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 ; Fri, 12 Oct 1990 02:19:50 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Fri, 12 Oct 1990 02:18:56 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V12 #448 SPACE Digest Volume 12 : Issue 448 Today's Topics: Re: Magellan Update - 10/09/90 Ulysses Update - 10/10/90 Ulysses Update #2 - 10/11/90 Re: N-waste sea water dilution Re: N-waste sea water dilution ulysses and galileo questions Ulysses Update - 10/11/90 Re: disposal of N-waste into sun Deep Space Network use (Was: Ulysses Update - 10/06/90) Re: Wanted: GIF of Solar Eclipse. 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: 11 Oct 90 18:19:29 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!samsung!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!anita@ucsd.edu (Anita Cochran) Subject: Re: Magellan Update - 10/09/90 In article <1990Oct9.205120.5486@jato.jpl.nasa.gov>, baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke) writes: : In article <10856@hubcap.clemson.edu> sandi@hubcap.clemson.edu (Sandi Piazza) writes: : >> : >> The Magellan spacecraft has now completed 177 mapping orbits of Venus, : >> with good radar data recieved from at least 173 orbits. Spacecraft systems : > : > This is probably a dumb question, but I'll ask anyway. What is going to : > be done about getting the information missed in the 4 orbits for which : > there was no good data received? : : It will pick up the missing data during the extended mission. The primary : mission is only going to last 243 days, which is the length of one Venus : rotation. : All of these missing gaps are expected to : be recovered during the extended mission. What Ron answered is true but only sort of. The plan is to fill the gaps during the extended mission. Also to do the gravity field measurements. However, the extended mission is not currently funded (of course, no one knows what is in NASA's budget due to the budget hassles but that should clear up soon). Magellan is currently funded only through April 1991 which is the end of the nominal mission (1 Venus rotation). As of Tuesday, NASA did not know where the funds for the extended mission were coming from. They are trying hard to find it because they believe in it strongly. Actually, Magellan is not NASA's only funding woe. Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) is in serious trouble since it is not in the Senate budget (it is in the house budget). If CRAF is lost, Cassini could also possibly be lost since many of the startup costs are in CRAF and they costs rely on mission commanality. Mars Observer also has problems: the instruments and the space craft are possibly behind schedule and Congress removed $15M for a MO enhancement, $10M of which was actually for MO operations. Lunar observer was totally taken out of the budget since Congress associated it with the Space Exploration Initiative and Congress doesn't like SEI this week. So everyone, write to your congressman and Senators and tell them what a good thing the Planetary exploration program is for the nation: It is very successful, brings in good basic knowledge, keeps the US at the forefront of technology in space, trains scientists and engineers and IT IS DAMN EXCITING! For letters to congressman, it is The Honorable whomever House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 For letters to Senators, it is The Honorable whomever Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (Each Senator and Congressman has an office number but it will get there with this general address). Key peopl are Bob Traxler and Bill Green in the House and Barbara Mikulski and Jake Garn in the Senate. However, your senators and congressman are also critical. -- Anita Cochran arpa: anita@binkley.as.utexas.edu anita@astro.as.utexas.edu snail: Astronomy Dept., The Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712 at&t: (512) 471-1471 ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 90 18:50:13 GMT From: usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@ucsd.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/10/90 ULYSSES MISSION STATUS October 10, 1990 Four days after launch, the Ulysses spacecraft is being tracked continuously by the NASA/JPL Deep Space Network (DSN) in order to make an extremely precise determination of its current flight path in space. Using that information, ground controllers will command Ulysses to fire its onboard thrusters in a trajectory correction maneuver Monday and Tuesday, October 15-16, to fine- tune its course toward Jupiter. As Ulysses moves outward from the orbit of Earth, its speed in relation to Earth has been gradually slowing to about 25,380 miles per hour at 12 noon Pacific Daylight Time today. The craft's speed in relation to the Sun, on the other hand, has been steadily increasing to 91,850 miles per hour. Distance from Earth is about 3.07 million miles. All onboard systems were operating normally. The next significant event scheduled will be the pointing of Ulysses's high-gain antenna dish toward Earth on Thursday through Saturday, October 11-13. Shortly after a trajectory correction maneuver October 15-16, the craft's nine instruments will be turned on over a period spanning about 6-1/2 weeks. The five-year mission to study the Sun's poles and interstellar space beyond the poles is conducted jointly by NASA/JPL and the European Space Agency. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| | | | | __ \ /| | | | Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |___ Jet Propulsion Lab | baalke@jems.jpl.nasa.gov /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| M/S 301-355 | |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ Pasadena, CA 91109 | ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 90 21:32:25 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!forsight!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@ucsd.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: Ulysses Update #2 - 10/11/90 ULYSSES MISSION STATUS October 11, 1990 The Ulysses spacecraft this morning began a complex series of maneuvers continuing today and Friday, October 12, firing its thrusters to turn the large dish of the spacecraft's high-gain antenna toward Earth. Since launch, the craft's high-gain antenna has been pointed nearly 180 degrees away from Earth because of the way Ulysses was mounted atop the booster rockets that sent it on its initial trajectory. Communication with Earth has been maintained through the spacecraft's low-gain antennas. Orienting the high- gain antenna toward Earth will allow the spacecraft to use considerably higher data rates in communicating with Earth. Operations reorienting the high-gain antenna will conclude Saturday, October 13, with tests to measure how accurately the antenna pointing was completed and to calibrate the system which keeps the antenna locked on Earth. On Monday and Tuesday, October 15-16, Ulysses will again fire its thrusters in a trajectory correction maneuver to fine-tune its flight path toward Jupiter. Shortly after that maneuver, the craft's nine science instruments will be turned on over a 6-1/2-week period. All onboard systems were operating normally. At 12 noon Pacific Daylight Time today, Ulysses was 3.68 million miles from Earth and traveling at a velocity of 25,372 miles per hour in relation to Earth, and at a velocity of 91,900 miles per hour in relation to the Sun. The five-year mission to study the Sun's poles and interstellar space beyond the poles is conducted jointly by the European Space Agency and NASA/JPL. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| | | | | __ \ /| | | | Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |___ Jet Propulsion Lab | baalke@jems.jpl.nasa.gov /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| M/S 301-355 | |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ Pasadena, CA 91109 | ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 90 21:28:34 GMT From: voder!dtg.nsc.com!alan@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Alan Hepburn) Subject: Re: N-waste sea water dilution In article <1990Oct10.180030.8211@cpsc.ucalgary.ca> hermann@cs-sun-fsc.cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Michael Hermann) writes: +In article <1452@blenheim.nsc.com> alan@spitfire.nsc.com (Alan Hepburn) writes: +>Picture this: a supertanker modified slightly so that the nuclear +>waste starts out in the bow tank, being diluted 100:1 with sea water. +>This mix is then pumped to the next tank where it is diluted 100:1 with +>sea water. And so on till the last tank, which is pumped into the open +>ocean. You would be unable to detect other than background radiation +>in the resulting water. + +Gee, that's such a good idea. We could even do the same thing on land. +Perhaps in the desert. Or normal garbage headed for the landfill. I'm sure +Mr. Hepburn wouldn't mind us using his local landfill site. Afterall, one +backyard is as good as another. + +I hope you were joking. + +| Mike Hermann | hermann@cpsc.ucalgary.ca ..!uunet!ubc-cs!calgary!hermann +_Organized_ religion is like organized crime: it preys on peoples' weaknesses, +generates huge profits, and is nearly impossible to eradicate. +-- +| Mike Hermann | hermann@cpsc.ucalgary.ca ..!uunet!ubc-cs!calgary!hermann +_Organized_ religion is like organized crime: it preys on peoples' weaknesses, +generates huge profits, and is nearly impossible to eradicate. My point was that sufficient dilution would render the waste harmless. The human race is not creating radioactivity; it is merely concentrating that which is already here. By unconcentrating what we concentrate, we are merely returning it to its natural form. What is a cubic metre of any material when diluted with of cubic metres of seawater? Try this experiment: place 1 ounce of food colouring into a large (say 10,000 gallons) tank of clear water. Will it be detectable? -- Alan Hepburn "It is better to know nothing than to know mail: alan@spitfire.nsc.com what ain't so." - Josh Billings ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 90 23:34:04 GMT From: uceng!dmocsny@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (daniel mocsny) Subject: Re: N-waste sea water dilution In article <1456@blenheim.nsc.com> alan@spitfire.nsc.com (Alan Hepburn) writes: >The human race is not creating radioactivity; it is merely concentrating >that which is already here. Not strictly true. Unconcentrated uranium undergoes spontaneous fission at a very slow rate compared to other radioactive decay pathways. So we are vastly increasing the amount of fission products. Some of these are much hotter than the original ore, even after dilution to the original concentration. But the more radioactive a substance is, the faster it decays. So after 600 years or so, the fission wastes are down to the original level of radioactivity, and thereafter we come out ahead. In the short run (i.e., our lifetimes, and the lifetimes of the next 30 generations), the human race is creating radioactivity. In the long run, we are destroying radioactivity. dmocsny@uceng.uc.edu ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 90 17:46:57 GMT From: att!cbnewsc!kca@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (k.c.archie) Subject: ulysses and galileo questions Ulysses is going to get to Jupiter in about 14 months, or so I understand. This is because of the multi-stage rocket attached. Why couldn't this be used with Galileo? Is it too big? Second, why will it take so much longer for Ulysses to get back to the sun from Jupiter? Or do I just have the timelines wrong? Thanks in advance, **kent kca@iwtqg.att.com ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 90 18:16:58 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@ucsd.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/11/90 Ulysses Status Report October 11, 1990 The Ulysses spacecraft is now 3,070,740 miles from Earth. It is traveling 91,700 mph relative to the sun, and 25,367 mph relative to Earth. The spacecraft is spinning at 4.7 rpm with a solar aspect angle of 86.56 degrees. The telemetry bit rate is at 1024 bits/second, and the RTG power output is at 283 watts and stabilized. Thermal configuration is within a few degrees of the expected thermal model. The spacecraft continues to be kept in a quiescent dynamic state. Tracking has been carried out continuously and the acquired data is being used to further refine the orbit determination. The on-board data recording devices together with the AOCS (Attitude and Orbital Control System) and data handling redundant units have been checked out successfully. Earth acquisition maneuvres will commence this morning at 8AM PDT, and will continue until Saturday, October 13. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| | | | | __ \ /| | | | Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |___ Jet Propulsion Lab | baalke@jems.jpl.nasa.gov /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| M/S 301-355 | |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ Pasadena, CA 91109 | ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 90 01:47:45 GMT From: munnari.oz.au!mel.dit.csiro.au!latcs1!burns@uunet.uu.net (Jonathan Burns) Subject: Re: disposal of N-waste into sun In article <1452@blenheim.nsc.com> alan@dtg.nsc.com (Alan Hepburn) writes > Picture this: a supertanker modified slightly so that the nuclear > waste starts out in the bow tank, being diluted 100:1 with sea water. > This mix is then pumped to the next tank where it is diluted 100:1 with > sea water. And so on till the last tank, which is pumped into the open > ocean. You would be unable to detect other than background radiation > in the resulting water. But subsequently, every marine creature that concentrates iodine will be concentrating I-131, and e.m.c.t.c calcium will be concentrating strontium and maybe barium. In a little while we could be getting seriously radioactive krill, shrimps etc, and then fish.... This is how the Japanese got injurious concentrations of mercury in fish. Food-chain concentration was also observed after the atmospheric nuclear tests of the 50s. Glassification or synrock is the proper first line of defense, perhaps backed up with final storage in geologically stable areas with low water tables. The one place we DO NOT want it is circulating in solution. Continue in sci.energy if you will. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jonathan Burns | Next week this show having new name burns@latcs1.oz | ! RONOMOTO, ATOMIC GUMSHOE ! Computer Science Dept | and no Buddhist scriptwriters either.... La Trobe University | -Firesign Theatre ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 90 17:40:37 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!samsung!xylogics!barnes@ucsd.edu (Jim Barnes) Subject: Deep Space Network use (Was: Ulysses Update - 10/06/90) In article <1990Oct7.050758.4684@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke) writes: > >If everthing goes well, Ulysses will be operational around December 6 and >will collecting continuous data requiring 8 hours of DSN coverage every day. Just a random question: If Ulysses needs 8 hours per day of coverage, Magellan is returning radar images several times a day, and Galileo is doing some interesting things at the same time, are there enough minutes in the day? Will we just ignore the Voyagers/Pioneers/etc. for a while? How much extra bandwidth does the DSN have? -- Jim Barnes (barnes@Xylogics.COM) ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 90 16:01:43 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!euclid.jpl.nasa.gov!pjs@ucsd.edu (Peter Scott) Subject: Re: Wanted: GIF of Solar Eclipse. In article <4190@gara.une.oz.au>, pnettlet@gara.une.oz.au (Philip Nettleton) writes: > Has anyone out there got a GIF picture of an Solar Eclipse which is > in the Public Domain? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. You shouldn't have any problem here: all Solar Eclipses are in the public domain... -- This is news. This is your | Peter Scott, NASA/JPL/Caltech brain on news. Any questions? | (pjs@aristotle.jpl.nasa.gov) ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V12 #448 *******************