Subject: Space Engineering Symposium 1992 tidbits Date: 24 Sep 92 17:45:05 +0930 I have just attended the Space Engineering Symposium that was held in Canberra, Australia. Here are some highlights that I think might be of interest. There was a talk given by Mike Ahern (a former Queensland premier) of Space Transpotation Systems on the Cape York Spaceport Project. This project is still ongoing. They are looking for "white knuckle" money of $A20M to start the project. Once they have this money, they have been promised additional money from other sources to complete the project. Total cost is $A815M with $A560M for the launch compex and $A255M for the new township of Bradfield. The Enviromental Inpact Statement is estimated to cost $A6.5M. If the money doesn't come soon, STS will have to abandon the project. There are also other proposals, e.g., from Cubic Corp. (which I know nothing about). They still plan to launch Zenit's, starting in 1997 with four launches per year on average. New details on the Southern Launch Vehicle were given. This is a four stage rocket to be launched from refurbished facilities in Woomera into polar orbit. The launch site is to be the unused platform that was built for Blue Streak in the late fifties (the used platform was used by ELDO for the ill-fated Europa launch vehicle). The SLV is 21.0 m high and 2.36 m in diameter and can carry up to 750 kg to a polar orbit (upgradable to 1500 kg). The first stage is a 54 tonne Castor 120, second stage is a 3.5 tonne Star 63D, the third stage is also a Star 63D, and the fourth stage uses 150 kg of monopropellant hydrazine. Payload volume is 1.4 x 4.0 m or 1.7 m x 2.9 m. The companies involved in the design are British Aerospace Australia, Hawker De Havilland, and Auspace. The formation of the Australian Space Council reporting directly to the minister of the Department of Industry, Trade, and Technology was announced. The aims of the ASC are: Earth Observation Program - To earn a "seat at the table" by having a substantial (30%) involvement in the Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer to be flown by ESA and an Australian instrument to follow. Communications - Support of the three Space Industry Development Centres, systems for geosynchronous satellites, mobile (both geosynchronous and low- earth orbit), and navigation and position fixing. Launch Services - Cape York (?), SLV, and 3rd generation launcher technology (meaning scramjet and hypersonics) Science - to be not less than 10% of overall budget. An update of the Endeavour Ultraviolet Telescope that was flown on STS-42 was given. If you may remember, the door on the GAS can containing the telescope failed to open during the mission. The reason for this was that the temperature of the GAS cans compromising Endeavour (and of the other GAS cans as well) greatly exceeded the expected temperature. Shuttle temperatures of 71 degress C and greater were experienced in the shuttle payload bay. To prevent Endeavour from destroying itself from the high temperatures it automatically shut itself down once an internal temperature of 60 degress C was reached within the telescope. It was found that during the outgassing period at T+32 hours and before the temperatures became too high, that the door had indeed opened and closed after 1 hour during the out-gassing period. The temperatures were so high that rubber seals in Endeavour had vulcanised! Goddard Space Flight Center manages the GAS program and had thought that STS-42 would be a "benign" mission which turned out to be the hotest shuttle mission to date, with yellowing of thermal blankets and bubbling of thermal tape! Apparantly, the Johnson Space Center and the Kennedy Space Center had changed the mission profile during a change in launch date without telling the GSFC. Other GAS cans that failed from the heat were the "Brine Shrimp/Air Bubbles in Microgravity" experiment where the shrimp were fried, the "Visual Photometric Experiment" from the US Air Force where the door failed to open due to a relay failure, and another experiment that also had a relay failure. Endeavour survived the heat and it is hoped that NASA will refly Endeavour next year. -- Steven S. Pietrobon, Small World Communications, 6 First Avenue Payneham South SA 5070, Australia fax +61 8 7117 1416 steven@sworld.com.au http://www.sworld.com.au/