April 1982:satellite digest

COSMOS 1318 1981-109A

Launched: 1259, 3 Nov 1981 from Plesetsk by A-2.

Spacecraft data: Possibly based on Vostok manned spacecraft with spherical re-entry module, instrument unit and a cylindrical, supplementary payload at the forward end. Length about 6 m, max diameter about 2.4 m, mass around 6000 kg.

Mission: Military photo-reconnaissance, recovered after 30 days.

Orbit: Initially 171 X 352 km, 89.75 min, 67.14 degrees, then manoeuvred several times to provide coverage of particular target areas.

VENERA 14 1981-110A

Launched; 0530, 4 Nov 1981 from Tyuratam by D-1-E.

Spacecraft data; Cylinder with two solar panels and an experiments package located at one end. Length (excluding experiments) about 2.7 m, diameter about 2.3 m maximum, mass around 5000 kg.

Mission: Continuation of the Soviet Union's Venus exploration programme. The craft is due to arrive near Venus in March 1982 and carries a surface lander. Soviet reports indicate that this vehicle and its predecessor are very similar in design and purpose. During the flight to Venus, observations are being made of x-rays and gamma radiation, as well as measurements of magnetic fields, the solar wind and interplanetary plasma. In addition to Soviet-built equipment, both craft are equipped with French and Austrian-designed scientific apparatus.

Orbit; Heliocentric, but initially a low parking orbit around the Earth at 51.6 degrees inclination. A trajectory correction on Nov 14 ensured an arrival in the vicinity of Venus on 5 March 1982. A similar manoeuvre by VENERA 13 on 12 Nov kept that craft on course for a Venus arrival on 1 March 1982.

STS-2 1981-111A

Launched: 1510, 12 Nov 1981 from the Kennedy Space Center.

Spacecraft data: Re-usable shuttle craft Columbia with fixed experimental packages in the payload bay.

Mission: The second flight in Columbia's orbital test programme, crewed by spacecraft commander, Colonel Joe H. Engle of the USAF, and pilot Commander Richard H. Truly of the USN. As well-as systems testing, other major operations were the testing of the remote manipulator arm to be used for unloading and retrieving spacecraft, and evaluation of the craft's ability to^erve as a steady platform for Earth Viewing Instruments.

Most of the Earth observation equipment was mounted on a Spacelab type pallet built by British Aerospace for the European Space Agency. OSTA-1 (named after NASA’s Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications) weighed 2542 kg and was mounted near the centre of the equipment bay, and consisted of five experiments; two further experiments were carried in the crew compartment. The external equipment was:

Shuttle Imaging Radar - A: physically the largest part of the payload, consisting of a Seasat-type microwave radar providing map-like images of the Earth's surface. During the flight, images were obtained over North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. All objectives of the experiment were met during the flight.

Shuttle Multispectral Infrared Radiometer: a complementary instrument to the radar intended to determine the best spectral bands to use in remote sensing of rock types. 108 minutes of observation were obtained in ten bands of the spectrum between 0.S and 2.5 micrometers wavelength.

Feature Identification and Location Experiment: intended to help development of equipment which can be used to identify particular types of surface feature. Such equipment could be used to switch remote sensing instruments on and off automatically. About 52 hours of data were obtained.

Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites: consisted of a carbon monoxide detector studying the middle and upper troposphere. About 52 hours of data were recorded, some of it being checked independently by airborne monitors over Virginia, Florida and California.

Ocean Colour Experiment: returned 78 minutes of data on chlorophyll concentrations under its programme to test the ability of an automatic sensor to locate plankton, and consequently to guide fishing fleets to fish feeding areas or away from areas of pollution.

Night/Day Optical Survey of Lightning: carried in the crew compartment; was a handheld instrument intended for recording lightning flashes.

Heflex Bioengineering Test: a sealed unit containing Helianthus Annus (dwarf sunflower) plants was a preliminary test of a planned Spacelab experiment. Owing to the shortened flight (it had originally been planned as live days), the experiment was not completed.

Orbit: Columbia carried out a number of manoeuvres using the Orbital Manoeuvring System (OMS), the highest orbit reached was 255 X 265 km, 89.57 min, 58.05 degrees. The mission was shortened due to a problem with one of the three onboard fuel ceils providing electrical power. Columbia landed at 2125, 14 Nov 1981 after a flight of 2 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes.

COSMOS 1519 1981-112A

Launched: 0950, 15 Nov 1981 from Tyuratam by A-2.

Spacecraft data: As Cosmos 1518.

Mission.- Military photo-reconnaissance, recovered after 14 days.

Orbit- Initially 207 X 557 km, 90.57 mins, 70.55 degrees. Manoeuvred to 549 X 415 km, 92.21 min, 70.57 deg, an orbit which provided area coverage of the whole Earth by the end of the flight.

MOLNIYA-1 (51) 1981-113A

Launched: 1525, 17 Nov 1981 from Plesetsk by A-2-e.

Spacecraft data: Cylindrical body housing instrumentation and the payload, surmounted by a conical motor section. Power is provided by a "windmill" of six solar panels. Overall length 5.4 m, diameter 1.6 m, mass around 1800 kg.

Mission; Replacement for Molniya-1(59). The satellite helps to operate long distance telephone and telegraphic communications and broadcasts central television programmes via the Orbita system to remote areas of the Soviet Union.

Orbit: Initially a low parking orbit and then injected into a highly elliptical one of 444 X 59155 km, 702.06 min. 62.78 deg. Later manoeuvred to 469 X 59924 km. 718.55 min. 62.82 deg to provide daily repetition of the ground track.

RCA SATCOM 5R 1918-114A

Launched: 0150. 20 Nov 1981 from Launch Complex 17A, Eastern Space and Missile Centre, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station by Delta 3910

Spacecraft data: A box-shaped body 1.62 X 1.25 X 1.25 m carries spacecraft housekeeping equipment and a communications relay package. Power is provided by two extended, flat solar panels of 8.4 square metres giving 1 kW of power for battery charging. The mass in geostationary orbit is 550 kg.

Mission.- To provide distribution of programmes to cable television systems in the United States.

Orbit: Placed into geostationary transfer orbit by the launch vehicle and injected into geostationary drift orbit by the satellite's integral apogee boost motor. Stabilised at the operational location of 152 degrees west longitude.

BHASKARA 2 1981-115A

Launched: 0825, 20 Nov 1981 from Kapustin Yar by C-1.

Spacecraft data: 26 faced, quasispherical polyhedron, 1.55 m high. 1.66 m diameter and mass 456 kg. Power is provided by Nickel- Cadmium storage batteries of 10 amp hours capacity and fed by a body mounted solar array of .47 watts output. Attitude sensors include an infra-red horizon sensor, a Sun sensor, tri-axial magnetometers and temperature sensors. Attitude control is by a cold gas reaction jet system and the satellite is also fitted with a magnetic nutation damper. It was designed and built by the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Mission; Mainly Earth observation using a pair of TV cameras operating in the 0.54-0.66 and 0.75-0.85 micrometre bands respectively, and three microwave radiometers working at 19.55, 22.255 and 51.4 GHz. Other experiments include solar cell experiments and a study of thermal control coatings.

Orbit: 521 X 545 km, 95.20 min, 50.64 deg.

COSMOS 1520-1327 1981 116A-H,

Launched: 1807, 28 Nov 1981 from Plesetsk by C-1.

Spacecraft data: Possibly spheroidal in shape, mass about 40 kg each.

Mission: To provide tactical communications between troops or units in the field. The previous launch in the series was 1981-74.

Orbits: Lowest: 1481 X 1605 km, 116.98 min, 75.98 deg; highest: 1481 X 1655 km, 117.29 min. 75.98 deg.