Conference 7.286::space

    Rereading .0, I notice that the model numbers for the new Deltas
    are quite different. I'll post them if anyone other than me is
    interested.
    
    Anyway, I heard a report last week, which I have not seen or heard
    elsewhere yet, that McDD have 'firm orders' for 9 Deltas for commercial
    launches in the near future. To deal with the demand they are
    considering converting a not-yet-dismantled Atlas pad at the Cape
    into a third Delta launch pad. The existing Atlas pad is equipped
    for Centaur prep and is not a candidate.
    
    In the same report, Martin Marietta (spelling?) claim to have
    sufficient interest to start the manufacture of 9 commercial Titan-IIIs
    (which appear to be basically T-3D or T-34D with command guidance and
    probably a spin table for PAM-D or PAM-DII).
    
    This should provide a shot in the arm for the ELV industry. If common
    sense prevails and these are all standard vehicles it should make
    the entire space program a bit more resilient and able to deal with
    failures. 
    
    gary

I was lucky enough to be home with the flu tuesday and wednesday and got to 
see the Delta II launch on CNN. The first stage is ringed with 9 solid boosters
and 6 fire at liftoff and the final 3 fire when the initial 6 burnout and are 
jetisoned. The solid boosters only burnt for about 50-60 seconds so the pictures 
of 6 falling away in groups of 3 was impressive. Looks like another disposable
launch vehicle is available.

    Lucky to have the flu? :-)  I was also at home Tuesday but there was
    nothing on NASA Select to suggest that the launch was imminent. Sigh. I
    suppose I should dial in to Spacelink and see if they have a schedule.
    
    The staggered firing of the strapons does make for an impressive
    flight.
    
    gary

Got to make the most out of our illnesses! My mother is in Florida and 
she mentioned Sunday that they had postponed "that new Delta launch" due 
to high altitude winds. I happened to be rooted to the couch and channel 
flipping when I stopped on CNN because I heard the word "NASA". They said 
they'd carry the launch live at 1:30 so I tuned in. They joined the countdown 
at T-15 seconds and followed it through the initial SRB burnout/jettison.
They then showed it a couple more times and then went back to "Sonya".

A bright spot in a crappy couple of days

	BTW, the DELTA II is assembled in Pueblo, Colorado, about 45 miles
	south of the CXO plant.  Launch got plenty of local TV news 
	coverage because of this.

Article         1343
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.tw.telecom,clari.biz.top
Subject: Delta rocket launched
Date: 29 May 91 23:44:29 GMT
  
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- A Delta 2 rocket boosted a $50
million communications satellite into orbit Wednesday to beam network
radio programs across America and to handle long-distance telephone
service in Alaska. 

	The blue-and-white Delta 2 blasted off at 6:55 p.m. EDT -- 31
minutes late because of a faulty launch pad camera -- and quickly
climbed away from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, clearing the
way for the planned Saturday launch of the shuttle Columbia from the
nearby Kennedy Space Center. 

	Mounted inside a protective nosecone atop the 125-foot $50
million Delta 2 rocket was a communications satellite built by GE
Astro Space of East Windsor, N.J., that is jointly owned by GE
Americom of Princeton, N.J., and Alascom Inc. of Anchorage, Alaska. 

	Thirty minutes after liftoff, the satellite was successfully
placed into a planned preliminary elliptical orbit. Smaller on-board
rockets were scheduled to fire later to boost the spacecraft into a
circular orbit 22,300 miles above the equator. 

	At that altitude, the satellite will take 24 hours to complete
one orbit and thus will appear stationary in the sky, allowing users
to employ small, stationary antennas. 

	The boxy, solar-powered satellite, which has a design lifetime
of 12 years, is equipped with 24 C-band radio transponders split
evenly between GE Americom, which calls the satellite Satcom C-5, and
Alascom, which refers to the spacecraft as Aurora 2. 

	Company officials said the rocket and satellite each cost
about $50 million each while insurance coverage accounted for another
$20 million. 

	GE Americom, a subsidiary of Fairfield, Conn.-based General
Electric Co., plans to use its transponders primarily to beam radio
programming across the continental United States and Hawaii to more
than 4,000 radio stations. Among the networks that will use the
satellite are ABC, CBS and Westwood One. 

	Other customers include the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
and the Department of Defense. 

	Alascom, owned by PacifiCorp subsidiary Pacific Telecom Inc.,
will use its transponders to provide long distance telephone service
to residents of Alaska where more than 200 ground stations are in
place linking every town with a population of 25 or more. 

	The phone company previously used Aurora-1, a satellite
nearing the end of its operational lifetime. 

	Ground controllers plan to station the new relay station over
the equator at 139 degrees west longitude. If all goes well, the
spacecraft will enter service in mid July after a series of tests. 

	The Delta 2 rocket was built by McDonnell Douglas Space
Systems Co. of Huntington Beach, Calif. This week's launch campaign
marked the fourth commercial mission this year for the workhorse
rocket and the 10th in company history. 

	The rocket system was built to carry Air Force Global
Positioning System navigation satellites into orbit. But under a
post-Challenger national space policy designed to encourage
development of a private-sector launch industry, the McDonnell
Douglas Corp. business also markets the Delta 2 on a commercial basis.

Article: 3740
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (Reuters)
Newsgroups: clari.local.florida,clari.news.tv,clari.tw.space
Subject: Delta Rocket Set for Launch Again with TV Satellite
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 94 9:00:05 PST
 
	 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla (Reuter) - McDonnell Douglas Aerospace
will try again Friday to launch an unmanned Delta 2 rocket that was
grounded nine days earlier just moments before its mission to loft a
cable television satellite. 

	 The $130 million mission is set for liftoff between 6:12 p.m.
and 7:14 p.m. EST and its Galaxy 1R satellite cargo is to release in
orbit about an hour later. 

	 During a February 9 launch attempt computers shut down the
$45 million Delta rocket's two auxiliary engines before its main
engines and boosters ignited. Since then, engineers have repaired
electrical circuitry for a sensor to monitor pressure in the rocket's
fuel system. 

	 The mission is critical to Hughes Communications, which
distributes cable television programming through a fleet of seven
satellites. 

	  From its perch 22,300 miles above the equator near the
Marquesas Islands, the Galaxy 1R will provide distribution services
for programmers such as HBO and Cinemax, the Disney Channel, ESPN,
Turner Classic Movies, and the USA Network. 

	 An identical Galaxy 1R was destroyed in the explosion of a
General Dynamics Atlas Centaur rocket in March 1992. 

Article: 3755
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (Reuters)
Newsgroups: clari.local.florida,clari.news.tv,clari.tw.space
Subject: Bad Weather Grounds Delta Rocket
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 94 13:30:56 PST
 
	 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla (Reuter) - Rain and gusty winds Friday
prevented the launch of a Delta 2 rocket carrying a cable television
satellite, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace officials said. 

	 It was the second scrubbed launch attempt for the Delta 2,
which was grounded just before launch February 9 after a set of fuel
pressure sensors inside the rocket failed to work. 

	 Another launch attempt was scheduled for Saturday, between
6:12 and 7:34 p.m. EST, when officials expected clearer skies and
lighter winds. 

	 The Delta 2 was carrying a Galaxy 1R satellite which will
provide distribution services to HBO, ESPN, USA Network, and other
leading cable programmers. 

Article: 3776
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (Reuters)
Newsgroups: clari.news.tv,clari.tw.space,clari.tw.telecom
Subject: Delta Rocket Lofts TV Satellite toward Orbit
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 94 17:00:49 PST
 
	 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla (Reuter) - A Delta 2 rocket blasted off
Saturday after a 10-day delay, carrying a satellite designed to relay
cable television signals toward its Earth orbit. 

	 The $45 million rocket bolted from a launch pad at Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:45 p.m. EST, carrying a $130 million
commercial satellite for Hughes Communications. 

	 The Delta 2 sported a new set of fuel pressure sensors that
replaced an earlier set after the first attempt to launch was aborted
February 9. Bad weather spoiled a second try Friday. 

	 The repairs were necessary because electrical problems with
the sensors caused the 13-story rocket's twin steering engines to
fizzle before its main engines and strapped-on boosters could ignite,
officials said. 

	 About 80 minutes after launch, the rocket was to release the
barrel-shaped Galaxy 1R satellite into a temporary orbit with a high
point of 1,900 miles. 

	 An attached ``kick motor'' is to ignite Monday to propel the
satellite into geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the equator. 

	 From there, beginning in April, Galaxy 1R will provide
distribution services for some of the leading names in cable
television, such as HBO and Cinemax, the Disney Channel, ESPN, Turner
Classic Movies and USA Network. 

	 McDonnell Douglas, which built the Delta rocket, achieved its
47th consecutive successful launch. 

	 The spacecraft, built by Hughes, will take the place of an
older model which was launched in 1982 and is nearly out of fuel. 

A couple weeks ago, a Delta rocket carrying a (I believe) GPS satellite
exploded shortly after launch very close to the pad.  Pictures appear to show a
breach of one of the solid rocket motors shortly before the destruction. 
Flaming debris rained down on the blockhouse and pad as well as forcing
observers at the viewing area to take shelter.

It appears that there was significant damage to cabling between the blockhouse
and the pad, and that they are going to abandon the blockhouse for a newer one
being built further away in an office park.  Of course the latter is a control
center and not a blockhouse.  They were going to do this anyway around the end
of the year, but they will speed up the changeover rather than repair the
damage to the old stuff.

Delta flights are on hold until the problem is determined.  This delays the
first Iridium launch (from VAB, I believe); they may switch to a Proton (or is
it a Long March...I don't remember).

Burns

RE: <<< Note 252.9 by skylab.zko.dec.com::FISHER "Gravity: Not just a good idea.  It's the law!" >>>

>A couple weeks ago, a Delta rocket carrying a (I believe) GPS satellite
>exploded shortly after launch very close to the pad.

Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine has had some spectacular photos of
the results. One is a close-up of the base of the gantry, showing blazing
pieces of solid fuel zinging around everywhere. Gotta love those close-in,
automatic cameras! 
						-- Tom

Actually, there was another Delta flight since the accident:  The first Iridium
launch went on a Delta from Vandenberg.

The accident review report was not 100% conclusive.  However, there were two
different boards, one military, one not.  I suspect that there may be some
classified thing going on; it surprised me that they returned to flight so
easily with as little solid evidence as the report I saw implied.

In any case, one possibility seems to be shipping damage to the solid.  It
appears that the case split happened right at the point on the casing where it
is supported by the shipping dolly.

Burns

    Yeah, you're correct. I double checked this. There was another 
    launch prior to this one at Canaveral. The press releases 
    referred to this launch as the first at Canaveral since the
    February launch failure.
    BTW, I saw the THOR launch on Galaxy 6 trans 3 the other evening,
    when it was launched live. The women commentator who works for
    M.D. talks way too much. I kept muttering to myself for her to
    shut up so I could hear the commentary coming from the guy in
    the telemetry room on status. She must have gotten some queues
    in her earphones though, as she eventually stopped talking over
    the commentary, and seemed to wait more for breaks to add hers.
    
    Bob
    It was broadcast by McDonnel Douglas (sp?) and as far as the tv
    broadcast was concerned, had no association with NASA-TV.