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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 0018.PDF
TECHNICAL: SPACEFLIGHT Delta II costs hit McDonnell st Production problems have contributed to Delta II cost overruns The US Air Force has revealed that McDonnell Douglas (MDC) is experiencing a cost overrun on its contract to build the Delta II launch vehicle (see P 39). The company has informed the Air Force that it predicts an excess of $140 million at comple tion of the contract, of which the US Air Force concludes it is only responsible for $94 million. The overrun is the result of production startup problems with insufficient tooling; short ages of parts and staffing; in correct estimates by MDC of subcontractor prices and of production and employment costs; and technical problems during development and qualification, says the USAF. MDC won an initial $316 mil lion contract to build seven Delta II medium-launch vehicles (MLVs) in 1987 and this was Freedonfs solar a Solar arrays similar to those which will power Space Sta tion Freedom have been tested successfully in a simulated space environment at NASA's Lewis research center. The tests eval uated the panels' performance in conditions similar to the plasma environment of space at low Earth orbit. Research has shown that there can be electrical interactions be tween a space-plasma environ ment and a solar-cell power source which can cause short- circuiting and arcing problems. The effects of interactions on the materials and the operational characteristics of the panels had to be evaluated for the best design of the arrays. The two solar-array panels, each containing two hundred 8cm2 silicon solar cells, have been developed by Lockheed arid tested in a vacuum chamber at the research centre. While sub jected to temperatures of 25°- 40°C, the panels have also been illuminated by a solar simulator which produces a solar intensity of 0.3 sun. The arrays were also operated while being exposed to plasma with ion densities of 100 to 1 million ions per cm3. • increased by 13 further vehicles, worth $669 million. Additional incentive awards of $3 million a successful launch are due to MDC and there have been five in five attempts so far. A $1 million a year payment is made il all contractual terms are met. One failure will kill off all incentives and two will halve MDC's profits. Three will negate them altogether. • Soviets reveal lunar vehicle US scientists visiting Moscow inadvertently became the first Westerners to see the manned lunar and command modules that were to have been used to stage a Moon landing in 1967, two years ahead of the United States' mission. The MIT scientists saw the modules at the Moscow Aviation Institute and were told that the lunar programme would have in volved the launch of the lunar landing module and rocket stage on board the Nl heavy booster, with a two-man crew aboard a Soyuz spacecraft launched on an SL-4 booster. They were to ren dezvous and dock in Earth orbit before being sent on a translunar coast to lunar orbit. One man would have re mained in lunar orbit and one would have walked on the Moon. The landing vehicle had a triple redundancy feature. The return to Earth and landing in a Proton- launched Soyuz descent capsule was tested • GEC and Matra join space companies GEC and Matra are to set up a joint company to combine their space systems interests with the prospect of winning annual sales of £300 million. The new company will be called Matra Marconi Space and will bring together Matra Espace and Mar coni Space Systems. Matra will take a 51% stake in the joint company, although GEC could raise its stake to 50% if collaboration between the part ners is extended. Co-operation between the two companies is aimed at capturing a greater share of the international space systems market and will establish Matra Marconi Space as the lead ing European satellite commu nications group. The joint company will employ 2,700 people in the two countries. Matra will put in £10.7 million and GEC £8.7 mil lion to establish the venture. D The panels have been tested in the "space-like" environment of Lewis' vacuum chamber ift FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 3-9 January 1990
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