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********************* Russia Aerospace Guide *********************
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No. 1, March 1994
This document may be copied only in
its entirety with no changes. No fee may be charged for
distribution.
****** Content ******
No Future for AVIATSlYA I KOSMONAVTIKA?
Cosmonautics: A Colorful History
Russian Missiles
Spaceplanes
Lockheed-Khrunichev-Energia
NASA-IKI Communications
Russian Space History Conference
Russian Government Agencies
Papers from the IAF
Interavia Business & Technology
Videokosmos
RUSSIA INTEGRATION INTO SPACE STATION PARTNERSHIP DISCUSSED
Russian Technology Conference
New Cosmodrome??
Space CD-ROM from the Russians
Guidance, Navigation and Control in Russia
Russian Tech Briefs
New Book
Delphic Associates
Race to the Moon: America's Duel with the Soviets
The Development of Soviet Rocket Engines for Strategic Missiles
Re-entry Technology and the Soviet Space Program
****** News ******
No Future for AVIATSlYA I KOSMONAVTIKA?
Funding has reportedly run out for the magazine. Anyone have more
information?
Contributor - Charles F. Radley, http://rogue.northwest.com/~charles
Cosmonautics: A Colorful History
As everyone probably knows the book is being advertised in
seemingly all major US aerospace publications. It is apparently a
coffee table picture book with some text. Price 54.95, Cosmos
Books, Suite 106-381-R, 4200 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington DC
20016. (The grapevine says this is really Aerospace Ambassadors
reborn, so caution is encouraged!)
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Russian Missiles
Harpoonski by Steven Zaloga in the Feb. Naval Proceedings (pp. 37-
40) describes some modern Russian anti-ship missiles and the state
of Russian export trade in military items.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Spaceplanes
The Feb. Aerospace America hides the TsAGI EMPL proposal for a
small spaceplane similar to MAKS in the back of an article called
"Europeans pursue air breathing propulsion". Three versions are
shown in model form and a Rocket Ascent Demonstrator Mission
project for the ESA is mentioned for testing a craft to Mach 15-
17.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Lockheed-Khrunichev-Energia
LKE has booked 12 launches in the last year according to the
Interfax News Agency. Quoting Anatoly Kiselev General Director of
the Khrunichev State Space Center, Interfax reports the deals are
worth $600M and are scheduled through the year 2000. (We/My, Feb
7-20, 1994, pp. 6). That would include 3 for Iridium, 5 for Space
Systems/Loral, the Inmarsat and 3 others I don't have immediately
on hand.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
NASA-IKI Communications
RELEASE: 94-28
NASA INSTALLS TELECONFERENCE SYSTEM FOR GATEWAY TO MOSCOW
NASA's Office of Space Communications has installed a Video
Teleconference System (ViTS) facility at Brown University,
Providence, R.I., to expand video teleconferencing coverage to
Russia. The new facility also enables a connection to NASA's
Program Support Communications Network (PSCN), providing video
teleconferencing with NASA's field centers, international partners
and contractors connected to the network.
The installation connects NASA's PSCN with the university's
established satellite circuit link with Russia. For several years,
Brown has had video teleconferencing capabilities with the Russian
Institute of Space Research (IKI) in Moscow, through direct
transmissions on the Russian Intersputnik satellite. The linkage
accommodates 2-way discussions between members of the university's
planetary geology group and scientists at IKI. This installation
will allow NASA's network also to be linked with IKI.
The new ViTS facility will allow NASA scientists and engineers
to work directly with researchers to collaborate in real time on
their projects. In addition, the connection between teachers,
NASA scientists and engineers will provide an unprecedented
educational resource for the classroom.
Brown University has a long history of support for NASA,
through grants and contracts, by performing planetary geological
research and providing access of NASA data from interplanetary
spacecraft and probes to scientists and the general public. Brown
was an active participant in U.S. and Russian planetary missions,
including the U.S. Magellan and Galileo missions and Russia's
Venera and Phobos missions.
The United States has signed agreements with the Russian
Government for cooperation in space exploration and research. The
recent February Space Shuttle Discovery flight demonstrated a
first step in a three-phased program of U.S./Russian cooperation,
with the participation of a Russian cosmonaut serving as a crew
member. Phase one entails up to 10 Space Shuttle-Mir missions
that include rendezvous, docking and crew transfers to occur
between 1995 and 1997. Phase two is the joint development of the
core international space station program. Phase three is the
expansion of the space station to include all international
partners.
The NASA ViTS is a state-of-the-art network that can link any
or all of 15 NASA sites with high quality video and audio
teleconferencing capabilities. The nationwide network has
additional gateways to NASA's international partners, including
the European Space Agency, the Japanese Space Agency, the Canadian
Space Agency and most recently, the Russian Space Agency.
The Office of Space Communications is responsible for planning,
development and operation of worldwide communications, command,
navigation and control, data acquisition, telemetry and data
processing essential to the success of NASA programs and
activities.
(NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. February 23, 1994 )
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Russian Space History Conference
The Institute of History of Natural Sciences and Technology
(Russian Academy of Sciences) and the "VEGA" International
Laboratory start a Conference on history of exploration of
Space, space technology and current technological innovations.
The Conference is based on materials, submitted to the
Scientific Conference, devoted to the memory of S.P.Korolev.
Here is the list of Russian scientific centers presented at the
Conference:
* The Department of Developing Engineering Sciences, Machine-
building and Control Systems (Russian Academy of Sciences - RAN).
* Russian National Committee on History and Philosophy of Science
(RAN).
* Keldysh Institute for Applied Mathematics (RAN).
* The Institute of History of Natural Sciences and Technology
(RAN).
* The Institute of Control Systems Development (RAN).
* ENERGIA Design Bureau.
* TsNIIMASH - Central Institute of Mashine-building.
* TsAGI - Central Aero-Hydrodynamic Institute.
* Moscow Aviation Institute.
* The Central Museum of Space History.
The Conference was held in Moscow, Russia, January 24-28.
There were six workshops:
- Space History
- Pioneers of Space Explorations
- Aircrafts and Spacecrafts. Problems of Design and Development
- Engines. Problems of Design and Development.
- Power generators and electrorocket engines.
- Applied celestial mechanics and control problems.
At Plenary Session, January 25, Valery Alaverdov, Deputy
Director of Russian Space Agency gave a lecture on a new phase in
Russian-American cooperation in space exploration. More than
ninety lectures were given during the Conference. In our following
messages we will submit you the titles. We will be glad to answer
questions on the Conference you have.
Our E-mail address korolev@ihst.msk.su
To subscribe use apd@ihst.msk.su
Conference Moderator Aleksei Drozhilov
Organization: Institute for History of the Science and Technology
Contributor - Bill Higgins
Russian Government Agencies
SA Holdings Inc. Plano TX, is license to publish and distribute
reference books on Russian Parliament membership, other
governmental membership and executive branch committees in Russian
and English. (Wall Street Journal Feb. 25, 1994, p. A5)
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Papers from the IAF
History papers recently presented at the 1993 IAF meeting:
On the History of Space Navigation and Development - Vjacheslav,
Ivashkin
The Results and Perspectives of Development of Cosmonautics -
Mishin
The History of the First State of Spacecraft Control Systems
Development in Russia - Rauschenbach
Available from the AIAA office in New York for $11 each, call 212-
247-6500 ext 227 (NASA History News and Notes, Vol 11, No 1,
Winter 1994)
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Interavia Business & Technology
A sample issue arrived recently and includes 5 pages of space
info. the other 65 pages are aviation articles. Included is an
article reporting that in coming years only Rus, Energia-M, Proton
(Proton-M), and Zenit boosters will be used, all others are to be
retired. But where do smaller boosters fit into the plan? The
Proton-M 4 stage booster will have 10400 kg payload to GTO using a
new LOX-LH 4th stage.
For subscription write to: Aerospace Media Publishing SA, Swissair
Center, 31 Route de I'Aeroport, 1215 Geneva Airport 15,
Switzerland, or FAX ++41 22 788 27 88. 1 Year is $128 for USA,
$130 for Europe, $150 elsewhere.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Videokosmos
After receiving several nice artwork prints earlier this year,
President Vladimir Semenov says in a FAX to me that due to
business deals with 2 companies they will be unable to sell
photographs until maybe Sept. 1994. Thanks to Charles Radley for
relaying the FAX.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
RUSSIA INTEGRATION INTO SPACE STATION PARTNERSHIP DISCUSSED
The United States, Canada, Japan and the European Partner met
in Paris, France, today, with government officials of the Russian
Federation for the first time to discuss steps to implement the
decision to bring Russia into the Space Station partnership. The
joint statement, summarizing the results of
the meeting, is being issued today by all the participants.
JOINT STATEMENT ON NEGOTIATIONS RELATED TO THE INTEGRATION OF
RUSSIA INTO THE SPACE STATION PARTNERSHIP
Representatives of the governments of the United States, Canada,
Japan, and the European Partner met for the first time with
representatives of the government of the Russian Federation to
discuss steps to implement the decision to bring Russia into the
partnership. They stressed their interest in Russia joining the
international Space Station program as a full partner as soon as
possible. Russian involvement in the international Space Station
will help realize the benefits of global partnership and further
develop the shared objective of building broad cooperative
relationships.
The Russian delegation informed the participants of the key
parameters of Russia's planned contribution to the partnership,
which will result in a Space Station with enhanced capabilities.
The representatives considered the approach to changes to the
legal framework of the 1988 agreements on Space Station
cooperation that will be needed to include Russia as a Partner, as
well as to complete any other necessary adjustments. They also
discussed the modalities for negotiating those changes, including
a schedule that would allow for early completion of negotiations.
The first meeting of the negotiating delegations is planned for
April 1994.
The intergovernmental meeting today follows the decision of
the Partners in Paris on October 16, 1993, to explore collectively
possible Russian partnership, and the Russian acceptance of the
formal invitation extended by the partnership as a result of its
December 6, 1993, meeting in Washington. The meeting also follows
the November 7, 1993, informal meeting in Montreal of Heads of the
United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the
Canadian Space Agency, the National Space Development Agency of
Japan, the European Space Agency and the Russian Space Agency
covering preliminary technical aspects of Russia's intended
participation. (Headquarters, Washington, D.C., March 18, 1994,
EDITORS NOTE: N94-23)
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Russian Technology Conference
Technology from Russia 1994 Conference and Exhibition, May 10-12,
Washington DC Convention Center. 200 Russian companies will
exhibit communications, computer, electronics, aerospace, defense,
medicine and machine building technologies. A series of lectures
by US and Russian experts will be given on all 3 days describing
aspects of doing business with Russia. Contact: J. Spargo &
Associates, Inc. 4400 Fair Lakes Court, Fairfax, VA, 22033, 703-
631-6200 or Interlink, Inc. 1628 Lombard St. San Francisco, CA
94123, 415-292-6900 for registration information.
Contributor - Glen Swanson
New Cosmodrome??
March 9-15 Flight International reports (p. 17) Russia is
considering creating a new cosmodrome at Svobodny-18 missile base
in the Amur region near the Chinese border. Cost of the new center
expected to be over $600 Million. Of course this comes during
continuing negotiations with Kazakstan over rent to be paid for
use of Baykonur.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Space CD-ROM from the Russians
Russians claiming to be related to the space program have produced
a CD-ROM of astronomy tools graphics based on Russian computer
programs and missions, and video clips of space missions. Named
Redshift available on Windows and Mac systems from Maxis, $99.
(Chicago Tribune, 3/25/94)
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Guidance, Navigation and Control in Russia
An AIAA cosponsored conference was held March 15-16 in Cambridge,
MA. Anything interesting come out of it? (Aerospace America, March
1994)
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Russian Tech Briefs
The official technology transfer publication of the Russian Space
Agency is a bimonthly 16-20 page newsletter roughly paralleling
NASA Tech Briefs. With one years subscription ($195) you get a
membership in the Moscow Space Club which includes updates on
space projects and policy and seminars and tours. Associated
Business Publications, 41 East 42nd St. Suite 921, NY, NY, 10017.
FAX 212-989-7864.
Contributor - Glen Swanson
New Book
The Making of a Soviet Scientist: My Adventures in Nuclear Fusion
and Space - From Stalin to Star Wars, (April 1994), Roald Sagdeev,
Wiley Pub
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
****** Notes ******
Delphic Associates
Delphic Associates based in Falls Church, Virginia provides a
unique resource for those scholars wishing to study the defense
and space industries of the former Soviet Union. Since the early
1980s, they have published numerous volumes written by individuals
who were closely involved in the defense and space establishments
of the former USSR, all of whom emigrated to the United States.
Each volume published by Delphic Associates focuses on fairly
specific topics and are for the most part based on the personal
recollections of the individual author in question. Following is a
list of some of the more interesting volumes published in the last
12 years that may be of interest to historians of the Soviet
defense and space industries:
- Re-entry Technology and the Soviet Space Program (Some Personal
Observations), by Victor Yevsikov, 1982.
- The Introduction of Missile Systems into the Soviet Navy, (1945-
1962), by Mikhail Turetsky, 1983.
- Security Practices at Soviet Scientific Research Facilities, by
Irina Dinskaya, 1983.
- Nuclear Physics in the Soviet Union: Current Status and Future
Prospects, by Sergei Polikanov, 1984.
- Decision-making in the Soviet Microelectronics Industry: The
Leningrad Design Bureau, by Henry Eric Firdman, 1985.
- Central Materials Research Institute (TsNIIM) of the Soviet
Ministry of Defense Industry, by Karl Greenberg, 1986.
- The Beginnings of Soviet Military Electronics, 1948-1961: A
Personal Account, by Alexander Steinhaus, 1986.
- Helicopter Construction in the USSR, by Lev Chaiko, 1988.
- Soviet Defense Decision Making: An Integrated View, by Erika
Nobel, 1989.
- The Development of Soviet Rocket Engines for Strategic Missiles,
by Alexander Bolonkin, 1991.
- Ballistic Missile Engine Production in the USSR, by Vladimir
Konstantinovsky, 1991.
More information on publications from Delphic Associates can be
obtained from: Delphic Associates, Inc., 7700 Leesburg Pike # 250,
Falls Church, VA 22043, (703) 556-0278
Contributor - Asif A. Siddiqi cliched@delphi.com
****** Reviews ******
Race to the Moon: America's Duel with the Soviets,
by William B. Breuer, 1993.
Praeger Pub., Westport CT, pp. 222
Review by Dennis Newkirk
This book has the wrong title. The book is not about the moon
race with the Soviet Union, but instead is a book about the US
military efforts to discover the German V-2 missile and exploit it
after WWII from the perspective of the US military personnel
involved. On that subject the book is a nice read. It contains
some interesting stories and quotes from those involved, but
doesn't really add much to the existing popular works on the
subject.
The author has written 18 other books on WWII and this book
probably fits into the mold of his previous books and not
therefore into the mold of space history books. This is pointed
out most explicitly by some mistakes about spaceflights,
especially Soviet flights (Gagarin's flight is said to have lasted
4 and a half days instead of the correct 108 minutes). There are
also a few inexplicable errors in photo captions (V-1's mistaken
for V-2's, etc...) which suggest the book was put together a
little too quickly. But, those errors aside, the book is a good,
easy and humorous read. Most notable are the stories of
bureaucratic bungling and military 'liberation' of critically
needed equipment to round up V-2 missile parts and engineers.
The book does add some minor points about Soviet efforts to
obtain the V-2, but only to contrast the US efforts. When it gets
to the actual moon race the book only briefly mentions the actual
Apollo project in the final 25 pages and there's no mention of the
comparable Soviet N1/L3 project, and only once mentions the Zond
circumlunar flights. The references are mostly from the 1940's and
50's, many of which are newspaper articles. There are only a
handful of sources from past 1970. It's too bad the author didn't
take advantage of the recent flow of information from Russia about
Soviet rocket development for a lunar landing. Instead, this book
mentions Korolev's name only once or twice in passing and is very
disappointing compared to the promise of the title.
The Development of Soviet Rocket Engines for Strategic Missiles,
by Vladimir Konstantinovsky, 1991.
Deplhic Associates, Inc., 7700 Leesburg Pike # 250, Falls Church,
VA 22043, (703) 556-0278
Review by Asif Siddiqi cliched@delphi.com
This volume was written by Alexander Bolonkin who was employed
from 1965 at the Design Bureau of Chief Designer Valentin Glushko,
where a major portion of the rocket engines for ballistic missiles
and space launch vehicles were designed in the Soviet Union. He
gives a brief history of the development of the RD-100 class of
the engines in the 1940s and 1950s employing liquid oxygen and
kerosene and then moves into more detail on later engines employed
for the second and third generation of ballistic missiles. The
volume still suffers from a lack of information on key engine
design projects that have come to light in recent years. There is
implicit mention of an RD-270 type engine (designed for the UR-
700), but very little detail.
There are some personal anectodes that are of interest, some
that have not been seem elsewhere. For example, he describes a
major ICBM failure in the winter of 1965-1966 that involved a
Yangel missile using the RD-253 (which was actually on the UR-500
Proton). The disaster was allegedly a cause of great concern for
the government and the party. How much of this and other similar
chapters is completely accurate is hard to gauge, but again, the
volume is still worth reading, particularly for the personal
insights into the workings of the Glushko organization.
Re-entry Technology and the Soviet Space Program (Some Personal
Observations), by Victor Yevsikov, 1982.
Delphic Associates, Inc., 7700 Leesburg Pike # 250, Falls Church,
VA 22043, (703) 556-0278
Review by Asif Siddiqi cliched@delphi.com
This volume was written by Viktor Yevsikov who was employed by
the TsKBEM (Central Design Bureau of Experimental Machine
Building) responsible for the development of the famous R-7
booster, Vostok, Voskhod, Soyuz, Zenit and numerous other space
vehicles. Yevsikov was employed in a section developing heat-
shield material for manned lunar vehicles between 1964 and 1970.
In the volume, he describes the general industrial structure of
the space program, with specific chapters on the organization of
the TsKBEM and his own branch. This was one of the very first
unclassified publications in the West to correctly name the
identity of the successor to Chief Designer Sergey Korolev, Vasili
Mishin.
He does caution the reader, however, that by his own admission,
he was relatively low in the hierarchy of the Design Bureau and
often unaware of the nature of work done by other branches, or
even the names of the key individuals involved. Still, it is a
valuable addition to the very limited literature on the
organizational structure of the Soviet space program and offers
unique personal insights into the workings of the most important
Design Bureau in the space sector.
****** Open Questions ******
* Anyone interested in attending an informal meeting of
Soviet/Russian space researchers at the launch of the shuttle Mir
docking mission in ~June 1995 please contact Dennis Newkirk at the
address below. My preference is to keep this to an informal
meeting lasting the rest of the day after or before the launch at
a nearby hotel, preferably one with a good restaurant. A date will
not be set, this only applies to the actual launch day regardless
of any delays. This is only a tentative plan, other ideas welcome.
* A cosmonaut was reportedly spending some time at American
University in October 1993, anyone know any details?
* Anyone know the detailed history of the orbiter structure moved
into the park in Moscow?
Contact - the Guide (below)
****** Contributions ******
The objective of the Guide is to put professional and amateur
Russian aerospace researchers and writers in touch with each other
and the wide array of atypical information sources available about
past and present events. As researchers uncover sources they can
make the source known to the rest of the community and are
credited with providing the info. If you find a good book, or an
article about Russian aerospace outside the main stream US space
press (Space News, Aviation Week, Final Frontier, Air & Space,
etc.) write up a brief description of the item and send it to the
Guide. If you are looking for specific information send in your
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