alternatehistory.com
Europe in space (15)
June 29, 1982
Jean Loup Chrétien was the first Frenchman into space. Late June 1982 he flew to the OPSEK-Mir space station for a week-long stay. Decades later he remebered that peculiar flight
“When the deal was done in 1979 we thought we would fly a good old Soyuz. But the following year the Soviets disclosed to the world a brand new manned spaceship, the TKS. It looked like the bastard child of Apollo and Helios. The VA manned capsule was Apollo-shaped and stuck to a large cargo section somewhat similar to Helios. Unlike Apollo there was no docking hatch on top of the VA. Instead, and much like Helios, was a hatch trough the heatshield. The TKS docked backward, just like Big Gemini.
So I went to OPSEK – Mir - aboard a TKS. The Soviet were proud of their ship, which made the Soyuz look utterly obsolete. I got plenty of training time aboard the VA capsule. The fact that it was Apollo-shaped was all the more interesting since, at the time, ESA has been offered CSM-119, the very last Apollo to be used in the lifeboat role. President Carter had refused to fund that, so a desperate Rockwell broke a deal with Europe.
My trip aboard the VA had an unexpected consequence: after comparing the VA and Apollo, the CNES decided the Apollo cone was the best capsule shape in the world (although Soyuz was equally good), and in 1983 this influenced Hubert Curien to start developing Solaris. Curien imagined a Solaris capsule with an Agena service module. It would carry an Italian MPLM on its “nose”.
Once in orbit Solaris would retrieve the MPLM stuck at the top of Ariane 5 EPC, through a 180 degree turn followed by a “transposition manoeuver” similar to Apollo picking the Lunar Module. Because the MPLM would block the view from Solaris, the docking would be automated, similar in fact to an Agena space tug.
Such piloted vehicle would be ESA own TKS or Helios.
...
THE GAMMA ENIGMA
French-Soviet cooperation in space dates back to 1966, with the visit of Charles de Gaulle to Moscow and the signing on June 30 of an open-ended Inter-governmental Accord on Scientific/ Technical and Economic Cooperation. The inclusion in this agreement of a large segment on French-Soviet cooperation in “the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space” provided the framework for formal cooperation in space activities generally. An umbrella agreement with no specific time frame of its own, the accord provided an institutional framework within which further agreements could be negotiated.
France and USSR cooperate on four key areas: scientific studies of space; spatial and aeronomic meteorology; space medicine and biology; and space telecommunications.
Forms of cooperation between France and the U.S.S.R. have ranged from exchange of data and information to a joint manned flight in 1982. The lion’s share of cooperation has fallen in data exchange and Soviet hosting of French experiments. But the first manned space flight is also viewed as a valuable landmark in French-Soviet cooperation.
Among the varied science projects is Gamma 1, by itself an intriguing spacecraft shrouded in mystery even for the French that have been working on it over the last six years.
A striking aspect of Gamma is its very long gestation; the program reach as far back as the early 70's. Work on the instrument payload for Gamma began in 1972, and French participation began in 1974.
Another intriguing aspect of this satellite is, unlike most of science satellites, it is based on a manned spacecraft – the Soyuz. According to the French the Soyuz propulsion system is used, but the descent and orbital modules are replaced by a large pressurised cylinder containing the scientific instruments. The French said that Gamma includes a passive docking port so that the spacecraft could be serviced; a crew could replace film cassettes and repair or replace instruments. To make a long story short, Gamma will be a "free flier" spacecraft that can rendezvous with a manned space station for on-orbit upgrade and refurbishment – somewhat like the Agena.
The question is – what space station ?
In April 1979 the Soviets offered the French a Soyuz seat within the frame of the Intercosmos program. Three years later Jean Loup Chétien flew to the OPSEK space station. It seems that the French sincerely believed that Gamma was to rendezvous with OPSEK and they actually proposed that Chrétien backup Patrick Baudry flew such a mission in 1985. Baudry would be launched to the OPSEK aboard a Soyuz, then he would wait for Gamma to rendezvous with the space station, after what Baudry would perform an EVA to upgrade and refurbish Gamma.
The Soviet answer to their proposal however stunned the French.
They were told OPSEK couldn't do the job, and that its lifespan was too short – old Salyuts last a mere five years into space.
In turns this meant that Gamma would rendezvous with a different, second-generation space station – but the Soviets stubbornely refused to talk about it with the French. Work on Gamma is continuing despite the French frustration. They are being told that, whatever manned spacecraft rendezvous with Gamma doesn't really matter since the Igla docking system is universal. The Soviets strongly insist the French should focuse on Gamma science payload and nothing else. Clearly, there is an enigma there – an enigma that can't last infinitely. Time will tell what space station will support Gamma in the future.
***
ESA, CNES AND THE MOONSHIPS
In the early 80's a desperate Rockwell requested Europe help to secure their Apollo space station lifeboat after President Carter denied funding for that program. Rockwell and ESA secured an agreement and the very last Apollo build – CSM-119 – was transferred to ESA. The European Space Agency had thus a unique opportunity to study a manned lunar ship. Meanwhile the French were working on a Soyuz flight, but also on the Gamma telescope that was to be derived from Soyuz.
Soyuz had been initially build as the Soviet Apollo, but the French didn't knew it. What the Western world didn't knew until Cold War was over was that Gamma was based on a leftover Soyuz 7K-LOK – a lunar ship.
During the Moon race no less than sixteen ships had been originally ordered. Of these, by February 1970, seven had been manufactured, although only three were being ground-tested for future flight operations. Two were launched on N-1 7L (which failed in November 1972) and 8L.
The N-1 booster 8L launched on August 7, 1974. The complete success of an automated flight, and the coincidence with the Watergate fiasco climax - Nixon resignation - had the Soviets revealing the existence of a lunar program, but no detail was given (since the system was not only largely inferior to Apollo, it was 5 years late !)
In 1973 OKB-1 chief Mishin knew he was going to be sacked with the lunar program cancelled. With the writting on the wall, Mishin fought to salvage as much as possible of the lunar hardware. With sixteen LOK (lunar Soyuz) on the production line, plus an unknown number of LK lunar landers, Mishin decided something had to be done. With the help of Baikonur chief architect Barmin, Mishin arranged to have the lunar ships put into storage in a corner of the MIK-112 assembly building, covered with tarps, and labelled "radioactive material" to keep Soviet officials away.
Mishin and his succesor Chertok fought to have the lunar Soyuz not scrapped but reused for different missions. Chertok first proposed Progress, an automated lunar Soyuz turned into a cargo ship for the MKBS-1. But that proposal failed because the lunar Soyuz lacked an internal transfer tunnel. Cargo would have had to be retrieved through an EVA, and that was not acceptable.
Chertok then proposed to turn lunar Soyuzes into free fliers for the MKBS-1, and there Gamma was born. The lunar Soyuz needed more propellant than the standard ship because it had to rocket out of the Moon gravity well to return Earth. So the propellant section was much fatter than the usual Soyuz. That difference was noted by the French astronauts that were to fly on Soyuz, and the French scientists that worked on Gamma in parallel.
So by a strange irony the French CNES didn't knew it, but through Gamma they worked on lunar Soyuz technology; while at the same time, CNES parent agency, ESA, was given an American moonship, Apollo CSM-119. Hence Europe was gathering data on both manned lunar ships of the Cold War !
Jean Loup Chrétien was the first Frenchman into space. Late June 1982 he flew to the OPSEK-Mir space station for a week-long stay. Decades later he remebered that peculiar flight
“When the deal was done in 1979 we thought we would fly a good old Soyuz. But the following year the Soviets disclosed to the world a brand new manned spaceship, the TKS. It looked like the bastard child of Apollo and Helios. The VA manned capsule was Apollo-shaped and stuck to a large cargo section somewhat similar to Helios. Unlike Apollo there was no docking hatch on top of the VA. Instead, and much like Helios, was a hatch trough the heatshield. The TKS docked backward, just like Big Gemini.
So I went to OPSEK – Mir - aboard a TKS. The Soviet were proud of their ship, which made the Soyuz look utterly obsolete. I got plenty of training time aboard the VA capsule. The fact that it was Apollo-shaped was all the more interesting since, at the time, ESA has been offered CSM-119, the very last Apollo to be used in the lifeboat role. President Carter had refused to fund that, so a desperate Rockwell broke a deal with Europe.
My trip aboard the VA had an unexpected consequence: after comparing the VA and Apollo, the CNES decided the Apollo cone was the best capsule shape in the world (although Soyuz was equally good), and in 1983 this influenced Hubert Curien to start developing Solaris. Curien imagined a Solaris capsule with an Agena service module. It would carry an Italian MPLM on its “nose”.
Once in orbit Solaris would retrieve the MPLM stuck at the top of Ariane 5 EPC, through a 180 degree turn followed by a “transposition manoeuver” similar to Apollo picking the Lunar Module. Because the MPLM would block the view from Solaris, the docking would be automated, similar in fact to an Agena space tug.
Such piloted vehicle would be ESA own TKS or Helios.
...
THE GAMMA ENIGMA
French-Soviet cooperation in space dates back to 1966, with the visit of Charles de Gaulle to Moscow and the signing on June 30 of an open-ended Inter-governmental Accord on Scientific/ Technical and Economic Cooperation. The inclusion in this agreement of a large segment on French-Soviet cooperation in “the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space” provided the framework for formal cooperation in space activities generally. An umbrella agreement with no specific time frame of its own, the accord provided an institutional framework within which further agreements could be negotiated.
France and USSR cooperate on four key areas: scientific studies of space; spatial and aeronomic meteorology; space medicine and biology; and space telecommunications.
Forms of cooperation between France and the U.S.S.R. have ranged from exchange of data and information to a joint manned flight in 1982. The lion’s share of cooperation has fallen in data exchange and Soviet hosting of French experiments. But the first manned space flight is also viewed as a valuable landmark in French-Soviet cooperation.
Among the varied science projects is Gamma 1, by itself an intriguing spacecraft shrouded in mystery even for the French that have been working on it over the last six years.
A striking aspect of Gamma is its very long gestation; the program reach as far back as the early 70's. Work on the instrument payload for Gamma began in 1972, and French participation began in 1974.
Another intriguing aspect of this satellite is, unlike most of science satellites, it is based on a manned spacecraft – the Soyuz. According to the French the Soyuz propulsion system is used, but the descent and orbital modules are replaced by a large pressurised cylinder containing the scientific instruments. The French said that Gamma includes a passive docking port so that the spacecraft could be serviced; a crew could replace film cassettes and repair or replace instruments. To make a long story short, Gamma will be a "free flier" spacecraft that can rendezvous with a manned space station for on-orbit upgrade and refurbishment – somewhat like the Agena.
The question is – what space station ?
In April 1979 the Soviets offered the French a Soyuz seat within the frame of the Intercosmos program. Three years later Jean Loup Chétien flew to the OPSEK space station. It seems that the French sincerely believed that Gamma was to rendezvous with OPSEK and they actually proposed that Chrétien backup Patrick Baudry flew such a mission in 1985. Baudry would be launched to the OPSEK aboard a Soyuz, then he would wait for Gamma to rendezvous with the space station, after what Baudry would perform an EVA to upgrade and refurbish Gamma.
The Soviet answer to their proposal however stunned the French.
They were told OPSEK couldn't do the job, and that its lifespan was too short – old Salyuts last a mere five years into space.
In turns this meant that Gamma would rendezvous with a different, second-generation space station – but the Soviets stubbornely refused to talk about it with the French. Work on Gamma is continuing despite the French frustration. They are being told that, whatever manned spacecraft rendezvous with Gamma doesn't really matter since the Igla docking system is universal. The Soviets strongly insist the French should focuse on Gamma science payload and nothing else. Clearly, there is an enigma there – an enigma that can't last infinitely. Time will tell what space station will support Gamma in the future.
***
ESA, CNES AND THE MOONSHIPS
In the early 80's a desperate Rockwell requested Europe help to secure their Apollo space station lifeboat after President Carter denied funding for that program. Rockwell and ESA secured an agreement and the very last Apollo build – CSM-119 – was transferred to ESA. The European Space Agency had thus a unique opportunity to study a manned lunar ship. Meanwhile the French were working on a Soyuz flight, but also on the Gamma telescope that was to be derived from Soyuz.
Soyuz had been initially build as the Soviet Apollo, but the French didn't knew it. What the Western world didn't knew until Cold War was over was that Gamma was based on a leftover Soyuz 7K-LOK – a lunar ship.
During the Moon race no less than sixteen ships had been originally ordered. Of these, by February 1970, seven had been manufactured, although only three were being ground-tested for future flight operations. Two were launched on N-1 7L (which failed in November 1972) and 8L.
The N-1 booster 8L launched on August 7, 1974. The complete success of an automated flight, and the coincidence with the Watergate fiasco climax - Nixon resignation - had the Soviets revealing the existence of a lunar program, but no detail was given (since the system was not only largely inferior to Apollo, it was 5 years late !)
In 1973 OKB-1 chief Mishin knew he was going to be sacked with the lunar program cancelled. With the writting on the wall, Mishin fought to salvage as much as possible of the lunar hardware. With sixteen LOK (lunar Soyuz) on the production line, plus an unknown number of LK lunar landers, Mishin decided something had to be done. With the help of Baikonur chief architect Barmin, Mishin arranged to have the lunar ships put into storage in a corner of the MIK-112 assembly building, covered with tarps, and labelled "radioactive material" to keep Soviet officials away.
Mishin and his succesor Chertok fought to have the lunar Soyuz not scrapped but reused for different missions. Chertok first proposed Progress, an automated lunar Soyuz turned into a cargo ship for the MKBS-1. But that proposal failed because the lunar Soyuz lacked an internal transfer tunnel. Cargo would have had to be retrieved through an EVA, and that was not acceptable.
Chertok then proposed to turn lunar Soyuzes into free fliers for the MKBS-1, and there Gamma was born. The lunar Soyuz needed more propellant than the standard ship because it had to rocket out of the Moon gravity well to return Earth. So the propellant section was much fatter than the usual Soyuz. That difference was noted by the French astronauts that were to fly on Soyuz, and the French scientists that worked on Gamma in parallel.
So by a strange irony the French CNES didn't knew it, but through Gamma they worked on lunar Soyuz technology; while at the same time, CNES parent agency, ESA, was given an American moonship, Apollo CSM-119. Hence Europe was gathering data on both manned lunar ships of the Cold War !
- Archibald
- Word Count: 1.4k