🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <phfrom.413@nyx.uni-konstanz.de> phfrom@nyx.uni-konstanz.de (Hartmut Frommert) writes:
>ewright@convex.com (Edward V. Wright) writes:
>
>>You heard wrong.  One MOL flew (unmanned).
>
>Could somebody provide data ?

A mockup station (really just empty Titan tankage somewhat similar in 
size to a real station) and the first test capsule (which I believe 
was the refitted Gemini 2 capsule (with the new hatch in the heatshield)
were launched around 1970.  
Spaceflight magazine did a good history on MOL many years ago.  The flight 
was interesting since during launch the second stage first put the Gemini
capsule on a suborbital trajectory to test the heatshield during reentry,
then the second stage continued to place the mockup station in orbit
along with some sub-satellites later ejected from the mockup, or something
like that.

MOL also helped prompt the Russian Almaz military station program which
ran from the late 60's up to the mid 80's.  Almaz was originally to
consist of a station (like eventually flew as Salyut 2,3,5) with a
Star Module (TSK) type reentry capsule.  To launch cosmonauts to
the station Cheif Designer Chemoley also wanted to use his TSK (which
later flew as Kosmos 929,1267,1443,1868). His project was cut down
to using Korolev's Soyuz for transport and removing the large capsule
from the station (leaving just a small film return capsule).  These
stations were flown in the 1970's (Salyut 2,3,5).  The Korolev KB was
able to reuse much of Chelomey's station design in Salyut 1 (DOS) and later
stations. Now, the basic TSK design is reused for Mir modules Kvant 2,
Kristall, etc... The long mysterious Kosmos 881/882, 997/998, 1100/1101
dual launches once associated with space planes are now reported to be 
test flights of 2 TSK capsules.

A new larger 35,000 kg. Almaz station was proposed for use
in the 1980's to continue the military program but it was cancelled.
The last military space station missions planned apparently were the
Pion missions where were to use the Kosmos 1686 attached to Salyut 7.

MOL may not be considered a successful program, but it did help prompt
quite a reaction from the Soviets and gave their civilian program
a lot of useful designs to build on.

Dennis Newkirk (dennisn@ecs.comm.mot.com)
Motorola, Land Mobile Products Sector
Schaumburg, IL