Date: Wed, 23 Sep 92 05:06:42 From: Space Digest maintainer Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V15 #238 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Wed, 23 Sep 92 Volume 15 : Issue 238 Today's Topics: ALTERNATIVE Comet Rendezvous Mission Clinton's platform on the space program Clinton and Space Funding Discussion of SETI Goals and Objectives Drop nuc waste into sun Life not Death through Space Exploration (Was Re: Population Fascism!) Magellan Update - 09/22/92 PLANETLIKE OBJECT SPOTTED BEYOND PLUTO Pluto/direct: what to name it? Radio allocation satellite construction question Sayonara, Mariner Mark II SETI Space Platforms (political, not physical : -) SSTO Alert: Senate Conference starting soon 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: 22 Sep 92 17:28:52 GMT From: "Don M. Gibson" Subject: ALTERNATIVE Comet Rendezvous Mission Newsgroups: sci.space Wait, my calander doesn't say April 1st! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1992 18:53:40 GMT From: Mike Van Pelt Subject: Clinton's platform on the space program Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space In article <92264.203625SML108@psuvm.psu.edu> writes: > CLINTON/GORE ON AMERICA'S SPACE PROGRAM Another translation from bureacrat-speak: >* Maintain the Space Shuttles 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. Scuttle anything which might threaten the shuttle's position. Goodbye DC-X, and barriers (for "public safety" and "environmental" reasons to be sure, *cough* *cough*) against any private company trying to provide competing launch services. -- Mike Van Pelt Without objective evidence, "bell ringing" LSI Logic/Headland Products is indistinguishable from "crying wolf". sun!indetech!hsv3!mvp -- Steve Emmerson mvp@hsv3.lsil.com ------------------------------ Date: 22 Sep 92 17:37:33 GMT From: Herman Rubin Subject: Clinton and Space Funding Newsgroups: sci.space,talk.politics.space,alt.politics.bush,alt.politics.clinton In article <1992Sep22.161030.18247@iti.org> aws@iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer) writes: >In article bowen@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Devon E Bowen) writes: .................. >Oh space is not ny only issue but I do think it is an important one. Just >looking at the differences in their space policies IMHO tells a lot about >the canidates and their stands. >Clinton's space people oppose efforts to reduce costs. They prefer to >stick with older and more expensive systems. They also want to keep the >government in firm control of the entire program. >This unimaginative attitude seems to go hand in hand with Clinton's other >programs and positions. >>I, personally, vote for what I think is best for the >>society in general and not just my individual interests. >Me too. I have absolutely no personal interest in space. I am not employed >by NASA or any space related effort. I will not profit by any particular >space policy. I think this is a perverted use of the term "interest." Mr. Sherzer and I both have no direct financial involvement which will be affected by the precise space policy. However, I have a great personal interest in space, as I consider immediate major space activity, leading to a large, and preferably highly varied, human presence in space as by far the best hope for the future of mankind, and for human freedom. I believe that Mr. Sherzer also considers a massive manned presence in space as important for the future well-being of humanity. These are interests. -- Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399 Phone: (317)494-6054 hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet) {purdue,pur-ee}!pop.stat!hrubin(UUCP) ------------------------------ Date: 22 Sep 92 15:11:07 GMT From: Mark Gryzwa 4-6860 Subject: Discussion of SETI Goals and Objectives Newsgroups: sci.space I haven't seen much of a discussion on this group with regards to SETI, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. I thought this might be an opportunity to get a thread started. My questions are: 1.) What are the goals of the SETI project? 2.) What is NASA listening for and can they respond if they hear something? 3.) How is the listening being accomplished? 4.) What does NASA hope to gain by hearing something? There, perhaps that will get things started. -- Mark Gryzwa | ** Slower Traffic Keep Right, PLEASE ** Analog and RF Engineer | Magnetic Resonance Imaging | My school colors were clear. We used to say, gryzwa@mr.med.ge.com | "I'm not naked, I'm in the band."-S.Wright ------------------------------ Date: 22 Sep 92 10:47:07 GMT From: "Hr.Naepflein/PHILOS" Subject: Drop nuc waste into sun Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1992Sep16.233411.959@cs.rochester.edu> dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz) writes: >There's an easier way to get the stuff out of the solar system. Shoot >the stuff off into solar orbit, then blow it up (I mean really blow it >up, to vapor, via a low-yield nuclear explosion). The debris gets >entrained in the solar wind and is swept out of the solar system at >100 km/s. This would reduce the delta-V needed to only 4 km/s or so. Well, the easiest and most energy and cost saving way to get rid of nuc waste is not producing any! Don't flame me, it's my opinion! > Paul F. Dietz > dietz@cs.rochester.edu > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emil Naepflein _--_|\ Phone: +49 8452 70099 Sedelbreite 15 A fan of / \ Mail: egn%philos.uucp@unido W-8069 Geisenfeld \_.--._/ Germany v ------------------------------ Date: 20 Sep 92 20:30:57 GMT From: "Frederick A. Ringwald" Subject: Life not Death through Space Exploration (Was Re: Population Fascism!) Newsgroups: sci.space In article <19SEP199213465650@judy.uh.edu> wingo%cspara.decnet@Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov writes: > In case someone would post that I am bashing the elite, I am not. Good thing, too, since you're one of them. After all, you're studying at a university, physics, isn't it? And when you get finished, people are going to call you a rocket scientist. Not that this is at all bad: if someone says "you don't have to be a rocket scientist to (fill in the blank)," you can promptly retort with "I AM a rocket scientist!" Try it, it works like a charm. ;-) / 2 ------------------------------ Date: 23 Sep 92 03:41:06 GMT From: Ron Baalke Subject: Magellan Update - 09/22/92 Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary Forwarded from the Magellan Project MAGELLAN STATUS REPORT September 22, 1992 1. Magellan continues to operate normally, performing the battery reconditioning sequence. 2. Commands to reconfigure the power system relays for reconditioning battery #2 were uplinked yesteray morning and the 55-hour discharge process was started. The reconditioning of battery #2 will be completed by tomorrow. 3. In the next few days controllers are planning to change the fault protection routines which handle recovery from a spurious shutoff of the Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA). Since the 360kHz subcarrier will not be needed for gravity data collection through the end of Cycle 4, the spacecraft will return to "Carrier only plus X-band telemetry" in the event of a TWTA SSO. 4. The next command sequence will be uplinked on Friday. Through most of the mission-to-date the sequences have been prefixed with an "M" to denote a Mapping sequence. During Cycle 4, the letter "G" will be used to denote Gravity data collection. The letter is followed by a digit denoting the year, i.e. "2" (for 1992), and the day- of-year, i.e. 269. Thus the next command sequence is G2269. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov | | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab | ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |__ M/S 525-3684 Telos | Quiet people aren't the /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | only ones who don't say |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ | much. ------------------------------ Date: 22 Sep 92 17:24:07 GMT From: Stan Ryckman Subject: PLANETLIKE OBJECT SPOTTED BEYOND PLUTO Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,alt.sci.planetary In article <148@newave.newave.mn.org> john@newave.newave.mn.org (John A. Weeks III) writes: >We need a new "Grand Tour" flight. The Pluto direct flights should be directed >to fly past Chiron (I think thats the name of the thing discovered in the >neighborhood or Saturn), then Pluto, then past this new planet. Perhaps a >few new objects will be sighted beyond Pluto in the mean time that can be >added to the mission. > >Since you cannot get much of a direction change when flying past small >objects, would a flight like this be possible? Do these objects line >up or are they even in the same plane? Could one get gravity assists >from some of the larger planets in order to fly by these smaller objects? Well, bad news. The new object (1992 QB1), planet or not, is just about in the opposite direction from Pluto at present. Unfortunately, press reports such as "...beyond Pluto..." cannot be taken literally. Such a combined flight would not be feasible now [maybe wait a few hundred years and they'll "line up" :-( ]. I don't know in what direction Chiron lies at present. BTW, _any_ three objects are always in a plane. Maybe you meant "near the Earth's orbital plane?" If so, both Pluto and 1992 QB1 are near it, but again I don't know about Chiron. Stan. -- X-Obligatory-.sig Stan Ryckman sgr@alden.UUCP ------------------------------ Date: 22 Sep 1992 17:03:47 GMT From: "Kevin W. Plaxco" Subject: Pluto/direct: what to name it? Newsgroups: sci.space Tombaugh isn't dead. Shouldn't that preclude the present naming technique? -Kevin ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1992 15:02:43 GMT From: Dillon Pyron Subject: Radio allocation Newsgroups: sci.space In article , 18084TM@msu.edu (Tom) writes: >For that matter, what's wrong with suing, based on the infringement of >radio waves upon my peacful, quiet EM field? Solar power has already >brought up the question of 'solar rights'. Try this one: "If those people are going to beam signals into my backyard, I have a right to use them". Just let me know what prison they assign you to, I'll write. > >The FCC is supposed to make decisions based on...what? I guess I don't >really know. I imagine it's something really vague and unenforcable like, >'public welfare' or some such gov agency double-talk. By the empowering law. Not that that tells us much :-( > >And now, the FCC is 'the big guy'. Between taxes, licensing, and the >disposal of frequencies, the FCC is the de facto owner of the entire >EM spectrum in the US. By international treaty and US law, they ARE the owner. And, since they are a wing of the US government, and since WE are the US government, we own the spectrum. Yeah, right. > >-Tommy Mac . " + >.------------------------ + * + >| Tom McWilliams; scrub , . " + >| astronomy undergrad, at * +;. . ' There is >| Michigan State University ' . " no Gosh! >| 18084tm@ibm.cl.msu.edu ' , * >| (517) 355-2178 ; + ' * >'----------------------- > Gosh Tommy, I would have expected you to be more cynical by now :-) -- Dillon Pyron | The opinions expressed are those of the TI/DSEG Lewisville VAX Support | sender unless otherwise stated. (214)462-3556 (when I'm here) | (214)492-4656 (when I'm home) |"Do something different, DISAPPEAR" pyron@skndiv.dseg.ti.com | "DISAPPEAR" _A Day On Earth_ Brave Combo ------------------------------ Date: 22 Sep 92 20:34:25 GMT From: Bob McGwier Subject: satellite construction question Newsgroups: sci.space The previous poster claimed that satellites were built with holes in them. This is in general true. However, many satellites built in the former Soviet Union have most if not all the electronics modules inside pressurized containers. This greatly reduces the stress on components, reduces outgassing requirements, and allows cheaper components to be used. The amateur radio satellites, RS-10/11, and RS-12/13 I know for a fact are piggy back electronics modules inside the pressurized vessel of the primary payload. BMc. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1992 16:41:00 GMT From: wingo%cspara.decnet@Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov Subject: Sayonara, Mariner Mark II Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1992Sep21.081731.7021@techbook.com>, szabo@techbook.com (Nick Szabo) writes... >In article <1992Sep18.082310.1@fnalf.fnal.gov> higgins@fnalf.fnal.gov (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) writes: >>> ** Cassini Redesigned -- [...] >>> Key features of the re-designed mission include: Cassini-unique >>> spacecraft with body-fixed instruments, and a lighter spacecraft permitting >>> the launch by a standard Titan IV vehicle. >> >>I guess this puts an end to the fiction of the Mariner Mark II >>"series," huh? > > >Mariner Mark II wasn't always a fiction. It became so when the >planetary exploration budget was reduced by an order of magnitude, from >$3 billion per year ($92) in the 1970's to $300 million a year today, a >level over an order of magnitude less than the Shuttle budget. There's no >such thing as a standard bus in this size range when we can only afford to >fly one mission per decade of this size. Not that I object to the size >cutback; I would rather see ten small missions than one big mission, and >I've lobbied for that for years. Unfortuneately, the choice has boiled down >to one small mission (per year) vs. no big missions. ("Big" only relative >to other automated planetary missions, understand. The old Mariner Mark >II missions would have each cost less than 1% of one astronaut project >to low earth orbit, SSF). > > Yes but how many people dream of building a planetary mission (I am one by the way). Children dream of goin into space and being astronauts. That is why their are space camps springing up all over the planet. This will in the long run bring more money to planetary science than all the ranting and raving in the world. By the way planetary spacecraft construction is my forte Nick BUT I am a realist and I recognize what it will take to gain long lasting support for space and that is manned missions and Space Station Freedom. By the way there are several small faster cheaper mission being planned at JPL right now. The cancellation of CRAF probably did more to HELP the long range goals of the planetary program than anything else in recent years. Dennis, University of Alabama in Huntsville ------------------------------ Date: 22 Sep 92 20:30:37 GMT From: Bob McGwier Subject: SETI Newsgroups: sci.space For those of you who care about SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence), the all sky survey begins on October 12 with an instrument built by JPL (Helmut Wilke's group) on a 34 meter dish at Goldstone. At long last, it begins. BMc ------------------------------ Date: 22 Sep 92 17:55:41 GMT From: Mark Wilson Subject: Space Platforms (political, not physical : -) Newsgroups: sci.space,talk.politics.space,alt.politics.marrou,alt.politics.libertarian In steinly@topaz.ucsc.edu (Steinn Sigurdsson) writes: SS:This is getting way off topic for sci.space, but by what right that SS:the Cubans recognise would a US Libertarian society own any part SS:of the radio spectrum if they abbrogated the existing governmental SS:treaties? In particular, how do you think the cubans should respond if SS:a Miami station decided a cuban military reserve slot was just the SS:ticket, and "occupied it" and claimed onwership under US guidelines? SS:Sue under a legal system they do not recognise with no enforcement powers? Yes, this is a problem. How to resolve conflicting claims when under two or more legal systems. Especially if the two systems are not talking to each other. But then this is no less a problem under the current system. -- --Mark My opinions are mine, all mine. Unless someone else claims them first. ------------------------------ Date: 22 Sep 92 19:14:32 GMT From: "Allen W. Sherzer" Subject: SSTO Alert: Senate Conference starting soon Newsgroups: sci.space,talk.politics.space The Senate is scheduled to vote today on the Defense Appropriation Bill. This bill has report language which is very favorable to the SSRT program and DCX (thanks again to those who wrote). This is in contrast to the House bill which zeros out SSRT funding. Beginning tomorrow, the House and Senate will go to conference to produce the final bill. If you wish to help support SSRT and DCX, please write two letters as follows. The first letter should be to Rep. Murtha (address below). Ask him to support the SDIO SSRT program and fully fund it. Say that you think this is an important program and you hope it doesn't fall through the cracks because of its small size. The second letter should go to Senator Domenici (address below). Thank him for his past support and ask him to insure that the SDIO SSRT program is fully funded. Rep. John P. Murtha Senator Pete Domenici 2423 RHOB SD-427 20515-3812 U.S. Senate tel: 225-2065 Washington, D.C. 20510-3101 fax: 225-5709 Phone:202/225-6621 Fax: 202/224-7371 If you live in a state with a representative or senator on this subcommittee or even the whole Appropriations Committee, please write to him/her as well. Allen -- +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Allen W. Sherzer | "If they can put a man on the Moon, why can't they | | aws@iti.org | put a man on the Moon?" | +----------------------214 DAYS TO FIRST FLIGHT OF DCX----------------------+ ------------------------------ id aa26855; 22 Sep 92 21:57:43 EDT To: bb-sci-space@VACATION.VENARI.CS.CMU.EDU Newsgroups: sci.space Path: crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!udel!darwin.sura.net!wupost!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!nsisrv!ltp2.gsfc.nasa.gov!gumley From: "Liam E. Gumley" Subject: Interactive Computer Ephemeris software from USNO Message-Id: <22SEP199211174497@ltp2.gsfc.nasa.gov> News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1 Sender: Usenet Nntp-Posting-Host: ltp2.gsfc.nasa.gov Organization: NASA-GSFC LTP Computing Facility Code 920.2 Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1992 16:17:00 GMT Lines: 14 Source-Info: Sender is really news@CRABAPPLE.SRV.CS.CMU.EDU Source-Info: Sender is really isu@VACATION.VENARI.CS.CMU.EDU G'day people. I am trying to get hold of the "Interactive Computer Ephemeris" program that was designed by the US Naval Observatory. I just called them and was told it is no longer available. Does anyone have a copy that I could borrow? Is it public domain? Cheers, Liam. -- Liam E. Gumley | Phone : (301) 982-3700 NASA/GSFC MODIS Science Data Support Team | Fax : (301) 982-3749 Research and Data Systems Corporation | Internet : gumley@ltp.gsfc.nasa.gov Greenbelt MD, USA | Opinions expressed here are my own! ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 15 : Issue 238 ------------------------------