NASA News

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration
Washington, D C 20546
AC 202 755-8370

For Release IMMEDIATE

Press Kit
RELEASE NO: 77-152

Contents

GENERAL R E L E A S E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

STRAIGHT-EIGHT DELTA S T A T I S T I C S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

LAUNCH O P E R A T I O N S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
MAJOR DELTA S I R 1 0 FLIGHT E V E N T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

CNR MANAGEMENT..................................... 10

DELTA/SIRIO LAUNCH T E A M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

CONTRACTORS........................................ 11

Mailed:
July 28, 1977
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Washington. D C 20546
AC 202 755-8370

Fc lr Release
David Garrett
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE
(Phone: 202/755-3090)

Joseph McRoberts
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
(Phone: 301/982-4955)

RELEASE NO: 77-152

NASA TO LAUNCH SIRIO COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE FOR ITALY

The first Italian experimental communications satellite,

SIRIO, is being readied f o r launch Aug. 17 from Launch Com-
plex 17, Eastern Test Range (ETR) at NASA's Kennedy Space
Center, Fla., on a Delta launch vehicle. The launch window
is 7:40 to 9:00 p.m. EDT.

The satellite will be placed in synchronous orbit over

the equator just south of the west coast of Africa at 15
degrees W. longitude. From this position it will be able to
carry out various scientific experiments in the telecommuni-
cations field.
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Mailed:
July 28, 1977
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The principal experiment is designed for study of the

propagation characteristics of radio waves transmitted at
super high frequencies (SHF) during adverse weather condi-
tions including rain, snow and fog.

In addition to experimenting with various types of

technical transmissions, the Italians will acquire expertise
in advanced space technology while developing a low cost "bus"
for future communications tests. A whole segment of Italian

industry interested in space technology worked on the space-

craft and is expected to use the acquired experience in
future international space programs. The name SIRIO, which
is Italian for SIRIUS the dog star, is also an acronym for
industrial research oriented Italian satellite -- Satellite
Italian0 Ricerca Industriale Orientata.

From its initial on-station position, SIRIO will trans-

mit voice, data and television in the SHF range from Europe
to North America. The use of the SHF frequencies is becoming
necessary due to overcrowding of conventional frequency bands.

SIRIO is 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) in diameter, 2 m (6.5

ft.) in height including the apogee boost motor (ABM) and
weighs 3 9 8 kilograms (880 pounds) including the ABM.

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The Italian government research agency, Consiglio

Nazionale della Ricerche (CNR), is sponsoring the project
with coordination of the experiments under the direction
of Centro Studi Telecommunicazioni Spaziali del Poli-
tecnico (CSTS), Milan. A memorandum of understanding

dated March 13, 1970, governs the portions of the project

which are the responsibility of the Italian government and
those to be undertaken by NASA.

The Expendable Launch Vehicle Program Office in the

Office of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters, Washington,
D.C., manages the contract CNR has with NASA which stipulates
the launch support services NASA will provide until the
spacecraft is on station -- about 30 to 4 5 days after launch.

. Launch support services include the Delta 2313 launch

vehicle, launch from ETR and significant post-launch track-
ing and data acquisition support.

Overall responsibility for the satellite will pass to

CNR as soon as the spacecraft has been separated from the
launch vehicle although an Italian and American mission
control center team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Md., will actually handle operations until SIR10
is checked out.
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The ABM which puts the satellite in near-synchronous

orbit is scheduled to be fired at the fourth apogee of the
transfer orbit approximately 39 hours after launch. After
ABM firing, which will occur over the equator at approximately

6 3 degrees W. longitude, the spacecraft will be allowed to

drift easterly until it arrives at its final station location

of 15 degrees W. longitude. This drift phase should take 10
days. During this time spacecraft orbit and attitude maneuvers
will be performed to slow it and place it on station. At

the conclusion of on-station checkout, approximately 30 to

4 5 days after launch, all operational control of the satellite

will be the responsibility of the S I R 1 0 Italian Operation

Control Center (SIOCC) located at the Telespazio facility
at Fucino, Italy.
I

Direct responsibility f o r developing the spacecraft

under the overall supervision of CNR was given to Compagnia
Industriale Aerospaziale (CIASpA) in Rome. CIASpA used a
number of subcontractors in the project including Aeritalia,
Turin; CGE-Fiar, Milan; Galileo, Florence; Laben, Milan;
OTE, Florence; OTO-Melara, Las Spezia; SNIA-Viscosa, Rome;
and Selenia, Rome.

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G o d d a r d Space F l i g h t C e n t e r directs t h e D e l t a p r o j e c t

and M c D o n n e l l D o u g l a s A s t r o n a u t i c s C o . , Huntington B e a c h ,

Calif., i s t h e prime c o n t r a c t o r . K e n n e d y Space C e n t e r i s

r e s p o n s i b l e t o G o d d a r d C e n t e r f o r management of l a u n c h

o p e r a t i o n s over ETR.

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE. BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.)

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STRAIGHT-EIGHT DELTA STATISTICS

The Delta launch vehicle project is under technical

management of the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,
Md. McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co., Huntington Beach,
Calif., is the prime contractor. The two-stage Delta model
2313 has the following general characteristics:
Height: 35.4 m (116 ft.) including shroud

Maximum Diameter: 2.4 m (8 ft.) without attached

solids
Liftoff Weight: 1 0 6 , 0 0 0 kg (230,250 lb.) or about
116 tons

Liftoff Thrust: 1,278,000 newtons (286,500 lb.)

including strap-on solids
1,766,000 N (396,000 lb.) at 7+25 sec.

First Stage
(Liquid only): Extended long tank Thor produced by
McDonnell Douglas Astronautics., engines produced by
Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International.
Diameter: 2.4 m (8 ft.)
Height: 21.3 m ( 7 0 ft.)
Propellants: RJ-1 kerosene is used as the fuel and
liquid oxygen (LOX) is utilized as the
oxidizer.
Thrust: 912,000 N (205,000 lb.)
Burning Time: About 3 minutes and 4 8 seconds.
Weight: Approximately 84,700 kg (93 tons) excluding
strap-on solids.
Strap-on Solids: Three solid propellant rockets pro-
duced by the Thiokol Chemical Corp.
Diameter: 0.8 m (31 in.)
Height: 6.9 m (19.8 ft.)

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 Total Weight: 1 3 , 4 1 0 kg ( 2 9 , 5 6 8 lb.)
4 , 4 7 0 kg ( 9 , 8 5 0 lb.) each

Thrust: 6 9 3 , 9 5 0 N ( 1 5 6 , r ) O O lb.) total for three

231,317 N ( 52,000 Lb.) each

Burning Time: 3 8 seconds

Second Stage
Produced by McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co., utilizing
a TRW engine. Major subcontractors for the vehicle inertial
guidance system located on the second stage are Hamilton-
Standard Division of United Technologies Corp., Windsor Locks,
Conn.; and Teledyne, Inc., Los Angeles.
Propellants: Liquid -- Aerozene 50 f o r the fuel and
nitrogen tetroxide (N204) f o r the oxidizer.
Diameter: 1.5 m ( 5 ft.) plus 2 . 4 m (8 ft.) attached
ring
Height: 5 . 2 m (17 ft.)

Weight: 6 , 2 1 0 kg ( 6 . 8 tons)

Thrust: About 42,30'3 N (9,500 lb.)

Total Burning Time: 3 3 5 seconds

Third Stage
Thiokol Chemical Corp. T E - 3 6 5 - 3 motor.
Propellant: Solid
Height: 1.09 m ( 4 3 in.)

Weight: 7 1 8 kg ( 1 , 5 8 2 Ib.)

Thrust: 4 2 , 1 6 9 N ( 9 , 4 8 0 lb.)

Burning Time: 4 4 seconds

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 LAUNCH OPERATIONS

The Kennedy Space C e n t e r ' s Expendable V e h i c l e s

D i r e c t o r a t e p l a y s a key r o l e i n t h e p r e p a r a t i o n and l a u n c h
of t h e thrust-augmented D e l t a r o c k e t c a r r y i n g SIRIO.

D e l t a 1 3 3 w i l l be launched from Pad B , s o u t h e r n m o s t

of t h e t w o l a u n c h pads a t Complex 1 7 , Cape C a n a v e r a l A i r
Force S t a t i o n , F l a .
The D e l t a f i r s t s t a g e and i n t e r s t a g e w e r e e r e c t e d on
Pad B J u l y 2 0 . The t h r e e s o l i d s t r a p - o n r o c k e t motors w e r e
mounted i n p l a c e around t h e base of t h e f i r s t s t a g e and t h e
second s t a g e w a s e r e c t e d J u l y 2 1 .
The S I R I O s p a c e c r a f t was r e c e i v e d a t Kennedy C e n t e r
June 30 and underwent i n i t i a l p r o c e s s i n g i n t h e S a t e l l i t e
Assembly B u i l d i n g . I t w a s l a t e r moved t o the D e l t a S p i n
T e s t F a c i l i t y and mated w i t h t h e D e l t a t h i r d s t a g e . The
t h i r d s t a g e / s p a c e c r a f t assembly i s t o be moved t o Pad B and
mated w i t h D e l t a 1 3 3 Aug. 1 0 . The p a y l o a d f a i r i n g which i s
t o p r o t e c t t h e s p a c e c r a f t on i t s f l i g h t t h r o u g h t h e atmos-
p h e r e i s t o be p u t i n p l a c e Aug. 1 6 .

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MAJOR DELTA S I R 1 0 F L I G H T EVENTS

Event -
Time

Liftoff 0 sec.

S o l i d Motor Burnout 38 sec.

S o l i d Motor J e t t i s o n 1 min. 1 0 sec.

Main Engine Cutoff (MECO) 3 min. 48 sec.

First/Second Stage Separation 3 min. 56 sec.

Second S t a g e I g n i t i o n 1 4 min. 1 sec.

Fairing Jettison 4 min. 5 5 sec.

Second Engine C u t o f f 1 (SECO-1) 8 min. 5 4 sec.

Second S t a g e I g n i t i o n 2 2 1 min. 4 5 sec.

Second Engine C u t o f f 2 (SECO 2 ) 2 2 min. 8 sec.

T h i r d S t a g e Spin-Up 23 min. 7 sec.

Second/Third S t a g e S e p a r a t i o n 23 min. 9 sec.

Third Stage I g n i t i o n 23 min. 5 1 sec.

T h i r d S t a g e Burnout 2 4 min. 35 sec.

Third Stage/Spacecraft Separation 25 m i n . 47 sec.

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CNR MANAGEMF,NT

CNR H e a d q u a r t e r s

Prof. E r n e s t o Q u a y l i a r i e l l o President

Dr. E r n e s t o Mango S e c r e t a r y General

P r o f . Francesco Scandone Director o f Space A c t i v i t y

Service

DELTA/SIRIO LAUNCH TEAM

CNR

Dr. Massirno Macchia S I R 1 0 P r o j e c t Manager

Prof. Francesco C a r a s s a Program S c i e n t i s t

Ing. S t e f a n o Trumpy F l i g h t O p e r a t i o n s Manager

Dr, Giangrende B a r r e s i Launch O p e r a t i o n s Manager

NASA H e a d q u a r t e r s

John F. Yardley Associate A d m i n i s t r a t o r

f o r Space F l i g h t

J o s e p h B, Mahon Director o f Expendable

Launch V e h i c l e Programs

Peter T. Eaton Manager, D e l t a Program

Goddard Space F l i g h t C e n t e r

Dr. Robert S. Cooper Director

Dr. W i l l i a m C. Schneider D i r e c t o r of P r o j e c t Management

Robert C. Baumann A c t i n g D e l t a P r o j e c t Manager

W i l l i a m R. Russell Deputy Delta P r o j e c t

Manager, T e c h n i c a l

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Goddard Center (coht'd. )

R o b e r t Goss C h i e f , Mission A n a l y s i s and

I n t e g r a t i o n Branch, D e l t a
P r o j e c t O f f i c e ; NASA
Manager f o r SIR10

E. Michael Chewning D e l t a Mission I n t e g r a t i o n

Manager

Thomas C. Moore Mission O p e r a t i o n s Manager

Edward Lowe Network S u p p o r t Manager

John Walker Network O p e r a t i o n s Manager

Kennedy Space C e n t e r

L e e R. Scherer Director

G e r a l d D. Griffin Deputy D i r e c t o r

Dr. Walter J. Kapryan Director, Space Vehicles

Operations

George F. Page D i r e c t o r , Expendable Vehicles

Hugh A. Weston, Jr. Chief, D e l t a Operations

Division

B e r t L. Grenville Complex 1 7 O p e r a t i o n s Manager

David Bragdon S p a c e c r a f t Coordinator

CONTRACTORS

Compagnia I n d u s t r i a l e Spacecraft
A e r o s p a z i a l e SPA, Rome

McDonnell Douglas D e l t a Launch V e h i c l e

Astronautics Co.
Huntington Beach, C a l i f .

T e l e s p a z i a SPA, Rome Ground S u p p o r t

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