NASM: Nobody's Perfect.

For the longest time the Kosmos 1443 VA was displayed at the National Air and Space Museum as a "Merkur" capsule. Some would consider that "Merkur" not actually being a Russian word as the obvious error in the name. However, those that know the mind of Chelomei see this differently. Vladimir Nikolay always gave his creations the names of solid stones, minerals, or gems. However, while it will take time to reeducate the public as to the fallacy of this error, the Smithsonian has taken a proactive attempt by changing the plaque.

Here is a letter from a Smithsonian representative:

"Dear Mr. Rickman,

The National Air and Space Museum Archive reference desk forwarded your question about the Merkur spacecraft to me for response. In fact, we had originally mislabeled the spacecraft following a mistranslation of the original documentation on the shipping forms that accompanied the spacecraft to auction in 1993. The current label reads:

This Transportnyi Korabl’ Snabzheniia, TKS (Transport Supply Spacecraft) spacecraft was launched as part of an experimental military space station module, Kosmos 1443, in March 1983. The complex docked with the Salyut 7 space station, and the TKS returned five months later.

The spacecraft is fitted with seats for three cosmonauts, but it never had a crew. It was intended to ferry cosmonauts, supplies, and equipment into orbit, but the TKS and military space station programs were terminated in favor of another program.
Lent by The Perot Foundation"

Hmmmm, strike two. Nobody's perfect. Do you see the blatant error in this new label???

What is this?

I first saw this particular view of the rear docking port/airlock of the Almaz OPS 104 when I found it posted on Sven Grahn's "Space Place" website nearly a decade ago. To my knowledge this remains the only published photograph of an Almaz station prior to the attachment of the solar panels. While this image has greatly helped me analyze the structure and mechanics of the solar wings, it wasn't until recently that I realized the function of the magnified structure.

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There are eight of the structures: two upper, two lower, on port and starboard sides. But the function of these has eluded me. Are they part of the panel rotating mechanism? As it turns out, no. The solar wings don't rotate (more on that in another posting) and a variation of these structures exist on the Almaz T, which has no wings located aft. Are they navigational beacons, earth sensing equipment, strange antennae??? No. The answer is actually something so basic that the moment I realized their function, I hit my forehead with the palm on my hand. It was such a "DUHHHH!" moment.

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Do YOU know what they are? Think outside of the box, but inside of the Proton/Almaz transition collar and tell me what you think.

Suiting Up!

One of the key components of the Almaz capsule is the Sokol spacesuit manufactured by Zvezda. Originally it was the Sokol KR ("R" for "Regenerative") then went to Sokol KV. This suit differs from the version used in the Soyuz in that it is a two piece suit. The advantage of this design is that it is easier to suit-up in the Almaz capsule (a real plus in case of an emergency) and the tops and bottoms can be of different sizes for a more tailored fit. There were only six of the suits manufactured, so it's pretty hard to find one these days. In the book "Russian Spacesuits" there is reference to this suit but the two photographs are of an earlier prototype.

After five years of searching I found a gentleman in England who owns one of these suits. He has just taken 160 photographs of this suit and is sending them on a disk. I can't wait to illustrate it in all its detail.

Breakin' the Law, Breakin' the Law ...

The Great Soul, Mahatma Gandhi, once stated that "Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory." I consider the study and subsequent publication of specifications related to the"Almaz" orbital station, and thus illustrating Vladimir Chelomei's technical genius, to be a worthwhile accomplishment. God knows I've struggled through the drudgery of translating and deciphering the meaning of Russian text on the subject. It has taken years to find the answer to some of the most basic technical questions, while some answers still lurk in the shadows. Sometimes the search takes me to places I never expected to go. Much as I'm sure Gandhi never expected to appear in a soviet space techno-geeks blog, I never expected my search to take me on a somewhat unscrupulous, totally unplanned, and slightly less than covert operation to the other side of the law in our Nations Capital.


In August of 2003 my wife and I had the rare opportunity to take a vacation together. We didn't have much money, but we did have a halfway dependable car, and had recently purchased a tent and a couple of sleeping bags. We started discussing where we could travel that would give us the most bang for our buck. My wife wanted to visit the East coast and the Virginia Beach Area. I was able to steer her sights slightly north of that area by reminding her that her best friend lived in New Jersey, and if we went that direction we could probably spend a night there and see the Washington, DC area where most attractions are free to the public. Secretly, I had an ulterior motive.


By this time I was hooked on Chelomei's Almaz program and had acquired a modest collection of photographs from fellow soviet space enthusiast I had found on the Internet. A few images were low resolution shots of the Kosmos 1443; the Almaz capsule sold to Ross Perot at a Sotheby auction, then loaned to and displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and publicly branded with the misnomer "Merkur". I had previously contacted the Smithsonian seeking permission to examine this capsule and take non-evasive measurements and photos. They referred me to Ross Perot who replied that "Due to a need for additional security in this time of national ... etc., etc." Still, I was determined to at least see this capsule and get clearer photographs.


Three days, 480 miles, and two security scans later I was standing dismayed in front of the capsule of my dreams. Not only was there a glass partition separating me from the capsule (that was to be expected), but there was also a glass partition mounted with six screws over the hatch opening. The glare from the window behind the capsule reflected off the partition and back onto the hatch glass making it almost impossible to see in, let alone get pictures. It was also mounted so high that even on my toes I couldn't get a view of the top. And everyone knows that the top of the capsule is where all the good stuff is.


After getting a few distant shot and pacing for 15 minutes, I decided that I'd worked too hard and waited too long for this. I went to the information desk to ask if there was ANY possibility of getting a small stepladder or stool ... anything to get a better view of the top. I caught the attention of one of the museum's many Docents. This gentleman stood out, not just because he was older and taller than most of the articles on display, but because he had a gentle countenance that seemed to shine in every direction at once.


As I explained my situation to him the smile came across his face. "Here's what you do." He said, "Go over there," he pointed to the Security Station near the entrance, "and tell them you need to borrow a wheel-chair. Don't tell them what you need it for" he continued with a raised eyebrow, "just tell them that you need to borrow it, and have your Driver's License ready cause they'll need to hold onto it. Two minutes later my wife was holding the wheel-chair steady as I took a set of distant, but elevated photos.


As I was returning the wheelchair the Docent asked me if I got what I needed. "Yes," I said honestly "But I really was hoping to get some measurements while I was here." My honest response led to an interesting, and totally unexpected suggestion from the Docent.
"Well," said the suddenly much less ancient looking Docent "You see that Security Guard over there?" pointing to a portly guard near the hall where the restrooms are located. "Watch him for a few minutes and you might see that he has a very predictable route." I liked where this was going. "Now, I can tell you that there is a camera pointed at this display," the Docent continued pointing to the left the capsule, "and there is a camera pointed at this display," pointing to the right, "but there's no camera pointing anywhere around this area." he circled his finger around the general location of the capsule. That's all I needed to hear.


I got the camera ready and my wife and I started tracking the security guard. Sure enough, about every 2 minutes the guard went out of view for about 45 seconds. When he turned the corner I jumped over the barrier and ran up to the display. Standing on the platform house supported the capsule, and holding the camera above my head, I took several pictures of the top of one side. When the guard repeated this move a few minutes later, I did the same on the other side of the display. The third time I got three photos from a little more distance for scale; one level with the top, one centered, and the last even with the bottom of the capsule. My wife and I were ticked that we got these photos, and she was ready to move on and visit other displays. I had other plans. I still didn't get my measurements.


My wife waited while I ran through downtown Washington D.C. to find something to measure with. It took about 15 minutes, but I found a drug store which had an "Emergency Sewing Kit" complete with a 6 foot cloth measuring tape. Perfect!


When I returned I drew a quick sketch of the capsule and had my wife stand by with it. As soon as the guard was out of view I jumped the barrier once again and started measuring. My wife jotted notes as I shouted "seventeen millimeters ... forty-four point five millimeters ... eighty-six millimeters." It took a few rounds to get the measurement and a few days after we got home to get the photos back. And while I never did get to see the inside of the capsule, I did get most of what I wanted, I got some memorable comments like, "Daddy, is that man supposed to be in there?" And my wife and I have a trip we'll never forget.


Five years have passed since then. I wonder from time to time what became of the aged Docent. I like to think if he's passed on by now he's probably sharing some interesting stories with Gandhi. My wife has begun talking of another vacation to the DC area. There's a new American Indian Heritage Museum there which opened shortly after our last vacation. As I recall, it's right around the corner from the Air and Space Museum. I wouldn't mind going back to the "scene of the crime" and the capsule again. Only this time I'll have a different respect and appreciation for the Almaz capsule. I know so much more about it now than I did back then. I'd also like to think that over the last five years I've learned a little more about life too; about drudgery and triumph, beginnings, struggles, and victories, and this time it will be different.


This time I'm bringing a screwdriver!

A Small Sampling of Things to Come ...

Thought I'd give you a preview of "Things to Come". This is a section of quadrant four of the shroud covering the parachute and soft landing system (with a few minor details missing). I'm not a big fan of CAD when it comes to illustration, so I'm using the good old fashioned method of drawing this out line by line - quadrant by quadrant.

This is just a small sample of the covering. Wait till you see what's underneath!

She's a Beautiful Girl

While collecting images for my publication, I have acquired a couple very good photographs of the Almaz Crew Return Apparatus from Tim A. Maw. He captured these images in 1994 while visiting the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center; builders of Chelomei's workhorse carrier rocket, the UR-500 "PROTON".

For centuries men have been referring to sailing vessels in terms that would normally be associated with women. Everyone from Captain Kirk to Captain Crunch has followed this time honored and long standing tradition. I am no different. While looking at the high-resolution scans of the images Tim sent I find myself saying over and over, "She's a beautiful girl!"

Can you blame me? Just look at her ...

Get a Clue!

I'm sure most of you have experienced the challenge of putting together a puzzle - whether it be a 500 piece interlocking view of Big Ben, or the clues left in a murder mystery by Agatha Christie. Likewise, you have also felt the exhilaration of that moment when it all comes together in your mind, and you say to yourself, "I'VE GOT IT!"

If you look back through the archives of the FPSpace postings you'll see that I have presented many questions about the Almaz/TKS/VA program. Most have been about technical details such as the location of the VA's soft landing engines, or whether or not the Salyut-5 had a Synthetic Aperture Radar? I've gotten the answer to most all of these "little things," but there has been one line of questioning concerning the OPS-4 station that has always alluded me ... until now.

I received a couple of images the other day which intrigued me. It was a cross-section of an Almaz station which seemed "out of place". It was like finding pieces in that Big Ben puzzle which did interlock, but were not on the box cover. Then you realize that it is what it's supposed to be, but seen from a different perspective. And just like in that Agatha Christie novel, suddenly you realize that certain characters and events were not who or what you thought they were... and suddenly, "BAMMM, I GOT IT!!!"

Every answer has been there right in front of me the whole time. Every clue has been sitting right there in the Exhibition Hall (pronounced "myoo-zee-uhm") at NPO Mash. But, whether it be the result of misinformation or mistranslation, I've been looking at OPS-4 all wrong. There's a reason the thermal fabric on forward docking port is a different color than the rest. There's a reason the forward docking port is designed for a TKS, and not a Soyuz. There's a reason why TKS docking ports on the front and back of the station didn't change the classification of the station from Almaz to Zvezda.

I'm posting one of the two images I recently obtained from a source yet to be disclosed. The clues are all there ... some are not as obvious as others. Of course this copy of the image is much smaller and lower in resolution than what I've received, but it's all there. For those truly interested in solving the mystery here's a little hint. Don't just look at what's there ... look for what's missing!