Date: Wed, 7 Oct 92 05:08:54 From: Space Digest maintainer Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V15 #294 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Wed, 7 Oct 92 Volume 15 : Issue 294 Today's Topics: Alleged Benefits of Military $ Astro/Space Frequently Seen Acronyms Von Braun -- Hero, Villain, or Both? Welcome to the Space Digest!! Please send your messages to "space@isu.isunet.edu", and (un)subscription requests of the form "Subscribe Space " to one of these addresses: listserv@uga (BITNET), rice::boyle (SPAN/NSInet), utadnx::utspan::rice::boyle (THENET), or space-REQUEST@isu.isunet.edu (Internet). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 7 Oct 92 04:52:36 GMT From: Gary Coffman Subject: Alleged Benefits of Military $ Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1469100020@igc.apc.org> mwgoodman@igc.apc.org (Mark Goodman) writes: > >I will try to find the article you mention. But let me explain why >I think the numbers are implausible. Military spending goes primarily >to high income people in capital intensive industries. It is known to >produce far fewer jobs (about a factor of 3, if I recall) than the same >amount of money spend on public works or education. I haven't looked >at this in a while, so I don't have references, but the Council on >Economic Priorities will. Military contracting does produce fewer *direct* jobs than public works or education spending. However, this is where the multiplier is important, more money is pumped into the local consumer economy by higher paid workers than by lower wage employees. That's because a larger proportion of their income is discressionary. >I believe it is also true that higher income people spend less of their >money than low income people, so their money is likely to go into the >economy fewer times. I have heard this as an explanation for the fact >that the increase in income during the Reagan years did not produce >sustained increases in consumer demand; the increases went to people >who spend less of their money. Not being an economist, I cannot vouch >for the validity of this argument, but it tends to contradict what Gary >said. If by higher income you mean millionaires, then you are correct. But if by higher income you mean aerospace workers, you are wrong. Most of the middle class have *no* savings and a substantial debt load. That's because their consumer spending is a very high percentage of their income. Low wage workers and welfare recipients spend the bulk of their small incomes on subsistence expenses such as utilities and food. The margin in utility and food services is small and the multiplier consequently low. The margins in consumer goods are high and the multiplier is also high. >It is important to note that military spending is essentially wasteful >in the narrow sense that it produces no product or public resource with >economic value. Building a highway contributes to the economy by >facilitating transportation. Building a fighter aircraft does not. >Technological spinoffs have become increasingly rare as military >technology has become increasingly specialized and isolated from civilian >technologies. Highway spending has a different kind of multiplier as you note. However, the Federal Highway Trust Fund is currently in surplus and new highway construction is vigorously opposed by legal action. In other words, the public thinks they have enough roads. Technologies never occur in a vacuum. The enabling infrastructures developed to support a given technology usually have wide applicability. The classic example is the semiconductor industry. The aerospace industry no longer drives this basic industry, but it was space and military funding that pushed the technology to the point where it became widely available to the civilian economy. Now, the military's problem is that the consumer sector has outstripped the military applications and getting spare parts for older designs still in service is difficult. Military funding no longer drives this industry. It should be pointed out that few of the civilian applications of semiconductors were forseen at the time the military was driving this technology. That's true in most cases where complex new technology infrastructure is required to reach a critical mass before consumer applications can take off. Some of the technologies currently being pushed by military requirements, composite materials come immediately to mind, will likely form the basis for new civilian applications as the basic technologies mature. >In the broader sense, of course, military spending can be extremely >valuable if it contributes to national security. I think the debate >over military spending should rest on our security needs, not on >disputed economic claims. I think that's correct. Note that the bulk of military spending is for personnel, as it always has been. That's vital for national security, but doesn't drive technology. >Let me explain my position. I am a Congressional Science Fellow, paid >by but not representing the American Institute of Physics to work for >Congress for one year. I have just started, and am now interviewing to >see who might want me. (As an aside, AIP opposes the Space Station >because it's not good -- or cost-effective -- science. I think that's >correct, but misses the point. The space station isn't about science; >it's about human spaceflight. I just don't think human spaceflight is >that important.) Well, I think it's acurate to say that SSF is not primarily about science. Though it will serve as a science platform. Primarily it's an engineering testbed for exploiting an alien environment. The entire space program is only peripherally about science. It's primarily about technology development and political show the flag at this point. Judged only on the basis of science value, the entire space program should be cancelled and the money be put into basic field grants right here on Earth. Much more science could be accomplished on millions of tabletops than in one space probe, and employ more science workers in the process. Most Big Science is really engineering development rather than basic research. I happen to think that engineering development is valuable, but that's my bias. >I hope to help Congress develop better public policies by providing sound >technical guidance where I can. I may offer nontechnical judgments as well, >but I will do my best to distinguish clearly between technical analysis and >personal opinion. That's impossible to do. Your technical analysis is colored by your personal intellectual framework no matter how hard you try to be objective. If you believe something is undesirable, you're going to select data that supports your position, even if unconsciously, and give less weight to data that contradicts your views. Few things in research are so cut and dried that you can reach an objective decision a priori, and those things that are don't need research anymore. Uncertainty of outcome is the primary reason for doing pure research. Development is a different matter. There desired outcomes are clearly defined by policy, and policy is always subjective. Gary ------------------------------ Date: 7 Oct 92 05:01:02 GMT From: Mark Bradford Subject: Astro/Space Frequently Seen Acronyms Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.space.shuttle,news.answers Archive-name: space/acronyms Edition: 7 Acronym List for sci.astro, sci.space, and sci.space.shuttle: Edition 7, 1992 Aug 27 Last posted: 1992 Aug 6 This list is offered as a reference for translating commonly appearing acronyms in the space-related newsgroups. If I forgot or botched your favorite acronym, please let me know! Also, if there's an acronym *not* on this list that confuses you, drop me a line, and if I can figure it out, I'll add it to the list. Note that this is intended to be a reference for *frequently seen* acronyms, and is most emphatically *not* encyclopedic. If I incorporated every acronym I ever saw, I'd soon run out of disk space! :-) The list will be posted at regular intervals, every 30 days. All comments regarding it are welcome; I'm reachable as bradfrd2@ncar.ucar.edu. Note that this just tells what the acronyms stand for -- you're on your own for figuring out what they *mean*! Note also that the total number of acronyms in use far exceeds what I can list; special-purpose acronyms that are essentially always explained as they're introduced are omitted. Further, some acronyms stand for more than one thing; as of Edition 3 of the list, these acronyms appear on multiple lines, unless they're simply different ways of referring to the same thing. Thanks to everybody who's sent suggestions since the first version of the list, and especially to Garrett A. Wollman (wollman@griffin.uvm.edu), who is maintaining an independent list, somewhat more verbose in character than mine, and to Daniel Fischer (dfi@specklec.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de), who is maintaining a truly HUGE list (535 at last count) of acronyms and terms, mostly in German (which I read, fortunately). Special Bonus! At the end of this posting, you will find a perl program written by none other than Larry Wall, whose purpose is to scramble the acronym list in an entertaining fashion. Thanks, Larry! A&A: Astronomy and Astrophysics AAO: Anglo-Australian Observatory AAS: American Astronomical Society AAVSO: American Association of Variable Star Observers ACE: Advanced Composition Explorer ACRV: Assured Crew Return Vehicle (or) Astronaut Crew Rescue Vehicle ADFRF: Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (was DFRF) (NASA) AGN: Active Galactic Nucleus AGU: American Geophysical Union AIAA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics AIPS: Astronomical Image Processing System AJ: Astronomical Journal ALEXIS: Array of Low Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors ALPO: Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers ALS: Advanced Launch System ANSI: American National Standards Institute AOA: Abort Once Around (Shuttle abort plan) AOCS: Attitude and Orbit Control System Ap.J: Astrophysical Journal APM: Attached Pressurized Module (a.k.a. Columbus) APU: Auxiliary Power Unit ARC: Ames Research Center (NASA) ARTEMIS: Advanced Relay TEchnology MISsion ASA: Astronomical Society of the Atlantic ASI: Agenzia Spaziale Italiano ASRM: Advanced Solid Rocket Motor ATDRS: Advanced Tracking and Data Relay Satellite ATLAS: Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science ATM: Amateur Telescope Maker ATO: Abort To Orbit (Shuttle abort plan) AU: Astronomical Unit AURA: Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy AW&ST: Aviation Week and Space Technology (a.k.a. AvLeak) AXAF: Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility BATSE: Burst And Transient Source Experiment (on CGRO) BBXRT: Broad-Band X-Ray Telescope (ASTRO package) BEM: Bug-Eyed Monster BH: Black Hole BIMA: Berkeley Illinois Maryland Array BNSC: British National Space Centre BTW: By The Way C&T: Communications & Tracking CCAFS: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station CCD: Charge-Coupled Device CCDS: Centers for the Commercial Development of Space CD-ROM: Compact Disk Read-Only Memory CFA: Center For Astrophysics CFC: ChloroFluoroCarbon CFF: Columbus Free Flyer CFHT: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope CGRO: (Arthur Holley) Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (was GRO) CHARA: Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy CIRRIS: Cryogenic InfraRed Radiance Instrument for Shuttle CIT: Circumstellar Imaging Telescope CM: Command Module (Apollo spacecraft) CMCC: Central Mission Control Centre (ESA) CNES: Centre National d'Etude Spatiales CNO: Carbon-Nitrogen-Oxygen CNSR: Comet Nucleus Sample Return COBE: COsmic Background Explorer COMPTEL: COMPton TELescope (on CGRO) COSTAR: Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement CRAF: Comet Rendezvous / Asteroid Flyby CRRES: Combined Release / Radiation Effects Satellite CSM: Command and Service Module (Apollo spacecraft) CSTC: Consolidated Satellite Test Center (USAF) CTIO: Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory DCX: Delta Clipper eXperimental DDCU: DC-to-DC Converter Unit DFRF: Dryden Flight Research Facility (now ADFRF) DMSP: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program DOD: Department Of Defense (sometimes DoD) DOE: Department Of Energy DOT: Department Of Transportation DSCS: Defense Satellite Communications System DSN: Deep Space Network DSP: Defense Support Program (USAF/NRO) EAFB: Edwards Air Force Base ECS: Environmental Control System EDO: Extended Duration Orbiter EGRET: Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (on CGRO) EJASA: Electronic Journal of the Astronomical Society of the Atlantic ELV: Expendable Launch Vehicle EMU: Extravehicular Mobility Unit EOS: Earth Observing System ERS: Earth Resources Satellite (as in ERS-1) ESA: European Space Agency ESO: European Southern Observatory ET: (Shuttle) External Tank ETLA: Extended Three Letter Acronym ETR: Eastern Test Range EUV: Extreme UltraViolet EUVE: Extreme UltraViolet Explorer EVA: ExtraVehicular Activity FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions FAST: Fast Auroral SnapshoT explorer FFT: Fast Fourier Transform FGS: Fine Guidance Sensors (on HST) FHST: Fixed Head Star Trackers (on HST) FIR: Far InfraRed FITS: Flexible Image Transport System FOC: Faint Object Camera (on HST) FOS: Faint Object Spectrograph (on HST) FRR: Flight-Readiness Review FTP: File Transfer Protocol FTS: Flight Telerobotic Servicer FUSE: Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer FWHM: Full Width at Half Maximum FYI: For Your Information GAS: Get-Away Special GBT: Green Bank Telescope GCVS: General Catalog of Variable Stars GEM: Giotto Extended Mission GEO: Geosynchronous Earth Orbit GDS: Great Dark Spot GHRS: Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (on HST) GIF: Graphics Interchange Format GLOMR: Global Low-Orbiting Message Relay GMC: Giant Molecular Cloud GMRT: Giant Meter-wave Radio Telescope GMT: Greenwich Mean Time (also called UT) GOES: Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellite GOX: Gaseous OXygen GPC: General Purpose Computer GPS: Global Positioning System GRO: Gamma Ray Observatory (now CGRO) GRS: Gamma Ray Spectrometer (on Mars Observer) GRS: Great Red Spot GSC: Guide Star Catalog (for HST) GSFC: Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA) GTO: Geostationary Transfer Orbit HAO: High Altitude Observatory HD: Henry Draper catalog entry HEAO: High Energy Astronomical Observatory HeRA: Hermes Robotic Arm HF: High Frequency HGA: High Gain Antenna HLC: Heavy Lift Capability HLV: Heavy Lift Vehicle HMC: Halley Multicolor Camera (on Giotto) HR: Hertzsprung-Russell (diagram) HRI: High Resolution Imager (on ROSAT) HSP: High Speed Photometer (on HST) HST: Hubble Space Telescope HUT: Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (ASTRO package) HV: High Voltage IAPPP: International Amateur/Professional Photoelectric Photometry IAU: International Astronomical Union IAUC: IAU Circular ICE: International Cometary Explorer IDA: International Dark-sky Association IDL: Interactive Data Language IGM: InterGalactic Medium IGY: International Geophysical Year IMHO: In My Humble Opinion IOTA: Infrared-Optical Telescope Array IOTA: International Occultation Timing Association IPS: Inertial Pointing System IR: InfraRed IRAF: Image Reduction and Analysis Facility IRAS: InfraRed Astronomical Satellite ISAS: Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (Japan) ISM: InterStellar Medium ISO: Infrared Space Observatory ISO: International Standards Organization ISPM: International Solar Polar Mission (now Ulysses) ISY: International Space Year IUE: International Ultraviolet Explorer IUS: Inertial Upper Stage JEM: Japanese Experiment Module (for SSF) JGR: Journal of Geophysical Research JILA: Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics JPL: Jet Propulsion Laboratory JSC: Johnson Space Center (NASA) KAO: Kuiper Airborne Observatory KPNO: Kitt Peak National Observatory KSC: Kennedy Space Center (NASA) KTB: Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary (from German) LANL: Los Alamos National Laboratory LaRC: Langley Research Center (NASA) LDEF: Long Duration Exposure Facility LEM: Lunar Excursion Module (a.k.a. LM) (Apollo spacecraft) LEO: Low Earth Orbit LeRC: Lewis Research Center (NASA) LEST: Large Earth-based Solar Telescope LFSA: List of Frequently Seen Acronyms (!) LGA: Low Gain Antenna LGM: Little Green Men LH: Liquid Hydrogen (also LH2 or LHX) LLNL: Lawrence-Livermore National Laboratory LM: Lunar Module (a.k.a. LEM) (Apollo spacecraft) LMC: Large Magellanic Cloud LN2: Liquid N2 (Nitrogen) LOX: Liquid OXygen LRB: Liquid Rocket Booster LSR: Local Standard of Rest LTP: Lunar Transient Phenomenon MB: Manned Base MCC: Mission Control Center MECO: Main Engine CutOff MMH: MonoMethyl Hydrazine MMT: Multiple Mirror Telescope MMU: Manned Maneuvering Unit MNRAS: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society MOC: Mars Observer Camera (on Mars Observer) MOL: Manned Orbiting Laboratory MOLA: Mars Observer Laser Altimeter (on Mars Observer) MOMV: Manned Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle MOTV: Manned Orbital Transfer Vehicle MPC: Minor Planets Circular MRSR: Mars Rover and Sample Return MRSRM: Mars Rover and Sample Return Mission MSFC: (George C.) Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA) MTC: Man Tended Capability NACA: National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (became NASA) NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASDA: NAtional Space Development Agency (Japan) NASM: National Air and Space Museum NASP: National AeroSpace Plane NBS: National Bureau of Standards (now NIST) NDV: NASP Derived Vehicle NERVA: Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application NGC: New General Catalog NICMOS: Near Infrared Camera / Multi Object Spectrometer (HST upgrade) NIMS: Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (on Galileo) NIR: Near InfraRed NIST: National Institute for Standards and Technology (was NBS) NLDP: National Launch Development Program NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAO: National Optical Astronomy Observatories NRAO: National Radio Astronomy Observatory NRO: National Reconnaissance Office NS: Neutron Star NSA: National Security Agency NSF: National Science Foundation NSO: National Solar Observatory NSSDC: National Space Science Data Center NTR: Nuclear Thermal Rocket(ry) NTT: New Technology Telescope OAO: Orbiting Astronomical Observatory OCST: Office of Commercial Space Transportation OMB: Office of Management and Budget OMS: Orbital Maneuvering System OPF: Orbiter Processing Facility ORFEUS: Orbiting and Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer OSC: Orbital Sciences Corporation OSCAR: Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio OSSA: Office of Space Science and Applications OSSE: Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (on CGRO) OTA: Optical Telescope Assembly (on HST) OTHB: Over The Horizon Backscatter OTV: Orbital Transfer Vehicle OV: Orbital Vehicle PAM: Payload Assist Module PAM-D: Payload Assist Module, Delta-class PI: Principal Investigator PLSS: Portable Life Support System PM: Pressurized Module PMC: Permanently Manned Capability PMIRR: Pressure Modulated InfraRed Radiometer (on Mars Observer) PMT: PhotoMultiplier Tube PSF: Point Spread Function PSR: PulSaR PV: Photovoltaic PVO: Pioneer Venus Orbiter QSO: Quasi-Stellar Object RCI: Rodent Cage Interface (for SLS mission) RCS: Reaction Control System REM: Rat Enclosure Module (for SLS mission) RF: Radio Frequency RFI: Radio Frequency Interference RIACS: Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science RMS: Remote Manipulator System RNGC: Revised New General Catalog ROSAT: ROentgen SATellite ROUS: Rodents Of Unusual Size (I don't believe they exist) RSN: Real Soon Now RTG: Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator RTLS: Return To Launch Site (Shuttle abort plan) SAA: South Atlantic Anomaly SAGA: Solar Array Gain Augmentation (for HST) SAMPEX: Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle EXplorer SAO: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory SAR: Search And Rescue SAR: Synthetic Aperture Radar SARA: Satellite pour Astronomie Radio Amateur SAREX: Search and Rescue Exercise SAREX: Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment SAS: Space Activity Suit SAS: Space Adaptation Syndrome SAT: Synthetic Aperture Telescope S/C: SpaceCraft SCA: Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCT: Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope SDI: Strategic Defense Initiative SDIO: Strategic Defense Initiative Organization SEI: Space Exploration Initiative SEST: Swedish-European Submillimeter Telescope SETI: Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence SID: Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance SIR: Shuttle Imaging Radar SIRTF: Space (formerly Shuttle) InfraRed Telescope Facility SL: SpaceLab SLAR: Side-Looking Airborne Radar SLC: Space Launch Complex SLS: Space(lab) Life Sciences SMC: Small Magellanic Cloud SME: Solar Mesosphere Explorer SMEX: SMall EXplorers SMM: Solar Maximum Mission SN: SuperNova (e.g., SN1987A) SNR: Signal to Noise Ratio SNR: SuperNova Remnant SNU: Solar Neutrino Units SOFIA: Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy SOHO: SOlar Heliospheric Observatory SPAN: Space Physics and Analysis Network SPDM: Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator SPOT: Systeme Probatoire pour l'Observation de la Terre SPS: Solar Power Satellite SRB: Solid Rocket Booster SRM: Solid Rocket Motor SSF: Space Station Fred (er, Freedom) SSI: Solid-State Imager (on Galileo) SSI: Space Studies Institut SSME: Space Shuttle Main Engine SSPF: Space Station Processing Facility SSRMS: Space Station Remote Manipulator System SST: Spectroscopic Survey Telescope SST: SuperSonic Transport SSTO: Single Stage To Orbit STIS: Space Telescope Imaging Spectrometer (to replace FOC and GHRS) STS: Shuttle Transport System (or) Space Transportation System STScI: Space Telescope Science Institute SWAS: Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite SWF: ShortWave Fading TAL: Transatlantic Abort Landing (Shuttle abort plan) TAU: Thousand Astronomical Unit (mission) TCS: Thermal Control System TDRS: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite TDRSS: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System TES: Thermal Emission Spectrometer (on Mars Observer) TIROS: Television InfraRed Observation Satellite TLA: Three Letter Acronym TOMS: Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer TPS: Thermal Protection System TSS: Tethered Satellite System UARS: Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite UBM: Unpressurized Berthing Mechanism UDMH: Unsymmetrical DiMethyl Hydrazine UFO: Unidentified Flying Object UGC: Uppsala General Catalog UHF: Ultra High Frequency UIT: Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (Astro package) UKST: United Kingdom Schmidt Telescope USAF: United States Air Force USMP: United States Microgravity Payload UT: Universal Time (a.k.a. GMT, UTC, or Zulu Time) UTC: Coordinated Universal Time (a.k.a. UT) UV: UltraViolet UVS: UltraViolet Spectrometer VAB: Vehicle Assembly Building (formerly Vertical Assembly Building) VAFB: Vandenberg Air Force Base VEEGA: Venus-Earth-Earth Gravity Assist (Galileo flight path) VHF: Very High Frequency VLA: Very Large Array VLBA: Very Long Baseline Array VLBI: Very Long Baseline Interferometry VLF: Very Low Frequency VLT: Very Large Telescope VMS: Vertical Motion Simulator VOIR: Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar (superseded by VRM) VPF: Vertical Processing Facility VRM: Venus Radar Mapper (now called Magellan) WD: White Dwarf WFPC: Wide Field / Planetary Camera (on HST) WFPCII: Replacement for WFPC WIYN: Wisconsin / Indiana / Yale / NOAO telescope WSMR: White Sands Missile Range WTR: Western Test Range WUPPE: Wisconsin Ultraviolet PhotoPolarimter Experiment (Astro package) XMM: X-ray Multi Mirror XUV: eXtreme UltraViolet YSO: Young Stellar Object #!/usr/bin/perl # 'alt', An Acronym Scrambling Program, by Larry Wall $THRESHOLD = 2; srand; while (<>) { next unless /^([A-Z]\S+): */; $key = $1; $acro{$key} = $'; @words = split(/\W+/,$'); unshift(@words,$key); $off = 0; foreach $word (@words) { next unless $word =~ /^[A-Z]/; *w = $&; vec($w{$word}, $off++ % 6, 1) = 1; } } foreach $letter (A .. Z) { *w = $letter; @w = keys %w; if (@w < $THRESHOLD) { @d = `egrep '^$letter' /usr/dict/words`; chop @d; push(@w, @d); } } foreach $key (sort keys %acro) { $off = 0; $acro = $acro{$key}; $acro =~ s/((([A-Z])[A-Z]*)[a-z]*)/ &pick($3, $2, $1, ++$off) || $& /eg; print "$key: $acro"; } sub pick { local($letter, $prefix, $oldword, $off) = @_; $i = 0; if (length($prefix) > 1 && index($key,$prefix) < 0) { if ($prefix eq $oldword) { $prefix = ''; } else { $prefix = $letter; } } if (length($prefix) > 1) { local(*w) = substr($prefix,0,1); do { $word = $w[rand @w]; } until $word ne $oldword && $word =~ /^$prefix/i || ++$i > 30; $word =~ s/^$prefix/$prefix/i; $word; } elsif (length($prefix) == 1) { local(*w) = $prefix; do { $word = $w[rand @w]; } until $word ne $oldword && vec($w{$word}, $off, 1) || ++$i > 10; $word = "\u\L$word" if $word =~ tr/a-z/A-Z/; $word; } else { local(*w) = substr($oldword,0,1); do { $word = $w[rand @w]; } until $word ne $oldword && $word =~ tr/a-z/A-Z/ == 0 || ++$i > 30; $word; } } -- Mark Bradford (bradfrd2@ncar.ucar.edu) <> To err is human, to moo bovine. "It's an ill wind that gathers no moss." ------------------------------ Date: 7 Oct 92 05:39:42 GMT From: Gary Coffman Subject: Von Braun -- Hero, Villain, or Both? Newsgroups: sci.space In article wb9omc@dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu (Duane P Mantick) writes: >MSKALA@ESRIN.BITNET (Mike M. Skala) writes: > >>citing from my memory ACCs memory of a WvB comment: >>"No, I didn't know what went on in the concentration camps. >> But I suspected and I could have used my position to find out. >> I didn't do this, and I'm deeply ashamed." > > Of course, there are also those who would say that the firestorms >created by the incendiary bombings of Cologne and Dresden were totally >unnecessary and were in themselves, criminal acts...and that they weren't >justified simply because we won the war, either. I think that the fact that warfare is "played" by rules at all is itself an immoral act. Warfare is sometimes necessary, but it is never a game. The only valid rule is win. Bomber Harris was convinced his tactics would win. If he were just acting out of a spiteful desire to kill women and children, then his actions could be considered criminal. As it is, the worst we can say with 20/20 hindsight is that his tactics were ineffective. > Had Von Braun attempted to use any influence to noodle with the >concentration camps in any way, he'd have quite possibly ended up there >himself. Herr Schicklegruber was notorious for having only a limited >amount of patience with folks who disagreed with what he was doing. :-) It takes a rare individual to stand up alone and say no when he knows it means his death. Such heroism is to be admired, but people who don't measure up to that standard don't deserve to be condemned by anyone who has not been in their shoes. They merely have to be considered ordinary humans acting the way ordinary humans act. If it can be shown that Von Braun deliberately, as a matter of policy, worked slave labor to death as a method of killing them, then his actions should be considered criminal. If instead he employed slave laborers because he was required to do so, and didn't try to deliberately abuse them, he was indeed "only following orders." That defense was denied at Nurenburg, but it wouldn't be the first time a court rendered a decision contrary to human nature. Holding everyone to a standard of conduct that few can achieve is foolish idealism, bad precedent, and bad law. Gary ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 15 : Issue 294 ------------------------------