Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!qumix!qubix!sun!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-dvinci!fisher
From: fisher@dvinci.DEC (Burns Fisher, MRO3-1/E13, DTN 231-4108)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Satellite retrieval
Message-ID: <4152@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 7-Nov-84 09:50:32 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.4152
Posted: Wed Nov  7 09:50:32 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 10-Nov-84 09:46:11 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 29



Fact:

The AKMs were NOT fired on either Westar or Palapa at their scheduled time
due to the misfire of the PAM first stage.  They were fired later to bring
the satellites into a more reasonable orbit, and to safe them for the 
retrieval operation.  (Part of the retrieval operation involves jamming a 
pole up the AKM nozzle to make an attach point...not too safe when it is
full of unburned fuel).

Speculation and Inferance:

Plane changes are notoriously expensive in terms of fuel.  Thus it makes 
sense to me that the plane change should be accomplished mainly by the
PAM first stage, since that would mean that the first stage would not have to
push all the plane-change fuel up to a 22Kmile apogee.  Whatever the case,
of course, the errant satellites could not have been (except by enormous 
coincidence) in an equatorial orbit because the first stage failed and the
second stage was not fired as planned.

By the way, isn't the AKM, in this case, a second stage to the PAM, rather
than a built-in part of the comsats?

Burns 

	UUCP:	... {decvax|allegra|ucbvax}!decwrl!rhea!dvinci!fisher

	ARPA:	decwrl!rhea!dvinci!fisher@{Berkeley | SU-Shasta}