Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V09_5/V9_504.TXT

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Date: Fri, 23 Jun 89 00:20:13 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: SPACE Digest V9 #504

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 9 : Issue 504

Today's Topics:
         Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..
          Re^2: Getting news about China from space
             Re: A&E Apollo XI coverage?
             Re: NSS Space Hotline Update
                  Re: (none)
 Contractors selected for Advanced Launch System studies (Forwarded)
         APOLLO 11 on Arts and Entertainment Channel.
                Re: UN
                Re: UN
             longitude/latitude receiver
               A&E Apollo XI coverage?
           Re: Chaotic Pluto == no Nemesis?
           Subject: Planetoid 1989 FC information.
               Geomorphology from Space
             Re: Orbital queries
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 13 Jun 89 23:09:00 GMT
From: usc!polyslo!csun!fedeva!premise!mirror!frog![e-mail]  (John Woods)
Subject: Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Steve Hix) writes:
> >Say, if we throw enough comets and other iceballs at Venus to get the
> >water back, and if they're placed correctly, maybe we could get the
> >planet's spin rate up some.
> I saw, in JBIS I think, a proposal to use the half-dozen biggest
> asteroids to kill two birds with one stone:  blast most of the atmosphere
> off into space and spin the planet up as well.  You can guess how. :-)
> Unfortunately, even the big asteroids are not really as big as one would
> like for the job -- the "day" would still be a week or so long.

Did they consider a slingshot around the Sun to increase the terminal
velocity?  Is that even possible?  (If you ain't got enough m, try some v^2).
On the other hand, being closer to the Sun and more rigid, the tidal slowing
effect might be embarrasingly large in the middle run...


--
John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, [phone]
...!decvax!frog!john, [e-mail], ...!mit-eddie!jfw, [e-mail]
    People...How you gonna FIGURE 'em?
    Don't bother, S.L.--Just stand back and enjoy the EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS...

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

Date: 15 Jun 89 09:01:29 GMT
From: mcvax!ukc!acorn!camcon![e-mail]  (Chris Cracknell)
Subject: Re^2: Getting news about China from space

[e-mail] (Seth D. Hollub) writes:

>Spot probably can't detect individual soldiers, but may be able to detect
>masses of people and things. US platforms can detect individuals.

>Seth

I believe that the best spatial resolution is achieved with satellites in
steerable elliptical orbits, ie. making low-level passes over areas of
interest.   Spot and most other non-military remote sensing satellites fly
at nearly constant altitude, in regular orbits.

Bye.

Chris Cracknell

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

Date: 16 Jun 89 19:37:51 GMT
From: janus![e-mail]  (Blake Philip Wood)
Subject: Re: A&E Apollo XI coverage?

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (David B. Pointer) writes:
>I remember reading in sci.space 2 months ago about the Arts and Entertainment
>cable channel's plans to rebroadcast the Apollo XI launch on June 16, the
>moon landing on June 20, and the capsule recovery on June 24 (i.e., 20
>years to the day after each event happened).  Well, I can't find the
>broadcast listed today (June 16).  Anyone know what happened?  Did A&E
>scrap their plans?  Or was I just hallucinating?

You're one month off.  All these things happened in July 1969, not June.


                 Blake P. Wood - [e-mail]
                 Plasmas and Non-Linear Dynamics, U.C. Berkeley, EECS

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

Date: 16 Jun 89 22:47:21 GMT
From: agate![e-mail]  (William Baxter)
Subject: Re: NSS Space Hotline Update

In article <246900028@cdp>, jordankatz@cdp writes:
>Stephania Follini, the woman who spent a record 130 days isolated
>in a cave, was undergoing tests last week to determine the
>philological effects of her long term isolation experiment.

She must have spent more time reading than we were led to believe!

William Baxter

ARPA: web@{garnet,brahms,math}.Berkeley.EDU
UUCP: {sun,dual,decwrl,decvax,hplabs,...}!ucbvax!garnet!web

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

Date: 15 Jun 89 15:11:00 GMT
From: m.cs.uiuc.edu!s.cs.uiuc.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Re: (none)


But why, for instance, limit them to 4Meg of memory, when it is known that
that is just _not_ enough for UNIX in most cases, and certainly inadequate
for X-windows? I can see why making memory cards is hard - I don't see why
8 (or 16) M is much harder than 4M.

Alan M. Carroll                "And there you are
[e-mail]           Saying 'We have the Moon, so now the Stars...'"
CS Grad / U of Ill @ Urbana    ...{ucbvax,pur-ee,convex}!s.cs.uiuc.edu!carroll

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

Date: 16 Jun 89 23:27:36 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: Contractors selected for Advanced Launch System studies (Forwarded)

Jim Cast
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Jerry Berg
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.


RELEASE:  89-99

CONTRACTORS SELECTED FOR ADVANCED LAUNCH SYSTEM STUDIES

     NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., has
announced the selection of three firms for negotiations leading
to award of contracts for systems definition studies of two
proposed new liquid-propellant rocket engines.

     The definition study efforts are part of the Space
Transportation Engine Program, which could lead to development of
the rocket engines to meet requirements of the Department of
Defense/NASA Advanced Launch System program and other future U.S.
launch system needs.

     The Advanced Launch System is intended to provide, by the
1998-2000 time period, a dependable, reliable, high-capacity
national launch capability while reducing by a factor of 10 the
cost of placing payloads in Earth orbit.

     Each contract is expected to be valued at approximately $20
million and will be a 36-month effort.  The firms selected for
contract negotiations are Aerojet General Corp., Sacramento,
Calif.; Pratt & Whitney Division of United Technologies Corp.,
West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell
International, Canoga Park, Calif.

    The engines to be defined for the Space Transportation Engine
Program are:

    o   The Space Transportation Main Engine, which would use
liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants and achieve a
thrust level (in vacuum) of approximately 580,000 pounds.  The
main engine would be used in the Advanced Launch System core
stage and might also be employed in a booster application.

    o   The Space Transportation Booster Engine, which would use
liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellants for a thrust (at sea
level) of approximately 500,000 to 650,000 pounds.  The booster
engine is envisioned as a derivative of the Space Transportation
Main Engine, rather than a unique design.  A decision will be
made later about whether this engine or the Space Transportation
Main Engine will be used in the Advanced Launch System booster
stage.

     The emphasis in systems definition of both engines will be
on use of innovative designs and approaches that will yield
higher reliability, lower production cost and lower operational
cost in the resulting engines, compared to existing liquid
propellant rockets.  Both engines are to be designed for either
reusable or expendable application.

     The definition study efforts will involve analyzing
configuration options and associated tradeoffs and preparing
preliminary designs, at the system, subsystem and component
levels, for the two engine concepts.

    The three contracts to result from current negotiations will
be closely coordinated with ongoing propulsion advanced
development contracts aimed at demonstrating and providing
sufficient maturity for new propulsion technologies which could
be fed into the engine systems.  A selection of firms for
negotiations leading to contracts in that area was announced by
NASA in March 1989.

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

Date: 16 Jun 89 22:19:00 GMT
From: renoir.dec.com![e-mail]  (CUP/ASG, MLO5-2/G1 6A, 223-3283)
Subject: APOLLO 11 on Arts and Entertainment Channel.


    A&E will be broadcasting the news coverage done for APOLLO 11
in 1969, but it will be in July, *not* June as you wrote.  APOLLO 11
was launched from Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral again) on July 16,
1969, landed on the Moon July 20, and returned to Earth on July 24.

    Larry Klaes

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

Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1989 12:05-EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: UN

> the Soviet Union, who repeated his Government's proposal for the
> establishment
> of a world space organization to oversee international activities in space
> development.

Ah those Terran Imperialists are at it again. Trying to make sure none
of those future colonials get out from under their bootheels...

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

Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1989 12:10-EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: UN

> P.S. ...and don't call me Libertarian, I'm a member of the Republican Party.

You sound damn close. Sure you don't want to switch affiliation like
Ron Paul (and a few other elected or formerly elected Republicans) did?

I'd happily join my well armed vessel with yours in a mutual
self-defense peace treaty. ie, blow to pieces anyone who attempts to
raise our social consciousness at laser point...

Just agree not to try to tax me for your part of the defense budget and
don't ask what the 3 or 5 leaved plants in the hydroponics section
are... :-)

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

Date: 16 Jun 89 17:14:29 GMT
From: quintro![e-mail]  (William D. Eaton)
Subject: longitude/latitude receiver

I need to know about equipment that will determine longitude and
latitude.  I have seen a demo on tv of a system that used a receiver
and (I presume) a constellation of satellites.  I'd like to know:


        A. How accurate is it ? (in feet or in seconds)

        B. How much does a receiver cost ?

        C. How much does a receiver weigh ? how big is it ?

        D. Who makes them ? & where can I get one ?

                                        I'd be obliged
                                        Bill Eaton

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

Date: 16 Jun 89 18:20:20 GMT
From: uxc!garcon!uicsrd.csrd.uiuc.edu![e-mail]  (David B. Pointer)
Subject: A&E Apollo XI coverage?

I remember reading in sci.space 2 months ago about the Arts and Entertainment
cable channel's plans to rebroadcast the Apollo XI launch on June 16, the
moon landing on June 20, and the capsule recovery on June 24 (i.e., 20
years to the day after each event happened).  Well, I can't find the
broadcast listed today (June 16).  Anyone know what happened?  Did A&E
scrap their plans?  Or was I just hallucinating?

*dave


----------------------------------------------------------------------
  David Pointer                    Center for Supercomputing R&D
  [e-mail]    305 Talbot Lab  104 S. Wright St.
  [phone]                   Urbana, IL  61801
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: 16 Jun 89 20:26:12 GMT
From: rochester![e-mail]  (Paul Dietz)
Subject: Re: Chaotic Pluto == no Nemesis?


 [e-mail] (Steve Rehrauer) writes:

>I seem to recall a thread here some time ago about the "Nemesis" theory
>of a large solar companion out in the hinterlands.  If my oft-faulty
>memory serves me this time, I seem to recall that the supporters of the
>Nemesis idea have used "otherwise unexplainable" quirks in Pluto's orbit
>as circumstantial evidence to support it.

Well, no, since Nemesis, if it exists, would be about at apohelion
now, perhaps two light years away.

On the subject of Nemesis: Nature (6/8/89) has an article where some
researchers claim to have found two nonstandard amino acids (isovaline
and something else) in the clay for tens of centimeters above and
below the KT boundary layer, but not actually in the boundary.  These
amino acids (found in both L and R forms) are found in carbonaceous
meteorites, but are extremely rare on earth.

To me, this find seems consistent with a comet shower.  The earth
would pick up dust particles shed by comets throughout the shower, and
these small dust particles could perhaps decelerate gently enough in
the upper atmosphere.  The impact of a large comet with the earth
would heat and destroy any organic matter in the comet.

    Paul F. Dietz
    [e-mail]

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

Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1989 12:39-EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Subject: Planetoid 1989 FC information.

> International Astronomical Union (IAU) Circular 4767 - 1989 April 7

PLEASE keep posting these!!! Does the IAU have any kind of BB where
newly reported astronomical events, SN, Asteroids, etc are posted? That
kind of information would be a data feast for us all.

I usually have to dig through a number of publications to keep up with
this kind of info.

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

Date: 15 Jun 89 18:18:26 GMT
From: att!ihlpl![e-mail]  (dbg)
Subject: Geomorphology from Space

>
>In NASA SP-486, "Geomorphology from Space", pp. 432-433, is a list
>of 15 possible origins of the Carolina Bays, including meteor swarms
>
.
.
>Incidently, this SP is really great.  Try to get a copy.

I would very much like to get a copy.  Where do I look?

                    Dave Green
                    att!ihlpl!dbg

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

Date: 15 Jun 89 22:18:00 GMT
From: ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!uxh.cso.uiuc.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Re: Orbital queries


  Regarding #2:
A rocket sitting on the launch pad at the equator has an easterly
velocity due to the daily rotation of the earth
of about 464 m/s (1038 mph). At latitude L it is
464 cos L m/s.  To launch into an east-to-west (retrograde)
orbit one would have to expend the fuel to cancel out this
easterly velocity, rather than use it as a *freebie*
for an easterly launch.
  A satellite in geosynchronous orbit is also travelling
west-to-east, i.e. posigrade; it's just that the earth
is rotating beneath it at exaclty the same angular velocity.
  To establish a polar orbit one must expend the fuel to
exactly cancel the easterly velocity of the launch pad and then
add a northerly (or southerly) orbital velocity.  This is
expensive in terms of fuel required and results in smaller
payloads to orbit.  It is accomplished by launching north-west.
That's the reason U.S. polar orbit satellites are launched
from Vandenberg AFB in California out over the Pacific
Ocean.  Wouldn't want to launch north-west from
Cape Canaveral......TOO DANGEROUS!

           John E. Prussing
           Department of Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering
           University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
           ......
           [e-mail]

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

End of SPACE Digest V9 #504
*******************