Wednesday, December 27, 2000
Tuesday, December 26, 2000
STS-70 (Discovery)
1995-035A
In early 1995 STS-70 was scheduled to fly after the first Mir docking mission. Its main task was deployment of a TDRS comsat. When the STS-71 mission was delayed because the launch of the Russian Spektr module to Mir slipped, STS-70 was moved ahead in the queue.
STS-70 carried the first flight of an improved `Block I' Space Shuttle Main Engine. SSME 2036, in main engine no. 1 position, contained a new liquid oxidizer turbopump, a new two-duct powerhead, and a new heat exchanger. The revised design eliminated a large number of welds and was intended to improve safety margins.
A week before the scheduled launch, NASA was alarmed to discover that woodpeckers were pecking at the Shuttle's External Tank, leaving significant holes in its insulation which had to be patched. It was decided to roll back Discovery to the VAB for repairs and fly the mission after STS-71.
On-board experiments for this mission included the Commercial Protein Crystal Growth Facility for growing interferon, the BRIC-4 canister carrying tobacco hormworm for hormone and muscle development studies, BRIC-5 carrying daylily plant cells, and NIH experiments using rats. The Space Tissue Loss B experiment used Medaka fish eggs to study the effects of microgravity on the growth of embryos.
The middeck experiment complement also included a set of military experiments including the HERCULES geolocation camera.
The countdown on Jul 13 was trouble free until a halt was called at T-31s to reset a malfunctioning range safety destruct receiver on the ET. The count resumed after only 55s, leading to a launch at 1341:55 UTC. The Block I engine performed well and Discovery entered orbit eight minutes later. TDRS-G was deployed from the IUS tilt table later the same day, as Discovery passed over the Pacific.
After a week of minor experiments on-orbit, Discovery prepared to return to Florida. After a one day waveoff due to weather, OV-103 landed at KSC on Jul 22.
| STS-70 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 May 3 | 1305 | Rollover to VAB | |
| 1995 May 6 | Mate to ET/SRB | ||
| 1995 May 11 | 0637 | Rollout to LC39B | |
| 1995 Jun 8 | 0430 | Rollback to VAB3 | |
| 1995 Jun 15 | Rollout to LC39B | ||
| 1995 Jul 13 | 1341:55 | Launch | |
| 1343:58 | SRB sep | ||
| 1350:26 | MECO | 88.24 73 x 302 x 28.5 (OMS dV) | |
| 1350:45 | ET sep | 88.22 67 x 291 x 28.5 | |
| 1421:50 | OMS-2 circ 68m/s | 90.56 301 x 302 x 28.5 | |
| 1424:13 | OMS-2 cutoff | ||
| 1511:15 PLBD open | |||
| 1954:55 | TDRS/IUS-26 deploy | ||
| 1955:46 | RCS sep 7s | ||
| 1958 | tilt table lower | ||
| 2006:45 | Tilt table stowed | ||
| 2009:46 | OMS 3 L sep 34s | 90.85 299 x 333 x 28.5 | |
| 1995 Jul 14 | 1430 | 90.86 299 x 333 x 28.5 | |
| 1910:41 | OMS 4 R 32s Lower orbit | 90.55 286 x 315 x 28.5 | |
| 1995 Jul 20 | 0833 | RCS hot fire | |
| 1995 Jul 21 | 0818:35 | PLBD close | |
| 1236:58 | PLBD open | 90.52 286 x 313 x 28.5 | |
| 1995 Jul 22 | 0648:04 | PLBD closed | 90.52 285 x 314 x 28.5 |
| 1100:12 | OMS DO 176.6s 104m/s | ||
| 1103:09 | OMS DO cutoff | 86.99 -63 x 313 x 28.5 | |
| 1130:41 | Entry interface 122 km | ||
| 1202:02 | MGTD KSC RW33 | ||
| 1202:03 | Drag chute | ||
| 1202:09 | NGTD | ||
| 1202:35 | Drag chute sep | ||
| 1203:04 | Wheels stop | ||
| 1545 | Roll to OPF/1 | ||
Monday, December 25, 2000
Gorizont 20
1990-054A
The 20th Gorizont in orbit (11F662 No. 30) was launched on 1990 Jun 20. In addition to the usual C-band payload it carried a Mayak transponder for Interkosmos communications in a new frequency band. The launch saw the final use of the 11S86 Blok-DM upper stage, now phased out in favour of the 11S861 Blok-DM2.
| Gorizont No. 30L | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 Jun 20 | 2336:00 | Launch by Proton-K | KB |
| 2345 | Stage 3 sep | ||
| 1990 Jun 21 | 0053? | DM burn 1 | |
| 0609? | DM burn 2 | ||
| 1990 Jun 21 | 0613? | Blok-DM No. 67L sep | |
| 1990 Jun 21 | 1435.42 35708 x 35838 x 1.6 GEO 90.6E+0.16E | ||
| 1990 Jun 23 | 1436.24 35717 x 35860 x 1.5 GEO 90.7E | ||
| 1990 Nov 27 | 1436.23 35727 x 35851 x 1.1 GEO 89.8E | ||
| 1990 Dec | mv out | ||
| 1990 Dec 11 | mv in | 1436.04 35759 x 35811 x 1.1 GEO 14.3W | |
| 1991 Jan 3 | 1436.04 35759 x 35811 x 1.0 GEO 14.0W | ||
| 1992 Jan 9 | 1436.10 35763 x 35809 x 0.1 GEO 14.2W | ||
| 1992 Oct 3 | 1436.08 35776 x 35796 x 0.5 GEO 14.0W | ||
| 1994 Feb 3 | 1436.08 35767 x 35805 x 1.6 GEO 14.2W | ||
| 1994 Sep 14 | 1436.10 35767 x 35806 x 2.1 GEO 14.3W | ||
| 1995 Mar 30 | 1436.08 35771 x 35800 x 2.4 GEO 14.1W | ||
| 1995 Mar 31? | mv out | ||
| 1995 Apr 4 | 1433.89 35696 x 35790 x 2.6 GEO 11.4W+0.5E | ||
| 1995 Jun 9 | 1435.99 35776 x 35792 x 2.7 GEO 26.5E | ||
| 1995 Sep 15 | 1436.12 35783 x 35791 x 2.9 GEO 25.4E | ||
| 1997 Jan 28 | 1436.10 35778 x 35795 x 3.9 GEO 25.8E | ||
| 1998 Feb 12 | 1436.09 35589 x 35982 x 4.6 GEO 25.6E | ||
| 1998 May 1 | mv out | 1435.92 35778 x 35787 x 4.7 GEO 26.3E | |
| 1998 May 3 | 1434.11 35717 x 35778 x 4.7 | ||
| 1998 Sep 7 | mv in | 1435.81 35705 x 35778 x 4.9 GEO 96.4E | |
| 1998 Jul 25 | 1436.07 35784 x 35787 x 5.0 GEO 96.7E | ||
Sunday, December 24, 2000
Meteor 221
1993-055A
Meteor-2 (F21) was launched on 1993 Aug 31, the first post-Soviet Meteor-2. It carried a Fizeau laser retro-reflector array to test Special Relativity.
| Meteor-2 (F21) | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 Aug 31 | 0440:00 | Launch by Tsiklon-3 11K68 | PL LC32 |
| 0442 | T+2:00 Stage 1 MECO | ||
| 0444 | T+4:37 Stage 2 off, sep | ||
| 0445 | T+5:20 S5M burn 1 | ||
| 0447 | T+7:03 S5M cutoff 1 | 150? x 964 x 82.5 | |
| 0528? | T+48m? S5M burn 2, 15s? | ||
| 0529? | T+49m? S5M cutoff 2 | ||
| 0529? | T+49m? S5M sep from Meteor-2 | ||
| 1520 | Temisat sep from Meteor-2 | ||
Payload:
- APT scanning radiometer
- Global scanning radiometer
- Scanning IR radiometer
- Scanning IR spectrometer
- Radiation detectors (p,e 0.15-90MeV)
- SHF cloud moisture sensor
- IR scanners
- Fizeau retro-reflector array
Saturday, December 23, 2000
Friday, December 22, 2000
Kosmos 2369
2000-006A
| Kosmos-2369 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Feb 3 | 0926 | Launch by Zenit-2 | KB |
| 0928 | T+2:23 Stage 1 MECO | ||
| 0928 | T+2:25 Stage 1 sep | ||
| 0928 | T+2:25 Stage 2 burn | ||
| 0928 | T+2:40 GO sep | ||
| 0932 | T+6:42 Stage 2 MECO | 150? x 850? x 71.0 | |
| Sep motor cover perigee | |||
| 0939? | T+13m? Stage 2 VECO | ||
| 0939? | Stage 2 sep motor covers | ||
| 0939? | T+13m? Stage 2 sep | ||
| 2000 Jun 28 | 847 x 854 x 71.0 | ||
Mariner 2
1962-041A
Mariner 2 was launched at 0653:14 on 1962 Aug 27 by Atlas Agena B from Cape Canaveral. The Atlas separated at 0658 and the Agena began its first 2.5 minute burn, entering Earth parking orbit at 0701. At 0717 the Agena re-ignited and separated at 0721 to insert Mariner II in solar orbit. At around 0722 the Agena made a small avoidance maneuver to ensure it would not hit Venus.
A course correction at 2249 on 1962 Sep 2 decreased the Venus miss distance from 370000 km to only 15000 km. Mariner II flew past Venus at 1952 on 1962 Dec 14, sending back measurements of its atmosphere in the first successful planetary flyby. Mariner II continued transmitting until 1963 Jan 2.
| Mariner 2 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 Aug 27 | 0653:14 | Launch | |
| BECO | |||
| Booster sep | |||
| SECO | |||
| 0658 | Atlas sep | ||
| 0658:53 | Agena MES-1 | ||
| 0701:26 | T+8:12 Agena MECO-1 | 187 x 187 x 32.7? | |
| 0717:43 | T+24:29 Agena MES-2 | ||
| 0719:17 | T+26:03 Agena MECO-2, 14.87S 2.1W | ||
| 0721 | Agena sep | ||
| 0722 | Agena avoidance burn | ||
| 1962 Sep 4 | 2249 | TCM 83m/s 28s | |
| 1962 Sep 5 | 0245 | TCM complete | |
| 1962 Sep 8 | Temporary attitude loss | ||
| 1962 Dec 14 | 1952 | Venus flyby 34773 km (ctr?) | |
| 1962 Dec 27 | 0738 | Perihelion 0.705 AU | |
| 1963 Jan 3 | 0615 | End of tx | |
Payload:
- Microwave radiometer
- IR radiometer
- Magnetometer
- Cosmic ray particles detector
- Solar plasma spectrometer
STEP-1
1994-017A
STEP Mission 0 was the TAOS (Technology for Autonomous Operational Survivability) payload, built by TRW and USAF Phillips Lab using the DSI/TRW Eagle (LEOStar) bus, and operated by Phillips Lab. The mission was intended to test out technology to make satellites more autonomous of ground controllers. The 502 kg satellite was launched by the first Taurus launch vehicle from a `bare base' pad, 576-E, at Vandenberg AFB.
| STEP 0 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 Mar 13 | 2232 | Launch by Taurus 2110 | V 576E |
| T+1:22 Stage 1 sep 39 km 2.08 km/s | -6200 x 50? | ||
| T+1:22 Stage 2 burn | |||
| T+2:43 Stage 2 burnout | |||
| T+2:48 Stage 2 sep | |||
| T+2:50 Stage 3 burn 128 km 4.54 km/s | -5100? x 175? | ||
| T+2:53 Fairing sep 131 km 4.57 km/s | -5000? x 180? | ||
| 2236 | T+4:11 Stage 3 burnout | ||
| 2243 | T+11:21 Stage 3 sep | -3000? x 770 | |
| 2243 | T+11:32 Stage 4 burn | ||
| 2244 | T+12:40 Stage 4 burnout | ||
| 2246? | STEP 0 sep | ||
| 2248? | DARPASAT sep | ||
| 539 x 559 x 105.0 | |||
| 1994 Apr? | Attitude control failure | ||
| 1994 Sep | Operations resume | ||
| 1995 Mar 13 | Decommissioned per OSC | ||
| 1996 Jun | Control to AFSPACECOM | ||
| 2000 Mar | Still operating | ||
Thursday, December 21, 2000
Navstar 14
1989-013A
The first Block II GPS satellite was SVN 14 (PRN 14, USA 35). It used the first Delta 6925 (Interim Delta II) launch vehicle, and was the first GPS launch from Cape Canaveral. Navstar 14 entered the E plane (slot E1)
| Navstar 14 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 Feb 14 | 1830 | Launch by Delta II 6925 | CC LC17 |
| T+0:56 SRM 1-3,7-9 out | |||
| T+1:01 SRM 4-6 on | |||
| T+1:02 SRM 1-3 sep | |||
| T+1:03 SRM 7-9 sep | |||
| T+1:57 SRM 4-6 off | |||
| T+2:02 SRM 4-6 sep | |||
| T+4:25 MECO | |||
| T+4:31 VECO | |||
| T+4:33 Stage 1 sep | |||
| 1834 | Stage 2 TIG (T+4:38) | ||
| 1834 | Fairing sep (T+4:50) | ||
| 1841 | SECO-1 Stage 2 cutoff (T+11:37) | 166 x 200 x 35.66 | |
| T+20:55 spinup | |||
| 1850 | T+20:58 Delta sep | ||
| T+21:35 TES | |||
| 1853 | T+23:02 TECO | ||
| 1854 | T+24:55 Stage 3 sep | 358.66 157 x 20531 x 37.4 | |
| 1854 | T+24:57 Yo weight | ||
| T+1:05:00 SES-2 depletion | |||
| 1936 | T+1:06:20 SECO-2 depletion | 95.21 186 x 872 x 30.3 (B) | |
| 1989 Feb 16 | 1530? | Star 37 apogee burn | 720.01 20010 x 20455 x 55.1 |
| 1989 Feb 18 | 715.02 19870 x 20349 x 55.1 | ||
| 1989 Apr 15 | In service | ||
| 1997 Feb 1 | Operating in slot E1 | ||
| 2000 Mar 26 | Reaction wheel failure | ||
| 2000 Jun 14 | Decommissioned | ||
Tuesday, December 19, 2000
USA-29
1988-006A
DMSP Block 5D-2 S-8 (5D-2 F-9, DMSP 20542, USA 29) was launched on 1988 Feb 3 by Atlas E from Vandenberg. In addition to the OLS it carried the SSM/T temperature sounder. The OLS failed in Mar 1992 and in 1993 it was being used for engineering tests.
| DMSP 20542 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 Feb 3 | 0553 | Launch by Atlas E | V SLC3W |
| 0555 | T+2:04 Booster sep | ||
| 0555 | T+2:24 Fairing sep | ||
| 0558 | T+5:21 SECO | ||
| 0558 | Atlas sep | ||
| 0604 | Star 37S burn 43.4s | ||
| 0604 | EOI (T+11.5min) | ||
| 821 x 828 x 98.8 | |||
| 1988 Mar 1 | 101.39 819 x 829 x 98.76 | ||
| 1988 Mar 12? | OLS cover ejected | ||
| 1992 Mar | OLS failed | ||
| 1993 Aug | In use for tests | ||
| 1997 Aug 18 | 100.95 798 x 808 x 98.9 | ||
Payload:
- OLS Operational Linescan System 0.4-1.1 mu, 8-13 mu
- SSI/ES Ionospheric/scintillation monitor S/N 001
- SSJ/4 Precipitating electron/ion spectrometer
Granat
1989-096A
The Granat (`Garnet') satellite (article 1AS) was launched in Dec 1989 into a highly elliptical Earth orbit by a Proton-K with a Blok-D-M (11S824M) upper stage. Granat was dedicated to high energy astrophysics; its flagship instrument was the French-built SIGMA telescope which used a coded mask to make images in the hard X-ray band above 30 keV. SIGMA/Granat discovered several hard X-ray sources near the Galactic Center.
| Granat | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 Dec 1 | 2020:57 | Launch by Proton-K | KB |
| Stage 3 ignition | |||
| 2030 | Stage 3 cutoff | ||
| 2030 | Stage 3 sep | ||
| 2035? | Blok D burn 1 | ||
| 2038? | Blok D MECO, LEO | 107.56 224 x 2003 x 51.5 | |
| 2124? | Blok-D-M ignition 2 | ||
| 2124? | SOZ sep | ||
| 2131 | MECO-2 | ||
| 2131:22 | Blok-D-M sep | 5928.031 1764 x 202481 x 51.9 | |
| 5903.648 1956 x 201693 x 52.12 | |||
| 1989 Dec 2 | 1608? | Pass EL1:4 | |
1991 Sep 18 | 5894.01 20804 x 182610 x 81.97 | ||
| 1994 Sep | Begin sky survey | ||
| 1998 Nov 27 | 0602 | end of ops | 5901.68 6128 x 197474 x 65.51 |
| 1999 May 25 | reentered? | ||
Payload:
- SIGMA SIGMA gamma ray telescope 30 keV-2 MeV Systeme d'Imagerie Gamma a masque aleatoire (CNES)
- Konus GRB monitor 20 keV-2MeV
- Podsolnukh (Sov/Bulg.) 2-25 keV rotating platform, triggered by Konus
Monday, December 18, 2000
Sunday, December 17, 2000
Saturday, December 16, 2000
Kiku 2
1977-014A
ETS-2 (Kiku-2) was built by Mitsubishi with its US partner Ford. It was Japan's first geostationary satellite. ETS-2 carried an ionospheric beacon for scientific and communications research.
| Kiku-2 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 Feb 23 | 0850 | Launch by N-1 | TNSC |
| T+0:39 SOB burnout | |||
| T+1:20 SOB sep | |||
| T+3:41 MECO 100 km | |||
| T+3:47 VECO | |||
| T+3:48 St 1 sep | |||
| T+3:50 SES-1 | |||
| T+4:10 Fairing | |||
| 0857 | T+7:56 SECO | -3310 x 211 x 30.3 | |
| 0912 | T+22:56 St 2 sep | ||
| 0913 | T+23:10 TES | ||
| 0913 | T+23:50 TECO | ||
| 0915 | T+24:59 Stage 3 sep | 191 x 36000 | |
| 1977 Feb 26 | 0532 | AKM | 34032 x 35754 x 0? GEO 84E |
| 1977 Feb 26 | 2220 | Reorient orbit | 34063 x 35710 GEO 84E |
| 1977 Feb 27 | 2357 | Orb adjust 3m/s | 34211 x 35710 GEO 108E |
| 1977 Feb 28 | 2302 | Orb adjust 20m/s | 35282 x 35711 GEO 118E |
| 1977 Mar 2 | 1038 | Orb adjust 1m/s | 35279 x 35781 GEO 124E |
| 1977 Mar 3 | 2206 | Orb adj 6m/s | 35607 x 35781 GEO 128E |
| 1977 Mar 4 | 2158 | Orb adj 3m/s | 35781 x 35786 GEO 130E |
| 1977 Mar 5 | On station | GEO 130E | |
| 1978 May | Main mission complete | ||
| 1980 Oct | GEO 130E | ||
| 1981 Jun-Oct | Tracked at 82E to 40E, possible mis-id? | ||
| 1981 Dec | GEO 130E | ||
| 1982 Jun | GEO 130E | ||
| 1983 Jun | GEO 130E | ||
| 1985 Apr | GEO 130E | ||
| 1987 Jan 7 | GEO 130E | ||
| 1990 Aug 28 | 1435.98 35781 x 35787 x 9.3 GEO 130.0E | ||
| 1990 Oct 11 | 1435.96 35776 x 35791 x 9.4 GEO 130.0E | ||
| 1990 Dec 10 | mv out | ||
| 1991 May 11 | 1435.86 34603 x 35960 x 10.8 GEO 98.6E+0.05E | ||
| 1991 Aug 19 | 1440.03 35852 x 35874 x 10.1 GEO 110.6W+1.0W | ||
| 1999 Apr 21 | 1439.84 35839 x 35880 x 14.2 | ||
Friday, December 15, 2000
Progress 6
1979-039A
7K-TG No. 106 (Progress-6) was launched on 1979 May 13, docking with Salyut-6 two days later. It undocked on June 8 but remained stationkeeping with Salyut-6 until Soyuz-34 completed its automatic docking. Progress-6 finally separated from the vicinity of the station late on June 8 and was deorbited a day later.
| Progress-6 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 May 13 | 0417:10 | Launch by Soyuz-U | KB |
| 0421 | Blok I burn | ||
| 0425 | Blok I MECO | ||
| 0500 | 88.86 190 x 247 x 51.62 | ||
| 1200 | 90.92 307 x 333 x 51.61 | ||
| 1979 May 14 | 1400 | 91.00 313 x 335 x 51.6 | |
| 1979 May 15 | 0619:22 | Docked with Salyut-6 | |
| 1979 May 21 | 1400 | 91.11 320 x 338 x 51.63 | |
| 1979 Jun 8 | 0759:41 | Undocked from Salyut-6 | |
| Stationkeeping | |||
| 2010? | Sep burn | ||
| 1979 Jun 9 | 0500 | 91.65 348 x 364 x 51.63 | |
| 1851:46 | Deorbited over Pacific | ||
| 1917? | Reentered over Pacific | ||
Thursday, December 14, 2000
Monday, December 11, 2000
Sunday, December 10, 2000
Wednesday, December 6, 2000
Kosmos 198
1967-127A
The first US-A satellite was launched on the second 11K67 test flight. The two stage R-36 delivered the US-A payload onto a suborbital trajectory; the engine unit (DU) on the US-A fired for the orbit insertion burn, and the satellite entered a 249 x 270 km orbit; Somewhat later the dummy reactor section, using chemical batteries, was separated and its orbit was raised to 900 km. Two objects remained in the low orbit; they are believed to be the DU engine section and the radar section.
| Kosmos-198 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 Dec 27 | 1128:51 | Launch by 11K67 | KB |
| 1131? | Stage 2 burn | ||
| 1134? | Stage 2 sep | ||
| 1135? | DU burn | ||
| 1139? | DU cutoff | ||
| 1200? | Stage 2 impact | ||
| 1248 | 89.85 264 x 269 x 65.1 | ||
| 1957? | DU and radar sep | ||
| 1957 | DV1? | 262 x 945 | |
| 2044 | DV2? | ||
| 1967 Dec 28 | 1244 | (Radar) | 89.62 239 x 271 x 65.1 |
| 1967 Dec 29 | 0639 | (DU) | 89.46 240 x 254 x 65.1 |
| 1967 Dec 29 | 1900 | 103.46 894 x 949 x 65.2 | |
| 1967 Dec 31 | 0903 | (DU) | 88.09 168 x 191 x 65.1 |
| 1968 Jan 20 | 1106 | (Radar) | 87.66 153 x 163 x 65.1 |
| 1998 May 15 | 103.38 888 x 948 x 65.1 | ||
Tuesday, December 5, 2000
Saturday, December 2, 2000
Friday, December 1, 2000
Thursday, November 30, 2000
Mars Polar Lander
1999-001A
The MS 1998 Lander (Mars Polar Lander) is built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics and was launched on 1999 Jan 3 by Delta 7425. It was to land near the south pole at 195W 76S.
in Dec 1999. (the ice-free safe zone is 170 to 230W, 75 to 76S). It is 1.0m wide and 0.5m high. The aeroshell is based on the MPF aeroshell, but the lander uses a Viking-type rocket descent system. Attached to the aeroshell is a cruise stage with solar panels. The lander uses solar arrays for power, and will terminate operations as the winter begins. The Lander has four 22N REM engines used during cruise, using the same 64 kg hydrazine propellant tanks as the descent engines.
Aeroshell ejection is followed by propulsive terminal descent. The MARDI imager, mounted on the lander underside, operates during descent. The SSI imager, used on the surface, is similar to the MPF lander's.
Landing near the south pole is during local spring. MPL will dig a trench and collect soil samples for analysis. It will search for near surface ice and look for evidence of climatic changes: however,nothing was heard from the lander after scheduled Cruise Stage separation. A review board suggested the most likely cause was a design flaw in a touchdown sensor causing the engines to shut of at 40m altitude and impact at 55 kph; however, when the successor Phoenix mission was being ground-tested, it was discovered that the Cruise separation itself probably did not occur. A design error exposed critical parts of the separation system to excessively low temperatures which would have stopped them working. The aeroshell entered the atmosphere with the cruise stage still attached, and the spacecraft was probably destroyed and burnt up during entry.
Estimated impact location was 76.1S 195.3W.
Planned B-plane miss at injection (+60000,-20000) km. Mass injected: 583 kg, with PAM-D 2141 kg full 132 kg empty. 1997 planned injection data: 11.165 km2/s2, RLA DLA =235.35, 0.92. Arival data at 125 km: 143.37 -62.57 az 173.69, fpa -13.25, V 6.91, for landing at 210,-76.
| MPL | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Jan 3 | 2021:10 | Launch Delta 7425 | CC LC17B |
| T+4:24 MECO | |||
| T+4:32 Stage 1 sep | |||
| T+4:37 Stage 2 burn | |||
| T+4:42 Fairing sep | |||
| 2032:32 | T+11:22 SECO-1 | 157 x 246 x 28.4 | |
| 2055:21 | T+34:11 Stage 2 restart | ||
| 2055:40 | T+34:30 SECO-2 | 237 x 770 x 28.4 | |
| 2056:33 | T+35:23 Stage 2 sep | ||
| 2057:10 | T+36:00 Stage 3 burn | ||
| 2058:38 | T+37:28 TECO 293 km 11.434 km/s | 0.97 x 1.45 AU | |
| T+42:10 Yo-yo deploy | |||
| 2103:25 | T+42:15 Stage 3 sep | 185 x -84447 x 28.43 | |
| Deploy solar panels | |||
| 1999 Jan 4 | 0543 | Pass EL1:4 | |
| 1999 Jan 8 | 1548? | Exit Earth sphere 1.5Mkm | |
| 1999 Jan 21 | 1227 | TCM-1, 3min 16m/s | |
| 1999 Mar 16 | 1305 | TCM-2, 10s, 0.9m/s | |
| 1999 Sep 1 | 1700s | TCM-3, site adjust 2.3m/s | |
| 1999 Oct 30 | 1728 | TCM-4 site adjust 12s | |
| 1999 Nov 30 | 1800 | TCM-5 0.1m/s 3.5 Mkm from Mars | |
| 1999 Dec 1 | 0615 | Enter Mars sphere | |
| 1999 Dec 2 | 0000? | PAM-D enter Mars sphere | |
| 1999 Dec 3 | 1339 | TCM-6, 8s | |
| 1999 Dec 3 | Mars arrival OWLT = 14m | ||
| 1949 | Transmitter off | ||
| E-7h TCM-5 at 125000 km | |||
| 1951:00 | E-5min L-10 min Cruise stage sep | ||
| 1951:18 | DS2 sep | ||
| 1955 | DS2 entry | ||
| 1956 | E-0 L-5 Entry 6.91 km/s, 125 km, -13.1 deg | ||
| E+0:33 Hypersonic ops begin | |||
| 1958 | E+2:30 Parachute deploy 7.3 km | ||
| E+2:37 MARDI imaging begins | |||
| E+2:37 Aeroshell sep | |||
| E+2:39 Landing legs deployed | |||
| E+2:40 Landing radar on | |||
| E+4:00 Radar lock, 2.5 km | |||
| 2000 | E+4:00 Backshell sep 1.8 km | ||
| E+4:01 Landing engines on | |||
| 1999 Dec 3 | 1959 | DS2 impact | |
| 2001 | Landing | ||
| 2000 | PAM-D pass at 63000 km | ||
| 1999 Dec 5 | 1600? | PAM-D leave Mars sphere | |
| 2000 Feb 29 | End primary mission | ||
Payload:
- MARDI Mars Descent Imager
- LIDAR Lidar (light detection and ranging) for dust and aerosols, IKI/RKA
- MVACS Mars Volatile and Climate Surveyor
- SSI Stereo surface imager
- RA Robotic arm (2m)
- RAC Robotic arm camera
- TEGA Thermal and evolved gas analyzer
- MET Meteorological package
STS-46 (Atlantis)
1992-049A
The EURECA deploy was delayed one day because of intermittent data problems. After deploy, Atlantis separated to 290m and remained there an extra orbit. Five hours after the 12m boom was extended, the subsatellite was released for the first flyaway. However, the release was aborted after only 10 cm of tether was deployed, and after 13 minutes the satellite was reeled back in to the docking clamp. On the next orbit, the flyaway began again. This time the tether snagged at a distance of 220m, on a bolt in the deployer mechanism.
| STS-46 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 Jun 4 | Tow to VAB | ||
| 1992 Jun 6 | ET mate | VAB/1 | |
| 1992 Jun 11 | Rollout | LC39B | |
| 1992 Jul 31 | 1356:48 | Launch from LC39B | |
| 1358:53 | SRB sep | ||
| 1405:16 | MECO | 89.36 65 x 420 x 28.5 (OMS dV) | |
| 1405:35 | ET sep | ||
| 1438:11 | OMS-2 3:44 107m/s | ||
| 1441:54 | OMS-2 CO | ||
| 1511 | 93.11 420 x 433 x 28.5 | ||
| 1535 | PLBD open | ||
| 1945 | RMS checkout | ||
| 1992 Aug 1 | 0130 | Eureca grappled | |
| 0225? | Eureca unberth by RMS | ||
| Deploy delayed | |||
| 1859 | 93.12 422 x 432 x 28.5 | ||
| 1992 Aug 2 | 0707 | RMS deploy EURECA | |
| 0708? | RCS sep | ||
| 1700? | 93.11 422 x 431 x 28.5 | ||
| 1992 Aug 3 | 1054:13 | OMS-3 1:10 36m/s Orbit lowered for TSS | |
| 1055:23 | OMS-3 CO | ||
| 1139:22 | OMS-4 1:10 37m/s Orbit lowered | ||
| 1140:32 | OMS-4 CO | ||
| 2322 | 90.48 294 x 301 x 28.5 | ||
| 1992 Aug 4 | 1600? | TSS boom extend begins | |
| 1630 | Boom extended | ||
| 2001 | U2 umbilical disconnect | ||
| 2115 | TSS flyaway 1, abort at 10cm | ||
| 2134 | TSS reeled back | ||
| 2250:47 | TSS flyaway 2 | 90.49 295 x 301 x 28.5 | |
| 2347 | Snag at 179m | ||
| 1992 Aug 5 | Snag at 256m | ||
| 0100? | 90.48 295 x 301 x 28.5 | ||
| 1301 | Reel in to 224m | ||
| 2155 | TSS reel in begins | ||
| 2252:47 | TSS docked on boom | ||
| 2326 | TSS power down | ||
| 2337 | TSS boom retract | ||
| 1992 Aug 6 | 0003 | TSS retracted and latched | |
| 0939:06 | OMS-5 to lower orbit for EOIM ops, 33s 18m/s | ||
| 0939:40 | OMS-5 CO | 89.21 234 x 236 x 28.5 | |
| 1023:14 | OMS-6 35s 20m/s | ||
| 1023:51 | OMS-6 CO | 89.13 227 x 235 x 28.5 | |
| 1992 Aug 7 | 0126 | 89.12 227 x 234 x 28.5 | |
| 2200 | 89.09 225 x 232 x 28.5 | ||
| 1992 Aug 8 | 0935 | PLBD closed | |
| 1217:09 | OMS DO (2:03) 68m/s | ||
| 1219:13 | OMS DO CO | ||
| 1239:53 | Entry interface 120 km | ||
| 1311:50 | Landed KSC RW33 | ||
| 1312:05 | NGTD | ||
| 1312:55 | Wheels stop | ||
| 1530 | Tow to OPF | OPF/2 | |
Zond 3
1965-056A
3MV-4 No. 3 was launched on 1965 Jul 18 on a mission to test out the reliability of planetary probes. The modified Mars probe made a lunar flyby and returned pictures of the lunar surface. It was named Zond-3.
| Zond-3 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 Jul 18 | 1432:05 | Launch by 8K78 | KB |
| 1437? | Blok A sep | ||
| 1437? | Blok I burn | ||
| 1441? | Blok I sep | ||
| 1552? | BOZ burn | ||
| 1553? | Blok L burn | ||
| 1557? | Blok L sep | ||
| 1965 Jul 20 | 0124 | Start lunar photos at 11600 km ht | |
| 0224? | Perilune, 9220 km | ||
| 0232 | End lunar photos at 10000 km ht | ||
| 1965 Sep 15 | TCM in solar orbit | ||
| 1966 Mar | End of ops | ||
| 1966 Dec | Reactivated for test transmission | ||
Payload:
- Lunar mapping camera
STS-84 (Atlantis)
1997-023A
STS-84 was another Spacehab-DM flight to Mir. A late addition to the Spacehab, in April, was a replacement Elektron oxygen generator. Although the plan was for MS Foale to replace Linenger aboard Mir, after the space station's equipment failures preparations were made in case both Foale and Linenger would return to Earth after the docking. In the event, the Mir troubles were deemed to be resolved and British-born Foale took his place aboard Mir.
STS-84's crew was remarkably international. The US-born crew members were commander Precourt, pilot Collins, and mission specialist Lu; Foale and Peruvian-born Carlos Noriega were also US citizens. They were joined by Elena Kondakova of the Russian Space Agency and French citizen Jean-Francois Clervoy of the European Space Agency.
Atlantis was launched on 1997 May 15 and docked with Mir early on May 17. Undocking on May 22 was a direct R-bar separation. In contrast to earlier missions, no flyaround of Mir was performed due to software modifications.
| STS-84 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Apr 19 | 2130 | Roll to VAB | |
| Mate to ET | |||
| 1997 Apr 24 | 1230 | Rollout to LC39A | |
| 1997 May 15 | 0807:48 | Launch | |
| 0809:52 | SRB sep T+2:04 | ||
| 0816:20 | MECO T+8:32 | 82 x 296 x 51.65 | |
| 0816:30 | ET sep | ||
| 0851:52 | OMS-2 23m/s 48s | 89.04 158 x 296 x 51.65 | |
| 0945:56 | PLBD open | ||
| 1147 | NC1 OMS-3 33m/s 68s | ||
| 1200 | 90.18 270 x 296 x 51.65 | ||
| 2347 | NC2 OMS-4 3m/s 11s | ||
| 2350 | 90.26 277 x 296 x 51.65 | ||
| 1997 May 16 | 0600 | 90.26 277 x 296 x 51.65 | |
| 1056 | NC3 OMS-5 28m/s 58s | ||
| 1200 | 91.26 277 x 395 x 51.65 | ||
| 2220 | NC4 OMS-6 27m/s 54s | ||
| 2255 | NCC RCS 0.4m/s 5s | ||
| 2353 | TI burn OMS-7 2m/s 9s | 92.31 379 x 396 x 51.66 | |
| 1997 May 17 | 0015 | MC1 RCS 0.1m/s 1s | |
| 0047 | MC2 RCS 0.6m/s 8s | ||
| 0057 | MC3 RCS 0.1m/s 1s | ||
| 0107 | MC4 RCS 0.3m/s 1s | ||
| 0233 | Docking with Mir | ||
| 0241 | Hard dock | ||
| 0425 | Hatch open | ||
| 1000 | 92.34 382 x 396 x 51.66 | ||
| 1415 | Foale to Mir 23 crew | ||
| 1415 | Linenger to STS-84 (122:04:30 as Mir crew) | ||
| Elektron O2 generator transferred | |||
| 1997 May 18 | 1200 | 92.34 383 x 395 x 51.66 | |
| 1997 May 21 | 1240 | Hatch closed | |
| 1997 May 22 | 0103:56 | Undocked | 92.34 384 x 393 x 51.7 |
| 0109 | Stationkeep at 27m | ||
| 0113 | Resume sep | ||
| 0117 | Stationkeep at 90 m | ||
| 0121 | Resume sep | ||
| 0134 | Stationkeep at 450 m | ||
| 0141 | Resume sep | ||
| 0152 | Leave corridor at 1 km | ||
| 0330 | 92.25 376 x 393 x 51.7 | ||
| 1997 May 24 | 0815 | PLBD closed | 376 x 392 x 51.6 |
| 1223:33 | OMS DO 3:09 101m/s | ||
| 1226:42 | OMS cutoff | 33 x 394 x 51.6 | |
| 1256 | Entry interface 115 km | ||
| 1327:44 | MGTD KSC RW33 9:05:19:56 | ||
| 1327:52 | NGTD | ||
| 1328:35 | Wheels stop | ||