Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V11_2/V11_240.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #240

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 11 : Issue 240

Today's Topics:
              Re: Hubble Window
           Payload Status for 04/06/90 (Forwarded)
                  Re: Skylab
               Reminders for Old Farts
           Payload Status for 04/04/90 (Forwarded)
           Pegasus Status for 04/05/90 (Forwarded)
        Recommendations on Telescope Purchase.
              Re: Ejection seats
                NASA Select TV
             Re: Discovery's Spin in 2010
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 9 Apr 90 13:25:48 GMT
From: pyuxp!pyuxe!nvuxr![e-mail]  (David Lewis)
Subject: Re: Hubble Window

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] writes:
> I read somewhere that the launch of the HST had been moved UP two days?
> Whyfor?

I read in the NYT (take it as you will) that several contingincies built
into the schedule weren't needed.  In other words, things that were
expected to go wrong didn't :-).

(Although there's still plenty of time for *other* things to go wrong...)

--
David G Lewis                    ...!bellcore!nvuxr!deej
    (@ Bellcore Navesink Research & Engineering Center)
            "If this is paradise, I wish I had a lawnmower."

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

Date: 9 Apr 90 22:07:09 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: Payload Status for 04/06/90 (Forwarded)

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

Date: Mon, 9 Apr 90 12:29:00 PDT
From: ames!nasamail.nasa.gov!payload.projects







            Daily Status/KSC Payload Management and Operations 04-06-90.


            - STS-31R HST (at pad-B) -

            HST battery charging and closeout activities are continuing
            today.


            - STS-35 ASTRO-1 (at OPF) -

            ASTRO closeout activities and experiment servicing are
            continuing today.


            - STS-40 SLS-1 (at 0&C) -

            Rack and floor installation into the module is continuing
            today.


            - STS-42 IML-1 (at O&C) -

            Staging activities on the floor and racks 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9
            were worked on Thursday.  Floor staging along with racks 3,
            7, 8, and 9 staging operations are scheduled for today.


            - STS-45 (Atlas-1)-

            Joint kit installation on frame 4 was completed on Thursday.
            Pallet to pallet mating will start today.


            - STS-55 SL-D2 (at O&C) -

            Rack 12 staging activities will continue today.


            - HST M&R (at O&C) -

            Cable continuity and isolation checks were worked Thursday.

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

Date: 9 Apr 90 23:05:00 GMT
From: unmvax!nmtsun![e-mail]  (Daniel Briggs)
Subject: Re: Skylab

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>
>        And, on a related note, are the Soviets simply going to de-orbit
>Salyut 7 like they do all the progress modules?

As long as we seem to be asking about definitions, here's another one.  What
exactly does de-orbit mean in this context?  I am guessing that the Soviets
use a de-orbit burn to drop the module where they want it, rather than bombing
the world haphazardly.  Is there a way to do this more gently?  I can't think
of any way they could get the modules down softly.  What *do* they do?

-----
This is a shared guest account, please send replies to
[e-mail] (Internet)
Dan Briggs / NRAO / P.O. Box O / Socorro, NM / 87801  (U.S. Snail)

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

Date: Mon, 9 Apr 90 04:00:23 -0700
From: Eugene N. Miya <[e-mail]>
Subject: Reminders for Old Farts

Hints for old users (subtle reminders) You'll know these.

Minimize cross references, [Do you REALLY NEED to?]
Edit "Subject:" lines especially if you are taking a tangent.
Send mail instead, avoid posting follow ups. [1 mail message worth 100 posts.]
Read all available articles before posting a follow-up. [Check all references.]
Cut down attributed articles.  Summarize!
Put a return address in the body (signature) of your message (mail or
article), state institution, etc. don't assume mail works.
Use absolute dates.  Post in a timely way.  Don't post what everyone will
get on TV anyway.
Some editors and window systems do character count line wrapping:
please keep lines under 80 characters for those using ASCII terms (use <CR>).

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

Date: 9 Apr 90 21:30:34 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: Payload Status for 04/04/90 (Forwarded)

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

Date: Mon, 9 Apr 90 12:21:29 PDT
From: ames!nasamail.nasa.gov!payload.projects







            Daily Status/KSC Payload Management and Operations 04-04-90.


            - STS-31R HST (at pad-B) -

            HST battery charging was active Tuesday and will continue
            into Thursday.  Confidence testing was reactivated second
            shift Tuesday and is expected to be completed on third shift
            Thursday.


            - STS-35 ASTRO-1 (at OPF) -

            Power on closeouts activities were completed on second shift
            Tuesday.  Payload ordnance connections were completed on
            third shift today.  Power off closeout activities will
            continue today.


            - STS-40 SLS-1 (at 0&C) -

            Preps for rack and floor installation into the module were
            continued Tuesday.  The actual roll in of the floor is
            scheduled for today.


            - STS-42 IML-1 (at O&C) -

            Racks 3, 5, 9, 10, 11 and 12 staging along with module
            staging were performed Tuesday.  Staging activities on the
            floor and racks 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are scheduled for
            today.


            - STS-45 (Atlas-1)-

            Pallet joint kit installations on frames 1 and 4 along with
            flight trunnion installation were worked Tuesday and will
            continue today.


            - STS-55 SL-D2 (at O&C) -

            Rack 12 staging activities will continue today.


            - HST M&R (at O&C) -

            Cable continuity and isolation will continue today.

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

Date: 9 Apr 90 22:24:40 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: Pegasus Status for 04/05/90 (Forwarded)

[Old news by now. -PEY]

                      Pegasus  Mission Status


     The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Pegasus air-
launched booster successfully completed its test flight today and
launched its first payload into space at 12:19 p.m PDT.

     The NASA B-52 carrier aircraft, with Pegasus mounted under its
right wing, took off from the Dryden Flight Research Facility,
Edwards, Calif. at 11:03 PDT. The Pegasus separated from the B-52 at
12:10 p.m. PDT, at an altitude of approximately 43,000 feet.  Five
seconds later, the Pegasus' first-stage motor ignited. Following
ignition of the second and third stages, the Pegasus payload reached a
nominal altitude of 320 nautical miles.

     The three-function payload, known as PEGSAT, behaved as
expected.  The small Navy experimental communications relay satellite
was deployed at 12:20 p.m. PDT.  The instrumentation incorporated into
the PEGSAT and the Pegasus vehicle successfully transmitted valuable
data during the launch sequence, which will be studied over the coming
months. The remaining task to be performed by PEGSAT is the release of
the NASA barium experiment, which is expected to occur during the last
two weeks in April.



Mary Sandy, DFRF Newsroom
4/5/90; 1:25 p.m. PDT

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

Date: 9 Apr 90 11:52:05 GMT
From: usna![e-mail]  (LT Peter A. Nardi)
Subject: Recommendations on Telescope Purchase.


    Greetings.  This news group seems to be the right place to ask
this question.

    I'm interested in purchasing an 8" SCT telescope.  The
two models I'm considering are from Meade (the 2080) and Celestron
(the classic - 8).  Has anyone had any experience with these scopes,
good or bad?  There's not much difference in price, so recommendations
on quality of optics, drives, etc would be helpful.
    On a related subject, are there any feelings out there on
particular mail order companies?  Some friends of mine said they had
good experiences with a company called "Orion Telescopes" in California.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
    You can mail responses directly to me, and I'll summarize for
the net if there's sufficient interest.

Thanks in advance.........

-=<Pete>=-
[e-mail]

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

Date: 3 Apr 90 15:13:28 GMT
From: skipper![e-mail]  (Mary Shafer (OFV))
Subject: Re: Ejection seats

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Steve Friedl) writes:

>Al Bowers writes:
>> Your 25g estimate is in the ballpark.  Older seats generated up to 40g
>> and had consequent higher injury rates.

>So what causes these injuries?  Hitting the ground?  Hitting the
>canopy?  Getting arms caught on something?  Sheer acceleration?
>Running into another aircraft? :-(

The injuries resulting from the acceleration of the seat are
compression injuries to the spine and the consequent paralysis.

Other injuries include fracture or amputation of the extremities,
flail injuries, and landing impact injuries.  Frostbite, hypoxia,
landing in the burning wreckage, soft tissue injuries (whiplash),
strangling in the parachute risers.

There was also a case of exsanguination following throat injuries
caused by the oxygen mask (he bled to death on his way down).

I read the other day about a guy who broke both arms and dislocated
both shoulders.  He landed in the water, couldn't release his chute,
and was dragged down and drowned.

They told me a few more stories at F-4 one-timer egress training and
and fortunately I didn't get to find out any of these things during my
flight.  I also heard about them during the 3-day physiological
training (chamber ride, etc).

>I find it easy to believe that ejecting is not A Fun Thing, but
>where specifically is the danger?

Dangers.
      ^

The only reason for ejecting is that staying is worse.

However, I know people who've ejected with no lasting problems at all.
It's not always dreadful and it's almost always better than staying in
a stricken aircraft.

--

Mary Shafer  [e-mail] or ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer
         NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA
                   Of course I don't speak for NASA

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

Date: 9 Apr 90 21:03:42 GMT
From: usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!bdgltd![e-mail]  (Ed Ackerman Programmer)
Subject: NASA Select TV

My local cable company has started carrying NASA Select TV, I was wondering
just what it is and how often it is on.

E-mail is fine, but I read the group. Thanx

--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ed Ackerman                               | It is impossible to make anything
bdgltd![e-mail] or ...!dsinc!bdgltd!ela|  foolproof beacause fools are
#include <StdDisclaimer>                  |           SO ingenious!

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

Date: 9 Apr 90 22:28:18 GMT
From: usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!pequod.cso.uiuc.edu![e-mail]  (Andrew Higgins)
Subject: Re: Discovery's Spin in 2010

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mark Perew) writes:
>I have enjoyed all of this discussion about spin and torque, etc.
>
>However, this discussion of where the carousel was located seems
>to be missing one major element, to wit:  reality.  _2001_ was *ONLY*
>a movie.  Yes, Clarke is an excellent author and he usually gets
>his facts straight, but he is allowed some literay license.

Very true.

A number of people in this group have criticized the film because the
centrifuge located on Discovery was too small to overcome the adverse
effects of the Coriolis force.  The makers of 2001, however, were very
aware of the issues involved.  Frederick I. Ordway, who was the film's
scientific consultant and technical advisor, wrote:

"We had the option of putting the Centrifuge on for, say, one to two
hours a day to produce up to 1.5 g, or permanently have it rotate to
provide about 0.2 to 0.3 g.  We chose the latter.  There was, of
course, the problem of Coriolis forces, which on small diameter wheels
would cause dizziness to astronauts walking along the rim.
Calculations showed that the centrifuge should be at least 300 ft in
diameter to reduce to acceptable levels the inconveniences caused by
the Coriolis forces, but such a diameter was beyond the capabilities
of M-G-M British Studios--and our budget.  So we never really
mentioned the diameter of the wheel with which we had to work [38 ft];
in fact, there was no purpose to reveal measurements at any time.
Visual appearances were what counted."

Note that the Discovery centrifuge provided 0.2 g, not 1 g.  Elsewhere
in the same article, Ordway says that the large space station in the
beginning of the film also provided only 0.2 g.

The above excerpt was taken from "2001:  A Space Odyssey" by Frederick
I. Ordway in the March 1970 issue of _Spaceflight_, Vol. 12, No. 3,
pp. 110-117, a publication of the British Interplanetary Society.  It
is an excellent, detailed article covering all the technology used in
the film, including line diagrams that could have settled this "how is
the centrifuge is oriented" debate ages ago.  Suffice it to say for
now that the axis about which the centrifuge spins coincides with the
main axis or "spine" of Discovery.
--
 Andrew J. Higgins              |     Illini Space Development Society
 [e-mail]              |     a chapter of the National Space Society
 phone: [phone]-0321   |     at the University of Illinois
          P.O. Box 2255 - Station A, Champaign, IL  61825
"The ability of man to walk and actually live on other worlds has virtually
 assured mankind immortality."            - Wernher von Braun

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

End of SPACE Digest V11 #240
*******************