Nato III-b Press Kit

8/7/2019 Nato III-b Press Kit

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NationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministrationWashington.D.C.20546AC 202 755-8370

PressKitRELEASE NO: 77-5

Contents

ForRelease MONDAY,J an u a r y 1 7 , 1977.1

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GENERAL RELEASE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DELTA 2914 L AUNC H VE HI C L E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S T R AI GHT E I GHT DE L T A F AC T S AND F I GUR E S . . . . . . . . . . . .L AUNC H OP E R AT I ONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NATO 111-B SEQUENCE O F E V E N ~ S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DELTA MA NA GEM ENT. . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . . ..NATO/DELTA TEAM... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CONTRACTORS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " . . . . . . . . . . .

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Mailed:J a n u a r y 1 0 , 1977


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NASANewsNationalAeronauticsandSpace AdministrationWashington.D C 20546AC 202 755-8370

Bill O'DonnellHeadquarters, Washington, D.C.(Phone: 202/755-3090)Fc lr ReleaseMONDAY,Januar'y 17, 1977

RELEASE NO: 77-5

NASA TO LAUNCH NATO 111-B COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE

The second in a new series of communications satellitesto serve the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) isscheduled f o r launch by NASA's Kennedy Space Center fromCape Canaveral, Fla., Jan. 27.by NASA in 1977.

This will be the first launch

Launch window is 7:50 to 8:28 p.m. EST.

The spacecraft, NATO 111-3,will be placed by theDelta launch vehicle in an elliptical transfer orbit withan apogee of 35,785 kilometers (22,235 miles) and a perigeeof 185 km (115 mi.). It will be inclined 27 degrees to theequator.

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A f t e r NATO 1 1 1 - B i s i n t h e t r a n s f e r ord t, the u. s .* r - T *


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T h e U.S. A i r Force Space and M i s s i l e Systems Organi-z a t i o n (SAMSO) serves as t h e s a t e l l i t e c o n t r a c t i n g a g e n c yon be ha l f o f t he NATO I n t e g r a t e d Communications SystemManagement Agency.

T he t h i r d NATO I11 i s s c he du le d f o r l a unc h i n 1978.NATO r ei m bu rs es t h e U n it ed S t a t e s f o r t h e c o s t of t h el a unc h ve h i c l e s a nd l a unc h se rv ices .

NASA's Goddard Space F l i g h t Cente r , Greenbelt , Md. ,p r o v i d e s t h e D e l t a r o c k e t t o l aunch NATO 111-B. McDonnellDouglas As t ro n au t i c s C o . , Hunt ing ton Beach , C a l i f . , manu-f a c t u r e s t h e Del ta . Three p rev ious NATO s a t e l l i t e s werel au n ch ed s u c c e s s f u l l y b y Delta . These w e r e NATO I1 -- Aand B -- s p a c e c r a f t i n March 1970 and February 1971 andNATO 111- A i n A p r i l 1 9 7 6 .

( E N D O F GENERAL =LEASE. BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.)


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TH E NATO I11 SPACECRAFT

The NATO I11 s p a c e c r a f t i s a fu r t h e r development i nc o m m u n i c a t i o n s s a t e l l i t e s , a l o n g t h e same l i n e s a s p rec ed -i n g NATO sp a c e c r a f t . The c y l i n d r i c a l m ain body i s coveredw i t h s o l a r c e l l s f o r power gen e ra t i on ; they p roduce ov e r500 w a tt s a t maximum. The s a t e l l i t e s p i n s a t 90 rpm i no p e r a t i o n , so t h a t ea ch s o l a r c e l l i s i n s u n l i g h t and p ro -d u ci ng e l e c t r i c i t y ab ou t o n e -t h ir d o f t h e t i m e . A NATO I11s p a c e c r a f t i s 3 .1 m e t e r s ( 1 0 . 1 f e e t ) h ig h , i n c l u d i n g t h ean tenna s on top , and 2 .2 m (7 .2 f t . ) i n d ia me te r. It weighsabou t 7 0 1 ki lograms (1,543 pounds) a t l aunch , and has amass o f 340 kg (74 8 l b . ) i n f i n a l o r b i t , a f t e r t h e bu rn o utof t he apogee k i c k motor.

A NATO I11 s p a c e c r a f t i s w e l l ba lanced , and t h e sp in -n in g o f t h e main body a c t s l i k e a gyroscope , p rov id ings t a b i l i t y . The a n te n na s ys te m i s de-spun, o r coun te r -r o t a t e d , a t t h e s a m e speed, so t h a t t h e a n te n n a s re ma inp o i n t e d a t t h e E a rt h . NATO 111-B h a s t h r e e t r a n s p o n de rc h a n n e l s , c o n s i s t i n g of one narrow-beam ch an ne l , t ra n s -m i t t i n g th ro ug h t h e l a r g e r c e n t r a l ante nna horn, and twowide-beam channe l s , t r an sm i t t i ng and rec e iv ing th rough th etwo sma l le r horns .

A l l ac t ive spacec ra f t communica t ions componen t s a re1 0 0 p e r c e n t r ed u nd an t: t h a t i s , each ac t ive componen t hasa backup p a r t on board. These stan dby components are c r o s s -s t r a p p e d , so t h a t e a c h c ou l d s e r v e more t h a n o n e t r a n s -ponder. For example, t h e t w o c r i t i c a l 23 w a t t t r a v e l i n gwave t u b e a s se m b l i e s t h a t power t h e t h r e e t r a n sp o n d e r s a r ebacked up by two sp a r es , e i t h e r of which can be swi t ched t oany t r ansponder .The th re e an tennas are c i r c u l a r l y p o l a r i z e d , and o p e r a t eon t h e mult i-mode pr in c ip le . The re ce iv in g communica tionss ys te m o p e r a t e s i n t h e 8 G H z r a n g e, an d t h e two t r a n sm i t t e r si n t h e 7 G H z range . The e n t i r e communica t ions system i scompa t ib le w i t h b o t h U.S. and NATO g r o u n d s t a t i o n s .T h e NATO I11 s p a c e c r a f t a re compara t ive ly s imple i nd e s i g n a nd b ase d a s much a s p o s s i b l e o n p r e v i o u s l y f l i g h t -proven con cept s and hardware . E xi s t in g equipment and tech-n i q u e s w e r e used t o t he maximum ex te n t p ra c t i c ab le . N e wp a y lo a d e qu ip me nt was t h o r ou g h l y t e s t e d . A t t i t u d e c o n t r o l ,a n te n na p o i n t i n g an d s t a ti o n - k e e p i n g a r e ex p e ct ed t o r e q u i r eground command corrections l e s s t h a n 1 8 t i m e s p e r y e a r .

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-5 -The NATO I11 spacecraft antenna horns are fixed inplace, and no spacecraft components need to be deployedin orbit. The reaction control system decomposes hydra-zine, generating five pounds of thrust in various smallnozzles for attitude and velocity control.The structure of a NATO I11 spacecraft consists ofa central cone and six struts which support a five-centimeter (two-inch) thick aluminum honeycomb horizontalequipment panel located near the center of the main body.The apogee kick motor is mounted inside the cone, withits nozzle at the bottom. The cylindrical framework onwhich the solar cells are mounted attaches to the equip-ment panel.nature, except for a few localized heaters. Excess heatis conducted to the covers and dissipated into space.

Thermal control is primarily passive in

Four Earth sensors and two S u n sensors enable aNATO I11 satellite to position itself properly in space.Any two of the four Earth sensors will provide enoughdata to determine the spacecraft's attitude, and just-one will provide enough steering data for antenna pointing.

The Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) subsystem,as in the case of the three communications channels, hasredundant components and cross strap connections. Thecommand units are protected from harm by any potentialfaults in other subsystems. The NATO I11 satellite systemprovides vital transmission links fo r the NATO Communica-tions System, and significantly improves the effectivenessof free world communications.DELTA 2914 LAUNCH VEHICLE

The spacecraft will be launched by a 2914 three-stageDelta launch vehicle, which has an overall length ofapproximately 35 rn (116 ft.) , and a body diameter of 2.4 m( 8 ft.). The Delta launch vehicle has been successful in93 per cent of its 120 launches during the past 15 years.First Stage

The first stage is a McDonnell Douglas extended long-tank Thor booster with nine strap-on Thiokol Castor I1solid-fuel rocket motors. The booster is powered by aRocketdyne RS-27 engine using liquid oxygen (LOX) andliquid hydrocarbon propellants.-more-

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The main engine i s gimba l-mounted t o p rov ide p i t cha nd yaw c o n t r o l fro m l i f t o f f t o m ain e n g i n e c u t o f f (MECO).Two l i q u i d p r o p e l l a n t vern ie r e n g i n e s p r o v i d e r o l l control .th ro ug ho ut f i r s t s t age o p e r a t i o n and p i t c h and yaw controlfrom MECO t o s e p a r a t i o n of t h e f i r s t and second- s t a g e s .Second Stage

The second stage i s powered by a TRW T R - 2 0 1 l i q u i d -f u e l p r e s s u r e - f e d e n gi ne t h a t u s e s A ero ze ne 50 f u e l a n dN2O4 o x i d i z e r and i s gimbal-mounted t o p r o v id e p i t c h an dyaw co n t r o l through second s t ag e burn . A n i t r o g e n g a ss ys te m u s i n g e i g h t f i x e d n o z z l e s p r o v i d e s r o l l c o n t r o ld u r i n g powered and c o a s t f l i g h t a s w e l l as pitch and yawc o n t r o l d u r i n g c o a s t and a f t e r s ec o nd - st ag e c u t o f f (SECO).Two f i x e d n o z z l e s , f e d by t h e p r o p e l l a n t - t a n k hel ium-p r e s s u r i z a t i o n s ystem , p ro vi de r e t r o t h r u s t a f t e r t h i r ds t a g e s e p a r a t i o n .T h i r d S t a g e

The t h i r d s t a g e i s t h e Thiokol TE-364-4 sp in -s ta b i l iz edso l i d - p r o p e l l a n t mo to r. The t h i r d s t a g e m ot or i s securedi n a sp i n t a b l e m ounted on t h e s ec on d s t a g e .of e i g h t s m a l l p r o p e l l a n t r o c k e t s f ix e d t o t h e s p i n t a b l ea c c om p l ish e s sp i n u p o f t h e t h i r d s t a g e as se mb ly .T h e f i r i n g

I n j e c t i o n I n t o S yn ch ro no us O r b i tThe D e l t a v e h i c l e p l a c e s t h e s p a c e c r a f t i n an e l l i p -t i c a l t r a n s f e r o r b i t . The s p a c e c f a f t ap og ee m oto r w i l l be

f i r e d a t t h e f i f t h apogee of t h e o r b i t a bo ut 4 8 h ou rs a f t e rlaunch. Th is maneuver w i l l c i r c u l a r i z e t h e o r b i t a t syn-c h ro n ou s a l t i t u d e a bo ve t h e e q u a t o r . The sp a c e c r a f t h yd ra -z i n e a t t i t u d e c o n t r o l system i s u se d t o d r i f t th e s a t e l l i t et o i t s f i n a l s t a t i o n . About a m onth a f t e r l a u n c h, f o ll o w-in g checkout of th e onboard communica tions systems, t h es p a c e c r a f t w i l l become o p e r a t i o n a l .

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STRAIGHT EIGHT DELTA FACTS AN D FIGURES

H e i g h t : 35 . 4 m (116 ft.) including shroudMaximum diameter: 2 .4 m ( 8 ft.) without attachedsolidsLiftoff weight: 1 3 1 , 8 9 5 kg ( 2 9 3 , 1 0 0 lb.)Liftoff thrust: 1 , 7 65 , 3 1 5 newtons ( 3 9 6 , 7 0 0 lb.)including strap-on solids

First Stage(Liquid only) consists of an extended long-tank Thor,produced by McDonnell Douglas.duced by the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International.The stage has the following characteristics:

The RS-27 engines are pro-

Diameter: 2 .4 m ( 8 ft.1Height: 21 .3 m ( 7 0 ft.)Propellants: RJ-1 kerosene as the fuel and liquidoxygen (LOX) as the oxidizerThrust: 9 1 2 , 0 0 9 M ( 2 0 5 , 0 0 0 lb.)Burning time: A.bout . 4 8 minutesWeight: About 84 , 6 00 kg ( 1 8 6 , 0 0 0 lb.) excludingstrap-on solidsStrap-on so l i i l s consist of nine solid-propellantrockets prac?uced by the. Thiokol Chemical Corp., with thefollowing features:Diameter: 0.8 m ( 3 1 in.)Height: 7 m ( 2 3 . 6 ft.)T o t a l weight: 40,300 kg ( 8 8 , 6 5 0 lb.) for nine4 , 4 75 kg ( 9 ,850 lb.) f o r eachThrust: 2 , 0 8 3 , 0 0 0 ?; ( 4 6 8 , 0 0 0 lb.) for nine231,400 N ( 52 , 0 00 lb.) for eachBurning t i r ; e : 3 seconds


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Second StageProduced by McDonnell Douglas Astronautics T.J., usinga TRW TR-201 rocket engine; major contractors for the vehicle

inertial guidance system located on the second stage areHamilton Standard, Teledyne and Delco.Propellants: Liquid, consists of Aerozene 50 forthe fuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide (N2O4)for the oxidizer.Diameter: 1.5 m (5 ft.) plus 2 . 4 m (8 ft.1 attachedringHeight: 6 . 4 m (21 ft.)Weight: 6,118 kg (13,596 lb.)Thrust: About 42,943 N (9,6Sn lb.)Total burning time: 335 seconds

Third StaqeThiokol Chemical Co. TE-364-4 motor.Propellgnt: SolidHeight: 1.4 m ( 4 . 5 ft.)

Weight: 1,152 kg ( 2 , 5 6 0 lb.!Thrust: 61,855 N (13,900 lb.)Burning time: 4 4 seconds

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LAUNCH O P E R A T I O N S

The Kennedy Space C e n t e r ' s Expendable Vehic lesDi r e c t o r a t e p r e p a r e s an d l a u n c h es t h e t hr us t- au gm e nt edD e l t a r o c k e t c a r r y i n g NATO 1 1 1 - B .D e lt a f i r s t s t a g e and i n t e r s t a g e w e r e e r e c t e d onPad B on Nov. 3. The n i ne s t rap-on ro ck e t motors w e r emounted i n p l a ce a round t h e b a se of t h e f i r s t s t a g e onNov. 4 and 5 and t h e second s ta g e was e re c t e d on Nov. 8.The NATO 111-B sp a c e c r a f t was r e c e i v e d D e c . 1 5 ,c he ck ed o u t an d m ate d w i t h t h e De l t a t h i r d s t a g e . Thet h i r d s t a g e s p a c e c r a f t a s s e m b l y i s t o be mated w i t h D e l t ao n Jan . 2 0 , an d t h e p ay l oa d f a i r i n g whi ch w i l l p r o t e c t

t h e s p a c e c r a f t d u r i n g i t s f l i g h t t hr ou gh t h e atmospherei s t o be e r e c t e d a to p t h e v e h i c l e on Jan. 25.

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NATO 111-B SEOWWCE OF EVENTSAltitude VelocityEvent Time Kilometers/Miles Km/hr Mph

LiftoffSix solid motor burnoutThree solid motorignitionThree solid motorburnoutNine solid motor jettisonMain engine cutoff (MECO)First/second stageseparationSecond stage ignitionFairing jettisonSecond stage firstcutoff (SECO-1)Second stage restartSecond stage secondcutoff (SECO-2)

0 sec38 sec39 sec1 rnin 17 sec1 rnin 27 sec3 min 44 sec3 min 53 sec3 rnin 58 sec4 min 39 sec8 rnin 53 sec24 rnin 22 sec24 rnin 32 sec

05.96.221.4

25.992.698.4

102125.4160178178

03.73.8

13.31657.561.26378100

110111

0 01,398 8691,392 8652,949 1,8323,239 2, 1217,928 11,14017,953 11, 5517,928 11,14018 , 21 11,57126 , 52 16,62326,677 16,57627,166 16,880

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A1 itude VelocityEvent Time Kilometers/Miles ICm/hr MPhThird stage spin up 25 rnin 22 sec 181 112 27,155 16,874Second/third stage 25 min 24 sec 181 112 27,155 16,874

Thi rd stage ignition 26 rnin 6 sec 183 114 27,143 16,86626 rnin 49 sec 188 117 35,383 21,985Third stag e burnout

Third stage/spacecraft 28 min 2 sec 219 136 35 , 76 21,920

separation

separationTransfer orbit apogee 5 hours 42 min 35,796 22,237 6,487 4,031

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DELTA MANAGEMENT

The Expendable Launch V e h i c l e s Program O f f i c e i n t h eOf f i c e of Spq ce F l i g h t a t NASA Headquar t e r s is r e s p o n s i b l ef o r program management of t h e Del ta program. The D el taP ro j e c t O f f i c e , P r o j e c t Direc tora te a t Goddard Space F l ig h tC e n te r i s r e s p on s i b le f o r o v e r a l l t echnica l d i r e c t i o n a ndmanagement of t h e Del t a P r o j ec t .NASA He a d a u a r t e r sJohn F. Yardley

Joseph B . Mahon

Asso c i a t e Ad m i n i s t r a t o rf o r S p a c e F l i g h tDi rec to r , Expendab leLaunch Vehic les

Pete r T. Eaton Manager, D el ta Program

Goddard Space Fl ight CenterD r . Rober t S. CooperD r . W i l l i a m C. Schne ide rC h a r l e s R. GunnW i l l i a m R u s s e l l

Rober t G o s s

E. Michael Chewning

Tecwyn RobertsA l b e r t F e r r i s

Thomas K. SpencerRaymond MazurSea ton B. Norman

D i r e c t o r aD i r e c t o r of P r o j e c t sD e l t a Projec t ManagerDeputy P r o j e c t Manager,

De l t a / T e c h n i c a lC h i e f , M i s s i o n I n t e g r a t i o nand Analysis - NATO I11P r o j e c t Manager f o r NASAM i s s i o n I n t e g r a t i o nEngineer - NATO T I 1 Miss ionsDirec tor of NetworksDirec tor of Mission andData Opera t ionsNetwork Support ManagerMission Support ManagerCommunications Enginee r

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K e n n e d y Space C e n t e rL e e R. SchererD r . Walter J . K a p r y a n

G e o r g e F. Page

H u g h A . Weston, J r .Wayne L. M c C a l l

John J . D u n

N A T O / U S A F

D i r e c t o rD i r e c t o r of Space

V e h i c l e s O p e r a t i o n sD i r e c t o r , E x p e n d a b l eV e h i c l e sC h i e f , D e l t a O p e r a t i o n sD i v i s i o nC h i e f E n g i n e e r , D e l t aO p e r a t i o n sSpacec ra f t C o o r d i n a t o r

NAT O/DE L T A TEAM

C o l . R o b e r t L. H a y f o r d Program Manager, USAF/SAMSO

CONTRACTORS

A e r o n u t r o n i c - F o r d C o r p .Pa l o A l t o , C a l i f .

Spacec ra f t

M c D o n n e l l D o u g l a s D e l t a Launch V e h i c l eH u n t i n g t o n B e a c h , C a l i f .A s t r o n a u t i c s C o .

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