DELAY IN KENNEDY LANDING PROPOSED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP92B00478R000800220001-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 13, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 2, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/12/13: CIA-RDP92B00478R000800220001-9
Space Technology
Delay in Kennedy Landing Proposed
By Craig Covault
Washington?Space shuttle's first use of
the Kennedy Space Center runway as a
landing site would be delayed until at least
Mission 5 and possibly longer under a
Johnson Space Center proposal that seeks
to extend the use of Edwards AFB. Calif.,
until all orbiter landing capabilities are
demonstrated fully.
Although the vehicle's performance on
its second flight will be an important fac-
tor in deciding whether to delay Kennedy
landings until at least Mission 5, some
Johnson officials beliexe landings at Ken-
nedy should be delayed until Mission 5 in
any case. Earlier this summer. Johnson
had planned the fourth flight as the first
Kennedy landing.
Johnson's Flight Operations Div. has
not yet determined whether Mission 5 in
late 1982 should also be planned as an
Edwards landing, although his has been
discussed in the context of maintaining
conservatism in early flight phases of the
program. Another consideration will be
whether or not the new orbiter. 099 Chal-
leneer, should be landed on the Kennedy
runway during its first mission, either the
fifth or sixth shuttle flight. Some astro-
nauts believe a Kennedy landing should
not be attempted on Challenger's first
flight, although not all shuttle managers
agree.
The choice of landing site is one of
several issues being addressed as the sec-
ond flight approaches. Another flight safe-
ty proposal already adopted increases the
emphasis on three-man versus two-man
shuttle cockpits. Workload of the .shuttle
commander and pilot, especially during
launch or reentry emergencies, has been
determined to be high enough to require a
third crewman in such circumstances.
Therefore, planning has changed to permit
three crewmen in Columbia's cockpit on
Mission 5 if Columbia is retained as the
orbiter on that flight. Earlier plans placed
half of the four-man crew for MisS'ion 5 in
Columbia's middeck during launch and
reentry.
Whether the National 'Aeronautics and
Space Administration will use the orbiter
Columbia or the new orbiter 099 for the
first operational flight planned next Octo-
ber is linked to timing. A cumulative slip
of only six weeks between Missions 2 and
4 would make use of the new orbiter for
Mission 5 a strong possibility. This could
influence the Mission 5 landing decision as
well as other shuttle activities in the Mis-
sion 4 through 6 period.
If current schedules hold, however, and
Columbia is used as planned on the fifth
mission, it will need to be modified to
Washington?Saturn 5-class booster under
development by the. Soviet Union is esti-
mated by the Defense Dept. to have an.
actual payload-to-orbit target of 390,000-
455,000 lb., which is substantially greater
than the 280,000-lb. orbital capability of the
U. S. Saturn 5 used in the Apollo and Skylab
programs.
The data are included in Defense Secre-
tary Caspar W. Weinberger's report on
Soviet military power, which said the new
vehicle could launch extremely large laser
weapons and heavy Soviet space stations.,
This Soviet heavy space launch capability
will far exceed the heavy space launch capa-
bility of the U. S. well into the 1990s, a factor
that concerns the Defense Dept. because
the Soviets already launch 10 times the
payload weight into orbit each year that the
U. S. does.
The Soviet Union is providing its space
program an 8% annual growth rate that
allows it to launch 660,000 lb. of payload
into orbit annually, the Weinberger report
said. "Some, but by no means all of this
differential" can be countered by the higher
technology and longer life of U. S. space-
craft, the report said, expressing concern
over the proliferation of Soviet space sys-
tems.
Weinberger's data reinforces an earlier
AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY report
that the Soviets have renewed development
of a Saturn 5-class booster for launch of a
220,000-lb.-class military/scientific space
station, which will be manned permanently
by about 12 cosmonauts (Aw&sT June 16,
1980, p. 26). The increased payload-to-orbit
data indicate the station design could be
even heavier than that earlier believed.
"A very large booster is under develop-
ment and will have the capability to launch
very heavy payloads into orbit, including
even larger and more capable laser weap-
ons. This booster is estimated to have six-
to-seven times the launch weight capability
of the space shuttle," the Defense Dept.
report said. "The new booster will be capa-
ble of putting very large permanently
manned space stations into orbit." Military
research and development is conducted on
board Salyut space stations, the Defense
report said.
AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY re-
ported earlier that the first test of the new
vehicle could occur by 1983, with launch of
the permanently manned space station on
the booster by as early as 1985.
"The Soviet goal of having continuously
manned space stations may support both
defensive and offensive weapons in space
with man in the space station for target
selection, repairs and adjustments and posi-
tive command and control," Weinberger's
report said. ?
In addition to the heavy weapons and
space station uses cited by the Defense
Dept. report, the new heavy launcher will
4
provide the Soviet Union with a solid base
from which to mount the first manned space
flights to Mars and initikl Soviet manned
lunar flights.
The Soviet and U. S. launch rates between
Aug. 18 and Oct. 8 illustrate the magnitude
of the Soviet effort. Duri9g this period the
Soviets launched four other spacecraft car-
rying out non-military missions while the
U. S. launched two non;niilitary missions.
The Soviet Union also is continuing devel-
opment of a manned winged reusable space
transport (Awss-r Nov. 6, p. 19; Mar. 20,
1978, p. 14).
Although the report on Soviet military
power did not discuss the winged space-
craft, it did state that ...Soviet space
research and development, test, production
and launch facilities are all undergoing a
continuing buildup.
"The Soviets appear to be interested in
and possibly [are] developing an improved
antisatellite weapon. ti
"It is anticipated the Soviets will continue
to work in this area with a goal of negating
satellites in high orbit, as well as developing
more effective kill mechanisms, perhaps
using laser or some other type of directed-
energy weapons," the report said.
A laser weapons spacecraft is under
development in the USSR and is expected to
be launched soon (Awss-r Oct. 5, p. 17). In
addition to this new high technology space-
craft, the Soviets also have begun utilization
of a new advanced imaging reconnaissance
spacecraft using digital image transmission
instead of relying on reentry vehicles for
return of intelligence photographs to Earth.
Data on the KH-11 design was provided to
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/12/13: CIA-RDP926004-78-R00-08-00220001:9- 2' 1981
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/12/13: CIA-RDP92B00478R000800220001-9
111P1and demonstrations are planned with turn a djust the spacecraft's flightpath
the automatic system handling orbiter to rem.- the runway properly, if at all
control through rollout. possible.
? Optional targeting-A new software While the conservative approach would
capability, designated optional terminal be to slip Kennedy landings until all these
area energy management targeting. will be demonstrations are completed at Edwards,
available starting on Mission 5 and will other considerations, such as possible high
allow greater capability for the orbiter's capability demonstrated on the second and
automatic system to adjust for variables in third missions coupled with turnaround
orbiter energy at the end of the reentry. requirements, could prompt landing at
The greater ability to adjust will not only Kennedy as early as Missions 4 or 5, some
enhance control in abnormal energy situa- managers believe.
tions but greatly assist in avoiding weather The orbiter Columbia is scheduled to
such as the large cloud buildups or thun- return to Rockwell's Palmdale, Calif.,
dershowers that are frequent in central facility for several months of modifica-
and coastal Florida. tions in late 1982. Shuttle managers earli-
Astronauts would like to demonstrate er believe it would be best to land the
the optional targeting capability on spacecraft at Edwards prior to modifica-
approach to Edwards before flying into tion so it could be towed to Palmdale. A
Kennedy where it could be more of a Kennedy landing would require ferrying
necessity than a demonstration, the orbiter by Boeing 747 back to
With the optional targeting capability, Edwards.
an orbiter can carry excess energy into the Kennedy Space Center, how- ever, has
landing site area and then be insured the recommended a Kennedy landing before
automatic system will compensate by com- the modification because Edwards has far
manding a descending turn so the runway less capability to drain the hypergolic pro-
is reached with the proper amount of pellants from the orbiter's orbital maneu-
airspeed and altitude on final approach. If vering and reaction control systems. Since
an orbiter arrives ? with too little energy, Kennedy personnel manage orbiter servic-
the automatic system will be better able to ing at Edwards, Kennedy engineers rea-
hifre a dual satellite payload. Conserva-
tive planning for the first landing at Ken-
nedy has the support of Johnson director
Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. "I share the
concern that we understand the flying
qualities of this vehicle before we broach
any white scarf approach to landing at
Kennedy.- Kraft said.
Flight Operations Div. is basing its deci-
sion on the amount of orbital flight test
experience it believes will be necessary to
demonstrate key orbiter capabilities neces-
sary for approaches to Kennedy's concrete
runway. These are:
? Crossviind landings-At least two
crosswind landings at Edwards are desired
before flying the orbiter onto a concrete
runway. An objective of the second space
shuttle mission is to make a crosswind
landing if possible, but statistically the
chances are slim that crosswinds will occur
early in the morning this time of year at
Edwards. Kraft stressed he believes cross-
winds will present no orbiter problems
once demonstrated.
? Full autoland demonstrations-Mis-
sion 2 will fly a partial atitoland profile
that will be transitioned to full manual
control just before the preflare maneuver
at 1,750 ft. On Missions 3. 4 and 5 full
the USSR by convicted spy William Kampiles
(AwssT Nov. 27, 1978, p. 21), and the data
could have aided the Soviets in the design of
their new digital reconnaissance vehicle.
A U. S. KH-11-type spacecraft was
launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on
Sept. 3.
Of the 14 Soviet military spacecraft
launched between late August and early
October, six have been imaging reconnais-
sance vehicles, two were ocean surveillance
spacecraft and three were navigation space-
c'aft.
One Soviet mission ended in failure when
the booster launching a Molniya spacecraft
had an upper-stage underburn, which
placed the spacecraft in the wrong orbit. A
spacecraft with military weather satellite
c,.aracteristics and another satellite with the
characteristics of a vehicle type believed
used in calibrating antisatellite systems also
re launched.
The individual Soviet spacecraft involved
rn these missions are:
? Cosmos 1,297 -The reconnaissance
s3.eilite was launched Aug. 18 into a 389 x
209 km. (241 x 130-mi.) orbit inclined 72.9
deg.
'I Cosmos 1,298 -This reconnaissance
rr).!.sion was launched Aug. 21 into a 351 x
179-km. (218 x 111-mi.) orbit inclined 64.9
669-
? Cosmos 1,299-This ocean surveillance
iCacecraft is a type that carries a nuclear
reactor for power. When the mission is ler-
121ed, the reactor is boosted to a higher
01'1)11 for safety, a measure that failed when
of the spacecraft scattered radioactive
5eb-is over Canada (AwasT Jan. 30, 1978,
p. 33). In the case *of Cosmos 1,299, the
spacecraft was launched Aug. 25 into a 281
X 250-km. (174 x 155-mi.) orbit inclined 65
deg. After only 12 days of operations, its
reactor section was boosted to a 955 X
910-km. (593 X 565-mi.) orbit where the
nuclear powerplant would be safe. The ter-
mination of the operational low-altitude mis-
sion normally does not take place for several
weeks. ? . .
? Cosmos 1,300-This spacecraft has
characteristics of a military weather satellite
and was launched Aug. 25 into a 675 X
648-km. (419 X 402-mi.) orbit inclined 82.5
deg.
? Cosmos 1,301-This film-return earth
resources spacecraft, whiCh provides data
to the Soviet Priorda earth resources center,
was launched Aug. 27 into a 300 x 224-km.
(186 x 139-mi.) orbit inclined 82.3 deg.
? Cosmos 1,302-This store-dump com-
munications spacecraft was launched Aug.
28 into an 824 x 783-km. (512 x 487-mi.)
orbit inclined 74 deg.
? Cosmos 1,303-The reconnaissance
spacecraft was launched Sept. 4 into a 398
X 216-km. (247 x 134-mi.) orbit inclined
70.4 deg. ? ?
? Cosmos 1,304-This navigation satel-
lite was launched Sept. 4 into a 984 x
917-km. (611 x 570-mi.) orbit inclined 83
deg.
? Cosmos 1,305-The Soviets desig-
nated their failed Molniya a Cosmos after
the booster malfunction Sept. 11 that placed
the communications spacecraft into an
improper 13,870 X 648-km. (8,618 x 402-
mi.) orbit inclined 63 deg.
II Cosmos 1,306-This conventionally
powered ocean surveillance spacecraft was
launched Sept. 15 into a low orbit and then
maneuvered into its operational 458 x 408-
km. (285 x 254-mi.) orbit inclined 65 deg.
? Cosmos 1,307-This reconnaissance
spacecraft was launched Sept., 15 into a 418
x 209-km. -(260 X 130-mi.) orbit inclined
72.9 deg.'
? Cosmos 1,308-This navigation satel-
lite was launched Sept. 18 into a 1,107 X
979-km. (632 x 608-mi.) orbit inclined 82.9
? Cosmos 1,309-The earth resources
film-return spacecraft was launched Sept.
18 into a 282 X 225-km. (175 x 140-mi.)
orbit inclined 82.3 deg.
, ? Arcad 3-The Soviets launched this
joint Soviet/French scientific spacecraft
Sept. 21 into a 1,920 )..< 380-km. (1,192 x
236-mi.) orbit inclined 82.6 deg. (AwasT Oct.
12, p. 87).
? Cosmos 1,310-The vehicle has char-
acteristics of satellites used to help perfect
the Soviet antisatellite system. The space-
craft was launched Sept. 23 into a 525 x
478-km. (326 x 297-mi.) orbit inclined 65.9
deg. .
? Cosmos 1,311-The spacecraft was
launched Sept. 28 into a 521 x 470-km.
(324 x 292-mi.) orbit with an 83-deg. incli-
nation. Its mission is unknown.
? Cosmos 1,312-Launched Sept. 30,
this navigation spacecraft was placed into a
1,530 X 1,495-km. (951 x 929-mi.) orbit
inclined 82.6 deg.'
? Cosmos 1,313-Launched Oct. 1, the
reconnaissance spacecraft was placed into a
314 x 214-km. (195 x 133-mi.) orbit
inclined 70.4 deg.
4.lati0n Week & Space Technology, November 2, 1981 49
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/12/13: CIA-RDP92B00478R000800220001-9