Shuttle and Mir

The new cargo ship, Progress vehicle No. 232 (Progress M-32) was successfully launched on Jul 31 by a Soyuz-U rocket. This was the first successful launch of a Soyuz-U after two failures. Progress M-32 docked with the Mir complex at the forward (-X) docking port at 2203 UTC on Aug 2. The old cargo ship, Progress M-31, undocked from the same port on Aug 1 at 1645 UTC and was deorbited over the south Pacific later that day.
Meanwhile, EO-22 crew commander Gennady Manakov has been taken ill and removed from the Soyuz TM-24 crew due for launch this month (the exact date is in question because of possible launch vehicle problems). The new crew is reportedly:

Komandir (Commander)- Valeriy Korzun, RKA cosmonaut (first flight)
Bortinzhener (Flight Engineer)- Aleksandr Kaleri, RKA cosmonaut (flew on Soyuz TM-14 in 1992).
Kosmonavt-issledovatel' (Researcher Cosmonaut) - Claudie Andre-Deshays, CNES (French Space Agency, first flight).
Currently aboard the station are the EO-21 crew of Yuriy Onufrienko, Yuriy Usachyov and NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid.

Note: A reader asked about the use of UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
It's the precisely defined equivalent of the colloquial GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), and is distinguished from other GMT type timescales like TAI (atomic time), TT (Terrestrial dynamical time), etc. which are different by under a minute. Since I don't often give times to the closest second, you can just read 'GMT' if you like.

The new external tank for STS-79, ET-81, has been connected to the solid boosters; Atlantis was towed back from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building today (Aug 13) and will be added to the new stack later today. The old stack will eventually be disassembled for refurbishment.

Recent Launches

Another successful Ariane launch - Arianespace flight V90 placed two European domestic comsats in orbit on Aug 8. Italsat F2 is a domestic Ka-band comsat built by Alenia Spazio for the Italian Space Agency, and is operated (and owned?) by Telecom Italia. The second satellite, Telecom 2D, is a Matra Marconi Space Eurostar 2000 satellite, owned jointly by France Telecom and the French Defense Ministry. V90 used an Ariane 44L rocket, with 4 PAL strapon rockets, an L220 first stage, an L33 second stage, and an H-10-3 third stage. The H-10-3 entered geostationary transfer orbit, and then released Italsat F2 which was mounted on a compartment called SMS (a nested bilingual acronym! SMS = Stretched Mini SPELDA, SPELDA = Structure Portuese Enceinte de Lancement Double Ariane, if I remember correctly. Way to go, ESA!). The SMS cover was ejected followed by release of the Telecom 2D which was stored underneath it. The two satellites entered a 260 x 36877 km x 5.3 deg transfer orbit. Both have US-built R-4D liquid apogee engines to raise their orbits to geostationary. Italsat F2 made its first burn on Aug 10, raising perigee to 9200 km and lowering inclination to 2.4 deg. Telecom 2D was still in its original orbit on Aug 11.

Note that Ariane flight V88 never happened; the press kit for the June launch was V87, and for the July launch was V89. I assume that the Ariane V501 flight has been retrospectively designated V88 (or V87) - can anyone confirm?

The Atlas AC-125 launch was from pad 36A. The Progress M-23 launch was probably from pad 1.

NASA's DC-XA reusable suborbital rocket was destroyed after a test flight on Jul 31 when it toppled over after touchdown.

The Martians

The McKay et al paper on alleged possible Martian fossil biota in meteorite ALH84001 is available on the Web at http://www.eurekalert.org/E-lert/current/public_releases/mars/Prerelease.htm. I am intruiged but skeptical.

Historical Note

Inspection of launch photographs indicates that the launch of 1963 Jan 16 from Vandenberg was a Thor Agena B and not a Thor Agena D as most records indicate. Can anyone confirm?

Table of Recent Launches

Date UT       Name            Launch Vehicle  Site            Mission    INTL.
                                                                           DES.


Jul  2 0748   TOMS             Pegasus XL     Vandenberg      Rem.sens.   37A
Jul  3 0031   USA 125          Titan 404      Canaveral LC40  Comsat?     38A
Jul  3 1047   Apstar 1A        Chang Zheng 3  Xichang         Comsat      39A
Jul  9 2224   Arabsat 2A  )    Ariane 44L     Kourou ELA2     Comsat      40A
              Turksat 1C  )                                   Comsat      40B
Jul 16 0050   Navstar SVN 40   Delta 7925     Canaveral LC17B Navsat      41A
Jul 25 1242   UHF F7           Atlas 2        Canaveral LC36A Comsat      42A
Jul 31 2006   Progress M-23    Soyuz-U        Baykonur        Cargo       43A
Aug  8 2249   Italsat F2  )    Ariane 44L     Kourou ELA2     Comsat      44A
              Telecom 2D  )                                   Comsat      44B

Current Shuttle Processing Status

Orbiters               Location   Mission    Launch Due
                                           
OV-102 Columbia        OPF Bay 1     STS-80  Nov 11
OV-103 Discovery       OPF Bay 2     STS-82  Feb 13
OV-104 Atlantis        OPF Bay 3     STS-79  Sep 12
OV-105 Endeavour       Palmdale      OMDP
                                          
ML/SRB/ET/OV stacks                       
                  
ML1/RSRM-56/ET-81          VAB Bay 3      STS-79 (new)
ML2/RSRM-54/ET-80          VAB Bay 1      STS-79 (old)
ML3/

* indicates changes from last month's calendar
To see the full calendar, check out http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/

September 1996

* Sep 02 - Soyuz TM-23 Return to Earth (Russia)
  Sep 03 - Asteroid Thyra at Opposition
  Sep 03 - 20th Anniversary (1976), Viking 2 Mars Landing
  Sep 04 - Galileo, Orbital Trim Maneuver #10 (OTM-10)
  Sep 04 - Venus Passes 3 Degrees South of Mars
  Sep 05 - Possible Venus Occultation of 58982 (6.4 Magnitude Star)
  Sep 06 - Galileo, 2nd Ganymede Flyby (Orbit 2)
* Sep 08 - Asteroid 476 Hedwig Occults SAO 108482 (8.7 Magnitude Star)
  Sep 09 - Galileo, Orbital Trim Maneuver #11 (OTM-11)
* Sep 09 - GE-1 Atlas IIA Launch
  Sep 09 - Comet Wirtanen Closest Approach to Earth (1.4917 AU)
  Sep 09 - Asteroid 1994 PC Near-Earth Flyby (0.1706 AU)
  Sep 10 - Echostar 2 Ariane 4 Launch
  Sep 10 - Asteroid 24 Themis Occults LU 2610 
  Sep 10 - Possible Mars Occultation of SAO 80009 (9.1 Magnitude Star)
  Sep 12 - STS-79, Atlantis, Mir Docking
  Sep 12 - GPS II R-1 Delta Launch
* Sep 12 - Asteroid 756 Lilliana Occults PPM 140711 (9.9 Magnitude Star) 
  Sep 12 - 30th Anniversary (1966), Gemini 11 Launch
* Sep 13 - Asteroid 966 Muschi Occults PPM 301068 (10.6 Magnitude Star)
  Sep 13 - 35th Anniversary (1961), Mercury Atlas 4 Launch (Unmanned Mercury)
  Sep 14 - Asteroid 1996 EN Near-Earth Flyby (0.1466 AU) 
* Sep 14 - Asteroid 756 Lilliana Occults 10.6 Magnitude Star 
* Sep 15 - Asteroid 712 Boliviana Occults PPM 203374 (9.9 Magnitude Star) 
* Sep 15 - Asteroid 816 Juliana Occults PPM 736373 (9.8 Magnitude Star) 
  Sep 15 - 5th Anniversary (1991), UARS Deployment from STS-48
  Sep 16 - Asteroid 1989 RS1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.1937 AU)
  Sep 18 - Loral DBS Atlas Launch
* Sep 19 - Asteroid 347 Pariana Occults PPM 298259 (8.6 Magnitude Star)
  Sep 20 - Possible Mars Occultation of 64658 (9.0 Magnitude Star)
  Sep 21-28 - National Astronomy Week '96, England
* Sep 22 - Autumnal Equinox (17:59 UT)
* Sep 23 - Asteroid 148 Gallia Occults PPM 153686 (9.3 Magnitude Star) 
* Sep 23 - Asteroid 6090 1989 DJ Occults PPM 142651 (9.8 Magnitude Star) 
  Sep 23 - 150th Anniversary (1846), J. Galle's Discovery of Neptune
* Sep 25 - Asteroid 481 Emita Occults PPM 95391 (8.6 Magnitude Star) 
  Sep 26 - Saturn at Opposition
  Sep 26-27 - Lunar Eclipse
  Sep 27 - Jupiter Occults SAO 180954
  Sep 28 - 25th Anniversary (1971), Luna 19 Launch (Soviet Lunar Orbiter)
  Sep 29 - Possible Mars Occultation of 67580 (8.7 Magnitude Star)
* Sep 30 - Dryden Flight Research Center's 50th Birthday (1946)

October 1996

  Oct ?? - Kompass Shtil-2 Submarine Launch
* Oct ?? - Bion-11 Cosmos Launch (Russia)
* Oct ?? - Progress M-33 Launch (Russia)
  Oct 01 - Asteroid 546 Herodias Occults PPM 182173 (7.6 Magnitude Star)
* Oct 02 - Asteroid 382 Dodona Occults PPM 117315 (8.6 Magnitude Star)
  Oct 03 - Mercury At Its Greatest Western Elongation (18 Degrees)
  Oct 04 - Asteroid Juno at Opposition
  Oct 08 - Galileo, Orbital Trim Maneuver #12 (OTM-12)
* Oct 08 - SAC-B/HETE Pegasus XL Launch
  Oct 09 - Draconids Meteor Shower
  Oct 10 - 150th Anniversary (1846), William Lassell's Discovery of
	Neptune's moon Triton
  Oct 12 - Partial Solar Eclipse
* Oct 13 - Asteroid 626 Notburga Occults 721360 (11.6 Magntiude Star) 
  Oct 15 - Insat-2D Ariane 4 Launch
  Oct 15 - Comet Machholz 1 Perihelion
  Oct 20 - Jupiter Occults SAO 187307 (9.1 Magnitude Star)
  Oct 21 - Orionid Meteor Shower
  Oct 21 - Possible Mars Occultation of SAO 98819 (8.8 Magnitude Star)
  Oct 22 - 30th Anniversary (1966), Luna 12 Launch (Soviet Lunar Orbiter)
  Oct 22 - Asteroid 1989 UQ Near-Earth Flyby (0.1505 AU)
  Oct 23 - Asteroid 4947 Ninkasi Near-Earth Flyby (0.2131 AU)
  Oct 24 - 145th Anniversary (1851), William Lassell's Discovery of Uranus 
	moons Umbriel and Ariel
  Oct 25 - 325th Anniversary (1671), Giovanni Cassini's Discovery of
	Saturn's moon Iapetus
  Oct 25 - Asteroid 4197 1982 TA Near-Earth Flyby (0.0846 AU)
  Oct 27 - Daylight Savings - Set Clock Back One Hour (USA)
  Oct 27 - Asteroid 3908 1980 PA Near-Earth Flyby (0.0613 AU)
  Oct 29 - Asteroid 243 Ida Occults GCS 18961636 
  Oct 29 - Asteroid 1991 VE Near-Earth Flyby (0.0853 AU)
* Oct 29 - Asteroid 1780 Kippes Occults PPM 70306 (7.1 Magnitude Star)
  Oct 29 - Possible Mars Occultation of SAO 98968 (8.8 Magnitude Star)
  Oct 29 - 5th Anniversary (1991), Galileo Flyby of Asteroid Gaspra
  Oct 30 - 15th Anniversary (1981), Venera 13 Launch (Soviet Venus Lander)
  Oct 31 - STS-80, Columbia, Wake Shield Facility (WSF-03)
  Oct 31 - Comet IRAS Perihelion