Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V11_4/V11_408.TXT

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Date: Wed, 16 May 90 02:37:31 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #408

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 11 : Issue 408

Today's Topics:
            space news from April 9 AW&ST
              Re:  SPACE Digest V11 #387
         NASA Headline News for 05/15/90 (Forwarded)
             EXOSAT observations
    Re: Terraforming Venus (was: Manned mission to Venus)
            Re: Voyager Update - 05/08/90
    Re: Terraforming Venus (was: Manned mission to Venus)
                 Naming Stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 16 May 90 05:31:43 GMT
From: usc!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: space news from April 9 AW&ST

Editorial commenting on the EVA issue for the space station:  "The real
challenge is not EVA estimates.  It is working with the program's
byzantine management structure to incorporate thousands of technical
refinements across all station areas.  These engineering change
requirements are about to flood in from nearly 100 technical assessments
preceding the station's preliminary design review in December..."

NRC tells White House that NASA makes a good case for the first package
of Earth Observing System instruments being on a single large platform,
but the case for the second set is much weaker.

Picture of Israel's second satellite launch.  Offeq-2 went up March 3.
Mission said to be similar to Offeq-1, a technology test mission for
equipment that could be used on operational satellites later.

SUCCESSFUL PEGASUS LAUNCH!!!  Payload in orbit at 1219 PDT April 5,
after a one-day postponement due to bad weather at Edwards and along
the flight path.  The payload was a NASA barium-release experiment,
a small experimental Navy comsat, and flight instrumentation funded
by DARPA and developed by Dryden for monitoring Pegasus's hypersonic
flight.

Defense Science Board criticizes SDIO for its headlong plunge into
Brilliant Pebbles, saying it is "fixing the system design too early"
at a time when technology is evolving rapidly, inhibiting innovation
despite attempts to encourage it.  The Board says SDIO seems to be
working at cross-purposes with itself, with the research people and
the near-term-deployment enthusiasts competing.  The Board also
questioned SDI's need for the Boost Surveillance and Tracking Satellites,
designed with a different system architecture in mind and overly large,
complex, and ambitious for the current one.

Bush approves early talks with the USSR to explore Soviet involvement
in the Moon/Mars project.  Similar talks with Canada, Japan, and ESA
are planned.  Nothing will happen quickly [of course] because the
National Space Council will take 18 months or so, minimum, to decide
how the talks should be handled.  [...words fail me.]

The Cape York spaceport, complete with Soviet Zenit boosters, is going
full speed ahead whether the US likes it or not.  United Technologies'
USBI division would like to take on the job of managing construction
and operation of the spaceport, and the Australians like the idea, but
Cape York wants to start *operations* in 1995 and the White House is
still dithering about export licenses to permit USBI to participate.
"An Administration source" says no decision is likely until Washington
figures out its policy on launch competition from "non-market economies".
The Australians point out that they're already stretching their original
March 23 deadline, and they have a list of non-US companies that could
do the job.

The Australians are hoping for a sensible US policy on Soviet boosters
at Cape York, and see some reasons for hope.  Cape York is entirely a
commercial venture with no government financing.  There would be no
Soviet involvement on-site -- Glavcosmos would be strictly a hardware
supplier, and local personnel would be trained to operate Zenit.  Cape
York would get exclusive foreign rights to Zenit.  And USBI would be
making money on the business, if it's involved.

Cape York has started work on an environmental impact statement, with
construction to begin immediately on final approval in 1992.  A Soviet
satellite might be the first payload launched, in 1995.  Full operation,
in 1997, would start at five launches per year.

The basic Zenit is Zenit 2, two LOX/kerosene stages lifting 15.7 tons
into low orbit from Cape York.  Zenit 3 adds a third stage from Proton,
giving 4.5-5.9 tons into GTO, giving 1.9-2.4 into Clarke orbit.  The
Zenit 3 has not yet flown, although its components all have considerable
flight experience, with Zenit 2 flying since 1985 and the third stage
used many times on other boosters.  Glavcosmos says Zenit reliability
is 95%.  Cape York is looking at putting a Western third stage on Zenit 2.

Flap in Washington:  China's bid, rumored successful, to launch one of
the Arabsat series is said to be much lower than Western bids, a possible
violation of the restraint-of-trade agreement signed last year.

Soviet military launches declined somewhat in 1989, but this seems to
be mostly normal statistical variation across assorted programs; there
is no sign of a cutback or slowdown.  The only significant reductions
in 1989 activity for budget reasons were in the manned program.  Soviet
activity in 1989 averaged a launch every five days, although launches
less than 24 hours apart were not uncommon.

There *does* seem to be a change underway in the Soviet short-life
spysat program, with launches substantially down in 1990 so far.  The
speculation is that the Soviets are shifting to a launch-on-demand
approach, away from the previous philosophy of having major capability
aloft at all times.  On the other hand, the electronic-eavesdropping
naval recon satellite system is seeing major growth, possibly as a
replacement for the nuclear radarsats (none of which have been launched
since another one malfunctioned in 1988).

Another launch in the Almaz series -- big radarsats, roughly the size
of a Salyut -- is planned this year, although the program is still
experimental and commercial data marketing has not started seriously.
Almaz can carry a large camera or other sensor package internally,
it has been revealed, to supplement the external radar system.

The Soviets have also launched another Okean ice/ocean-monitoring radarsat,
and are working on a new "Earth resources platform", planned to have both
a bigger radar and optical sensors, for launch as early as 1992.  [NASA
hopes to launch its first EOS platform in 1995 or so.]

Letter from James Duval in Pasadena...  "If Columbus or Magellan had been
victims of the same 'analysis paralysis' that seems to grip NASA management,
they'd still be pacing the decks pondering the weather, food preservation,
scurvy and the possible long-term effects of constant seasickness and salt
air exposure.  Fortunately, they were explorers, not bureaucrats...  ...few
people today would argue that the risk was unacceptable and that these
expeditions should not have taken place until advances in transportation
technology could virtually eliminate all risk... ...my guess is cruising
the planets in inflatable modules beats crossing seas in wooden ships."
--
Life is too short to spend    |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
debugging Intel parts. -Van J.| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

Date: 15 May 90 14:18:27 GMT
From: nsc!taux01![e-mail]  (Amos Shapir)
Subject: Re:  SPACE Digest V11 #387

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>Before we can capture and mine asteroids for metals, and build "space colonies,"
>we must learn to keep men alive and HEALTHY in space for more than seven days at
>a time, must develop REAL spacecraft that are not just bullets with men in their
>noses, develop human psyches that will not become deranged by close confinement
>with other humans for more than 30 days at a time, develop equipment that can
>do more in space than just open its doors and pop weapons satellites into orbit,
>and develop the intellectual advancement necessary to produce a world whose
>population cooperates for the mutual good of mankind and the planet Earth,

If by "we" you mean the whole human race, you're simply wrong - all this and
more has already been done.  If you mean the USA, you seem to suffer from the
same narrow-mindedness of which you accuse the SDI-mongers.

--
    Amos Shapir        [e-mail], [e-mail]
National Semiconductor (Israel) P.O.B. 3007, Herzlia 46104, Israel
Tel. [phone]  TWX: 33691, fax: [phone] GEO: 34 48 E / 32 10 N

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

Date: 15 May 90 18:06:21 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA Headline News for 05/15/90 (Forwarded)

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, May 15, 1990                 Audio Service: 202/755-1788
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This is NASA Headline News for Tuesday, May 15....


Kennedy Space Center activities at Pad 39-A include replacement
of a coolant regulator valve.  Following a complete purge of the
system, technicians will remove the valve.  The line will also be
inspected for sources that could create any blockage.  The new
valve will then be replaced and X-rayed.  The work will take
approximately three days to complete.

                            ********

Langley engineers have completed the extensive photographic
survey of the Long Duration Exposure Facility.  The
investigations at the Kennedy Space Center included video,
meteoroid and debris analyses of the structure.  It is in
excellent condition.  The structure is now being moved out of the
processing facility and into temporary storage.

                            ********

Controllers say taking the Hubble Space Telescope through the
paces is a steady process.  NASA astronomer Ed Weiler is quoted
by UPI as saying the systems are operating properly.  And, "this
is a complex machine...when an Indy 500 racer rolls off the
assembly line you don't drive it around the course at 230 miles
per hour.  You're constantly trying to tune it up."

A bright rogue star was discovered during a test of the telescope
guidance system.  The Hubble mistakenly pointed toward it
preventing the instrument from locking onto the proper stars for
correct guidance.  After ignoring the star, focusing procedures
were repeated successfully.

                            ********

Space Fax Daily reports that Michael Duke, NASA Program
Scientist, said he's looking for long-term power systems.  The
Lunar and Mars Exploration Office studies reveal the power
required to maintain a lunar outpost requires technology with
efficiencies ten times greater than those currently under
development for Space Station Freedom.  He said the space station
exemplifies how a specific mission can develop technologies that
will be useful in the long-term.

                            ********









----------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA
Select TV.  All times are Eastern.



Wednesday, May 16..................

                 12:00 Noon        Launch of Consort III.
                                   (Tape replay)

Thursday, May 17...................

                 11:30 A.M.        NASA Update will be
                                   transmitted.

                 12:00 Noon        AMBLER planetary
                                   robot vehicle video.

                 12:30-2:30 P.M.   Mercury Program.
                                   Earth life of a spacecraft.
                                   Servicing at space station.
                                   Hubble Space Telescope
                                      program.
                                   Project Laser.


All events and times are subject to change without notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NASA Select TV: Satcom F2R, Transponder 13, C-Band 72 Degrees
West Longitude, Audio 6.8, Frequency 3960 MHz.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
These reports are filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12 Noon,
EDT.  This is a service of the Internal Communications Branch,
NASA HQ.

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

Date: 15 May 90 02:38:32 GMT
From: munnari.oz.au!bruce!monu1!vaxc![e-mail]  (G.Anders)
Subject: EXOSAT observations


  Hi net people.....
                     I've just been reading an article regarding
 EXOSAT x-ray observations of a short period RSCVn binary star,
 and thought such observations would greatly improve the analysis
 I am currently undertaking for an RSCVn of my own. I already have
 several optical light curves, but I think I could really nail down
 the positions of any active regions on the stars if I had x-ray
 observations as well!
     The problem is that I don't really know how to go about
 setting up observation time on EXOSAT, or who to speak to, or even
 where to find relevant information. If anyone out there knows
 more than I do about applying for time, it would be great if you
 could drop me an e-mail message :-)

   ****************************************************************
*** Greg Anders, Physics Department, Monash University - Australia.***
   ****************************************************************

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

Date: 14 May 90 19:29:53 GMT
From: zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!zardoz.cpd.com!dhw68k!ofa123![e-mail]  (Rick Ellis)
Subject: Re: Terraforming Venus (was: Manned mission to Venus)

In a message of <May 10 14:11>, Brian or James ([e-mail])
writes:

 BoJ>  I think using Saturn's rings as H2O fodder for terraforming
 BoJ> Venus is a Bad Idea. There are other sources of ice in the
 BoJ> Solar System, and destroying a beautiful ring sytem unecessarily
 BoJ> seems wrong. Kind of similar logic to national parks or
 BoJ> historic buildings. The Rings have a value where they are.

The same could be said of Venus itself.  I'd hate to see us jumping into
terraforming planets before we have a chance at long term study of their
natural state.


--
uucp:     Rick Ellis
Internet: [e-mail]
BBS:      714 544-0934   2400/1200/300

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

Date: 14 May 90 16:58:35 GMT
From: rochester!rit!cci632![e-mail]  (Lance Michel)
Subject: Re: Voyager Update - 05/08/90

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Rick Ellis) writes:
>In a message of <May 09 12:08>, Lance Michel ([e-mail]) writes:
>
> LM> >        One Week    Propellant Remaining     Output     Margin
> LM> >  Spacecraft (Gm)             (Kg)           Watts      Watts
> LM> >   Voyager 1  42            36.5 + 2.0        370         59
> LM> >   Voyager 2   6            39.6 + 2.0        374         66
> LM> Okay, I give... What is this?
>Grams of propellant used per week.

But why would either Voyager use ANY propellant?  I thought they were finished
making course corrections.  Also, why would one Voyager use 42Gms and the other
use only 6?

 ___________________________________________________________________________
|                                                        |  Lance Michel    |
|   "If you fall I will catch you, I will be waiting..." |  [e-mail] |
|___________________________________________C._Lauper____|__________________|
          (Song stuck in my head at the moment)

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

Date: 15 May 90 14:31:30 GMT
From: usc!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!watdragon!watyew![e-mail]  (Brian or James)
Subject: Re: Terraforming Venus (was: Manned mission to Venus)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (John Woods) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Paul Hager) writes:
>> [e-mail] (Brian or James) writes:
>> ]historic buildings. The Rings have a value where they are.
>> ]                        JDN
>> Personally, I'd dismantle the rings in a New York minute if I
>> could terraform a planet in the process.  This puts me at the
>> opposite pole.
>
>What you need to do is get an -> art <- grant for terraforming Venus...

 The horror, the horror! Imagine [for example] the awful weathered concrete-
rusting steel fountain that Canada gave San Fransisco around 1970 replacing
the Rings [Ok, you'd have to scale it up:]. Industrial squalor can't
match the apparent ugliness of inaccessable artwork. Imagine if the
US gov't had commisioned a red, white and blue moon for your bicentenial,
ot the Soviets an orbital hammer and sickle for their fiftieth! [Other
nationalities or special interest groups may insert appropriate pieces
of artwork here]. John Varley had a story about a war over the paiting of
Saturn's rings, come to think of it.
 I still think that the terraforming of Venus does not require the
destruction of the Rings. To a large extent, the Rings got me interested in
astronomy, and I'd hate to see them eliminated without a very compelling
reason.
                            JDN

PS: The SF fountain is one of the few pieces of artwork that the US
could validly go to war over to return to the senders. Worth checking
out if you are in the Bay area.

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

Date: Tue, 15 May 90 16:21 EDT
From: Mark C. Widzinski <[e-mail]>
Subject: Naming Stars

    It's a harmless novelty, as long as people don't think that these names become
    "real" names used by astronomers.  At least they get their names printed in a
    book that probably gets a few thousand copies sold, and they can show their
    copy around and impress their friends.

I got my name printed in a book with *hundreds* of thousands of
copies distributed.  I got a phone.

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

End of SPACE Digest V11 #408
*******************