| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
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| 723.1 | 1st hand view of it all?? | APACHE::N25480::FRIEDRICHS | Take the money and run! | Fri Apr 19 1991 10:05 | 39 |
| Did they say when the launch occurred??
The following was posted in FLYING.NOTE... See ">>>" for a possible
1st hand confirmation...
jeff
<<< MEIS::NOTES$:[NOTES$LIBRARY]FLYING.NOTE;4 >>>
-< General Aviation >-
================================================================================
Note 3119.27 Memorable Flights For Our Eyes Only 27 of 28
CIMNET::LUNGER "These R not dark days;these R great" 24 lines 16-APR-1991 16:51
-< Viewing a rocket launch >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Was flying about 8000 feet, around dusk, down the coast of Florida.
All of a sudden, notice a fiery glowing object in the sky. Seemed to
be moving eastward, well out over the Atlantic. There was a streak
of smoke behind it.
I asked ATC if there were any launchings from the cape; he replied
not that he was aware of; and that they are generally given notice
of these things.
>>> The glow continued for many minutes, and at some point I noticed the
>>> trail coming from it turned more into an umbrella shape or plume.
Long after it was gone, and on another ATC frequency, somebody
chatted with ATC about the launching. Well, I guess that was confirmation
enough that it was no UFO. I asked ATC if he knew what kind of rocket
it was, and somebody else chimed in that it was an Atlas Centaur.
I've always wanted to fly to the cape area for a shuttle launch, and
have made plans to do so, to just have to cancel at the last moment,
and now, out of the clear blue, just happen to be at the right spot
at the right moment to finally view a launch from the air!
|
| 723.4 | ATLAS-CENTAUR information | ADVAX::KLAES | All the Universe, or nothing! | Fri Apr 19 1991 12:37 | 182 |
| From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.urgent
Subject: Atlas-Centaur at a glance
Date: 18 Apr 91 23:59:23 GMT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The Atlas-Centaur rocket, also known as
the Atlas-1, has been a workhorse launcher for the United States since
the early days of the space program, chalking up a 95 percent success
rate in 69 launches before a failure Thursday.
Built by General Dynamics Corp. of San Diego, Calif., Atlas-Centaur
rockets were used to boost Surveryor spacecraft to the moon, Mariners to
Venus, Mercury and Mars and Pioneers to Jupiter and Saturn.
They now are being offered for sale on a commercial basis by General
Dymamics. Here are facts about the rocket at a glance:
_ _F_i_r_s_t_ _S_t_a_g_e_:
The 73-foot Atlas first stage, which weighs 320,701 pounds at launch,
is an upgraded version of a rocket launched by NASA since 1959. The
first stage features a Rocketdyne MA-5 engine system consisting of a
377,500-pound thrust engine with two nozzles and a smaller ``sustainer''
engine with a single nozzle that produces 60,500 pounds of push.
The sustainer engine nozzle is located between the two nozzles used
by the main engine. In addition, two small ``vernier'' engines burn at
liftoff for fine tuning the rocket's trajectory, giving the first stage
a total thust of 438,922 pounds.
The Atlas first stage is actually a stage and a half. A little more
than 2 1/2 minutes after liftoff, the main booster engine cuts off. The
engine's two nozzles and other systems are blown away from the climbing
rocket to reduce weight. The two vernier engines and the sustainer
continue to burn until the stage's fuel is exhausted about 4 1/2 minutes
after liftoff.
Velocity at first stage shutdown is 9,486 mph.
_S_e_c_o_n_d_ _S_t_a_g_e_:
The 30-foot-long Centaur D-1A second stage weighs 38,800 pounds at
launch. It is the most powerful rocket system for its size of any stage
yet built, burning supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to
produce 32,815 pounds of thrust in the vacuum of space. The main
propulsion system is made up of two Pratt & Whitney RL-10A-3-3A engines
that can be stopped and restarted. In a typical Atlas-Centaur launch,
the Centaur stage ignites about four minutes and 44 seconds after launch
and burns 2.2 minutes before shuting down. About 20 minutes after
launch, the Centaur stage reignites for a little more than a minute and
a half.
During the long coast phase, 12 small thrusters are used to keep the
spacecraft on course and to keep the stage's propellants settled in the
bottom of their tanks.
The Centaur stage is equipped with a Digital Computer Unit, or DCU,
that controls both the Atlas and the second stage. Velocity at final
Centaur shutdown is 22,513 mph.
_ _T_h_i_r_d_ _S_t_a_g_e_:
Most commercial communications satellites are equipped with on-board
rockets that take the place of a more traditional third stage. For
Thursday's flight, the Japan Broadcasting Corp.'s BS-3H direct broadcast
television satellite was to be placed into an elliptical orbit with a
low point of 351 miles and a high point of 22,338 miles. The satellite's
on-board booster was scheduled to fire later to circularize the orbit at
an altitude of about 22,300 miles over the equator.
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.military
Subject: Atlas-Centaur rocket failure investigated
Date: 19 Apr 91 06:46:54 GMT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- Two review boards will investigate a
possible engine malfunction that sent a costly Atlas-Centaur rocket
cartwheeling out of control in a $100 million disaster for America's
infant commercial space program.
The General Dynamics Corp. rocket was deliberately blown up by radio
command Thursday night after one of its two Pratt & Whitney second-stage
engines apparently failed to ignite, causing the rocket to tumble out of
control.
Destroyed along with the Centaur second stage was Japan Broadcasting
Corp.'s BS-3H direct broadcast television satellite, built by GE Astro-
Space Division of Princeton, N.J. The satellite was being launched to
replace one that was destroyed last year in a European rocket malfunction.
The failure Thursday marked a major setback for General Dynamics and
its subsidiary, Commercial Launch Services Inc., which has been aggressively
attempting to carve out a niche in the commercial rocket industry.
Company chairman Allen Lovelace said an outside panel of experts
would look into the mishap, along with a team of company engineers.
``This is clearly a disappointing event for us, but also for our
customer,'' Lovelace said at a news conference. ``Clearly, we will go
through a systematic and careful failure investigation.''
Two more communications satellites are scheduled for flights aboard
Atlas-Centaurs later this year, along with a military payload aboard a
Centaur-equipped Air Force Titan 4 rocket. But the final flight schedule
will depend on the results of the failure investigation.
Regardless of the cause of Thursday's malfunction, it was a
devastating setback for Nippon Hoso Kyokai -- NHK -- the Japan
Broadcasting Corp.
The BS-3H satellite was intended to complement a similar relay
station already in orbit and to replace one that was destroyed in
February 1990 when a French-built Ariane rocket had to be blown up after
an engine failure.
It also was another major setback for the aerospace insurance
industry, which has never fully recovered from a string of costly
failures in the mid 1980s.
The mission Thursday was set up by GE Astro-Space, which bought the
rocket and arranged for insurance under a contract with NHK reportedly
valued at some $112 million. Company officials refused to specify the
exact cost of the rocket, the satellite or insurance.
But Atlas-Centaur rockets typically cost more than $50 million and
insurance premiums can run as high as about 20 percent the cost of a mission.
The flight began at 7:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, 16 minutes late because
of concern about high winds, when the Atlas first stage engines ignited
with a rush of brilliant flame.
The early moments of the ascent appeared normal and the first stage
was jettisoned as planned about 4 minutes and 33 seconds after liftoff.
Eleven seconds later, the two Centaur second-stage engines were
commanded to fire to continue the ascent, but only one of the Pratt &
Whitney RL-10A engines appeared to ignite, producing a lopsided thrust
that caused the rocket to tumble.
``Every indication is only one Centaur engine started,'' said launch
engineer Skip Mackey, studying telemetry from the rocket. ``We appear to
be tumbling, based upon the guidance (data). We're going ... we appear
to be out of control at this time.''
A few moments later Mackey reported: ``All data is gone at this time.''
An Air Force spokesman said later that ground controllers radioed
self-destruct commands to the tumbling Centaur stage 6 minutes after
liftoff, destroying the rocket and its satellite payload to make sure no
large pieces of debris fell into shipping lanes.
The rocket was 243 miles from the launch site when the failure
occurred and Air Force officials said debris fell into the Atlantic
Ocean as far as 900 miles from Florida.
It was the first failure for General Dynamics since March 26, 1987,
when an Atlas-Centaur carrying a military communications satellite was
destroyed by lightning after launch in a thunderstorm.
The most recent previous failure blamed on the rocket itself occurred
June 9, 1984, after a leak developed in the Centaur second stage.
In the wake of the 1986 Challenger disaster, the Reagan
administration banned commercial satellites from the shuttle to
encourage development of a private sector launch industry to compete
with Arianespace, the European consortium that markets French-built
Ariane boosters.
In 1987, General Dynamics announced plans to build 18 Atlas-Centaurs
on a commercial basis. With a commitment from the Pentagon to buy at
least 10 rockets to launch military communications satellite, General
Dynamics ultimately decided to build 60 launch vehicles.
From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.military
Subject: Atlas-Centaur rocket has good record
Date: 19 Apr 91 06:46:59 GMT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- Three of the last nine Atlas-Centaur
rocket launches ended in failure, two because of apparent malfunctions
and one because of lightning strikes during launch in a thunderstorm.
Prior to a failure Thursday night, the General Dynamics Corp. rocket
enjoyed a 95 percent success rate over its past 20 launches dating back
to 1979. Overall, 70 Atlas-Centaurs have been launched since the early
1960s. Here is a list of the nine most recent flights:
--April 18, 1991: Atlas-Centaur No. 70 and its payload, a Japanese
communications satellite, are destroyed by radio command at 7:36 p.m.
EDT, six minutes and one second after liftoff. The self-destruct command
was issued after one of its two Centaur second-stage engines apparently
failed to ignite, causing the rocket to tumble out of control.
--July 25, 1990: Atlas-Centaur No. 69 successfully boosted a NASA-
Pentagon science satellite into orbit in General Dynamics' first
commercial launch.
--Sept. 25, 1989: Atlas-Centaur No. 68 successfully carried a Navy
communications satellite into orbit.
--March 26, 1987: Atlas-Centaur No. 67, carrying another Navy
communications satellite, was destroyed after multiple lightning strikes
during launch in a thunderstorm. NASA later was criticized for clearing
the rocket for takeoff.
--Dec. 4, 1986: Atlas-Centaur No. 66 successfully boosted another Navy
communications satellite into space.
--Sept. 28, 1985: Atlas-Centaur No. 65 successfully carried an
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization -- Intelsat --
relay station into orbit.
--June 29, 1985: Atlas-Centaur No. 64 successfully ferried an Intelsat
satellite into orbit.
--March 22, 1985: Atlas-Centaur No. 63 carried another Intelsat into
space.
--June 9, 1984: Atlas-Centaur No. 62 was destroyed after a Centaur
fuel tank leak. Lost along with the rocket was another Intelsat relay
station.
|
| 723.5 | ATLAS 2 rocket orbits comsat | MTWAIN::KLAES | All the Universe, or nothing! | Mon Dec 09 1991 17:11 | 96 |
| Article: 1774
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.military
Subject: Atlas-2 rocket launched on maiden launch
Date: 7 Dec 91 23:45:17 GMT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- An Atlas-2 rocket boosted an $85
million European communications satellite into orbit Saturday after a
spectacular twilight liftoff marking the maiden voyage of America's
newest commercial booster.
The silver-and-white, 156-foot-tall Atlas-2 rocket thundered
to life at 5:47 p.m. EST -- 11 minutes late because of an aircraft in
the danger zone -- and slowly climbed away from the Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station, more than six months after a less-powerful Atlas 1
rocket was destroyed in a $100 million failure.
Engineers with General Dynamics Space Systems Division traced
that failure to debris in a fuel line. In welcome contrast, Saturday's
launch, the company's third commercial flight and the first for an
Atlas 2, appeared to be flawless.
The rocket put on a spectacular sky show for area residents,
climbing out of Earth's shadow and into brilliant sunlight, making its
billowing exhaust cloud glow like a giant comet.
The goal of the flight was the deployment of a Eutelsat 2
communications satellite, the third in a series of French-built relay
stations designed to route television and radio telephone signals
across Europe for the European Telecommunications Satellite
Organization - Eutelsat.
The 4,138-pound solar-powered satellite was kicked away from
the Atlas 2's Centaur second stage 31 minutes after liftoff into an
elliptical orbit with a low point of about 523 miles and a high point
of some 25,565 miles.
Three on-board rocket firings were scheduled later to put the
$85 million spacecraft in a circular orbit about 22,300 miles up. At
that altitude, Eutelsat 2 will swing around the planet once every 24
hours, appearing to hang stationary in the sky and allowing the use of
inexpensive, fixed ground antennas.
``We intend to use part of the capacity of this satellite to
satisfy the requirement to cover the Winter Olympic Games in February
in France and the summer ... games in Spain, in Barcelona,'' said Jean
Grenier, director general of the 28-nation Eutelsat consortium. ``We
need to see this satellite in operation as soon as possible.''
Once on station over the equator at 16 degrees east longitude,
Eutelsat-2 will join two other sister satellites already in space,
along with four older Eutelsat-1 spacecraft.
While a successful mission was crucial to Eutelsat, it was
equally important to General Dynamics officials who want to put the
April 18 failure behind them in the hotly competitive commercial
launch business.
``I can't tell you how important, obviously, this launch is to
the commercial business,'' said Charles Lloyd, vice president of
General Dynamics Commercial Launch Services.
The Atlas 2 rocket is an upgraded version of General Dynamics'
workhorse Atlas-Centaur, now called Atlas 1, launchers used since the
1960s to ferry a variery of scientific, military and commercial
satellites and probes into space.
To allow the new rockets to carry heavier payloads into space,
the first stage fuel tanks were lengthened by nine feet and more
powerful Rocketdyne MA-5A engines were installed. The Centaur second
stage was stretched three feet to allow more fuel to be carried.
Finally, a new 14-foot-wide nose cone was designed to
encapsulate larger satellites. At liftoff, the rocket weighs some
415,000 pounds and stands 156 feet tall. It is capable of boosting
payloads weighing up to 5,900 pounds into the high orbits required by
communications satellites.
The Atlas 2, like McDonnell Douglas's Delta 2 and Martin
Marietta's Titan 4, flowered in the wake of the 1986 Challenger disaster.
At that time, the Reagan administration banned commercial
payloads from NASA's manned space shuttle to encourage development of
a private- sector rocket industry to compete with the European
consortium Arianespace, which dominates the free world launch market.
In 1987, General Dynamics announced plans to build 18
Atlas-Centaur rockets on a commercial basis. With a commitment from
the Navy to buy at least seven rockets to launch military
communications satellite, General Dynamics holds 24 commercial launch
contracts beyond the Eutelsat-2 mission.
The company's first commercial launch came in July 1990 when
an Atlas 1 carried a NASA science satellite into orbit. The second
commercial launch ended in failure April 18.
|
| 723.6 | ATLAS 1 rocket launches GALAXY 5 comsat | VERGA::KLAES | All the Universe, or nothing! | Mon Mar 16 1992 17:04 | 70 |
| Article: 1858
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.urgent
Subject: Atlas 1 rocket streaks into space
Date: 14 Mar 92 00:36:34 GMT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- An Atlas 1 rocket, grounded six
times in two weeks by technical snags, finally roared toward space
Friday carrying a cable TV relay satellite needed by Cable News
Network, Home Box Office and other major channels.
The 144-foot liquid-fueled Atlas 1 rocket, making the American
booster's fourth commercial flight in 73 launches, blasted off at 7 p.m.
EST -- 55 minutes late due to bad weather and technical snags -- and
slowly climbed away from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station adjacent
to the Kennedy Space Center.
Mounted atop the slender rocket was the Galaxy 5 communications
satellite, a drum-shaped solar-powered relay station owned by Hughes
Communications Inc. that will take over cable television relay chores
from other spacecraft.
The flight plan called for the 3,114-pound satellite to be kicked
away from the Atlas 1's Centaur second stage 30 minutes after liftoff
into an elliptical orbit with a low point of about 677 miles and a high
point of some 22,530 miles.
An on-board rocket firing was scheduled later to put the $85
million spacecraft in a circular orbit roughly 22,300 miles up. At
that altitude, Galaxy 5 will swing around the planet once every 24
hours, appearing to hang stationary in the sky and allowing the use of
inexpensive, fixed ground antennas.
``This is a very important event ... for the cable industry,'' said
Jerry Farrell, a senior vice president with Hughes Communications. ``The
Galaxy 5 satellite is oriented toward the cable television business.
(That's) a $15 billion a year business and all of their programming is
delivered to the cable (distribution points) by satellite.
``Galaxy 5 will be the premier bird among those satellites. HBO,
ESPN, all the Turner services, Disney ... will be coming to you via the
Galaxy 5 satellite starting in May. So it's a very, very big event.''
Farrell would not reveal the cost of the satellite, the General
Dynamics-built Atlas 1 rocket or insurance. But he said $150 million was
``in the ballpark.''
Launch originally was scheduled for Feb. 27, but the flight was
delayed six times, once to replace a faulty battery, four times due to
electrical problems with the rocket's guidance system, and again on
Thursday because of heavy cloud cover.
Once Galaxy 5 is on station in early May, it will be used to deliver
Cable News Network, CNN Headline News, ESPN, The Disney Channel, Arts
and Entertainment, the USA Network, Turner Network Television and other
cable channels.
While a successful mission was important to Hughes, it was equally
important to rocket-builder General Dynamics of San Diego, Calif., which
is making a determined effort to capture a major share of the hotly
competitive commercial launch business.
An Atlas 1 making General Dynamics' second commercial flight was
destroyed last April when one of two second-stage Centaur engines failed
to ignite because of debris in a fuel pump.
Two Atlas rockets, one carrying a commercial payload and the other
carrying a military satellite, were successfully launched before
Friday's flight.
|
| 723.7 | CENTAUR engines doom ATLAS 1 launch | VERGA::KLAES | All the Universe, or nothing! | Fri Aug 28 1992 12:44 | 130 |
| Article: 1330
From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.tw.aerospace,clari.news.aviation
Subject: Atlas 1 rocket fails on launch, multi-million-dollar satellite
destroyed
Date: 22 Aug 92 23:34:19 GMT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- An Atlas 1 rocket tumbled out of
control after one of two Centaur second-stage engines failed to
ignite, destroying a cable television satellite in a $150 million
failure for General Dynamics' commercial-launch business.
``We did not get ignition on both Centaur engines, I'm sorry
to report,'' said a launch commentator about four and a half minutes
after liftoff. ``The vehicle is tumbling... we have experienced a
failure of the AC-71 Galaxy 1R (mission).''
It was the second catastrophic failure in seven flights for
General Dynamics Space Systems Division of San Diego and what impact
the disaster might have on the company's commercial space program was
not immediately clear. But the launcher undoubtedly will be grounded
until the cause is determined.
Running two days late because of stormy weather, the
silver-and- white, 138-foot-tall Atlas 1 rocket thundered to life at
6:41 p.m. EDT and slowly climbed away from pad 36B at the Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station.
The early moments of the flight appeared normal as the slender
rocket arced east over the Atlantic Ocean, putting on a spectacular
evening skyshow for area residents and tourists.
The Atlas first stage burned out and was jettisoned on
schedule 275 seconds after launch.
But only one of the two second-stage engines then fired, producing
an unbalanced thrust that sent the rocket tumbling out of control.
It was not immediately known what might have caused the
failure -- the first for an Atlas since the April 18, 1991,
destruction of a $100 million direct broadcast television relay
satellite owned by Japan Broadcasting Corp.
That failure was traced to debris in a fuel line that
prevented one of the Centaur engines from igniting. The rocket then
tumbled out of control and was blown up by radio command from Air
Force safety officers.
It was not immediately clear what caused Saturday's rocket failure.
Lost along with the Atlas 1 was the Galaxy 1R cable television
relay station, a powerful satellite built by Hughes Aircraft Co. of El
Segundo, Calif., and owned by subsidiary Hughes Communications Inc.
Hughes officials refused to say what the company paid for the
satellite, the rocket or insurance coverage, but placed the total
value of the mission at more than $150 million.
Saturday's flight marked only the sixth commercial launch of
an Atlas rocket in 76 flights of the workhorse booster.
Over the most recent 20 launches dating back to May 23, 1981,
the rocket had a success rate of about 85 percent, But that figure
includes the loss of a rocket launched by NASA in March 1989 that was
destroyed by lightning.
Regardless of what caused Saturday's failure, the loss marked
a major setback for General Dynamics, which is trying to overtake the
Euorpean consortium Arianespace for control of the world's commercial
launch market.
It also marked a major setback for Hughes Communications Inc.
With the loss of Galaxy 1R, the company will be forced to
press a spare satellite into service next year to carry Home Box
Office, Cinemax, Turner Network Television and other major cable
channels that are currently distributed by the Galaxy 1 satellite.
Along with carrying an undisclosed amount of insurance, Hughes
maintains two spare satellites in orbit, a C-band relay station and a
KU-band spacecraft, to take over in case of launch failures.
When Galaxy 1 is retired late next year, it will be replaced
by an orbital spare, Galaxy 6, to prevent any interruption in service.
At that point, only four satellites will be responsible for
carrying the bulk of the nation's cable traffic: Galaxy 5 and 6; and
GE Americom's Satcom C-3 and C-4.
Prior to the Challenger disaster, unmanned rockets were being
phased out in the United States in favor of NASA's manned space shuttles.
But after the 1986 disaster, and the subsequent grounding of
dozens of high-priority military satellites, the Pentagon ordered
whole fleets of unmanned rockets to guarantee independent access to
orbit regardless of the status of NASA's delay-prone shuttle.
At the same time, the Reagan administration banned commercial
satellites from the shuttle to encourage development of a
private-sector launch industry to compete with Arianespace.
McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Co. of Huntington Beach,
Calif., now holds contracts and options valued at $669 million to
build 20 upgraded Delta 2 rockets to launch military navigation
satellites. The contract later was expanded to 25 rockets, which also
are marketed commercially.
The Air Force also ordered some 49 shuttle-class Titan 4
rockets from Martin Marietta Astronautics Group of Denver under
contracts valued at some $7.1 billion. Slightly less-powerful Titan 3
launchers are marketed commercially.
In 1987, General Dynamics announced plans to build 18
Atlas-Centaurs on a commercial basis. With a commitment from the Navy
to buy at least seven rockets to launch military communications satellite,
General Dynamics ultimately decided to build some 60 launch vehicles.
Prior to Saturday's launch, the company held 34 commercial
launch contracts beyond the Galaxy 1R launch.
The company's first commercial launch came in July 1990, when
an Atlas-Centaur carried a NASA science satellite into orbit. The second
commercial mission ended in failure April 18, 1990. Two subsequent
commercial flights were successful, along with a military mission.
Four versions of the rocket currently are available, depending
on payload weight and orbital requirements. Satellites weighing
between 5,000 and 8,000 pounds can be lofted into the high orbits
required by commercial communications satellites.
|
| 723.8 | ATLAS rocket profile | VERGA::KLAES | All the Universe, or nothing! | Fri Aug 28 1992 12:45 | 64 |
| Article: 2655
From: [email protected] (UPI)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation
Subject: Atlas 2 rocket at a glance
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 92 16:41:05 PDT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- Atlas rockets have been reliable
boosters for the United States since the early days of the space program.
Built by General Dynamics Space Systems Division of San Diego,
Calif., Atlas-Centaur rockets were used to boost Surveryor spacecraft
to the Moon, Mariners to Venus, Mercury, and Mars, and Pioneers to
Jupiter and Saturn.
The latest versions of the workhorse booster, the Atlas 1 and
2, are being offered for sale on a commercial basis by General
Dymamics. Here are some facts about the rocket:
_F_i_r_s_t _S_t_a_g_e_:
The 73-foot Atlas first stage is an upgraded version of a
rocket launched by NASA since 1959. The first stage fuel tanks have
been lengthened by nine feet to allow additional fuel to be carried.
The first stage also features a more powerful Rocketdyne MA-5 engine
system consisting of a 377,500-pound thrust engine with two nozzles
and a smaller ``sustainer'' engine with a single nozzle that produces
60,500 pounds of push.
The sustainer engine nozzle is located between the two nozzles
used by the main engine.
The Atlas first stage is actually a stage and a half. A little
more than 2.5 minutes after liftoff, the main booster engine cuts off.
The engine's two nozzles and other systems are blown away from the
climbing rocket to reduce weight. The sustainer engine continues to
burn until the stage's fuel is exhausted about 4.5 minutes after liftoff.
_S_e_c_o_n_d _S_t_a_g_e_:
The 30-foot-long Centaur second stage is the most powerful
rocket system for its size of any stage yet built, burning supercold
liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to produce 33,000 pounds of thrust
in the vacuum of space.
The main propulsion system is made up of two Pratt & Whitney
RL-10A-3 engines that can be stopped and restarted.
In a typical Atlas 2 launch, the Centaur stage ignites about
four minutes and 54 seconds after launch and burns a little more than
two minutes before shuting down. About 20 minutes after launch, the
Centaur stage reignites for a little more than a minute and a half.
During the long coast phase, 12 small thrusters are used to
keep the spacecraft on course and to keep the stage's propellants
settled in the bottom of their tanks.
The Centaur stage is equipped with a Digital Computer Unit, or
DCU, that controls both the Atlas and the second stage.
_T_h_i_r_d _S_t_a_g_e_:
Most commercial communications satellites are equipped with
on-board rockets that take the place of a more-traditional third stage.
|
| 723.9 | More bad news for General Dynamics/Atlas 1 | SKYLAB::FISHER | That's right...you were there for the grovelling | Fri Mar 26 1993 10:51 | 41 |
| Xref: dbased.nuo.dec.com clari.tw.space:276 clari.local.texas:3867
clari.news.aviation:896 clari.news.military:1228 clari.news.top:3128
biz.clarinet.sample:412
Path: dbased.nuo.dec.com!pa.dec.com!decwrl!parc!lll-winken.llnl.gov!looking!clarinews
From: [email protected] (IRENE BROWN)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- A multimillion-dollar Navy
communications satellite was left in an incorrect and possibly useless
orbit Thursday after an unmanned Atlas rocket delivered the spacecraft
short of its mark.
``We have to determine what actions -- if any -- can be taken to
overcome the low performance of the launch vehicle,'' said General
Dynamics launch commentator Skip Mackey.
The troubled launch followed two devasting failures for the company's
struggling commercial launch services division, which had counted on a
successful mission to restore customer confidence after rocket problems
in August 1992 and April 1991 claimed multimillion-dollar communications
satellites.
The impact of Thursday's problem had yet to be determined, but
undoubtably the launcher will be grounded yet again for another lengthy
investigation.
The 15-story rocket blasted off at 4:38 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station. The early moments of the flight appeared normal as
the $60 million booster arced east through cloudy skies and headed out
over the Atlantic Ocean toward space.
But as engineers began looking at data relayed by the rocket, it
became evident that the booster's motors were not operating at full
power. As a result, the Hughes-built communications satellite was left
in a lower-than-expected orbit.
Once the exact position of the satellite can be determined, engineers
planned to assess what options if any exist for boosting it to the
proper altitude or using it in its present position.
General Dynamics' last failure was traced to a valve problem with the
rocket's upper-stage engine. The Centaur upper stage also is used on the
military's heavy-lift Titan 4 rockets.
Debris in a fuel line, which prevented the Centaur from starting, was
blamed for the 1991 botched launch.
General Dynamics successfully flew four Atlas missions in 1992 prior
to the August failure. Two more flights had been scheduled for that year
but were postponed during a lengthy accident investigation. The company
has 41 firm orders or options for the rocket.
|
| 723.10 | | TNPUBS::ALLEGREZZA | George Allegrezza @LKG | Fri Mar 26 1993 11:25 | 6 |
| Re: last
I'll bet Bill Anders and crew wish they had kept the Ft. Worth fighter
division and sold off the Space Div. It will be interesting to see if
this latest event constitutes a stake in the heart of GD's credibility
as a launch services provider.
|
| 723.11 | ATLAS II launches USAF satellite | VERGA::KLAES | Quo vadimus? | Tue Jul 20 1993 17:50 | 48 |
| Article: 1726
From: [email protected] (UPI)
Newsgroups: clari.news.military,clari.tw.aerospace,clari.biz.products
Subject: General Dynamics successfully launches Air Force satellite
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 93 17:26:29 PDT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- General Dynamics Corp., humbled
earlier this year by the failure of a satellite launch, said Monday it
had successfully launched a U.S. Air Force/General Dynamics Atlas II
satellite into orbit.
``This is the first in a long string of successful launches we
intend to rack up as we re-establish the reliability and quality
record of our Atlas vehicle,'' said Michael W. Wynne, president of
General Dynamics' Space Systems Division.
The March 25 launch failure left a U.S. Navy communications
satellite made by Hughes Aircraft Co. in a useless orbit after the
Atlas first- stage booster failed to provide enough thrust.
Other systems then tried to make up for the shortfall, but the
second-stage burn was 21 seconds shorter than planned because of
propellant depletion, placing the satellite 3,000 miles lower than
contractually required level of 9,000 miles.
General Dynamics announced last month that it had found a
loose screw was the cause of the March 25 malfunction of an unmanned
Atlas rocket. It said it had corrected the problem and would remain in
the launch business.
General Dynamics said its Atlas program has a backlog of 30
launch commitments through the 1990s, including 22 commercial and
eight Air Force launches, but the fall-out from the March failure
could dog it for some time.
Analysts have said competition from McDonnell Douglas Corp.,
Martin Marietta Corp. and French concern Arianespace could make it
difficult for General Dynamics to attract customers.
Most of General Dynamics has been profitable in recent years
as the company has shed its non-core businesses, but analysts believe
its commercial rocket operation may wind up in the red this year. It
is expected to provide about $500 million of the company's $3.5
billion in annual revenues.
Space launch systems took a pre-tax charge of $25 million in
the first quarter to reflect the impact from the failed launch.
|
| 723.12 | Navy comsat launched by GD ATLAS I rocket | VERGA::KLAES | Quo vadimus? | Fri Sep 03 1993 17:05 | 58 |
| Article: 3355
From: [email protected] (UPI)
Newsgroups: clari.news.aviation,clari.tw.space,clari.biz.top
Subject: General Dynamics successfully launches Navy satellite
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 93 10:13:54 PDT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- General Dynamics Corp. Friday
successfully launched a U.S. Navy communications satellite, five months
after its failure in a similar launch.
The company said its unmanned Atlas I rocket had launched from
Complex 36B at Cape Canaveral, Fla., and placed the U.S. Navy Ultra-High
Frequency Follow-on F2 satellite, built by Hughes Aircraft Co., into
orbit. It was the 510th Atlas launch.
``We are on our way to reestablishing the reliability record that
historically has been the pride of Atlas,'' said Michael W. Wynne,
General Dynamics Space Systems president. ``It was critical for us to
provide a good ride to orbit for Hughes and the Navy, whose
communications mission is so important for the U.S. military.''
A March 25 Atlas launch left a U.S. Navy communications satellite
made by Hughes, a unit of General Motors Corp., in a useless orbit,
placing the satellite 3,000 miles lower than the contractually required
level of 9,000 miles.
General Dynamics announced in June that a loose screw was the cause
of the March 25 malfunction. The company said at the time that it had
corrected the problem and would remain in the launch business.
It found that the regulator which controls the flow of liquid oxygen
to the booster gas generator failed when an internal stem screw rotated
out of adjustment. That failure caused the regulator's output pressure
to decay.
General Dynamics' review team checked quality processes at its own
San Diego-based Space Systems division, Rockwell International Corp.'s
Rocketdyne division, which builds the MA-5 Atlas engine system, and
other key suppliers.
The Navy launch program is a major one for General Dynamics. The
satellite was the first of nine Navy satellites that General Dynamics is
to launch over the next three years under a $1.6 billion contract.
Friday's successful launch may lessen the difficulties that analysts
have said General Dynamics would face in attracting customers, given
competition from McDonnell Douglas Corp., Martin Marietta Corp. and
French concern Arianespace.
Most of General Dynamics has been profitable in recent years as
the company has shed its non-core businesses, but analysts believe its
commercial rocket operation may wind up in the red this year. It is
expected to provide about $500 million of the company's $3.5 billion in
annual revenues.
General Dynamics' space launch systems took a pre-tax charge of $25
million in the first quarter to reflect the impact from the failed launch.
|
| 723.13 | New ATLAS launches TELSTAR 4 series | VERGA::KLAES | Quo vadimus? | Thu Dec 16 1993 22:42 | 27 |
| Article: 2099
From: [email protected] (UPI)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.tw.aerospace,clari.news.gov.agency
Subject: Atlas rocket lifts off with television satellite
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 93 17:37:26 PST
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- A new unmanned Atlas rocket
blasted into orbit Wednesday evening, carrying an AT&T television and
communications satellite.
The $200-million mission was the first featuring an Atlas
rocket with strap-on solid rocket motors, boosting the launcher's lift
capacity by 1,500 pounds. Two of the four strap-on motors ignited at
liftoff, which occurred at 7:38 p.m. EST (1238 GMT), and the other
pair ignited about a minute later, providing enough power to lift the
7,600-pound satellite to an orbit 22,300 miles above Earth.
The spacecraft is the first of a trio of Telstar 4 satellites
purchased by AT&T to relay television, telephone and business
communication signals. Two of the satellites are to be launched on
Atlas rockets and one on a European-built Ariane.
General Dynamics, which builds the Atlas rockets, is
recovering from a string of earlier launch failures that threatened
its struggling commercial launch services business. Three of the past
11 Atlas launches have failed since 1991.
|
| 723.14 | | SKYLAB::FISHER | Carp Diem : Fish the Day | Mon Dec 20 1993 17:01 | 6 |
| Is this Atlas with SRBs news, or am I just out of it? I don't remember hearing
about it before. Do the SRBs replace the boosters on the side? I would think
you could strap on 2 SRBs on 90 degrees from the boosters, but I would think you
could not put 2 SRBs in line with the boosters, since the latter stick out.
Burns
|
| 723.15 | Telstar 401 stats | VERGA::KLAES | Quo vadimus? | Tue Dec 28 1993 18:25 | 51 |
| From: US1RMC::"[email protected]" "ED ELIZONDO X 3122"
27-DEC-1993 14:17:22.52
To: [email protected]
CC:
Subj: Telstar 401 Launch
The Telstar 401 spacecraft was successfully launched from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on Wednesday, December 15 1993
by an Atlas IIAS launch vehicle. Liftoff occured at 7:40 PM EST
(349:00:40 GMT) and the spacecraft was injected into Geosynchronous
Transfer Orbit at 01:12 GMT. At 01:14 GMT the transportable ground
station in Mauritius acquired the spacecraft and confirmed omni
antenna deployment and fuel tank pressurization and nutation control
activation. The Guam ground station has acquired the spacecraft and
is presently receiving nominal telemetry.
The Telstar 401 is the first of Martin Marietta Astro Space Series
7000 spacecraft, the largest communications satellite built by Astro
Space. Key spacecraft characteristics are as follows:
Orbit Location: 89 deg West or 97 deg West
Coverage: CONUS, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and
Virgin Islands
Launch Weight: 3375 Kg
Solar Array: 8 panels
Battery System: Two 58-cell 50 AH NiH batteries
Antennas: Two Deployable Reflectors
RF Power: 1680 Watts
Transponders: 24 C-Band 11/21-Watt SSPAs, and
24 Ku-Band 60-Watt TWTAs
On-Orbit Control: 3-Axis Momentum Bias, REAs, Arcjets, and
Magnetic Torquer
Inclined Orbit Operation: +/- 5.0 deg
Stationkeeping: +/= 0.05 deg
Design Life: 12 years
Telstar 4 will provide high performance C-Band and Ku-Band operations
to support both existing AT&T services and new service offerings. The
Martin Marietta Series 7000 design also offers AT&T the latest in
performance-enhancing technologies: Arcjets achieve a 50% improvement
in north/south stationkeeping propellant efficiency over AT&T's
third-generation satellite, reprogrammable 1750A microprocessor
enables full autonomous attitude control, and HEMT devices provide a
low receiver noise figure.
This was also the first flight of the Atlas IIAS, the most powerful of
the General Dynamics Atlas launch vehicle family.
For recorded status information call: (609) 490-3800
For additional information contact: Laura Eberle (609) 490-2298
|