Date: Wed, 10 Mar 93 05:03:05 From: Space Digest maintainer Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V16 #297 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Wed, 10 Mar 93 Volume 16 : Issue 297 Today's Topics: Acceleration of ice A question about Serveyor model 1 ( 1965-64A) Earth, Enceladus, Neptune GIFs at JPL Info site JPL Fact Sheet Latest on Geminga LOCAL DISTURBANCE - a new method of quantutative flow visualization Lunar Ice Transport PFF Instruments Proposed Jupiter f/c/b mission (3 msgs) Road & Track road tests 1996 JPL Rocky IV Microrover Strange lights unnecceary violence (was: Nobody cares about Fred?) Was it an UFO or a Soviet satellite??? (2 msgs) Will Huygens Float 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: Wed, 10 Mar 1993 00:53:14 GMT From: Daniel Seeman Subject: Acceleration of ice Newsgroups: sci.chem,sci.engr.chem,sci.space,sci.physics In article jpapp@uceng.uc.edu (John Papp) writes: >Hello, > >I am currently doing a design project which requires the acceleration >of a block of ice to about 1500 m/s in an almost pure vacuum (space). >This block of ice will be under about 6.4e6 Pascals of acceleration >pressure (m*a/area) in about a 100 K environment. Once this block has >reached 1500m/s, the acceleration will be removed. > >Assumptions. The block will be ice when it begins accelerating. > The acceleration will build to a constant value > and will then be removed when the ice has reached 1500m/s. > >My question are: > Will the ice liquify or sublime under the acceleration > even under the zero pressure of the environment? > If the ice liquifies, will it refreeze when the acceleration stops? > If the ice liquifies, will it explode when the acceleration stops? > If the ice liquifies, will some of it escape when the > acceleration stops but most of it refreeze? > >As of yet, I know of no experiment that was done to answer these questions >and phase diagrams of water are somewhat lacking to what happens during >transition or just do not go down to the pressure and temperature values >stated. Hi, I have no answers, but a comment. Aren't there ice crystals in the trailing stream of a commet? I don't know how fast they are traveling, or if they just appear in the trailing stream because of some condensation process (I doubt it, though). But you may want to research this for some additional insights... dks. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 Mar 93 14:07:04 +0300 From: "Voevodin S.A." Subject: A question about Serveyor model 1 ( 1965-64A) Newsgroups: sci.space When the Serveyor model 1 (1965-64A) did decay? -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sergey A. Voevodin 8 Okruzhnoy proezd 11-2, 156014 Kostroma, Russia e-mail: vsa@msd.orbi.kostroma.su tel: +7 0942 553291 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1993 23:31:53 GMT From: JPL Public Information Subject: Earth, Enceladus, Neptune GIFs at JPL Info site Newsgroups: sci.space GIF IMAGES AVAILABLE AT JPL INFO SITE Several GIF images have been added to the JPL Info public access computer site. JPL Info may be accessed by Internet via anonymous ftp to pubinfo.jpl.nasa.gov (128.149.6.2); or by dialup modem at +1 (818) 354-1333, up to 9600 bps, parameters N-8-1. The GIF files are in the directory \news for the first 30 days, after which they are moved to the directory \images. The following GIF files were converted electronically from digital spacecraft data. The default version of each GIF is sized for 640x480 displays; a larger version is also provided. EARTH.GIF 91K Galileo image of Earth from 1st flyby P-37330 EARTHX.GIF 225K Larger (800x800x256) version of EARTH.GIF ENCELAD.GIF 169K Voyager image of Saturn moon Enceladus P-23955 ENCELADX.GIF 259K Larger (600x600x256) version of ENCELAD.GIF NEPTUNE.GIF 119K Voyager image of Neptune P-34611 NEPTUNEX.GIF 211K Larger (650x650x256) version of NEPTUNE.GIF Hardcopy prints of these images may be ordered with the "P" number from the contractor company Newell Color Lab, 221 N. Westmoreland Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90064 USA, telephone +1 (213) 380-2980, fax +1 (213) 739-6984. _________________________________________________________________ earth.gif: PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 PHOTO CAPTION P-37330 12/19/90 GLL-EM7 SSI This color image of the Earth was obtained by Galileo at about 6:10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Dec. 11, 1990, when the spacecraft was about 1.3 million miles from the planet during the first of two Earth flybys on its way to Jupiter. The color composite used images taken through the red, green and violet filters. South America is near the center of the picture, and the white, sunlit continent of Antarctica is below. Picturesque weather fronts are visible in the South Atlantic, lower right. This is the first frame of the Galileo Earth spin movie, a 500- frame time-lapse motion picture showing a 25-hour period of Earth's rotation and atmospheric dynamics. This GIF file was converted electronically from original digital spacecraft data. ##### _________________________________________________________________ encelad.gif: PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (213) 354-5011 PHOTO CAPTION Aug. 28, 1981 P-23955C/BW S-2-50 This Voyager 2 mosaic of Enceladus was made from images taken through the clear, violet and green filters Aug. 25, 1981, from a distance of 119,000 kilometers (74,000 miles). In many ways, the surface of this satellite of Saturn resembles that of Jupiter's Galilean satellite Ganymede. Enceladus, however, is only one-tenth Ganymede's size. Some regions of Enceladus show impact craters up to 35 kilometers (22 miles) in diameter, whereas other areas are smooth and uncratered. Linear sets of grooves tens of kilometers long traverse the surface and are probably faults resulting from deformation of the crust. The uncratered regions are geologically young and suggest that Enceladus has experienced a period of relatively recent internal melting. The rims of several craters near the lower center of the picture have been flooded by the smooth terrain. The satellite is about 500 kilometers (310 miles) in diameter and has the brightest and whitest surface of any of Saturn's satellites. Features as small as 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) are visible in this highest- resolution view of Enceladus. The Voyager project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. This image was converted electronically to GIF format from original digital data. ##### _________________________________________________________________ neptune.gif: PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 PHOTO CAPTION August 21, 1989 P-34611 Voyager 2-N29 During August 16 and 17, 1989, the Voyager 2 narrow-angle camera was used to photograph Neptune almost continuously, recording approximately two and one-half rotations of the planet. These images represent the most complete set of full-disc Neptune images that the spacecraft acquired. This picture from the sequence shows two of the four cloud features which have been tracked by the Voyager cameras during the past two months. The large, dark oval near the western limb (the left edge) -- dubbed by Voyager scientists the Great Dark Spot -- is at a latitude of 22 degrees south and circuits Neptune every 18.3 hours. The bright clouds immediately to the south and east of this oval are seen to substantially change their appearances in periods as short as four hours. The second dark spot, at 54 degrees south latitude near the terminator (lower right edge), circuits Neptune every 16.1 hours. This image has been processed to enhance the visibility of small features, at some sacrifice of color fidelity. The Voyager Mission is conducted by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications. This GIF file was converted electronically from digital spacecraft data. ##### - end - ------------------------------ Date: 9 Mar 1993 20:58 UT From: Ron Baalke Subject: JPL Fact Sheet Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro In article , rabjab@golem.ucsd.edu (Jeff Bytof) writes... >In article <1993Mar9.025636.23199@ee.ubc.ca> davem@ee.ubc.ca (Dave Michelson) writes: >>From: davem@ee.ubc.ca (Dave Michelson) > >>>Mars; Mariner 7, launched in 1969 to Mars; Mariner 8 and 9, >>>launched in 1971 to orbit Mars. > >>Interesting summary, but I would hardly classify Mariner 8 as a >>"successful Mariner" :-( > >Was Mariner 8 a launch abort? > Mariner 8 was deposited at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean when a circuit chip failed in the Centaur upper stage. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov | | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab | ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |__ M/S 525-3684 Telos | It's kind of fun to do /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | the impossible. |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ | Walt Disney ------------------------------ Date: 10 Mar 1993 01:14:20 GMT From: "Patrick L. Nolan" Subject: Latest on Geminga Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro Dick Edgar (edgar@sal.wisc.edu) wrote: : In article Richard.Mathews@West.Sun.COM (Richard M. Mathews) writes: : : So to paraphrase: *if* only 1% of the spin-down energy comes out in gamma : rays (and where does the rest go? The gamma/x-ray luminosity ratio is : over 1000...), and *if* the radiation is isotropic, then the pulsar is : about 38 parsecs away. Anyone who knows pulsars care to comment? : There's an upcoming paper in Ap. J. by Halpern & Ruderman in which they argue for a distance of 100-400 pc, with a best estimate of 250 pc. This is based mainly on the shape of the X-ray spectrum, with some help from estimates of interstellar matter and the brightness of the optical source. The 1% figure is appropriate for the Vela pulsar. Until about a year ago, Vela and the Crab were the only known gamma-emitting pulsars. Both of them are quite young and rapidly- spinning. As the older and slower of the two, Vela was thought to be the more appropriate model for Geminga, which is much older and slower. Now we also know about another gamma pulsar, 1706-44. Its distance is pretty well known, and its gamma efficiency is a bit higher than Vela's. It's starting to look as if old, slow pulsars can have very large gamma efficiencies. Of course the theoreticians are scrambling to show that they predicted it all along. -- * Patrick L. Nolan (415)723-0133 * * W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory (HEPL) * * Stanford University * * Bitnet: PLN@SLACVM Internet: pln@egret0.stanford.edu * ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1993 15:57:06 GMT From: "Dmitry V. Stepanov" Subject: LOCAL DISTURBANCE - a new method of quantutative flow visualization Newsgroups: sci.space LOCAL DISTURBANCE - a new method of quantitative flow visualization! Method is very effective for high temperature flows up to 5000K ( tested in the range 1000K-3500K), but can also be used at a lower temperatures. Workable in dusted and chemically active flows not transparent for light. In some modifications applicable for visualization on the burning surfaces, solid propellant surface for example. Range of velocities tested from 5-10 m/s up to 1000 -1500m/s. In most cases direction and module of velocity vector are got simultaneously on a grid of test points, covering the surface under examination. Special equipment needed for realization no more complicated then for oil specters method. Examples of realizations can be presented. Searching for method application for solving different problems. Dr. Sergey K. Savelyev EMBC,Box 222,St.-Petersburg,197022,Russia tel. (812) 2513951 or (812) 2344930 or Home: Altayskaya str., 12,34,St.-Petersburg,196066,Russia Home tel. (812) 2933370 E-mail dmitry@elbimbank.spb.su. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Mar 93 20:01:56 GMT From: Ross Borden Subject: Lunar Ice Transport Newsgroups: sci.space In all the Lunar ice transportation proposals that I've seen, nobody has mentioned what would be, on Earth, the most obvious: overland hauling. To maintain high through-put, a continuous stream of vehicles would haul ice from the polar ice mines to the equatorial processing plants, and then dead-head back (unless there was some return cargo.) The trucks would be big. A standard tractor pulls a trailer with a cargo area 8'x8'x40'-60', plus that again with a super-B. The rigs I see would be twice as wide and twice as high (at least), with a cargo area ~30,000 ft^3. It might be possible to string several 'cars' together behind a 'locomotive'. The only feasible power source would be nuclear. Chemical would require too much fuel mass and solar would be useless in the long lunar night. The labour costs involved with having two shift drivers in each truck on such a long route, combined with the mass of life-support needed for a ~2 week trip necessitates automated trucks. The route taken would be completely surveyed beforehand and stored in the onboard computers. Solar/battery powered radio beacons along the route would provide distance and bearing references for the trucks. The only insurmountable problem might be the terrain between the pole and the processing plant. If there are lots of cliffs, mountains, chasms, and craters that are unavoidable, the bridges and tunnels necessary would be too expensive. On the other hand, if the terrain is relatively even, and the trucks can skirt any big obstacles, it would be possible. Intuition tells me that it would be doable in the mares but the highlands could cause problems. So, where exactly is the processing plant going to located? And are there lunar maps with sufficient resolutions to chart a route? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |I shot a man just to watch him die; | Ross Borden | |I'm going to Disneyland ! | rborden@ra.uvic.ca | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 9 Mar 1993 17:29:45 GMT From: Steve Derry Subject: PFF Instruments Newsgroups: sci.space Since there will be two PFF spacecraft, would it make sense for the two to carry slightly different science payloads? For example, the second spacecraft could carry a magnetometer in place of the UV spectrometer. This would allow a broader science return while remaining within mass and power constraints (although program costs and risk would increase slightly). -- Steve Derry ------------------------------ Date: 9 Mar 1993 21:02 UT From: Ron Baalke Subject: Proposed Jupiter f/c/b mission Newsgroups: sci.space In article , henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes... >In article pgf@srl01.cacs.usl.edu ("Phil G. Fraering") writes: >>Earth-moon or earth-sun lagrange point? >> >>It looks like you're talking about the earth-sun L1 point, but >>isn't that a little far? > >Sounded to me like Earth-Sun, and it's only about 1.5 million km away. >A halo orbit around the Earth-Sun L1 is a good place to park something >that wants to be well away from Earth and in continuous sunlight. That is exactly where the Soho spacecraft will be placed, in halo orbit around the Earth-Sun L1 point. It is due to be launched in 1995. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov | | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab | ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |__ M/S 525-3684 Telos | It's kind of fun to do /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | the impossible. |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ | Walt Disney ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1993 22:08:51 GMT From: Henry Spencer Subject: Proposed Jupiter f/c/b mission Newsgroups: sci.space In article <9MAR199321020689@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov> baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke) writes: >>A halo orbit around the Earth-Sun L1 is a good place to park something >>that wants to be well away from Earth and in continuous sunlight. > >That is exactly where the Soho spacecraft will be placed, in halo orbit >around the Earth-Sun L1 point. It is due to be launched in 1995. Soho actually has several more reasons to use that orbit, in fact. Since it's a solar observatory, it wants an uninterrupted view of the Sun. It prefers an orbit where the component of orbital velocity along the Soho-Sun line is zero, to avoid having to correct observations for constantly-changing Doppler shift. And being "upwind" of the Earth in the solar wind has several advantages, including giving near-Earth sensors some early warning of interesting events. -- C++ is the best example of second-system| Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology effect since OS/360. | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1993 00:17:21 GMT From: gawne@stsci.edu Subject: Proposed Jupiter f/c/b mission Newsgroups: sci.space Responding to my post of info about Paul Feldman's proposed Jupiter Discovery series mission, Phil Fraering wrote: PGF|Earth-moon or earth-sun lagrange point? PGF| PGF|It looks like you're talking about the earth-sun L1 point, but PGF|isn't that a little far? And Henry Spencer followed with: HS|Sounded to me like Earth-Sun, and it's only about 1.5 million km away. HS|A halo orbit around the Earth-Sun L1 is a good place to park something HS|that wants to be well away from Earth and in continuous sunlight. Yes, that's what I understood from Paul. You want steady sunlight on the solar arrays (those detectors use a fair amount of current), no problems with Earth or Moon occultations for long periods of time, and many months of continuous visibility of Jupiter. Then Ron Baalke added: RB| That is exactly where the Soho spacecraft will be placed, in halo orbit RB| around the Earth-Sun L1 point. It is due to be launched in 1995. I *think* that the L1 "point" is large enough for several spacecraft to stay there at a time. It _is_ one of the astable Lagrange points, so stationkeeping will be necessary to hold it there lest it drift off. -Bill Gawne, Space Telescope Science Institute "Forgive him, he is a barbarian, who thinks the customs of his tribe are the laws of the universe." - G. J. Caesar ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1993 22:10:51 GMT From: Dillon Pyron Subject: Road & Track road tests 1996 JPL Rocky IV Microrover Newsgroups: sci.space In article , WHITEMAN%IPFWVM@UICVM.UIC.EDU ("S.K. Whiteman") writes: >For anyone who in interested the April 1993 issue of Road & Track >contains a road test of the Microrover. Some of the stats: > >Price as tested: $2,500,000 >Top speed 0.037 MPH >0 to 0.037 mph like right now >1/4 mile 24,139.0 sec > >All-in-all the article is not as tongue in cheek as one might >expect. They have also done reviews on the crawler, a unicycle (tread = 0, wheelbase = 0) and, my favorite, the Goodyear blimp (the only vehicle they tested whose test weight was less than its curb weight, and one of two measured with a bathroom scale). I've been collecting the April reviews. They really seem to enjoy poking fun at themselves. -- 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) |When in fear, or in doubt pyron@skndiv.dseg.ti.com |Run around, scream and shout. PADI DM-54909 | ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 Mar 93 22:26:04 EST From: Tom <18084TM@msu.edu> Subject: Strange lights Jim Jaworski sez; >Recently while walking to the grocery store, I saw a bright star like >object in the night sky. When I was on the way TO the store this >star-sized light was in the western sky, about 14 deg. elev. A few hours >later, about 6 hours, I saw the same thing, only this time it was in the >eastern side of the sky. Do you know what this could be? Is it Hubble? >It's easy to describe because its the brightest star/satellite out there. Sounds to me like you saw Venus and Jupiter. Venus is in the Western sky early on, the Jupiter rises in the East a couple hours after Venus sets. Also, they are about the same brightness right now, and always about the same color. Look again tonight. -Tommy Mac ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom McWilliams | 517-355-2178 (work) \\ Inhale to the Chief! 18084tm@ibm.cl.msu.edu | 336-9591 (hm)\\ Zonker Harris in 1996! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 9 Mar 93 13:34:29 From: Steinn Sigurdsson Subject: unnecceary violence (was: Nobody cares about Fred?) Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1993Mar9.164510.1143@iti.org> aws@iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer) writes: In article steinly@topaz.ucsc.edu (Steinn Sigurdsson) writes: > My solution would be to have them work in a larger self sustaining > space economy. >This would be ideal, the problem is the transition, a lot people >can't hang around for 3-5-10 years until the funds diverted have >bootstrapped a new system, Well then those people will need to find new jobs. As a displaced aerospace worker myself, I can tell you that they won't need as much retraining as the popular wisdom seems to think. Since the new system will be far larger and provide more and better jobs it seems a good trade. Do you agree? Yes, I do, _if_ you are right. Problem is you seem to want to dismantle the existing system, which is working, however poorly, in favour of an as yet unrealised dream. That was one of the STS mistakes (IMHO) and I don't think it should be repeated. >instead they go get an MBA and start pushing paper, Well I didn't. Bent much metal recently? ;-) >and then you have to train a new group and recover >all the lost expertise If true, so what? The funds to pay for that training will come from the growth of the space sector. It is a strong win. Not necessarily, depending on the cost of training it may be cheaper to float the current pool of talent. It honestly is sometimes cheaper to keep a pool of skilled workers idling then to retrain from scratch - at least if you don't have to show a monotonically increasing profit on a quarterly basis... Doubly so when all your funds are year-year allocations. Recall Wales's comment on how NASA always favours low current cost and high ongoing costs and think about _why_ this is given how they get their funding. > Rather than the buggy-whip analogy, consider the idea of >disbanding the armed forces including reserves during peacetime, >after all they're not actually carrying out their mission then, I bet to differ. I peacetime their job is to preserve the peace by providing a credible deterence. Many (myself included) think that *IS* their job. Well, here in California the current thought, as expressed very vocally by the taxpayers funding them and their elected representatives, is that the true purpose of the US armed forces is to provide a captive set of customers for local 7-11s and video stores. In either case, the reason for funding a sizable standing army and reserves is precisely because of cost and time to retrain a new corps should they be needed actively - part of the deterrence is that the trained group exists and is ready to act. It is my impression that a substantial part of the motivation for the US space program is from current and future national security imperatives, and no more amenable to commercial operation than the US Army would be to relying on a floating pool of mercenaries for manpower. Of course I could be wrong, I don't make the determination. >and it's certainly not a jobs program, so why not fire them >and get new recruits if you need them later. the analogy doesn't hold. The current system is making space more expensive. It is hindering development for all so that a few can keep their jobs. It would be like preventing Ford from building cars because we want to preserve a few well paying buggy whip makers. No, it's like shutting down all the horse carriage makers and horse breeders because some crazy guy thinks he can build an automobile. We still haven't seen if the DC is a Ford or a Stanley. | Steinn Sigurdsson |I saw two shooting stars last night | | Lick Observatory |I wished on them but they were only satellites | | steinly@lick.ucsc.edu |Is it wrong to wish on space hardware? | | "standard disclaimer" |I wish, I wish, I wish you'd care - B.B. 1983 | ------------------------------ Date: 9 Mar 1993 17:42:39 GMT From: CLAUDIO OLIVEIRA EGALON Subject: Was it an UFO or a Soviet satellite??? Newsgroups: sci.space I have a friend who claims that the Gemini 4 crew members saw a UFO during their mission. According to this friend of mine, untill today we do not know exactly what the object was but he did contend that there was a possibility that this UFO was a Soviet satellite. This information is new for me and I know if do my own digging I will find out whether this is true or not however posting here in the NET is much easier and I may get the information faster. So, I would like to know if anyone in the NET has any information on that. Any references would help too... C.O.Egalon@larc.nasa.gov ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1993 00:48:58 GMT From: Dave Michelson Subject: Was it an UFO or a Soviet satellite??? Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1nikufINN2d6@rave.larc.nasa.gov> C.O.EGALON@LARC.NASA.GOV (CLAUDIO OLIVEIRA EGALON) writes: >I have a friend who claims that the Gemini 4 crew members saw a UFO during >their mission. The story is true, in that what they saw remains "unidentified". Any discussion of the incident must be prefaced by a notation that because of the distances involved, astronauts are rarely close enough to satellites to even see them with the naked eye let alone resolve much detail... I don't have references handy but, as I recall, Jim McDivitt reported seeing a satellite with wings and other appendages some distance away... Flight controllers at first suspected that he was merely observing the second stage of their Titan II but McDivitt could see that as well. Flight controllers suggested that perhaps he was looking at von Braun's Pegasus meteoroid detection satellite but later analysis showed that the closest Pegasus was over 1000 miles away at that time. I vaguely recall that McDivitt took some pictures but they were rather inconclusive. If their booster was still in their vicinity, the event must have taken place in their first few revolutions and before White's spacewalk. Hope this helps... --- Dave Michelson University of British Columbia davem@ee.ubc.ca Antenna Laboratory ------------------------------ Date: 9 Mar 1993 22:46:29 GMT From: "Kevin W. Plaxco" Subject: Will Huygens Float Newsgroups: sci.space In article <3317@eagle.ukc.ac.uk> rdl1@ukc.ac.uk (R.D.Lorenz) writes: >Huygens will float, as Ron said. >As for density, methane is about 450 kg/m3, Ethane 650, Nitrogen 800. I'd love to hear a little more about the design of the probe. Does it include bouancy tanks? How will it handle a landing on ammonia boulders? Is the camera mounted high, pointing towards the horizon, or will it be submerged/buried? >My own >little experiment measures impact forces to deduce the nature of the >surface when Huygens hits the deck. What is the impact speed? As I recall, its decent will last a couple of hours and utilize a parachute. Will it freefall the last few meters? Does it have an altimeter? What instraments are included? MS, GC, anerometer, barometer, thermometer, optical camera/spectrometer? With regard to the camera (please excuse my excessive fascination with pictures, it's due to my primate origins. My pet dog is quite excited about the ms/gc results) what are postulated light levels? How many pics can we expect? Fun stuff. I'm only sorry I have to wait 11 years to see the results. -Kevin ------------------------------ From: Pat Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.sci.planetary Subject: Re: Huygens will float.... Date: 9 Mar 1993 15:31:57 -0500 Organization: Express Access Online Communications USA Lines: 11 Distribution: world Message-Id: <1niurtINNic7@access.digex.com> References: <9MAR199301100224@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov> <1993Mar9.023902.12795@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> <9MAR199306352144@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov> Nntp-Posting-Host: access.digex.com Keywords: Huygens, Cassini Sender: news@CRABAPPLE.SRV.CS.CMU.EDU Source-Info: Sender is really isu@VACATION.VENARI.CS.CMU.EDU Question. Does it matter if the descent imager is immersed? why not design the probe so it floats listed over, so that both probe sensors stick above the "Fluidline". sure, the antenna won't be vertical, but so what. pat ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 16 : Issue 297 ------------------------------