Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 05:02:41 From: Space Digest maintainer Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V15 #029 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Fri, 24 Jul 92 Volume 15 : Issue 029 Today's Topics: Antiproton-boosted fission Antiproton-Boosted Microfission (was: Antimatter ...) (2 msgs) Astronomy Lab for MS Windows 3.X - BETA TESTERS NEEDED Clinton Space Position Does any Apollo-11 telemetry exist? FTL drives If the sun went out-how long life survive? Interstates Methods for meteor avoidance More Lunar Resource Mapper Information Star Trek - instrumentation Star Trek and public perception of spa Star Trek and public perception of space/science/engineering (2 msgs) Wanted satellite tracking program for GPS sats Whales (SETI) 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: 23 Jul 92 20:25:49 GMT From: "Thomas J. Nugent" Subject: Antiproton-boosted fission Newsgroups: sci.space roberts@CMR.NCSL.NIST.GOV (John Roberts) writes: [stuff about antiproton induced fission deleted] >Great! Now we can build hand-held tactical nuclear machine guns. (One shot >destroys a building several miles away.) :-( (Another E.E. Smith idea, >this time from the Skylark series.) >Maybe they ought to be careful of who gets hold of the technology. Well, considering that the system to carry the antiprotons is arguably the smallest system, and it would mass over a couple tons (with things like the laser or electron inertial confinement guns massing hundreds of tons), I don't think it quite qualifies as a hand-held machine gun. Unrelated: Weren't books like the Skylark series and the Lensman series (both by E.E. Smith) written sometime in the thirties? As in, he was simply ignoring the physics which said one simply could not accelerate to a speed faster than that of light? "The future is a race between education and catastrophe." - H.G. Wells -- "To be average scares the hell out of me." -- Anonymous Tom Nugent e-mail: tjn32113@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jul 92 20:20:18 GMT From: "Thomas J. Nugent" Subject: Antiproton-Boosted Microfission (was: Antimatter ...) Newsgroups: sci.space bwood@diva.Berkeley.EDU (Blake Philip Wood) writes: >All the postings so far have missed the most realistic application of >antimatter to space propulsion: antiproton-boosted microfission. >This is being investigated by a number of folks at Penn State, in >collaboration with some people at Phillips Lab in Albuquerque. >The Penn State lead is R.A. Lewis. The reference I happen to have >on hand is from Nuclear Science and Engineering, (109) p.411 (1991). >The basic idea is that hitting a U235 or Plutonium nucleus with an >antiproton makes it so unstable that you get an average of 16 neutrons >out of the resulting fission, as opposed to the usual 2-3. This means >that the critical mass which can be completely fissioned is very >small. The paper I referenced above discusses using an ICF >arrangement to compress a Plutonium pellet, then irradiate it with >antiprotons at peak compression. The advantage of this approach >is that you can do it with quantities of antimatter which can be >produced today in large accelerators. The article above quotes >results from another paper which suggests that fissioning one >70mg Plutonium pellet per second in this fashion, each event requiring >only 2e8 antiprotons, could yield 5GW of power in a complete propulsion >system with a specific mass of only 0.07 kg/kW. Well, since everyone seems so interested in antimatter's use in propulsion, and the above was posted, I'll add my own $0.02+tax. I was a co-op out at JPL last year, and I did a little performance evaluation of antiproton induced fusion rockets (it was compared to the VISTA laser ICF fusion rocket). This was entirely based on the work at Penn State by Lewis, Smith, and others. The idea was as above, except for one additional bit. The antiprotons were used to induce microfission (i.e., relatively small fission explosions), which in turn produced fusion in the fusile fuel. Alot like a hydrogen bomb, I guess you could say (meaning, use fission to produce fusion). Alot of the study is still in its early stages, but within the next few years the experiments at Phillips Lab should be producing the data they need to evaluate how effective this really is. Because of the large uncertainties, a definite conclusion could not be reached. However, the concept does show promise, and could prove useful in a variety of missions. ----- "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered with failures, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt -- "To be average scares the hell out of me." -- Anonymous Tom Nugent e-mail: tjn32113@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jul 92 21:18:56 GMT From: "R. Cage" Subject: Antiproton-Boosted Microfission (was: Antimatter ...) Newsgroups: sci.space I'm skeptical about this microfission concept; the data presented don't seem to support the conclusions. For instance, 70 mg of plutonium contains about 1.76e20 nuclei. If each antiproton causes emission of 16 neutrons, then 2e8 p-bars creates 3.2e9 neutrons from the interactions. How is one neutron per 5.5e10 nuclei in a micropellet going to cause a significant rate of fission, even if it is compressed? There is no unusual chaining or other amplification effect; once the p-bars are used up, the usual chain-reaction has to suffice. A few billion neutrons could jump-start the process, but I don't see how a chain reaction can be sustained in only 70 mg of fissile material. While this concept has some extremely neat consequences if it is feasible (micropellet pulsed fission drives with magnetic nozzles, anyone?), I'm skeptical about the claims. Does anyone know more about the principles, such as the effect of pellet compression on the critical mass? -- Russ Cage wreck@fmsrl7.srl.ford.com russ%rsi.uucp@destroyer.rs.itd.umich.edu * When Ford pays me for my opinions, THEN they can call them theirs. * _Bad_ cop. No donut. ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jul 92 00:36:15 GMT From: "Michael K. Heney" Subject: Astronomy Lab for MS Windows 3.X - BETA TESTERS NEEDED Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms,comp.ibm.pc.misc,sci.astro,sci.space,sci.edu,comp.windows.ms.programmer,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d My mail also got bounced. Send me a message and I'll pass along the information you were asking for - I won't clutter the newsgroup any more than I must. Thanks. ------------------------------ Date: 22 Jul 92 21:05:17 GMT From: Robert Bunge Subject: Clinton Space Position Newsgroups: sci.space The following was passed on to me. I'm told it came from the Clinton Headquarters (I don't have any reason to doubt that): Bill Clinton on America's Space Program The end of the Cold War offers new opportunities and new challenges for our civilian space program. In recent years the program has lacked vision and leadership. Because the Reagan and Bush administrations have failed to establish priorities, and because they have not matched program needs with available resources, NASA has been saddled with more missions than it can successfully accomplish. Bill Clinton supports a strong US civilian space program - for its scientific value, its economic and environmental benefits, its role in building new partnerships with other countries, and its inspiration of our nation's youth. A Clinton Administration space program will seek to meet the needs of the United States and other nations while moving toward our long-term objectives, including human exploration of the solar system. In addition, a Clinton space program will promote the development of new technologies, create new jobs for our highly-skilled former defense workers, and increase our understanding of the planet and its delicate environmental balance. THE CLINTON PLAN Almost a quarter century ago the United States put a man on the Moon. Now we must lead other nations in exploring the Universe for the benefit of humanity. Move beyond the Cold War The Reagan and Bush Administrations spent more on defense space initiatives than on civilian space projects. Restore the historical funding equilibrium between NASA and the Defense Department's space program. Achieve greater cooperation in space with our traditional allies in Europe and Japan, as well as with Russia. Greater US-Russian cooperation in space will benefit both countries, combining the vast knowledge and resources both countries have gathered since the launch of Sputnik in 1957. Improve the American economy through space Direct NASA to give high priority to continued improvement of the American civil aircraft industry, which faces increasing international competition. NASA research can play an important role in developing less polluting, more fuel efficient, and quieter aircraft. Work to develop cutting-edge rocket and satellite technologies. We will also develop a National Launch System to maximize efficiency with scientific and commercial payloads. NASA and the environment Support NASA efforts--like Mission to Planet Earth--to improve our understanding of the global environment. Call on NASA to develop smaller, more focused missions which address pressing environmental concerns. NASA and education Direct NASA to expand educational programs that improve American performance in math and science. Space education can help maintain our technological edge and improve our competitiveness. Direct NASA to expand the outreach of its educational efforts beyond NASA's five field centers, so that millions more young people can learn about space. Encourage planetary exploration through the best space science Stress efforts to learn about other planets. These improve our understanding of our own world and stimulate advances in computers, sensors, image processing and communications. Fully utilize robotic missions to learn more about our place in the universe. Maintain the Space Shuttle and continue to work on the Space Station Maintain the Space Shuttle's integral role in our civilian space program. The Shuttle is extremely complex and will always be expensive and difficult to operate. But we must take full advantage of its unique capabilities. Support completion of the Space Station Freedom, while basing its development on the twin principles of greater cooperation and burden sharing with our allies. By organizing effectively on this project, we can pave the way for future joint ventures, both in space and on Earth. Build a vision for the space program in the 21st century Aim to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon and to send humans to Mars. Although we cannot yet commit major resources to these goals, they should be among the considerations that guide our science and engineering. Because the entire world would share the benefits of human missions to the Moon and Mars, the costs should be borne by other nations as well as by the United States. Bob Bunge rbunge@access.digex.com ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jul 92 04:30:17 GMT From: Jeff Russ Subject: Does any Apollo-11 telemetry exist? Newsgroups: sci.space Does anyone know what happened to the telemetry from the Apollo 11 flight? For the upcoming 25'th anniversary I've been toying with the idea of developing some X based clients for displaying the data in realtime (except with a 25 year delay). If the telemetry data still exists what form is it in? Where would one find detailed planning information on the flight such as the minute by minute mission schedule, transcripts of the radio transmissions, orbits and trajectories? If this information still exists it should be possible to replay history in realtime on a workstation. The basic idea would be to load the telemetry on to one of our local UNIX systems and then transmit it over the network in realtime to monitoring workstations which would format and display the data in some meaningful way. The information to be displayed would consist of the following windows: 1) spacecraft telemetry data: temperatures, pressures, voltages, etc. 2) Biomedical data display. 3) newswire: displays news reports from AP & UPI and major papers from around the world. 4) Orbit/Trajectory plots showing the location of the spacecraft. 5) Earth/Apollo-11 radio transmissions transcripts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Russ russ@silver.ucs.indiana.edu University Computing Services PHONE: (812) 855-2733 Indiana University, Bloomington, IN I want to buy old PDP[4-9] systems. ------------------------------ Date: 20 Jul 92 09:35:01 GMT From: Derek Wee Subject: FTL drives Newsgroups: sci.space Original to: dj Hmmm. What were the principles of the interference fringe drive and the spindizzy drive? --- * Origin: Coffee Au Go-Go. We don't know what it means either. (3:680/820) ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jul 92 14:47:29 GMT From: Gary Coffman Subject: If the sun went out-how long life survive? Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1992Jul20.193116.20779@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca> sherwood@fenris.space.ualberta.ca (Sherwood Botsford) writes: >Mark Schlegel writes >> >> But hypothetically removing all sources of energy and miraculously >> removing all the thermal energy from the sun so it's a cold body, >> we have to remember that the earth is in a state of equilibrium of >> receiving solar energy and emitting or reflecting visible or infrared >> radiation. The flux on the top of the atmosphere from the sun is >> about 1300 W per square meter so the average loss is ~ 650 W per m2 per day >> (but only a normal temp. at cold temps this is less). So figure out >> the total heat capacity of the whole mass of the atmosphere, include >> the latent heat from the liquifaction of all the different gases, >> water first, then CO2, O2, N2, etc. I'm not going to do it! >> > >A first approximation could be to look at the cooling rate when the sun is >turned off each night. If the air is clear, this is typically 10-15 C. With >heavy overcast it's 5 C. If 0 happens to be in the range, you can deduct about >4-6 degrees from that range due to latent heat effects. > >Using those two as bounds, it would take 3-5 weeks before atmospheric gasses >started to liquify. However, most of the civilized world would stop in a week. The latent heat of the atmosphere is roughly 5.3E20 kWh. Radiative loss to maintain current equilibrium is 1.28E14 kW. That would require 1.1E3 days to drop the temperature to 0 Kelvin, or 2.12 years to drop the average temperature to the liquification temperature of nitrogen, if radiative loss remained constant. Of course it does not. It varies with the square of the black body temperature. Plus latent heats must be considered. For water vapor, that's a factor of 1000. Plus there is conductive transfer to the atmosphere from the land and water to consider. So the atmosphere wouldn't start to liquify in 3-5 weeks. It might start to liquify the nitrogen in the upper atmosphere in about 2-5 *years*. Sorry for using kW and kWh, it's easier for me to think in those units. Gary ------------------------------ Date: 20 Jul 92 09:45:02 GMT From: Derek Wee Subject: Interstates Newsgroups: sci.space Original to: lms > optimism of the US in the late 50's, and was seen as a > sure-fire > economic boost. In my own experience, for example, my > father's > industrial firm got into the business of building > asphalt plants, > and the news release announcing this new venture pointed > out that > this would be a hedge against economic bad times: In the early fifties, the Korean War started off a boom. So if the decision to build was made then, it would have been unsound economic theory. The building of the interstates should have been nearly completed or at least started in the recessions. As I recall, Govt spending such as that should be initiated DURING bad times. Not in Good times so that it'll be there during recessions. Oh what the heck, this isn't the proper newsgroup anyway...... --- * Origin: Coffee Au Go-Go. We don't know what it means either. (3:680/820) ------------------------------ Date: 11 Jul 92 20:30:11 GMT From: Brendan Woithe Subject: Methods for meteor avoidance Newsgroups: sci.space I've just been wondering. . . After the meteor from last year passed withinn 4 minutes of the earth (the large one), I was wondering if we have any system of avoiding these large beasts??!! I read that if it hit the earth, millions could have died. With a problem like this, surely there must be some defence!!! Anyone know anything about it??? Thanks Jhagon ... Our galaxy is just a figmant of someones bad imagination!!! --- Blue Wave/RA v2.10 [NR] * Origin: Coffee Au Go-Go. We don't know what it means either. (3:680/820.0) ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jul 92 03:12:00 GMT From: University Space Society Subject: More Lunar Resource Mapper Information Newsgroups: sci.space Here is some more Lunar Resource Mapper information that I have gleaned from publications and proceedings. I hope this is of some interest. Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer for the Lunar Resource Mapper One of the early Space Exploration Initiatives will be a lunar orbiter to map the composition of the Moon. This mission is needed to support further lunar exploration and habitation and will provide a valuable dataset for understanding lunar geological processes. The payload will consist of the gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer discussed here, an X-ray fluorescence imager, and possibly one or two other instruments. The spacecraft will be small (<100 kg), built on a fast schedule (about three years), and have a low cost (about $100M including launch). Launch is tentatively scheduled for April 1995. The program will be similar to the ALEXIS (Array of Low- Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors) program at Los Alamos, which is scheduled to be launched as a small satellite in April 1992. Most gamma rays used to map lunar elements are in the energy range of 0.2-8 MeV. The gamma-ray detector will contain a ~70% efficient [relative to a 7.62-cm- diameter x 7.62-cm-length NaI(Tl) scintillator] n-type germanium crystal. N-type is used because it is much less susceptible to radiation damage than p-type germanium. No annealing is planned because the radiation damage accumulated in the one-year mission will not seriously degrade the energy resolution if the crystal remains below 100 K. Because a Stirling cycle cooler will be used, the crystal will be mounted ustechniques commercially developed in recent years for operating germanium detectors on vibrating platforms. A bismuth germanate (BGO) anticoincidence shield on the sides and back of the germanium crystal will eliminate most events due to charged particles, gamma rays produced by cosmic rays incident on the spacecraft, and Compton- scattered events in the crystal. A plastic scintillator over the nadir-pointing surface of the germanium crystal will provide a similar capability in the forward direction without significantly attenuating the gamma-ray flux from the Moon. The gamma-ray detector will be on a short boom to further reduce the background from the spacecraft. The critical issue for operating a germanium detector in space is the method of cooling. For short missions, stored cryogens such as liquid nitrogen, solid methane, or solid argon have been proposed. For longer missions a passive radiator, as used on the Mars Observer, or an active device, such as a Stirling cycle cooler, is required. We have chosen not to use a passive radiator because of the complications in shielding the radiator from the Sun, Earth, and Moon when the spacecraft is in a polar orbit and instead have chosen to use the British Aerospace Stirling cycle cooler based on the Oxford design. This closed-cycle mechanical cooler is designed for a 10-year lifetime and has operated successfully in the laboratory without maintenance for over three years. Two of these miniature cryocoolers were launched on 12 September 1991 as part of the ISAMS multichannel infrared radiometer on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, and they are still operating successfully. Research is being done on these coolers (1) concerning vibration, thermal performance, and reliability. Because the germanium detector energy resolution is degraded by vibration, we also will use a pair of these coolers with two compressors and two expanders mounted back to back to minimize vibration. In addition, we will use a low-distortion electronic feedback system to minimize harmonics and a flexible vibration decoupler between the expander cold tips and the germanium crystal. A neutron detector is required because it provides maximum sensitivity for hydrogen and hence water. Data from the gamma-ray detector and the neutron detector are complementary because the neutron flux, which produces most gamma rays, is needed to normalize the gamma-ray line intensities; in turn, the gamma-ray dattermine the composition of the lunar surface and hence the moderation of neutrons by elements other than hydrogen (2). Three different sensors are used to measure the neutrons in three energy ranges. Thermal (E(sub)n ~ 0.01-0.4 eV) neutrons are measured with a bare ^3He proportional counter, epithermal (E(sub)n ~ 0.4-10^3 eV) neutrons with a ^3He proportional counter wrapped with thermal-neutron-absorbing cadmium, and fast (E(sub)n ~ 0.5-10 MeV) neutrons with a plastic scintillator and ^3He proportional counter operated in coincidence (3). The thermal se the epithermal sensor will be mounted on a short boom opposite the gamma-ray detector boom to reduce neutron backgrounds. Ratios of the three count rates are very sensitive to the amount of hydrogen in the lunar surface (4). The gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer will provide data on almost all elements over all of the lunar surface. Published estimates of the detection limits for similar detectors range from 0.016 ppm for uranium to 1.3% for calcium (5). We estimate a hydrogen detection limit of 100 ppm based on the neutron detector (4). The spatial resolution is about 140 km x 140 km, which is determined by the orbit altitude of 100 km (6). Both gamma rays and neutrons sense the elemental composition of the lunar surface to depths of tens of centimeters. The data from this instrument will complement the data from the X-ray fluorescence imager (7), which has a resolution of 1 km x 1 km for six elements. [Figure 1, which appears in the hard copy here, shows the schematics of a genegermanium detector with a split cycle Stirling cooler (adopted from 5) and the neutron sensors for thermal, epithermal, and fast neutrons.] Work supported by NASA and done under the auspices of the US DOE. References (1) Ross R. G. et al. (1991) Advances in Cryogenic Engineering, 37, in press. (2) Reedy R. C. et al. (1992), this workshop. (3)Jenkins R. W. et al. (1970) J. Geophys. Res., 75, 4197-4204. (4))Feldman W. C. et al. (1991) Geophys. Res. Lett., 18, 2157-2160. (5) Metzger(6) Reedy R. C. et al. (1973) J. Geophys. Res., 78, 5847-5866. (7) Edwards B. C. et al. (1992), this workshop. Edwards B. C.* Ameduri F. Bloch J. J. Priedhorsky W. C. Roussel-Dupre D.Smith B. W. Sorry about the slight overrun. I am still learning how to do this stuff. If someone can grab this and reformat, go for it. Thank you Dennis, University of Alabama in Huntsville ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jul 92 23:05:15 GMT From: "Phil G. Fraering" Subject: Star Trek - instrumentation Newsgroups: sci.space roberts@CMR.NCSL.NIST.GOV (John Roberts) writes: >-From: games@max.u.washington.edu >-Subject: Re: Star Trek and public perception of space/science/engineering >-Date: 20 Jul 92 18:10:51 GMT >-And then there are the tricorders. These things have NO visible information >-display. Just how do you get a diagnosis down to the synapses when all the >-user is looking at are flashing LEDs. >It's that great Star Fleet Academy training they all get. Don't you wish you >could take a 1-week survey course there now? At least I can look at an >oscilloscope display and derive a lot of information from what to a layman >would be a meaningless squiggle. :-) >The new version is better than the old Star Trek, in which Mr. Spock got most >of his information by looking into a blue light bulb! >I recently had a day off, and watched an old rerun of "Voyage to the Bottom >of the Sea". The displays on the submarine are really spectacular - the main >feature is a large grid of light bulbs that shows two 2-digit numbers, slowly >incrementing. :-) The digits are about a foot high. Actually, I sorta liked the displays in 2010, so much that I want one of those telescope thingies they used to look at the monoliths eating Jupiter. Although it is implied that the data processing unit being used to enhance the image was HAL... BTW, has anyone noticed in all the pictures of the new visual phones coming out, the cameras look like HAL consoles? -- Phil Fraering pgf@srl0x.cacs.usl.edu where the x is a number from 1-5. Phone: 318/365-5418 "There are still 201969 unread articles in 1278 groups" - nn message "57 channels and nothing on" - Bruce Springsteen ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jul 92 18:54:27 GMT From: Robert Nychka Subject: Star Trek and public perception of spa Newsgroups: sci.space > About the terra-forming thing, and someone saying we shouldn't >do it unless we're *SURE* we're not killing any strange life forms... > unless someone is first willing to define "life", this >discussion borders on meaningless. Now don't look at me, I >wouldn't begin to even try to formulate such a definition. > Just so we all are aware of limitations here. This is assuming that if terraforming WAS an alternative to discovering 'ready made' planets that the juristiction of existing government and the ability for an individual NOT to terraform will exist. As it stands now, life forms are by no means an excuse to stop development of private concerns, let alone a deterent in starting a new world. Species of animals are presently destroyed every year for expansion, the quest for a new world isn't going to make someone more concerned about the concept of destroying life. It will probably make us less tolerant due to the fact that HUMAN survival preceeds that of ANY race or animal. Robert Nychka -these opinions are my own and not that of my boss. ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jul 92 22:37:26 GMT From: Bob Tidrick Subject: Star Trek and public perception of space/science/engineering Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1992Jul23.174448.18038@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> bmartino@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Bob Martino) writes: > unless someone is first willing to define "life", this >discussion borders on meaningless. Now don't look at me, I >wouldn't begin to even try to formulate such a definition. Could it not be something as simple as "A combination of chemical bonds capable of replicating itself."? Basicly that is what DNA is. Who knows what else is capable of this. Did you ever see "The Andromida Strain"? If it can't reproduce itself eventually it will physicaly cease to exist. If anything was found on Mars that exibited this property I would say "leave it alone!" We have no business disturbing something which may one day evolve into a more complex form. However if nothing is found than it is a mear rock and we have dibs. -- Bob Tidrick GPID Engineering Tektronix Inc. Wilsonville OR. ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jul 92 01:26:55 GMT From: Dmitry Gringauz Subject: Star Trek and public perception of space/science/engineering Newsgroups: sci.space In article , pgf@srl03.cacs.usl.edu (Phil G. Fraering) writes: > I know I'm not the only one who has noticed that bioengineering and > genetic engineering has always been presented negatively, in > _both_ Star Trek series... Hell, if anyone ever starts a terraforming > project somewhere, you know some Professional Idiot over in Congress > or Parlaiment or the Diet or the Supreme Soviet is going to stand up > and say "But how do we know there isn't some life there we can't even > begin to imagine, like that episode of Star Trek?" This probably belongs in one of the talk.politics groups, but as long as you mention Supreme Soviet, I might as well say my opinion. Those guys (pre-august coup) have, in fact been engaged in large-scale terraforming (or desert- or swamp-forming) for the past 70 years, without any regard for any lifeforms that were present in the terraforming areas. I can site a lot of examples, starting from huge water reservouirs build in Central Asia with the help of "peaceful" nuclear explosion, and ending with almost completely stopping the water flow in Volga and Neva rivers -- the former due to excessive construction of hydra-power generating plants, the latter due to the construction of the controversial damb that was suppose to protect St. Petersburg from once-in-a-century floods. Same goes for bioengineering. Rumor had it for quiet some time that the soviet biowarfare engineers have developed strains of plague that can affect people of only one gender (male, of course), and of a certain age (18-55 usually). The evidence to that is an outbreak of plague in one of the cities in Urals. Out of 30-some victims of the outbreak, there was only one female, the rest were male ages 20-50 (approx. range). So there is nothing really new or amoral about bioengineering and terraforming over the existing life forms. It has been done before, it will be done again. > > Pessemistically Yours, > > Phil Just as pessimistic, Dmitry ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jul 92 04:33:15 GMT From: Steve Pattinson Subject: Wanted satellite tracking program for GPS sats Newsgroups: sci.space Can anybody please tell me where I can get a satellite tracking program suitable for use with NAVSTAR (Global Positioning System) satellites. I'd prefer public domain/shareware etc, but I'm desperate enough to buy a commercial product. Iv'e looked at quite a few satellite tracking programs (SIMTEL 20 & Celestial BBS), but none present the data in the form convenient for determining the observable satellites for GPS positioning purposes. Basically, you need a tracking program that shows the azimuth and elevation of all observable satellites at a particular time, so the program must track 24 or so satellites. It would be nice if the GDOP/HDOP were also calculated.. Preferably the program should use the standard Norad 2-Line elements. Please don't e-mail me - incomming messages are broke! _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Stephen Pattinson. | Computer Operations Manager | Lewis Construction Company 15 Batman St., West Melbourne 3003., Victoria, Australia, Ph => +61 3 320 4700 A division of the Concrete Constructions Group. | ACSnet => steve@lewis.oz ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jul 92 21:10:39 GMT From: russell wallace Subject: Whales (SETI) Newsgroups: sci.space Whales are _not_ intelligent in any significant sense of the word. If they were, they could prove it in about 30 seconds, by any number of means (e.g. whistle the prime numbers, *-* *-*-* *-*-*-*-* etc. - for that matter just whistle the numbers from 1 to 10). In fact, if they were intelligent, since they were physically quite a lot tougher than the whaling ships of the 18th and 19th centuries, they could have developed tactics to defeat them (e.g. several whales surround a whaling ship and clobber it, rather than all the whales trying to dive, and the ship gets one of them). (As it happens, I am in favour of making whaling illegal, but not because of any claims about their intelligence.) -- "To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem" Russell Wallace, Trinity College, Dublin rwallace@unix1.tcd.ie ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 15 : Issue 029 ------------------------------