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Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #131

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 11 : Issue 131

Today's Topics:
         Re: SR-71 Record Flight Information
            Re: Ulysses Update - 03/06/90
              Voyager Update - 03/09/90
             Re: SR-71:  LA to DC
         1990 VAAS Convention [Portsmouth VA] 1 of 2
                   Re: EMP
             Re: Phobos Pictures
         Re: SR-71 Record Flight Information
                SR-71
            Re: Ulysses Update - 03/06/90
                   Re: EMP
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 10 Mar 90 00:55:57 GMT
From: csusac!csuchico.edu![e-mail]  (Ian Kluft)
Subject: Re: SR-71 Record Flight Information

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (David Gardiner) writes:
>Now that the SR-71 is retired, have the true performance specs been
>declassified?  Are the published performance specs anywhere near its
>actual capabilities?

Probably not for a while.  Especially not if there's a secret replacement for
it hiding in hangars at various AFB's.

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

Date: 9 Mar 90 17:59:34 GMT
From: pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Re: Ulysses Update - 03/06/90

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (T. Joseph Lazio, Cornell University) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Ron Baalke) writes:
>>              09/11/95 - End of Second Solar Pass
>>              09/30/95 - End of Mission
>
>    End of mission?  Does this mean that during the last pass,
>    in attempt to gather some particular datum, that the craft
>    will be flown close enough to the Sun to fry it, or
>    end of the scheduled mission and contact with the
>    craft will continue as it heads toward interstellar space
>    away from the ecliptic?

End of mission, meaning end of its primary mission. Ulysses will remain
in orbit around the sun with its orbit going out to Jupiter. Around 1995 or
1996 it will probably be used in some kind of extended mission, much the
same way the Voyagers or Giotto are now being used.


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

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

Date: 9 Mar 90 18:39:44 GMT
From: elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Voyager Update - 03/09/90


                     Voyager Mission Status Report
                            March 9, 1990

                              Voyager 1

     Voyager 1 continues to collect routine cruise science data. One frame
of high-rate plasma wave data (PWS) was recorded on February 26. High-rate
ultraviolet spectrum (UVS) observations were conducted on MU Centauri
(February 27)  and HD 206165 (March 1). All of the former observations was
lost due to lack of Deep Space Network (DSN) coverage.

     On February 28, a negative 41.8x roll turn was executed by the spacecraft
and Rigil Kentaurus was re-acquired as the roll axis celestial reference.
Following the maneuver, the Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystem
(AACS) A and B gyros were turned off. AACS Canopus tracker and Sun Sensor Gate
parameters were also updated and verified by AACS Memory Read Out following
the maneuver.

     The shutter blades of the wide-angle camera is suspected to be warped
when the camera was pointed towards the sun on February 14 to take the
"family portrait" pictures. All of Voyager 1's cameras are turned off and
there are no further plans to use them again. The first set of pictures will
be transmitted back to Earth on March 16 of the planets Neptune and Uranus.

     March 5 marked the 11th anniversay of Voyager 1's Jupiter encounter.

                              Voyager 2

     Voyager 2 also continues to collect routine cruise science data. One
frame of high-rate PWS data was recorded  on February 26. UVS low-rate data
were taken on sources EG165, a white dwarf star, and PKS2155-304.  High-rate
data were taken on both sources on February 26, but station coverage was
unavailable.

     The MAG, PLS, and LECP instruments all responded to the
calibration commands as expected on February 28.


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

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

Date: 9 Mar 90 20:03:12 GMT
From: amdahl!drivax![e-mail]  (Kral)
Subject: Re: SR-71:  LA to DC

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (S. Khai Mong) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Doug Krause) writes:
>>   In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Kral) writes:
>>   #Their flight path was such that they watched the sun rise and set 3 times
>>   #(this from an interview with the pilot).  A truley awsome experience.
>>
>>   How is this possible?  The only thing I can think of is that they
>>   were constantly changing their altitude.
>
>Another possible way -- they flew westbound around the world.  :-)

I've been trying to think this through in spare CPU cyycles (:-), which I've
had very few of lately, but I'm sure part of it had to do with
ascention/descention and course.  EG:

          Rise                   Set

    1)                    flying northbound
    2)    flying southbound        time passing
    3)    secondary ascent        final descent

(Flying north and south being a result of the shortest line between two
distant points on a sphere being a curved (the great circle principle, or
whatever it's called)).

The missing Rise might be attributed to sloppy wording on the pilot's part.

--
kral     408/647-6112            ...amdahl!drivax!braun
"To surrender is to remain in the hands of barbarians for the rest of my life;
 To fight is to leave my bones exposed in the desert waste"
        - ancient chinese poem

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

Date: 7 Mar 90 14:59:00 GMT
From: xanth!xanth.cs.odu.edu![e-mail]  (David J. Bianco)
Subject: 1990 VAAS Convention [Portsmouth VA] 1 of 2

For more info, contact:      David J. Bianco     Internet: [e-mail]
                 3220 Bangor Drive
                 Chesapeake, VA 23321

     16th ANNUAL VAAS CONVENTION        MAY 19 - 20, 1990

    The 16th annual Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies
Convention will be held May 19-20, 1990 on the Portsmouth Campus of
Tidewater Community College in Portsmouth, Virginia.  This year's convention
will be a two day event and will include a cook-out and an observing session.
The convention will be hosted by the Tidewater Community College Astronomical
Society.
    The VAAS wwas organized on May 5, 1975 as an association of amateur
astronomical societies, individual amateur and professional astronomers, and
other interested individuals and organizations. The VAAS provides a once a
year gathering through which members from across the state, and visitors from
anywhere, can have an opportunity to discuss a wide range of subjects
and present research.
    The following activities/events will be included in this year's
convention:

1) Societies' Reports - a representative of each society will be expected to
give a shord (15 mins or so) report on their club's activities of the
previous year.
2) Guest Speakers - TCCAS is in contact with NASA and other astronomy
related institutions and hopes to have several speakers at the convention.
3) Paper and Slide Presentations - Everyone is welcome to participate
as a speaker at this convention. Those desiring places on the program
should contact the VAAS Chairman as soon as possible and fill out the
attached form.
4) Contests-Displays-Exhibits - Space will be made available for
individuals and societies to exhibit anything of astronomical interest.
Several astronomy related contests will be conducted and awards given
(refer to the attached Application form).
5) Observing Session - Two Observing sessions are scheduled. Participants
are encouraged to bring their telescopes.
6) Cook Out - This is almost a tradition! We are bringing it back by
popular demand!
7) Swap Shop - Everyone is encouraged to bring those no-longer-wanted
astronomical items (eyepieces, bookks, telescopes, etc) to sell or trade.


     A final schedule of events will be mailed [or in this case, posted]
during the first week of May, along with maps of the Portsmouth area. If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to contact
me (see top of the message). Hope to see you at the convention!


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

APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR THE 1990 VAAS *PAPER SESSION*

    Everyone is welcome to participate as a speaker at the convention
and is encouraged to submit papers on projects, research studies, etc.  Each
paper presented is to be no longer than 60 minutes and should be on an
astronomy related topic. Papers longer than 60 minutes, or those not strictly
on astronomy, must be approved prior to the convention. You must state if
you will require any audiovisual equipment.

ALL APPLICATIONS FOR PAPER SESSIONS MUST BE RECIEVED BY TCCAS *NO LATER THAN*
MAY 1, 1990.

To submit your paper, please fill out the following form and mail it
(either US mail or email) to the address at the top of this article


Name: _________________________________
Phone: (   )_________________
Address: ______________________________
         ______________________________
         ______________________________
Astronomical Society (if any) : _________________________________________
Title or Subject of Paper: ______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Audio-Visual Equipment needed: __________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Day you wish to present paper (may change):  Saturday __  Sunday __
Brief Description of presentation:

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

Date: 8 Mar 90 05:57:18 GMT
From: agate!headcrash.Berkeley.EDU![e-mail]  (George William Herbert)
Subject: Re: EMP

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tim Maroney) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tim Maroney) writes:
>>}It would also take a pretty large hydrocarbon explosion to create EMP.
>>If you are trying, it doesn't.  You do have to doctor the charge a bit, though.
>
>How so?  A friend who is a well-known hard SF author with a degree in
>physics told me (and put in one of his books) that any sufficiently
>powerful explosion will cause a shower of Compton electrons from the
>upper atmosphere, which is what fries electrical circuits and is what
>we call EMP.  Is there some additional requirement on the
>characteristics of the blast?  (I may have misunderstood him, of

No.  In fact, any explosion that is strong enough to ionize the detonation
products will cause EMP [read: all explosions except maybe black powder].
There is some interest in this among the blasting community because it is
possible, though remote, to detonate another electrical blasting cap that way.


*******************************************************************************
George William Herbert     JOAT For Hire: Anything, Anywhere: My Price
UCB Naval Architecture undergrad: Engineering with a Bouyant Attitude :-)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[e-mail]       |||||||||| "What do I have to do to convince you?"-Q
[e-mail]      |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| "Die."-Worf
[e-mail] |"Very good, Worf. Eaten any good books recently?"-Q

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

Date: 8 Mar 90 16:42:07 GMT
From: wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Phobos Pictures

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (DAVID SIMMONS) writes:
>     Have any of the pictures the Soviets got back from their Phobos probe
>before it failed been published , and where could I find them?

A number of them have been published; a good place to start would be back
issues of Scientific American.
--
MSDOS, abbrev:  Maybe SomeDay |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
an Operating System.          | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

Date: 9 Mar 90 20:14:11 GMT
From: cs.umn.edu![e-mail]  (David Gardiner)
Subject: Re: SR-71 Record Flight Information

On the LA->DC run, did the aircraft have to refuel?  If so, how
many times?

Now that the SR-71 is retired, have the true performance specs been
declassified?  Are the published performance specs anywhere near its
actual capabilities?

David Gardiner
U of MN CS Dept.

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

Date: 9 Mar 90 23:24:00 GMT
From: elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!rpitsmts![e-mail]  (Commander Krugannal)
Subject: SR-71


    Henry Spencer writes that the D-21 launch from the SR-71 was
   abandonded due to a loss of the a D-21 and the SR-71.

     This is news to me. If you could substantiate it I would
   appreciate it. Nothing I have ever seen has mentioned that.
   The sole reason I have heard that they dropped the program
   was cost and that it was not totally effective. (And since
   Open Skies was not in effect, highly illegal... )

   [e-mail]
   Disclaimer: Why do I need one? everyone else has one!

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

Date: 9 Mar 90 17:33:05 GMT
From: pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!cs.utexas.edu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Ulysses Update - 03/06/90

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (T. Joseph Lazio, Cornell University) writes:
>>              09/30/95 - End of Mission
>
>    End of mission?  Does this mean that during the last pass,
>    in attempt to gather some particular datum, that the craft
>    will be flown close enough to the Sun to fry it, or
>    end of the scheduled mission and contact with the
>    craft will continue...

The latter, I think.  There isn't any reason for Ulysses to go up in smoke.
That's just the time when everyone will agree that the mission was a success.
--
MSDOS, abbrev:  Maybe SomeDay |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
an Operating System.          | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

Date: 9 Mar 90 20:39:00 GMT
From: brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!aplvax.jhuapl.edu![e-mail]  (Jim Meritt)
Subject: Re: EMP

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tim Maroney) writes:
}In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tim Maroney) writes:
}>}>}It would also take a pretty large hydrocarbon explosion to create EMP.
}
}In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jim Meritt) writes:
}>}>If you are trying, it doesn't.  You do have to doctor the charge a bit,
}>}>though.
}
}In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tim Maroney) writes:
}>}How so?  A friend who is a well-known hard SF author with a degree in
}>}physics told me (and put in one of his books) that any sufficiently
}>}powerful explosion will cause a shower of Compton electrons from the
}>}upper atmosphere, which is what fries electrical circuits and is what
}>}we call EMP.
}
}In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jim Meritt) writes:
}>You cheat.  Put some of the alkali metals in with the charge.
}>[...]  Read about it a few years ago in Aviation Leak.  Concerned
}>a non-nuclear artillery shell with EMP.  A nuke does it with brute force.
}>Ain't gonna get it by accdent chemically (usless a REAL accident!)
}
}Which was my point -- it would take one hell of a chemical blast to
}produce EMP, even in the upper atmosphere.  Thanks for the
}information.  It's a problem with spacecraft carrying grams of
}antimatter, but it isn't with chemical rockets.

Right.  No problem with chem rockets.

}
}Also, I'm curious whether these EMP shells were tested.  I know there
}were some EMP experiments in the Maryland area that Rifkin (gag, choke)
}managed to get shut down because there was no research into the health
}effects, a few years ago.  Is this related?

Nah, the pulser was on the shore of the bay at/near PAX river (the base).


That that is is that that is. That that is not is that that is not.
That that is is not that that is not.  That that is not is not that that is.
And that includes these opinions, which are solely mine!
[e-mail]  - or - [e-mail]  - or - meritt%aplvm.BITNET

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

End of SPACE Digest V11 #131
*******************