Satgen 156  Space Problems         by GM4IHJ                  22 March 92

There are several space agency problems which are begining to affect , the
manned space effort, weather sats, and radio amateur satellites.

CIS = ex USSR  In respect of the MIR space station, please ignore the
drivel which has poured out of UK ( so called ) News ??? papers and TV. As
Sergei, U5MIR the long duration cosmonaut has regularly told UK Radio
Amateurs via his 145.55 MHz FM link, he is fine. It seems a pity that
newspapers recuit the sort of people who are too thick to qualify for an
amateur radio license and talk to Sergei direct. Please do not send me any
more newspaper cuttings with requests that I tell the press the real
story. I discovered years ago that they are totally uninterested in the
truth. What ever you tell them will be completely distorted.
The real problems at the space station may come to a head when the crew
who have just joined come to be relieved ( due up July 26, old crew down
Aug 9th ). First the two big science modules will not now be ready for
launch before 1993, so cosmonauts trained for them will be twiddling their
thumbs, second and more serious there may be a reduction in the number of
Progress supply capsules, unless the builders can keep the production line
going.There is also a third problem whereby the inertial stabilizers are
getting worn out. So Mir is tending to point heavy end ( the bit with
Kristall and Kvant II ), permanently at the earth. This poses problems due
to unequal heating of the station structure and makes telescope pointing
nearly impossible.
In respect of the unmanned sats. The effect of build in one CIS state,
launch in a second state, and control from a third state is causing
obvious difficulties. First to be affected are the Meteor weather sats
and, the Earth resources sats, for which all funding is reported to have
been withdrawn. RM1 amateur sat is aboard an earth resources sat.

Europe . Here the problem is money and cost over runs.   The politicians
must decide this year whether they can afford to continue the Hermes mini
shuttle and the Columbus free platform projects.Hermes is 2 ton overweight
This means its cargo capacity will be almost none existent.Columbus relies
on the original support of Hermes with 3 ton capacity. So Columbus cannot
operate with Hermes as presently designed and without cargo Hermes is just
a very expensive Man carrying taxi. Common sense would suggest that Europe
cut its losses and cooperate with CIS using MIR and Soyuz, which we could
easily afford and which would help keep the Russian effort going. But
Chauvanism, Nationalism and Not Invented Here, may defy common sense.
Meanwhile Ariane goes steadily onwards and upwards. This summer should see
French amateur sat ARSENE launch to a high orbit round the Equator
providing long range voice and packet services. 73 de GM4IHJ @ GB7SAN