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 ; Sun, 13 Jan 1991 01:54:11 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Sun, 13 Jan 1991 01:53:39 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #038 SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 38 Today's Topics: Condensed Canopus November 1990 Re: space news from Dec 10 AW&ST (TIRE DAMAGE) Re: solar cells Re: Does Salyut 7 carry a radio beacon? Re: I called the Mir 900 number ... Administrivia: Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to space+@andrew.cmu.edu. Other mail, esp. [un]subscription requests, should be sent to space-request+@andrew.cmu.edu, or, if urgent, to tm2b+@andrew.cmu.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ReSent-Message-ID: Resent-Date: Wed, 09 Jan 91 09:16:46 EST Resent-From: Harold Pritchett Resent-To: Space discussion group Date: Wed, 9 Jan 91 12:54 N From: "Rob A. Vingerhoeds / Ghent State University" Subject: Condensed Canopus November 1990 Here is the condensed CANOPUS for November 1990. There are four articles condensed or in full and twenty articles by title only. Some articles are taken from What's New (Robert L. Park , The American Physical Society). CANOPUS is copyright American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, but distribution is encouraged. See full copyright information at end. -----------CONTENTS -- 4 ARTICLES CONDENSED OR IN FULL----------------- GALILEO: ONE YEAR FROM EARTH, ONE MONTH TO EARTH can901102.txt - 11/7/90 Nov. 1, 1990 The Galileo spacecraft continues to operate in excellent health as it heads towards its Dec. 8 flyby of Earth after more than a year in orbit. On Nov. 1 it was 19.4 million miles from Earth, and more than 107 million miles from the Sun. Its speed in orbit around the Sun is 56,580 mph, and the round-trip communication time to Earth is just under 3-1/2 minutes. -------------------- NASA SELECTS INVESTIGATIONS FOR CASSINI SATURN ORBITER MISSION can901105.txt - 11/16/90 Nov. 13, 1990 NASA has selected the principal investigators and science teams for the Saturn Orbiter portion of the Cassini mission, scheduled for launch in 1996. Cassini is a joint project of NASA and ESA. The investigators come from 11 U.S. universities, 3 NASA centers and 3 other U.S. laboratories as well as 13 foreign countries. The Saturn Orbiter will include 62 investigations encompassing analysis of the structure and composition of Saturn's atmosphere, the physical properties of ring particles, a survey of moonlets within the rings and a close look at several moons. The Cassini Saturn Orbiter also will deploy the Huygens Probe, supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA), which will descend through the atmosphere to the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. Cassini will stay within the Saturnian system for 4 years and pass within a few hundred kilometers of several of Saturn's moons. Cassini's onboard cameras will take detailed pictures of the intensely cratered surfaces of the icy moons, map their topography with high-resolution radar and determine the surface composition with spectroscopic instruments. Onboard radar also will map a large portion of Titan's cloud-shrouded surface. Instruments on both the Orbiter and the Probe will investigate the chemical processes that produce the large moon's unique atmosphere. These processes may resemble the prebiological chemical evolution which took place on the primitive Earth. The Huygens Probe will examine the atmosphere and clouds and takes pictures of the surface during its 3-hour descent. If it survives the landing, the Huygens Probe will continue to make measurements and relay data to the Saturn Orbiter until it loses radio contact. One intriguing question that scientists hope Cassini will answer is whether there are oceans of liquid hydrocarbons on the moon's surface resulting from photochemical processes in Titan's upper atmosphere. Cassini's trajectory to Saturn takes it through the asteroid belt and close to Jupiter for a gravity-assist flyby. This trajectory will allow investigators to study an asteroid and make observations of the Jovian system in addition to its planned study of the Saturnian system, complementing the missions of two other spacecraft, the Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) and the Galileo mission to Jupiter. The CRAF and Cassini missions have been programmatically combined into a single effort by NASA to enhance their ability to pursue common scientific objectives and reduce the overall development cost. Both spacecraft are based on the Mariner Mark II design with much of the flight hardware identical except for minor modifications for unique science investigations. -------------------- NASA OFFERS TO TRAIN JAPANESE SPACE CREWS can901107.txt - 11/30/90 Nov. 29, 1990 NASA has offered to train Japanese astronauts and mission control engineers in preparation for Spacelab missions and the space station program. The offers were made during meetings held Nov. 26-29 between the agency and the Space Activities Commission of Japan (SAC) in Arlington, Va. These culminated in the fourth meeting of the NASA/SAC Cooperative Space Activities Planning Group on Nov. 29. During the week, Ida met with senior NASA officials, including Richard H. Truly, NASA Administrator. During these meetings, the following cooperative proposals were discussed: o Two Japanese candidates are invited to join the next NASA Mission Specialist training class, beginning in July 1992. They will participate in training on the same basis as U.S. Mission Specialist candidates at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. It is NASA's intent to offer a Space Shuttle flight assignment to one or both of the Japanese Mission Specialist candidates in the years following the successful completion of the training program. o NASA and STA (Science and Technology Agency of Japan) are actively reviewing options for flying Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) hardware on a Space Shuttle mission in the mid-1990s. The JEM is Japan's contribution to the Space Station Freedom program. The purpose of such a Shuttle flight would be to demonstrate in space a key element of the JEM. o NASA also offered Japan an opportunity to send Japanese engineers to work and train in the Mission Operations Directorate at the Johnson Space Center during mission preparation and operations activities for the Spacelab-J mission. -------------------- HUBBLE REPAIR JOB IS EXPECTED TO REQUIRE EXTENSIVE SPACEWALKS Whatsnew - can901110.txt - 11/30/90 NASA must decide between two dozen plans for correcting the flaw in Hubble's optics, any one of which would involve lengthy EVAs (Extravehicular Activities). In addition, the astronauts must try to fix the jitter triggered by the transition from shadow to light. It was thought the jitter could be corrected by software changes, but Hubble's memory is just to small to accommodate it. -----------------20 ARTICLES BY TITLE ONLY------------------------------- WALTER E. MASSEY HAS RESIGNED AS VICE PRESIDENT OF THE APS Whatsnew - can901101.txt - 11/2/90 MASSEY'S FIRST YEAR ON THE JOB WILL NOT BE AN EASY ONE Whatsnew - can901101.txt - 11/2/90 AND THINGS ARE GOING TO GET WORSE BEFORE THEY GET BETTER Whatsnew - can901101.txt - 11/2/90 CONSIDER AN ALASKA SENATOR'S PROJECT TO HARNESS THE AURORA Whatsnew - can901101.txt - 11/2/90 GORDON & BREACH CASE DISMISSED BY GERMAN APPEALS COURT Whatsnew - can901101.txt - 11/2/90 ULYSSES STATUS Nov. 6, 1990 can901103.txt - 11/8/90 US AND SOVIET UNION JOIN FORCES TO RESIST CO2 EMISSION LIMIT Whatsnew - can901104.txt - 11/13/90 CONFERENCE ON DOD APPROPRIATIONS BILL TURNED INTO A PIG-OUT Whatsnew - can901104.txt - 11/13/90 DOE IS DIRECTED TO STUDY USER FEES AT NATIONAL LABORATORIES Whatsnew - can901104.txt - 11/13/90 COLD FUSION UPDATE: DR. PONS CAME IN FROM THE COLD THIS WEEK Whatsnew - can901104.txt - 11/13/90 AT CERN, "NOBEL DREAMS" ARE TROUBLED BY MONEY PROBLEMS Whatsnew - can901106.txt - 11/16/90 THE CONTROVERSY HAS FOCUSED ATTENTION ON CERN'S PENSION FUND Whatsnew - can901106.txt - 11/16/90 CONGRESS IS CONCERNED ABOUT FOREIGN CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SSC Whatsnew - can901106.txt - 11/16/90 THE BLOCH LEGACY AT NSF: PHYSICS GETS SHORTCHANGED AGAIN! Whatsnew - can901106.txt - 11/16/90 NATIONAL MEDAL OF SCIENCE RECIPIENTS INCLUDE FIVE APS MEMBERS Whatsnew - can901106.txt - 11/16/90 SPACE SHUTTLE EXHIBIT "AMBASSADOR" TO BE DISPLAYED can901108.txt - 11/30/90 GALILEO STATUS Nov. 15, 1990 can901109.txt - 11/30/90 CHANGES IN THE HOUSE SCIENCE, SPACE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE Whatsnew - can901110.txt - 11/30/90 HEARD ISLAND EXPERIMENT WILL SEARCH FOR THE GREENHOUSE SIGNAL Whatsnew - can901110.txt - 11/30/90 NEW DARPA DIRECTOR IS EXPECTED TO AVOID COMMERCIAL TAINT Whatsnew - can901110.txt - 11/30/90 ------------------END OF CONDENSED CANOPUS--------------------------- This posting represents my own condensation of CANOPUS. For clarity, I have not shown ellipses (...), even when the condensation is drastic. New or significantly rephrased material is in {braces} and is signed {--RV} when it represents an expression of my own opinion. The unabridged CANOPUS is available via e-mail from me at any of the addresses below. Copyright information: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CANOPUS is published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Send correspondence about its contents to the executive editor, William W. L. Taylor (taylor%trwatd.span@star.stanford.edu). Send correspondence about business matters to Mr. John Newbauer, AIAA, 1633 Broadway, NY, NY 10019. Although AIAA has copyrighted CANOPUS and registered its name, you are encouraged to distribute CANOPUS widely, either electronically or as printout copies. If you do, however, please send a brief message to Taylor estimating how many others receive copies. CANOPUS is partially supported by the National Space Science Data Center. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: 9 Jan 91 16:47:27 GMT From: swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo!henry@ucsd.edu (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: space news from Dec 10 AW&ST (TIRE DAMAGE) In article <16769.2789dda7@ccvax.ucd.ie> mhoey@ccvax.ucd.ie writes: >> Langley engineers pleased: Atlantis's tires showed neither a spin-up gouge >> nor excessive wear after the KSC landing Nov 20... > > why not spin-up the tires (whoops - american spelling) BEFORE landing ... I suspect the answer is "it's not worth the trouble", now that the problems with the KSC runway have apparently been resolved. -- If the Space Shuttle was the answer, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology what was the question? | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jan 91 23:44:18 EST From: John Roberts Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are those of the sender and do not reflect NIST policy or agreement. Subject: Re: solar cells >From: portal!cup.portal.com!Ordania-DM@apple.com (Charles K Hughes) >Subject: Re: solar cells >> As to chemical poisons being decomposable, that depends on >>what kind of chemical poison. Heavy metals cannot be chemically >>decomposed. And some chemical poisons are difficult to decompose, such > Heavy metals don't need to be decomposed - they can be refined and reused. If the concentration is not too low. Both chemical and radioactive wastes presumably have a concentration range which is too low for practical refinement, yet too high for acceptable release into the ecosystem at large. The tradeoffs for proper handling are different for every toxin - there's not much benefit in generalization. [RTG-powered spacecraft] >Deep space satellites are of little concern >here because once they leave, they're gone for good. You're just saying that because you're at least reasonably intelligent. :-) Some of the people who protested the launch of Ulysses argued that we would be putting all that plutonium "up there", just hanging over our heads and ready to fall at any moment. > And another possible difficulty with solar cells -- how much >energy does it take to make them? They would not be too good if the >amount of energy needed to make them was only equal to their output >for several years of running. Has that question ever been addressed? > If the energy is free, who cares how much it took to make them? Some people have stated that it takes more energy to make a solar cell than it can be expected to produce over its lifetime. [I hadn't heard that before. Does anyone have any numbers? Does it apply to all types (amorphous, concentrator, etc.)? The SPS people wouldn't appear to agree with this premise.] *If* this is true, then any attempt to use them as a contributor to the national power production would be bound to fail, except possibly for a specialized use such as a daytime peak-load balancer for air conditioning. However, it might very well make sense to make solar cells on earth to power craft in space, where all forms of power generation are expensive. >Charles_K_Hughes@cup.portal.com John Roberts roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov ------------------------------ Date: 8 Jan 91 04:19:32 GMT From: isis!scicom!wats@uunet.uu.net (Bruce Watson) Subject: Re: Does Salyut 7 carry a radio beacon? In article <4604@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US*, mahaun@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US (Mark A. Haun) writes: * Greetings! * * As many of you have probably heard, the Salyut 7 Soviet space * station is expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere sometime * around the middle of this month. The latest elements from TS Kelso * show the orbital period to be near 90 minutes, and the current * altitude is somewhere around 270 km. Anyone happening to be * looking at the sky when re-entry occurs will undoubtedly be treated * to a fantastic light show. * * I have been tracking Salyut 7 and was hoping to be able to visually * observe it up to the point of re-entry. Unfortunately, my * visibility window will be ending this week, and re-entry will * probably occur before the next viewing opportunity from my * location. * * Does anyone know if Salyut 7 has an operating radio transmitter, on * any frequency? It seems like the Soviets would want to have some * type of beacon in operation. If Salyut 7 has any sort of radio * transmitter, whether it is for beacon or telemetry purposes, it * would be possible to track it until the very end of its life. * Any information on this subject would be greatly appreciated! * I would also like to get in contact with anyone else who is * observing the spacecraft. I can be reached at any of the email * addresses below, but preferably mahaun@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US. * The Cosmos 1686 module attached to Salyut 7 carrys a transmitter which operated at 19.954 Mhz SSB for many years. I haven't heard it lately. I was hoping to track it that way while it passed over in daylight or in the earth's shadow. Gary Emerson tells me that the transmitter quit functioning some time ago and plans to actively dump Salyut 7 over an ocean have been abandoned since there is no control over the satellite. Sorry to be the bearer of this news. ------------------------------ Date: 10 Jan 91 02:41:48 GMT From: censun1!lescsse!gamorris@uunet.uu.net (Gary A. Morris) Subject: Re: I called the Mir 900 number ... In cobbhs@AFSC-SDX.AF.MIL ("1st Lt. Henry S. Cobb") writes: >... >Summary: You apparently don't need to call their 900 number. >Instead, you can write to the address above. What does a lottery >entry consist of? Your guess is as good as mine. There was an article in the local Times (1990/12/27) that gave lots of details I haven't seen anywhere else. Here are the essentials: The contest is organized by Space Travel Services. The winner receives a round trip ticket to low-earth orbit abort the Soviet Mir space station. Monthly winners will be randomly chosen between now and November and the grand prize will be awarded next December. From the monthly winners, an alternate will be chosen who will undergo a six-month training period in the USSR along with the grand prize winner. The alternate will get to go to Mir if the winner is not medically fit or chooses the $1.5 million instead. The week long mission to Mir will take place in late 1992 or early 1993. To enter you can mail an entry on a 3-inch by 5-inch piece of paper printed with your name, address, telephone number and the words "Space Travel Services Ultimate Adventure". Mail it to P.O. Box 580249, Houston, TX 77258-0249. The other way to enter to is call 1-900-258-2MIR, which costs $2.99 for the call (which was described in previous postings). Guess I need to go buy a couple rolls of stamps :-) --GaryM -- Gary Morris Internet: lescsse!gamorris@menudo.uh.edu Lockheed, Houston, Texas UUCP: lobster!lescsse!gamorris Space Station Freedom Internet: gmorris@nasamail.nasa.gov N5QWC/W5RRR Phone: +1 713 283 5195 ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V13 #038 *******************