Saturday, May 17, 1997
Friday, May 16, 1997
Kosmos 1904
1987-106A
Kosmos-1904,like some other Parus satellites of the time,occasionally provided communications support for the Mir space station whenever its orbital plane allowed.
| Kosmos-1904 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 Dec 23 | 2022:40 | Launch by 11K65M | Plesetsk |
| T+2:10 St 1 MECO | |||
| T+2:12 St 1 sep | |||
| T+2:12 St 2 burn 59km | |||
| T+2:27 Fairing 76km | |||
| 2030? | T+8:03 St 2 MECO 150 km | 150 x 1003? x 83 | |
| T+1:02:19 St 2 MES2 | |||
| T+1:02:30 St 2 MECO2 | |||
| 2125? | T+1:02:50 St 2 sep | ||
| 1988 Jan 15 | 967x1008x82.9 | ||
STS-34 (Atlantis)
1989-084A
The fifth flight of Atlantis was another planetary deployment mission. The Galileo space probe with its IUS booster were mounted on an IUS tilt cradle in the payload bay. Special payload bay modifications handled the cooling of the probe's nuclear RTG power system. Galileo was successfully deployed only six hours after launch, in a 295 x 303 km x 34.3 deg orbit. The major secondary payload on this flight was the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet experiment to measure the ozone concentration in the upper atmosphere; it was carried in GAS cans on the bay sidewall. The STEX and MLE experiments, IMAX camera and plant and polymer experiments were also carried. Atlantis landed at Edwards on Oct 23.
| STS-34 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 Aug 21 | Tow to VAB | ||
| 1989 Aug 29 | Rollout | LC39B | |
| 1989 Oct 18 | 1653:40 | Launch from LC39B | |
| 1655:44 | SRB sep | ||
| 1702:12 | MECO | 72 x 291 x 34.3 (PK) | |
| 1702:30 | ET sep | 88.22 74 x 298 x 34.3 (OMS dV) | |
| 1733:35 | OMS-2 2:21 67m/s | ||
| 1735:56 | OMS-2 CO | ||
| 1821 | PLBD open | 90.51 295 x 303 x 34.31 | |
| 2140 | IUS tilt table raised 29 deg | ||
| 2315:03 | Galileo/IUS deploy | ||
| 2330:02 | OMS-3 sep burn 17s 9m/s | ||
| 2330:19 | OMS-3 CO | ||
| 1989 Oct 19 | 0223 | 90.84 299 x 332 x 34.3 | |
| 1989 Oct 21 | 0700 | 90.86 299 x 333 x 34.3 | |
| 1989 Oct 23 | 1300 | PLBD closed | 90.83 297 x 333 x 34.3 |
| 1531:45 | OMS DO (2:46) 98 m/s | ||
| 1534:31 | OMS DO CO | 87.49 2 x 296 x 34.3 (OMS dV) | |
| 1602:15 | Entry | ||
| 1633:01 | Landed RW23 EAFB | ||
| 1633:11 | NGTD | ||
| 1634:01 | Wheels stop | ||
| 1989 Oct 28 | 1445 | SCA takeoff | EAFB |
| 1830 | SCA landing | Biggs AAF TX | |
| 2110 | SCA takeoff | ||
| 2245 | SCA landing | Columbus AFB MS | |
| 1989 Oct 29 | 1900 | SCA takeoff | Columbus AFB MS |
| 2305 | SCA landing | KSC SLF | |
| 1989 Oct 30 | 0150 | Tow to OPF/1 | |
Resurs 48
1991-052A
Resurs F-1 14F43 No. 53 was launched in Jul 1991 carrying the Priroda 4 payload of KFA-1000 long focus cameras and KATE-200 topographic cameras.
| Resurs F-1 14F43 No. 53 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 Jul 23 | 0905 | Launch by Soyuz-U | PL LC43/3 |
| 0913 | Blok-I sep | 88.65 182 x 233 x 82.33 | |
| 1991 Jul 24 | 0230 | Orbit raise | 89.81 257 x 272 x 82.33 |
| 1991 Jul 30 | 0230 | 89.72 255 x 266 x 82.33 | |
| 1991 Jul 31 | 0230 | 89.82 257 x 273 x 82.33 | |
| 1991 Aug 6 | 1200 | 89.76 254 x 270 x 82.33 | |
| 1991 Aug 7 | 1430 | 89.75 254 x 270 x 82.33 | |
| 1991 Aug 8 | |||
| 0450? | Deorbit | ||
| 0502? | PO sep | ||
| 0514? | Entry | ||
| 0529? | Landed | ||
STS-51-J (Atlantis)
1985-092A
The first mission of Atlantis left pad 39A on Oct 3, 1985. Mission 51-J was a classified Department of Defense mission and few details were released at the time. The main payload was a pair of DSCS III military communications satellites mounted on a single IUS solid booster. The payload was deployed early on Oct 4; Atlantis backed away and the IUS first stage fired an hour later. Atlantis remained in orbit for three more days, landing at Edwards on Oct 7. The crew carried out a number of mid-deck experiments for the Space Test Program.
| STS 51-J | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 Apr 6 | Rollout | Rockwell Palmdale | |
| 1985 Apr 9 | Tow to EAFB | ||
| 1985 Apr 12 | SCA takeoff | EAFB | |
| SCA landing | Ellington AFB TX | ||
| 1985 Apr 13 | SCA takeoff | Ellington AFB | |
| SCA landing | KSC SLF | ||
| 1985 Apr 14 | Tow to OPF | OPF/1 | |
| 1985 May 10 | Storage | VAB/2 | |
| 1985 May 28 | Tow to OPF | OPF/2 | |
| 1985 Jun 18 | Storage | VAB/2 | |
| 1985 Jul 13 | Tow to OPF | OPF/1 | |
| 1985 Aug 12 | Tow to VAB | VAB/3 | |
| 1985 Aug 12 | ET mate | ||
| 1985 Aug 30 | Rollout | LC39A | |
| 1985 Sep 12 | 1950 | FRF (0:20) | LC39A |
| 1985 Oct 3 | 1515:30 | Launch from KSC LC39A | |
| 1517:34 | SRB sep | ||
| 1524:02 | MECO | ||
| 1524:20 | ET sep | ? 60? x 470? x 28.5 | |
| 1557:55 | OMS 2 | 94.05 469 x 476 x 28.5 | |
| 1602:07 | OMS 2 CO | ||
| 1638 | ET-25 breakup at 65 km | ||
| 1648:19 | PLBD open | ||
| 2111 | 94.07 470 x 476 x 28.5 | ||
| 1985 Oct 4
| 0148? | DSCS/IUS deploy | |
| 0203:24 | OMS-3 sep | ||
| 0203:45 | OMS-3 CO | ||
| 0203 | 94.53 475 x 515 x 28.5 | ||
| 1985 Oct 5 | 94.53 476 x 515 x 28.5 | ||
| 1985 Oct 7 | 0500 | 94.55 478 x 515 x 28.5 | |
| 1228:49 | PLBD L close | ||
| 1322:31 | PLBD R close | ||
| 1600:37 | OMS deorbit | ||
| 1630:21 | Entry interface | ||
| 1700:08 | Landed RW23 EAFB | ||
| 1700:15 | NGTD | ||
| 1701:13 | Wheels stop | ||
| 1985 Oct 11 | 1355 | SCA takeoff | EAFB |
| 1625 | SCA landing | Kelly AFB TX | |
| 1845 | SCA takeoff | ||
| 2210 | SCA landing | KSC SLF | |
| 1985 Oct 12 | 0250 | Tow to OPF/1 | |
Kosmos 395
1971-013A
Kosmos-395,a Tselina-O ferret satellite, was launched in Feb 1971 and entered a 95.4 minute orbit.
| Kosmos-395 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 Feb 17 | 2104? | Launch by 11K65M | PL |
| 2106? | Stage 2 burn | ||
| 2115? | Stage 2 coast | ||
| 2140? | Stage 2 burn 2 | ||
| 2140? | Stage 2 sep | ||
| 1971 Mar 2 | 0700 | 95.41 529 x 546 x 74.04 | |
| 1980 Apr 6 | Reentered | ||
Thursday, May 15, 1997
Luna 13
1966-116A
Following the successful missions of the lunar orbiter E-6S and E-6LF craft, a final E-6M, No. 205, was sent aloft as Luna-13, and repeated the landing achieved by Luna-9. The spacecraft was originally No. 14, developed by OKB-1.
| Luna-13 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 Dec 21 | 1017 | Launch by Molniya | KB |
| 1022 | Blok-A sep | ||
| 1022 | Blok-I burn | ||
| 1026 | Blok-I sep | ||
| 1117? | BOZ burn | ||
| 1118? | Blok-L burn | ||
| 1122? | Blok-L sep | ||
| 1966 Dec 22 | 1841 | TCM | |
| 1966 Dec 24 | 1759 | Modules sep | |
| 1759 | Retro burn 70 km | ||
| 1800 | DU sep | ||
| 1801 | Landed on Moon 18 52N 62 03 W | ||
| 1805 | Petals unfold | ||
| 1806 | Soil penetrator test | ||
| 1966 Dec 26 | Additional imaging | ||
| 1966 Dec 28 | End of transmissions | ||
Polyus
1987-U01
The first launch of the Energiya booster carried a 100 tonne spacecraft, 17F19DM Skif-DM, which was a prototype of the Polyus (pole) station. Skif-DM was built around a TKS-type FSB (Funktsional'no-sluzhebnovo blok, Operations/service Unit), No. 162, with an enormous payload section carrying a mockup prototype laser weapon.
The Polyus was 37.57 m long and 4.1m in diameter, with a planned in orbit mass of 88 tonnes. It may have included a set of subsatellites which were to have been used for a missile defense sensor technology experiment, similar to the US Delta 181 mission, although these may have been cancelled prior to launch.
Launch was at 2130 Moscow Time. Energia No. 6SL launch mass was 2365 tonnes. The Blok A strapons carried 1240t fuel, Blok Ts carried 710t fuel, Blok A dry was 250t, Blok Ts was 86t, leaving 80t for the payload.
After separation of Skif-DM from Energiya, Skif began a planned 180 degree rotation. The rotation should have been stopped at 180 degrees but was not; the DKS engines fired at apogee while Skif completed two whole revolutiions in pitch. The engines should have changed the orbit by 87 m/s to a 155 x 280 km orbit; a second burn at 1830 UTC would have circularized the orbit at 280 x 280 km x 64.6 deg.
| Skif-DM | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 May 15 | 1730:01 | Launch by Energiya 6SL | KB |
| T-14.4s Blok Ts MES | |||
| T-3.2s Blok A (1-4) MES | |||
| Zenit strapons sep | |||
| 1733 | T+3:32 GO (fairing) sep, 2 sections, 90 km | ||
| 1737 | T+7:36 Energiya core to low thrust | ||
| T+7:39 Energiya engines cutoff | |||
| 1737 | T+7:40 Energiya/Skif-DM sep at 110 km | -15 x 155 x 64.61 | |
| 1738 | T+8:32 Skif-DM orientation mvr begins | ||
| 1739 | T+9:25 DO (Donnovo obtekatel') sep | ||
| 1739 | T+9:28 BB Side fairings sep (2?), SBV exhaust cover sep | ||
| 1739:29 | T+9:28 Polyus ODU burn, 384s 87m/s | ||
| 1745 | T+15:25 Apogee 155 km; DKS burn fires in wrong direction | ||
| 1822 | T+52:07 Polyus impact in Pacific | ||
Raduga 23
1989-048A
The first Raduga-1 satellite was launched on 1989 Jun 21.
| Raduga-1 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 Jun 21 | 2335:00 | Launch by Proton-K | KB |
| 2344 | Stage 3 sep | 188 x 197 x 51.6 | |
| 1989 Jun 22 | 0052? | DM burn 1 T+1:17 | |
| 0615? | DM burn 2 | ||
| 0619? | DM sep | ||
| 1989 Jun 22 | 1474.87 36483 x 36601 x 1.5 GEO 84.2E+9.5W | ||
| 1989 Jun 27 | 1456.27 36137 x 36223 x 1.5 GEO 46.1E+5.0W | ||
| 1989 Jul 1 | 1436.23 35765 x 35813 x 1.5 GEO 49.3E | ||
| 1989 Jul 17 | 1436.17 35764 x 35811 x 1.4 GEO 48.8E | ||
| 1990 Apr 18 | 1435.91 35770 x 35795 x 0.7 GEO 49.4E | ||
| 1991 Feb 2 | 1436.11 35782 x 35791 x 0.1 GEO 48.7E | ||
| 1992 Feb 8 | 1435.93 35774 x 35792 x 0.9 GEO 48.9E | ||
| 1992 Feb 9 | mv out | ||
| 1992 Mar 11 | mv in | ||
| 1992 Mar 20 | 1436.24 35785 x 35703 x 1.0 GEO 70.0E | ||
| 1992 Dec 18 | 1436.16 35774 x 35801 x 1.7 GEO 69.9E | ||
| 1994 Feb 13 | 1436.08 35774 x 35797 x 2.6 GEO 69.5E | ||
| 1995 Aug 12 | 1436.07 35770 x 35801 x 3.8 GEO 69.8E | ||
| 1996 Dec 20 | 1436.07 35772 x 35799 x 4.7 GEO 69.8E | ||
Wednesday, May 14, 1997
Navstar 42
1997-F01
The first 2R satellite (SVN 42, IIR production no 2, PRN 12) was destroyed seconds after liftoff. Mass was 2032 kg. It would have been PRN 12 at slot F5.
Photos showed smoke escaping from the No. 2 solid rocket motor (S/N K-404) followed by fire at the base of the motor and detonation of the entire vehicle. As onlookers raced for cover, fiery debris rained down on complex 17. The investigation found that the SRM split along its length, with the split propagating forward prior to complete failure at 12 seconds when the vehicle first stage self-destruct activated. The RSO sent destruct at 22 seconds, destroying the second and third stages. The payload and fairing were destroyed on impact with the ground. The PAM-D left an 8-m dia crater. It was concluded the SRM had been damaged at some point prior to launch.
| GPS 2R No. 2 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Jan 17 | 1628:00 | Launch by Delta 7925 | CC LC17A |
| 1628:02 | Telemetry interruption (T+2s) | ||
| 1628:07 | SRB No 2 (K-404) burnthrough (T+7s) | ||
| 1628:13 | SRB exploded (T+13s) alt 0.48 km | ||
| 1628:13 | Vehicle exploded (self-destruct) T+12.6s | ||
| 1628:22 | RSO destruct sent (T+22.3s) | ||
| 1628 | Debris impact LC17A | ||
Monday, May 12, 1997
Kosmos 1585
1984-077A
TLEs are missing for the first week of flight,but the orbit has been reconstructed from various observations. A TG beacon was detected throughout the flight.
| Kosmos-1585 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Jul 31 | 1229:54 | Launch by Soyuz | KB |
| 1238? | Blok I sep | ||
| 1984 Jul 31 | 181x324x65 | ||
| 1984 Aug 6 | 89.28 168 x 309 x 64.7 | ||
| 1984 Aug 11 | 88.88 162 x 275 x 64.7 | ||
| 1984 Aug 11 | Orbit raise | 89.55 162 x 344 x 64.7 | |
| 1984 Aug 16 | 89.17 158 x 307 x 64.7 | ||
| 1984 Aug 16 | Orbit raise | 89.55 172 x 331 x 64.7 | |
| 1984 Aug 24 | 89.08 166 x 291 x 64.7 | ||
| 1984 Aug 24 | Orbit raise | 89.56 172 x 333 x 64.7 | |
| 1984 Aug 30 | 89.21 167 x 303 x 64.7 | ||
| 1984 Aug 31 | Orbit raise | 89.92 180 x 360 x 64.7 | |
| 1984 Sep 5 | 89.68 179 x 338 x 64.7 | ||
| Orbit lower | 89.14 173 x 290 x 64.7 | ||
| 1984 Sep 7 | 88.96 171 x 274 x 64.7 | ||
| 1984 Sep 7 | Orbit raise | 89.55 173 x 330 x 64.7 | |
| 1984 Sep 12 | 89.31 171 x 308 x 64.7 | ||
| 1984 Sep 13 | orbit raise | 89.77 183 x 343 x 64.7 | |
| 1984 Sep 25 | 89.13 176 x 286 x 64.7 | ||
| 1984 Sep 26 | Orbit raise | 89.57 175 x 330 x 64.7 | |
| 1984 Sep 28 | 89.45 174 x 320 x 64.7 | ||
| 1984 Sep 29 | |||
| 1910? | Deorbit | ||
| 1924? | Entry | ||
| 1936? | Landed | ||
Kosmos 1776
1986-067A
Four low RCS objects were released by Kosmos-1776 prior to the start of releases of the 0.2 sq m objects.
| Kosmos-1776 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 Sep 3 | 0900:00 | Launch by 11K65M | PL |
| 0908 | Stage 2 MECO-1 | ||
| 0933? | Stage 2 MECO-2 | ||
| 1986 Sep 3 | (67B) 465x516x74.0 | ||
| 1986 Sep 3 | 473x516x74.0 | ||
| 1986 Oct 8 | release 67C-67F (4f) | ||
| 1986 Dec 24 | release 67G-67K (4f) | ||
| 1987 Jan 27 | release 67L,M (2f) | ||
| 1989 Dec 15 | reentered | ||
| No | Object | RCS | Release (approx) | Decay |
| Kosmos-1776 | 28.1 | 1989 Dec 15 | ||
| S3 rocket | 20.1 | 1989 Oct 26 | ||
| S1 | C | 0.01 | 1986 Oct 6 | 1987 Oct 30 |
| S2 | D | 0.02 | 1986 Oct 6 | 1987 Oct 14 |
| S3 | E | 0.02 | 1986 Oct 6 | 1987 Nov 8 |
| S4 | F | 0.01 | 1986 Oct 6 | 1987 Oct 24 |
| 1 | G | 0.22 | 1986 Dec 24 | 1987 Dec 9 |
| 2 | H | 0.28 | 1986 Dec 24 | 1987 Nov 29 |
| 3 | J | 0.23 | 1986 Dec 24 | 1987 Nov 23 |
| 4 | K | 0.17 | 1986 Dec 24 | 1987 Nov 14 |
| 5 | L | 0.23 | 1987 Jan 27 | 1987 Dec 4 |
| 6 | M | 0.19 | 1987 Jan 27 | 1987 Nov 9 |
| 7 | N | 0.17 | 1987 Jan 27 | 1987 Dec 27 |
| 8 | P | 0.17 | 1987 Jan 27 | 1987 Nov 22 |
| 9 | Q | 0.18 | 1987 Feb 23 | 1987 Nov 24 |
| 10 | R | 0.24 | 1987 Feb 23 | 1987 Dec 28 |
| 11 | S | 0.25 | 1987 Jun 2 | 1988 Jan 13 |
| 12 | T | 1987 Jun 2 | 1988 Feb 7 | |
| 13 | U | 50.1 | 1987 Oct 22 | 1988 Sep 20 |
| 14 | V | 0.16 | 1987 Oct 22 | 1988 Sep 14 |
| 15 | W | 0.24 | 1988 Feb 10 | 1988 May 28 |
| 16 | X | 0.24 | 1988 Feb 10 | 1988 Jun 13 |
| 17 | Y | 0.24 | 1988 Aug 10 | 1988 Oct 18 |
| 18 | Z | 0.23 | 1988 Aug 10 | 1988 Oct 1 |
| 19 | AA | 0.19 | 1988 Aug 23 | 1988 Oct 20 |
| 20 | AB | 0.22 | 1988 Aug 23 | 1988 Oct 10 |
| 21 | AC | 1988 Sep 29 | 1988 Nov 8 | |
| 22 | AD | 1988 Sep 29 | 1988 Oct 31 | |
| 23 | AE | 2.45 | 1989 Oct 2 | 1989 Oct 5 |