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Subject: SPACE Digest V9 #282

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 9 : Issue 282

Today's Topics:
      USSR's Progress 40 performs interesting operations at Mir
               SSI Lunar Probe
             Re: SSI Lunar Probe
               Canaveral Tours
              Re: Pigs will be pigs ...
        Re: Baseball Statistics as a test of Astrology
             planetary chemistry
              Re: 1992 moon base
             New mode of travel ?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 7 Mar 89 14:30:08 EST
From: Glenn Chapman <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail]
Subject: USSR's Progress 40 performs interesting operations at Mir

    On Mar. 5th the Soviets announced on short wave the separation of the
Progress 40 tanker from the Mir/Kvant space station and destroyed by
reentry in the atmosphere.  Progress 40 carried up about 2.3 tonnes of
supplies up on Feb 10, making this 21 day docking period on the short
side for such cargo craft (35 days is more typical).  Progress 41 will
probably be launched within the next few days.  This rapid turn around
in Progress 40 also suggests that they are still on track for the launching
of the new expansion module in for April.  There would be little need to
quickly bring up more supplies if there was going to be a delay in docking
the large, 20 Tonne module to Mir's front (ball) port section.  Since that
will probably force the tying up of the rear (supply) port with the
Soyuz TM-7 capsule for several months a rapid run up in supplies before
that occurs is expected.  The exact timing of the Progress 41's ejection
will be an important indicator here.
    More surprising than this undocking were some rather interesting experiments
they performed with Progress 40.  Just before separation the cargo craft
unfolded and refolded a set of external support structures to be used in
future for mounting test samples on.  Mention was made of a special metal
that took a specific shape on unfolding (is this one of the shape changing
metals which will return to a set pattern when heated above some temperature,
or simply some other sort of deployable structure?).  These tests were done
under the command and observation of the cosmonauts on Mir.  One question
here is were they just using the Progress as a convent test vehicle, or
does this suggest this building up to the a more complicated Progress biased
free flyer.  The Russians have previously talked about having a Progress
type craft dock with the station, be serviced by the cosmonauts (removing
processed materials and inserting new supplies) then undock and fly near the
Mir while ultralow gravity experiments are performed.  Progress 32 back in
Nov. 17, 1987, undocked from the station, then backed away and flew near it
for a while.  That was possibly a test of one aspect of the free
flyer, while this may be another.  Another point to keep in mind is that
the Soviets have already stated that the Progress series is undergoing
a  redesign. This is not too surprising since the first of these cargo
craft, Progress 1, flew in Jan. 1978 to Salyut 6, and there have only
been minor changes since then.
   On Mir itself Alexander Volkov and Sergei Krikalev (Soyuz TM-7) just
passed 100 days in orbit on Mar. 6th, while Dr. Valrey Polyakov (Soyuz TM-6)
has been up there for 189 days.  Take them for what they are worth but there
are some reports that Polyakov may not come down in April (I have not see
the actual article as of yet though Jonathan McDowell of Harvard related
the info to me).  Considering that Polyakov was originally expected
to land Dec. 21 he may just be getting a bit worried about when he is going
to come down.
    I find it interesting in the middle of the manned vs unmanned debat here
the Soviets maintain a continously crewed space station while sending at
the same time their most complicated interplanetary mission to Mars.  Maybe
we should learn a bit from their style of space operations.

                                                      Glenn Chapman
                                                      MIT Lincoln Lab

------------------------------

Date: 2 Mar 89 17:17:44 GMT
From: hp-pcd!hpcvlx![e-mail]  (Greg Goebel)
Subject: SSI Lunar Probe


from:  INTERNET: cwo_online@hp-pcd
       HP DESK:  CWO ONLINE / HP3900 / 20
       [phone]
       Hewlett-Packard CWO / 1000 NE Circle Boulevard / Corvallis OR 97330
       Greg Goebel

date:  Thu Mar  2 09:12:54 PST 1989

I write a small science-and-technology newsletter for HP and ran the
following article on a new Space Studies Institute project:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* One of the most interesting things I ran across this month was a special
report issued by the Space Studies Institute -- a non-profit organization at
Princeton that investigates long-term technologies for space exploration.

I have been a passive member of SSI for years; I send them a little money every
now and then, get their newsletters, read them casually, and file them.  But
this special report got me excited.

SSI has done practical research towards exploitation of lunar resources for
years; and one project they have been pursuing is a search for volatile
substances on the Moon.

The Moon has plenty of oxygen, chemically locked in the materials that make up
its crust; but it has no atmosphere and, as far as can be seen, no light,
volatile substances like water or methane that contain hydrogen.  A lunar
source of hydrogen would provide lunar miners both with water and a high-grade
rocket propellant; without it, all water in space would have to be exported
from the Earth -- which would be prohibitively expensive.

However, the axis of the Moon's rotation is virtually at a right angle to the
plane of its motion around the Sun (it only is off by 2 degrees) and this
orientation has been stable for a long time.  Comets contain volatile
substances, and are known to collide with the Earth; comet collisions with the
Moon in the past could've scattered volatiles all over the surface.  Most of
the volatiles would have escaped into space over time; but those that fell into
craters near the poles -- into crevices where, due to the Moon's axis of
rotation, the sun never shines -- might remain frozen, and accumulate.

A simple space probe, armed with a gamma-ray spectrophotometer, could orbit the
Moon's poles to search for the frozen volatiles (and for ices of the volatiles
buried under the surface).

SSI has several proposals for a Lunar Polar Probe.  By far the most interesting
is one that would be launched from the Space Shuttle -- carried into orbit as a
"getaway special" (GAS) cargo.

The getaway specials are payloads that fit into unused crevices of the
Shuttle's cargo bay; they are usually the size of trashcans, and are carried
aloft at special rates, which have allowed even high schools to perform
experiments in space.

SSI's Lunar GAS probe would be extremely rudimentary:  it would contain a
gamma-ray spectrophotometer on an extensible boom, control and communications
electronics, twin solar panels for power, and an ion engine.

Ion engines are a speculative technology that has been studied since serious
space exploration began; such an engine is basically a electrical accelerator
that expels an ionized heavy gas (xenon, in this case) at extremely high
velocity.  Ion engines have low thrust, but they are very efficient in terms of
propellant mass (due to the high exhaust velocity) and can be powered by solar
arrays.

The LGAS probe would be ejected from the Shuttle; then it would deploy its
solar panels and begin a slow spiral away from the Earth that would place it
into lunar polar orbit in about two years' time.

If LGAS should happen, it would be a landmark in space exploration --
even if it did not reveal deposits of lunar volatiles.  Large space projects
are difficult to justify in a time of budget deficits, take a long time to
implement, and are vulnerable to protracted delays or cancellation.  A larger
number of smaller projects would be much more practical -- Freeman Dyson refers
to this as the "quick is beautiful" approach.

If the LGAS was developed through a combination of private funds and government
research grants, it would be the first citizen's interplanetary probe -- and
would lead the way towards a lower-cost approach to planetary exploration, as
well as more sophisticated private space exploration ventures.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Does anyone know what the status of this project is?  Have any cost
estimates been made?  Is there any attempt to get funding for it?

It would seem that, given the long flight time of the LGAS probe and the
need to get input for national space strategies in the near future, SSI must
act quickly on this.

                                                  regards -- gvg

------------------------------

Date: 3 Mar 89 04:02:55 GMT
From: thorin!zeta![e-mail]  (Jonathan Leech)
Subject: Re: SSI Lunar Probe

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Greg Goebel) writes:
>Does anyone know what the status of this project is?  Have any cost
>estimates been made?  Is there any attempt to get funding for it?

    Quoting the SSI Special Report "Lunar Prospector Probe":

    "First, we are attempting to show NASA and key national leaders
     the importance of a quick and simple lunar mission
     which could detect possible water ice at the poles."
     ...
    "Secondly... we are working towards a partially or perhaps completely
     privately funded class of lunar probes."

    Planned 1989 activities include a lunar prospector workshop
preceding the 1989 Princeton Conference on Space Manufacturing and a
session on lunar polar science at the 20th Lunar & Planetary Institute
Conference. One of the International Space University's summer '89
projects will be the design of lunar orbiting probes.  Also, SSI has
contracted with ExtraTerrestrial Materials, Inc., to manage a working
group to design a probe.

>It would seem that, given the long flight time of the LGAS probe and the
>need to get input for national space strategies in the near future, SSI must
>act quickly on this.

    The ion drive is only one possibility. Another is to use a surplus
Atlas booster. See the special report for photos and lots more info.

    One more quote from the SSI report:

    "SSI's extensive work on the lunar polar prospector has been made
possible by the contributions of the members and Senior Associates of
the Institute."

    If you want to see this project happen, I suggest sending SSI lots
of money ($25/year for a subscription to the newsletter is at least a
start). SSI is at:

    Space Studies Institute
    PO Box 82
    Princeton, NJ 08542
    609-921-0377

    Send me email if there are more questions.
--
    Jon Leech ([e-mail])    __@/
    "Totally bounded: A set that can be patrolled by a finite number
     of arbitrarily near-sighted policemen."    A. Wilonsky, 1978

------------------------------

Date: 2 Mar 89 21:27 PST
From: Steve oliphant <[e-mail]>
Subject: Canaveral Tours
Cc: [e-mail]

I am going to be in Florida next weekend and was considering driving down
to Cape Canaveral and taking a tour. Does anyone know what tours are
offered, when they are offered and whether you should have a reservation?
Now if I'm really lucky there will be a shuttle launch. Thanks.

Steven Oliphant

------------------------------

Date: 2 Mar 89 07:36:25 GMT
From: tektronix!percival!bucket![e-mail]  (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: Pigs will be pigs ...

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Happiness is planet Earth in your rearview mirror) writes:
<If I put up a private imaging satellite, then I can also have multiple ground
<stations, and no country can stop me from producing pictures, until one
<of them (choice of two) turns my bird into a metorite.  If someone wants
<to put a new missle/ship/plane/girlfriend out in the daylight, I should
<be able to take a picture of it.  An analogy would be your 55 Chevy.  If
<you don't want me taking pictures of it, leave it in the garage.  The danger
<of owning curiosities is that it makes people curious.

Don't be so quick to assume that only the US and the USSR can eliminate
your satellite. Since it will be in a low orbit, all that is needed is
a launcher that can boost 50 kilos or so to that altitude. Not orbit it
just get it up there.

Make the 50 kilos a weak explosive charge surrounded by BBs, nails, or
whatever. Launch at the right time and detonate and your satellite will
plow through a cloud a BBs at a relative velocity of 8 km/s. Bye-bye
satellite.

The hardest part is launching and guidance. Note also that the rocket
and most of the payload will fall back to earth. This minimizes the
space junk.

--
Leonard Erickson        ...!tektronix!reed!percival!bucket!leonard
CIS: [70465,203]
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools.
Let's start with typewriters." -- Solomon Short

------------------------------

Date: 2 Mar 89 22:38:25 GMT
From: mfci![e-mail]  (Paul Rodman)
Subject: Re: Baseball Statistics as a test of Astrology

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jeffrey Kegler) writes:
>
>It is in the nature of statistical evidence that it is hard to make an
>absolutely final case, but this study would have to be a disappointment to
>anyone seeking evidence for astrology.
>--
>
>Jeffrey Kegler, President, Algorists,
>[e-mail] or uunet!algor2!jeffrey
>1788 Wainwright DR, Reston VA 22090


What, pray tell, is the model for any of these planets having anything to
do with base hits?

Why would anyone waste time testing a theory without a model? Why not
test for correlations with the insect population for that year? Or the
average age of the guests on the Ed Sullivan show? Or, etc, etc....

I'd be more interested in things like the effect of temperature, humidity
or morning breakfasts on base hits....:-)



    Paul K. Rodman
    [e-mail]
    __... ...__    _.. .   _._ ._ .____ __.. ._

------------------------------

Date:         Fri, 03 Mar 89 12:41:54 EST
From: Eric Harnden <[e-mail]>
Subject:      planetary chemistry

     I recently spoke to a chemist who described to me a new molecular state
being explored called a 'superstate'. This is, as far as I can remember, when
a gas or fluid is brought to its' critical point (boiling point for a fluid),
but kept under severe pressure. When the critical point is passed, the molecule
undergoes a change into its superstate, rather than what would be its' normal
transition. I'm not sure what the properties of this state are. For some gases,
like Co2, I understand that non-toxic corrosivity is one characteristic.. or
something like that. At any rate, the parameters required in order to achieve
the superstate are not actually that outrageous. The temperature need only be
that of the critical point (for Co2, it's like 32c), and the pressure is on
the order of fifty atmospheres. It struck me that this could describe the
condition of the Venusian and/or Jovian atmosphere at some given altitudes.
Could the atmospheres of these planets be in 'superstates' at some layers?
How would this affect the surrounding layers? What properties would they have
with regard to the reflection/absorption/transmittance of solar radiation?
Do superstate molecules mix? Just what kind of bizarre soup might be present?

Eric Harnden (Ronin)

------------------------------

Date: 2 Mar 89 13:30:34 GMT
From: mcvax!ukc!etive![e-mail]  (Bob Gray)
Subject: Re: 1992 moon base

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
>my point:  historically, colonization has often been a one-way trip with
>return difficult or impossible, and it is not ridiculous to assume the

Note also, the colonies in different parts of the world today are those
which managed to survive. Many colonies failed within a few years of
their founding, killing most if not all of the colonists.

There is no reason to suppose that space colonies should be any easier
to start, and lots to suggest that it would be a lot harder.

But there wouldn't be any shortage of volunteers.
    Bob.

------------------------------

Date: 2 Mar 89 10:21:37 GMT
From: mcvax!ukc!tcdcs!tcdmath![e-mail]  (Kenneth Power)
Subject: New mode of travel ?



    I saw in a T.V. article last night (Disscusion about the 20th
anniversary of the first flight of Concord) that McDonnell-Douglas were working
on a supersonic "jet" which will leave the athmosphere during flight and will
have Tokyo-Los Angles trip time of two hours.
    Does anyone have any more information on this project,will it follow
a ballistic trajectory ,will passengers experience zero gravity during flight,
(if it goes into space will we have to be NASA employees to fly in it :-)???
    Thanks in advance.

--
Kenneth Power           | Mail to :-
Theoretical Physics     | [e-mail]  (Please do)
Trinity College Dublin  | [e-mail]  (Avoid if possible)
Ireland.                | [e-mail]  (Never (emergency's excepted))

------------------------------

End of SPACE Digest V9 #282
*******************