Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from hogtown.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 ; Thu, 31 Jan 91 03:16:36 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Thu, 31 Jan 91 03:16:32 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #088 SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 88 Today's Topics: Ultimate Weapon Galileo Update - 01/22/91 Spaceflight: Soviet Moon Program Re: 2 dimensional objects Speed of the Moon's terminator Re: THE BLUE PLANET Re: 2 dimensional objects Planetary Rover Research Projects Re: space news from Dec 17 AW&ST 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 22 Jan 91 15:29:55 GMT From: unmvax!uokmax!d.cs.okstate.edu!rjs@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Roland Stolfa) Subject: Ultimate Weapon Fellow spacers, lend me your eyes for a few seconds...ok, minutes. I would like to ask a few questions about black holes. As this progresses, you will see how it relates to my subject line. 1. Are black holes stationary in space. Ie, if you have a black hole next to a star, does the black hole move at all, or does the star just revolve around the black hole? Further, can a black hole move? 2. Do we have any theories about how much matter you would have to have in any one place to generate a black hole? If both of the two previous questions can be answered "yes", then consider the following Ultimate Weapon. A. Take two areas and collect in each one half of a black hole's mass. These two areas should be far enough appart that they will not be pulling each other together, yet. B. Once the mass has been achieved, start both pieces in motion towards an "enemy", while also moving the pieces towards each other (see below). 1/2 bh\ \ >bh------> enemy / 1/2 bh/ C. Arrange it so that the two pieces collide and form our black hole before reaching the "enemy", hopefully far enough away from "us" to not cause us any problems. If it needs some energy, make the collision point some star that already has a good chunk of the mass, as well as the energy that might be needed. D. Once the black hole has been formed, it could travel along (Newtons's law ???), and quite simply suck the entire solar system of the "enemy" to oblivion. Advantages: Something so massive would probably not be too easy to stop, it would be un-defuseable (unlike a bomb), would be fairly hard to detect (unless you were looking for it), and might even do the job. Disadvantages: For the time being, impossible to accomplish (let's hope it stays that way). Another question, 3. Would this be a way of forcing a "worm hole" in space? In other words, from the point at which the black hole became a singularity, as it travels, would it permanently warp space, or would such a massive object only affect it's own local environment? Interested minds, fuzzy with physics, want to know. :-) Roland Stolfa Internet: rjs@a.cs.okstate.edu Computer Science Department Disclaimer: You've lost your mind 219 Math Sciences Building if you think anyone Oklahoma State University speaks for this place! ------------------------------ Date: 22 Jan 91 18:53:00 GMT From: swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@ucsd.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: Galileo Update - 01/22/91 GALILEO STATUS REPORT January 22, 1991 Yesterday's activities on the Galileo spacecraft were all successfully completed. The sun acquisition activity and science memory readout for the DDS (Dust Detector) and MAG (Magnetometer) instruments were performed as planned. Today, the planned CDS "A" (Command Data Subsystem) memory readout activity is in process and proceeding well. Tomorrow, another of the stored sequence periodic sun acquisitions will be performed to maintain sun point attitude. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| | | | | __ \ /| | | | Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |___ Jet Propulsion Lab | baalke@jems.jpl.nasa.gov /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| M/S 301-355 | |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ Pasadena, CA 91109 | ------------------------------ Date: 22 Jan 91 11:56:58 GMT From: van-bc!rsoft!mindlink!a752@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Bruce Dunn) Subject: Spaceflight: Soviet Moon Program From "Spaceflight", January 1991 The Moon Programme That Faltered This is a two page article with diagrams on the Soviet moon program in the 1960s. Information is from a Spaceflight interview with Vasili Mishin, who was the Soviet space program chief designer after the death of Korolyov in 1966, until he was dismissed in 1974 after repeated failures to successfully launch even the booster stages of the moon vehicle. The moon vehicle was a five stage vehicle, with the lower three stages termed the N-1, and the upper two stages the L-3. The first to fourth stages used LOX and kerosene - propellants for the fifth stage are not given; stage 1 had 30 motors, stage two 8 motors, and stage three 4 motors, while stages four and five had one motor each. The first two stages were steered by differential throttling of the engines, while the rest had conventional gimballed thrust. The fifth stage was topped by a lunar lander (termed "lunar cabin") and by a "lunar orbital cabin" (a modified Soyuz). The lunar lander had one engine for both descent and ascent, burning UDMH and nitrogen tetroxide. In operation, the first three stages were to place the upper stages in earth orbit. The fourth stage would be fired to give a lunar trajectory followed by the fifth stage to give lunar orbit insertion. The article implies a crew of two, of whom one would remain in lunar orbit in the Soyuz and the other who would land. Transfers between the Soyuz and lander were to be by spacewalk, as there was no docking arrangement for the two vehicles. Return to earth was to have been by the Soyuz, using a 1 skip atmosphere reentry (a dip into the atmosphere to lose velocity, followed by an upward skip to allow radiative cooling of the reentry vehicle, followed by final reentry). "According to Mishin the main reason for the failure of the lunar programme was a lack of funds." Mishin stated: "The Americans spent $25 billion but we spent only three billion or even less. The United States spent up to six billion per year... [Our budget] was only half a billion a year at the peak of the programme in 1967/68." The article goes on to detail failed test flights of the N-1/L-3 in 1969 (explosion after 70 seconds), two subsequent launch pad explosions, and a final inflight explosion in 1972. "Two more rockets had been fully assembled and readied for flight but in 1974 the programme was cancelled and Mishin dismissed as Chief Designer". "According to Mishin, the N1/L3 would have had to have successfully flown four or five times before a manned launch was attempted." The monthly magazine "Spaceflight" may be received worldwide by mail through membership in the British Interplanetary Society. Details may be obtained from: British Interplanetary Society 27/29 South Lambeth Road London SW8 1SZ England -- Bruce Dunn Vancouver, Canada a752@mindlink.UUCP ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 91 20:46:51 GMT From: hpl-opus!hpnmdla!hpsad!erik@hplabs.hpl.hp.com (Erik Kilk) Subject: Re: 2 dimensional objects I remember Carl Sagan's TV series on the PBC devoted a segment on such flat people. I can't remember the series name, but it might have been "Universe." He animated flat people as disks and their homes had just walls (drawn as lines like in a set of house plans). The point was that us three dimensional people could look into all the rooms of their homes (even if the doors were closed), see all the flat people whether they were inside or not, and could even see inside their bodies and walls. But the flat people themselves couldn't see past their walls, each other, or their skin. Sagan then took a 3d apple and set it down on the flat world. He noted that in the point of view of the flat people, the apple just appeared out of no where and looked like a few separate spots (only the points where the apple touched the flat land were visible to the flat people). My memory fades, but I believe he asked questions like: What if the apple was set upon a flat person? It would appear right in his body. What if we picked up one of the flat people? That person would disapear from view of all his friends. He would be able to look down upon the flat world, see all his friends, see inside all their houses, see in their bodies, etc. etc. It would boggle his mind! I believe all this was to suggest that our 3rd dimension is to the flat people as a 4th dimension might be to us! Erik ------------------------------ Date: 25 Jan 91 04:30:30 GMT From: uvaarpa!murdoch!bessel.acc.Virginia.EDU!crm2b@mcnc.org (Christopher R. Mullis) Subject: Speed of the Moon's terminator Can anyone provide a formula to calculate the angular velocity of the lunar terminator's advance at a given lunar latitude. I have posted a similar request on sci.astro but so far there have been no replies. Thanks in advance. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Christopher R. Mullis, University of Virginia USPS: Astronomy Department, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475 USA Internet: crm2b@virginia.edu --------------------------------- Voicenet: 804-971-3895 | Fan Mountain Observatory | FAX: 804-971-3895 | Leander McCormick Observatory | --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jan 91 16:55:15 GMT From: rex!wuarchive!uwm.edu!src.honeywell.com!msi.umn.edu!cs.umn.edu!kksys!wd0gol!newave!john@ames.arc.nasa.gov (John A. Weeks III) Subject: Re: THE BLUE PLANET In article <1440@mpirbn.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de> p515dfi@mpirbn.UUCP (Daniel Fischer) writes: >>> ...most IMAX theatres don't show this thrilling feature much anymore, > A technical question: there are two kinds of giant-screen cinemas, one with > a flat screen ('5 stories high' or so go the ads), the other one working > inside a planetarium dome - which one of these is the actual 'IMAX' system? An IMAX screen is a section of cylinder, while the OMNIMAX screen is part of a sphere. IMAX is an older system, OMNIMAX is fairly new. Both systems are covered by pattens, and the words IMAX and OMNIMAX are trademarks. > If so, where are there less distortions from the point of view of an > observer right in front of the screen resp near the center of the dome? The best seats are as close to the center of the seats as possible. The biggest source of distortion are theatres that show IMAX films in OMNI theatres. The edges of the screen are very blury, especially if you are sitting in the edge seats. -john- -- =============================================================================== John A. Weeks III (612) 942-6969 john@newave.mn.org NeWave Communications ...uunet!rosevax!tcnet!wd0gol!newave!john =============================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: 20 Jan 91 09:45:26 GMT From: magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!ariel.unm.edu!pprg.unm.edu!topgun!mustang!nntp-server.caltech.edu!brun@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Todd A. Brun) Subject: Re: 2 dimensional objects In article <1991Jan19.183930.12826@vpnet.chi.il.us> vortex@vpnet.chi.il.us (Jason J. Levit) writes: >In article <1991Jan19.000511.18161@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu> jabishop@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Jonathan A Bishop) writes: >>vortex@vpnet.chi.il.us (Jason J. Levit) writes: >> >>> 2 dimensional objects (beings?) without any height? WHAT? Is this >>> plausible in a 4 dimensional universe? >> >> What do you mean by 4 dimensional? Three of space and one of time or >>four of space? Either way, our universe may have more dimensions of space >>than we can perceive, so two dimensional creatures in a four dimensional >>(or higher) universe are just as plausible as three dimensional creatures. > > 3 of space, 1 of time. These guys were claming that these creatures > didn't have any height. I find that very hard to believe! > I hesitate to point this out, but using Star Trek (even from the Next Generation) as a source of physical insight is roughly like using Dan Quayle as a source of political wisdom. If we could only beam him into a bunker with Saddam Hussein, we could probably assure a bloodless victory... ------------------------------ Date: 21 Jan 91 05:54:18 GMT From: rochester!sol!yamauchi@louie.udel.edu (Brian Yamauchi) Subject: Planetary Rover Research Projects I'm interested in compiling a list of the planetary rover projects (government, industry, and academic) that are currently active. I'm familiar with the efforts at JPL (Miller/Wilcox), CMU (Ambler), RPI (CIRSSE), and MIT (Brooks), and I would be interested in hearing about any other ongoing research. I'm interested in references to any papers (or people) connected with the following groups: 1) Martin-Marietta I saw their rover featured in Aviation Week. Does anyone know if they've published anything? 2) NASA Ames Research Center I've heard (second-hand) that there is some rover research being conducted here. Does anyone have the details? 3) Rockwell I just saw a mention of a Rockwell microrover plan in the current issue of Ad Astra. I'm curious whether this is just a design or if actual robots and/or simulations have been buit. 4) Any others I've missed If there is sufficient interest, I will post the completed list. Thanks in advance, -- _______________________________________________________________________________ Brian Yamauchi University of Rochester yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu Computer Science Department _______________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: 21 Jan 91 10:34:58 GMT From: zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!mvk@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Michael V. Kent) Subject: Re: space news from Dec 17 AW&ST In article <6341@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> jmck@norge.Eng.Sun.COM (John McKernan) writes: >reliable, smaller launchers such as the Delta, if NASA were willing to >accept a little more risk of launcher failure. Given that putting men >into orbit is still a very primitive, chancy business, I think NASA >should acknowledge and accept that risk in any case. Getting NASA to accept the risk is not your problem. Your problem is getting Dan Rather and hence John Q. Public to accept the higher risk. The U. S. manned space program almost ceased to exist in 1986 due to 1 failure in 25 flights. Anything riskier than 1 in 100 will probably never be allowed to fly. I'm afraid we're going to have to live with that constraint, as limiting as it is. For that reason, the Shuttle will probably be our only manned vehicle this decade. Michael Kent mvk@itsgw.rpi.edu ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V13 #088 *******************