Polyus Docking Unit?

[David Lee Rickman]

No, the only reason was that the shell was made of reinforced carbon fiber and was not painted for weight conservetion

Are you referring to the "Polyus" itself or to the areodynamic shell which covered the TKS module during launch?

[Старый]

No, the only reason was that the shell was made of reinforced carbon fiber and was not painted for weight conservetion

 А это точно? Я гдето слышал что корпус был сделан из протоновского бака.

[X]

No, the only reason was that the shell was made of reinforced carbon fiber and was not painted for weight conservetion

Are you referring to the "Polyus" itself or to the areodynamic shell which covered the TKS module during launch?

I mean protective shell only.

[X]

I would like to know more about what Gubanov referred to as ..."черной поверхности." Why was the Polyus/Skif DM black? Was this vehicle testing a type of radar absorbing "stealth" material? If this is true then what of the lettering on its side? Was this lettering permanent or was this lettering itself a visual target?  And what of the TKS? Was it also black? Many, many questions :!:

I think, and this is my opinion only (speculations), that the SKIF color was black because of nature of the oncoming tests - optical. Black color will prevent dangerous reflection of sun light from body of satellite.

[David Lee Rickman]

I think, and this is my opinion only (speculations), that the SKIF color was black because of nature of the oncoming tests - optical. Black color will prevent dangerous reflection of sun light from body of satellite.

This is a very interesting speculation. Does anyone know of any other instance where any previous satellite has used this black color? Also, if I am seeing the photographs correctly, the .! and  -2 logos as well as the stripes are in silver color? This is very contrasting against the black. Was this just decorative or was there an intention here? :wink:

[ааа]

А какой смысл маскировать целевой модуль черной краской (или даже радиопоглощающим покрытием), если к нему прицеплен "демаскирующий" десятиметровый ФГБ, сияющий солнечными батареями и всем остальным? Его-то в черный цвет не покрасишь, нарушится тепловой режим.

[Старый]

Ну наверно чтоб со стороны выглядело как обычный ФГБ...

[ааа]

I would like to know more about what Gubanov referred to as ..."черной поверхности." Why was the Polyus/Skif DM black? Was this vehicle testing a type of radar absorbing "stealth" material? If this is true then what of the lettering on its side? Was this lettering permanent or was this lettering itself a visual target?  And what of the TKS? Was it also black? Many, many questions :!:

А вот что писал пару лет назад некто Shin:

История надписи такова: Обтекатель предназначался для следующей станции "Мир-2" в "большом" варианте, т.е. с базовым блоком именно таких нехилых размеров.
Да, и к "Миру" никто эту бандуру пристыковывать не собирался, там и узлов-то стыковочных не было.

А народ гипотезы строит, что же это за черная такая поверхность?

[X]

I would like to know more about what Gubanov referred to as ..."черной поверхности." Why was the Polyus/Skif DM black? Was this vehicle testing a type of radar absorbing "stealth" material? If this is true then what of the lettering on its side? Was this lettering permanent or was this lettering itself a visual target?  And what of the TKS? Was it also black? Many, many questions :!:

А вот что писал пару лет назад некто Shin:

История надписи такова: Обтекатель предназначался для следующей станции "Мир-2" в "большом" варианте, т.е. с базовым блоком именно таких нехилых размеров.
Да, и к "Миру" никто эту бандуру пристыковывать не собирался, там и узлов-то стыковочных не было.

А народ гипотезы строит, что же это за черная такая поверхность?

De/\o  B  ToM  4To  o6TekaTe/\b  eTo  To/\bko  4acTb  no/\i0ca.

A  ocTa/\bHoe  To  3a4eM  4epHoe?[/size]

[Старый]

Неплохо бы раздобыть фотографию Полюса в МИК.

[Bell]

Обтекатель предназначался для следующей станции "Мир-2" в "большом" варианте, т.е. с базовым блоком именно таких нехилых размеров.

Это что за вариант - "большой" !?!?  :shock:

[Bat]

Это что за вариант - "большой" !?!?  :shock:

См. соседний топик "Мир-2 быль или небыль?"

[David Lee Rickman]

There appears an image on the NPO Molniya web-site...

http://www.buran.ru/images/jpg/maxpaint.jpg

  In the upper left corner there appears to be a Polyus class station but with additional solar panels and a mysterious spherical shaped object on the front.

  David

[David Lee Rickman]

There appears an image on the NPO Molniya web-site...

http://www.buran.ru/images/jpg/maxpaint.jpg

  In the upper left corner there appears to be a Polyus class station but with additional solar panels and a mysterious spherical shaped object on the front.

I have been informed by Dr. Vadim P.Lukashevich of NPO Molniya that the station in this image is from the artist imagination.

David

[X]

There appears an image on the NPO Molniya web-site...

http://www.buran.ru/images/jpg/maxpaint.jpg

  In the upper left corner there appears to be a Polyus class station but with additional solar panels and a mysterious spherical shaped object on the front.

I have been informed by Dr. Vadim P.Lukashevich of NPO Molniya that the station in this image is from the artist imagination.

David

sick imagination.... :wink:

[David Lee Rickman]

I have been informed by Dr. Vadim P.Lukashevich of NPO Molniya that the station in this image is from the artist imagination.

David

sick imagination.... :wink:

It does make me wonder though. Would there have been a sufficient amount of energy produced by standard FGB solar panels to sustain the entire Polyus/Skif-DM complex :?:

David

[ааа]

Еще один факт в копилку относительно возможности стыковки "Полюса" с чем-либо. Он отделился от "Энергии", имея наклонение 65 градусов.
"Буран" запускался на орбиту с наклонением 51 градус.
Чем, собственно, определяется выбор наклонения 65 или 51 градус?
 

[David Lee Rickman]

Еще один факт в копилку относительно возможности стыковки "Полюса" с чем-либо. Он отделился от "Энергии", имея наклонение 65 градусов.
"Буран" запускался на орбиту с наклонением 51 градус.
Чем, собственно, определяется выбор наклонения 65 или 51 градус?
 

This was posted on FPSPACE 16 December, 2000 by Bart Hendrix...

I've checked on the intended inclination for Skif-DM/Polyus. Konstantin Lantratov wrote in a 1997 article in "Novosti Kosmonavtiki" that the payload was targeted for a 280 km circular orbit at 64.6 degrees. Interestingly, Boris Gubanov (chief designer of the Energiya rocket)  now says in his memoirs that it was 50.7 degrees (with a launch azimuth of 63.5 degrees).
He says that at some point there *was* talk of shifting to a higher
inclination orbit to avoid the risk of parts falling down on foreign
territory in case of a launch failure (more particularly Mongolia, China and Japan). Two possibilities were studied :
- launching directly into an orbit with an inclination higher than 55
degrees - performing a "side maneuver" during launch (what I think is called a "dog-leg maneuvre" in English terminology)

The direct launch option was considered the best, with preference being
given to a 65 degree inclination orbit. However, that would have decreased
the mass of the payload by 5 tons and would have required all sorts of other modifications. According to Gubanov a launch into a 65 degree inclination orbit would also have made it impossible to fly the mission from mid-May to August, because that would have placed the impact zone of
the strap-ons and the payload fairing right in the middle of the nesting
area of the pink flamingo (a level of concern for the natural environment
usually not displayed by the Russians with other launch vehicles....).
Because of all these factors and the fact that a launch failure resulting in
an impact on foreign territory was considered unlikely, it was decided to
stick with the 50.7 degree inclination.

I should caution that Gubanov only talks about the planned inclination while
describing the events leading up to the launch of Energiya. Perhaps it *was* changed to 65 degrees at a later stage (and I'm inclined to believe what Konstantin Lantratov wrote). There seem to have been several delays in the launch that could have given the time to make the necessary
modifications required for the inclination change. And with the launch
having taken place on 15 May 1987, that would have been just in time before the closing of the "flamingo window"!

[Штуцер]

Случайно нашел эту тему. Могу одозначно заявить, что никакого стыковочного узла на Скифе ДМ (он же 17Ф19ДМ, он же Полюс, он же Мир-2)
НЕ БЫЛО и не планировалось.

[ааа]

Случайно нашел эту тему. Могу одозначно заявить, что никакого стыковочного узла на Скифе ДМ (он же 17Ф19ДМ, он же Полюс, он же Мир-2)
НЕ БЫЛО и не планировалось.

А теоретически была возможность разместить тоннель к стыковочному узлу внутри отсека ДУ? Или там все было баками забито?