Space Chronicle A British Interplanetary Society Publication General Issue Vol. 69, Suppl. 2, 2016 ISBN 978-0-9567382-2-6 Publication Date: 3 June 2016 Space Chronicle Space Chronicle issues are published as a part of JBIS, but as Supplements to preserve the continuity of the regular series of JBIS (blue cover) issues. Editor: John Becklake Space Chronicle welcomes the submission Production Assistant: B. Jones for publication of technical articles of general Promotion: G. Norman interest, historical contributions and reviews Space Chronicle Office: 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 in space science and technology, astronautics 1SZ, England. and related fields. Tel: 020 7735 3160 Text should be: Fax: 020 7582 7167 Email: [email protected] 1. As concise as the content allows; www.bis-space.com 2. 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Journal of the British JBIS Interplanetary Society The January 2016 issue of the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society is now available and contains the following papers: Project Icarus: Preliminary Thoughts on the Selection of Probes and Instruments for an Icarus-Style Interstellar Mission Project Icarus: Exploring Alpha Centauri: Trajectories and Strategies for Subprobe Deployment The Bottleneck Eect on Interplanetary and Interstellar Growth over the Coming Millennium Exoconfac – The Extraterrestrial Containemnt Facility: An Essay on the Design Philosophy for a Prison to Contain Criminals in Settlements Beyond the Earth Reviewing METI: A Critical Analysis of the Arguments Copies of JBIS, priced at £10 for members, £40 to non-members, P&P: UK £1.50, Europe £3.50, Rest of the World £3.50 Back issues are also available and can be obtained from The British Interplanetary Society, 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ, England Published By The British Interplanetary Society Space Chronicle Vol. 69, Suppl. 2, 2016 LIST OF CONTENTS 46 The BIS Soviet/Chinese Technical Forum - A Brief History (1980-2015) David J. Shayler 59 Skybolt, Blue Steel & Politics! A Personal View - Part II Rod Woodcock 71 Britain’s First Space Rocket Robin H. Brand * * * Front Cover: (Top Left) Blue Steel going though the install process prior to final fitment to a Avro Vulcan. (Top Right) The launch of Skylark SL03. (Bottom) Some of the authors from the 1983 forum. 45 DavidSpace ChronicleJ. Shayler, Vol. 69, pp.46-58, 2016 The BIS Soviet/Chinese Technical Forum – A Brief History (1980-2015) DAVID J. SHAYLER, FBIS On the evening of Friday 4 January 1980 the inaugural BIS Technical Forum was held in the Golovine Conference Room at the Societies Headquarters in London. The aim of the new Forum was stated in the meeting notice as “to enable small technical groups to discuss subjects of particular interest at a suitably high level” [1]. Though not originally planned to be dedicated to one subject or field, this inaugural meeting evolved over the next 35 years to focus primarily upon the latest news and developments, as well as historical perspective, from the Soviet, then Russian and more recently Chinese space programmes. So popular have these Forums become that each year the event has been firmly established as the leading meeting in the Society’s calendar, with occasional supplementary meetings covering other aspects of space exploration history and operations. This paper briefly reviews the development of what has become known as the Soviet/Chinese Technical Forum. Antony Kenden, the creator of the BIS Technical Forum. Origins (Courtesy Fran Kenden & Phil Clark) As part of the 35th anniversary celebrations of that pioneering The First Soviet Forum Forum Phil Clark, one of the original speakers at the very first meeting, explained the origins of the event. The genesis of the The first meeting, Chaired by Anthony Kenden, featured five Technical Forum had originated in 1979 from a suggestion by papers and was well received by those who attended, setting Anthony Kenden who was then working on the BIS Programme the scene for the next 35 years and what amounted to nearly 40 Committee [2]. different Forums. Anthony envisaged a series of informal evening events The papers on this first meeting were: held at the new BIS Headquarters, during which four or five Soyuz 1-9: A Reappraisal by Ralph F. Gibbons papers could be presented at each meeting. When put before Trends in the Soviet Photoreconnaissance Satellite the Programme Committee, the idea was whole heartedly Programme by Nicholas L. Johnson agreed, recognising the opportunity for members to both The Significance of Salyut 6 by Michael J. Richardson meet and present papers on their chosen topics. It was Visual Observations of Russian Spacecraft by David G. Hawkins, and decided that the first of these ‘Forums’ would be arranged for The Type-G Launch Vehicle – Phoenix or Dinosaur? by early January 1980 and would focus upon the popular topic Phillip Clark of the Soviet Space Programme. Once this was agreed then contact was made with several specialists known to be active Far Reaching Interest in the Soviet Programme in analysing the Soviet programme. In addition the event was advertised, some months in advance, in the BIS publications, At this time the Soviet Salyut 6 station, with dual docking ports which in the days before the internet and social media, was and record duration expeditions, was being keenly followed the only way to spread the news to members of upcoming by members of the Society. For over a decade articles and events. letters on Soviet space activities had appeared in Spaceflight and beginning in 1974 regular features on the cosmonaut team This paper was presented in part at the British Interplanetary Society and space station operations had been published, initially by Soviet/Chinese Technical Forum held on 19-21 June 2015. Gordon Hooper, and then from 1979 by Neville Kidger reflecting 46 The BIS Soviet/Chinese Technical Forum – A Brief History (1980-2015) the wider interest in Soviet space history and operations at that Forum became an annual event, held at the end of May or in time. early June, a tradition which has continued, except for one occasion, for over 35 years. Over three and a half decades later, as Phil Clark recalled in 2015, this Forum was for many the first opportunity for Initially the meetings were extended from just a Friday members interested in the Soviet space activities to meet evening session to include an all-day session on Saturday. face to face to discuss, not only the papers presented in the From 1985 the Friday session was dropped, continuing with an programme that evening, but other aspects of the Soviet all-day event on Saturdays. programme which interested them. One of those who was in the audience for that very first meeting was Rex Hall, a keen In the ensuing years other ideas were put forward to expand follower of the Soviet Cosmonaut Team, who expressed his the Forum and to encourage new speakers. One suggestion “amazement” at being in the same room as so many people which soon caught on was to add a separate event to discuss he knew only by reputation. the latest trends and developments in the Chinese space programme, as a result the first Chinese Technical Forum was So attractive was the opportunity to speak not only at the held on 6 November, 2000. With the growth of space activities BIS but also on the Soviet programme that Nicholas Johnson in China and with a rise in interest from members, from June from the United States, could claim to be the most distant 2004 the Soviet and Chinese Forums were combined under traveller at the meeting. It was Nick Johnson, whose two books, one programme. Another example of expanding the Forums the Handbook of Soviet Lunar and Planetary Exploration, and began in November 2005 with the first of an occasional US/ the Handbook of Soviet Manned Space Flight were soon to Asian/European Technical Forum. Then in June 2015, to mark be published and become regarded as classics in the field, the 35th anniversary of that pioneering meeting the programme collected together all the papers from the meeting which were was expanded to include a formal dinner with celebrity keynote later published as a report with copies provided to each author speakers on the Friday evening and full programme of papers and to other interested parties.