Cosmonautics
By Dennis Newkirk
COPYRIGHT 1994 by CSPACE PRESS INC. All rights reserved
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June 1994
Buran Amusment Ride
The western press has paid some minor notice this spring to the
movement of a static test mock-up Buran orbiter from NPO Molniya
Tushino plant to Gorky park in Moscow. The Kosmos-Zemlya company
formed by NPO Molniya, the park, Kosmoflot and headed by Gherman Titov,
is trying to make a buck by using the test article as the framework for a
new space motif restaurant. Videokosmos is producing a video production
of Earth views to be shown in simulated port holesı as up to 60 patrons
eat from a 100 varieties of space food for a cost of $70.
Following a May 25, 1993 decision of the Council of Chief Designers
the Buran project has been placed in mothballs. Orbiters at Baykonur are
being placed in storage and LII and Air Force cosmonaut groups trained for
Buran flights are waiting to hear of their reassignment. Meanwhile, ITAR-
TASS announced the imminent launch of the Buran, on April fools day.
Mir Mission News
The collision of Mir and Soyuz TM-17 has been described as a
glancing brush caused by a misconfiguration of the Soyuz joystick
controllers. After undocking, Tsibliyev was tasked (after a NASA request)
to photograph the new shuttle docking target attached to the Kristall
module. The photos would aid training of NASA crews scheduled to dock to
Mir in 1995. Shortly after undocking Tsibliyev discovered the translation
controller had been inadvertently disabled. Without time to reconfigure
the system he changed the attitude of the Soyuz to try avoid collision
with the Kristall module but a glancing blow occurred. No damage was
visible and the crewmen in Mir reported they did not feel any collision.
More inspections are planned of the area of contact and EVAıs were not
ruled out should something significant be discovered.
After landing, Tsibliyev blamed ground support for rejecting the
cosmonauts suggested procedure for maneuvering around Mir and imposed
a different procedure. The task of photographing the target was only
communicated to the cosmonauts shortly before undocking. Serebrov
expected the cosmonauts to be blamed for the incident. NPO Energia is
aware that such incidents must be avoided in the future owing to planning
to continue use of Mir by both Russia and the NASA.
Meanwhile, Russia awaits the first significant payments of the
promised $400 million for joint spaceflights from NASA. As of Feb. 1994,
the only payments to Russia from NASA were for travel expenses incurred
in planning trips to the USA. There is no money to change hands in
exchange for the 1993 and 1994 flights of cosmonauts on shuttles or the
first flight of astronauts to Mir. This reality makes US government touting
of financial aid to Russia as result of manned spaceflight agreements as
illusive as the international space station itself.
In other related events, the Yevpatoriya spaceflight control center
has been reactivated for use with manned spaceflights after a financial
fallout between the Ukraine and Russia in 1992.
Svobodnyy to be Cosmodrome
Another hot story this spring has been the new cosmodrome. The
Russian government has approved a feasibility study by the RSA, the
Ministries of Economics, Finance, Defence, and State Committee for
Defense Industry for development of Plesetsk, and establishing a launch
complex at Svobodnyy near the Chinese border. Svobodnyy-18 was an SS-
11 ICBM base built in 1968 and closed in late 1993 with the last crews
leaving in Feb. 1994. The study is due to end in 1994.
Meanwhile a preliminary design for a Angara-24 booster to be
launched from Svobodnyy is being preformed by NPO Energia, Khrunichev,
and the Makeyev Design Bureau. One design calls for use of Zenit stages,
and Energia components to make a Kerosene-Oxygen and Hydrogen-Oxygen
two or three stage booster with a reusable first stage. Test launches are
projected for 1998-99. In 1996, it is also planned for modified SS-19
ICBMıs to be used to launch 1500 kg. satellites (the SS-19ıs are due to be
destroyed by 2003 due to arms control agreements). The 1996 launches
would occur from 2 restored ICBM silos with the possibility for opening 3
more and building 2 new pads for the Angara-24. 55 other silos have been
destroyed in accordance to the Start-2 treaty and much of the land once
occupied by the base will revert to civilian use. For now, efforts are
limited to maintaining the current facilities with the aim at allowing
conversion of a silo within 6 months for satellite launches.
The local population is voicing concerns about ecological effects of
a launch site. The RSA is in favor of continued use of existing
cosmodromes while the military favors reactivation of its former ICBM
base to lessen the painful effects of military cutbacks. Press accounts in
March went so far as to note opposition to the plan by some scientists, the
militaries naming of a candidate for Chief of the cosmodrome, and denials
from government officials that a new cosmodrome could be built at all
even if it gained approval due to Russia's financial situation.
Baykonur Cosmondrome Problems
Agreements between Russian and Kazakstan about Baykonur still has
not resolved problems at the Cosmodrome. The Russian intention to fund
and administer everything within the border of the cosmodrome in return
for leasing the site has brought dispute from Kazakstan officials.
Kazakstanıs position was that baykonur should be partially leased by
Russian and be controlled by an international corporation. Kazakstan
meanwhile accounts payments due for the last 2 years of cosmodrome use
and other military facilities in Kazakstan to be about $7 billion, which
they recognize as unrealistic and they use the figure to illustrate that
their position of demanding a joint administration of Baykonur is not
being unreasonable. Muddying the waters is a Russian report that on Feb.
19, the US officially signed on to Kazakstanıs idea that the base be an
international entity.
As these difficulties were being worked out the Russian government
agreed that all Russian personnel working at the Cosmodrome to support
space launches were to be awarded in addition to payment and benefits
provided by employers other than the Russian government :
- Compensation of 25 times the monthly minimum wage
- A supplementary 1 day leave per month up to 7 days
- A 1.5 times increase in per diem allowance
- Prenatal leave in Russia and return to Baykonur
- 50% compensation of dispensary food costs for children, and annual
travel to Russia and back for children who have spent more than a year in
a medical or health facility.
The dispute has included spacecraft recovery forces based in the
Chelyabinskiy Olbast. Flights carry the search and recovery forces over
Kazakstan as a routine matter. Flights now must be proceeded by
officially approved flight plans and the helicopters take off loaded with
bags of cash to refuel in Kazakstan. In 1994, monthly talks between RSA
officials and Kazakstan continued to try to resolve the Baykonur problem.
RSA head Yuri Koptev stated that only portions of the cosmodrome were to
be maintained and rented, and military forces would be slowly phased out.
On March 7, a large fire broke out in a annex of MIK-2 destroying 5 rooms
and equipment the within with damage totaling over 1 million Roubles.
Negligence was cited as the cause, and contributing factors were the lack
of water (one of the water sources for the base was abandoned earlier in
the winter), heavy snow, and delivery of newer vehicles had been delayed
due to negotiations effecting their ultimate ownership. Earlier at
Baykonur an officers garrison burned down.
New development not absolutely needed for missions has also been
differed due to the ownership dispute. On March 18, a general agreement
was reached on leasing the base for 30 years and about the military use of
the base, but talks continued on specifics of the plan. The general plan
was signed on March 28 by Boris Yeltsin and Nursultan Nazarbayev calling
for the payment of $115 million. But, by April 13, Kazakstan charged that
the sum was due monthly while the agreement is not clear about the
period. Thus the monthly negotiations resumed to further clarify the
situation.
Since the independence of Kazakstan, 21,000 people have left
Leninsk. 28,000 military personnel remain to run the cosmodrome.
Apartments which were once hard to get are now left abandoned. Many
facilities are closed and food has become more scarce. Launch pads and
other facilities are subject to random looting of copper cables, sheet
metal roofing, etc... Officers now guard launch pads due to the lack of
2500 needed recruits. Oleg Soskovets, First Deputy Prime Minister,
reported that social activities were nonexistent, heating was cut off,
wages had not been paid in March and restoration needed to begin by April.
The RSA reports that 34% of the scientists and specialists have left the
traditional space industry by mid 1993.
Plesetsk Cosmodrome Problems
At Plesetsk, funding for military launches is at a minium.
Commercial launches are being invited to help continue funding for the
facility. In Dec. 1993, the Cosmodrome defaulted on payments for power
sources, auxiliary systems were shut down and shutdown of launch pad
system was being contemplated. US missile test monitoring equipment has
been installed at Plesetsk for verification of arms limitations treaties. In
return, Russian has also installed equipment for the same purposes in the
USA. Plesetsk is being sued for 1.2 Billion rubles for environmental
damage near Koyda due to rocket launches. Representatives of the launch
site agree to the environmental damage but claim the space sector is
unable to pay the damages claimed. In response, an independent inquiry
will reassess the damages.
Other Industry Developments
Nearly forgotten but not dead yet, Australian Space Transportation
Systems Ltd. is pursuing the idea of opening a spaceport in Papua New
Guinea after its attempts to open a Cape York spaceport failed. Russian
officials toured some possible sites. Proton boosters would be the
preferred booster with a payload increased to 9000 Kg. to geostationary
orbit from the new launch site near the equator. The total cost to build a
cosmodrome is estimated at $1 Billion, so far $500,000 has been made
available to do the study.
Meanwhile, NPO Energia has been allowed by Premier Chernomyrdin
to pursue joint international development of a sea based launch vehicle in
cooperation with the Ukraine. In 1993, 59 payloads were launched by
Russia. 26 boosters launched 36 satellites from Plesetsk. 26 launches
were by Soyuz variants and 60% of launches were for defense purposes.
Russian Space Agency Deputy General Director Yuri Milov announced
that government funding for 4 unmanned projects would be continued
while funding for 28 other proposed space probes and communications
satellite projects would not be forthcoming. Among the four survivors are
the Mars 94 and Mars 96 projects which are to be delayed, thus becoming
Mars 96 and Mars 98 respectively. NPO Lavochkin has proposed using its
propulsion section from the its Mars probes as an additional upper stage
for the Soyuz and Proton family of boosters.
The first Gals communications satellite was launched on Jan. 20
after being delayed from the day before. The Gals represents a new
generation in Russian communications satellites providing direct
broadcast TV to dishes 60-90 cm. diameter.
Cooperation on Brazilıs plan for a 1995 launch are endangered by the
the MCTR nonproliferation treaty. Chile has expressed interested in the
possibility of sending someone to Mir. India has resolved its problems
caused by the US Department of States stubborn insistence on application
of MCTR rules to India's purchase of Hydrogen-Oxygen rocket design and
production facilities originally developed by the Khimmash Design Bureau
for the N1/L3M lunar landing program. As a result, India will now purchase
a static and 4 flight units for $3 million each with first delivery in 1996.
Khrunichev in the form of the LKE joint venture has booked flights of
Proton boosters up to the year 2000. Nine contracts totaling $600 million
have been signed as of the beginning of 1994. The first Express capsule is
due to be launched in August 1994 from Japan. A general agreement on
cooperation was signed with China in March but no specifics were
forthcoming. Talks began on a joint NASA-RSA mission to Pluto. Launch
would be provided on a Proton and the NASA spacecraft would carry small
Russian probes to closely approach Pluto and Charon. Another mission
would also use a Proton booster to launch a NASA spacecraft with Russian
sensors to study the sun after using a Jupiter fly-by.
Several military publications were closed in early 1994 including
the well known and respected Aviatsiya I Kosmonavtika, the journal of the
Russian Air Force. It was kind of a more technical version of the
Smithsonianıs Air and Spaceı magazine. It and four other armed forces
journals are to be combined into Armeyskiy Sboronik in July 1994.
In May, it was announced that the cosmonaut contingent was to be
reduced by about 50% to cut costs. The first cut were the older
cosmonauts, mostly above age 50, who maintained their status by
continuing to pass periodic physicals while they worked at jobs not
necessarily related to any space program.
Thanks to Nicholas Johnson and Rex Hall for providing information for this
article.