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Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #257

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 10 : Issue 257

Today's Topics:
             Magellan Status for 11/15/89
      Satellite heat [Forwarded from Aeronautics Digest]
       Re: NASA Headline News for 11/14/89 (Forwarded)
NASA heads hydrogen fuel technology effort for aero-space plane (Forwarded)
         NASA Headline News for 11/16/89 (Forwarded)
            Re: Moon Colonies / Ant Tanks
              deadliness of environments
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 15 Nov 89 21:35:27 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: Magellan Status for 11/15/89


                     MAGELLAN STATUS REPORT
                          Nov. 15, 1989


     Today, the Magellan spacecraft is 91,944,943 miles from
Earth. Having passed through perihelion on Oct. 7, the spacecraft
is slowing as it begins its return to the orbit of Earth and is
now traveling at a speed of 79,225 miles per hour relative to
the sun. Cruise operations are proceeding as planned and Magellan
remains healthy except for star scanner and gyro problems.

     Spurious star scanner signals at times prevent attitude
control knowledge updates. The signals are only a nuisance in
cruise, but must be fixed before Venus mapping. Software filters
and operational changes are being implemented in time for
thorough testing prior to the mapping phase. A software filter
for the star scanner is to be uplinked Thursday, Nov. 16.

     Because of excessive attitude drift, an erratic gyro was
switched out of the attitude control circuitry. Four gyros are
flown to provide triple redundancy in the pitch and yaw axis and
double redundancy in the roll axis. Without the gyro, less
redundancy will be available in attitude control during Venus
orbit insertion, considered a minor risk.

     Intense solar activity experienced in August, September and
October has resulted in approximately a 6 percent solar panel
degradation to date. An active sun was anticipated, however, in
sizing the solar panels and a margin of 35 percent was provided
for.




     SPACECRAFT
     Distance from Earth (mi)             91,944,943

     Velocity Geocentric                  71,242 mph
              Heliocentric                79,225 mph

     One-way light time                   8 mins, 14 secs

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

Date: 15 Nov 89 23:53:19 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!walt.cc.utexas.edu![e-mail]  (Robert Dorsett)
Subject: Satellite heat [Forwarded from Aeronautics Digest]


From: iisat![e-mail]  (Greg Roberts)
Subject: AIAA publications
Date: 14 Nov 89 23:03:03 AST (Tue)

I have been a student member of AIAA for two years (nice book,nice student
journal). I have seen advertisements for the AIAA Education Series of books
which number about 17 at present. They appear to cover everything from
Aircraft Engine Design @$59.95 (book + software) to Radar Electronic Warfare
@49.95( book only, no disk :-{ ). Being a mechanical engineering major with
strong leanings towards aero, would these books be a good addition to my
already large library of texts. I plan on working in the aero field about the
end of next year.

It is not so much the price I am worried about, rather the content is the
main concern here. If it is just a rehash of journal articles, I can get
those at the library. If they are legit text book material, I want 'em.

Now for the fun stuff. A few weeks ago, we had one of the Canadian astronauts
(you can tell they're Canadian, he was wearing a parka and says eh? at the
end of every sentence). He has proposed an interesting project to be carried
out at my University (Technical University of Nova Scotia), and it appears that
I will be doing the work.

Briefly, it is now of real interest to know the temperature of a satellite on
orbit, for two reasons. The first is you want to be able to handle it without
"burning your fingers", and the second is that you want to put it into the
shuttle without "burning the shuttle". Tacit in this explaination is that
problems have arisen during repair and retrieval previously squelched. What
they want to do is to measure the satellite temperature. The first and biggest
criteria is that this must be completely non-contact, you can't place a
thermocouple on the surface and read it directly. The second is that it must
work on all satellites, which requires no onboard electronics on the satellite
continuously streaming temperature data to a ground station. So, there it is.

It appears that I will start on this venture about mid December, and will
spend my three week break between classes reading the project definition and
performance objectives. I am soliciting some ideas from you out there in
sci.aeronautics land.

My first idea, and definitely not the best, lightest, or cheapest is to go
the way of thermography. Put a small thermographic detector on the end of the
robotic arm, and do a temperature map. Get a small computer to interpret the
data and display a temperature bar and a carat next to the max reading.

So, think about it for a bit, throw me all your suggestions, and I will
(promise) reply to all, and will keep the group informed as to progress. I am
actually hoping that this will turn out to become my summer job, and that I
might even be able to use some of it for my senior design project.

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

Date: 15 Nov 89 18:08:12 GMT
From: sgi!shinobu!odin!rudedog![e-mail]  (Brian McClendon)
Subject: Re: NASA Headline News for 11/14/89 (Forwarded)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Peter E. Yee) writes:
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Tuesday, November 14, 1989                   Audio:  202/755-1788
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>
>This is NASA Headline News for Tuesday, November 14th......
>
>
[stuff deleted]
>
>The Washington based publication "Space News" reports that
>scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have
>proposed that NASA build an inflatable space station, moon base
>and deep space probe, in an attempt to cut the cost of sending
>U.S. astronauts to Mars.  "Space News" says the Livermore plan
>calls for the development of a large, inexpensive unmanned
>rocket...and errecting a series of inflatable space structures
>whose walls would be reinforced by kevlar, a strong, lightweight
>fiber.  The publication says NASA is completing an assessment of
>the Livermore plan.
>

After reading about all the problems with space debris in orbit
(and even in interplanetary space) how in the hell can the above
stay "inflated"??

   --------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Brian McClendon [e-mail] ...!uunet!sgi!rudedog!bam 415-335-1110
   "... Cornnuts ..." - Heather 1
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: 15 Nov 89 21:17:48 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA heads hydrogen fuel technology effort for aero-space plane (Forwarded)

Mary Sandy
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                  November 15, 1989

Linda Ellis
Lewis Research Center, Cleveland


RELEASE:  89-176

NASA HEADS HYDROGEN FUEL TECHNOLOGY EFFORT FOR AERO-SPACE PLANE


     When the proposed National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) leaves
the runway sometime in the 1990's, the fuel that powers it may be
largely the result of technology efforts being coordinated today
by NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland.

     NASP is a joint NASA/Department of Defense program with the
ultimate goal of developing an air-breathing experimental flight
vehicle designated the X-30.  The X-30 will take off
horizontally, fly directly into orbit, then land like a
conventional aircraft.  It also may have the capability to cruise
through the atmosphere at sustained hypersonic (above Mach 5)
speeds.

     Researchers are focusing on "slush" hydrogen, a high-energy
hydrogen slurry, as the primary propellant for NASP.  It is
denser than liquid hydrogen and requires smaller tanks for the
same amount of propulsive capability.  The tanks themselves can
be lighter in weight because slush hydrogen requires an internal
pressurization of only 1 pound per square inch.  Also, slush
hydrogen is a better coolant for the vehicle and engines than
liquid hydrogen.

     Using slush instead of liquid hydrogen "reduces the size of
the NASP and reduces the projected gross liftoff weight by up to
30 percent," according to Ned Hannum, Deputy Chief of the Space
Propulsion Technology Division, Lewis Research Center.

     The slush hydrogen technology development team, headed by
Lewis Research Center, was formed about 3 years ago when very
little was known about the material's properties.  Each team
member is assigned a specific area of research.

      o The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
is investigating instrumentation, the physical properties of
slush hydrogen and production methods.  NIST also has a
historical data base and experience in slush hydrogen production
and pumping.

      o  McDonnell Douglas and its subcontractors, Air Products,
Martin Marietta and Wyle Laboratories, are performing large-scale
experimental work in slush production, pressurization, transfer
and flow modeling.

      o  The University of Michigan is working on the gelation of
hydrogen and slush hydrogen.  Gelated hydrogen probably will not
be available for NASP, but may help control sloshing of hydrogen
fuels in the propellant tanks of future flight vehicles.

      o  The University of Colorado is studying slush hydrogen
thermal acoustic oscillation phenomena.

      o  The Los Alamos National Laboratory is investigating the
safety aspects of slush hydrogen, including the levels of oxygen
contamination that will be acceptable in slush hydrogen
propellants.

     As part of the in-house activity at Lewis, Air Products has
constructed the slush maker at Lewis' Plum Brook Station near
Sandusky, Ohio.  The plant, slated to begin operation late this
winter, will be capable of producing slush hydrogen in 800-gallon
batches.  The slush facility will allow researchers to explore
production, transfer and storage of slush.  Lewis' experimental
efforts are a major portion of the overall slush hydrogen
program.

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

Date: 16 Nov 89 19:21:16 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA Headline News for 11/16/89 (Forwarded)

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, Nov. 16, 1989                      Audio:  202/755-1788
-----------------------------------------------------------------

This is NASA Headline News for Thursday, November 16th......

Aerospace Daily reports that the Energetics Satellite Corporation
yesterday awarded a $54 million contract to Space Commerce
Corporation for launch of up to eight satellites aboard Soviet
Proton boosters beginning late next year.  The contract calls for
two launches with options for up to six more for $6.5 million per
launch.  Space Commerce will coordinate the launches through its
joint venture with the Soviet civilian space agency.

NASA announced that it is offering to students 12.5 million
tomato seeds that have been orbiting the earth for 5 1/2 years
aboard the Long Duration Exposure Facility.  A NASA sponsored
program called "SEEDS" is designed as a classroom experiment to
study the effects of long-term space exposure on living tissue.
Next month, during the STS-32 mission, NASA plans to retrieve the
Long Duration Exposure Facility.

A globe-spanning network of space shuttle emergency landing
strips has been completed, by adding giant nets to emergency site
runways in Hawaii and Guam.  Robert Crippen told reporters
yesterday that the nets could be used to halt skidding shuttles
on the runways, and means that NASA now has reasonable ability in
an emergency "to deorbit whenever we want to."

Officials at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center report that the
center suffered only very minor damage from the severe weather,
including tornadoes, that hit Huntsville, Alabama yesterday.
Officials say the only reportable damage to the center at this
point is to some power transmission lines.  Local news media in
Huntsville are reporting 16 dead and 300 injured as a result of
the storms.








                          **********










-----------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the broadcast schedule for public affairs events on NASA
Select television.  All times are Eastern.

Saturday, Nov. 18.....

     8:30 A.M.        Coverage of the launch of the Cosmic
                      Background Explorer satellite from
                      Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Monday, Nov. 20.......

     1:00 P.M.        The NASA radio programs will be
                      transmitted.  (audio only)

All events and times are subject to change without notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
These reports are filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12 noon,
Eastern time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A service of the Internal Communications Branch (LPC) NASA
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

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

Date: 16 Nov 89 03:23:09 GMT
From: attcan!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Moon Colonies / Ant Tanks

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tom Neff) writes:
>Everyone seems to assume that in a Moon or Mars colony, things will be
>bearable because you can go outside whenever you want.  What a strange
>and wishful notion!  Suited EVA is a phenomenally expensive and risky
>operation, restricted to the select few who absolutely need it.

Today.  Not necessarily tomorrow.
--
A bit of tolerance is worth a  |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
megabyte of flaming.           | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

Date: 15 Nov 89 21:45:28 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: deadliness of environments

In article <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> writes:
>Regarding the lunar colony/spacehab speculation, I assert once again that
>the Moon is far deadlier than Alaska.  An uprotected human being can survive
>for up to 2 hours in a -50 winter, if he knows what he's doing...

And if he's fortunate enough to have either shelter or no wind.  Effective
survival time is spectacularly shorter in flat farmland with a brisk wind.
Carelessness helps too.  People die of exposure every winter on the
Canadian Prairies.

To survive and flourish in most environments, you need knowledge and tools.
Only in the tropics can you really do without.  The Moon is quantitatively
more difficult but is not the massive quantum leap that some people claim.
Given a certain level of basic technology, space is actually a fairly
benign place; it is far more *predictable* than almost any Earthly
environment.  Lunar houses need to be pressure-tight and must take care
to conserve scarce volatiles, but they don't need to be built for massive
snow loads, gale-force winds, or earthquakes, and thermal insulation is
much easier.
--
A bit of tolerance is worth a  |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
megabyte of flaming.           | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

End of SPACE Digest V10 #257
*******************