April 1982:satellite digest

COSMOS 1318 1981-109A

Launched: 1259, 3 Nov 1981 from Plesetsk by
A-2.

Spacecraft data: Possibly based on Vostok
manned spacecraft with spherical re-entry
module, instrument unit and a cylindrical,
supplementary payload at the forward end.
Length about 6 m, max diameter about 2.4 m,
mass around 6000 kg.

Mission: Military photo-reconnaissance,
recovered after 30 days.

Orbit: Initially 171 X 352 km, 89.75 min, 67.14
degrees, then manoeuvred several times to
provide coverage of particular target areas.

VENERA 14 1981-110A

Launched; 0530, 4 Nov 1981 from Tyuratam
by D-1-E.

Spacecraft data; Cylinder with two solar panels
and an experiments package located at one
end. Length (excluding experiments) about
2.7 m, diameter about 2.3 m maximum, mass
around 5000 kg.

Mission: Continuation of the Soviet Union's
Venus exploration programme. The craft is
due to arrive near Venus in March 1982 and carries a surface lander. Soviet reports
indicate that this vehicle and its predecessor are very similar in design and purpose. During the flight to
Venus, observations are being made of x-rays
and gamma radiation, as well as measurements
of magnetic fields, the solar wind and interplanetary plasma. In addition to Soviet-built
equipment, both craft are equipped with French and Austrian-designed scientific
apparatus.

Orbit; Heliocentric, but initially a low parking
orbit around the Earth at 51.6 degrees inclination. A trajectory correction on Nov 14
ensured an arrival in the vicinity of Venus on
5 March 1982. A similar manoeuvre by VENERA 13 on 12 Nov kept that craft on course
for a Venus arrival on 1 March 1982.

STS-2 1981-111A

Launched: 1510, 12 Nov 1981 from the Kennedy Space Center.

Spacecraft data: Re-usable shuttle craft Columbia with fixed experimental packages in the
payload bay.

Mission: The second flight in Columbia's
orbital test programme, crewed by spacecraft
commander, Colonel Joe H. Engle of the
USAF, and pilot Commander Richard H.
Truly of the USN. As well-as systems testing,
other major operations were the testing of the
remote manipulator arm to be used for unloading and retrieving spacecraft, and evaluation
of the craft's ability to^erve as a steady platform for Earth Viewing Instruments.

Most of the Earth observation equipment
was mounted on a Spacelab type pallet built
by British Aerospace for the European Space
Agency. OSTA-1 (named after NASA’s Office
of Space and Terrestrial Applications)
weighed 2542 kg and was mounted near the
centre of the equipment bay, and consisted of
five experiments; two further experiments
were carried in the crew compartment. The
external equipment was:

Shuttle Imaging Radar - A: physically the
largest part of the payload, consisting of a
Seasat-type microwave radar providing map-like images of the Earth's surface. During the flight, images were obtained over North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. All
objectives of the experiment were met during
the flight.

Shuttle Multispectral Infrared Radiometer:
a complementary instrument to the radar
intended to determine the best spectral bands
to use in remote sensing of rock types. 108
minutes of observation were obtained in ten
bands of the spectrum between 0.S and 2.5
micrometers wavelength.

Feature Identification and Location Experiment: intended to help development of equipment which can be used to identify particular types of surface feature. Such equipment
could be used to switch remote sensing instruments on and off automatically. About 52
hours of data were obtained.

Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites: consisted of a carbon monoxide detector
studying the middle and upper troposphere.
About 52 hours of data were recorded, some
of it being checked independently by airborne
monitors over Virginia, Florida and
California.

Ocean Colour Experiment: returned 78 minutes of data on chlorophyll concentrations
under its programme to test the ability of an
automatic sensor to locate plankton, and consequently to guide fishing fleets to fish feeding
areas or away from areas of pollution.

Night/Day Optical Survey of Lightning: carried in the crew compartment; was a handheld instrument intended for recording lightning flashes.

Heflex Bioengineering Test: a sealed unit
containing Helianthus Annus (dwarf sunflower) plants was a preliminary test of a
planned Spacelab experiment. Owing to the
shortened flight (it had originally been
planned as live days), the experiment was not
completed.

Orbit: Columbia carried out a number of manoeuvres using the Orbital Manoeuvring System (OMS), the highest orbit reached was 255
X 265 km, 89.57 min, 58.05 degrees. The mission was shortened due to a problem with one
of the three onboard fuel ceils providing electrical power. Columbia landed at 2125, 14 Nov
1981 after a flight of 2 days, 6 hours, 15
minutes.

COSMOS 1519 1981-112A

Launched: 0950, 15 Nov 1981 from Tyuratam
by A-2.

Spacecraft data: As Cosmos 1518.

Mission.- Military photo-reconnaissance,
recovered after 14 days.

Orbit- Initially 207 X 557 km, 90.57 mins,
70.55 degrees. Manoeuvred to 549 X 415 km,
92.21 min, 70.57 deg, an orbit which provided
area coverage of the whole Earth by the end
of the flight.

MOLNIYA-1 (51) 1981-113A

Launched: 1525, 17 Nov 1981 from Plesetsk
by A-2-e.

Spacecraft data: Cylindrical body housing
instrumentation and the payload, surmounted by a conical motor section. Power is provided
by a "windmill" of six solar panels. Overall
length 5.4 m, diameter 1.6 m, mass around
1800 kg.

Mission; Replacement for Molniya-1(59). The
satellite helps to operate long distance telephone and telegraphic communications and
broadcasts central television programmes via
the Orbita system to remote areas of the
Soviet Union.

Orbit: Initially a low parking orbit and then
injected into a highly elliptical one of 444 X
59155 km, 702.06 min. 62.78 deg. Later manoeuvred to 469 X 59924 km. 718.55 min. 62.82
deg to provide daily repetition of the ground
track.

RCA SATCOM 5R 1918-114A

Launched: 0150. 20 Nov 1981 from Launch
Complex 17A, Eastern Space and Missile
Centre, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station by
Delta 3910

Spacecraft data: A box-shaped body 1.62 X
1.25 X 1.25 m carries spacecraft housekeeping
equipment and a communications relay package. Power is provided by two extended, flat
solar panels of 8.4 square metres giving 1 kW
of power for battery charging. The mass in
geostationary orbit is 550 kg.

Mission.- To provide distribution of programmes to cable television systems in the
United States.

Orbit: Placed into geostationary transfer orbit
by the launch vehicle and injected into geostationary drift orbit by the satellite's integral
apogee boost motor. Stabilised at the operational location of 152 degrees west longitude.

BHASKARA 2 1981-115A

Launched: 0825, 20 Nov 1981 from Kapustin Yar by C-1.

Spacecraft data: 26 faced, quasispherical polyhedron, 1.55 m high. 1.66 m diameter and
mass 456 kg. Power is provided by Nickel-
Cadmium storage batteries of 10 amp hours
capacity and fed by a body mounted solar
array of .47 watts output. Attitude sensors
include an infra-red horizon sensor, a Sun
sensor, tri-axial magnetometers and temperature sensors. Attitude control is by a cold gas
reaction jet system and the satellite is also
fitted with a magnetic nutation damper. It was
designed and built by the Indian Space
Research Organisation.

Mission; Mainly Earth observation using a
pair of TV cameras operating in the 0.54-0.66
and 0.75-0.85 micrometre bands respectively,
and three microwave radiometers working at
19.55, 22.255 and 51.4 GHz. Other experiments include solar cell experiments and a
study of thermal control coatings.

Orbit: 521 X 545 km, 95.20 min, 50.64 deg.

COSMOS 1520-1327 1981 116A-H,

Launched: 1807, 28 Nov 1981 from Plesetsk by C-1.

Spacecraft data: Possibly spheroidal in shape,
mass about 40 kg each.

Mission: To provide tactical communications
between troops or units in the field. The
previous launch in the series was 1981-74.

Orbits: Lowest: 1481 X 1605 km, 116.98 min,
75.98 deg; highest: 1481 X 1655 km, 117.29
min. 75.98 deg.