Apr 20 1973
From The Space Library
Checkouts of the first two Skylab launch vehicles and their spacecraft, in position on Pads A and B of Launch Complex 39 at Kennedy Space Center, continued without major problems. Top program officials from NASA Hq. and Centers had completed the final flight readiness review of all aspects of Skylab, including launch and mission operations, spacecraft and experimental hardware, safety, range readiness, recovery, and flight-crew readiness. (NASA Release 73-81)
The appointment of Frederick A. Meister, Jr., as Deputy Associate Administrator of Plans for the Federal Aviation Administration was announced by FAA Administrator Alexander P. Butterfield. Meister would succeed Ronald W. Pulling, who had retired. (FAA Release 73-68)
The year's biggest congressional defense debate would be whether to proceed with the Trident submarine project, the Los Angeles Times said. The $1.7 billion requested in FY 1974 for the Trident was "the biggest single appropriation being sought for any weapons system." If the program went ahead, 10 missile-firing submarines would be built at a total $13.5-billion cost. Dept. of Defense officials said the Trident submarines were needed to compensate for the 62-41 edge in missile-firing submarines allowed the U.S.S.R. under the 1972 arms control agreement. Economy forces in Congress argued that an easier and less expensive way to guarantee continued invulnerability for U.S. sea-based deterrents would be to equip the existing Polaris-Poseidon fleet with a first generation Trident with a range of more than 6000 km (4000 mi). (Conine, LA Times, 7/20/73, 7)
April 20-30: Canadian domestic communications satellite Telesat-Bnamed Anik 2, Eskimo for brother-was successfully launched at 6:47 pm EST from Eastern Test Range by a three-stage, long-tank, thrustaugmented Thor-Delta launch vehicle. Anik 2 was placed in a highly elliptical transfer orbit with a 36 480-km (22 667.6-mi) apogee, 212-km (131.7-mi) perigee, and a 26.7° inclination. After checkout and reorientation of the spacecraft, the apogee motor was fired at 5:00 pill EST April 23, bringing the spacecraft into near synchronous circular orbit with a 35 709-km (22 188.5-mi) apogee, 35 604-km (22 123.3-mi) perigee, 1430.7-min period, and 0.1° inclination. The spacecraft was drifting 3° per day toward its final operational position off the west coast of South America.
Under NASA-Telesat Canada contract, the NASA mission objective was to place Anik 2 into an orbit of sufficient accuracy to allow the spacecraft propulsion systems to place it in a stationary synchronous orbit while retaining sufficient station keeping propulsion to meet the mission lifetime requirements. The objective was met and the mission was adjudged a success April 30.
Anik 2-second in a series of Canadian domestic communications satellites-was built by Hughes Aircraft Co. under contract with Telesat Canada and designed to provide transmission of TV, voice, and data throughout Canada for seven years. The spacecraft system provided 12 channels of communications to relay 10 color TV channels or up to 9600 telephone circuits. Two channels would be protection channels for the 10 traffic-carrying channels.
The spacecraft was 1.8 m in diameter and 3.4 m high (6 by 11 ft). At launch it weighed 540 kg (1200 lbs) and its orbiting weight was 270 kg (600 lbs). The electronics system was powered by 23 000 solar cells with sufficient onboard battery capacity to maintain service during a sun eclipse of the solar cells. Anik 1 had been launched Nov. 9, 1972. The two-satellite system would act as space repeaters to receive transmissions from earth stations and retransmitt them to earth stations in Canada. A third satellite was retained on the ground as protection against space failure of the first two spacecraft and could be launched in 1975 to expand the system if required. NASA would be reimbursed by Telesat Canada for costs of the Thor-Delta launch vehicle and services. The project was managed for NASA's Office of Space Sciences by Goddard Space Flight Center. (NASA prog Off; NASA Release 73-58; GSFC SSR, 4/30/73)
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