SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0610 * SpaceNews 10-Jun-96 * BID: $SPC0610 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY JUNE 10, 1996 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is published every week and is made available for non-commercial use. * ARIANE-5 FLIGHT REPORT * ========================== N 20-96 - Paris, 5 June 1996 ESA/CNES JOINT PRESS RELEASE FLIGHT 501 FAILURE - FIRST INFORMATION The first Ariane-5 launch took place on Tuesday, 4 June 1996, from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's Spaceport, at Kourou in French Guiana. The launcher was carrying the European Space Agency's four Cluster satellites, a science mission to study Earth-Sun interactions. Following nominal ignition of the Vulcain engine (H0) at 09.33.59 hours Kourou time, i.e. 12.33.59 hours GMT or 14.33.59 hours Paris time, the flight proceeded as follows: * H0 + 7.5 s : Ignition of solid booster stages and normal lift-off. * Up to H0 + 37 s : Flight guidance and trajectory normal. At this moment, the velocity of the launcher was Mach 0.7 (857 kph) and its altitude 3500 m. * H0 + 37 s to H0 + 39 s : Sudden swivelling of both solid booster nozzles up to the limit, recorded by telemetry. This caused the launcher to tilt sharply, giving rise to intense aerodynamic loads on the launcher structure resulting in breakage. Following loss of launcher integrity, destruction of all launcher elements by the onboard neutralisation system. Preliminary analysis of the telemetry data confirms that the propulsion stages (solid boosters and cryogenic main stage) functioned correctly. The direction of inquiry is tending towards the launcher's "electrical and software system". An independent inquiry board is being set up by ESA and CNES to determine the causes of the failure and propose corrective action. It will be asked to report by 15 July. ESA, the European Space Agency, has delegated management of its Ariane-5 programme to the French space agency, CNES. * JAS-2 LAUNCH SEQUENCE * ========================= The launch of JAS-2 is now scheduled for the middle of August 1996. The exact day isn't known yet, but the time of day will likely be between 01:30 to 01:55 UTC due to the orbit requirement of satellite ADEOS, earth observation satellite which is the main payload of this mission. This launch also represents the fourth launch of an H-2 rocket. The planned launch sequence of the vehicle is as follows: L -6 1st stage engine (LE-7) ignition L two solid rocket booster (SRB) iginition and liftoff L+92.6 finish firing of two SRBs L+100.6 SRBs separation L+230.000 fairing separation L+345.431 commanding of quit firing 1st stage engine L+355.431 separation of 1st stage engine L+361.431 iginition of 2nd stage engine L+896.806 suspending of firing 2nd stage engine L+947.000 main payload ADEOS separation ? re-ignition of 2nd stage engine L+2273.000 JAS-2 separation At the moment of JAS-2 separation, JAS-2 will be activated and CW telemetry on 435.795 MHz will commence. [Info via Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK] * DC-XA NEWS * ============== The second in a series of five test flights planned for NASA's Delta Clipper-Experimental Advanced (DC-XA) single-stage rocket was scheduled for 10:00 AM EDT (1400 UTC) on Friday, June 7 at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Preparations were also made for a third flight as early as eight hours after the second. The DC-XA, developed by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace and NASA under a cooperative agreement as part of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Program, successfully completed its first test flight on May 18. DC-XA flights are often carried live on NASA Television, which is available on C-band, Spacenet 2, Transponder 5, Channel 9 at 69 degrees west longitude. The transponder frequency is 3880 MHz and the audio subcarrier is 6.8 MHz. [Info via John Keller, N6JLS] * STS-78 DATA * =============== The following is pre-launch Keplerian orbital data for STS-78: STS-78 1 99978U 96172.64753500 .00004574 00000-0 90566-5 0 12 2 99978 39.0107 9.7607 0009801 335.0250 228.9835 15.98792223 15 [Info via Gary Morris, KK6YB] * ITAMSAT STATUS * ================== After about eight months of standby mode (MBL safe mode), command stations in Milano, loaded an improved version of RAM based MBL code and started the upload of the high level control code (IHT 3.1). ITAMSAT (IO-26) was successfully returned to full operations on the 1st June and Whole Orbit Data collection was started to analyze the spacecraft status. ITAMSAT has a spin of about 0.5 RPM and is in stable magnetic lock. The wobbling motion has nearly the same amplitude and period of two years ago. Internal temperature variates between 5 and 14 degrees Celsius and the battery voltage cycles around 10.5 V. Voltage measured on each battery cell shows no sign of degradation. Currents produced by the solar arrays have a peak value of 360 mA that indicates no measurable decrease in efficency. ITAMSAT will collect WOD for the next days and the digipeater is ON. Some European stations already started to digipeat, and the reports received are quite good. This month, IO-26 will reach 1000 days in orbit and the ITAMSAT Project team wish to thanks all the friends who helped so far. The ITAMSAT team may be contacted at the following Internet address: itamsat@micronet.it Best regards Alberto E. Zagni - I2KBD ITAMSAT Mission Director * MORE ITAMSAT NEWS * ===================== ITAMSAT-OSCAR-26 returned to the air on 01-Jun-96. The satellite was copied on Friday 07-Jun-96 at KD2BD in New Jersey transmitting telemetry, WOD, LSTAT, BCRXMT, TIME, and STATUS frames. In addition, the satellite was sending the following text message: IY2SAT-1>AMSAT : ** 5th June 1996 ** IHT 3.1 is running. Digipeater is ON. WOD is underway. 73 de ITAMSAT Command team. The satellite was using its 435.820 MHz downlink transmitter, and digipeating was possible via ITMSAT-1 using any one of its four uplink frequencies (145.875 MHz, 145.900 MHz, 145.925 MHz, or 145.950 MHz). * AO-13 NEWS * ============== Due to constraints of seasonal variation in solar angle, AO-13 was scheduled to be reoriented on June 17th, prior to this year's Field Day, to an ALON/ALAT of 220/0. The associated much less favorable squint angle would have necessitated the predominant use of the omni antenna. This would obviously have been sub optimal for AO-13's final Field Day appearance. However, circumstances, for once, have conspired in our favor. The small amount of drag that AO-13 currently experiences at perigee is acting on the spinning satellite to translate the ALAT slowly upward. Coupled with normal changes of precession, the "undisturbed" orientation on Field Day will be ALON/ALAT 187/13. At this orientation, the absolute solar angle is lower (more favorable) than at an orientation of 180/0, and AO-13 can stay in it's current configuration for approximately 10 days longer than originally planned. Therefore, the orientation, antenna schedule and transponder schedule for AO-13 will remain "as is" for the 1996 Field Day. Current plans call for reorientation to 220/0 on approximately June 27th. The process takes several days and, therefore, will commence a few days before that time, with schedule changes activated after the position has been stabilized. Enjoy what could be the final optimum attitude and schedule of this fine satellite. Reorientation to 180/0 in September is likely to be transient at best, with considerable torquing of ALAT around perigee. [Info via Stacey E. (Chuck) Mills, WB4QKT] * FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED * =========================== Comments and input for SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John, KD2BD) via any of the paths listed below: WWW : http://www.njin.net/~magliaco/ PACKET : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org, magliaco@email.njin.net SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16, LUSAT-OSCAR-19 <<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>> /EX