| astronautix.com | Chronology - 1981 - Quarter 4 |
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- 1981 Oct 1 - - 09:07 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
Photo surveillance; returned film capsule; maneuverable. References: 1 , 2 , 6 .
- 1981 Oct 6 - - 11:27 GMT. Nation: UK. Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Complex: SLC2W. Launch Vehicle: Delta 2914. LV Configuration: Delta 2310 s/n 639 / Delta s/n 157.
University of Surrey research microsatellite. Radio science; also carried amateur radio package. Communication and geophysics research satellite. Launch time 1127 GMT. Also registered by the United States in ST/SG/SER.E/59, with category D and orbital parameters 95.3 min, 531 x 533 km x 97.5 deg. UoSAT-OSCAR 9 was launched piggyback with Solar Mesosphere Explorer satellite. Weight 52 kg. Box shaped 740 x 420 x 420 mm. Deployable gravity gradient boom. Firsts: First on-board computer (IHU - Integrated Housekeeping Unit) for battery and attitude management, remote control, and experiments. Built by the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, UO-9 was UoSAT's first experimental satellite. It was a scientific and educational low-Earth orbit satellite containing many experiments and beacons but no amateur transponders. UO-9 was fully operational until it re-entered October 13, 1989 from a decaying orbit after nine years of service. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
Solar Mesosphere Explorer. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
- 1981 Oct 9 - - 10:40 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Complex: LC41/1. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
Investigation of the natural resources of the earth in the interests of various branches of the national economy of the USSR and international cooperation. References: 1 , 2 , 6 , 103 .
- 1981 Oct 9 - - 16:59 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Complex: LC200L. Launch Vehicle: Proton 8K82K / 11S86. LV Configuration: Proton 8K82K s/n 310-01 / 11S86 s/n 36L.
Provision of uninterrupted round the clock telephone and telegraph radiocommunication in the USSR and simultaneous transmission of colour and black-and-white USSR central television programmes to stations in the Orbita network. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 67 , 274 .
- 1981 Oct 14 - - 23:02 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Vehicle: Vostok 8A92M.
Replaced Cosmos 1154. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
- 1981 Oct 15 - - 09:21 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
Photo surveillance; returned film capsule; maneuverable. References: 1 , 2 , 6 .
- 1981 Oct 17 - - 05:59 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Complex: LC41/1. Launch Vehicle: Molniya 8K78M.
Replaced Molniya 3-12. Operation of the long-range telephone and telegraph radio communications system in the USSR; transmission of USSR Central Television programmes to stations in the Orbita network and within the framework of international cooperation. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
- 1981 Oct 30 - - 06:04 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Complex: LC200P. Launch Vehicle: Proton 8K82K / 11S824M. LV Configuration: Proton 8K82K s/n 311-01 / 11S824M s/n 5L.
Venera 13 and 14 were identical spacecraft built to take advantage of the 1981 Venus launch opportunity and launched 5 days apart. After launch and a four month cruise to Venus, the descent vehicle separated and plunged into the Venus atmosphere on 1 March 1982. As it flew by Venus the bus acted as a data relay for the brief life of the descent vehicle, and then continued on into a heliocentric orbit. After the descent vehicle braked to subsonic speed a parachute was deployed. At an altitude of 47 km the parachute was released and simple airbraking was used the rest of the way to the surface. Venera 13 landed about 950 km northeast of Venera 14 at 7 deg 30 min S, 303 E, just east of the eastern extension of an elevated region known as Phoebe Regio. The area was composed of bedrock outcrops surrounded by dark, fine-grained soil. After landing an imaging panorama was started and a mechanical drilling arm reached to the surface and obtained a sample, which was deposited in a hermetically sealed chamber, maintained at 30 degrees C and a pressure of about .05 atmospheres. The composition of the sample, as determined by the X-ray flourescence spectrometer, put it in the class of weakly differentiated melanocratic alkaline gabbroids. The lander survived for 127 minutes (the planned design life was 32 minutes) in an environment with a temperature of 457 degrees C and a pressure of 84 Earth atmospheres. The bus carried instruments built by Austrian and French specialists, as well as Soviet scientific equipment. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 67 , 274 , 296 , 428 .
- 1981 Oct 31 - - 09:22 GMT. Nation: USA. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral . Launch Complex: LC40. Launch Vehicle: Titan 3C. LV Configuration: Titan 3C s/n 23C-21.
Chalet ELINT satellite. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
- 1981 Nov 1 - - 22:54 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Complex: LC16/2. Launch Vehicle: Molniya 8K78M.
Covered Oko constellation plane 8 - 196 degree longitude of ascending node. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 100 .
- 1981 Nov 3 - - 13:12 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Complex: LC41/1. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
Area survey photo reconnaissance; returned film in two small SpK capsules during the mission and with the main capsule at completion of the mission. References: 1 , 2 , 6 , 69 .
- 1981 Nov 4 - - 05:31 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Complex: LC200L. Launch Vehicle: Proton 8K82K / 11S824M. LV Configuration: Proton 8K82K s/n 311-02 / 11S824M s/n 6L.
Venera 13 and 14 were identical spacecraft built to take advantage of the 1981 Venus launch opportunity and launched 5 days apart. After launch and a four month cruise to Venus, the descent vehicle separated and plunged into the Venus atmosphere on 5 March 1982. As it flew by Venus the bus acted as a data relay for the brief life of the descent vehicle, and then continued on into a heliocentric orbit. The parachute of the descent vehicle opened after the lander reached subsonic speed. At an altitude of about 50 km the parachute was released and simple airbraking was used the rest of the way to the surface. Venera 14 landed about 950 km southwest of Venera 13 near the eastern flank of Phoebe Regio at 13 deg 15 min S by 310 E on a basaltic plain. After landing an imaging panorama was started It has been reported that the surface analysis arm accidentally landed on one of the ejected camera covers and therefore didn't send back any data on the Venusian soil. This is visible in photographs sent back. On the other hand, the official account very specifically states that the mechanical drilling arm obtained a sample, which was deposited in a hermetically sealed chamber, maintained at 30 degrees C and a pressure of about .05 atmospheres. The composition of the sample was determined by the X-ray flourescence spectrometer, showing it to be similar to oceanic tholeiitic basalts. The lander survived for 57 minutes (the planned design life was 32 minutes) in an environment with a temperature of 465 degrees C and a pressure of 94 Earth atmospheres. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 67 , 274 , 296 , 428 .
- 1981 Nov 12 - - 15:10 GMT. Nation: USA. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral . Launch Complex: LC39A. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. LV Configuration: STS-2.
Second shuttle test flight. Payloads: Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications (OSTA)-1 experiments, Orbiter Experiments (OEX). Additional Details: STS-2. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 33 .
- 1981 Nov 13 - - 09:36 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
Photo surveillance; returned film capsule. References: 1 , 2 , 6 .
- 1981 Nov 17 - - 15:36 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Vehicle: Molniya 8K78M.
Uncertain if Molniya-1T model was Molniya-1 or Molniya-1T. Operation of the long-range telephone and telegraph radio communications system in the USSR; transmission of USSR Central Television programmes to stations in the Orbita network. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
- 1981 Nov 20 - - 08:38 GMT. Nation: India. Launch Site: Kapustin Yar . Launch Complex: LC107. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M. LV Configuration: Kosmos 11K65M s/n 47193-468.
Experimental earth observations. Launched from a cosmodrome in the USSR. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
- 1981 Nov 20 - - 01:37 GMT. Nation: USA. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral . Launch Complex: LC17A. Launch Vehicle: Delta 3914. LV Configuration: Delta 3910/PAM s/n 640 / Delta s/n 158.
- 1981 Nov 28 - - 18:08 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Complex: LC132. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M. LV Configuration: Kosmos 11K65M s/n 65093-121.
Eight satellites launched by a single carrier rocket. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
- 1981 Dec 3 - - 11:44 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Complex: LC32. Launch Vehicle: Tsyklon 3.
- 1981 Dec 4 - - 09:50 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
Photo surveillance; returned film capsule; maneuverable. References: 1 , 2 , 6 .
- 1981 Dec 7 - Nation: China. Launch Site: Wuzhai .
- 1981 Dec 15 - - 23:35 GMT. Nation: International. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral . Launch Complex: LC36B. Launch Vehicle: Atlas Centaur SLV-3D. LV Configuration: Atlas SLV-3D(R) s/n AC-55 / Centaur D-1AR s/n 5035.
- 1981 Dec 17 - - 10:48 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Plesetsk . Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M. LV Configuration: Kosmos 11K65M s/n 53775-120.
Amateur radiocommunication. Radio-3 to Radio-8 launched by a single carrier rocket. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
Amateur radiocommunication. Radio-3 to Radio-8 launched by a single carrier rocket. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
Amateur radiocommunication. Radio-3 to Radio-8 launched by a single carrier rocket. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
Amateur radiocommunication. Radio-3 to Radio-8 launched by a single carrier rocket. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
Amateur radiocommunication. Radio-3 to Radio-8 launched by a single carrier rocket. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
Amateur radiocommunication. Radio-3 to Radio-8 launched by a single carrier rocket. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
- 1981 Dec 19 - - 12:00 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
Area survey photo reconnaissance; returned film in two small SpK capsules during the mission and with the main capsule at completion of the mission. References: 1 , 2 , 6 , 69 .
- 1981 Dec 19 - - 01:10 GMT. Nation: USA. Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Complex: SLC3E. Launch Vehicle: Atlas E. LV Configuration: Atlas s/n 76E / SGS-1. FAILURE: Failure.
Global Positioning System. References: 5 , 278 .
- 1981 Dec 20 - - 01:29 GMT. Nation: Europe. Launch Site: Kourou . Launch Complex: ELA1. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 1. LV Configuration: Ariane 1 s/n LO4.
Launch vehicle test payload. References: 2 , 5 , 6 .
MARECS-A was a geostationary maritime communications satellite, which formed part of INMARSAT's world-wide maritime communications satellite network. MARECS-A moved to a new position on the geostationary orbit. Old position: 334E. New position: 22.5 E. The Marecs satellites were members of Inmarsat's first generation global maritime communications network. Additional Details: MARECS 1. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
Ariane L-04 technological capsule, ESA designator ESA/81/04. The technological capsule, equipped with batteries for a lifetime of about 6 orbital revolutions (65h), transmits to earth technological data about test flight L-04 of Ariane. After discharge of the battery the capsule will stop its transmissions and remain in orbit in an inactive status. Frequency 136-138 MHz, projected time of reentry before 1990. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
- 1981 Dec 21 - Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Kapustin Yar . Launch Vehicle: Vertikal.
Maximum Altitude - 1510 km. References: 98 .
- 1981 Dec 23 - - 05:31 GMT. Nation: USSR. Launch Site: Baikonur . Launch Vehicle: Molniya 8K78M.
Replaced Molniya 1-45. Uncertain if Molniya-1T model was Molniya-1 or Molniya-1T. Operation of the long-range telephone and telegraph radio communications system in the USSR; transmission of USSR Central Television programmes to stations in the Orbita network. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 .
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