and the first time they had shifts covering 24 hours a day. In our headsets we heard “This is Houston” instead of “This is the Cape”, the original Mission Control Center at Cape Canaveral. To me this first American EVA was one of the supreme moments of the Gemini programme. On our second pass the astronauts were given the “go” to climb out and with our third pass they were ready to egress. At this point I was getting ready for our next pass but hanging onto every word coming down our voice channel from Houston. The EVA was a success, with White very reluctant to get back in. We were the first station they could talk to after the EVA on our fourth pass. As the receiver operator I had 20 centimetre speakers to listen to the astronauts, and I will always remember sensing the tension and excitement in their voices as well as the atmosphere of the confined cabin. Flown in December 1965, Gemini VI

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 373 australian space

and VII were interesting missions. Gemini each with its own antenna, in Apollo all these introducing faults to see how long we took to VI’s Agena target destroyed itself, leaving a functions were combined into one uplink and spot the fault and what we did to overcome surplus Gemini spacecraft. The impossible down link called the Unified S-Band system. the problem. They even went to the extent of was proposed – launch Gemini VI to meet Honeysuckle Creek was built out in the picking a key operator faking a heart attack the 14-day Gemini VII in orbit! Our equipment bush south of Canberra, and was linked to and we had to provide medical attention. Once was only designed to cope with one talking the Deep Space Communications Complex they came to me pointing at a printed circuit spacecraft. When they came together we found in nearby Tidbinbilla to provide two 26-metre board and said, “That card has failed – go get our resources stretched to the limit as there dishes to track two spacecraft at the same another one,” and out came a stop-watch. were conversations from two spacecraft to time. At critical times the 64-metre Australian us, conversations between the spacecraft and Radio Telescope at Parkes was added to the Moonbound Houston trying to pass messages to everyone. mix. Apollo 8 was the boldest decision of all the bold After a three month course at Collins Radio decisions NASA made. Flight Director Glynn Apollo Moon landing in Dallas, Texas, on the Ranging and Timing Lunney said, “Apollo 8 opened the gate and let For the Apollo programme I transferred to Systems, I took on the position of Technical us slide down the hill to the landing.“ the Honeysuckle Creek tracking station near Support Section Supervisor, and during At the start I was very excited, but more Canberra, Australia’s capital city. Honeysuckle missions the position of Tracking 1, responsible apprehensive than any other mission, including Creek, with its 26-metre dish antenna, was for the antenna pointing, antenna data, ranging Apollo 11, because it was the first time we were specially designed and built for manned and time standard. going to leave the Earth. I felt quite confident lunar missions. Where Mercury and Gemini Before every mission a Super Constellation about Apollo 11 because Apollos 8 and 10 had had individual systems for voice, telemetry, aircraft would fly out and give us a thorough been so successful. Everything was working. commands and radar scattered around the site, run through the latest mission procedures, This was also a test for us on the tracking station with only our second manned mission, Alan Foster and Lisa Jensen working the Unified S-Band (USB) receivers duringApollo 15, and it was off into the life threatening unknown. August 1971. Hamish Lindsay There were so many firsts for Apollo 8. The spotlight swung to the three 26-metre stations, especially for us as we were tracking at critical moments. It was the first time astronauts had flown the mighty Saturn V rocket; the first time man had left the planet; the first time men had seen the Earth suspended in space; the first time with no night and day; the first to enter another gravity field; the first time to orbit the Moon; the first to see the backside of the Moon; the first to see Earth rise at the Moon and the first re-entry from the Moon. The navigational accuracy required was mind boggling. With the Earth travelling at 1,600 kilometres per hour as it rotates; leaving Earth at 40,232 km per hour to travel a distance of 376,737 km, taking into account all the gravity fields along the way to arrive exactly 128.7 km in front of the Moon, which itself is travelling at 3,219 km per hour relative to Earth. An error of only 1.6 km per hour would mean missing the Moon. Apollo 8 was launched on 21 December 1968 with Commander Frank Borman, Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module pilot Bill Anders on board. I remember we were tracking as they headed for the Moon, and my thoughts revolved around a lot of “what ifs.” I was confident of my equipment, hoping it would not develop a fault as they were relying on the tracking data, but we did have a problem with arcing in the antenna feed horn, and we had to stop tracking and hand over to nearby Tidbinbilla while we tried a fix. We managed to get it all back together before Apollo 8 reached the Moon. Then came the decision to go into orbit, or continue around the Moon and slingshot back to Earth. Another bold decision as Capcom

374 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 australian space

Jerry Carr announced, “You are go for LOI” (Lunar Orbit Insertion). We were committed to go into lunar orbit. Our signal dropped out as they went behind the Moon to burn their rocket to put them into orbit out of our view; the rocket motor that had to fire flawlessly every time or it was fatal for the astronauts. I have a vivid memory of staring transfixed at the crescent Moon in the antenna boresight TV with the crosshair sitting on the edge. Were they going to come out on the calculated time to say everything had gone to plan, or had something gone horribly wrong? Above the TV a digital clock silently flicked the seconds aside. These weren’t ordinary seconds – these seconds were counting down to a monumental success, or a monumental failure of the mission. With all my equipment ready, I went into an anticipatory trance, mesmerised by the clock. As Chris Kraft, the Director of Flight Operations in Houston, said to me later, “If you weren’t shaking at that point you didn’t understand the problems.” The receiver operators were clamped to their controls, spring loaded to grab the first signs of a signal on their displays. Suddenly there it was – bang on time. The receivers locked up and signals flooded through the station equipment, filling all the meters and dials with meaningful figures. Alan Foster on the prime receiver said, “I made a normal acquisition – it was a good signal, clean and sharp, no fading at all. I was relieved, I can tell you. I always remembered Network saying on the loop, ‘That was a beautiful acquisition, Honeysuckle.’”

❝ If you weren’t shaking at that point you didn’t understand the problems. ❞

We then had ten orbits during which the three astronauts read from the bible and Wally Smallwood, the original Test Equipment Supervisor, made this beautifully crafted model of a produced that wonderful picture of the Earth Saturn V with Launch Umbilical Tower and used his son’s Matchbox Ford pickup and scale figures to rising over the lunar horizon. Then the anxious show its size. Hamish Lindsay moments were repeated for coming from behind the Moon to return home. Once they to rebuild it before arriving at the Moon. Going were going to support the EVA with Goldstone were safely on the way home I felt confident into lunar orbit was routine by now as we and Parkes. we were going to have a successful mission. had done it twice before, but once the Lunar We had a fleeting visit by the Prime Minister Module headed for the lunar surface it was of Australia before acquisition of the Eagle’s Apollo 11 back to a nail biting fear of the unknown and signal right on time at 11:12am local time, 21 This mission has become one of the defining was fate looking kindly on us? July, with the astronauts almost ready to open moments of the human race. At Honeysuckle We didn’t see the landing, Madrid was the hatch. As the moment for Armstrong to Creek we were in the thick of it. Commander tracking them down to the surface. As we step out approached I was very aware of a was Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins the were conducting our equipment checks, we tension in the air mixed with the humming of Pilot with Buzz Aldrin the Lunar Module pilot. called Site Readiness Test (SRT), ready for the equipment cooling fans. Launch was at 09:32 US EDT 16 July 1969. our upcoming pass, we all cocked an ear to the When the time came for stepping on the During Translunar Coast Tidbinbilla had a fire voice channels to monitor progress. Whatever Moon by Armstrong there were supposed to in their transmitter and heroes were created happened with the landing, it looked like we be four antennas tracking the Lunar Module

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 375 australian space

Eagle. With Armstrong’s request to come out one side of the band, then when the astronauts earlier than the Flight Plan dictated there were turned their signal back on we were able to bias only three – two at Goldstone in California and it to the other side of the band and establish Honeysuckle Creek. The Moon had to rise a clean signal, though not the best as our big higher to enter Parkes’ dish. The pictures from antenna had gone, and we were relying on the Goldstone were very contrasty, and upside omni antennas. Of course, once the S-IVB had down, so Houston went for the remaining impacted the Moon, the problem went away. best picture from Honeysuckle Creek. Our All the critical activities associated with TV man, Ed von Renouard, had it right, so it transferring to the Lunar Module occurred ended up that Honeysuckle Creek fed the over Honeysuckle Creek. By the time we breathless world with the first pictures from the handed over to Madrid, the astronauts were lunar surface. Parkes picked it up about seven Hamish Lindsay and Neil Armstrong deep in established in the Lunar Module and on a minutes later, and covered the rest of the walk. conversation. John Sarkissian trajectory back home to Earth. To finish off such an incredibly successful Undeterred by the near catastrophe mission, the flight plan called for splashdown Just after our alarms went off, I heard in my of Apollo 13 we went on to drive vehicles at 195:17:53 GET. Columbia dropped into the headset “Houston, we have a problem” quite around the lunar surface from Apollo 15, and Pacific Ocean at 195:18:35 GET – just an clearly, but wasn’t worried by the statement concluded the Apollo programme with the incredible 42 seconds late! except we had trouble keeping lock and I highly successful Apollo 17 mission. Skylab was having difficulty ranging. When I heard and its challenges followed, at the end of which Apollo 13 them ask for Parkes I realised this must be Honeysuckle joined the Deep Space Network By now lunar flights were part of normal life really serious. Parkes wasn’t called up for this (DSN) and I was on the shift teams tracking and the planned third Moon landing raised mission and you don’t casually ask to use it – Helios, Pioneers, Pioneer Venus, Viking little general public interest. This was to it takes weeks of negotiations and budgets to landings on Mars, and the amazing Voyager. change dramatically at 2 days 7 hours sort out. After years of housekeeping tracking, I was 54 minutes 53 seconds into the mission. When the astronauts climbed into the Lunar thrilled to be on the receivers when Voyager 1 Commander Jim Lovell, pilot Jack Swigert Module and switched their equipment on, their went behind Saturn on its way to the edge of and lunar module pilot Fred Haise were signal clashed with the signal from the S-IVB the heliosphere. The two Voyagers will still be taken by surprise when between Goldstone stage, still on its way to the Moon and both cruising through the galaxy when our Sun has and Honeysuckle Creek an oxygen tank using the same frequency. Normally the S-IVB burned itself out. exploded in the Service Module. Our white crashes on the lunar surface long before the Born in London in 1937 and then living on receiver “In Lock” lights blinked out and the Lunar Module is activated. At Honeysuckle the west coast of Scotland before shipping two-tone alarms began singing. We had Creek we had the problem of two signals on out to Bombay where I first went to school, I no idea what had happened and tried to the same frequency and our poor receivers did look back and feel privileged to have been part reacquire the signal. The panel ripped from not know which signal to lock on to. of the team that took humans from an Earth the Service Module had put the big high-gain So we asked Houston to ask the astronauts bound species to space faring travellers in antenna out of action, leaving the smaller to turn the spacecraft signal off, which they did, 12 amazing years. To know more, go to our omni antennas, which gave a weaker signal. and we were able to pull the S-IVB’s signal to website at www.honeysucklecreek.net.

Honeysuckle Creek

Honeysuckle Creek played a vital role in many manned and unmanned space flights over several decades. For additional information, copious personal memories and reflections on Australia’s role in the space programme, the Honeysuckle Creek web site (www. honeysucklecreek.net) is essential reading. Assembled and managed by lifelong space buff Colin Mackellar, from its launch on 14 December 2003 this website has carried valuable historical material with an extensive photographic archive together with audio recordings unique to this site. But keep looking, there are frequent updates and fresh insights into what is so far the most ennobling adventure ever undertaken Colin Mackellar visits Honeysuckle Creek in October 1971 by humans, to leave the Earth and – “go and (inset, left to right) Mike Dinn, Colin Mackellar and in peace for all mankind.” Hamish Lindsay taken at Tidbinbilla. Via HSK website

376 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 New Horizons for space modellers

An early Atlas ICBM (6A) at Cape Canaveral. Launched on 25 September 1957, it failed due to a build-up of heat in the thrust structure. USAF

he depiction of rockets, missiles and Monogram and Revell began to disappear from spacecraft in art, literature and models the corner newsagent-cum-sweetshop and has been a central part of promoting into the dedicated shops and modelling outlets Tan interest in space and astronautics for many that gradually attracted an older customer with decades. Elsewhere in this issue we look at the greater spending power. depiction of past, present and future in space Over the decades modelling and the exploration and interpretation at an exhibition construction kit has become more sophisticated in the UK which each year consistently thrills and kits nowadays can cost several hundred and inspires. But the two-dimensional art that pounds, Euros or dollars. Now it is a multi- artists employ to express their depictions, be media hobby involving plastic, resin, etched they factual or interpretive, is also expressed brass and a wide range of supplementary through 3D art in the form of models. materials, retailed now through websites and Time was when every kid on the block had a from warehouse distribution serving a market small toy to build, assembled from bits of plastic grown large on the marketing opportunities of shaped roughly to the form of the original. the Internet. Taken to pseudo-professional ends Hours were spent constructing, painting, even with several thousand participants gathering modifying these small representations of real annually at venues and shows around the things. Many children learned about the world world, it has become anything but a child’s of grown-up engineering and were themselves preoccupation – nowadays, modelling and the inspired through assembling these kits, which search for the ever-accurate construction kit over the decades became increasingly more has become an art in itself! complex – and expensive. Recently, Spaceflight has dipped into With the dawn of the Space Age subjects this esoteric (and exotic!) world by showing embraced rockets, missiles and spacecraft as extraordinarily detailed representation of the the public became more aware of space flight International Space Station (Vol 59 No 4 pages and exploration through real programmes such 134-143). We return this month to introduce an A former “Missileman” himself, Col R L Lanning, as Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and the Shuttle. Australian company, Horizon Models. While USAF (Rtd), completed this Atlas ICBM and won And as the genre became more specialised, New Zealand may have its Peter Jackson a prize in Horizon’s 2016 competition. household names such as Frog, Airfix, Aurora, (which some may know for his critically R L Lanning

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 377 space models

acclaimed series Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit) but whose stunning, museum-quality construction kits of First World War aeroplanes in 1/32nd scale have taken the model world by storm, Australia has its Tony Radosevic. We asked Tony to tell us a little about his background and that of Horizon.

What they say “Horizon Models Pty Ltd is a new company, with big dreams. My background is that of an Aerospace Engineer. I graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace) and shortly afterwards landed a job with Qantas Airways Limited, based in Sydney, my hometown. My first project was upgrading the Engine Condition Monitoring system from mainframe based programmes to a desktop PC environment that was Y2K compliant (remember the Y2K bug?). There I learned much about maintaining engines, and in particular the importance of monitoring them to understand their efficiency and performance, and when to remove them for servicing in order to prevent in-flight shutdowns. Over time, I developed strong engineering, IT and analytical skills, which were invaluable in trouble shooting problems, and predicting when things may fail. I moved around a fair bit in Qantas, working in the Engine Planning area, then Reliability Engineering and finally moving to Aircraft Development, where we monitored One of the Atlas marking schemes is for 83D, launched on 15 November 1960, seen here on Launch the aircraft's overall efficiency, studied new Complex 12, Cape Canaveral. The bright aluminium barrels of the tank section make for a distinctive aircraft types and routes, and evaluated finish. Modellers note: Atlas was not all silver as almost always shown, but polished steel. USAF performance improvement programmes. Over that period, I was lucky enough to We've also incorporated parts to allow the and Boeing. work collaboratively with some of the world's modeller to build the spacecraft in launch, It takes a significant amount of time to best aircraft and engine manufacturers. I left on-orbit or re-entry modes. We want to keep bring a model to the marketplace, and a lot of Qantas in 2011, and continued to use my this flexibility and functionality alive in all our thought goes into each product - how well will engineering, IT and analytical skills in the rail future projects. For example, we'd love to do the subject matter be received by the modelling industry, to help monitor and predict rail wear the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket one day, and we'd community, what are their expectations with and geometry. design the parts to allow the modeller to build regard to quality, accuracy, number of options, Shortly after leaving the airline, a former the rocket in launch mode as well as landing ease of construction, value for money, etc. colleague and I started Horizon Models Pty Ltd, mode, with the legs fully deployed. Once we've settled on what to build, we with the aim of producing a range of aerospace We followed up the Mercury Spacecraft begin the research phase, where we download products, as there were many that had never with the Mercury-Atlas kit, and then the USAF virtually every photo we can find on the been produced, or had been produced to non- Atlas missile some months later. Earlier this web, utilise my extensive personal library of standard scales (back in the 1950s and 1960s, year we released the Mercury-Redstone kit, aerospace books, watch documentaries that many manufacturers were scaling their kits to rounding out Project Mercury. We designed the feature original film of the subject matter, and fit particular box sizes, hence the term "box tool for the Redstone rocket to allow us to also liaising with some of our research specialists in scale"). And of course, one of my favourite model the Jupiter-C, Redstone missile and the the United States. Sometimes it's hard finding areas is the manned spaceflight programme. Sparta/WRESAT versions. As an Australian, original photos of some of the subjects, as many Our first product was the Mercury Spacecraft or should I say Aussie, the WRESAT is of of them flew 50-60 years ago. Fortunately from kit, which we released in October 2015 with particular interest to me, as the satellite was time to time we come across modellers who enough parts to build two entire models and built in Australia. share with us parts of their personal collection. decals to cover all six manned spaceflight We are currently working on a number of Whilst I am the Managing Director of Horizon variants. We wanted customers to have a lot of new projects at the moment, and whilst we Models, I wear many hats. My favourite role is flexibility in what they built, so we designed the can't say exactly what at this stage, they are that of Chief of Product Development – picking parts to allow the modeller to build virtually any linked closely to our past efforts! The United our next project, doing the research, the design mission, from boilerplate flights, to the early States has a rich aerospace history, and we and breakdown of the parts, drawing the 2D porthole versions of the spacecraft, and finally are grateful to have licence agreements with design in CAD, and working closely with third- to the late production "window" version. aerospace giants such as Lockheed Martin parties to get the 3D design completed.

378 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 space models

research material as possible, and it is then There are so many interesting subjects up to Paul to bring that canvas to life! I visit we'd like to cover. It amazes me how many him a number of times throughout the process have never been available as plastic model and provide feedback when required. We also kits. So far we have established a dedicated us a graphic artist, Juanita Franzi of Aero customer base who have been very willing to Illustrations (conveniently also in Sydney!) to provide positive encouragement and feedback illustrate our 2D line drawings that are on the on what they'd like to see us produce next. back of our boxes. Juanita also illustrated our Every year we hold a competition to dramatic box top of the Mercury Spacecraft celebrate our anniversary. We encourage (item #2003). modellers to build any one of our models and The decal design also takes place at let us know the back story as to why they the same time, and we are grateful to be were interested in building that particular working with an established company such rocket or spacecraft. Last year, one of our as Microscale Industries, from California, who winners entered his built model of Gordon are a brilliant team to work with, and have Cooper’s Mercury-Atlas MA-9 flight, as the produced excellent decals for our models. contestant's late father served on the USS Where required, stainless steel photo-etch Kearsarge which recovered both MA-8 and sheets are designed and manufactured, and MA-9 flights. It's these individuals' stories that these are great in adding a greater level of we are interested in, as they build upon the rich detail than that which injection moulded plastic history of the manned spaceflight programme.” The selection of Atlas ICBM configurations with can offer. Finally, the instruction sheets also Tony Radosevic three optional warheads. Horizon Model Pty Ltd need to be drawn up, and here we have to be careful to make sure that we communicate What we say… After much verification and checking of clearly how the parts fit together, what colours “Each kit oozes quality with detailed information dimensions, we get a rapid prototype printed to paint them, where the decals go, etc. supporting each product. The scale allows where we can check how well the parts will We are extremely excited about where Horizon to grow the series into some of the fit together, and again check the accuracy of the space flight programme is heading. For larger subjects. Even the biggest rocket would the dimensions. Once we are happy with the example, the great strides that SpaceX has remain within manageable proportions. A 3D model, the next stage is 3D tooling design, achieved with their Falcon rocket and Dragon Saturn V, for instance, would be 1.5 m. where the layout of the parts on the sprue are spacecraft, and Elon Musk's vision to colonise Horizon has produced excellent kits in done. Here we need to make sure that all the Mars, arguably the most important venture detail and presentation. Look them up at parts are orientated in a way that they will mankind will make this century. We also look www.horizon-models.com. We thoroughly easily come out of the mould without getting forward to the new technologies that will need recommend them and look forward to the next stuck or broken during the ejection phase. to be developed to make these dreams a subjects. They are a quality company who will Throughout this process, we refer the reality. We eventually hope to establish working respond rapidly and who clearly seek to gain design to the relevant licensor, to ensure that relationships with all the major aerospace the trust and confidence of the customer. They their quality standards, etc., are met. When manufacturers, particularly with relatively new would love to hear from you.” all requirements have been met, tooling companies such as SpaceX. The Editor commences, which takes many months. Coincidentally, this is also when the sleepless The double-kit of NASA’s Mercury spacecraft, with the two models finished in any one of the six manned nights begin… flight configurations. Horizon Model Pty Ltd We eventually receive our first round of test shots. Once again all the dimensions are thoroughly checked. The parts are removed from the sprues and fitted together to make sure everything fits correctly and matches the initial design perfectly. Invariably a few minor issues come up, usually to do with the ejecting of the parts from the mould, and these are relatively straightforward to address. Modifications to the tool are made, and more test shots are produced. Once again, everything is thoroughly checked and if required, more tweaks to the tool are made. This process is repeated until we are completely satisfied. Whilst all this is going on, we are also working on the box top design. Paul Renwick Farley, a local artist who is well known for a number of aerospace paintings, does our artwork for us. I pick the aspect, flight phase, etc., of the subject, supply Paul with as much

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 379 space stations

CASSINI The Grand Finale 1: Steps onto the stage

A visualisation of Cassini-Huygens arriving at the Saturnian system in 2004. NASA-JPL

After more than thirteen years orbiting the planet Saturn, the Cassini the Voyager missions. spacecraft will end its days on 15 September when it takes the final plunge With a weight of 8,253 kg each, the two into the atmosphere of the solar system’s second biggest planet, exactly Voyager spacecraft carried a wide range of 19 years and 11 months to the day after it was launched. It is a fitting end instruments for a scientific survey of the four to one of the most outstanding planetary voyages of the Space Age. giants in the outer solar system. Launched on 20 August 1977, Voyager 2 was followed on 5 hen launched on 15 October 1997, the journey through the asteroid belt and September by Voyager 1 and by the end of 1989 the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft endure to send back data while maintaining their primary mission had been accomplished. promised to unveil the mysteries adequate power levels from radioisotope The next phase was to send orbiters to gather Wof Saturn with a focused sequence of generators producing sufficient electrical temporal data to the spatial reconnaissance observations from an elliptical orbit, carrying to energy to keep them gathering data for several conducted by the four predecessors. But these its large moon Titan an entry probe designed decades. Weighing less than 260 kg, these two orbiters were expensive and would represent and built by the European Space Agency. Yet interplanetary explorers were true pioneers, a major commitment calling for a wider even by the time of launch, at the beginning providing valuable information on determining international support than had been possible of a flight lasting six years and eight months, more precisely the orbits of both giant worlds even with Voyager. the programme had already made a very long while posing more puzzles than questions they journey from inception to reality. answered. Flagship to Saturn While early planetary missions focused on The next phase was to build on this Jupiter was the first objective, with Galileo Mars and Venus, by the mid-1960s capabilities beginning with flagship missions which launched on 18 October 1989, less than two underpinned confidence in reaching out could take advantage of a unique planetary months after Voyager 2 swept past Neptune. through the asteroid belt to Jupiter and alignment, occurring once every 175 years At 5,648 kg, it was a giant step up from the beyond. On 2 March 1972, after eight years or so. This alignment allowed a spacecraft to Pioneers and Voyagers that preceded it. of preparation, Pioneer 10 was launched on a use the gravitational energy of Jupiter to fly by Launched on 18 October 1989, Galileo mission to fly past Jupiter, followed by Pioneer Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in slingshot fly- reached Jupiter on 8 December 1995, having 11 on 6 April 1973. Pioneer 10 encountered bys coined “interplanetary billiards”. There was sent its probe, weighing 339 kg, into the Jovian Jupiter on 3 December 1973, followed by even an alignment which could include Pluto. atmosphere the day before. The next step was Pioneer 11 exactly one year later, after which it It just so happened that the next opportunity to send another flagship spacecraft to the outer would go on to fly past Saturn on 1 September would occur in the late 1970s. This was too solar system – to Saturn and to pay particular 1979. good to miss and NASA fought hard to get the attention to its fascinating moon Titan, the only The breakthrough had been made: money to carry out what was at first called the one in the solar system with an atmosphere spacecraft could be built that would survive Grand Tour, and which soon became known as and known to have seas on its surface. But it

380 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 planetary

INSIDE CASSINI

Below: with a height of 6.8 m and a width of 4 m, incorporating 1,630 electronic components, 22,000 wiring connections and 14 km of cabling. Cassini-Huygens was the biggest planetary spacecraft launched by NASA.

low gain antenna 1 (LGA1)

high gain antenna (HGA)

sun sensor head magnetometer boom assembly (prior to shunt radiator deployment) radio plasma wave science radio plasma wave magnetic search coil science (RPWS) Magnetic coil preamplifier Langmuir probe Bay 5: radio frequency ion and mass neutral subsytem (RFS) spectrometer (INMS) Bay 4: magnetometer Bay 7: radio subsystem (MAG) and frequency instrument radio & plasma wave subsystem (RFIS) subsystem (RPWS) Cassini plasma spectrometer stellar reference subsystem (CAPS) units (SRU) 1 and 2 Bay 6: radio reaction wheel frequency subsystem (RFS) cosmic dust analyzer (CDA) receiver ultrastable helium tank oscillator (USO) probe pressurant control assembly Huygens Titan RTG shade probe shield Huygens probe support RTG shade avionics 1 thruster thruster cluster cluster radioisotope reaction wheel thermoelectric low gain antenna 2 (LGA2) generator (RTG) thruster cluster deployable cover

Titan IV vehicle launch adapter (ejected after launch)

Right: its Huygens probe clearly visible mounted vertically on the left-hand side of the spacecraft, Cassini is lowered on to the adapter stage before installation on top of the Titan IVB/ Centaur launch vehicle. both images NASA-JPL

turned out to be a long and tortuous route to it over the polar regions of the Sun. All these Centaur-G stage for sending the package on the launch pad. activities, together with results from the its way. But after the Challenger disaster of 28 The origins of what became Cassini- Voyager missions, spurred enthusiasm for the January 1986, that stage was abandoned in an Huygens goes back to the days when NASA Saturn orbiter and a probe. But it all took time effort to reduce risk and increase Shuttle safety was getting ready to send the two Voyagers to set up. margins. Instead, the spacecraft would fly on on the Grand Tour. In 1987, the agency had Not until the late 1980s did NASA receive a Titan IV 401B and make up a deficiency in asked for studies from industry of a spacecraft authorisation to begin work on what would energy by following a trajectory which would to explore Titan, perhaps to descend through become Cassini, named after the Italian- use gravity-assist, achieving that by performing its murky atmosphere land on its surface. French astronomer Giovanni Domenico two fly-bys of Venus, one of Earth and one But knowledge of Titan was scant at best, Cassini, who discovered Saturn’s ring divisions at Jupiter to receive the departure energy the density of its atmosphere unknown. The and four of its moons. Meanwhile, while work required to get to Saturn. Not surprisingly, the following year the project became known as started in Europe on the probe which would be journey would take almost seven years. Saturn Orbiter//Dual Probe, with a probe for known as Huygens, after the Dutch astronomer Saturn and a probe for Titan. and mathematician, Christiaan Huygens, who Billiards and a ballet At the same time, Europe was looking discovered Titan. But there were bumps in the When Cassini-Huygens set sail for Saturn toward the outer planets with its International road, as Europeans became disenchanted from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Solar Polar Mission (ISPM) being negotiated over flagging US support for cooperative Air Force Station on 15 October 1997, Galileo as a joint venture with NASA. This would ventures and the US Congress ran lukewarm had been embedded in its Jovian orbit for metamorphose into the Ulysses mission on the deal as NASA looked to increase its nearly two years and had sent its probe down launched in 1990, which used the gravitational budget for the International Space Station. through the atmosphere. Russia was still a field of Jupiter to move it out of the plane of Initially, Cassini-Huygens was to have been year away from the launch of the first element the ecliptic and into an elliptical orbit carrying launched by the Shuttle, using a cryogenic for the International Space Station and NASA

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 381 planetary

organic-rich atmosphere and surface

de-coupled outer shell water ice / clathrite

global subsurface ocean

high-pressure ice VI shell

hydrous silica core ~ 2,000 km radius

A world in its own right, 5,150 km in diameter, nearly half that of Earth, the interior of Titan is inferred from data obtained by the Cassini spacecraft and its Huygens probe. NASA-JPL was just celebrating putting the tiny Sojourner achieving orbit, Huygens would not be deployed “tour”, conducting a close pass on Iapetus roving vehicle down on the surface of Mars. until after a survey of Titan by the mother-ship. on 31 December, Huygens approached Titan The combined NASA-European Space Agency The game of interplanetary billiards was with tension rising at ESA and NASA’s Jet flagship was on its way, first entering an Earth- exchanged for a planetary ballet of carefully Propulsion Laboratory. At 09:06 Universal parking orbit for 15 minutes before a second synchronised elliptical orbits in which a Time on 14 January 2005, the probe sliced firing of the Centaur terminal stage for eight succession of fly-bys and encounters would into the murky mists of Titan, experiencing minutes sent it on its way to Venus. allow Cassini-Huygens to observe, image extreme buffeting during descent, deploying its In a superb display of interplanetary and extract data from several satellites of the parachutes and landing softly on the surface billiards, six months later the spacecraft – at Saturnian system. Those observations began almost two hours 30 min after entering the 5,712 kg, the second heaviest interplanetary with a close pass of the moon Phoebe from atmosphere. probe ever after Russia’s Phobos 1 and 2 – flew a distance of 1,997km on 11 June 2004. The During descent, the heat shield stood up past Venus on 26 April 1998, circling around final course correction was made five days to the extreme temperatures encountered the solar system for a second pass at Venus later, followed by the orbit-insertion burn in the in the atmosphere and the descent systems on 24 June 1999. Except for flight controllers early hours of 2 July (Universal Time) lasting worked well. With a touchdown velocity of 5 m/ and managers at ESA, most Europeans were 96 minutes, giving the spacecraft an orbit of sec, Huygens sloughed into the surface with asleep when Cassini-Huygens sped past Earth 200,000 km by 9 million km. a “thump” and rested into the soft material at a distance of 1,171 km in the early hours of Even as mission planners were preparing to a depth of 12 cm. A triumph for European 18 August. Five months later it performed a fly- to let the Huygens probe loose on its descent design and engineering, the entry probe had by of the asteroid 2685 Masursky and used its to Titan, Cassini was making fresh discoveries: performed beyond expectation and continued instruments to take data. two new moons, Methone and Pallene, and to send information for 75 minutes after landing. On 30 December 2000, the spacecraft made setting up the trajectory for a Titan intercept Longer, in fact, than anyone had predicted. its closest approach to Jupiter, exchanging trajectory. That, after a very close pass across energy with the giant planet 9.8 million km the puzzling surface of Titan at a height of only Vindication away, and getting closer to Galileo than it ever 1,176km, the closest ever. The 319 kg Huygens There had been some failures with elements would again. Speeding on to Saturn, Cassini- probe separated on Christmas Eve 2004 of the probe but overall it had performed well Huygens began to feel the pull of Saturn on 18 heading for its destination, after which Cassini and the event was a great success, still today May 2004; nine days later it fired its course- conducted a Titan-avoidance manoeuvre to being the only working package of instruments correction motor for 5 min 56 sec, serving as a prevent it following the European probe into placed on the surface of another world “test” prior to the orbit-insertion burn. This time, the atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon. beyond the orbit of Mars. Its performance unlike Galileo which released its probe before While Cassini went about its own scientific confounded doubters, of whom there some

382 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 planetary

within the programme, providing a rewarding itself, beginning on 26 April 2017 with a fly-by and satisfying conclusion for a great European 60,000km from Saturn. Further reading success. The results were stunning. These final orbits are being made at an Adding to their already substantial Images taken during descent revealed inclination of 63 deg to the planet’s equator library of space titles, providing detailed suspected drainage channels and gulleys and and are providing the highest resolution technical, engineering and scientific images from the surface revealed a hazy sky observations ever made of the inner rings information on specific spacecraft and and a barren landscape. This data and other and the clouds of Saturn. Cassini will start launch vehicles, Haynes has produced information garnered from the 43 fly-bys of its final descent on 12 September from the a book written by planetary scientist Titan completed by the end of its primary highest point on orbit 293, 1,300,000 km from Ralph Lorenz, who worked at ESA mission on 28 May 2008, added a new level Saturn, and send back data as it heads for on the Huygens probe. Published in of understanding about what many scientists the outer atmosphere and directly samples its April this year, it is one of the most regard as one of the most interesting places in composition with its mass spectrometer. comprehensive descriptions of the the solar system. The results from Cassini have electrified Cassini-Huygens mission to date and While Cassini continued on its mission students of Saturn’s enigmatic moon: "Titan provides background information on of investigating the complex ring structures is just covered in carbon-bearing material— the origin of the joint venture between in orbit around Saturn, extensions to the it's a giant factory of organic chemicals", said NASA and ESA, as well as tracking primary mission saw further fly-bys of Titan Ralph Lorenz, who leads the study of Titan the dramatic developments of this and a focus of attention on three fly-bys of based on radar data from Cassini and is the successful mission step-by-step. Enceladus together with a direct sampling of author of Haynes' book on Cassini-Huygens. The book examines the rationales that moon’s cryovolcanic plumes. In 2009, "This vast carbon inventory is an important behind the geometry of the trajectories, Cassini made 15 fly-bys of Titan and a further window into the geology and climate history of planned carefully to obtain the most two of Enceladus and a second mission Titan." Many scientists lobbied hard with this extension began in February 2010 for a further new understanding, calling for a return to the number of passes of Saturn and the most 155 orbits and an additional 54 fly-bys of Titan Saturnian system with advanced spacecraft scientifically productive encounters by April 2017, 127 in total, at the start of the capable of dwelling in the atmosphere, of and fly-bys of several moons in the Grand Finale, occasioned by the depleted landing on the surface – even crawling around Saturnian system. Most readers will be manoeuvring propellant and aging systems on looking for signs of possible life forms or diving impressed with the detailed description the spacecraft. into the seas with a submersible! of Huygens, the probe that landed on To preserve the exobiological uniqueness By the end of the first decade of the the surface of Titan and which provided of the Saturnian moons, and prevent 21st century the general consensus among information about the atmosphere and contamination from spacecraft materials scientists across a broad spectrum of planetary sent back images of the surface around falling on one of the planet’s natural satellites, research was that priority should be given to the landing site. programme managers developed this plan Jupiter and Europa, another destination likely As Ralph Lorenz says, planetary to deliberately target the spacecraft for entry to excite exobiologists with the possibility of missions are laboriously lengthy into the Saturn atmosphere, and burn-up on finding life forms there. Several concepts were programmes, not only in their 15 September. Prior to this, it was to make 22 developed and the Europa Clipper mission is formulation and development but in their crossings between the rings and the planet funded and in development for that objective. execution. The author, however, has presented the tale of Cassini-Huygens Cassini makes the hazardous trip between Saturn's outer atmosphere and inner ring system. NASA as an exciting and outstanding success story, not only for space enthusiasts but for scientists and engineers as well, placing discrete elements of the story into an integrated picture which many involved in the programme at various levels may not have known about.

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 383 space art

Visions of Space

Revisited By Chris Starr FBIS, IAAA Associate Member

June saw the second edition of Visions of Space, which brought together artistic genre. They were able to accompany astronomical and space art by the UK’s top artists from the International our artists on a voyage of aesthetic discovery Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA), including BIS Fellow David A. and, to quote David A. Hardy, “to appreciate Hardy and former BIS President Bob Parkinson. landscapes of other worlds as beautiful as those on Earth, if not more so.” o-hosted by the Wells and Mendip Moon has changed over the centuries and Mat The artist has a major advantage over Astronomers and the BIS South West Irvine’s account of his years working at the BBC technology. He or she can travel where people group, the exhibition was again held with Sir Patrick Moore on “The Sky at Night”. and machines cannot, show things which Cin the museum of the beautiful city of Wells in And, in an IAAA first, there were live skype haven’t yet been imaged from that viewpoint. Somerset, against the backdrop of its ancient links with US artists exhibiting at Spacefest 8 We can travel back through time to witness the cathedral – a striking juxtaposition of past in Tucson, Arizona, which was taking place at momentous events which have created and and future. The two-week show also featured the same time. shaped our world and the Universe. We can works by well-known US IAAA artists, including Local primary schools were also able to get also journey into the future through the artist’s Apollo 12 Moonwalker Alan Bean and Shuttle involved in a day of outreach workshops on art imagination, indeed, to the farthest reaches of astronaut Ron Garan, and planetary scientists and science, run by IAAA Fellow Jackie Burns time and space. William K. Hartmann and Dan Durda. and Joanne Richardson FBIS, who also works Just as importantly, the artists help bring the This stunning exhibition again attracted on behalf of the National STEM Centre UK Space Age down to Earth. They connect our visitors from across the country, and we were as an ESERO-UK Space Ambassador for the sense of wonder as humans with the adventure delighted to welcome three grandchildren South West, and has been a regional organiser of space exploration, science and technology, of renowned space artist and former BIS for the Tim Peake Schools’ Project. often viewed by the public as arcane, remote President Ralph A Smith, who paid a surprise From a broader perspective, Visions of and difficult to grasp. In this respect, Space visit and enjoyed depictions of the famous BIS Space 2 was a great success in its goal of Art is a powerful educational tool, and makes Moonship.Those who attended the preview and helping to raise public awareness, particularly a major contribution to the spread of scientific opening weekend, held 9-10 June, were treated at this crucial time in the development of the literacy, as well as being a valid artistic genre to very entertaining and informative talks: David space industry in the UK and globally. Many in its own right. It inspires us to look to the A. Hardy’s “Faces of the Moon”, which looked visitors to the show were astonished to discover future and to pursue the greatest of human at how our perception and portrayal of the the existence, breadth and beauty of this endeavours – the exploration of our Cosmos!

384 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 space art

Society presence: (l.-r.) Stephen Salmon (BIS Marketing); Keith Wright (BIS Technical Committee/BIS Southwest Coordinator); artist Bob Parkinson MBE (former BIS President); Gill Norman (BIS Secretary); artist Nick Stevens (IAAA Board Member); Mark Hempsell (BIS President); Chris Starr (Wells & Mendip Astronomers/BIS Southwest); artist David A. Hardy (FBIS & IAAA European Vice-President); The Mayor of Wells, Councillor John North; Mrs.Gail North; Joanne Richardson (MBIS/Space Detectives/Wells & Mendip Astronomers); Mat Irvine (FBIS, BBC TV); artist Jackie Burns (IAAA). Mat Irvine

M Pluto and its moon Charon by David A. Hardy (digitally rendered) This pre-visualisation of the New Horizons spacecraft’s encounter with Pluto by veteran space artist Hardy, who first became interested in space art in 1950 as a 14 year-old, proved to be remarkably accurate in its depiction of the dynamic little world and its largest moon Charon. The digital spacecraft image was designed by planetary scientist, artist and trainee astronaut Dr. Dan Durda, whose work was also featured at ‘Visions of Space’.

N Panorama of part of the Visions of Space The grandchildren of Ralph A. Smith next to the model of his lunar spacecraft at ‘Visions of Space 2’. Exhibition by Nick Stevens, IAAA Board Member L.-r. Russell Smith, Danielle Hughes, Nigel P. A. Smith Chris Starr

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 385 space art

O Mat Irvine FBIS with his Daedalus model at Visions of Space 2. Chris Starr

P Titan Travel Poster by Mark E. Garlick FIAAA (digitally rendered) One of a series that borrows heavily from the art- deco-style travel posters of the mid-20th century. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is the only known natural satellite with a substantial atmosphere. This scene is presented as a space travel poster, advertising a romantic visit to the famous lakes of hydrocarbons that have been detected on Titan's surface. Their principal component (75%) is ethane, but methane (10%), propane, hydrogen cyanide and butane are also present. It is thought that Titan's lakes contain more than 300 times the volume of Earth's oil reserves.

N The Five Varieties of Fire by Bob Parkinson MBE FBIS (oil on canvas) Zoroastrians identified five kinds of fire: Urvazishta, or the potential fire within wood; Vohu Fryana, the fire within living things; Vazishta, the wild fire lightning; Berezisavanh, or the sacred fire in the temples; and Spenishta, the fire that burns in the presence of Ahura Mazda.

386 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 space art

O N1 at the Gantry by Nick Stevens, IAAA Board Member (digital work printed on PVC) This shows the first of the Soviet moon rockets, the N1-3L, intended to beat the USA's Saturn V in taking a man to the moon. All four launches failed, though the last was within seconds of reaching orbit.

N Possible Views of a Tidally-Locked World by Richard Bizley, IAAA Fellow (acrylic on wood) A triptych inspired by the recent discovery of Proxima Centauri’s planetary system. The first panel shows a storm on Proxima b – the result, perhaps, of the fact that the planet's captured rotation has left it with a permanently warm and a permanently dark side.The centre panel shows Proxima b's parent star in the sky under calmer conditions, along with other stars in the system. The right-hand panel depicts a tidally locked world orbiting a red dwarf star, where the calmer conditions have enabled life to develop. Leaf-like lifeforms all face the star, which never rises or sets, while something else lurks in the lagoon…

O Shuttle on Crawler by Jackie E. Burns FIAAA (acrylic on canvas) ‘The bold colour of the fuel tank counter-balances the strong pull of the overhead perspective, which I think allows the eye to pause naturally over the Shuttle. I also accentuated the random rusty blue-grey of the Crawler to help soften the precise geometry of the ensemble.’

P Shuttle Landing by Gavin Mundy (pencil on white paper) ‘I wished to portray the Shuttle landing, as it's a less common subject than the dramatic launch. After a few sketched ideas, I settled on this view – the composition of the Shuttle poised just before touchdown appealed to me.I produced the finished drawing using carbon pencil. Its rich black contrasts well with the smooth white paper.’

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 387 reflection

FLASHBACK – October 1967 A regular feature looking back 50 years this month

andmark events in the history of space jet trainer he was flying jammed causing killed when he missed an unmarked bend exploration sometimes succeed when the aircraft to crash among pine trees near in the road after dark and plummeted into a classified as a partial failure. Such is the Tallahassee, Florida. A Major in the Marine gulley. Givens had done considerable work Lcase with Russia’s Venera 4 mission to Venus, Corps until he joined NASA’s third group of on the development of manned manoeuvring which this month became the first probe 14 astronauts, among whom were seven men units and was in line for a flight assignment. to directly measure the atmosphere of this who would fly to the Moon, Williams was the Less than two months after the death of Clifton enigmatic world yet failed to land on its surface back-up pilot to Gemini X’s Mike Collins and Williams, on 8 December the first African- as planned. back-up to Apollo 12 Lunar Module pilot Alan American astronaut died when his F-104 NASA had good reason to celebrate when Bean, a selection which would have seen him crashed. He had been selected for the Air it revived the Surveyor V spacecraft on 15 in line for a Moon mission. Force’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory and was October, the second lunar day of its mission, Until he married Jane Elizabeth Lansche this year’s sixth fatality. for a further transmission of televised images on 1 July 1964, Clifton Williams was the only and data. Four days later, Mariner V made bachelor in the group. The Williams had two 18 October 1967 its close pass of Venus and confirmed the children, Catherine Ann, who was born on 6 Designed to land on the surface of cloud- extreme environment inferred from Mariner January 1967, and Jane Dee, who would be shrouded Venus and send back detailed 2, NASA’s first planetary mission to Venus in born on 31 May 1968, nearly eight months information on temperature, pressure and 1962, when it changed forever the view of this after the death of her father. It was but the the composition of the atmosphere, Venera hot planet as a possible harbinger of life. latest tragic loss to the NASA astronaut corps. 4 had been launched on 12 June 1967 by And on 27 October, NASA fired the On 31 October 1964, Theodore Freeman an 8K78M rocket. One of two sent off in course correction motor on Mariner IV for 70 was killed when his T-38 crashed when it this launch window, Venera 4 was to have seconds, applying a velocity change of 62 m/ supposedly ran into a flock of geese near been accompanied by a similar spacecraft, sec, almost three years after launch. Both Ellington Air Force Base, Houston, Texas. On designated Kosmos 167 when it failed to these interplanetary spacecraft had sent 28 February 1966, Charles Bassett and Elliott depart from Earth orbit. Venera 3 had been simultaneous data to Earth on the dynamics See lost their lives when they crashed on launched on 16 November 1965, the first in a of the solar wind from different positions in approach to St Louis, slicing off a part of the series built by the Lavochkin bureau, but its the solar system. One of the great success roof where Gemini spacecraft were being built fate was unknown after contact was lost on 16 stories of this decade was the development of the type they were scheduled to fly three February 1966. But it was on course for entry and operational capability of the Deep Space months later on Gemini IX. and descent to the surface on 1 March 1966 Network, which would come to be used by On 6 June 1967, Edward G Givens was and may have landed intact as the first object space-faring nations around the world. to reach a body beyond the Moon. As another milestone was reached, albeit A model of Venera 4, the first spacecraft to Venera 4 remained in contact with Earth largely unnoticed outside the US space directly sample the atmosphere of Venus. during its approach and descent and recorded programme, NASA accepted the SUNDISK Memorial Museum of Astronautics, Moscow. temperatures of 11,000º C on its heat shield computer programme for core-manufacture for as it descended through the atmosphere, guidance and navigation operations on the first decelerating at up to 300g. The parachute manned Apollo flight. Had the tragic fire not was successfully deployed at 52 km where the taken the lives of Grissom, White and Chaffee pressure was still less than 1 kPa, increasing earlier in this year, postponing the first flight, to 2,200 kPa, 26 km from encountering the the Apollo programme would have stalled, atmosphere. It was there that transmissions awaiting the development of this critical piece ended, after Venera 4 had sampled the of software. chemical properties of the atmosphere as But it was with the tragic death of Marine mostly carbon dioxide with less than 1% Major Clifton C Williams this month that NASA oxygen and 7% nitrogen. By any standard mourned the loss of another astronaut to this was an outstanding success, despite the accidents. It brought to eight the number of US mission falling short of its primary objective, astronauts killed on assignment or on duty, the which would be left to Venera 7 on 15 fifth in 1967 – and a sixth would follow later in December 1970. the year. Days of mourning would be repeated Over time, NASA and ESA would join on 28 January 1986 and 1 February 2003. Russia in surveys of Venus but for several decades it was the Russians who led the 5 October 1967 way and contributed greatly to our present Selected as an astronaut on 18 October understanding of this remarkable world, which 1963 at the age of 31, Clifton Williams died still delivers surprises and of which there has when the aileron controls on the NASA T-38 been perhaps too little attention.

388 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 obituary

Professor U R Rao 1932-2017 A founding father in the drive to forge an autonomous and independent In the late 1980s, he initiated the next launch space programme for India, U R Rao will be remembered as one of the vehicle programme, the GSLV. greatest leaders in that effort. Rao had developed a particularly close relationship with senior scientists, engineers and academicians in the Soviet Union. It was this relationship that allowed him to negotiate the cryogenic engine technology transfer deal with the USSR in 1990. The USSR did not last, neither did that deal but Rao had set ISRO on the road to developing the GSLV and the cryogenic engine technology. During my interactions with him, I found him to be generous with his time, modest and self-effacing. He always gave credit to his teams rather than taking it as the leader. Not only had he collected a series of awards and achievements during his lifetime but he stands out as one individual who was sincerely liked and respected not just in India but the USSR/Russia and USA. Through his work with ISRO, he was fulfilling the vision of his mentor, Vikram Udupi Ramachandra Rao, who died on 24 July. Gurbir Singh Sarabhai to bring the benefits of space technology to the ordinary people of hile Homi Bhabha and Vikram “Extraterrestrial Relays” that is widely India. But as the considerable body of his Sarabhai are rightly honoured seen to have introduced the concept of published work demonstrates, his ambition as visionary architects of the communication satellites. In 1975 India was was more global. He sought out international WIndian Space Programme, building and experimenting with communication satellites collaboration at every opportunity including operationalising it fell to others. Key among to deliver education to rural villages in during his numerous interactions at the UN. these was Professor Udupi Ramachandra India (the Satellite Instructional Television In the opening to the preface of Rao who led the team to build India’s first Experiment). He told me how India offered, his 1996 book, Space Technology for satellite, Aryabhata. He did it in just over two probably the first private satellite TV set to Sustainable Development, he says “The years with a small young team of engineers the then Sri Lanka based Arthur C Clarke but most significant human enterprise of our with zero experience. India was forced to offer one to the president century is, undoubtedly, the development A major landmark in the history of the of Sri Lanka too. and application of a space technology, which Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has not only revolutionised the present but Aryabhata was launched in 1975 by the A qualified beginning holds the best promise to shape our common Soviet Union. Just five years later Rao was Rao was born on 10 March 1932 in Adamaru, future”. It is not an exaggeration to say that behind the next major milestone. On the back Karnataka, and received his initial education Rao believed in space technology as an of a successful bid for a free launch on the at a local school and then from Christian essential endeavour for the future of the then experimental European launcher Ariane, High School, Udupi, before receiving his BSc planet and human civilisation. he drove the project to build India’s first at Anantpur and his MSc from Banaras Hindu Rao was inducted to the Satellite Hall three-axis stabilised communication satellite, University. After completing his PhD at the of Fame, Washington, DC, on 19 March APPLE. That was India’s first communication Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 2013 and to the International Astronautical satellite to operate from geostationary orbit. Rao first worked at MIT and then in Dallas, Federation on 15 May 2016. On each Rao led ISRO as the chairman between Texas, building cosmic ray instruments occasion he was the first Indian to receive 1984 and 1994 but never really retired. I had for NASA’s Pioneer, Mariner and Explorer these distinctions. U R Rao died on 24 July the good fortune of meeting him in 2013, spacecraft. 2017. Gurbir Singh 2014 and 2015 in his office in ISRO HQ Rao, with his colleagues, was waiting to Bangalore where he continued to contribute meet President Kennedy in Dallas University (The Editor would like acknowledge the to numerous projects. Rao had started out as when he was assassinated on 22 November friendship, help, cooperation and support he a cosmic ray scientist, encouraged in part by 1963. In 1993, in an hour-long meeting with received from Rao during several meetings his meeting in the early 50s with the Nobel US vice president Al Gore, Rao challenged at Bangalore in the early 1980s when he was laureate Abdus Salam. He shared stories of US sanctions and secured concessions involved with ISRO on the remote sensing working with Homi Bhabha, Robert Millikan, without which the IRS-1C mission would not of India’s resources using satellites. Rao James van Allen and Vikram Sarabhai under have been able to proceed as planned. had a generosity of spirit toward those he whom he had completed his PhD. During his time as ISRO chairman, he worked with and will be sorely missed as On his desk, Rao had a signed copy was instrumental in directing and making one of the great pioneers of national space of Arthur C Clarke’s seminal Paper on operational the now highly successful PSLV. programmes.)

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 389 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-537 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 failed to reach orbit Shijian 18 Jul 2.47 Wenchang Chang Zheng 5 7,600 [1] Intelsat 35e 2017-041A Jul 5.98 KSC Falcon 9FT 6,761 Jul 24.52 0.09 1,436.01 35,784 35,789 [2] Soyuz-2.1a- Kanopus-V-IK 2017-042A Jul 14.28 Baykonur 600 Jul 14.49 97.44 94.74 506 510 [3] Fregat-M NorSat 1 2017-042B 16 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.58 587 606 [4] Ecuador UTE-YuZGU 2017-042C 1 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.58 587 606 [5] NorSat 2 2017-042D 17 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.58 587 605 [4] TechnoSat 2017-042E 18 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.57 587 605 [6] Mayak 2017-042F 4 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.57 587 605 [7] Flying Laptop 2017-042G 120 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.57 587 605 [8] CICERO 1 2017-042H 10 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.56 587 604 [9] CICERO 2 2017-042J 10 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.56 587 604 [9] CICERO 3 2017-042K 10 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.56 587 604 [9] WNISAT 1R 2017-042L 43 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.55 587 604 [10] Iskra-MAI-85 2017-042M 4 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.55 587 604 [11] Lemur 2 Greenberg 2017-042N 5 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.55 587 603 [12] Lemur 2 AndiS 2017-042P 5 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.55 587 603 [12] Lemur 2 Monson 2017-042Q 5 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.54 586 603 [12] Lemur 2 Furiaus 2017-042R 5 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.54 586 603 [12]

Notes 1. Telecommunications and technology development satellite built using the new CAST DFH-5 bus carrying a high-throughput communications payload and new systems including laser and quantum communications and ion propulsion for performance test. One of the launch vehicle first stage engines apparently failed. 2. Telecommunications and direct broadcast satellite built using a Boeing 702MP bus, launched by SpaceX for Intelsat to replace Intelsat 903. Mass quoted above is at launch. The satellite is located at 33°W for test and is to be located at 34.5°W to provide a service to the Atlantic region, including mobile user and Internet services. Part of Intelsat’s high-throughput EpicNG series. 3. Earth survey satellite built by NPO VNIIEM for Roskosmos carrying a PSS high-resolution panchromatic scanner, an MSS multispectral scanner and an MSU-IK-SRM infra-red scanner for Earth imaging. 4. NorSats are a pair of technology development satellites built using the NEMO bus by the University of Toronto for Norsk Romsenter, each carrying an AIS receiver to monitor shipping traffic. NorSat 1 also has a science payload of a Langmuir probe (mNLP) for electron density and a radiometer (CLARA) for total solar irradiation. NorSat 2 also has a VDES transponder for maritime communications and a large deployable VHF antenna. 5. Ecuador UTE-YuZGU is an educational and science 1U Cubesat built by Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial and YuZGU (SWSU) with a transponder for amateur communications and instruments for the space environment. It is currently unclear which object corresponds to which Cubesat in several cases, though all the lower-orbit objects from 2017-042AB onwards have been identified. 6. TechnoSat is a technology development satellite built using a new TUBiX20 bus by Technical University of Berlin for DLR carrying a micro- camera for Earth pictures, a fluid-dynamic attitude control actuator for test, an impact detector (SOLID) for space debris and micro-meteorites, a HISPICO S-band data transmitter and retro-reflectors for laser tracking. 7. Mayak (Beacon) is an educational, public outreach and technology development 3U Cubesat built by theTvoy sektor kosmosa (Your Sector of Space) group, students at Moscow Polytechnic University and CosmoMayak with a deployable tetrahedral drag sail/reflector 2.3 m on a side. Intended to be naked-eye visible from the ground, but reflector failed to inflate. 8. Flying Laptop is a technology development and science satellite built by Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme (IRS, Institute for Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart) carrying new systems including high computing power for performance test, a visible/infra-red multi-spectral camera system for Earth observation including reflectance distribution and shipping, a panoramic camera for context and initial orientation, an AIS receiver to monitor shipping traffic, an OSIRIS laser communications system and a deployable 2.5 m square drag sail for de-orbiting at end of mission. μASC star tracker will be used to search for Near-Earth Objects. 9. Community Initiative for Cellular Earth Remote Observation are a set of three technology development 6U Cubesats built using the Endeavour bus by Tyvak for GeoOptics Inc. and are each carrying a GPS/Galileo receiver (Cion) for atmospheric and ionospheric data from occultation of signals. 10. WeatherNews Inc. Satellite ice survey satellite built by Axelspace for WeatherNews Inc. carrying a four-camera panchromatic and visible/infra- red multispectral system for Polar ice imaging, a laser and reflected light detector for atmospheric attenuation due to carbon-dioxide, a GPS receiver (GNSS-R) for ocean and land surface state from reflected signals and a laser communications system. 11. Iskra-MAI-85 (Spark-MAI-85th anniversary) is an educational 3U Cubesat built by Moscow Aviation Institute carrying systems for performance test and heat-resistant surface samples for effect of space. 12. Eight Lemur 2 dual-mission 3U Cubesats built by Spire Global each carrying an AIS receiver (SENSE) to track shipping and a GPS receiver (STRATOS) for atmospheric data from occultation of GPS signals. Lemurs are named after members of the Spire team. It is not clear why one of the Lemurs has been assigned to a lower-orbit object.

390 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 Spaceflight Vol 60 September 2017 390 satellite digest

Soyuz MS-05 erect on its launch vehicle prior to lift-off on 28 July. NASA

Lemur 2 PeterG 2017-042S 5 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.53 586 602 [12] Lemur 2 Dembitz 2017-042T 5 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.53 586 602 [12] Flock 2k-42 2017-042U 5 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.52 586 602 [13] NanoACE 2017-042V 5 Jul 27.82 97.61 96.54 586 603 [14] Lemur 2 Zachary 2017-042W 5 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.51 585 602 [12] Corvus-BC 2 2017-042X 10 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.50 587 599 [15] Corvus-BC 1 2017-042Y 10 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.50 587 598 [15] MKA-N 1 2017-042Z 10 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.48 587 597 [16] MKA-N 2 2017-042AA 10 Jul 16.95 97.61 96.48 587 597 [16] Flock 2k-3 2017-042AB 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.94 462 476 [13] Flock 2k-4 2017-042AC 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.94 462 476 [13] Flock 2k-1 2017-042AD 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.94 462 476 [13] Flock 2k-2 2017-042AE 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.94 462 476 [13]

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 391 satellite digest

Flock 2k-47 2017-042AF 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.94 462 476 [13] Flock 2k-48 2017-042AG 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.94 462 476 [13] Flock 2k-45 2017-042AH 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.94 462 476 [13] Flock 2k-24 2017-042AJ 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.93 462 476 [13] Flock 2k-46 2017-042AK 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.93 462 476 [13] Flock 2k-23 2017-042AL 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.93 462 476 [13] Flock 2k-21 2017-042AM 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.93 462 476 [13] Flock 2k-22 2017-042AN 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.93 461 476 [13] Flock 2k-7 2017-042AP 5 Jul 17.60 97.00 93.93 461 476 [13] Flock 2k-8 2017-042AQ 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.93 461 475 [13] Flock 2k-5 2017-042AR 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.92 461 475 [13] Flock 2k-40 2017-042AS 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.92 461 475 [13] Flock 2k-39 2017-042AT 5 Jul 16.75 97.00 93.92 461 475 [13] Flock 2k-37 2017-042AU 5 Jul 16.69 97.00 93.92 461 475 [13] Flock 2k-38 2017-042AV 5 Jul 16.82 97.00 93.92 461 475 [13] Flock 2k-31 2017-042AW 5 Jul 16.82 97.00 93.92 461 475 [13] Flock 2k-32 2017-042AX 5 Jul 16.82 97.00 93.92 461 475 [13] Flock 2k-29 2017-042AY 5 Jul 16.69 97.00 93.92 461 475 [13] Flock 2k-30 2017-042AZ 5 Jul 16.82 97.00 93.92 460 475 [13] Flock 2k-44 2017-042BA 5 Jul 16.75 97.00 93.91 460 476 [13] Flock 2k-43 2017-042BB 5 Jul 17.60 97.00 93.91 459 476 [13] Flock 2k-41 2017-042BC 5 Jul 17.60 97.00 93.91 459 476 [13] Flock 2k-36 2017-042BD 5 Jul 16.75 97.00 93.91 459 475 [13] Flock 2k-35 2017-042BE 5 Jul 16.69 97.00 93.91 459 475 [13] Flock 2k-34 2017-042BF 5 Jul 16.75 97.00 93.90 459 475 [13] Flock 2k-33 2017-042BG 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.90 459 475 [13] Flock 2k-28 2017-042BH 5 Jul 16.62 97.00 93.90 459 475 [13] Lemur 2 ArtFischer 2017-042BJ 5 Jul 16.69 97.00 93.90 459 476 [12] Flock 2k-27 2017-042BK 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.90 459 475 [13] Flock 2k-26 2017-042BL 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.90 459 475 [13] Flock 2k-25 2017-042BM 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.90 459 475 [13] Flock 2k-20 2017-042BN 5 Jul 17.60 97.00 93.90 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-19 2017-042BP 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.90 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-18 2017-042BQ 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.89 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-17 2017-042BR 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.89 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-16 2017-042BS 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.89 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-15 2017-042BT 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.89 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-13 2017-042BU 5 Jul 16.69 97.00 93.89 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-14 2017-042BV 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.89 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-12 2017-042BW 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.89 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-11 2017-042BX 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.89 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-10 2017-042BY 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.88 458 475 [13] Flock 2k-9 2017-042BZ 5 Jul 16.95 97.00 93.88 458 474 [13] Flock 2k-6 2017-042CA 5 Jul 25.24 97.00 93.92 460 476 [13] Soyuz MS-05 2017-043A Jul 28.65 Baykonur Soyuz-FG 7,220 Jul 29.56 51.64 92.55 400 409 [17]

13. Flock 2k constellation of 48 Dove 3U Cubesats built by Planet are each carrying a visible/infra-red camera for Earth observation. The Corvus and Flock satellites comprised the ISILaunch11 mission. The identification of Flock 2k-42 with a high-orbit satellite is provisional. 14. NanoACE (Attitude Control Experiment) is a technology development 3U Cubesat built using the Endeavour bus by Tyvak carrying two visible and two infra-red cameras for imaging and R236f cold-gas thrusters for orbit control. It has successfully manoeuvred to a slightly higher orbit. 15. Corvus-BC are a pair of Earth survey 6U Cubesats built by Astro Digital (formerly Canopus Systems) and are each carrying a multispectral camera system for Earth imaging. Will form part of the Landmapper-BC constellation. 16. MKA-N (Malye Kosmicheskie Apparat – Nano Klassa or Small Spacecraft – Nano Class) are a pair of Earth survey 6U Cubesats built by Dauria Aerospace for Roskosmos and are each carrying a multispectral camera system for Earth imaging. 17. Spacecraft with three-man crew launched to the International Space Station, mission ISS-51S. Crew comprises Sergei Ryazansky (Soyuz Commander, ISS flight engineer), Randolph Bresnik (Soyuz/ISS flight engineer, ISS Expedition 53 Commander, NASA astronaut) and Paolo Nespoli (Soyuz flight engineer, ESA astronaut). Spacecraft docked with ISS/Rassvet port on July 28.91. Crew are part of ISS Expeditions 52 and 53, with Nespoli performing the ASI VITA mission.

392 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 satellite digest

Additions and Updates Designation Comments 1994-070A ASTRA 1D was relocated at 72.5°W July 3. 1997-007A Intelsat 26 was manoeuvred off station at 64°E July 4 and was relocated back at 65.8°E, co-located with Intelsat 17, July 12. 1997-042A ABS 3 was manoeuvred off station at 85.5°E July 31 and is drifting to the west. 1997-059A Echostar 3 was manoeuvred off station at 61.5°W July 10, but contact was lost July 25 during relocation at 86.4°W, leaving satellite in a slow westward drift. 1997-075A JCSat 1B was manoeuvred off station at 150°E July 6 and is drifting to the west. It has been retired. 1998-014A NSS 806 suffered a payload failure in July resulting in a loss of a third of its capacity. 1999-006A JCSat 4A was relocated at 150°E July 1, co-located with JCSat 1B. 1999-060A AMC 4 was manoeuvred off station at 85°W July 7 and was relocated at 135°W, co-located with AMC 7 and AMC 10, August 1. 2000-043A Intelsat 9 was relocated at 29.5°W July 14. 2000-067A AMC 6 was manoeuvred off station at 85°W July 1 and was relocated at 83°W July 4 to replace the failed AMC 9. 2002-002A Insat 3C was manoeuvred off station at 93.5°E July 18 and is drifting to the west. It has been retired. 2002-042B Kodama was manoeuvred off station at 90.75°E July 31 and is drifting to the west. It has possibly been retired. 2007-043A Dawn manoeuvred during June to reduce orbital period from 59 days to 30 days. 2014-058A Luch (Olimp-K) was manoeuvred off station at 9.9°E July 26 and is drifting to the east. 2015-070A LISA Pathfinder conducted engineering tests before being switched off July 18. It is now in a disposal heliocentric orbit. 2016-052B GSSAP 4 (USA 271) is now drifting to the east again, according to amateur trackers. 2016-082A JCSat 15 has been operational since March as JCSat 110A. 2017-010A Progress MS-05 undocked from ISS/Pirs port July 21.74 and was de-orbited over the Pacific Ocean July 21.87. 2017-016A WGS 9 (USA 275) was relocated at 150°E by early July, according to amateur trackers, and was declared operational July 14. Add orbit: Jul 25.00 0.10° 1,436.04 min 35,782 km 35,792 km 1998-067LH,LJ HAVELSAT is now assigned as1998-067LH and SOMP 2 as 1998-067LJ. 1998-067LT The Biarri-Point payload, reportedly deployed from ISS but never catalogued, is actually a part of SHARC rather than being a separate satellite. Thanks to Jonathan McDowell for the solution to the puzzle. 2017-021A Tianzhou 1 ejected the Su Li Cubesat on August 2.29. Add object and orbit: Su Li 1-01 2017-021F Aug 3.48 42.78° 92.25 min 387 km 395 km 2017-023B SGDC is located at 75°W, not 75°E as given in Satellite Digest 536. 2017-030A Dragon CRS 11 was loaded with 1,850 kg of return cargo then unberthed from ISS/Harmony on July 2.9 using the ISS arm and released July 3.28. Landed in the Pacific Ocean 420 km from the coast of Mexico July 3.51. BIRDS 1 set of five Cubesats were deployed from the ISS/Kibo airlock in two releases July 7.37 (Toki, GhanaSat and Mazaalai) and July 7.38 (BRAC Onnesha and Nigeria EduSat) using a J-SSOD deployer. Add objects and orbits: Toki 1998-067MU Jul 8.51 51.64° 92.51 min 400 km 405 km GhanaSat 1 1998-067MV Jul 9.70 51.64° 92.51 min 400 km 405 km Mazaalai 1998-067MW Jul 9.56 51.64° 92.51 min 400 km 406 km BRAC Onnesha 1998-067MX Jul 9.57 51.64° 92.52 min 398 km 408 km Nigeria EduSat 1 1998-067MY Jul 9.70 51.64° 92.52 min 398 km 407 km 2017-036C Cartosat 2 Series has reached its operational orbit. Add orbit: Jul 17.40 97.45° 94.75 min 501 km 515 km 2017-036D LituanicaSAT 2 successfully tested EPSS propulsion system July 5, raising apogee by 0.2 km. 2017-036P,AC Max Valier Sat carries four, not two, deployable Sprite chipsats, correctingSatellite Digest 536, but is experiencing communication problems and has not deployed them. It only carries one non-deployable Sprite, but a second is on Venta 1. Signals have been received from one of the non-deployable Sprites, probably the one on Venta 1. This is a first for such a small device. 2017-036Y,Z NUDTSat is now assigned as 2017-036Y and SUCHAI as 2017-036Z. 2017-039 Iridium 121 was declared operational on July 20, in a constellation position vacant since the failure of Iridium 57 in May 2016. Four more of the Iridium satellites have manoeuvred to operational orbits in Plane 3 and were operational by August 1. Iridium 123 is replacing Iridium 31, Iridium 118 is replacing Iridium 58, Iridium 126 is replacing Iridium 30 and Iridium 117 is replacing Iridium 55. Iridium 128 is drifting towards Plane 4, while Iridium 113, 115, 120 and 124 are drifting towards Plane 2. Add orbits for Iridium 123, 118, 117 and 126: Jul 12.81 86.40° 100.37 min 777 km 779 km Jul 17.31 86.40° 100.37 min 776 km 779 km Jul 23.33 86.40° 100.37 min 775 km 780 km Jul 18.75 86.40° 100.37 min 776 km 779 km 2017-040B GSAT 17 was located at 93.5°E, co-located with Insat 3C, Insat 4B and GSAT 15, July 9. Add orbit: Jul 13.84 0.09° 1,435.97 min 35,766 km 35,805 km

International Space Station activity Recently detailed orbital decays There were no orbital manoeuvres of ISS during July. International Object name Decay End-of-July orbital data: Jul 31.87 51.64° 92.55 min 400 km 409 km Designation 1998-067JQ Flock 2e-8 Jul 25.7 1998-067LB TechEdSat 5 Jul 29.15 2017-010A Progress MS-05 Jul 21.90 2017-030A Dragon CRS 11 Jul 3.51

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 393 correspondence Questions of survival Physical and spiritual health concerns our readers this month, with thoughts about the way deep- space expeditions may bring a call for genetically selected astronauts to ensure that only the most radiation-resistant humans get to go. And religion once again draws comments, with a rational look at the importance of the religious affiliation of astronauts in various countries.

consent – for future analysis. conference they were asked about their Natural selection? Ultimately, the risk is that we end up religion, and solemnly trotted out assertions of Sir: I read with interest William Rowe’s piece with too many requirements for an astronaut allegiance to various Christian denominations; on the health problems associated with to meet. If we ask candidates to meet certain Al Shepard should have won some sort of long-duration missions (Spaceflight Vol 59, genetic requirements, on top of all the other award for choosing his words with care when No 8, pages 303-304), and the possibility of physical, educational and psychological he said he attended a Christian Science selecting astronauts based on their genetic criteria, we’ll end up with a thousand church without explicitly saying he was a fitness in the face of prolonged microgravity candidates that tick most of the boxes, but Christian Scientist. and, potentially, high radiation doses. none that ticks them all. But, at the very least, In his book The Right Stuff Tom Wolfe Although I disagree with the good doctor on a we ought to make a start at looking into the says that in his heart of hearts Shepard was few points, he is correct in saying that some genetics of spaceflight tolerance. probably stone atheist; I have also seen it populations - and some individuals – will be said, and it is probably true, that religion better able to withstand long missions than Dr Paul H. Dear meant little or nothing to most, if not all, the others by virtue of their genetic makeup. CEO, Mercury astronauts – but, of course, none of When it comes to radiation tolerance, Mote Research Limited, them could say so in public. we know that there is a lot of variation in the Babraham Research Campus, Note again the contrast with Britain: I DNA repair mechanisms that help to offset Cambridge CB22 3AT. don’t think it would cross the mind of a British radiation’s effects. This manifests itself in journalist speaking to a similar British person many ways including, for instance, longevity, or group to ask about their religion. No-one, since DNA repair is one of the factors in Declarations so far as I know, ever asked any of the four slowing ageing and preventing cancer. It’s British Space Shuttle candidates (the ones likely that populations who have lived for tens whose chances were ended by the Challenger or hundreds of generations under conditions of faith accident) about their religion, and if they were of higher radiation exposure (for instance, at Sir: Theological debate is not often found in asked they might well have been baffled, and high altitude) will have, on average, greater Spaceflight, but I found the letters on religion unable to see its relevance. And does anyone tolerance than the rest of us. Sadly, no in the June issue (Vol 59, No 6 pages 230- In Britain know, or care, what, if anything, population has had to adapt to conditions of 231) interesting. I look forward to the further are the religious beliefs or allegiances of low gravity! contributions. Helen Sharman (and the other Juno Project However, as Bill points out, the There is, however, a factor that has not finalists), or Tim Peake? physiological stresses of microgravity are not yet been mentioned: the very great difference Some American astronauts have, of completely different from those experienced between British and American religious course, expressed obviously sincere religious in other circumstances and, as with radiation attitudes, seen most obviously in politics. beliefs, and all of us who are old enough tolerance, there will be considerable variation American reference works listing senators, remember the biblical reading from Apollo 8 in individuals’ (and perhaps populations’) representatives, state governors, etc. give, while orbiting the Moon at Christmas 1968, ability to cope with prolonged microgravity. as well as the other biographical details, their but one shouldn’t assume that expressed So, how far should genetics inform our religion. Similar British works listing British beliefs or allegiances are always entirely choice of candidates for long-duration space politicians don’t give their religion, and no-one sincere; they may be required by the general missions? Dr Rowe suggests starting with expects them to. ethos! physiologically promising populations, which When, about ten years ago, a not-very- is one angle. However, I think instead that we prominent American politician, Pete Stark, Ray Ward should capitalise on the increasing number Representative for the 13th District of Via email of astronauts who have already endured California (roughly equivalent to a backbench long-term missions, and about whom a lot of MP in Britain), declared himself an atheist, (Thanks Ray for highlighting a very real issue medical data has already been gathered. it was big news: the first significant elected regarding attention to religion. However far- The numbers of such people are, by American politician to “come out” as having no fetched it might seem now, how for instance, now, just about big enough to start doing religious beliefs. If some obscure British MP would China, an atheistic communist state, retrospective genomic testing. In effect, we’re were to declare him or herself an atheist, few handle imperatives on religion should there looking to see if any particular genetic variants would notice and fewer still would care! ever be a joint Mars base managed by China correlate with either a very good or a very But it isn’t confined to politics. There was and America? Then again, some astronauts bad tolerance to spaceflight. Even if such a a time, not so long ago, when no prominent are very religious indeed. Remember when study isn’t conducted now, we should at least American in any field could openly espouse Buzz Aldrin celebrated Holy Communion on be archiving and accumulating DNA samples atheism. When the Mercury Seven were the Moon? What do you think? You know from astronauts – and obtaining the necessary named in 1959 and were paraded at a press where to have your say! – The Editor)

394 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 society news

BIS Silver Pin for Michael Foale

BIS President Mark Hempsell presents Michael Foale with the silver pin on 24 June. Via Mark Hempsell

he BIS has completed its goal to give Born in Louth, Lincolnshire, in the UK related flight which also deployed a satellite every UK astronaut a commemorative on 6 January 1950 to a British father and (ATLAS-2) for studying the interaction of the silver pin with the most recent an American mother, Michael nurtured an Sun and Earth’s atmosphere and a free-flying Tpresentation to Michael Foale CBE, PhD. The early interest in flying by joining the Air platform (SPARTAN-201) recovered later on award was introduced in 2009, to recognise Training Corps and followed this through that mission. the achievement of UK-born individuals who with a proclaimed aspiration to one day fly Astronaut Foale had already gained a have undertaken a space flight to Earth orbit. into space, an ambition ridiculed by fellow reputation for his calm nerves and relaxed To date, these have also included Helen Cambridge University student Stephen Fry. demeanour in time of challenge and stress, Sharman, Piers Sellers, Nick Patrick, Richard Notwithstanding, Michael obtained a first-class qualities that would see him selected as Garriott and most recently Tim Peake. honours degree in 1978 and a doctorate in a mission specialist with the STS-63 crew Richard Garriott generously supported astrophysics in 1982 but in1980 personal aboard Discovery carrying cosmonaut Vladimir the manufacture of the silver pins, which are tragedy had struck when a truck got into G Titov on NASA’s first flight to rendezvous currently, and unfortunately, very rarely issued difficulties, careered across the road, smashed with the Mir space station in December 1995. by the BIS. As UK human space flight activity into his car killing his girlfriend and his brother. But it was on Atlantis that Foale made use increases, so it is hoped that the early pioneer Already the recipient of a flying licence, of his proficiency with the Russian language astronauts will be followed by others from this Michael Foale participated in scuba diving during his fourth space flight in May 1997, the country. and other sports, moving to Houston, Texas, sixth Shuttle docking to Mir. Foale remained Michael Foale is undoubtedly the most to take up a position with then McDonnell aboard the Russian space station for four qualified UK born astronaut, with a total of six Douglas (now Boeing) to work on Shuttle months, returning in Atlantis during late space flights on the NASA Space Shuttle and navigation issues. From there he became September. on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft to both the Mir a payload operations officer in the Mission It was during the visit to Mir that Foale and ISS orbiting facilities. He holds the current Operations Directorate and was responsible experienced what is generally regarded as UK record for cumulative time in space. A for payload management for six Shuttle the worst incident in space not to result in a combination of living in the United States missions up to and including STS-61C. Clearly loss of life. The Progress M-34 cargo-tanker and his busy schedule means he has also in the right place for his ultimate ambition, had undocked from the Kvant module on 24 proved the most elusive of the current qualified Michael Foale was nevertheless twice June for a day of autonomous flight. During astronauts. turned down in his application to become an an attempt to manually dock M-34 to the However, he was recently in the UK and astronaut but finally made selection in 1987. same port the Russian operators appeared to on Saturday 24 June he was the star of a Michael’s first flight assignment was one lose control and, out of contact with ground major lecture event which was organised by of seven on the STS-45 flight commanded stations, Progress collided with the Spektr Rowland Lindill, “The Armchair Astronaut”, who by Charlie Bolden, later NASA administrator, module, crushing one of the solar arrays generously added a slot so that the Society’s which flew in March 1992. Eleven months later and impacting the hull causing a leak. With President, Mark Hempsell, could hand over he was back in space on Shuttle Discovery alarms resounding through the station, and Michael’s pin in a short ceremony. as a mission specialist on STS-56, a science- the pressure dropping, the crew rushed to seal

396 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 society news

off Spektr, assisted by Foale who filmed the whole event. In the realm of exalted and experienced astronauts, Michael Foale truly came of age on only his second space flight when he conducted an EVA, followed by a second EVA from Mir in 1997. It was during the STS- 103 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope in December 1999 that he made an eight-hour spacewalk with Claude Nicollier. It was more than three years before Michael Foale went back to space, in October 2003, this time on Soyuz TMA-3, the third flight of the TMA variant. He remained aboard the International Space Station for more than six months becoming commander of Expedition 8 and making his fourth spacewalk, returning aboard TMA-4 at the end of April 2004. In six flights he had flown aboard two different types of spacecraft and two different space stations. Very few astronauts can lay that claim and he is the only US citizen to have visited both Mir and the ISS. Michael Foale left NASA in August 2013 to work on “green” aviation technology and is an active member of the International Space Schools Trust. He has received several awards and notable accolades from academic Astronaut C. Michael Foale (right), Expedition 8 commander and NASA ISS science officer, exercises institutions and he even has a street named using the Interim Resistive Exercise Device (IRED) equipment. Cosmonaut Gennady I Padalka and after him in his home town of Louth. ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands, look on. ESA

New BIS Members Journal of the British Mansur Tisaev, London Interplanetary Society Sofia Medina Cassillas, Spain JBIS Jim Quinn, Stroud Leslie Palmer, Isle of Man John Scott, New Zealand Ryan Curtis, Gloucestershire Colin Jack, East Lothian Mark Puera, USA Thomas Duchesne The February/March/April 2017 issue of the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society is now available and contains the following papers: Samuel Norman, W. Sussex Scott Guerin, USA 7th European Conference on Space Debris Information-Theoretic Approaches to Space Object Collision Temporal Analysis of ENVISAT’s Rotational Motion Risk Induced by the Uncatalogued Space Debris Population in the Presence of Large Constellations Debris Attitude Motion Measurements and Modelling by Correction Combining Different Observation Techniques Sensitivity of the Space Debris Environment to Large The Editor would like to apologise for Constellations and Small Satellites Assessment of Post-Manoeuvre Observation Correlation failing to notice an error in the September Using Short-Arc Tracklets Status of the Space Environment: Current Level of issue of Spaceflight, which on publication Adherence to the Space Debris Mitigation Optical Measurements Association Using Optimized carried the cover identification of Volume Boundary Value Initial Orbit Determination Coupled with Fast Re-Entry Deorbitation with Acceptable Risk Level 60 Number 8, referring to it as Volume 60 Markov Clustering Algorithm Architecture and First Achievements of a Simulation for the Number 9 on the contents page and for Method of Predicting and Processing Breakups of Space Approach of an Uncooperative Target consistently referring to it as Volume 60 Objects E.Deorbit - ESA’s Active Debris Removal Mission throughout the rest of the magazine. It GESTRA-Technology Aspects and Mode Design for Space should of course have been marked up Airbus DS Vision Based Navigation Solutions Tested on Surveillance and Tracking as Volume 59 Number 9 on the cover and LIRIS Experiment Data inside. Readers who save issues for future Copies of JBIS, priced at £20 for members, £40 to non-members plus P&P. reference may care to correct their copies Full list of available issues – www.bis-space.com/eshop/products-page/publications/jbis/ to avoid confusion. The errors are the 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 Editor’s alone.

Spaceflight Vol 59 October 2017 397 what’s on

Website: http://rispace.org/ BIS Lectures and Meetings The focus of the 2017 conference will be on the novel applications that are becoming commercially viable as space technology improves. These include space tugs; space tourism; Mars Nation satellite refuelling; debris removal; debris exploitation; manufacturing in orbit; real-time 22 September 2017, 7pm video from space; space mining; etc. Speaker: Dr Olesya Myakonkaya We also anticipate animated discussion on “The Norms of Behaviour in Space”, which are becoming increasingly important as we move towards the era of mega-constellation, the Venue: Newspeak House, 133 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch E2 7DG need for Space Traffic Control, and hence the requirement for significantly enhanced space BIS member Dr Olesya Myakonkaya is launching Mars Nation, to encourage younger situation awareness. professionals to take an interest in space! Mars Nation is a series of events where like-minded RISpace brings together industry, agency, government, financiers, academia and end users. enthusiasts and experts collaborate to solve grand space exploration challenges. Dr Myakonkaya says: “We believe anybody passionate about space travel can create meaningful solutions to 4th BIS Belgium Annual Space Symposium Mars colonisation problems with a little bit of help from experts.” Join them at ‘Survive on Mars: Life in Isolation’ to learn from Dr Vincent Giampietro about the mental health issues astronauts 28 October 2017, 2 pm face in space, train your brain like an astronaut, and collaborate with like-minded people to Venue: Armand Pien Observatory, Gezusters Lovelingstraat 1, 9000 Ghent, solve mental health problems.” See www.marsnation.space for more information. Belgium Skylark - Britain’s First Space Rocket BIS Belgium has organised its 4th symposium at a new venue in Ghent. There will be three 5 October 2017, 7.30 pm presentations: Venue: Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, 16 Queens Square, • Elisaveta Orlova - Policy Vacuums on Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life: Causes and Implications Bath, BA1 2HN • Bart Hendrickx - Planetary Exploration Update about planetary missions currently A joint event by the William Herschel Society and the BIS South West Branch under way and the ones that will be launched in the future In 1957 ‘Skylark’ was Britain’s first rocket to reach space, and became the basis of the country’s • Philip Corneille – Spacefarers’ wristwatches 1961-2021 first space programme and the birth of British space science and technology. Over the next More detailed info about the presentations can be found at www.bis-space.com/belgium/ 48 years, hundreds were fired from Australia and around the world, launching into space thousands of scientific instruments that made pioneering observations of the Earth, Sun, stars Call for Papers and galaxies. Symposium on Space Elevators Space Day 2017 7 November 2017 7 October 2017, 11 am - 4.30 pm The space elevator has captured the imagination of scientists and writers for decades. The Venue: The Hive, Sawmill Walk, The Butts, Worcester, WR1 3PD transition to low-cost, low-energy access to space via a smooth, gentle ride on an elevator has been compared to the transition from the horse-drawn carriage to the railways. The necessary The West Midlands Branch of the BIS has been running this event for several years now and strong, light-weight material remains elusive, but progress has been made in a number of last year’s event was our largest so far with 22 exhibitors, two talks, two children’s shows, a areas. A good summary is found in JBIS, 69, no.6-7, June-July 2016. build-a-model-spaceship competition and last but not least Rocket Motor static firings! The 2017 event, currently in the early planning stage, will be a similar event. Speakers are invited to submit presentation proposals for talks of up to 40 minutes duration Visiting the event is fascinating – from a stand run by a local Astronomy club you wander a on topics related to space elevators. The scope may include marketing, finance, management, few yards to the next stand and you can be chatting to a Science Fiction author or maybe an history (past and future) and science fiction, as well as scientific and technological topics such author who has been writing books documenting Space Exploration. Then onto a company as materials research, climbers, power transmission, simulation and space debris. Presentations like Reaction Engines pioneering break through propulsion technology. You turn round to will also be considered on associated technologies. look at the Leicester University stand and you could find yourself chatting to one of the UK’s Please send details of your proposed presentation to [email protected] before end-July 2017. top X Ray Astronomy researchers! Then of course there are: Planetarium shows, Talks, Book Proposal acceptance will be by mid-September 2017. readings, Build a Model Spaceship Competition., Finally you might even see a Static Rocket Motor firing! Do spread the word about Space Day and hope to see you there! West Midlands Branch Talks Call for Papers 18 November 2017, 1.45 pm UN Space Treaty Symposium Venue: The Gardeners Arms, Vines Lane, Droitwich, WR9 8LU 10 October 2017 The West Midlands Branch is continuing its varied series of talks and lectures at the Gardeners The British Interplanetary Society is holding a one day symposium to celebrate the 50th Arms. Our speakers for the afternoon are: Mark Yates – Apollo Era Artefacts and Gerry Webb – anniversary of the UN Space Treaty which has been the foundation of space law for half a The Fermi Paradox. century. The Society invites proposed papers as contributions to this symposium on two For further details please visit the BIS Website or the BIS WM Facebook page. Come and join us themes: Theme 1 - The history of the UN Space Treaty and its contribution to the exploration for what will be an interesting and entertaining afternoon. 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. The Fermi Paradox Speakers are asked to send details of their papers via the BIS, un_space_treaty_symposium@ bis-space.com, to Mark Hempsell and Jerry Stone, coordinators of the symposium. 28 November 2017 Venue: BIS, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ 15th Reinventing Space Conference The British Interplanetary Society will host a one day symposium to discuss the problems posed 24-26 October 2017 by the Fermi Paradox. The format will be similar to the sold out and well received symposium Venue: Strathclyde University, Technology & Innovation Centre, 99 George on ‘Future Histories and Forecasting’ held on the 25th January this year, with 10-12 speakers, Street, Glasgow, G1 1RD refreshment breaks and lunch supplied. More details coming soon, including draft programme.

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

398 Spaceflight Vol 59 October 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

I apply for Membership of the British Interplanetary Society from October 2017 to Dember 2018.

My payment is for: Member Member over 65 Member under 22 Student

I require copies of Spaceflight JBIS Space Chronicle Gift Aid I want The British Interplanetary Society to reclaim tax on my annual subscription and/or donation made

Today In the past 4 years In the future I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the British Interplanetary Society will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give. Please notify the charity if you: Want to cancel this declaration; Change your name or home address; No longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains. If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code.

Title:...... Name:...... Date of Birth:......

Address:......

......

Daytime Tel. No:...... Mobile:......

Email:......

Signature:...... Date:...... The Society accepts payment by Sterling cash**/cheque and credit/debit cards. Cards accepted are shown below. Please do not send credit/debit card details via email. **Sending cash is at your own risk. It is advisable to use registered post. By joining the Society you are confirming your agreement to abide by the rules of the Society. Credit/Debit Card Card Number...... Issue Date...... Expiry Date......

Issue No...... Sec No/CSC/CVC...... Signature...... Date...... Sterling Cheque I enclose a Sterling cheque for £...... made payable to BIS. * PLEASE NOTE: special offer ends 30 November 2017. Subscription Fees Spaceflight JBIS Spaceflight Spaceflight JBIS Spaceflight, JBIS UK Residents Only Only & JBIS & Space Chronicle & Space Chronicle & Space Chronicle Member £69.00 £69.00 £115.00 £96.00 £96.00 £142.00 Member under 22/Student £24.00 £24.00 £70.00 £51.00 £51.00 £97.00 Member over 65 £46.00 £46.00 £92.00 £73.00 £73.00 £119.00 Non-UK Residents Member £75.00 £75.00 £127.00 £103.50 £103.50 £155.50 Member under 22/Student £30.00 £30.00 £82.00 £58.50 £58.50 £110.50 Member over 65 £52.00 £52.00 £104.00 £80.50 £80.50 £132.50 Digital subscription rates are available, please go to www.bis-space.com/digital Return to The British Interplanetary Society, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ, England Apollo Special

The British Interplanetary Society

JOIN NOW FOR 2018! Your BIS membership includes: • Monthly issues of Spaceflight, the world’s leading space magazine, or JBIS, the global leader in peer-reviewed astronautical papers and our seminal history journal Space Chronicle is available for a supplementary fee • Access to a members-only website page with frequent new material including videos, lectures and reports • Membership of a worldwide network of like-minded people, uniting space industry professionals, enthusiasts and students • The opportunity to meet leading figures in space science, technology and exploration, including astronauts, with free entry to exciting evening talks (also available to members online) • Reduced rates to BIS workshops and social events meeting astronauts, scientists, engineers and opinion shapers at regular meetings • Access to the BIS library, one of the world’s most comprehensive astronautical collections including books, technical reports, journals and a full backlog of all the BIS’ publications • Odyssey, the BIS members’ e-magazine featuring interviews and articles, Society news and events with special articles covering sci-fi, art and a range of subjects linked to space and astronautics. Six issues per year. See p359 for an application form, visit our website or write for an application form to: British Interplanetary Society, Arthur C. Clarke House 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ, UK Join online: www.bis-space.com/join

400 Spaceflight Vol 59 January 2017