Apr 8 1985
From The Space Library
I. V. Franklin, manager of future projects at British Aerospace Dynamics Group's Space and Communications Division, said at a recent international space meeting in Italy that British Aerospace had completed preliminary definition of a 50- by 60-foot-long, 24,250-lb. unmanned platform that Europe could develop as part of its Columbus space station program, Aviation Week reported. The platform would use a long beam as a common backbone that would contain docking ports for standardized plug-in payload and resources modules. A single Space Shuttle flight would carry the basic platform into orbit, and the company envisioned that astronauts could assemble it in six hours of extravehicular activity.
Franklin said the company would submit the platform proposal to the European Space Agency as one of the work packages in Europe's Columbus program. "The space platform is of particular interest to Europe, following President Reagan's invitation for international participation in the space station program;' Franklin continued, "because it represents an element with relatively few direct interfaces to the rest of the program. Although it is not a 'core' component, it would be an important component of the space station complex and [a component] in which there would be substantial European user interest. The platform provides a point for reducing space operation costs at a price that Europe could afford." In addition to evaluating the platform in low earth orbit in conjunction with the U.S. manned Space Station, British Aerospace also considered the platform in a polar, sun synchronous orbit. The polar-orbiting platform offered possibilities for earth observation and earth resources missions. U.S. officials had encouraged European development of the polar platform to supplement low earth orbit activities performed on board the manned Space Station and its associated free-flying elements.
"The polar platform does not need to work with a manned space station-and indeed, it cannot until a station facility is available in polar orbit," Franklin said. "The platform can be man-tended by a polar orbiting shuttle, although the shuttle's altitude is well below that of the platform." This problem could be overcome by using the platform's on-board propulsion to deorbit and dock with the Space Shuttle for payload replacement, repair, and maintenance and then return to the operational altitude.
Franklin concluded that the concept of a polar space platform was justified by the level of user interest in both Europe and the U.S. and by the relatively favorable economics when compared with other systems. "The polar platform does not require use of a manned space station, and it therefore is not paced by development of the space station;' he noted. (Av Wk, Apr 8/85, 60)
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