Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from beak.andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl@andrew.cmu.edu (->+dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl) (->ota+space.digests) ID ; Wed, 10 Oct 1990 02:35:05 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Wed, 10 Oct 1990 02:34:30 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V12 #439 SPACE Digest Volume 12 : Issue 439 Today's Topics: Payload Status for 10/05/90 (Forwarded) Payload Status for 10/08/90 (Forwarded) Re: disposal of N-waste into sun Magellan Update - 10/09/90 Re: Private Space Investment (2 oof 4) Re:Private Space Investment (4 of 4) Administrivia: Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to space+@andrew.cmu.edu. Other mail, esp. [un]subscription notices, should be sent to space-request+@andrew.cmu.edu, or, if urgent, to tm2b+@andrew.cmu.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 9 Oct 90 02:57:51 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: Payload Status for 10/05/90 (Forwarded) Daily Status/KSC Payload Management and Operations 10-05-90. - STS-35 ASTRO-1/BBXRT (at Pad-A) Experiment monitoring continues. BBXRT liquid argon servicing will occur today. - STS-41 Ulysses (at Pad B) Launch countdown support continues. - STS-38 DoD MMSE support (at VAB) The canister will be rotated to horizontal today. - STS-39 AFP-675/IBSS/STP-01 (at ccafs) At the VPF, GSE patchboard configuration will be performed. - STS 40 SLS-1 (at O&C) Module closeouts continue. - STS-37 GRO (at PHSF) No work is scheduled for today. - STS-42 IML-1 (at O&C) Module and experiment staging continues. - STS-45 Atlas-1 (at O&C) Experiment and pallet staging continues. - STS-46 TSS-1 (at O&C) Experiment and pallet will continue today. - STS-47 Spacelab-J (at O&C) Rack and floor staging continue. - STS-67 LITE-1 (at O&C) No work is scheduled for today. - HST M&R (at O&C) Development of the ADP for shipment of the M&R pallet to GSFC continues along with PETS preparations. ------------------------------ Date: 9 Oct 90 02:59:07 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: Payload Status for 10/08/90 (Forwarded) Daily Status/KSC Payload Management and Operations 10-08-90. - STS-35 ASTRO-1/BBXRT (at Pad-BA) Payload support for SSV rollover to Pad-B continues. - STS-41 Ulysses (in flight) No work is scheduled for today. - STS-38 DoD MMSE support (at VAB) The canister will be rotated to horizontal today and transported to the VPF. - STS-39 AFP-675/IBSS/STP-01 (at ccafs) Ground software development continues. - STS 40 SLS-1 (at O&C) Module closeouts continue. - STS-37 GRO (at PHSF) No work is scheduled for today. - STS-42 IML-1 (at O&C) Module and experiment staging continue. - STS-45 Atlas-1 (at O&C) Experiment and pallet staging continue. - STS-46 TSS-1 (at O&C) Pallet staging will continue today. - STS-47 Spacelab-J (at O&C) Rack and floor staging continue. - STS-67 LITE-1 (at O&C) No work is scheduled for today. - HST M&R (at O&C) Development of the ADP for shipment of the M&R pallet to GSFC continues along with PETS preparations. ------------------------------ Date: 9 Oct 90 15:19:57 GMT From: cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo!henry@CS.YALE.EDU (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: disposal of N-waste into sun In article <8797@milton.u.washington.edu> lamontg@milton.u.washington.edu (Lamont Granquist) writes: >How about dumping the N-waste into the trojan points 60 deg. head of and >behind the moon in its orbital path. Would this be a very stable orbit... The Earth-Moon Trojans are not very stable against solar perturbations, alas. You can do somewhat better with a kidney-bean-shaped "orbit" around one of the points. In general, though, if you want guaranteed stability for millennia, you want to be either underground on Earth or on the surface of the Moon. -- Imagine life with OS/360 the standard | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology operating system. Now think about X. | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry ------------------------------ Date: 9 Oct 90 18:09:26 GMT From: elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke) Subject: Magellan Update - 10/09/90 Magellan Status Report October 9, 1990 The Magellan spacecraft has now completed 177 mapping orbits of Venus, with good radar data recieved from at least 173 orbits. Spacecraft systems are performing nominally. Gyroscope B-2 remains off, and TWTA-A is being used for high-rate telemetry. Six of the seven star calibrations during the past 24 hours were successful with nominal attitude updates. The last star calibration failed because the star was rejected due to magnitude. The two desaturations were nominal. During the past 24 hours, commands were sent to readout the CDS (Command Data System) fault protection history buffer. This confirmed that thw swap of TWTAs on October 7 occurred just as the exciter was turned on to begin the first playback. Today, the command sequence for mapping load 283 will be uplinked. Intensive radar system tests and processor modifications performed during the past two weeks to test image swaths produced on October 8, confirmed that the end-to-end test performance is nominal. A review held yesterday determined that the radar system implementation should be frozen and normal production of data products initiated. The processing will begin with the reprocessing of data of orbit 367 taken on September 15 do take advantage of recently implemented SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) processing improvements. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| | | | | __ \ /| | | | Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |___ Jet Propulsion Lab | baalke@jems.jpl.nasa.gov /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| M/S 301-355 | |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ Pasadena, CA 91109 | ------------------------------ Date: 4 Oct 90 22:46:35 GMT From: swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!olivea!oliveb!felix!dhw68k!ofa123!Wales.Larrison@ucsd.edu (Wales Larrison) Subject: Re: Private Space Investment (2 oof 4) >A) A reasonably conservative proposal, such as a private launch >company relying on unmanned expendable boosters. Assuming existing technology, with an existing company (or at least very experienced management in manufacturing, marketing, and operations), with a proven (several orbital launches) vehicle, and several signed up customers - it is possible to get several hundreds of millions - but this would not be venture captial, but corporate long-term debt to be used for expansion, at 10-10 1/2 % annual. If you are looking to form a new company with a new launch vehicle, new management (little to no experience), and no current customers, then probably $10-50 million, at best. Look at E-Prime aerospace, or SSI, or Amroc. They all peaked their financing at less than $10 million, without a market. Given customers - then you can do much better. >B) A proposal which depends on developing a promising new >technology, such as a private launch company using rail/coil/gas >guns. See above, for typical ventures. The key here will be signing up some customer(s) to justify the loan to pay for the typical development and initial setup costs. At typical needs of say, $500 million in startup, then you need to get about $100 million in annual profit to pay off your debts (the venture captialist's 20%/year). At best, you could borrow at corporate rates (currently about 10%), so you would need a profit of $50 million per year to pay off that debt's interest. Assuming a high profit margin of 20% (typical aerospace profit margins are about 10%), that's sales of $250 million per year. (Note: this is equivalent, or higher, than the annual sales of any the large ELV launch companies). I think a good market assessment and market strategy would be essential here - and a good strategy to keep competitors from eroding your profit margin. >C) A more radical proposal, such as space tourism, using reusable >manned vehicles (such as Gary Hudson's Phoenix or Max Hunter's >SSX). Gary Hudson has been operating on less than small sums per year as a grant from the Rockwell Foundation, plus a small contract to study a specific propulsion technology from the DoD. That funding has been drying up. See above for a typical venture - again, the key is establish a market that can pay for the larger and larger cash streams needed. More speculative ventures, require a higher rate of return, and a larger market. The key for these type of ventures is breaking it apart into bite-sized pieces that can be funded and sold as smaller, less-risky ventures. (Or else, ask the government for funding...) >D) An even more radical, ultra-high risk, ultra-high profit venture >such as mining the moon or a near-earth asteroid. Surprizingly, these ventures are not seen as more risky than C). Their markets are more established, the products are more understood, and their technology is not any more risky. However, their time frame to profitability is much higher (a 4 year round trip to the asteroids is significant), and the typical startup investment is higher. So the rate of return has to be much higher, to cover the incruued costs of setup and investment. Again, we need to find a way to finance and sell bite-sized pieces of this as smaller, more near-term, and less-risky ventures. (cont) -- Wales Larrison Internet: Wales.Larrison@ofa123.fidonet.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 4 Oct 90 22:49:36 GMT From: swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!olivea!oliveb!felix!dhw68k!ofa123!Wales.Larrison@ucsd.edu (Wales Larrison) Subject: Re:Private Space Investment (4 of 4) OSC was still highly dependent upon only 2 projects - so they used their remaining cash and stock to buy Space Data Corp which has a steady income base in suborbital launch vehicles and tracking equipment. (Nov 1988) Space Data would also help to provide parts of the Pegasus. Finally, in April 1990 they successfully launched Pegasus, Darpa excercised their options for at least 4 more launches, they received their first non-Darpa payload contract (the Swedish Space Corp), and they were able to make a public offering. In May, OSC sold 2.4 million shares at $14 per share. Brian, each private space investment has to be seen as a different venture, each with different strengths and weaknesses. I would say the number one factor which is overlooked as each venture is the people involved. We concentrate too much on technology and the sexy side of the business with all the smoke and flame and hardware. We, the space advocate community, need to grow, educate, and train experts in all areas of business ventures and keep these people involved in pushing space ventures. Probably the most important factor in each venture is the integrity, honor, and committment of the people involved. And according to several venture capitalists I have talked with, they are the primary deciding factor in any venture. Right now, the biggest and best pool of talent to use is in the aerospace industry. Rather than going in as a cooperative venture, we might be able to siphon off that talent, or use it to further our aims. I work in the aerospace industry, not because I am committed to the "aerospace industry", but because it is the best way I can learn this stuff, see what is correct to do (and what is incorrect about it...), and get exposure to different parts of the game. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Wales Larrison Space Technology Investor -- Wales Larrison Internet: Wales.Larrison@ofa123.fidonet.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V12 #439 *******************