Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V10_2/V10_223.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #223

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 10 : Issue 223

Today's Topics:
              Re: Advice?? (asking for)
                   a query
          Seeking Correspondance with AmRoc Engineer
            NASA Headline News (Forwarded)
            Re: More Info on NASP
               Re: A "spacey" ambition?
               NASA Update (Forwarded)
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Date: 7 Nov 89 18:35:13 GMT
From: mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!delta.eecs.nwu.edu![e-mail]  (William LeFebvre)
Subject: Re: Advice?? (asking for)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Amy Antonucci) writes:
>>I was wondering if anyone out there could give me advice on how
>>to get on the right track so that I may be involved in the space
>>program as a career.
>
>Operating mostly means working for NASA.

The current setup for shuttle flight operations is kind of half NASA/JSC
and half "STSOC" (Shuttle Transport System Operations Contract).
STSOC is a consortium of companies, primarily Rockwell (the RSOC
group), Bendix, and Ford Aerospace (not sure about the last one).

There are advantages and disadvantages with each (NASA vs. STSOC).
STSOC typically pays better at first, but there is little chance for
advancement.  NASA is the other way around, and has the advantage that
you can always try to switch to something else when you get bored with
STS operations.  My wife was hired by Rockwell/RSOC fresh out of
college in the summer of 1986 (just after Challenger and just before
an across-the-board hiring freeze!).  She double majored in Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science and graduated cum laude from Rice
University (I'm not saying this to boast, but to give you an
indication of her qualifications....of course, being female helped a
bit, too, with the so-called "equal employment" quotas and all).
After being there for about two years (as I recall) she was given the
opportunity to switch over to NASA.  Some people may not realize that
this is a possibility, but it is: you can start off with a contractor
and may still have the opportunity to switch to NASA a few years
later.

> Getting involved with the military does not look like a particularly
> good way to get into the space business, at present.  When you ride
> a gorilla, you go where the gorilla wants to go, not where you want to go.

That's a great way of putting it.  In the military, THEY decide where
you are stationed: you have very little say in the matter.  Besides,
it looks like the Air Force is getting out of the manned space
business, at least for now.

        William LeFebvre
        Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
        Northwestern University
        <[e-mail]>

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

Date: 7 Nov 89 22:24:16 GMT
From: garfield!leif![e-mail]
Subject: a query

I am collecting information for a comparative
study of the various ways a government spends
the taxpayers money. included will be everything from
housing the homeless to space research. can anyone
tell me the cost of the last shuttle launch; how
much is set aside for space exploration and what %
of the budget this is.  you can send this info
directly to me rather than post it to the net if
you wish.


-----------------------------------------\
Bob Ewing   -----------------------------/                     /
St. John's, nfld.
:-)

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

Date: 8 Nov 89 02:15:11 GMT
From: vixie!pacbell!well![e-mail]  (Avery Ray Colter)
Subject: Seeking Correspondance with AmRoc Engineer


    I have heard many things about the American Rocket Company, and I
would like to know more from someone who works there, as I am considering
applying there.

    I invite anyone who works at AmRoc to correspond in E-mail.

Thanks.

--
Avery Ray Colter    [phone]      | Now, class, repeat after me:
{apple|ucbvax|pacbell}!well!avery         | ICH LIEBE DIE BELEIBTEN LEIBEN,
[e-mail]              | UND HUPFENDE HUEFTE HABE ICH GERN!

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

Date: 8 Nov 89 19:58:52 GMT
From: agate!genet!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!samsung!usc!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: NASA Headline News (Forwarded)


-----------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, November 8, 1989                   audio: 202/755-1788
-----------------------------------------------------------------

This is NASA headline news for Wednesday, November 8....


Taxi testing, takeoff, a captive flight and landing of the NASA
B-52 and the Pegasus air launched orbital booster is now
scheduled for Thursday at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., weather
permitting. An attempt today was scrubbed.  The test flight will
verify the integrity of the configuration prior to launch which
is expected sometime near the end of the year.  If the test is
conducted tomorrow, a video tape replay of highlights is
scheduled for 4:00 p. m., eastern time, on NASA Select TV.


The Jet Propulsion Laboratory reports that the Galileo spacecraft
has operated well since it was deployed from the orbiter Atlantis
last month.  The flight team is continuing checkout of elements
of the spacecraft.  Galileo instruments detected and
characterized the recent major solar flare activity that began
october 19.  The first trajectory correction is scheduled for
later this week.  Project officials say that nothing so far has
ruled out the possibility of an encounter with the asteroid
Gaspra between the first and second earth flybys.


The solar flare in late October has inflicted some damage to the
Magellan spacecraft's solar panels and star sensor system.  A JPL
spokesman told United Press International that highly charged
particles streaming from the sun caused the Venus-bound
spacecraft to lose two percent of its power and upset star
calibrations for about a week.


A NASA-NOAA geological team says the recent California earthquake
resulted in a crustral movement of about 2 inches near Fort Ord
in the San Francisco bay area.  The data were obtained by mobile
very long baseline interferometry systems.  The measurements
were taken immediately after the quake by Goddard Space Flight
Center and NOAA geodetic survey scientists who have been
monitoring sites along the San Andreas fault since 1972.


Preparations for the next space shuttle launch continue at
Kennedy Space Center.  The flight readiness test on the main
propulsion system is being conducted today.  Launch of the STS-33
mission is set for November 20.


 Ron Baalke                       |    [phone] x260
 Jet Propulsion Lab  M/S 301-355  |    [e-mail]
 4800 Oak Grove Dr.               |
 Pasadena, CA 91109               |

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

Date: 9 Nov 89 00:49:45 GMT
From: oliveb!mipos3!omepd!omews10.intel.com![e-mail]  (Larry Smith)
Subject: Re: More Info on NASP



Jim Bowery responds:

>Larry Smith writes: ...

>Right, Larry.  They pull out the old viewgraphs that were used to
>sell the Shuttle as an operational vehicle ...
>..., and you think the real goal
>of NASP is to BUILD anything?

>The REAL GOAL of NASP is, as many of us who haven't forgotten history
>have been trying to tell the space nerds all along, to start yet
>another Big Development Project ...
>... other ideas can then try to find funding in an environment
>of vested interests, bureaucracy and political sleaze.


DAMN IT JIM !!  I'M A SPACE NERD,  NOT  AN  ACTIVIST !!!

Sorry, no flame intended, I couldn't resist.

Anyway, being a supporter of X-30, the current program
is the only game in town that I have !!

I don't think that I would be able to raise billions of
dollars over the next 5-6 years, on the capital markets,
to finance this program myself, and my last name isn't
Forbes, Perot, or Trump. By the way, back in 1986 when
NASP/X-30 started, they projected costs over the total program of
3.4 billion through 1994. Germany's Sanger project also started
in 1986. They project their costs at near 20 billion. But
their program stretches out to 2010. In fairness, there are
those that say X-30 will cost much more that 3.4 billion
over its total life as well.

There has also been great progress made on NASP/X-30.

What great progress ? Well, the program is classified, but let me
speak in generalities about a few of them.

The development of hypersonic fluid dynamics, and the development
of airframe integrated hypersonic propulsion.
I call some of the developments in my last post, REAL development.

The development of hypersonic test facilities. Before X-30,
there were a few hypersonic test facilities in all of the world.
Now there are many more.

The development of denser hydrogen fuels (ie: slush hydrogen).
There was also one location that was going to start investigating
gelatinized hydrogen.
Eventually, carbon based fuels will be in short supply, even
for commercial aircraft.

The improvement of Isp in high thrust engines, via air breathing
techniques. There's no reason why some of these techniques can't
be used on vertical launchers as well.

The marrying of lower speed engine technologies, with hypersonic
engine technologies. This enables takeoff from a runway, and
acceleration up to hypersonic engine 'start' velocities.

The development of cooling technologies, and low weight, high
strength, high temperature materials. Including their manufacturing
and bonding processes.
Examples are: Titanium Aluminide, Carbon Carbon, Heat Pipes,
there are others as well.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) - Numerical Wind Tunnels.
Previously codes existed to model a one dimensional approach to
hypersonic CFD. Example: Hypersonic flow, without viscous effects,
without real gas effects, without chemical equilibrium effects,
without low density flow effects, without turbulence models, etc .
Now multi-dimensional integrated codes exist, that attempt to model
almost the total flow Different models of turbulence have also been
added, to model internal engine flows, and boundary layer seperation
on the airframe. As I said in my last posting, we need to validate
these codes via REAL vehicles.

Visualization of Computational Results. As you can see from the
complexity of the model above, this is one of the projects that
is driving development of this new field.

Hypersonic crew ejection (well its not realy ejection in the
normal usage of the word).

Now, there are ALLOT of aerospace projects that can benefit from advances
in at least ONE of these areas. And thats just an additional benefit of
the X-30 program!! In my opinion, its very short sighted to kill this
program. The research and the hardware tests so far, are ahead of schedule,
and they say GO!

Allot of people think the X-30 is too far out. But remember, the shuttle
flys at those velocities during re-entry. So we're not talking of an
environment that hasn't been experienced before at all. Imagine designing
the first hypersonic re-entry vehicle. No supercomputers to use. Very little
hypersonic shock wave, boundary layer theory. Talk about risky.

If you say all of this is just SMOKE, then I guess we disagree.

We can't stop researching and developing improvements to our space
transportation systems.

Larry Smith

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

Date: 7 Nov 89 18:49:12 GMT
From: logicon.arpa!trantor.harris-atd.com!x102a![e-mail]  (mccain wb 17021)
Subject: Re: A "spacey" ambition?

In reference to the recent discussions of how to get into space, how would
one actually go about applying?  Is there some toll free number at NASA I
could call to get an application sent to me, or is the process itself a
closely held secret?  I would appreciate hearing what anyone knows on the
subject.

Bruce McCain

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

Date: 9 Nov 89 00:19:56 GMT
From: henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!forsight!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: NASA Update (Forwarded)



RELEASE:  89-171

DETAILED CONSOLIDATION OF SPACE FLIGHT/SPACE STATION OFFICES
ANNOUNCED


     NASA Administrator Richard H. Truly today provided
additional details on the consolidation of the Offices of Space
Flight and Space Station into a single organization headed by
Associate Administrator Dr. William B. Lenoir.  The newly formed
organization will be called the Office of Space Flight (OSF).
George Abbey will continue to serve as the Deputy Associate
Administrator for the organization.

     "The consolidation provides a structure within which the
leadership and accomplishment of assigned programs and space
transportation will be assured," said Lenoir.  "The division of
responsibilities is clear and the mechanisms to assure
coordination are in place."

     It is planned that the Space Flight organization will
include four major areas:  Space Shuttle, Space Station Freedom,
Space Flight Systems and Human Resources and Institutions.
Robert L. Crippen is the acting Director of the Space Shuttle
Program, and Richard H. Kohrs is the Director of the Space
Station Freedom Program.  Joseph B. Mahon is the Director for
Flight Systems, and Richard J. Wisniewski is the Director for
Human Resources and Institutions.

     Several offices and staff positions will provide Lenoir with
direct support.  Those areas are Resources Management with
responsibility for resource evaluation and integration for all
OSF programs, and Program Control for Space Station Freedom in
Reston and the Space Shuttle at JSC; Transportation Services
which will serve as the interface with space transportation
customers; an Executive Unit with responsibility for
correspondence control, audit functions, reviews of NASA
Management Instructions, and administrative and management
services to the OSF organization at NASA Headquarters; and a
Technical Integration and Analysis Office which will provide the
Associate Administrator with a quick-response capability in
dealing with selected technical issues or concerns.

     The consolidation results in no major changes in the Space
Shuttle program.  At NASA Headquarters, the organization now in
place continues with the major functions of Program Plans, System
Engineering and Analysis, and Operations Utilization.  Two
deputies, one for program and one for operations continue to be
located at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, and Kennedy Space
Center, Fla., respectively.  Lines of communication and decision
making remain unchanged.

     The most significant changes made as a result of the
consolidation have been made to program management organizational
elements within the Space Station Freedom Program.  This
organization has been strengthened and program management has
been consolidated into NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and
Reston, Va.

     The Program Director's office will now include three major
functions: engineering, operations and policy.  The Deputy
Director, Robert Moorehead, is located in Reston, Va.  The Deputy
Director is supported by a Deputy for Operations, also located at
Reston, and a Deputy for Integration, located at JSC.  The Deputy
for Integration is supported by two field offices, with a manager
for element integration at the Marshall Space Flight Center,
Huntsville, Ala., and a manager for system integration at JSC.
At Reston, strong staff offices in system engineering and
analysis, management integration, and safety, reliability and
quality assurance are retained.

     No major organizational changes have been made within the
Space Flight Systems division.

     A new focus on human resources management has been assigned
to the Human Resources and Institutions organization.  Primary
responsibilities continue to be the advocacy, determination and
recommendation of manpower, facilities and other institutional
resources.  The focus on leadership development within the Office
of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters and across the centers will
be strengthened.

 Ron Baalke                       |    [e-mail]
 Jet Propulsion Lab  M/S 301-355  |    [e-mail]
 4800 Oak Grove Dr.               |
 Pasadena, CA 91109               |

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

End of SPACE Digest V10 #223
*******************