Date: Tue, 17 Nov 92 05:00:01 From: Space Digest maintainer Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V15 #429 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Tue, 17 Nov 92 Volume 15 : Issue 429 Today's Topics: Challenger Legal Action? Commercial Space Report, Russian remote sensing COSTAR adjustments Feynmann's legacy... (2 msgs) Japanese X-ray satellite: Astro_D Reality check (2) SATELLITE PHOTO Saturn V for Freedom deployment Shuttle replacement (2 msgs) Space launches online databases -- found ! Space suit research? Two sticky questions on astrophysics What kind of computers are in the shuttle? 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: 16 Nov 92 18:42:57 GMT From: 2hfvfilmy@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Challenger Legal Action? Newsgroups: sci.space Maybe somebody could help me out here. Referring to the Challenger accident, was any legal action brought against any of the contractors (such as Morton Thiokol)? If so, what was the result of this legal action? Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to provide. Joe jhuwaldt@aerospace.ae.ukans.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 13:42:46 GMT From: amon@elegabalus.cs.qub.ac.uk Subject: Commercial Space Report, Russian remote sensing > Folks who've analyzed the data say it's in the 1.5-2 > meter resolution range .... Some rumors circulating in the > industry claim the data could have even a higher resolution quality, > but the data has been poorly digitized from photos. This data is > obvious from a former "strategic asset" of the Soviet Union. > > As a side note, on 2 October, a top Russian space commander > stated the Russian military space program will only survive by > sharing its expertise and hardware. Col General Vladimir Ivanov was > quoted in a Krasnaya Zvezda interview as recommending Russian > military space systems be used for commercial and civilian purposes. > In particular, he was reported to have stated "Reconnaissance > satellites can be successfully used for long-distance probing of the > Earth's surface and for ecological monitoring without impairing > their main task." > > Due to policy considerations, the US government > has been reticent to release high-resolution Earth Observation data, > and has encouraged the use of 100-meter resolution Landsat Data for > commercial or non-critical government needs. It is really hard to believe isn't it? Total role reversal. I suddenly find US defense department acting like a bunch of socialists and the former evil empire's military acting like capitalists... And I find myself rooting for the russians to win this round. Down with the Socialist Pigs! Up with Capitalism! You have nothing to lose but your chains!! Incidentally, I ran across this DOD doublethink on remote sensing over a decade ago when I had a chance to question a General at a AAAS session. As I think back on it, his answers to pointed questions about the need for high resolution in commerce were very similar to a parody of the old Communists answers to everything. Ie, you know he didn't really believe a word he was saying. He knew he was lying through his teeth, you knew he was doing so under orders, and he knew that you knew. And both of you realized that the answers he was giving made about as much sense as Lysenkoism. I must admit there is little else about Clinton I care for, but maybe he'll at least take a broom to the Pentagon and put the Cold Warriors out in the Dustbin Of History. ------------------------------ Date: 16 Nov 92 16:28:15 GMT From: zellner@stsci.edu Subject: COSTAR adjustments Newsgroups: sci.space In article , roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov (John Roberts) writes: > > Anything on what degrees of motion can be adjusted? (i.e. swing angle, > arm length, tilt, spacing.) > Basically, each optical channel of COSTAR is adjustable for focus, x-tilt, and y-tilt via stepper motors. After deployment, each mechanism will be scanned back and forth through a successively finer range, and images will be taken to find the best settings. The WFPC-2 should be installed at the same time as COSTAR and has stepper motors to adjust the pick-off mirror in x or y. Also the tip and tilt of fold mirrors inside three of the four cameras will be adjusted via electro- strictive devices - a bit of exotic technology, since there isn't room for stepper motors there. Ben ------------------------------ Date: 16 Nov 92 06:16:12 GMT From: Miroslaw Kuc Subject: Feynmann's legacy... Newsgroups: sci.space In article mheney@access.digex.com (Michael K. Heney) writes: >HL-20 and consideration of a "skunk-works" style program for developing >a successor to the shuttle. >-- >Mike Heney | Senior Systems Analyst and | Reach for the >mheney@access.digex.com | Space Activist / Entrepreneur | Stars, eh? >Kensington, MD (near DC) | * Will Work for Money * | What does "skunk-works" mean? Miroslaw Kuc -- wizard@r-node.pci.on.ca wizard@r-node.gts.org ------------------------------ Date: 16 Nov 92 14:26:40 GMT From: Dave Jones Subject: Feynmann's legacy... Newsgroups: sci.space Miroslaw Kuc (wizard@r-node.gts.org) wrote: > In article mheney@access.digex.com (Michael K. Heney) writes: > >HL-20 and consideration of a "skunk-works" style program for developing > >a successor to the shuttle. > >-- > >Mike Heney | Senior Systems Analyst and | Reach for the > >mheney@access.digex.com | Space Activist / Entrepreneur | Stars, eh? > >Kensington, MD (near DC) | * Will Work for Money * | > > What does "skunk-works" mean? > > Miroslaw Kuc Its any kind of special project or program that is removed from the "normal" design process, where brilliant people are basically just let loose without having to spend much time keeping suits and bureaucrats happy. Originally a team at Lockheed adopted the title for their own dept., taking it from Al Capp's cartoon strip "Li'l Abner". They felt shunned by the rest of the company and took the name of the odious factory in the strip to reflect this. Legend has it that the name became widely known when one of their number received a conference call intended for someone else, picked up the phone and announced "Skunk Works here!" to a meeting of puzzled executive types. ||Dave Jones (dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com)|Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY | ------------------------------ Date: 16 Nov 92 13:25:56 GMT From: Patrick Slane Subject: Japanese X-ray satellite: Astro_D Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space From article , by rwmurphr@wildcat.ecn.uoknor.edu (Robert W Murphree): > nousek@astro.psu.edu (John A. Nousek) writes: > >>The instruments consist of four conical foil X-ray telescopes >>built by Pete Serlimitsos of Goddard Space Flight Center, two >>X-ray CCD cameras built by George Ricker of MIT (with Penn State >>Co-I's) and two gas scintillation proportional counters built >>by Prof. Makashima of Tokyo University. The four telescopes [remaining summary deleted] > > I gather that Astro-D is a superlative x-ray spectrometer. > Is it "the first x-ray spectrometer" or only the first wiht > with this wide and bandwidth, resolution, and apeture? The imaging capabilities are not to be ignored. However, the spectroscopy WILL be the cause of much excitement. The fact that it will be spatially resolved (at low angular resolution) is, for course, very important for sources with significant extent (e.g. clusters, SNRs...) > Is the 1 arc minute resolution a significant handicap for > many objects? Yes, it is. The Einstein and ROSAT catalogs are filled with sources observed with the High Resolution Imager (HRI) which reveal very significant structure on small angular scales; better spectroscopy with HRI-like spatial resolution (the HRI provides very little spectral information) would be great. We'll have to wait for AXAF-I to get this, but there are still LOTS of other exciting science that Astro-D will address. There are many, many objects for which the lower resolution will not be a serious handicap. > Is this a "major" observatory like ROSAT > and/or AXAF. The term "major" may be a bit subjective here. The fact that, like Einstein, ROSAT and AXAF (when launched), Astro-D is characterized by high sensitivity with a range of capabilities, and an active Guest Investigator program, I would certainly consider it a "major" observatory. > science, and the fact that the japansese have launched 3-4 > small missions in the x-ray band in 10 years may actually > be much more significant in terms of science than a behemoth > like AXAF that gets launched every 10-15 years or not at all. > The US hasn't launched any free-flyers in the X-ray since > HEAO or Eistein 10 years ago, have they? A few detectors on > other people's satellites of course, but nothing big since > Einstein. Yes, the US space program has had it's difficulties with the concept behind these "Great Observatories" and this is changing. AXAF, while still undeniably a "big science" project, has been streamlined and divided into two missions. AXAF-I will provide the very high angular resolution mirrors necessary to do arc-second imaging - and will have spectral resolution like that of Astro-D (using a CCD developed by the same folks who are providing the Astro-D versions) plus gratings for higher resolution studies. AXAF-S will provide higher spectral resolution capabilities, with lower angular resolution mirrors. And though these missions are long overdue, the US x-ray community has hardly been sitting on its collective hands. Let's not forget that ROSAT was launched by the US and carries the HRI which is a US instrument, and that MAJOR portions of Astro-D (as John noted) were developed by US investigators. I know this is the "few detectors on other people's satellites" you were talking about, but between the two missions you've got US mirrors, CCDs, an HRI and a launch... .......................................................................... "Images of broken light Pat Slane Which dance before me Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics like a million eyes slane@cfa.harvard.edu They call me on and on Across the Universe" .......................................................................... ------------------------------ Date: 16 Nov 92 14:16:46 GMT From: "Allen W. Sherzer" Subject: Reality check (2) Newsgroups: sci.space In article roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov (John Roberts) writes: >-True enough for electricity but that's not what I had in mind. At first >-electricity will be hard to get (until the solar cell plant becomes >-operational) but raw heat is abundantly available with a few light weight >-mirrors. Many processes can use heat. >Like burning nylon, for instance. :-) Exactly! I think that's a great idea. >One such application was mentioned >on "Space Age" - using solar mirrors to heat lunar soil until it partially >fuses, forming a building material that's stronger than concrete. That was the SSI funded work done by McDonnell Douglas. You could also heat the regolith to melting, spin it, cool it and differentiate the components that way. >I think a lot of the initial work could be done with robots, more cheaply than >sending humans there right away. (Once we know more, and hopefully have more >appropriate launchers, we can send humans.) Absolutely. Almost all the serious Lunar colony approaches I have seen use autonomous and tele-operated robots for site characterization and site prep. Both robots and people will be needed to do the job. (At least until Nick allows the robots to do a heart bypas on him). Allen -- +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Allen W. Sherzer | "A great man is one who does nothing but leaves | | aws@iti.org | nothing undone" | +----------------------159 DAYS TO FIRST FLIGHT OF DCX----------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: 16 Nov 92 16:08:15 GMT From: IEGS000 Subject: SATELLITE PHOTO Newsgroups: sci.space COULD SOMEONE HELP ME: SUPPOSE A HURRICANE JUST BLEW IN! WHERE CAN I FIND A SATELLITE PHOTOS OF IT'S PROGRESS? PLEASE REPLY TO MC.BER ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 19:03:20 GMT From: Chris Coley Subject: Saturn V for Freedom deployment Newsgroups: sci.space My name is Chris Coley, and I am an undergraduate student at Purdue Univesity studying Aerospace Engineering. I am currently working on a research report proposing the use of a Saturn V derived heavy launch vehicle, instead of the Space Shuttle, for the deployment and resupply of Space Station Freedom. I would like to know if there are any resources available that I could use for this topic. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank You. login: coley@gn.ecn.purdue.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 14:29:49 GMT From: "Allen W. Sherzer" Subject: Shuttle replacement Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle,sci.space In article <69532@cup.portal.com> BrianT@cup.portal.com (Brian Stuart Thorn) writes: >It seems to me that in 1992, Space Shuttle is offering one of the best >returns on investment in the space community! Atlas and Delta are providing profits for the companies which build them. That means they offer a return on investment. How can the Shuttle possibly be said to offer ANY (much less the best) return on investment? Shuttle has LOST billions. Allen -- +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Allen W. Sherzer | "A great man is one who does nothing but leaves | | aws@iti.org | nothing undone" | +----------------------159 DAYS TO FIRST FLIGHT OF DCX----------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: 16 Nov 92 02:51:46 GMT From: Charles Behre Subject: Shuttle replacement Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle,sci.space |> What about the SSTO DC-Y? It's my understanding that the DC-1 should be |> able to do just about everything that the shuttle can do (with the possible |> exeption of carry the SpaceLab). And a lot cheapter to boot. |> |> |> ########################################################################## |> ## / ## Progress Before Peace! ## / ## |> ## // ## Matt J. Martin, Technosociology and Space Politics ## // ## |> ## ///// ######################################################## ///// ## |> ## // ## Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN ## // ## |> ## / ## myempire@mentor.cc.purdue.edu ## / ## |> ########################################################################## |> What level of success would the DCX testing program have to show to make it a viable candidate? Does this program have the ability to fascinate congress and Al Gore if it demonstrates what it intendend to do? On the other hand, would a DCX program shifted to taking on the duties of a HL-20 be a disasterous move in terms of the programs efficiency? Also on a side note, the Nov 2 issue of Av Week reports that Pratt & Whitney has finished testing the DCX's preproduction version of the RL10A-5 engines and will begin shipping them by years end. --Chip ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 16:33:23 GMT From: Hartmut Frommert Subject: Space launches online databases -- found ! Newsgroups: sci.space Thanx to all who responded to my semi-recent quest. To summarize: There are (at least) two databases of space launches usable on PC: 1. sat-db, to geet via anon ftp from archive.afit.af.mil user anonymous or ftp pass in the directory /pub/space (there is also other fine stuff) 2. Computertalk Space Object Catalog (unfortunately not via ftp) NOTE TO ALL USERS: In order to enhance and improve the accuracy of updated editions of this catalog, users are urged to report errors, comments, suggestions, criti- cisms, etc., to the authors by mail, EMail or phone: COMPUTERTALK RADIO NEWS SERVICE, INC. Attn: Joel Runes 217 Thorndike Street, Suite 203 Cambridge, MA 02141-1504 Phone: 617 + 494-0498 Fax: By arrangement only CIS: 71177,3700 Messages may also be left on T. S. Kelso's Celestial BBS (413) 427-0674 or on Dave Ransom's RPV BBS (310) 541-7299. -- Hartmut Frommert Dept of Physics, Univ of Constance, P.O.Box 55 60, D-W-7750 Konstanz, Germany -- Eat whale killers, not whales -- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 18:01:02 GMT From: "Adam R. Brody " Subject: Space suit research? Newsgroups: sci.space henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes: >In article prb@access.digex.com (Pat) writes: >>What's the big push for a earth normal type atmosphere? >>apollo, etc, ran fine on low pressure pure O2, does better pressure >>greatly improve cooling. or are there long term bio effects???? >The cooling issue is a serious one. Apollo didn't have that concern -- >since doing an EVA required depressurizing the entire cabin, air-cooled >equipment could not be used at all. This was okay, more or less, for >Apollo, but simply isn't appropriate for a laboratory environment: >air cooling is by *far* the easiest way to cool electronics, and the >cost of the hardware goes way up without it. >And yes, there is some concern about possible long-term biological >effects, although there is little firm knowledge. >-- Actually, the latest I have heard is that cold plates will be used for cooling and the sole reason for high pressure is health. The fact that people live in high elevations like Denver and Mexico City, where the atmospheric pressure is lower than sea level does not hold much weight. ------------------------------ Date: 16 Nov 92 12:21:34 GMT From: Jeffrey Clark Subject: Two sticky questions on astrophysics Newsgroups: sci.space This may display my ignorance but: 1. Nothing can travel faster then the speed of light. Therefore gravitational influence takes time to travel. Therefore the influence of objects on the other side of the galaxy are being felt in our solar system as those far flung objects were some 80,000 years ago, yes? More to the point the massive centre of our galaxy (possibly contains a mega-black hole) will not influence us from it's current position for another 30,000 years. Now this (according to my naive musings) should not present a problem if we are orbiting the centre of our galaxy in a near perfect circular orbit, but I would surmise that our solar system would have some eccentricity in it's orbit. According to me the solar system is falling toward a non-existant centre and has been doing this (as all galactic objects do) since the beginning of galactic history. Should this not cause orbital deviations that are measurable? Can someone help me out here please am I missing some obvious relativistic point? 2. An object is detected 15 billion light years away, pushing the beginning of time to at least that many years ago. But surely it pushes that time to double 15 billion years (ie 30 billion years). Nothing can travel faster than light. The object that generated that radiation did so 15 billion years ago from 15 billion light years away. But first we had to get 15 billion light years away from this object. Both the object and the particles that we consist of must have been together at the Big bang. In order for the light to have taken 15 billion years to reach us, the object must have been 15 billion light years away from our current position 15 billion years ago. In other words the earth and the object relative to each other must have been travelling for some 15 billion years (at least) to get that far apart before the light was emmitted from far-flung object. Once again am I missing some obvious relativistic point or have I just doubled the age of the universe? Jeff. These couple of questions have bugged me for years and I finally got sick of them. Depending on the answers I've got some other queries as well. ------------------------------ Date: 15 Nov 92 16:24:44 GMT From: Spiros Triantafyllopoulos Subject: What kind of computers are in the shuttle? Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1992Nov14.165511.23013@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> rbw3q@rayleigh.mech.Virginia.EDU (Brad Whitehurst) writes: > I'm sure that they have to be rad-hard, vibration resistant, >and otherwise much tougher than Compaqs. I seem to remember that the >old computer's memory was the old style magnetic "core" memory. Is >that correct? And what kind of memory does the new unit use? That >could explain a lot of the power consumption! I recall that when >designed, radiation induced errors in semiconductor RAM was a big >worry. Somebody in the know can verify/correct this impression. Yes. In fact, one of our divisions still makes 'core' memory, or today's equivalent, for just that reason. The analogy presented is the same one as when microprocessors found their way from TRS-80 or IBM PC compatibles began making their way into cars. We don't have the radiation problem of course :-) but have lots of all the other problems to worry about; I don't know how close to space-spec our stuff is but the specs of what goes under the hood are fairly tough... Spiros -- Spiros Triantafyllopoulos c23st@kocrsv01.delcoelect.com Software Technology, Delco Electronics (317) 451-0815 GM Hughes Electronics, Kokomo, IN 46904 [A Different Kind of Disclaimer] ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 15 : Issue 429 ------------------------------