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Moon Mania! (Now Everyone’S Going There)

Moon Mania! (Now Everyone’S Going There)

SpaceFlight A British Interplanetary Society publication

Volume 61 No.4 April 2019 £5.25 mania! (now everyone’s going there)

Orbex: the UK’s new launcher copy Subscriber

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04> impact 634089 770038 9 copy Subscriber CONTENTS Features 6 Taking the High Road Scottish firm is planning a radical approach to a for the small market that will fly from the UK. 6 16 Return of the Black Arrow Ken MacTaggart FBIS delves into archives to Letter from the Editor celebrate the return of an iconic example of British engineering excellence: the first stage of An amazing start to 2019 punctuated by the first soft- the late-lamented Black Arrow . landing on the far side of the Moon by China’s Chang’e 4, sustained by 22 Patch works – the art of Space Age heraldry Israel’s Beresheet soft-lander on a Space-sleuth and historian Joel W. Powell looks . As we raise in the news at the remarkable array of mission patches and analysis (page 2) everyone it logos that have, sometimes controversially, seems is now heading for Earth’s adorned spacecraft over the last 60 years. nearest celestial neighbour. By the 16 way, America got to the far side first with Ranger 4 on 26 April 1962, 28 The Impact of Apollo – Part 1 but it was not in a survivable Nick Spall FBIS begins his three-part series condition! surveying the impact of the Moon landings on Congratulations must go to human society, technology and the subsequent Skyrora for recovering the first development of space exploration. stage of the UK’s only national satellite launcher – Black Arrow 32 Two to get ready – now being prepared for display Long-time collector of space-age artefacts and (page 16). The fortunes of that company too warrant applause as memorabilia Mark Yates describes a particularly they pioneer a resurgence in UK important document from the mission 22 launch vehicles. – the Cue Card preparing the astronauts for theircopy It is getting close to the month EVAs in the rugged lunar highlands. we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first humans to land on the Moon and we have the first of three articles this month preparing some background on the impact of Regulars that event (page 28). It is also fascinating for me to see the 2 Behind the news emerging collection of original Everyone’s gone to the Moon! Apollo documents now in the 28 hands of legitimate collectors, 4 Opinion eachSubscriber with a deep sense of history. 10 ISS Report 9 January – 8 February 2019 36 Multi-media The latest space-related books, games, videos

David Baker 38 Satellite Digest [email protected] 555 – January 2019 44 Society news / Diary 32 COVER: THE SPACECRAFT APPROACHES THE MOON AS ENVISAGED FOR AN EVENT ANTICIPATED WITHIN THE NEXT TWO YEARS / NASA YEARS TWO THE NEXT WITHIN ANTICIPATED AN EVENT FOR ENVISAGED AS THE MOON APPROACHES THE ORION SPACECRAFT COVER: What’s happened/ What’s coming up

OUR MISSION STATEMENT Editor David Baker, PhD, BSc, FBIS, FRHS Sub Editor Ann Page Creative Consultant Andrée Wilson Design & Production MP3 Media Promotion Gillian Norman Advertising Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 3160 Email: [email protected] The British Interplanetary Society Distribution Warners Group Distribution, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH, England Tel: +44 (0)1778 promotes the exploration and 391 000 Fax: +44 (0)1778 393 668 SpaceFlight, Arthur C. Clarke House, 27-29 South Lambeth Road, SW8 1SZ, use of space for the benefit England Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 3160 Email: [email protected] www.bis-space.com Published monthly by the British Interplanetary Society, SpaceFlight is a publication that promotes the mission of the British of humanity, connecting people Interplanetary Society. Opinions in signed articles are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of to create, educate and inspire, the Editor or the Council of the British Interplanetary Society. Registered Company No: 402498. Registered charity No: and advance knowledge in 250556. The British Interplanetary Society is a company limited by guarantee. Printed in England by Latimer Trend & Co. © 2019 British Interplanetary Society 2017 ISSN 0038-6340. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced all aspects of astronautics. or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission for the Publishers. Photocopying permitted by license only.

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 1 BEHIND THE NEWS

EVERYONE’S GONE TO THE MOON! Beresheet imagined standing on the Sea of Serenity after its April touchdown on the lunar surface.copy Israel has embarked upon a bold attempt to become only the fourth country to land on the Moon – but is it all pie in the sky?

NAMED AFTER THE HEBREW WORD for ‘Genesis’, By 2018 five competitors had shown launch Beresheet is the first privately funded Moon mission contracts but on 23 January that year the prize was to leave Earth and signals a new era in the withdrawn, leaving a few to continue with their commercial exploration of space. Designed and built plans, significantly reduced in capability, however. by Israel Aerospace Industries for SpaceIL, a SpaceIL was one which decided to consolidate a non-profit organisation supported by Israeli donors design around a simple lander, as a technology Subscriberand foundation organisation around the world, it has demonstrator and as a proof-of-concept spacecraft already attracted the attention of the Israel Space which aimed to demonstrate the national skills and Agency (ISA), who have considered supporting more also to display the talents of the Interdisciplinary of the type – if it delivers as promised. Center Herzliya (ICH), founded in 1994 close to Tel First in an expanding inventory of privately Aviv with 8,000 students. operated spacecraft, Beresheet was launched by At first, SpaceIL aimed to meet the requirement Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40 on 21 of the competition by re-igniting its descent engine February (local time) at the beginning of a journey to conduct a series of hops moving it 500 m away that will take the spacecraft on a flight of almost 6.5 from its initial landing spot. The technology for this million km before it lands on the lunar surface on the was attainable, but the budget of $100 million was Sea of Serenity on 11 April. not enough for such sophistication and the more The venture began as one of the 20 contenders in modest requirement was decided upon. Even so, the Google Lunar XPRIZE (GLXP) set up in 2007, all the design and fabrication of this spacecraft is a competing to receive $30 million for being first to further extension of Israel’s increasing interest in get a working spacecraft on the surface of the Moon joining the ranks of the big players who are within seven years. Initially, 31 contenders put their increasingly using the Moon, as well as Mars, to names forward but 11 dropped out. The rules demonstrate their technological capabilities. required a privately funded team to put a rover on the Moon and travel 500 m as well as sending back MODEST BEGINNINGS to Earth video and images. The challenge proved too Beresheet is about 1.5 m tall and 2.3 m in diameter ambitious. In 2015 the deadline was extended by with a launch mass of 585 kg and a dry mass of 150 two years and, in August 2017 extended again to the kg. When designed the spacecraft was known as

end of March 2018. Sparrow, but that was changed. But the trajectory is (RIGHT) TABAZZZ / (ABOVE) OSHRATSL

2 Vol 61 April 2019 SpaceFlight BEHIND THE NEWS unique in that the spacecraft will make many of the Earth with small burns of its single rocket motor to increase apogee until that crosses the line at which the gravitational influence of the Moon becomes dominant. Having crossed this point, known as the equigravisphere, around the end of March Beresheet will enter an elliptical lunar with a gradually decreasing perilune until it begins the descent phase to land on the surface. The lunar capture phase is expected to last about a week before it is in precisely the correct path to start the descent, which is expected to last between twenty and thirty minutes prior to touchdown. The planned landing zone is 15 km in diameter and without any active cooling system the spacecraft is expected to operate for only two days, taking measurements with a magnetometer provided by the Weizmann Institute of Science and employing a laser retroreflector array from NASA’s Goddard

Space Flight Center. SpaceIL will share data from NASA the magnetometer with NASA. The laser retroreflector features eight small quartz cube ABOVE 1,100 N, examples of which power Lockheed Martin corners which allows a reflection of laser light from Beresheet follows A2100 communication as well as a range of any source. The laser altimeter on NASA’s Lunar a succession of planetary missions including NEAR Shoemaker, Mars increasing Earth- Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will be used to try to orbit elliptical Global , Mercury Messenger and Juno. bounce light from this reflector enabling the location trajectories before The restartable Leros engine uses a monomethyl- of Beresheet to be pinpointed to within 10 cm. lunar capture on hydrazine fuel and a mix of nitrogen oxides as Tracking and communications is using the 10 March and a oxidiser and is being eyed by Israel as a propulsion landing in mid- Swedish Space Corporation’s network of antennas April. system of choice for a more ambitious programme of until the spacecraft lands. If it is successful, NASA lunar exploration, joining an increasing number of will employ the Deep Space Network (DSN) to countries which now see the Moon as a proving- communicate with Beresheet on the surface of the ground for innovative design. Moon. The DSN is routinely used to track and copy maintain communications with a wide range of ROBOTS GALORE NASA and international planetary and solar system The scientific and commercial benefits of expanded spacecraft, from orbiters around the Moon to New uncrewed lunar exploration are attracting increasing Horizons in the Kuiper Belt. numbers of participants, from China’s Chang’e series The single rocket motor is from a family of Without any to proposals now in place for US commercially hydrazine-fuelled motors that emerged from a series funded lunar landing vehicles which NASA wants to of designs developed in the UK by the Royal active cooling see settling on the lunar surface this year or next. It Ordnance in the 1990s. Now manufactured by has already selected 12 science and technology NAMMO at Westcott, , the Leros system the demonstration payloads for those ventures. engines have range of thrust levels from 460 N to spacecraft is It also wants the research to find relevance to the Subscribermuch anticipated plans for the exploration of Mars expected to and still sees the Moon initiatives as servient to that goal. But more than that, as expressed by NASA operate for Administrator Jim Bridenstine: “The Moon has unique scientific value and the potential to yield only two days resources, such as water and oxygen. Its proximity to Earth makes it especially valuable as a proving ground for deeper space exploration.” The Science Mission Directorate at NASA sees these payload selections as merely the first step in a fully integrated programme of Moon and Mars, crewed and uncrewed exploration and seeks to use this commercial opportunity to underpin a unifying approach between human and robotic exploration and scientific research. If NASA can achieve this the long and hotly contested debate about the worth of expensive LEFT human space fight projects compared to very much Built by Israel cheaper robotic projects may wither and be replaced Aerospace by an integrated programme involving not only a Industries, a Beresheet replica hardware-based argument but also implicitly linking on show at Moon to Mars exploration. Habima Square. It is interesting to see that two technology

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 3 BEHIND THE NEWS

Briefing WAKE-UP CALL China’s far-side Moon lander Chang’e 4 Arrows indicate position of Chang’e 4 lander on the floor of Von Kármán crater with the (above) and its rover Yutu-2 are performing west wall rising more than 3,000 m above the floor in the background. The sharp crater behind and to the left of the landing site is 3.9 km across and 600 m deep. well as they get a wake-up call to begin operations after surviving two lunar nights. (ABOVE) / CNSA (RIGHT) NASA With temperatures dropping as low as -173º demonstrations have been carrying astronauts for at least C, lunar nights are the hard test for selected: a solar cell platform for three or possibly four years from spacecraft and after landing on 3 January long-duration lunar surface power now. In the meantime, internal the two spacecraft were shut down for the and a navigation beacon system for plans anticipate the first tests with first lunar night, waking up 26 days later for geolocating orbiters and landers crewed landers to the lunar surface the rover to move 120 m before entering the engaged in surface exploration. to begin, without astronauts second night on 11 February and resuming Along with an effective aboard, in 2024. After that, it wants operations on 28 February and 1 March for communications relay service, such the first humans back on the Moon the rover and the lander respectively. a capability would be essential for by 2028. It is difficult to disconnect 21st century Moon programmes. thatcopy aspiration from the declared While NASA gets ready to fly its ambitions of China, which may yet HEDGING ITS BETS flagship deep-space ferry vehicle to beat America back to the lunar NASA is considering procurement of two the Moon and back in less than two surface. In the words of the song, more astronaut seats on Russia’s years, Orion will probably not be “Everyone’s gone to the Moon”! SF spacecraft in 2019 and 2020, just in case SpaceX and Boeing fail to start commercial deliveries of crewmembers to the ISS this Opinion year. While remaining confident that one or both contenders will start launching astronauts from US soil for the first time since 2011,Subscriber NASA has expressed concerns DISRUPTIVE EFFECTS over the possible repercussions of a delay. At time of going to press SpaceX expected to THERE IS A RENEWED SURGE in the exploration of the Moon and in the send up the first uncrewed demonstration provision of small satellite launchers, the latter bringing another space-related flight this month (March). business potential to the UK. And connected to that, it is heartening to see the passion linked to aspiration that energised Skyrora to re-connect with a piece of Britain’s space history by bringing back to the UK the first stage of the UK’s Black Arrow satellite launcher. Linking the two is inspirational and that re-boots aspiration itself for another surge in capability. But there is something poignant about this story. It was British industry, with an eye to commercial opportunity, that first put Black Arrow on the launch pad but it was a British government that took it away – leaving industry interests and a relatively small player to resurrect that intent and with a proud tradition of acknowledging grass roots. There is a wealth of opportunity for British space engineering unrealised because of lack of unifying, government-led, vision. The UK has a “space agency” but its resources are minimal and, with good intentions, it can do little other than applaud the work of the private, industrial or corporate world. The PR is very good. But is it enough? We don’t think so. We think that the British public should be made much more aware that the UK is well equipped, with demonstrated capacity for growth, to engage with new and exciting avenues of space science and engineering.

NASA The news from Orbex and Lockheed Martin – an America-based company with

4 Vol 61 April 2019 SpaceFlight BEHIND THE NEWS Briefing BIG SPACE Suited and booted NASA has earmarked $242 million in funding (not including launch costs) for SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) – a two-year mission for launch in 2023. SPHEREx (below) will survey the sky in optical as well as near-infrared light, enabling astronomers to gather data on more than 300 million galaxies, as well as over 100 million stars in the Milky Way. NASA

ON HOLD Planned for launch in October 2021 to the Trojan asteroids, a stop-work order has NASA been placed on NASA’s Lucy Discovery- Curiosity encountered a hurdle on 15 February, when a hiccup during boot-up class spacecraft pending the result of a interrupted its planned activities and triggered a protective safe mode. The rover was brought out of this mode on four days later, and is otherwise operating normally, having protest filed by SpaceX over the selection successfully booted up over 30 times without further issues. Throughout the weekend, copyof a ULA V as the launch vehicle. Curiosity was sending and receiving technical data, communicating with the team in Named after the proto-hominin “Lucy”, order to help them pinpoint the cause of the issue. “We’re still not sure of its exact itself named after the Beatles song “Lucy cause and are gathering the relevant data for analysis”, said Steven Lee, Curiosity’s deputy project manager. in the Sky with Diamonds”, the spacecraft is expected to do for planetary scientists what the skeleton did for anthropology.

CLEANING UP The market is set for the UK to carve out a SSTL’s RemoveDEBRIS project has major slice of the global cake… but time achieved another success following its Subscriber demonstration on 16 September 2018 of capturing a simulated target by net. On 8 never stands still February the satellite (below) successfully fired a harpoon to a simulated target on commitment to British ingenuity – that it is to provide the hardware for a new the end of a boom 4.9 m long. Built on an national launch capability is evidence enough that there is peer-acknowledged SSTL X-50 bus, the project aims to provide potential pointing the group of countries represented by the UK to once more data and technologies that could be used engage in a national launch system. But more than that, a British launch to help mitigate the effects of space complex, or complexes, capable of supporting a “one-stop-shop” for launcher- debris. Given the intention of several and-lift. operators to launch several thousand The stakes are high; the majority of satellites launched worldwide are now in satellites over the next decade, many the category that could be accommodated by planned UK and facilities analysts see debris removal as key to the – launch sites that may lease out pads to non-UK satellite lifters for added survivability of space-based assets. revenue. Of course not all would be capable of flying from the UK, given the latitude and geographically-defined constraints on azimuth. But there are enough SSTL to make it a potentially lucrative market. It still comes full circle. Government support and investment is needed now and to a greater level of recognition for market potential. Given the surge in space industry growth and corporate revenues already accrued from UK-led projects, the time is now both ripe and urgent. The market is set for the UK to carve out a major slice of the global cake… but time never stands still and the country needs a more robust and resilient response. It needs a leader – a government that understands. SF David Baker

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 5 LAUNCH VEHICLES

Taking the high road copy

Scotland’s expanding space sector has taken another leap forward with the unveiling of a new satelliteSubscriber launcher and the opening of a rocket production centre at Forres, in Moray District. by Ken MacTaggert FBIS

UK launch vehicle developer Orbex has unveiled the composite, and a revolutionary propellant tanking second stage of its orbital vehicle, named Prime, at system for a fuel never before used on a space its new assembly facility in Forres Enterprise Park. It is expected launch vehicle, liquid propane. There are two co-axial Orbex is relocating its headquarters here from tanks, an inner cylindrical tank containing the London. The company has purchased a 2,000 square to create over propane fuel, completely surrounded by an annular metre building on the east side of the town. It “sleeve” tank of liquid oxygen as oxidiser. The combines a rocket design and integration workshop, one hundred bio-propane is a clean-burning renewable fuel source an operations centre and executive offices, and is jobs in the that cuts carbon emissions by 90% compared with expected to create over one hundred jobs in the fossil hydrocarbons. It is supplied by Calor and is Highlands. Highlands chemically identical to the Calor gas (LPG) used for The sleek black second stage of the innovative domestic heating and barbecues. rocket was revealed at an event in early February in Orbex has completely re-engineered conventional front of several key figures from the industry – the propellent tanking in rockets, where the fuel tank chief executive of the UK Space Agency, Scottish sits atop the oxidiser tank (or vice versa), and the and UK government ministers, and Jean-Jacques upper fluid has to be piped down through or past the Dordain, until recently Director General of ESA. lower propellant to the engine. In this new design, The new vehicle is a highly innovative design with both tanks have their base directly above the engine, its fuselage made of carbon fibre and aluminium so feeding the propellants into the combustion

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copy Subscriber

ABOVE ORBEX Orbex upper stage on show in Scotland for the unveiling.

LEFT The combustion chamber for the propane-fuelled launcher, unique as the first of its kind built to send satellites into space.

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 7 LAUNCH VEHICLES BELOW: USAF / LEFT: ORBEX / LEFT: USAF BELOW:

chamber is much simpler. ABOVE satellites during launch.copy This payload bay and the In another weight-saving benefit, the tank The expansion overall vehicle have a diameter of 1.3 metres. Orbex arrangement is superior to the usual set of tanks skirt for Orbex has also created a novel zero-shock staging and upper stage, with hemispherical domes at each end, which create shaped for payload separation system called Magic, which wasted space around them, and require extended vacuum thrust. leaves no orbital debris. fuselage lengths to accommodate them. The design of the Prime rocket’s first stage Propane is the only fuel which can be readily remains to be disclosed but is believed to tanked in this way, surrounded by the LOX tank, BELOW incorporate an innovative recovery system to permit without freezing. It remains liquid and conveniently Three micro- re-use of the stage. densified by the chill, which further reduces the tank satellites of the Orbex chief executive Chris Larmour stresses that type that could volume required. be launched by rocketry is no longer the experimental science it The PrimeSubscriber second stage is powered by a 30 kN Orbex’s small once was. Advances in technology have meant that engine, which has already been test-fired multiple launch vehicle. it is now a matter of applying knowledge and times. The engine, like the turbo pumps, is made by additive manufacturing in a single piece, the largest 3-D printed in the world. SLM Solutions of Lubeck, Germany manufactures the rocket engine and its complex internal detail of cooling tubes. The re-startable engine is terminated by a large nozzle optimised to operate in the vacuum of space. As a result, the Prime launch vehicle is claimed to be 30 percent lighter and 20 percent more efficient than other small satellite launchers.

BIG INTENTIONS The company’s target market is small, micro and nano-satellites to altitudes up to 1,250 km, inserting them into Sun-synchronous or polar orbits. Its service aim is for accuracy of orbit insertion, regularity, on-time launch and at a competitive fixed price. The short second stage is topped by a jettisonable split nose faring which will protect the cargo of

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SMALL: THE NEW BIG ESA

It’s ironic that while major satellite launch providers are rushing to outdo each other on price, seeking efficiencies through bulk procurement and profits on attracting customers through reliability and service, small launchers are getting a boost from lower costs driving cheaper prices. With the number of satellite constellations set to and miniaturisation taking over the production lines, demand for small launchers is set to increase, predictions supported by the flow of customers for payload lifters offering rides to customers bringing payloads weighed in kilogrammes rather than tonnes. And it is precisely this market for which organisations such as Lockheed Martin and Orbex are a natural fit for start-up launch complex such as those presently planned for the UK. Currently, the market size for micro- satellites and nano-satellites in growing fast, being a driving influence DIWATA-1, the first Filipino microsatellite, is photographed by British astronaut Tim Peake as it is with research platforms bolted on to launched from the International Space Station, April 2016. spaceplanes begun for “space tourism” adding a boost; payloads researched and trialled in suborbital or nano-size orbiting spent on this category in the decade up to the capabilities in this sector because of platforms can point the way for 2016, 50% occurred in the last two years its geographic location and its island operational constellations of micro- and with several operators planning status. There is great opportunity for satellites providing services now several thousand such satellites during international cooperation such as that supported on large platforms by operators the decade beginning in 2022, the market whichcopy Orbex has achieved with Lockheed such as Arianespace or United Launch could find lack of launch opportunities Martin and when news breaks later this Alliance. unless it expands the supply base by year about the possibility of first-stage Micro-satellites are in the 10-100 kg increasing launcher options. Which is reusability, cost reductions which until category, while nano-satellites weigh why the investor in launch vehicle now have flowed to operators such as 1-10 kg. These payload categories are operations would do well to put money SpaceX may provide advantage for the attractive due to the averaged launch into these launchers rather than the small launcher market also. Think on this: costs. But the small satellite market has medium and heavy-lift launchers. nearly 59% of all 461 satellites launched been slow to take off. Of the $2.5 billion The UK is uniquely placed to advance in 2018 weighed less than 100 kg. DB expertise that already exists, rather than pushing launches. extremeSubscriber boundaries. A huge volume of research The announcement of Orbex’s commitment to the data and even manuals on rocket design are readily We are Moine launch site on Scotland’s north coast is a available. major boost to that project, whose infrastructure is “We got our guidance and navigation system from Europe’s being funded by development agency Highlands & Elecnor Deimos, and it was already flight-proven. We Islands Enterprise (HIE) and UKSA. HIE recently didn’t have to invent it”, he says. front-runner requested bids for project management and cost As well as a full engineering prototype of the for those management services, to oversee the appointment complete Stage Two, we now have a growing roster of a site operator and construction contractor. of customers hoping to be among the first to launch looking to Construction at the site is expected to start in spring satellites from Scotland”, says Orbex chief executive 2020, with the first launch indicatively targetted for Chris Larmour. His company is working towards Earth orbit for late 2021. launch from the new Moine in Sutherland, Charlotte Wright, HIE chief executive, said of where they are expected to take one of the two new Orbex’s new base: “Today is a significant day for launch pads being built there. Moray, whose economy is rich in aviation, The inaugural Orbex launch has already been opportunities technology and advanced engineering skills, booked by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) of stemming from the RAF presence and the energy Guildford, the world’s leading manufacturer of small sector.” satellites, which plans to loft an experimental Graham Turnock, chief executive of the UK Space payload. Agency added: “Orbex’s new rocket design facility Astrocast SA of Switzerland also intends to be on brings us one step closer to having our own an early launch with their nanosatellites aimed to domestic commercial launch capability. We are create a planet-wide “Internet of Things” network. Europe’s front-runner for those looking to Earth orbit Elecnor Deimos has contracted for up to 20 satellite for new opportunities.” SF

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 9 ISS REPORT ISS Report 9 January – 8 February 2019

Expedition 58 is into its second month of operations. The orbital outpost is under the command of Russian and flight engineers, American Anne McClain and Canadian David Saint-Jacques. copy Report by George Spiteri

on 9 January, mission managers decided to delay the return to Earth of SpaceX’s unmanned Dragon commercial resupply vehicle. Dragon was due to be released Ofrom the station the following day but poor weather in the landing zone forced the delay by NASA and SpaceX. McClainSubscriber assisted Saint-Jacques with the Vascular Echo experiment on 10 January, which involved scanning his leg’s femoral artery with an ultrasound device to better understand how spaceflight affects the cardiovascular system. The CSA astronaut took time out to answer questions NASA IMAGES: from students in Saskatchewan and told them that if he “didn’t come from Earth” he’d want to visit Earth, “it’s the most beautiful planet in the universe”, whilst Kononenko worked with the Russian Pilot-T investigation, which explores ways to improve piloting techniques in space, participated in a regular psychological assessment and maintained the life support systems aboard the ABOVE photo of himself during the crew’s light-duty Anne McClain peers into Russian segment. a microscope and takes weekend performing household chores such as While the US Government partial shutdown photographs for the giving the ISS “a good clean”. continued, the dearth of information emanating Protein Crystal Growth-16 from NASA and other space related media meant experiment exploring FAREWELL DRAGON the only newsworthy item on 11 January was a therapies for Parkinson's Ground controllers used Canadarm2 to unberth disease. tweet posted by Saint-Jacques of a photo of Earth Dragon from the Earth facing port of Harmony from orbit of what he mistakenly thought were “at about 20:05 UTC” on 13 January according “specks on the window” but were actually “giant to space analyst Jonathan McDowell. McClain icebergs!” The following day he also tweeted a monitored events as the robotic arm released

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Mission Control radioed the crew with indications of a “potential fire in ” copy Subscriber Dragon nearly three and a half hours later at 23:33 ABOVE complete cargo removal. UTC. Following three planned departure burns, The space freighter from At approximately 18:48 UTC on 14 January, Northrop Grumman and its McClain radioed her “congratulations to all the prominent cymbal-shaped Mission Control radioed the crew with indications teams” who made the Dragon flight possible UltraFlex solar arrays are of a “potential fire in Cygnus”. McClain adding “Godspeed and bon voyage”. SpaceX pictured 421 km above immediately floated into the cargo vehicle and controllers at Hawthorne, California commanded the Atlantic Ocean off the found “no visible signs” of any fire and the Dragon’s Draco thrusters to conduct a 12 min 53 coast of Argentina. Towards incident was declared a false alarm. As if on cue the top centre of the sec de-orbit burn at 04:19 UTC on 14 January. photograph is the seven- the crew performed a routine evacuation drill This was followed by the jettisoning of Dragon’s windowed cupola with its after simulating an emergency aboard the station. unpressurised trunk and a parachute-assisted shutters open. McClain also worked on the Multi-Purpose Small landing “further south than usual, off the coast of Payload Rack (MSPR) which houses a variety of Baja”, according to McDowell. small experiments. Saint-Jacques installed neutron SpaceX tweeted “Good splashdown of detectors for a study which aims to understand Dragon confirmed” 54 min later to complete how space radiation impacts crewmembers and the Commercial Resupply Services-16 (CRS-16) Kononenko worked with the Electromagnetic mission at 05:13 UTC (21:13 13 January local Levitator which exposes materials to extremely time). Dragon returned with 1,800 kg of scientific high temperatures to explore their thermo-physical research equipment and hardware and was taken properties in weightlessness. to the port of Los Angeles where its critical On 16 January, Saint-Jacques used CSA’s new experiments were first removed and eventually Bio-Monitor system to measure his blood pressure, to SpaceX’s test centre at MacGregor, Texas for which checks an astronaut’s psychological data in

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 11 copy

real-time with a minimum interference to crew ABOVE tissue and the mice’s thyroid gland using the activities. Saint-Jacques tweeted that as a Canadian The SpaceX Dragon cargo Organ-Avt bioprinter” had been declared a success craft is pictured attached to he was; “Proud to set up” the experiment which the Harmony module as the according to Projects Head of 3D Bioprinting also has the potential to help people on Earth orbital complex flew 415 km Solutions Yusef Khesuani who told TASS “the “living far from medical facilities”. McClain worked above the Indian Ocean off internal structure of these organs is intact”. with the Fluids Shifts experiment, collected blood the eastern coast of South The bioprinter had been delivered to the station samples and relocated a laptop from Harmony Africa. by Soyuz MS-11 in December (SpaceFlight Vol 61 to Columbus, whilst her Russian commander No.2 pp 14 and 16) and Kononenko managed to inspectedSubscriber and photographed the windows in create “the organic construct of a mouse’s thyroid the Russian segment and conducted an Earth gland”. Khesuani added that there were plans to observation session, photographing natural and transplant the living tissue printed on the ISS man-made phenomena. McClain to mice on Earth and it will require “additional Kononenko worked with the Russian equipment and additional operations”. Vzaimodeistvie (Interactions) experiment on 17 radioed her The crew enjoyed an extended light-duty January, which explores how crewmembers and weekend 19/20/21 January to commemorate US ground support staff from different countries and “congratulations Martin Luther King Jr. Day during which they cultures learn to work and live together. Saint- took time to speak to family and friends and tweet Jacques replaced electronic gear in ESA’s Kubik to all the teams” photographs of Earth from the Cupola which Saint- incubator, which allows research on seeds, cells and who made the Jacques later described “as an amazing place” for small animals to be conducted inside Columbus, taking pictures. whilst McClain performed further research with Dragon flight On 22 January, McClain began work with the the Fluids Shifts investigation. new Facet Cell crystal growth experiment inside possible adding Kibo and later conducted maintenance work on MOVING AND SHAKING the US Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMUs) The engines of 71 were fired for 500 sec at “Godspeed and suits in the Quest airlock. Saint-Jacques reviewed 18:01 UTC on 18 January to place the ISS in a 422.2 procedures for Cygnus in preparation for its x 407.4 km orbit in readiness for the arrival of bon voyage” departure and all three crewmembers gathered upcoming cargo vehicles and the next Soyuz crew. in Zvezda to assist McClain don the Lower Body Russia’s TASS News Agency reported on Negative Pressure (LBNP) suit, which pulls 18 January that an experiment conducted by fluids downward and according to a NASA blog Kononenko to print the “humans’ cartilaginous “temporarily reverse these upward fluid shifts”.

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McClain and Saint-Jacques entered the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) on 23 January for a routine check of its sensors and to stow various hardware. They later joined Kononenko to review procedures in the event of a medical emergency aboard the station which might require an immediate evacuation aboard their Soyuz vehicle.

GOODBYE PROGRESS Progress MS-09/70P undocked from Pirs at 12:55 UTC on 25 January and completed a planned destructive re-entry over the southern Pacific Ocean, east of New Zealand’s North Island nearly four hours later at 16:50 UTC. Roscosmos tweeted a spectacular picture taken by Kononenko from the Station as the unmanned cargo craft began its de- orbit into the Earth’s atmosphere at 16:08 UTC. 26/27 January were devoted to light-duty activities for the crew which included Saint- Jacques performing routine maintenance to the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR). McClain and Kononenko devoted most ABOVE and educators can collaborate with space crews of 28 January setting up and monitoring the David Saint-Jacques as part of the Russian Experiment Inter-MAI-75 becomes a barber and Synchronised Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, trims Commander Oleg study. Saint-Jacques also spoke to students from Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) Zero-Robotics Kononenko's hair with Vancouver and admitted they are always busy but hardware inside Kibo. This study involves high clippers attached to a having only three crewmembers “means we can do school students competing to design the best vacuum hose. things our own way”. algorithms that control the basketball sized satellites to mimic spacecraft manoeuvres and TOILET LEAK formation flying. Saint-Jacques set up the Bio- Around 11 litres of water leaked during routine Monitor hardware for another two day session with maintenance work inside Tranquility on 1 the device and continued packing Cygnus with February. Accordingcopy to sources “a significant unwanted items. number of towels” had to be used to clean up the All three crewmembers participated in body mess which occurred during work the astronauts mass measurements on 29 January. McClain tested were conducting “to prepare for the future and photographed new lights which scientists are installation of the Urine Transfer System (UTS)” hoping will improve crew sleep and performance and Saint-Jacques told his US colleague in jest “the and Saint-Jacques used a handheld sextant inside only problem is I can’t call a professional plumber if the Cupola to focus on stability and sighting I need help”. opportunities in microgravity. Also on 1 February, McClain set up a VR On 30 January, Kononenko studied the effect of camera to film what a NASA blog described weightlessness on heart rate and breathing and later as “a first-person’s view aboard the orbital lab workedSubscriber with the Russian Vizir hardware which in an immersive, cinematic experience”, whilst uses advanced photographic tools and techniques Kononenko worked in Kibo and conducted to detect important targets of interest on Earth. BELOW maintenance on the life support equipment inside The Waste and Hygiene Saint-Jacques installed new electronics gear to Compartment, or toilet, the Russian segment. Kubik whilst McClain swapped a hard drive on a which suffered a leak in As part of the Crew Earth Observations laptop computer dedicated to meteor observations Tranquility. (CEO) programme, McClain and Saint-Jacques and participated in ESA’s Circadian Rhythms investigation, which studies a crewmember’s biological clock and how it changes during long duration spaceflight. The experiment was completed once the data was collected two days later and McClain removed the sensors from her head and chest. Five CubeSats were deployed from Kibo’s airlock between 10:25 UTC and 16:45 UTC on 31 January. The CubeSats were delivered to the ISS by the latest Dragon and were dedicated to a variety of educational and technical mission objectives including studying the ionosphere and satellite communications. McClain and Saint-Jacques monitored and photographed the deployments. Kononenko photographed the interior portion of the Russian segment and explored ways students

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photographed the area in Brazil during their ABOVE researched crew psychology and radiation exposure light-duty weekend on 2/3 February where a dam Anne McClain looks at a experiments. laptop computer screen collapsed on 25 January in Brumadinho, resulting inside the U.S. Destiny The crew completed loading Cygnus with in at least 157 deaths and approximately 182 laboratory module during unwanted items on 7 February and conducted final missing. ground conference practice runs for the cargo spacecraft’s release. Subscriberoperations. On 4 February, the crew did further work with McClain and Saint-Jacques worked with NASA’s Kubik, the CIR and the Marrow investigation, Polar freezer and the Window Observational which examines the effect of microgravity on bone Research Facility (WORF) inside Destiny. marrow. The following day McClain and Saint- The WORF facility is used for remote sensing Jacques collaborated on an experiment which instrumentation test and validation by the crew observes how living in a spacecraft for long periods and its payloads conduct terrestrial studies utilising impacts crew behaviour. McClain also collected the data collected by WORF. and stored biological samples for a pair of human Packed with 2,494 kg of unwanted items, research studies looking at physiological changes Cygnus was unberthed from the Earth facing port whilst Kononenko photographed Earth landmarks Around 11 litres of of Unity according to Jonathan McDowell from the Russian segment courtesy of the ongoing “probably around 1100-1200 UTC” on 8 February Uragan (Hurricane) experiment. water leaked and released by Canadarm2 several hours later at 16:16 UTC as the complex flew over the Pacific UNDER THE LENS during routine Ocean, west of Peru. Cygnus was named in honour McClain used a microscope on 6 February to take of and Mission Control paid tribute to photographs for the Protein Crystal Growth-16 maintenance work NASA’s longest serving astronaut after its release by experiment and collected more blood and urine describing him as “a great pioneer of the space samples for NASA’s Repository study. The US inside Tranquility frontier”. Before the cargo craft is sent to a planned astronaut teamed up with Saint-Jacques to destructive re-entry over the Pacific Ocean on 25 work on the French Fluid Dynamics in Space February, Cygnus will release several CubeSats via physics investigation. Their Russian commander the NanoRacks External Cygnus CubeSat conducted maintenance activities inside Zarya and Deployment Programme. SF

14 Vol 61 April 2019 SpaceFlight copy Subscriber LAUNCH VEHICLES

Return of the Black Arrow The first stage of Britain’s only successful orbital launcher has been salvaged from the Australian desert and brought back to the UK by Skyrora, the Scottish rocket manufacturer that aims to resume Britain’s copy long-lost orbital capability. by Ken MacTaggart FBIS

he stage had been jettisoned during the launch of the Black Arrow R3 rocket from Woomera on 28 October 1971. It crashed to the ground as planned in a desert area north of the launch T site. Now it has been purchased by Skyrora from the remote Outback community of William Creek, whichSubscriber displayed it in a small park for three decades. After a voyage of 35 days on a cargo ship, the battered stage was revealed at a warehouse in Penicuik, Midlothian, on 25 January 2019. At the unveiling, Daniel Smith, Director at Skyrora, said: “This is probably the most important artefact linked to the UK’s space history”. Two members of the original Black Arrow engineering team, Derek Mack and Mike Kelleway, who both now live in the where Black Arrow was developed and tested, were present to witness its unveiling near Edinburgh.

The vehicle had survived its uncontrolled descent HAYMAN JOHN / OPPOSITE: AUSTRALIA OF COMMONWEALTH LEFT: surprising well. With the propellant tanks empty, it rotated to fall heavy-end first, so the engines took the brunt of the impact with the ground. The eight nozzles of the Gamma 8 engine were squashed flat, and the support structure mangled, but most parts remained broadly in their correct places. The large High-Test Peroxide tank was still joined to the engines, but the smaller kerosene tank was detached, as was the tapered first stage separation bay which connected the first and second stages. Another ring of fuselage metal has also come off, suggesting that

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Return of the

ABOVE the stage had been cut up during its initial retrieval The battered first from the desert, or perhaps over-pressurised after being stage of Black Arrow R3 in the jettisoned. park in William Creek, South REUNITED Australia, where it As the two engineers surveyed the wreckage of the had lain for vehicle they had worked on half a century earlier, 28 years. their memories of the details were prompted by the components still visible. Derek Mack, age 86, was Black Arrow senior trials engineer and assumed the role of deputy team leader when at Woomera. He had viewed the lift-off 47 years ago after ten weeks straight working on the rocket at the launch site. He said: “As soon as “An oxidiser I saw Black Arrow,copy it was like being reunited with an old friend. To see it again really is remarkable. That inspired Skyrora will be using some similar technologies and in particular an oxidiser inspired directly by Black Arrow directly by is also a source of great pride – and means that our old Black Arrow is rocket remains relevant today.” On seeing the dented stage in four pieces, Derek also a source reflected: "The last time I saw it, it was in pristine condition. Perhaps the break-up charges went off of great pride after the stage had performed properly." Like most rockets, the vehicle had a destruct mechanism in the Subscriber– and means event of deviation from its planned flight. This might have detonated after the stage was discarded, either on that our old descent or upon impact with the ground. Since the fuel rocket was by then depleted, the result would not have been total destruction, but perhaps a clean separation of the remains propellant tanks. Derek was at Woomera for all four Black Arrow relevant launches and made many trips to Australia to work on the orbital vehicle’s predecessor rocket, Black today.” Knight. He recently published a detailed record of his experiences in his book “Black and Wight Fireworks: British Peroxide Rockets”. Test site inspector Mike Kelleway, aged 75, was astonished to reacquaint himself with the rocket he had checked over on the Isle of Wight. "It’s amazing, after all these years!” he reflected. “I never expected to see it again when I said goodbye to it at test site. We were always up against the clock. I spent a LEFT night working on this thing once”, he recalled. “Seeing Black Arrow R3 it now close up, there’s so many things I remember.” At heads for orbit for the first and last the top of the first stage, Mike pointed out a variable time, 28 October potentiometer, four of which were connected by reeled 1971. cables to the second stage. As the stages separated

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and the cables were drawn out, the electrical measurements generated indicated whether the separation was occurring symmetrically. This ingenious piece of pre-digital technology, somewhat like a radio volume control connected by fishing line, let technicians on the ground know how their vehicle was performing in minute detail at 55 km altitude.

DEVELOPMENT OF BLACK ARROW The Black Arrow vehicle emerged from the Royal Aircraft Establishment’s plan to orbit a 144 kg test satellite, and was given the go-ahead in 1964. Most of its systems were adapted from the rocket, which was used to test re-entry systems for the UK’s ballistic missile.

Saunders-Roe started the project on the Isle of RICH CURTIS Wight, but was taken over by Westland Aircraft which then became the prime contractor. The first two ABOVE British vocabulary. On flight documentation, lift-off was stages were built at , and Bristol Siddeley The Black Arrow known as “instant of move”; stage depletion was “all- rockets were manufactured the main engines in . The fabricated at East burnt”; and jettison of nose cone fairings to reveal the third stage was designed at the Rocket Propulsion Cowes on the Isle satellite payload was “disrobing”. The launch azimuth, or Establishment in Westcott, Buckinghamshire, and built of Wight. compass bearing departing the launch site, was termed in . “line of fire”, and what is now generally known as an The first and second stages of Black Arrow used “ullage burn” was performed by Siskin thrusters to RP-1 paraffin (kerosene) as fuel, combusted using HTP “maintain propellant weight” until engine start. as oxidiser. The mixture ratio was seven parts oxidiser Individual launches had to be numbered, and in the to one of fuel, meaning a greatly enlarged oxidiser tank Black Knight programme the designation BK was used, compared with many rockets. For its size, it achieved a from BK1 to BK22. When the Black Knight programme genuinely remarkable performance. ended, the development phase of what was to become The entire vehicle was 13 metres tall, and the first Black Arrow was already under way, but the project stage had a diameter of 2 metres. The colour scheme was as yet unnamed. So the BA designation, obvious used on all flights except the first had black stripes in retrospect, was notcopy an option and they adopted R – on the first stage for determining roll angle. The red probably for “rocket”. BELOW LEFT coloured fairing enshrouding the payload, atop the The base of Black The curiously numbered R-0 (which the team metallic cylinder, gave it the nickname of the “Lipstick Arrow displays the pronounced “R-Nought”) was the first flight of Black R o c k e t ”. Gamma-8 engine Arrow, a test vehicle launched in 1969 which lost control A team of staff from the rocket’s manufacturers unit that powered and was destroyed by the Woomera Saunders-Roe, including Derek Mack, travelled from the first stage. officer. Derek Mack recalled that dramatic launch: their Isle of Wight base to Woomera to prepare the BELOW RIGHT “The morning after the detonation, we found very fine launches. Other engineers came from Ferranti and A Black Arrow streamers of aluminium from the rocket body hanging Rolls-Royce, the RAE and the payload contractor. Derek mounted vertically over telegraph wires.” The team guessed the explosion would later take his wife Anne and two children to live inside the engine had melted the metal and extruded it in thin streams, test stand at the desertSubscriber base for two years on another project. overlooking the which congealed in ribbons as they fell to earth. Before the widespread adoption of American space Needles, Isle of The following year R1 was again a test, but this time terminology, the UK programme had its own curiously Wight. successfully demonstrated what was required of it WIGHT AVIATION MUSEUM AVIATION WIGHT

18 Vol 61 April 2019 SpaceFlight IDENTIFYING THE BLACK ARROWS The first issue in differentiating Black Arrow flights arises from the proliferation of lift-off photographs of the four launches, all made from the same pad. But careful scrutiny reveals a few clues, even though weather conditions at launch in the hot desert were all days of barely distinguishable blue sky. The R-0 launch is easily identified as the upper stage is all white, lacking the red nose cone of the next three. Then, R-0, R2 and R3 (and probably R1) had the name BLACK ARROW painted vertically on the second stage. The initials R-0, with the hyphen, were added on the left, aligned with the first R of ARROW. R2’s number was aligned between the two words, whereas for R3 its number was painted on lower down beside the second R of ARROW. This curious detail meant that, when viewed or filmed from a distance where the lettering appears as an illegible smudge, the rockets can be cleverly distinguished from one another by the pattern of black text on white hull. The readily available pad and launch photos of R1 seem to have been taken from a different angle, and no rocket name is visible, so the position of R1 lettering on the rocket body remains a minor mystery. R4, now hanging unflown in London’s Science Museum, has its numerical designation in the same position as that of R3. However, since the programme was cancelled even before the flight of R3, then R4 would not have its flight paint livery by that time, and it seems likely that later the painters simply mimicked R-0 – clearly identified by its white-painted nose cone.

the style of R3 in the knowledge that there would never be a lift-off GKN AEROSPACE photo of this one. A separate issue concerns the flight debris of the launches, leader at Woomera, Derek Mack after he saw the recovered stage which include the first stage and the two halves of the payload 47 years on. Both first stages were calculated to descend about fairings. R0 and R1 were launched approximately north-west down 300 kilometres downrange, with variations due to wind conditions the centreline of the Woomera Range, so they can be ruled out. on the day. Derek’s colleague Mike Kelleway reflected: “It Two nose fairings later recovered in that direction, once red but probably was R3, because they predicted where it would land.” faded in the sun to orange, appear to be from R1 and are now in The original recovery from the desert to William Creek was in the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. 1990, following research bycopy Alan Lockett and his Rocket Retrieval R2 and R3 departed on an identical azimuth of 5 degrees (east of Group in the late 1980s. However, it had most likely been north) heading for . Although R2 subsequently failed to accurately identified much earlier as it landed near a small dam in reach orbit, both first stages performed as planned and impacted an accessible area. This group methodically collected rocket in the same general area of the desert. artefacts at a time when memories and information were fresher, So how can we be certain that the recovered stage is in fact and the plaque erected by them states unambiguously that it is R3. from R3, Britain’s historic first orbital launch, and not R2? Any And in a final piece of Black Arrow trivia – is it R-3 or R3, with or identification panels seem to have been removed by souvenir without the hyphen? Careful scrutiny of the numbers painted on hunters as the stage lay outdoors for many decades. the flight vehicles show R-0, R2, R3 and R4. So only “R-Nought”, as “I’ve scratched my head about that”, admitted deputy team it was pronounced by the team, had the hyphen. despiteSubscriber one nose fairing hang-up, and the upper stage loads and filled both HTP tanks to suit the engine mix ended up in the Indian Ocean as planned. Both R1 and ratios. At 7.00 am Derek was advised that the overnight its unsuccessful predecessor were not intended to orbit “Her red tasks had gone well and they were 20 minutes ahead of and were launched down the centreline of the Woomera plan. The gantry was rolled clear at 11am. Derek now range, which was aligned 55 degrees west of North. painted nose observed “R3 standing clear as the last of her type, her The first attempt at orbit was Black Arrow R2 in red painted nose fairings resembling a giant lipstick!” . It faltered when a leak developed in fairings The countdown started at 1.00 pm, all handled the oxidiser pressurisation system of the second stage, resembling a manually until the last two minutes, when a central causing premature cut-off. Despite this, the third stage sequence timer took over. fired smoothly but attained insufficient velocity to place giant R3 rose from the launch pad at 1.39 pm local the RAE’s Orba satellite in orbit. One time, burning with the clear flame produced by also failed to separate as planned. lipstick!” these unusual propellants. As Derek Mack recalled: Three months after the Black Arrow programme had “The defining stack of bright shock diamonds within been formally cancelled by the British government, the the transparent blue jet from each thrust chamber final orbital attempt was allowed to proceed since the – the trademark of these lovely engines was always vehicle was already at the launch site. Deputy Woomera impressive to see in action.” team leader Derek Mack clear recalls 28 October 1971: It departed on an azimuth 5 degrees east of North. “Launch day dawned cool with the crisp clear sky often The first stage, powered by its a single 8-chamber seen on a South Australian spring morning. As we engine, burned for a little over two minutes and drove (48 km) out to Range E, the Sun rose to uncover carried the vehicle to an altitude of 50 km before being a light mist hanging between the shallow hills.” jettisoned, along with the first stage separation Black Arrow’s final preparations had begun at bay. The second stage was pushed away by four Siskin midnight as the overnight crews trimmed the kerosene ullage motors, then the interstage unit which held the

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Siskins was itself discarded. Now the second stage, ABOVE powered by a 2-chamber Gamma 2 engine, ignited for Mike Kelleway, Test Site Inspector its own two-minute burn. Half-way through, and now on the Black out of the sensible atmosphere, the red payload fairing Arrow project, is split down the middle and was discarded, to reveal reunited with the the satellite atop the small apogee motor. vehicle he The fairings crashed to Earth somewhere east of Alice worked on. Springs. Something over four minutes after launch, the second stage cut out and during an unpowered coast to apogee, it oriented itself to the correct attitude Prospero is still in orbit, and unlikely to re-enter for releasing the solid fuel third stage. The before 2070. It remained operational until 1973 but Waxwing fired for under a minute, burned out, and continued to transmitcopy and was still contactable in 2004. then released the Prospero satellite. Despite a built-in delay to avoid the Waxwing experiencing continued WRECKAGE RECOVERY forward momentum from any residual gas escaping The stage had initially been retrieved from its landing the nozzle, it collided with Prospero and knocked site about 10 km inland from the west shore of the off one of its four antennae, to no permanent harm. Australia’s largest body of water, the intermittent KEN MACTAGGERT IMAGES: Meanwhile, the second stage re-entered over New shallow Lake Eyre in South Australia. It was found Guinea and any wreckage came down in the ocean a near Flint Mound dam on Anna Creek station, which little north of the Equator, 3,650 km downrange. at 8,000 sq km is the world’s largest cattle station. The Prospero, weighing 66 kg, was now in a polar BELOW R3’s first stage had flown about 300 kilometres due elliptical orbit of 557 km by 1,600 km inclined at 82.1 Interior of the north from Launch Area 5 at Woomera, also in South degrees to the Equator. Although preceded by the UK’s HTP oxidiser tank, Australia. Subscriberlooking towards Ariel satellite (launched by USA in 1962), Prospero Research on the vehicle’s location was undertaken the base of the became the first British satellite to be launched on a rocket. The orange by Alan Lockett MBE, Area Administrator for the British rocket – fulfilling the dual definition of a space- cable was used in Defence Support Centre at Woomera, who chaired a faring nation. recovery. Rocket Retrieval Group in the late 1980s. This team undertook several arduous trips of up to two weeks into the desert to locate and recover spent stages of US Redstone rockets and the ELDO rocket with its British Blue Streak first stage. Black Arrow lay where it had landed for 18 years before being recovered in January 1990 by Stuart Nunn, whose family managed the Anna Creek cattle station from 1954 to 1994. He transported it about 80 km to the township of William Creek. The stage was then put on display in the Memorial Park of the little settlement, broken into three parts, alongside some battered rocket remains. William Creek, population 10, lies on the remote Oodnadatta Track, a 600 km dirt road which follows a traditional Aboriginal trading route through the Outback. It boasts a dusty camp site, petrol station, motel and one of the world’s most remote pubs. Edinburgh-based rocket company Skyrora

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SALVAGING BLACK ARROW

Skyrora first became aware of the existence of the abandoned Black Arrow R3 first stage in 2017. Its historic connection with the company’s efforts to create Britain’s first new orbital rocket in almost 50 years was immediately realised – both vehicles utilising the same propellants. Black Arrow remains the only HTP rocket ever to orbit a satellite, a feat which Skyrora aims to emulate from UK soil. Some of the younger Skyrora team members picked up on the idea of bringing the wrecked stage back to the UK to contribute to the STEM educational agenda. Owain Hughes led the project from Skyrora’s Edinburgh office from March 2018. He contacted William Creek township, in whose park the rocket sat, and Skyrora agreed to purchase it. The funds contributed to local development through the William Creek Progress Association. In May, McArdle Freight, a company familiar with the remote Oodnadatta Track through delivering supplies to William Creek, was hired to uplift the battered stage and transfer it to their warehouse in Burton near Adelaide. There it was washed and cleaned of vegetation to comply with export requirements and then sent to the Port of Adelaide. The artefact was ensconced in a standard shipping container. It travelled by ship from Adelaide to Felixstowe in Suffolk. Thence the container was taken by road to Glasgow, then to Penicuik in Midlothian, just outside Edinburgh, where it arrived at the end of July and was placed in storage. The eventual opening of the container to see how the vehicle had survived its long journey was a nerve- wracking eventcopy for Skyrora’s Business Operations Manager Derek Harris: “A waft of hot air came out, and there was the awesome sight of the rocket strapped down inside the container. It was in three pieces – first came the smaller kerosene tank, which two of us carried out.” The lower part of the stage with its heavy engines and larger HTP tank still attached was carefully eased out over an hour, with the aid of a fork-lift truck. The tapered first stage separation bay also arrived as a separate item. The public unveiling took place on 25 January Subscriber2019, attracting a high level of media attention. That learned of the significance of the wreckage in 2017 TOP being the day Scotland celebrates its national poet, and acquired it from the William Creek Progress The Gamma-8 the event was accompanied by a piper in full regalia engine nozzles and followed by a traditional Burns Supper! Association in spring 2018. Prospero was actually took the brunt of the second satellite (and as of early 2019, the most Skyrora is in discussion with museums, the stage’s impact. universities and institutions regarding a touring recent) to be launched from Australia. The first was The black panels exhibition or permanent display for educational are heat shields to WRESAT, whose name comes from Weapons Research outreach. Establishment Satellite, launched four years earlier on a protect the rocket body from radiated modified US Redstone rocket. heat when the The remains the only country to engines are firing. have successfully developed and then abandoned a AUSMADE SF ABOVE LEFT satellite launch capability. Potentiometer dials at the top of REFERENCES the first stage, Black and Wight Fireworks: British Peroxide Rockets, Derek used to monitor Mack, FastPrint Publishing, 2016. separation of the second stage. The Black Arrow Rocket, Douglas Millard, Science Museum (London), 2001. ABOVE Crushed rocket Defining the Fringe of Contemporary Australian Archaeology: body at the Pyramidiots, Paranoia and the Paranormal, edited by Darran junction of the Jordan & Rocco Bosco, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018. HTP tank (right) (See Chapter 8, Retrieving Rockets: A Case Study of Volunteer and the engine Black Arrow R3 at William Creek before its recovery in 2018. ‘Space Archaeology’ in Australia, by Kerrie Dougherty.) compartment.

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 21 SPACE ART

Patch works the art of Space Age heraldrycopy

Practically every spacecraft launched today has a mission patch or logo to announce it to the world, and even experiments conducted aboard the ISS have their Subscriberown individual logos. In the early days they were few and far between, but have since become an established space-age tradition. by Joel W. Powell

or most of its storied history, the most by the original NASA Administrator, T. Keith visible symbol of the National Aeronautics Glennan, on 27 March 1959. Glennan ordered that and Space Administration has been their only the name UNITED STATES (in bold capital famous blue "Meatball" logo. The iconic letters) should be painted on American rockets F NASA design by James Modarelli was that “were launched for the NASA”. This edict also introduced in 1959 to replace the winged logo of seemed to discourage the use of identifying logos. their predecessor agency, NACA. Except for official, On the other side of the Cold War, the Soviets did government-approved insignia for the Gemini and not utilize logos or symbols of any kind, and their Apollo manned space programmes, the early NASA rockets were completely devoid of markings for space projects such as Explorer, OSO (Orbiting many years. Solar Observatory) and the Ranger and Mariner In a recent article in Wired.com about the space probes did not have any identifying insignia. original NASA "Meatball" and "Worm" emblems, NASA abided by an official policy that did not author Elisabeth Stinson commented that early permit any logos or project names to be displayed ABOVE NASA mission logos were often like crests, a The first sticker from on the launch vehicles of the day, except for the cooperative space circle with the name of the agency around a international cooperative space missions with allied programme in 1962 now in gaudy illustration. The appearance of most of the partners. This policy dated back to an edict issued the author’s collection. early NASA logos featured in this article fit that

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the art of permit NASA science mission logos to be displayed on the rockets. The first all-NASA mission to fly with a logo on the rocket was COBE, the Cosmic Background Explorer, launched on 18 November 1989 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Space Age The first NASA satellite programme to have an identifying logo was the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory (OAO), contracted to the Grumman Corporation in 1961 as the first flagship science mission of copythe fledgling space agency. Examination heraldry of vintage OAO promotional literature from NASA and Grumman, available today on the internet, revealed that the logo did not appear in any coverage of the space observatory in the 1960s. This would indicate that the logo was regarded “for internal use only” and was not intended for promotional purposes as is common today. Almost as an afterthought, NASA prepared a special logo (sticker) in 1972 for the third OAO satellite, named “Copernicus”, to promote their first successful Subscriberspace observatory. Military aircraft and missile programmes in the 1950s often had distinctive logos, like the Navaho

LEFT: SANDS CENTER / RIGHT: JOEL POWELL JOEL CENTER / RIGHT: SANDS LEFT: missile and the Atlas rocket, to help encourage worker's pride in the project. The tradition carried description to a tee. “They looked like they were ABOVE over to the space programme of the 1960s only put together by bureaucrats”, she quoted Stephen Stickers on the door of sparingly (eg. OAO), until the TRW company Mission Director’s Center Loges, who worked on the NASA graphic design Operations Room going began issuing distinctive patches to their satellite manual from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. back to the 1970s. “Everything looked alike, and it was all bad.”

PROMOTING SPACE The international symbols were initially limited to the crossed flags of the United States and cooperative nations such as the UK, Canada, France, Italy and later West Germany. The crossed- flags emblem for the UK’s Ariel-1 satellite on its Delta rocket was made into the first space mission decal in April 1962. By the 1980s, corporate logos were permitted on American rockets for RIGHT commercial launches of communication satellites TRW assembly team with and European scientific satellites, but it took until matching jackets and 1989 before regulations were finally changed to Intelsat patches circa 1969.

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workmanship and flight safety in the wake of the devastating Apollo fire. The 9.2 cm Apollo stickers No embroidered are still available today for sale on eBay. Embroidered Apollo mission patches were patches were used produced for ground personnel primarily by NASA contractor A-B Emblems, but public availability in the Apollo and was briefly restricted at the time of . NASA withdrew their objections to patch sales in time for . In reality, no embroidered programmes: the patches were used in the Apollo and Skylab programmes: the mission emblems worn by the mission emblems astronauts were screen printed on the same Beta cloth fabric as their spacesuits and intravehicular …were screen garments. Beta cloth emblems were not released to the public, and are very difficult for collectors to

NASA printed on the acquire today. Space patch collectors, initially small in number, assembly line workers. The individual Intelsat same Beta cloth did not gain much momentum until regularly communications satellite patches were displayed fabric as their scheduled Shuttle missions began flying in 1981. on matching jackets, and it was intended as a team- Each Shuttle mission had its own embroidered building exercise. The company did not share these spacesuits and patch for the astronauts to wear. NASA maintained patches with the public. distribution of stickers for each mission emblem TRW established a custom of issuing patches intravehicular through to the end of the Shuttle programme for each satellite they built, from Intelsat 3 to in 2011. Although collectors today concentrate FleetSatCom, and DSCS II to the famous Pioneer garments on manned space missions, they also buy many series of spacecraft. Today’s tradition of producing patches based on space science mission logos. space mission patches may have been influenced in SpaceX and ULA (United Launch Alliance) part by the early TRW team-building exercise. The launch patches are also very popular with company also produced patches and decals for each collectors, formally known as scutelliphiles. NASA of their Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) continues to issue decals for each International that were launched on the from 1983 Space Station expedition today as part of the to 1995. (renamed) Spaceflight Awareness programme. Astronaut Gordon Cooper is credited with Russian cosmonautscopy have embraced the concept producing the first manned space flight patch of mission patches since the days of the Mir space for his Gemini V mission with Charles Conrad station and the joint Shuttle flights. Soyuz ISS in 1965. In the military their unit emblems are mission patches and decals are now available from referred to as “morale patches”. Every subsequent vendors in the Netherlands and also from Russia. Gemini crew had a distinctive patch sewn onto A special set of decals was produced by the astronaut's spacesuits, but replica patches for Grumman in the late 1960s for each of the Apollo collectors were not manufactured until the Apollo Lunar Modules that they built for NASA, except lunar missions several years later. NASA did release LM-3 (). An employee in the Spacecraft the original artwork for each Gemini emblem, Assembly and Test division (S/CAT) was chosen to ABOVE but attached an admonition that the design was A wagon design a distinctive emblem for each Lunar Module reservedSubscriber for the use of NASA and the astronauts, features on the Gemini V being assembled in the Bethpage, NY plant, and that commercial use was not permitted. mission badge. according to Ray Eschert, the man who designed the decal for LM-10 (). The decals and LOGOS TO THE MOON BELOW loose-leaf cover pages were printed in-house Stickers of each Apollo emblem were produced Below left: The 1970 Orbiting for official use and were also distributed to the by NASA for distribution to the space workforce, Frog Otolith satellite gets its Grumman employees on the assembly floor. own logo; below centre and under the auspices of the Manned Spaceflight right: The sixth Applications No patches were produced by Grumman at the Awareness programme. This was established Technology Satellite in two time, just decals. The Lunar Module artwork was by the space agency in 1967 to promote good generic logo designs. virtually unknown to space enthusiasts until the NASA NASA

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as "We Own the Night" and "Nothing Is Beyond Our Reach". The patches are highly sought-after by collectors, and decals (produced from the original graphics) are also available for sale on eBay. NASA established a tradition of releasing several logos for each major space mission in the 1970s. One or more pre-flight logos would be utilized, with a new official project logo being released after the successful launch. This seems to have started with the ATS-F (Applications Technology Satellite–F) mission in 1974, where both NASA (Goddard Space Flight Center) and the prime contractor Fairchild Industries released mission decals. The 1970s was also when NASA personnel began the tradition of sticking mission decals on the door of the Launch Director’s Center (Operations Room) at Cape Canaveral. To this day the original decals are still in place on the operations room door in Hangar AE, along with the latest mission emblems.

NASA / COMMEMORATIVE PROJECT VIKING COMMEMORATIVE / NASA TO MARS AND BEYOND The Viking mission to Mars in 1975 also featured 2000s, when a collector named Chris Spain helped multiple symbols. The original Project Viking logo patch manufacturer A-B Emblems to create a was based on the outline for the zodiacal symbol complete set of replica patches based on the decals. for Mars, followed by a more formal “Mission to Original LM decals also turned up for sale on eBay Mars” Viking emblem that was apparently issued at that time, often for exorbitant prices. The author by JPL. This orange-hued design (which can still be managed to acquire several vintage Grumman LM found for sale on the internet as both a sticker and stickers in this manner. a patch) was replaced shortly before launch by the Acceptance of emblems for NASA spacecraft was official Viking ship logo. This famous emblem was slow to develop in the mid-1970s. The first NASA the winning design in a contest run by NASA to mission that featured an official emblem (which was offer schoolcopy children the chance to design a logo for also displayed on the rocket) was Hawkeye, also the Viking lander. High school student Peter Purol designated Explorer 52. Sponsored by the University of Baltimore, Maryland was the winning entrant, of Iowa, Hawkeye was launched on a rocket which was publicly revealed on 4 May 1975. ABOVE from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 3 June 1974. Viking emblems from the Decals of the Viking ship were fixed to both The second NASA mission to have its official logo mid-1970 marking the landers, which were visible in post-landing images placed on the rocket was the Dual Air Density first landing of a working from Mars. In order to promote the mission, (DAD) Explorers payload, launched unsuccessfully spacecraft on Mars and members of the public were invited to write to from Vandenberg on 5 December 1975. (top) winning student NASA to obtain a decal of the Viking student designer Peter Purol. In 1978, NASA designed logos for at least two logo, which was how the author got his first space of their new Applications Explorer Missions, mission insignia over forty years ago. The same butSubscriber the space agency decided against displaying pattern of releasing logos was repeated for the the emblems on their launch vehicles. SAGE I Voyager project to fly by Jupiter and , (the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment, also known as AEM-2) was the first in a series of atmospheric monitoring missions that continue to this day. SAGE I was launched on a Scout rocket on 18 February 1979. SAGE II was launched on the Space Shuttle in 1984, and SAGE III is currently deployed on the International Space Station and has been since February 2017. American military research and development satellites also have project logos dating back to the 1970s. One of the earliest examples of a military satellite logo is the SCATHA spacecraft in 1978, which was payload P78-2 of the Pentagon's Space Test Programme (STP). This logo can be found of the door of the Mission Directors Center at the Cape. Once hidden in the shadows, today's highly RIGHT classified National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) CRRES payload on first commercial Atlas AC-69 in intelligence-gathering missions now have logos July 1990 (note NASA displayed on the launch vehicle, often with worm emblem) after the

outlandish graphics and provocative mottoes such logo rules changed. NASA

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with a little-known Mariner-Jupiter-Saturn-1977 preflight logo being replaced with the now- familiar blue oval Voyager design after launch. This was also issued as a decal by JPL. A company that did not exist until the late 1980s also established a tradition of producing corporate logos for each spacecraft launched by their , Taurus and rockets. These Orbital Sciences Corporation (later Orbital-ATK) logos are in addition to the official payload insignias, which were displayed side-by-side on the flank of the rockets. Orbital would also issue a patch based on the mission logo for distribution to their employees. These emblems are among the most difficult for collectors to acquire at present, since the patches or stickers do not often appear for sale on eBay as do the emblems for United Launch Alliance or SpaceX. Due to a recent corporate merger, the company name was changed to Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems.

Other aerospace firms also designed mission- NASA IMAGES: specific emblems (patches or decals) for spacecraft that they built. Martin Marietta (now Lockheed ABOVE experiments began featuring official logos – the Martin) designed a special company logo in 1992 Space shuttle mid-deck decals were often adhered to the experiment DMOS experiment logo for the launch of the ill-fated Mars Observer on shuttle mission 51A hardware on board the shuttle. These decals were spacecraft to Mars on their Commercial produced by the 3M also made available to the news media. launch vehicle. Eventually Lockheed Martin issued Company in 1984. The major experiments mounted in the payload their own mission emblems for DSCS III and all bay of the Space Shuttle were also represented of the major science payloads they built for NASA by logos from the very first payload on STS-2, in the 21st Century. This included the MAVEN designated OSTA-1. Many of the Getaway Special Mars orbiter, the OSIRIS-Rex asteroid probe, (GAS) can experiments carried in the cargo bay the InSIGHT Mars lander and the GOES-R and also had their own logos, which were printed on GOES-S synchronous weather satellites. Lockheed the white insulationcopy material used in the cargo Martin made lapel pins featuring unique mission bay and attached to the GAS cans by Velcro strips. designs that were also handed out to project GAS experiments without official logos were participants and to the news media. often represented by the round Getaway Special Rockwell, the original Navstar GPS (Global programme logo. Positioning System) contractor, introduced their These emblems are For collectors, there is a whole sub-set of Hubble own tradition of issuing decals for each of their Space Telescope logos available, including the Navstar satellites beginning in the late 1980s. often the only on-board instruments (such as the Wide Field Boeing (which later acquired the GPS contract) Cameras). Each of the four servicing missions from continues to produce patches with the Air Force for tangible reminders the Space Shuttle are represented with specific each GPS launch in the present era. of the project to mission decals, and there are decals for each SmallSubscriber scientific experiments were added to the replacement instrument. Even the replacement cabins of the later Apollo missions (fluid dynamics survive the solar arrays have their own emblems. Hubble decals demonstrations primarily), but none of these are more readily available on-line than are patches. experiments had individual logos. The same went passage of years The emblematic tradition has expanded in the for the myriad of experiments conducted during present day to include most individual experiments the three Skylab missions flown during 1973- conducted on the International Space Station, as 74, or on Apollo-Soyuz in 1975. It wasn’t until well as the more elaborate experiment packages mid-deck experiments were flown on the early mounted externally, such as SAGE III, CATS, Shuttle Orbital Flight Tests that many individual NICER and TSIS. These decals (and patches) are often manifested on the Soyuz crew launches by the various space agencies, in order to produce special “flown” presentations for the project scientists and staff after the flight. Decals and patches effectively symbolize individual space missions and payloads for the experimenters and investigators. These emblems are often the only tangible reminders of the project to survive the passage of years, and these insignia are lovingly preserved for posterity by museums and space collectors (including this author). Once LEFT InSight Calibration target on regarded as a mere afterthought, mission logos are the flight model spacecraft now an accepted space tradition, even in Russia launched to Mars in 2018. and China. They are truly a space-age art form. SF

26 Vol 61 April 2019 SpaceFlight copy Subscriber HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT The impact of

APOLLO part 1 In the first of a three-part series, Nick Spall looks back over the 50 years since Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface and reflects on how the Moon landings changed the course of human history – perhaps marking a new stage in the evolution of our species. by Nick Spall FBIS copy Subscriber

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he question is often asked, did Apollo 11 and US self-doubt. Half a century on, the real Apollo the subsequent missions to the Moon really impact in terms of philosophical, political, economic, represent a “giant leap for mankind”, as technological, cultural and environmental issues, Armstrong stated in his famous words, can now be assessed more clearly. T or was Apollo’s success merely providing To many in the press and academic world at prestige “stunts” for the USA, with only a minimal the time, particularly those not attuned to the impact on the lives of ordinary people? technological revolution that was accelerating In this assessment we cover the historical through the mid 1960s, space travel was of little consequences of the Apollo programme, and consider consequence. Despite the stunning progress in the short, medium and long term impacts that came aviation and rocketry that followed World War 2, the out of that whirlwind time for space exploration. prospect of humankind spreading out across the Solar During the period 1969-72 covering the six Apollo System following the Apollo Moon landings did not Moon landings, many observers at the time seemed seem to influence mainstream historical thought or somewhat sceptical about whether much was really analysis. going to change as a result of the Apollo 11 mission In the same way that Professor Stephen Hawking and the following five successful crewed expeditions to complained that philosophers and theologians have explore the Moon. failed to properly consider and catch up with the The Apollo events occurred during a compressed results of particle physics and cosmology research period of dramatic social and cultural change. The from recent years, with its detailed explanations of 1960s saw the drama of US race riots, the Vietnam War BELOW how the Universe came into being, so it can be said protest movement, the assassinations of President John Exploring that historians during the “Space Race” of the 1960s F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and the Democratic another world: were unprepared to appreciate the impact of the Moon Party’s Bobby Kennedy, all shaking the establishment in an emphatic landing on the world and its likely future history. endorsement of and combining with demands for worldwide social the advanced Famously, on the very night of the Apollo 11 lunar change and freedom of expression. capabilities of the landing, 20 July 1969, the renowned British historian The late 1960s “Woodstock generation” arose during Apollo programme, and author Professor A J P Taylor responded as a guest the same time as Cold War political and economic Gene Cernan on a UK television programme saying that he did not confrontations, with the USA locked into a war in drives the Apollo believe that a successful landing on the Moon could 17 Lunar Roving Indo China. The achievements of human space flight Vehicle on the last have any possible impact on human history or people’s were therefore always viewed against a seemingly manned mission to lives. He and an estimated 720 million people, about more important backdrop of world instability and the Moon. one fifth of thecopy Earth’s population at the time, were Subscriber

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watching the ghostly TV pictures of Armstrong and Aldrin stepping out of the Lunar Module Eagle and science fiction was becoming reality a mere 66 years after the Wright brothers had first mastered powered flight. In terms of humanity’s daily lives, one can see a little of what Professor Taylor was getting at. Aside from the thrill and pride it gave individuals across the world, no man or woman in the street was going to fly to the Moon the next day. The daily grind of working for a living would continue, taxes would need to be paid, the fear of a nuclear holocaust would still be present and those in the Third World would still be struggling to find enough food to live – life in 1969 would carry on “as previously”. Of course, what Professor Taylor and other sceptical observers would not take on board at that time is properly considering the first landing on the Moon as a key “marker” and turning point in the progress of human development. This can be seen in wider “evolutionary” terms. Once Armstrong set foot on the Sea of Tranquility, in symbolic terms mankind would never be the same again.

THE “BIG PICTURE” The concept of humanity one day spreading out across ABOVE in the Middle Eastern “fertile crescent”. the solar system and, indeed, the cosmos beyond, Yuri Gagarin Stage three of humanity’s more recent story is and Valentina had been explored in the writings of space seers and Tereshkova considered by what Professor Gordon Childe terms futurists such as Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, H. G. Wells, embody the the “human industrialisation era”. Metal technologies Olaf Stapledon and, of course, Arthur C. Clarke. The Soviet ideal of were mastered, electricity harnessed, land travellers like evolutionary premise of the development of human technological Marco Polo and seafarers like Christopher Columbus, history follows the general line of Homo sapiens success for Vasco de Gama and Captain Cook explored the planet Communism. evolving out of its African origins to a first stage of and flying machinescopy conquered the air. Practical intelligence where Stone Age peoples could develop rocketry is established by the mid 1940s and orbital tool usage, master fire and effectively hunt wild space is accessed. By 1957, the success of had animals. Stage two was the establishment of controlled shaken the world and the USSR’s flight into orbit by agriculture and civilisations became possible, initially Yuri Gagarin in 1961 set the scene for the “race” to the “The Earth is Moon. The successful Apollo 11 has to be the cradle of seen against this wider evolutionary context. Tsiolkovsky’s famous quote “the Earth is the cradle humanity, but of humanity, but one cannot live in the cradle forever” one cannot identifies the core reason for the dramatic exploration impulse inherent in society. This gained momentum Subscriber NASA / RIGHT: IMAGES SPUTNIK ABOVE: OF DEFENSE / DEPARTMENT LEFT: live in the from the 15th century onwards. By the 20th century post 1945, the technology to cradle go beyond the Earth became realistic and President Kennedy’s 25 May 1961 speech to the US Congress forever” putting forward the challenge to America to “choose to go to the Moon”, correctly identified that the lunar K. Tsiolkovsky journey would “in many ways hold the key to our future on Earth”. Following this evolutionary approach to considering the significance of Apollo for the long term, it was perfectly reasonable for Armstrong to state that his first footsteps on the Moon were “one giant leap for mankind”. His words, thoughtfully put together by himself apparently on the trip out, though possibly shared with his brother Dean before the flight, echoed LEFT A battle for the human history context of this dramatic event. freedom or an Despite NASA’s lunar exploration programme ideological war? being subsequently cut short by President Nixon, with A US soldier Apollos 18, 19 and 20 being cancelled and Von Braun’s accompanies a Viet Cong suspect hopes of crewed Mars flights during the 1980s never in Vietnam during being realised, Apollo had in fact succeeded in its the 1960s. wider goal. The long term exploration of the Moon, the

30 Vol 61 April 2019 SpaceFlight HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT colonisation of Mars and the expansion of humanity as a spacefaring species was effectively secured for the future. As Clarke would say: “In the long span of history, a few odd decades delay does not really matter. I believe that the Golden Age of space travel is still ahead of us”. Therefore, as part of mankind’s long term evolutionary history, the success Apollo 11 must be hugely important.

A CONTEST OF IDEOLOGIES Beating the USSR to the Moon was obviously a key geopolitical ambition of Kennedy in 1961. The desire to show that western capitalism would prevail over state socialism was a huge test and a key message to the world. In this respect, history must show that the USA succeeded with this in 1969 as a result of Apollo 11. The background context to the preparation for the Apollo Moon landings is one of apparent US international failure to beat Soviet communism. The disastrous Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba just days after Gagarin’s flight, the escalating Vietnam war from 1963, the threat of the Warsaw Pact and the division of Germany’s former capital city by the Berlin Wall, plus of course the USSR’s space success of Sputnik, Lunik, and Voshkhod missions all pointed to an uncertainty that free market economies could achieve such difficult and revolutionary undertakings on a global technical scale as a human Moon landing. However, the race to the Moon was squarely won by US capitalism and corporate industrial organisation. ABOVE associated peaceful revolutions across Eastern Europe Kennedy called this process “a battle between freedom Buzz Aldrin occurring in 1989 and the previous period of glasnost stands looking and tyranny”, but the reality of course is that the back at Eagle (“openness”) andcopy perestroika (“listen”) associated with USA was to beat the by funding after deploying a the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev being previously commitment and organisation. At its maximum in seismometer, 21 established in the late 1980s. 1965, the USA federal budget allocated 4.4% of its total July 1969. The geopolitical context of the fall of the USSR was expenditure to the Apollo programme (currently the the gradual collapse of its command economy, bought figure is only 0.5% for NASA’s budget). The 2009 NASA on by huge military spending during the 1970-80s and estimate of the whole cost of the Apollo programme, failure in the 1979 Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. including the Mercury and Gemini projects, came to But many would say that the seeds of the USSR’s $200 billion in today’s money. dissolution stem from US prestige gained in the The USSR is estimated to have spent 50% of the US apparent success of free market approaches, the space budget covering its Vostok, Voshkhod, Soyuz boosting of hi-tech industries and increased Western 7-LK3,Subscriber LOK/LK lunar lander projects and the /L3 living standards and world confidence in the strength launcher tests. Despite the firm commitment made and capability of US “know how”. This was all despite via the Soviet Communist Party’s Central Committee international political and military failures of the USA Command No 655-268 on 3 August 1964 requiring “There is such as the Vietnam War by 1975 and the humiliation circumlunar flights by 1967 and a lunar landing of the Tehran hostage crisis in 1980. by 1968, the USSR could not reach the Moon. The truth in the The success of Apollo 11 gave the USA and the West uncrewed circumlunar Zond 4 and 6 missions failed renewed confidence and became a key illustrator of the with the massive but underfunded N1 Soviet Moon idea that the power of capitalism, fulfilling Kennedy’s “free world” rocket failing on each of its four launch attempts, space achievement ambitions as proof that the Western eventually being cancelled altogether. two sides democratic economies were the most potent and The USSR attempted to save face in July 1969 by were successful for the planet. landing the uncrewed 15 soil-return probe on the astronaut Frank Borman described the Moon, just as Armstrong and Aldrin were completing effectively Moon race as “just a battle in the Cold War”. This their walk on the Sea of Tranquility. The Soviet mission sounds brutal as an assessment of a magnificent failed. Apollo 11 had won the Moon race and huge US fighting a war achievement, but there is truth in the idea that the two technical and international prestige was established – sides were effectively fighting a war “without casualties” this echoed right through to the end of the Cold War “without – the failure of the Apollo programme to land on the in 1991. Moon before the USSR would have had resounding casualties” geopolitical and historic consequences. SF AN END TO THE COLD WAR In historical terms, it is arguable that success of In Part 2, Nick assesses the huge technological impact of the 1969-72 NASA Moon landings helped lead to Apollo and looks at the many scientific benefits to come out the downfall of the Soviet Union in 1991, with the of the missions.

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 31 SATELLITES

copy Subscriber

ABOVE A tempting view of the lunar surface snapped by Apollo 16 commander John Young shortly after touchdown.

RIGHT

Apollo 16 EVA 1 Prep Cue NASA AND RIGHT: ABOVE / YATES MARK LEFT: Card with amendments made by Young and deletions in blue while on the lunar surface. The large tick marks illustrate the challenges of using a pen wearing bulky EVA gloves.

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Two to get ready They were down on the Moon at last – but John Young’s and Charlie Duke’s much-anticipated first excursion onto the lunar surface aboard Apollo 16 – aptly, on 16 April 1972 – was going to have to wait. by Mark Yates

lready it was becoming a long day; to have Apollo 16 was not the first Moon landing stuck to the flight plan would have pushed mission and it would not be the last. If it didn't them to a gruelling 29 hours. Houston’s catch the full attention of the public, it was because decision to have them postpone their first Apollo had reached maturity. Yet Apollo 16 was AEVA would extend their years of intensive one of the most technically complex of all the preparation and training by one more sleep before missions and the first to the lunar Highlands. Even they could finally step out onto the Moon’s surface. astronomers were in on the act: the first telescope Having powered down and configured their on the lunar surface, deployed during EVA 1, Lunar Module Orion, turning it into an exploration autonomously recorded ultra-violet observations base for the next three days, all that remained was to of the Sun’s corona and nearby galaxies. The film close the blinds and get some much-needed sleep. magazines were collected on the third EVA and Before bedtime, John Young, mission commander, returned to Earth with over 95 kg of samples. ABOVE would shoot a sequence of spectacular pictures out The cramped Lunar copy of his forward triangular window. Module is given scale by BREAKING RECORDS Duke: “I really want to get out, but I think that Neil Armstrong in the LM Apollo 16’s destination was the Descartes Highlands discretion is the better part of the valour here.” simulator. on the south east side of the Moon’s nearside. As Capcom: “Good. Glad you – glad you think that.” well as being the highest point explored by humans Young: “It's really tempting though. It really looks on Moon, it would be the site of the fastest speed nice out there.” achieved by a wheeled vehicle on the lunar surface. For Young it must have been tempting, having All mission activities were meticulously thought orbited the Moon three years previously on out, planned and rehearsed extensively in training – – the all-important shakedown flight none more so that the carefully scripted four-hour for Apollo 11. This was his fourth flight and the procedure before the astronauts' extra vehicular firstSubscriber opportunity to venture outside a spacecraft. activity (EVA) on the lunar surface could safely For Duke, it was now his turn to make a call from begin. The process was broken down into smaller the Moon, having served as the voice of Mission 20-30 minute sequences, as detailed on the EVA Control when the Eagle landed in July 1969. Cue Card – an elaborately choreographed set of All the Apollo missions had their moments of instructions, printed on non-flammable paper high drama and Apollo 16 was no exception. At the that had been developed by the Scheufelen paper 11th hour, just prior to commencing the descent to company in Germany. Hung up high on Orion’s BELOW the lunar surface, a check of the Service Propulsion John Young takes the main instrument panel, it was easily accessible to System (SPS) on the orbiting Command Module first steps during EVA 1, both crewmembers. Casper revealed an oscillation in the engine control captured on 16mm film from The astronauts' spacesuits were the latest A7L-B system. Mission rules dictated that the landing be Charlie Duke’s window in models, modified to allow greater flexibility when aborted and an immediate rendezvous with Casper. sat in the LRV and with additional cables to the CM initiated. But here lies another quiet prevent the suit from riding up and interfering testament to the confidence and technical with their forward vision. All up, these suits capabilities the Apollo programme had acquired weighed 91 kg on Earth; in one-sixth lunar by the fifth lunar landing. gravity they were a lot easier to wear! Extensive engineering testing and evaluation Young and Duke would not get their life on Earth found a workaround and ultimately a support from the LM while on the surface, but green light was given – they were go for landing. from the PLSS (Primary Life Support System) Several orbits later, Lunar Module Orion made backpack fitted to each suit. This effectively a pinpoint landing in a remarkably level area; turned the suit into a miniature spacecraft, in the words of Charlie Duke, they were “fat on supplying oxygen and cooling water to prevent gas” and surrounded by rocks and boulders. the wearer from overheating during the

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exertions of the forthcoming seven-hour EVA. On the suit’s torso were a number of supply (blue) and return (red) coloured connectors with a pressure gauge mounted on the left wrist. (The red and blue colour coding also applied to the EVA gloves and wrist connectors; right was red and left blue). The Lunar EVA suits had two pairs of these blue and red air connectors and a blue cooling water port. The second pair enabled the wearer to remain connected to the LM's life NASA / LEFT: YATES MARK BELOW: support system while connecting up his PLSS hoses or disconnecting them at the end of the EVA. Despite the extensive rehearsals, the EVA Cue Card still had to be amended during the mission in reponse to the events of the day. The mark-ups were radioed up by capcom Tony England, 386,000 km away in Houston, then scribbled down and read back by John ABOVE formed by volcanic activity – a theory that would prove Young amidst the preparations taking place in the Apollo 16 to be false. Even as the astronauts were conducting their Commander John cramped LM cabin – the cabin was so cramped, in Young gives a three EVAs, the marked absence of volcanic rocks gave fact, that the Cue Card specified who stood where at jump for joy on the geologists back on Earth pause for thought. different stages of the preparation process, and also the lunar surface. Time out on the surface was as precious as it was locations of critical pieces of equipment. finite. Even so, the crew were able to squeeze in and The first task was to locate all the key equipment. film their famous lunar “Grand Prix”– a speed test of The astronauts had taken off suits before sleeping; now only the second vehicle to make it to the lunar surface. they found to their delight that they were much easier to (On EVA 3, they also performed a lunar version of the get back on, and stood on the own in the reduced lunar Olympics taking place in Munich later that year.) gravity. Similarly, their bulky PLSS backpacks could be Grimy and exhausted, Young and Duke returned to lifted one-handed – a feat only superman could have the LM after their first EVA for a meal and some much- achieved back on Earth. needed rest. First, they had to ascend the ladder to re- Finally, everything was ready for depressurisation The cabin was enter Orion. Once in, they worked through the reverse of the cabin from 34.5 kPa to vacuum. The suits were side of the Cue Card, re-pressurising the LM, removing pressurised to 25.8 kPa – a compromise between the so cramped, their bulky spacesuits, storing their lunar samples and need for mobility and prevention of the dreaded bends. replenishing their PLSS backpacks ready for EVA 2 – a (During a post-mission debrief, Young and Duke would in fact, that trip to Stone Mountain.copy In the words of Charlie Duke: reflect on their preparations, specifically the Cue Card.) “our EVA gloves were covered with lunar dust, so as we Duke: “I thought those sets of procedures for the pre the Cue Card handled the card, some of this dust smeared the card”. and posts flowed as smooth as glass.” John Young was plagued by bouts of sneezing. The dust Young: “Yes, I do, too.” specified who got everywhere. Everything had been thought about, including a Only then could the crew stop, report their initial fourth, contingency, Cue Card packed away in the stood where observations to the science team in Houston and eat LM to cover a situation in which one astronaut had to at different a well-deserved cold meal before reflecting on their venture out onto the surface alone. For Young – sales accomplishment – an impressive 7 hours 11 minutes rep's son and avid Buck Rogers Fan turned Navy flier stages of the on the surface. Examination of the Cue Card under – and Duke – the boy from Lancaster, South Carolina a microscope some 40 years later would reveal traces who stoodSubscriber out at maths – it was time to enter the preparation of the Descartes lunar dust some 45 years after its safe history books as only the ninth and tenth men to walk return to Earth. on the Moon. Years of hard work, frustration, training process and anticipation were about to pay off. POSTSCRIPT EVA 1 would include a multitude of chores: After lift-off from the lunar surface and rendezvous with deploying the (LRV), the , the Command Module Casper, the lunar samples, checklists array of science experiments and the first observatory and the EVA Cue Card were carefully transferred across to be set up on another world. The flag came first, after as part of the mission’s Flight Data File. The Lunar which the astronauts did the tourist thing and took Module Orion, its job done, was jettisoned in lunar orbit photos of each other, delighted to be there. leaving Casper and its priceless hoard of cargo to splash The Descartes Highlands had been chosen because of down safely in the Pacific Ocean three days later – 27 its assumed similarity to regions on Earth that had been LEFT April 1972. The Dust of The surfaces of the Moon and Mars are notoriously Descartes: dusty, dirty environments. The prototype of NASA’s smudges on Mars rover addresses this problem by mounting the the post-EVA side of the Cue spacesuits for surface exploration on the exterior of the Card viewed vehicle, enabling crewmembers to enter the suit via an under an optical airlock hatch. Once the airlock is closed, the astronaut microscope (x40) simply walks away – a process that is reversed on show Moondust completion of EVA. Engineering considerations such as embedded within the fibres of the these draw heavily on the experiences of the Apollo non-flammable astronauts, and will hopefully prevent similar problems material. on longer duration missions to the Moon and Mars. SF

34 Vol 61 April 2019 SpaceFlight SF

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SPACE MODELS BLASTS FROM THE PAST slight correction to the last model review RIGHT Old and new: both kits boast – the Wave Space Colony – when it was spectacular box art. indicated that there had been no other model of ‘factual futuristic’ space designs BELOW LEFT Expatriate German rocket Afor many years. Recently there has been engineer Krafft Ehricke one other – although it links back to the 1950s! displays a selection of At that time Strombecker, an early American Convair's futuristic 1950s spacecraft for the readers of model company, made several factual futuristic Life magazine. The Manned craft. One set featured, via Wernher von Braun Nuclear Interplanetary Vehicle is pictured above his and Willy Ley, spacecraft from the Walt Disney right shoulder. TV series Man in Space. But there was another set of three models from expatriate German, Krafft Ehricke, who was at the time was working for copy Convair on designs for interplanetary craft. One of these was for a nuclear-powered planetary exploration ship, which Strombecker termed – at some length – “Convair Manned Nuclear Interplanetary Vehicle”. This kit has never been reissued, although Glencoe Models has the tooling, and has issued one of the companion kits. However in 2017, one of the new American kit companies, Moebius Models, issued a kit of the “Convair NEV”, standing for Nuclear Exploration Vehicle.Subscriber This features the same Ehricke design as the original Strombecker model but is a brand new kit. The spacecraft was designed for four crew, themselves, though, are somewhat sturdier than the (Convair termed it “Manned”, but this was the Strombecker, notably the five rear tanks grouped 1950s…) in a forward cabin safely separated from around the main core. The crew compartment has a the aft NERVA engine by a long boom. clear viewing dome, but no crew. The Strombecker The Moebius kit is about as simple as the had two, and the top half of the cabin could be slid original Strombecker kit: there are only 26 off for “viewing”. The new kit does not have this parts, two of which are for the stand. The parts removable feature. Attributing scales to models like this is invariably tricky. The new kit is listed at 1:144, while the Strombecker model was scaled larger – at around 1:90. Judging by the size of the crew compartments, which are almost identical in size, the Strombecker could easily be 1:144, too. However, the fuel tanks in the new kit ABOVE are larger, and it has a slightly shorter boom. The A comparison of the models, with the Strombecker only slight problem is with this boom, which on the version exhibiting definite real thing would have been fine in zero-g, is that in signs of “boom sag”. The Earth gravity it tends to sag. An alternative could be older model does, however, feature a removable cover to replace it with aluminium or copper tube. to reveal details of the crew Intriguingly the idea for the kit came from compartment.

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GAMER'S CORNER with Henry Philp Space Engine: a vast universe Previously I have written about No Man’s Sky, which has a universe so large that it would take you 570 billion years to visit each planet for one second. However, the astronomy game Space Engine has an even bigger one – and it's much more realistic too! While using a starship is an option, the default mode of exploration is simply to free-fly around – at speeds ranging from metres per second to mega-lightyears per second, which means that you can easily visit distant galaxies. Many of the exoplanets discovered by humans are available to visit, but as we still know very little about the properties of these distant worlds, the game approximates where needed. Similarly, as we are only familiar with a tiny fraction of stars and planets in our own Universe, others are procedurally generated to fully flesh it out. Binary systems, black holes, dwarf stars, and even planets with life are all possible! The game really gives you a sense of the enormous size of the Universe – the Sun is just one of a billion trillion (1021) stars, and the Milky Way is only one of an estimated two trillion galaxies. Luckily, Space Engine means that you explore the whole thing without ever having to leave your chair. See you in a few hundred billion years! . copy

Space Engine: an accretion disk around a black hole. Subscriber

Adam Johnson, author of two books on “The Lost Science of 2001”. However the design came straight from Ehricke’s work at Convair in the 1950s, and Adam says he wasn’t aware of the original Strombecker kit! The kit is generally available, although with the decline of local model shops, most people prefer to buy online these days. In the US, try Steve Iverson at CultTVMan (www. culttvmanshop.com); in the UK contact Tony James (ex Comet Miniatures), at Timeless Hobbies (www. timeless-hobbies.com). Mat Irvine FBIS

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 37 SATELLITE DIGEST Satellite Digest 555 Satellite Digest is SpaceFlight’s regular listing of world space launches using orbital data from the United States Strategic Command space-track.org website. Compiled by Geoff Richards

Spacecraft International Date Launch Launch vehicle Mass Orbital Inclin. Period Perigee Apogee Notes designation site (kg) epoch (deg) (min) (km) (km)

TOMSat R3 2018-104A Dec 16.27 Mahia Electron 5 Dec 17.04 85.04 94.63 491 513 [1] Shields 1 2018-104B 7 Dec 16.98 85.03 94.65 494 512 [2] STF 1 2018-104D 4 Dec 16.79 85.03 94.69 496 514 [3] ALBus 2018-104E 3 Dec 16.56 85.03 94.60 490 512 [4] CeREs 2018-104F 5 Dec 16.56 85.03 94.58 489 511 [5] CHOMPTT 2018-104G 4 Dec 16.92 85.04 94.58 489 511 [6] ISX 2018-104H 4 Dec 18.74 85.03 94.71 493 520 [7] DaVinci 2018-104J 3 Dec 16.92 85.04 94.67 494 514 [8] CubeSail 2018-104K 4 Dec 17.22 85.03 94.66 494 514 [9] NMTSat 2018-104L 2 Dec 16.84 85.03 94.66 496 512 [10] Goergen 2018-104M 5 Dec 17.81 85.04 94.66 496 511 [11] TOMSat EagleScout 2018-104N 5 Dec 17.81 85.04 94.63 493 513 [1] RSat-P 2018-104P 3 Dec 17.81 85.04 94.62 491 513 [12] GSAT 7A 2018-105A Dec 19.44 SHAR GSLV Mk 2 2,250 Jan 1.92 0.17 1436.04 35,777 35,797 [13] CSO 1 2018-106A Dec 19.69 CSG Soyuz-2.1a-Fregat-M 3,565 Orbit classifiedcopy [14] 2533 2018-107A Dec 21.01 Baykonur -M-Briz-M 2,600? Jan 19.87 0.13 1,436.02 35,777 35,796 [15] Hongyun GJYW 2018-108A Dec 21.99 Jiuquan Chang Zheng 11 247 Dec 22.34 99.92 106.58 1,062 1,078 [16] Navstar 74 2018-109A Dec 22.58 ETR Falcon 9FT 4,400 Jan 7.32 55.00 717.90 20,167 20,196 [17] Tongxin Jisshu SW3 2018-110A Dec 24.70 Xichang Chang Zheng 3C 3,000? Dec 31.62 0.11 1,436.01 35,778 35,795 [18] subsatellite 2018-110C 500? Jan 2.69 0.10 1,436.06 35,784 35,791 [18] Kanopus-V 5 2018-111A Dec 27.09 Vostochny Soyuz-2.1a-Fregat-M 490 Dec 27.43 97.47 94.73 504 511 [19] Kanopus-V 6 2018-111B 490 Dec 27.43 97.47 94.68 499 511 [19] iSat 2018-111D 4 Dec 27.37 97.72 96.23 571 588 [20] UWE 4 Subscriber2018-111E 1 Dec 27.41 97.72 96.21 571 587 [21] D-Star One Sparrow 2018-111F 4 Dec 27.41 97.73 96.21 571 587 [20] Lemur 2 ChristinaHolt 2018-111G 5 Dec 27.41 97.73 96.20 571 586 [22] Lemur 2 TinyKev 2018-111H 5 Dec 27.41 97.73 96.20 571 586 [22] Lemur 2 RemyColton 2018-111J 5 Dec 27.75 97.73 96.20 571 586 [22] Lemur 2 Gustavo 2018-111K 5 Dec 27.41 97.73 96.19 571 585 [22] Lemur 2 Zo 2018-111L 5 Dec 27.37 97.73 96.19 570 585 [22] Lemur 2 NatalieMurray 2018-111M 5 Dec 27.38 97.73 96.18 570 585 [22] Lemur 2 SarahBettyBoo 2018-111N 5 Dec 27.81 97.73 96.18 570 584 [22] Lemur 2 DaisyHarper 2018-111P 5 Dec 27.61 97.73 96.18 570 584 [22] GRUS 1 2018-111Q 80 Dec 27.81 97.72 96.18 571 583 [23] Flock 3k-3 2018-111S 5 Dec 27.49 97.30 94.50 480 512 [24] Flock 3k-4 2018-111T 5 Dec 27.49 97.30 94.49 480 512 [24] Flock 3k-1 2018-111U 5 Dec 27.48 97.30 94.49 480 512 [24] Flock 3k-2 2018-111V 5 Dec 27.49 97.30 94.49 480 511 [24] Flock 3k-6 2018-111W 5 Dec 27.82 97.30 94.48 480 510 [24] Flock 3k-5 2018-111Z 5 Dec 27.82 97.30 94.48 480 510 [24] Flock 3k-8 2018-111AB 5 Dec 27.76 97.30 94.48 480 510 [24]

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Spacecraft International Date Launch Launch vehicle Mass Orbital Inclin.  Period Perigee Apogee Notes designation site (kg) epoch (deg) (min) (km) (km) Flock 3k-7 2018-111AC 5 Dec 28.02 97.30 94.48 481 509 [24] Flock 3k-12 2018-111AD 5 Dec 27.49 97.30 94.47 480 509 [24] Flock 3k-11 2018-111AE 5 Dec 27.49 97.30 94.47 480 509 [24] Flock 3k-10 2018-111AF 5 Dec 27.49 97.30 94.47 480 509 [24] Flock 3k-9 2018-111AG 5 Dec 27.96 97.30 94.47 480 509 [24] ZACube 2 2018-111AH 4 Dec 27.49 97.30 94.45 480 508 [25] Lume 1 2018-111AJ 2 Dec 27.49 97.30 94.45 480 508 [26] Yanhai 2-01 2018-112A Dec 29.33 Jiuquan Chang Zheng 2D/YZ-3 100? Dec 29.53 50.01 94.95 517 525 [27] Yanhai 2-02 2018-112B 100? Dec 29.53 50.01 94.92 515 525 [27] Yanhai 2-03 2018-112C 100? Dec 29.57 50.01 94.90 513 524 [27] Yanhai 2-04 2018-112D 100? Dec 29.81 50.01 107.02 1,088 1,098 [27] Yanhai 2-05 2018-112E 100? Feb 4.29 50.01 100.77 796 804 [27] Chongqing 2018-112F 100? Dec 29.62 50.01 107.07 1,091 1,100 [28] Yanhai 2-06 2018-112G 100? Dec 29.62 50.01 107.08 1,092 1,100 [27] Zhongxing 2D 2019-001A Jan 10.71 Xichang Chang Zheng 3B 5,400 Jan 21.89 0.06 1,436.07 35,780 35,795 [29] Iridium 180 2019-002A Jan 11.65 WTR Falcon 9FT 860 Feb 4.49 86.40 100.37 777 780 [30] Iridium 176 2019-002B 860 Jan 12.97 86.68 97.04 611 627 [30] Iridium 168 2019-002C 860 Jan 30.46 86.39 100.37 776 779 [30] Iridium 173 2019-002D 860 Jan 27.80 86.39 100.37 776 779 [30] Iridium 169 2019-002E 860 Feb 9.47 87.34 99.82 749 754 [30] Iridium 172 2019-002F 860 Feb 3.42 86.40 100.37 776 779 [30] Iridium 175 2019-002G 860 Jan 12.97 86.68 97.04 611 627 [30] Iridium 171 2019-002H 860 Jan 25.47 86.40 100.37 776 779 [30] Iridium 170 2019-002J 860 Jan 12.97 copy86.68 97.04 611 627 [30] Iridium 167 2019-002K 860 Jan 23.51 86.39 100.37 776 779 [30] Payam-e Amirkabir Jan 15.02 Semnan 90 Failed to reach orbit [31] RAPIS 1 2019-003A Jan 18.03 Uchinoura 2 200 Jan 18.50 97.31 94.67 498 511 [32] OrigamiSat 2019-003B 4 Jan 18.50 97.30 94.61 490 513 [33] Hodoyoshi 2 2019-003C 59 Jan 18.95 97.30 94.60 490 511 [34] MicroDragon 2019-003D 51 Jan 18.63 97.30 94.59 489 512 [35] NEXUS 2019-003F 1 Jan 18.49 97.30 94.50 480 512 [36] ALE 1 2019-003G 68 Jan 18.49 97.31 94.50 480 513 [37] AOBA-VeloxSubscriber IV 2019-003J 3 Jan 18.49 97.30 94.50 480 512 [38] USA 290 2019-004A Jan 19.80 WTR Delta 4H 15,000? Jan 26.00 73.57 92.67 395 420 [39] Lingque 1A 2019-005A Jan 21.24 Jiuquan Chang Zheng 11 10 Jan 22.42 97.51 95.16 517 539 [40] Jilin 1 Guangpu 01 2019-005B 250? Jan 21.83 97.51 95.22 522 540 [41] Xiaoxiang 1-03 2019-005C 8 Jan 22.10 97.51 95.23 523 539 [42] Jilin 1 Guangpu 02 2019-005E 250? Jan 24.81 97.51 95.16 517 539 [41] Microsat-R 2019-006A Jan 24.74 SHAR PSLV-DL 744 Feb 8.57 96.61 89.91 240 303 [43] Kalamsat v2 2019-006B 1,000? Jan 25.25 98.79 93.53 447 451 [44]

NOTES

1. TOMSat (Testbed for Optical Missions Satellite), or Aerocube 11B been confirmed. and 11A, are a pair of technology development 3U Cubesats built by Aerospace Corporation and are each carrying a telescope and 2. Shields technology development 3U Cubesat built by NASA Langley

a laser-link transmitter. R3 (Rapid Responsive Re-imagined) carries carrying four types of radiation shielding materials, shielded a multispectral visible/infra-red scanner for Earth imaging in electronics systems and a charge dissipation film to demonstrate Landsat OLI bands and EagleScout carries an infra-red focal-plane operation in high radiation environment. array for terrestrial, lunar and stellar targets. Launched by . All payloads except Goergen and TOMSat comprise the NASA 3. Simulation to Flight technology development, education and science ElaNa 19 mission. The identities of five of the payloads have not 3U Cubesat built by West Virginia University for West Virginia

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 39 SATELLITE DIGEST

Space Grant Consortium and NASA carrying a software-defined GNSS receiver (FOTON) for navigation and electron content, a Langmuir probe for electron density and temperature, three solid- state detectors for particle radiation, a VLF receiver for ionospheric sounding, a camera for Earth imaging, LEDs for performance test and an amateur-band store-and-forward transponder. Satellite will verify software simulation on a multiple-use satellite.

4. Advanced Electrical Bus is a technology development 3U Cubesat built by NASA Glenn carrying nickel-titanium shape memory alloy panel deployment mechanisms and a digital power control and distribution system for high-power performance test.

5. Compact Radiation Belt Explorer is a geophysical science 3U Cubesat built using a Blue Canyon Technologies XB1 bus by NASA Goddard carrying a solid-state telescope (MERiT) for radiation belt energisation and loss electron spectra, microbursts and Solar electrons.

6. CubeSat Handling Of Multisystem Precision Time Transfer navigation technology 3U Cubesat built by University of Florida carrying two atomic clocks (caesium and rubidium), an optical detector to measure time of laser pulse arrival, six retro-reflectors to return pulses and an LED optical beacon.

7. Ionospheric Scintillation Explorer, or CP 11, geophysical science 3U Cubesat built by California Polytechnic for National Science Foundation carrying a four-channel receiver for effect of ionosphere on ground-based radio transmissions. United Launch Alliance sent NROL-71 into orbit on January 19, 2019. 8. DaVinci educational 3U Cubesat built by North Idaho STEM Charter Academy carrying a camera for Earth images and a communication 15. Blagovest 13L communications satellite built using an Ekspress-2000 system using the Globalstar satellites. bus by ISS Reshetnev for MORF.copy Stationed over 80°E for test and will ULA be used for communications, including Internet service, to Russian 9. Cube Sail technology development 3U Cubesat built by UIUC with military users. mechanisms to deploy a 250 m long thin-film sail to test technologies for solar sailing and a camera to monitor sail behaviour. 16. Hongyun gongcheng jishu yanzheng weixing (Hongyun Engineering Technology Verification Satellite) is a communications technology 10. New Mexico Tech Satellite educational and science 3U Cubesat satellite for CASIC carrying transponders for broadband Internet built by New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology carrying communication and a gene bank with tiger DNA. Prototype for systems to monitor the structural and electrical performance of the Hongyun (Rainbow Cloud) constellation of 156 satellites. satellite, a Langmuir probe for plasma density, two magnetometers for the Earth's field and a GPS receiver for ionospheric occultation. 17. Also called USA 289, first improved Navstar Block 3 navigation Subscribersatellite (SV-1, SVN-74) in the Global Positioning System, built by 11. Named for Mark Goergen, also known as SHFT 1 (Space-based Lockheed Martin and launched by SpaceX. Mass quoted above is at High Frequency Testbed), technology 3U Cubesat built by JPL for launch. Launched into orbital plane F of the GPS constellation. DARPA carrying an HF receiver for transmissions from Jupiter and the galactic background and also the effect of ionosphere on 18. Tongxin Jisshu Shiyan Weixing 3 (Communications Technology transmissions from the ground. Test Satellite) is for “technical verification such as dual-satellite co-location communication and multi-band and high-rate satellite 12. Repair Satellite-Prototype technology development 3U Cubesat communication” and possibly has a military mission. Mass built by US Naval Academy carrying two manipulator arms for estimated is at launch. The satellite is located over 59°E. It has performance test, a test object, three cameras to monitor arms and a released a subsatellite which is now at 59.1°E, some 100 km away. transponder for amateur communications. 19. Kanopus-Vulkan are a pair of Earth survey satellites built by VNIIEM 13. Geostationary Satellite military communications satellite built for Roskosmos. Each carries a PSS high-resolution panchromatic by ISRO using an I-2000 bus. Mass quoted above is at launch. The scanner and an MSS multispectral scanner for Earth imaging. satellite is located over 62.8°E for service to the Indian Air Force including mobile users and aircraft. 20. iSAT and D-Star One Sparrow are a pair of communications 3U Cubesats built by German Orbital Systems, with iSat for iSky 14. Composante Spatiale Optique reconnaissance satellite built using Technology, each with a deployable helical antenna, four D-Star UHF an AstroSat-1000 bus by Airbus DS and Thales Alenia Space and communications modules, two for amateur radio communications launched by Arianespace for CNES as agents for DGA, probably and two for telemetry and an ADS-B receiver to track aircraft. carrying a high resolution visual and infra-red camera for images of the Earth’s surface. Orbital data withheld, but probably 800 km sun- 21. Universität Würzburg Experimental-Satellit is a 1U Cubesat for synchronous, co-planar with 2A and 2B. communications and test built by University

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technology satellite built by DFH Shenzhen for CASC Mobile with transponders for IoT communications. Pathfinder for planned Hongyan (Wild Goose) constellation.

29. Zhongxing 2D is officially a direct broadcasting and telecoms satellite, but is rumoured to be the third Shentong 2 military communications satellite using a CAST DFH-4 bus. Mass quoted above is at launch. The satellite is located over 130°E.

30. Ten low-orbit communications satellites built using the ELiTeBus by Thales Alena Space and launched for Iridium by SpaceX, the eighth batch of the Iridium NEXT second-generation design. In addition to the communications payload satellites carry add-on payloads: an ADS-B receiver to track air traffic for Aireon and an exactView RT AIS receiver to track shipping for exactEarth. Launched into parking orbits. Satellites are manoeuvring to raise orbits. Six have reached their operational orbits in Plane 3 of the Iridium constellation: Iridium 167, Iridium 171, Iridium 172, Iridium 173, Iridium 168 and Iridium 180, co-located with and replacing Iridium 32, Iridium 91, Iridium 59, Iridium 60, Iridium 95 and Iridium 45 respectively. All six operational by February 5, completing the Iridium NEXT constellation upgrade. Remaining four will be in-orbit spares, Iridium 169 is drifting towards Plane 4. First stage successfully landed on the Just Read the Instructions barge about 325 km downrange.

31. Payam-e Amirkabir (Message from Amirkabir) or AUTSAT experimental Earth survey satellite built by Amirkabir University of Technology for the Iranian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology carrying cameras for Earth and cloud United Launch Alliance sent NROL-71 into orbit on January 19, 2019. imaging and a transponder for communications. Third stage of launch vehicle failed. Planned orbit was 500 km circular, 55° of Wurzburg with four NanoFEEP gallium electric thrusters for inclination. performance test. copy 32. Rapid Innovative Payload Demonstration Satellite technology 22. Lemur 2 multi-mission 3U Cubesats built by each development satellite built by Axelspace for JAXA carrying a carrying an AIS receiver (SENSE) to track shipping, an ADS-B camera (CMRE) for Earth observation, a detector (TEDA) for the receiver to track aircraft and a GPS receiver (STRATOS) for radiation environment, systems for evaluation including a thin-film atmospheric data from occultation of GPS signals. Satellites are solar panel with two cameras to monitor deployment, an X-band named after members of the Spire team. downlink, an attitude control system using green propellant, star trackers, Earth cameras and artificial intelligence techniques, a 23. GRUS survey satellite built by Axelspace carrying a two-camera miniature Fireant GNSS receiver, a solid-state detector (SPM) to panchromatic and visible/infra-red multispectral system for Earth monitor particle radiation and a NanoBridge FPGA component. imaging. Subscriber33. OrganizatIon of research Group on Advanced deployable Membrane 24. Flock 3k constellation of twelve Dove 3U Cubesats built by Planet structures for Innovative space science Satellite technology are each carrying a visible/infra-red camera for Earth observation. development 3U Cubesat built by Tokyo Institute of Technology (TITech) carrying a deployable 1.4 m square membrane structure 25. ZACube 2 technology development 3U Cubesat built by Cape and antenna and a C-band transmitter for performance test, with Peninsula University of Technology for SANSA carrying a software- a camera to record membrane deployment. Given the Amsat name defined radio usable as an AIS receiver to track shipping and an Fuji-Oscar 98. infra-red camera for Earth observation including ocean colours and wildfires. 34. Hodoyoshi or RISESat Earth survey, science and technology satellite built by Tohoku University and RISESat consortium carrying a 26. Lume 1 technology development 2U Cubesat built by University of visible/ infra-red telescope (HPT) for high-resolution land and Vigo with CNRS and University of Porto carrying a TOTEM software- sea-surface imaging, a camera (DOTCam, supplied by Taiwan) defined radio for communications for the FIRE-RS wildfire alert for atmospheric transient luminous events, a wide-angle camera system, a HUMPL HumSAT store-dump communications system and (OOC) for ocean surface observation, a TriTel solid-state dosimeter a transponder for M2M communications. for dosage and spectra of cosmic radiation (supplied by Hungary), a solid-state telescope (Timepix, supplied by Czech Republic) for 27. Yunhai are six meteorological satellites built by DFH Shenzhen for particle radiation over a wide energy range, a MEMS magnetometer “atmospheric environmental factor detection, space environment (μMAG, supplied by Sweden) for the Earth's field, a VSOTA monitoring, disaster prevention and mitigation, and scientific transponder for optical communications and a store-and-forward experiments”, apparently a military mission, using GNSS signal transponder (DPD) for communications with remote monitoring occultation to observe the atmosphere. First use of YZ-3 upper stage. stations.

28. Chongqing (location of the company) is a communications 35. MicroDragon educational and technology development satellite

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 41 SATELLITE DIGEST SPACEX

copy

Falcon 9FT lifts off on January 11 with a constellation of Iridium satellites on board..

built by the VNSC and Keio University with a camera to observe of moving objects and a system for inter-satellite communications. coastal waters, a sensor to detect atmospheric aerosols and an ATO Prototype for planned 132 satellite constellation. coating sample for anti-static effect. 41. Jilin 1 Guangpu (Spectrum), also known as Jilin Lincao 1 36. Next Generation X Unique Satellite amateur radio communications (Forestry and grassland) and Wenchang Chaosuan 1 (Wenchang 1U CubesatSubscriber built by Nihon University and JAMSAT carrying three Supercomputer, for co-sponsor Hainan Modern Technology Group), amateur-band transmitters for performance test, a camera for Earth built by the Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. are each observation and a sensor for electric fields. Given the Amsat name carrying a hyperspectral scanner and infra-red cameras for Earth Fuji-Oscar 99. observation. Jilin 1 Guangpu 02 also carries the Shuiyun 1 (Water Transport) navigation payload for the Ministry of Transport. 37. Astro Live Experiences is a technology development satellite built by ALE Co. with a device to shoot several hundred pellets into the 42. Xiaoxiang, also known as Qingteng Star and Tianyi 3-04, is atmosphere to create an artificial meteor shower and a deployable a technology development 6U Cubesat built by SpaceTy in drag break to hasten decay. collaboration with Qingteng University carrying a panchromatic camera and two deployable triangular drag-brakes mounted on 38. AOBA-Velox IV technology development 2U Cubesat built by solar panels to hasten decay. Nanyang Technology University, Singapore and Kyushu Institute of Technology carrying a low-light camera for night-time Earth imaging 43. Microsat-R remote sensing satellite built by the DRDO (Defence including Lunar Horizon Glow and a pulsed-plasma thruster for Research and Development Organisation) and launched by ISRO performance test. carrying a high-resolution camera for Earth imaging, probably for reconnaissance. First use of PSLV-DL with only two solid boosters. 39. Classified satellite, also known as NROL-71, is probably a KH-11- type optical reconnaissance satellite launched for NRO by ULA, 44. Kalamsat (named for former President) is an educational 1 kg possibly the first of a new generation. Orbit is classified, that given 1U Cubesat built by Space Kidz India carrying an amateur-band is from amateur trackers. transponder for communication (Kalamsat v1 was a suborbital payload). Attached to L2.5 fourth stage carrying a new payload 40. Lingque is a technology development 6U Cubesat built by Beijing support platform for performance test which operated until batteries Zero G Lab carrying a high-resolution camera for Earth observation exhausted January 25.

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ADDITIONS AND UPDATES DESIGNATION COMMENTS DESIGNATION COMMENTS

1999-033A ASTRA 1H was manoeuvred off station at 80.8°W January 4 and December 29 respectively. January 10 and is drifting to the east. 2018-058A Progress MS-09 undocked from ISS/Pirs January 25.54 2000-043A Intelsat 9 was relocated at 66°E, co-located with and was de-orbited over the Pacific Ocean January Intelsat 17, January 31. 25.67. 2000-050A N-Sat 110 (JCSat 110) was manoeuvred off station at 2018-084J This object is now identified as Gama Kyubu 110°E January 8 and is drifting to the west. It appears (AUTCube 2). to have been retired. 2018-090A Es'hail 2 launch mass was 5,300 kg, not 3,000 kg as 2000-068A Intelsat 12 was manoeuvred off station at 45°E given in Satellite Digest 533. January 16 and is drifting to the east. 2018-091A Progress MS-10 launch vehicle was Soyuz-FG, not 2002-011A TDRS 9 was manoeuvred off station at 12°W January 8 Soyuz-2.1a as given in Satellite Digest 533. and is drifting to the west. 2018-096 CICERO 8 is now identified as 2018-096U, HiberOne is 2002-062A Nimiq 2 was relocated at 123°W January 7. 096AB and remaining objects confirmed apart from 2003-060A Ekspress AM22 was manoeuvred off station at 80°E 096K, which becomes the only candidate for 3CAT 1. January 30 and is drifting to the west. 2018-099 MinXSS 2 is now identified as 2018-099A, Elysium Star 2006-001A New Horizons successfully flew by Kuiper Belt Object 2, attached to a 260 kg adapter, is 099C, RANGE A is (486958), unofficially named Ultima Thule, January 099R, possibly still attached to RANGE B, HiberTwo is 1.23. confirmed as 099S, VESTA 1 is 099Z, THEA is 099AQ 2006-053A Feng Yun 2D was manoeuvred off station at 123.5°E and BRIO is 099BH. January 24 and is drifting to the west. It has been 2018-101A Dragon CRS 16 was unberthed from ISS/Harmony retired. on January 13.84 using the ISS arm and released 2010-041C Kosmos 2464 (Uragan-M 736) was withdrawn from January 13.98. Spacecraft was de-orbited over the service December 30, returned briefly January 15 to 18 Pacific Ocean January 14.18. Landed in the Pacific and back in use from February 3. Ocean about 450 km from the coast of Mexico January 14.22. Five Cubesats were deployed from ISS via the 2010-065A HYLAS 1 was manoeuvred off station at 33.5°E January Kibo airlock January 31.43 (CATSats), 31.50 (Delphini), 21 and is drifting to the east. 31.57 (UNITE) and 31.70 (TechEdSat). Add objects with 2011-019A SBIRS GEO 1 (USA 230) started drifting to the west orbits: away from its station at 73°E in September. CATSat 2 1998-067PV 2011-032A Tianlian 1-02 was manoeuvred off station at 175.8°E Feb 1.06 51.64° 92.58 min 402 km 409 km January 11 and was relocated at 166.9°E January 18. TechEdSat 8 1998-067PW 2011-037A Spektr-R (Radioastron) failed to respond to commands January 10. Feb 1.61 copy51.64° 92.58 min 402 km 409 km 2012-040A Tianlian 1-03 was manoeuvred off station at 10.5°E Delphini 1 1998-067PX January 6 and was relocated at 16.8°E January 13. Feb 1.60 51.64° 92.58 min 403 km 408 km 2016-067A WorldView 4 lost attitude control January 7 due to UNITE 1998-067PY control moment gyro failure, halting operations. Feb 1.06 51.64° 92.57 min 403 km 408 km 2017-047A TDRS 13 was manoeuvred off station at 49°W January CATSat 1 1998-067PZ 8 and was relocated at 12°W, replacing TDRS 9, Jan 31.90 51.64° 92.58 min 402 km 409 km January 25. 2018-103A Chang'e 4 deployed Yutu 2 rover on to the Lunar 2018-042B,C Transmissions from MarCO-A and B were last heard surface January 3.60.

INTERNATIONALSubscriber SPACE STATION ACTIVITY SES There was the following orbital manoeuvre of ISS during January, boosted by Progress MS-10: Pre-manoeuvre orbit: Jan 18.54 51.64° 92.58 min 404 km 407 km Post-manoeuvre orbit: Jan 19.05 51.64° 92.62 min 405 km 411 km End-of-January orbital data: Jan 31.92 51.64° 92.61 min 404 km 411 km

RECENTLY DETAILED ORBITAL DECAYS International Object name Decay Designation

1977-093A Prognoz 6 Jan 16.49 2002-005B Iridium 90 Jan 23.9 2007-049A Kosmos 2430 Jan 5.33 1998-067KU ITF 2 (TO 89) Jan 3.9 2018-058A Progress MS-09 Jan 25.70 2018-101A Dragon CRS 16 Jan 14.22 Satellite medicine: originally a service of Astra 1H, which moved off station on January 10. 2018-103A Chang'e 4 Jan 3.10 (on Moon)

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 43 SOCIETY NEWS

Mark Yates defines the several steps in Apollo lunar exploration. copy

BIS TALKS GO LIVE! GEIR ENGENE SubscriberMark Yates kicks off the Society’s live streaming service with a talk on Apollo 9 tools.

MARK YATES, BIS FELLOW and a Process Safety lunar soil sample which failed when their Luna 15 expert in the oil and gas industry, began the first probe crashed in the Mare Crisium. Newsweek official BIS Live-streamed Lecture on 22 January by magazine had an alternative cover prepared if the explaining that this year marks not only the 50th Apollo 8 mission had ended in tragedy. anniversary of Apollo 11, but the 60th anniversary of Born in 1970, Mark began collecting Apollo lunar exploration. 1959 was when the first man- artefacts in 2008 with Charlie Duke’s Apollo 16 made object, the Soviet Luna 2 probe, impacted the pre-EVA cuff checklist (see pages 30-32). In 2012, lunar surface and the Chinese rounded off those 60 when it was decreed that disposable hardware from years by landing their Chang’e 4 vehicle on the far each mission belonged to the astronauts concerned, side of the Moon at the beginning of this year. many more came up for sale. Several items, In 1961 President Kennedy set the challenge with including lights, a rendezvous mirror and the 16 mm his famous “Man on the Moon by the end of the camera used by Buzz Aldrin, were found in Neil decade” speech which Mark believes opened a Armstrong’s “McDivitt purse” after he died and are period of incredible technical achievements, from now in the Smithsonian Museum. Also in the Concorde to Apollo. Mark listed the 17 Apollo Smithsonianare the TV camera and soil missions, the last which launched Skylab scoop recovered by Apollo 12 Commander Pete and finally the Russian/US hand-shake in the Apollo Conrad – but weight restrictions meant many other Soyuz Test Project and told of the Russians’ “last- items, including over-boots and all but one of the ditch” effort to upstage Apollo 11 by returning a Portable Life Support Systems (PLSSs), had to be

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GEIR ENGINE Cranseds rising! On 2 February, Space Day, organised the speed that this company can by the Cranfield Students for the design, build and launch a CubeSat Exploration and Development of size spacecraft – just 4 months, a Space (Cranseds), included the marvellous achievement indeed. This Rocket Propulsion stand manned by was followed a presentation from Mark Perman, Secretary of the West Stephen Vance of CGI Aerospace. Midlands Branch, and the BIS stand As the event was running a little manned by Alistair Scott, past BIS ahead of schedule, Alistair was President. An early start setting up asked to give only a quick brief on the two stands next to each other the BIS and its activities. Particular paid off and were by far the largest interest in the audience came from displays on show at the venue and students who were keen to know immediately generated questions more about the IAC Student Paper from interested visitors. Competition, as well as the Arthurs The day formally started at 0930 Student and Academia Awards. And with a quick introduction to Cranseds then it was time for lunch. and their activities from President The afternoon sessions began Steven George and the day’s events with a talk from Joshua Critchley- proceeded from there, with Frank Marrows representing Nottingham Gallagher from Airbus Defence and Scientific Ltd followed by a panel Space followed by Daniel Rincon discussion across a varied and from Reaction Engines. wide-ranging array of topics, which Having given an excellent also included Adam Baker of UK overview of the work of the company, Launch Services and our very own Daniel was surprised to hear that the Alistair Scott. Following another Test Facility currently under break, there were presentations from construction at Westcott with its Ben Jarvis of Raptor Aerospace Ltd, enclosing security fence was not in Damian Mayer of Near Space fact the first time that the area had a Technologies and Robert Garner from Mark Yates defines the several steps in Apollo lunar exploration. copy fence around it. Back in the 1940s the UK Space Agency. German rocket scientists were hired All in all it was a great day with left behind on the Moon. to continue their work and transfer excellent speakers who helped Mark discussed the fragile Apollo spacesuits, now their knowledge to the British. When enormously as the Cranseds team kept in climate-controlled storage, and the serious they arrived on site at what would were able to call on many of their problems caused by dust. He then introduced the later become known as the Rocket alumni to come back to speak on first of his own artefacts – a delicate topographical Propulsion Establishment at Westcott their current careers and projects, map of Hadley Rille, a much larger version of which they were housed in a fenced area particularly enthusing for current was used to train Apollo 15 Commander Dave Scott. where the Reaction Engines test site students to see where their studies The second item was the EVA-1 checklist used by is being constructed! could take them. The BIS-West ApolloSubscriber 16 Commander John Young, and Mark After a break, Jordi Barrera Ars Midlands Branch was proud to handed out copies so that the audience could from Open Cosmos gave a fascinating support this event and there was “follow” communications between the spacecraft presentation on his company’s considerable interest in BIS and mission control. Finally, he passed around the products and services. In particular memberships. Mark Perman third item – a plug from the heat shield of the Apollo 11 CM that had once covered the retaining bolts. Mark ended with a quote from Neil Armstrong, “I think we’re going to the Moon because it’s in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It’s by the nature of his deep inner soul we’re required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream”. Then he opened the floor, plus the worldwide online audience, to questions. In answer to one, Mark warned everyone to beware of fakes and forgeries, and that a record of ownership, was essential. Some 98 members watched the talk live online and more than 400 have watched it since. Questions and thanks were received from as far away as Australia and Canada, as well as from closer to home. Our thanks go to Mark for an excellent talk, to Gill and Colin for hosting the evening, and to Alan Marlow for making the live streaming such a great success. SF Griffith Ingram / Alistair Scott

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 45 SOCIETY NEWS AstroFest shines!

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From left: Steve Salmon, Alistair Scott, Ian and Gill Norman.

FOR TWO DAYS BEGINNING ON 8 February, the (Journalist), Elizabeth Tasker (JAXA), Manish Patel SubscriberBritish Interplanetary Society team set up their stall (Open University), Simon Porter (New Horizons in the Kensington Conference and Events Centre in Co-Investigator), David Eicher (Astronomy London for European AstroFest, Europe’s prime Magazine), Dr Brian May (London Stereoscopic astronomy exhibition and conference, featuring three Company), Paul Abel (University of Leicester), Allan floors of exhibitors and 16 lectures by space Chapman (Oxford University), Suzie Imber scientists and astronomers. (University of Leicester), Lucy Hawking (author) and Organised by Stephen Young, Editor of Astronomy Kathy Romer (University of Sussex). Now, the popular astronomy magazine, and his In the coffee, lunch and tea breaks the delegates team, AstroFest has been run annually since 1992. flooded out to the exhibition halls, looking for Stephen began his career as Assistant Editor of bargains in astronomy books and paintings, SpaceFlight and continues to be a strong supporter sophisticated computer-driven telescopes and of the BIS. cameras and to learn about a variety of clubs, With a capacity of over 700 in the huge auditorium societies and university courses. The BIS team almost every session on the two days was sold out. talked to the many visitors to the stand about the Delegates were attracted by an exciting programme Society’s history, its technical projects and its many of talks on everything from black holes, dust storms, publications and activities. Many expressed asteroids, comets, galaxies, the planets and alien considerable interest and several signed up or landscapes to cosmology, astrophotography and the renewed their membership. Moon in 3D. A steady stream of would-be space pilots tried They were enthralled by a star studded list of their hand at docking with the International Space speakers, including, Carolin Crawford (University of Station on the ever-popular Soyuz Simulator, built by Cambridge), Paul Davies (Arizona State University), our Italian Branch, and volunteers Ian Norman and Chris Done (Durham University), Will Gater Steve Salmon were kept busy giving instruction and

46 Vol 61 April 2019 SpaceFlight SOCIETY NEWS

Remembered: John George Jefferys (1922-2019) John was born on 31 October 1922 in years later at Westcott. Frank Bartholomew. He worked on several Hillingdon, London to George Thomas and In 1959 John left Huntings and joined projects including the runway-busting JP Amy Jefferys. Dad being a Master Grocer in Bristol Aerojet (BAJ) at their Banwell, 233 and the shoulder-launched Light Hillingdon the family was probably better Weston-Super-Mare facility. Working in the Anti-Tank Weapon LAW. The later project off than most. On leaving school John same office as Norman Rogers, John’s often brought him back to Westcott working joined the Fairey Aviation Company as an responsibility was for motor hardware and with the LAW team, then headed up by apprentice at their Hayes, Middlesex site he was thus involved in the development of Gordon Williams assisted by Roger Hull and before World War II, working on many of BAJ’s solid propellant rocket motor Colin Bancroft. This team was successful in developments of the famous Swordfish projects for both Westcott and Summerfield. developing a very high thrust, very short shipboard aircraft. These projects included the 17 inch (43 cm) burn solid propellant motor that satisfied an After the war John continued with Fairey diameter Raven and Rook motors and also exceptionally difficult requirement. This and was posted to RAE/RPD Westcott, the highly successful and widely used 10 project was accepted into service with the working on the Beta II engine, the inch (25.4 cm) diameter Gosling UK Army in 1963. propulsion unit for the Fairey Vertical Take motor. While John’s work kept him mostly In his personal life John was an ardent Off (VTO) project. This liquid bi-propellant at Banwell he did visit Westcott Conservative and strong supporter of the engine was developed and tested at B Site occasionally for the Hunting RS 80 Scout movement, spending much of his free at Westcott where John would have programme that involved both the Pippit time organizing events. John was married worked alongside the likes of Wally Long and Greylag solid propellant motors. twice (to Elizabeth and later to Sheila) and some of the German engineers such as On leaving BAJ in 1962 John took up a neither sadly still with us. Alas there were Willi Kretschmer and Udet Barske. post with Oerliken in Switzerland working no children but two cousins survive him. He Sometime later John joined Hunting on ground to air missiles. John was never enjoyed the fact that he defied medical Aircraft and during the 1957-59 period he to lose his fondness of Swiss cuisine and statistics by being a heavy smoker for years had responsibility for developing the power when back in the UK often introduced us to and he loved his gin and tonics. cartridge system on the BL755 weapon and these recipes at his dinner parties. With the passing of John Jefferys (a oversaw many trials down at Langhurst, By the time John returned to the UK and Fellow of the BIS) at the ripe old age of 97 Horsham. Col Pat Barlow was the re-joined Hunting Engineering Ltd the we have lost one of the very few remaining department head at that time. Dennis company had moved operations from Luton links with those associated with early post Clarke, also from Huntings, supported this airport to Ampthill. John joined the design World War II rocketry in the United work and was to meet John again many department working for the chief designer, Kingdom.copySF John Harlow FBIS LEFT Gill Norman pays a visit to the stand New JBIS issues of Dr Brian May, who was there to sign copies of his new book Mission Moon, co-authored with David Eicher. BELOW Ian Norman offers Subscriberadvice to budding cosmonauts on the ever-popular Soyuz simulator.

encouragement to potential cosmonauts of all ages. The BIS crew took advantage of the quieter times, while the talks were going on, to look around at the other stands. The sophistication of the hardware now available to amateur astronomers was astonishing, with some superb pieces of mechanical TWO MORE ISSUES of JBIS and electronic engineering on offer. are out around now, completing The two-day event was exhilarating and most Volume 71. November 2018 is a worthwhile. We must thank the Astronomy Now general issue. December 2018 team for another enlightening and well run AstroFest is a general interstellar issue and the BIS team for all their support and hard work and also includes a full index in setting up and manning the stand. SF for the Volume. Griffith Ingram / Alistair Scott

SpaceFlight Vol 61 April 2019 47 SOCIETY NEWS

BIS LECTURES & MEETINGS MEMBERSHIP NEWS

APOLLO 9 – TESTING THE LUNAR MODULE 6 March 2019, 7.00pm VENUE: BIS, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1SZ Jerry Stone gives his uniquely personal take on the story of Apollo 9 – the first test of the full lunar landing package and second outing of the Lunar Module. BRANCH: A NEW SPACE RACE? & PROJECT CHEVALINE 16 March 2019, 1.45pm VENUE: Gardeners Arms, Droitwich, Worcestershire WR9 8LU Gurbir Singh posits the beginning of a new space race between India and China, while John Harlow and Paul Jackman look back to the days of Project Chevaline and the famed Twin Chamber Propulsion Unit. ARTISTS IN SPACE: THE EARLY YEARS 3 April, 7.00pm VENUE: BIS, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1SZ David A. Hardy FBIS, the “longest established astro- nomical artist”, uses art from Lucian Rudaux, Chesley Bonestell and our own R.A.Smith, plus other ‘lesser- known’ artists (and of course his own!) to the genre of space art from its inception in 1874. APOLLO 10 – DRESS REHEARSAL FOR THE MOON A generous bequest LANDING 22 May 2019, 7.00pm VENUE: BIS, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1SZ FOLLOWING THE SUDDEN PASSING of Mrs Laura Ford in January 2018, the Society has received a sizeable legacy payment. Both Laura Jerry Stone continues his coverage of Apollo with the and her late husband Douglas (Doug)copy were avid members of the BIS, first flight to carry both the Apollo spacecraft and the though following the sudden death of Doug in 2010 at the age of 72 Lunar Module on a full dress rehearsal of a landing. from prostate cancer, Laura struggled to attend and reluctantly gave up their joint membership. Even so, she never forgot the good times that Call for Papers she and Doug spent in the pursuit of space and space travel, following RUSSIAN-SINO FORUM Doug’s career at British Aerospace where he was a Stress Engineer. 1-2 June 2019, 9.30 am to 5pm (tbc) Doug was born in 1938 and brought up in Leek, Staffordshire. He VENUE: BIS, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1SZ graduated from Lanchester College (now Coventry University) in 1960 The BIS has now scheduled its 39th annual Russian- and become an Associate Fellow of the BIS in 1961. He moved to Sino Forum – one of our most popular and longest Cheadle to work at British Aerospace, where he remained until he was running events. Papers are invited. 55, when he took early retirement to look after his elderly mother. Throughout his life, Doug supported numerous charities and was APOLLOSubscriber MISSIONS: LANDING ON THE MOON BY known for his generosity to friends and colleagues. DAVID BAKER Doug moved back to the West Midlands to settle in Halesowen in 12 June 2019, 7.00pm 1994 and often went to local meetings. He also attended night school VENUE: BIS, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1SZ with Laura to learn about astronomy, which gave them both hours of pleasure. In 2000 the couple moved back to Staffordshire and settled in SpaceFlight's editor looks at the systems evolved by Burntwood. NASA for calculating optimum lunar landing Doug and Laura were keen travellers (on Laura’s death we found trajectories, and at the descent procedures needed to photos from as far afield as Japan, China, Australia, North America and achieve the maximum chance of success. Iceland as well as mainland Europe). We were aware that much of their time was spent searching for the Northern Lights, which sadly they never saw before Doug’s death. After that, Laura continued to support Doug’s causes, and attended meetings and reunions when she could. In 2014 she moved to Shirley, West Midlands, to be closer to her family until her untimely death at the age of 88. Before that, though, she made sure that the causes close to both of their hearts NEW MEMBERS would benefit from her estate, hence the generous A total of 29 new members joined us in bequest to the BIS. Her January – a great way to celebrate the family would be happy to New Year! 18 come from the UK, 3 from hear from any members who the USA, 3 from Australia, 2 from knew Doug or Laura. Get in Germany, 1 from Eire, 1 from the touch with them by emailing Netherlands and 1 from Italy. A us at [email protected]. SF warm welcome to you all! Lloyd Brackstone

48 Vol 61 April 2019 SpaceFlight Present

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BRITISH INTERPLANETARY SOCIETY Arthur C. Clarke House 27/29 South Lambeth Road London, SW8 1SZ, UK

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