Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V11_4/V11_468.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #468

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 11 : Issue 468

Today's Topics:
               Re: HAWAII AND STAR WARS
               Your letter, 19 May 1990
           Re: Hawaii and Launching rockets
               Re: HAWAII AND STAR WARS
             Re: Manned Mission To Venus
               Re: HAWAII AND STAR WARS
     Re: One Small Step for a Space Activist  Vol 1 No. 5
                 SPACE DIGEST
             Re: Doing something
           Japan's first lunar probe falls silent.
          Re: Hawaii and 'Star Wars' (long)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 30 May 90 18:38:31 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!aristotle![e-mail]  (Peter Scott)
Subject: Re: HAWAII AND STAR WARS

In article <[e-mail]>,
[e-mail] (Brian or James) writes:
>
>     Hawaii already has [I believe] the highest respiratory
> disease rate in the USA. Something to do with volcanic output...
> How will the proposed launch rate affect this. Is this a trivial
> increase in Hawaiian air pollution and are there ways of minimising
> the effect on the Hawaiians?

Interesting, I can believe that standing downwind of a volcanic eruption would
be bad for the health, but I have also been told by a friend working on Mauna
Kea that the cleanest air in the world was measured at the NOAA labs right
atop neighboring Mauna Loa.

> I think Malaki is now available for
> use as a housing location for the various SDI researchers :)

A reference to the former leper colony on Molokai?

I'm a bit perturbed by the thought of a spaceport on the south coast of
the Big Island because it's one of my favorite places -- precisely because
it's sparsely inhabited, few roads, etc, yet it is, to me, an area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty (ONB) and there are darn few of those that haven't
been overtaken by the tourist plague (which is why I avoid Honolulu when I
visit the islands).  After a recent flight back to L.A. over New Mexico,
spending hours passing over monotonous deserts with no distraction from the
landscape other than, as one congressman put it, to "see the earth bend",
I wish we could put it there.  Pretty low on the ONB scale and with enough
room that there would be little impact on the desert ecology.  Pity about the
ground track requirements.  Oh well.


This is news.  This is your       |    Peter Scott, NASA/JPL/Caltech
brain on news.  Any questions?    |    ([e-mail])

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

Date:         Wed, 30 May 90 19:13:25 EDT
From: Debra Hisle <[e-mail]>
Subject:      Your letter, 19 May 1990

Please forward this to Ray Collins.

Ray,

Thank you for your note.  Yes, I would be interested in being on the network
mailing list, at this address.  <[e-mail]>  Thanks for telling me
about finding the October check; I'd been meaning to write about that, as well
as a check in August of 1989.  You might look around for it, I'm still
including it in my checkbook register...

- Deb

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

Date: 31 May 90 04:37:54 GMT
From: uhccux![e-mail]  (Helen Rapozo)
Subject: Re: Hawaii and Launching rockets

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (David Conrad) writes:
>I always thought the island of Kahoolawe would be a much better choice
>as a launch facility: it has no people or endangered species on it, it
>has fairly constant good weather since the mountains on the island
>aren't high enough to cause local weather and it is useless for almost
>any other purpose since the military has used it as a target since
>WWII, so almost no one will complain when it is paved over for launch
>fields.  Also, since the government already 'owns' the island and no
>one lives there, the government wouldn't have to pay off the people
>who are displaced by the construction.  Even security would be easier
>since the island is only reachable by a 3 hour (or so) boat ride.
*********
Nice idea but:

1) Native Hawaiians in Hawaii does want the island return to the
state of Hawaii.
2) No people on it now, some animals, maybe endangered plant species.
3) Lack of fresh water on the island.
4) Unexploded oridiance on the island (it should be sweeped anyway,
but they do creep up from time to time).
5) Air traffic in that area is a lot.


--
US Mail Address: 874 Dillingham Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96817, Ph# [phone]
Internet: [e-mail] <-- Pudly MicroVAX II, but it's home!
          [e-mail] <-- Studly VAX 8650

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

Date: 30 May 90 16:43:37 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (Dean F. Kling)
Subject: Re: HAWAII AND STAR WARS


  This is a prime example of the use of environmental protection laws
as a blunt instrument for a particular political agenda, which may
ultimately result in their being gutted.  Note that the inflamed poster
was outraged by the "SDI" association, not by the prospect of commercial
launches.  But the only component of the long list of ecological sins noted
that might be SDI specific was the beryllium component of a hypothetical
space-based rocket motor.  The rest have all had a long history at KSC
and elsewhere without destroying the environment.

  A attempt at a rational environmental policy is one of the best
things to come out of Washington in decades.  But for any given project,
whatever it's merits, those who oppose it (whether from political grounds
of simply as a case of NIMBY) see their best prospects by contesting the
environmental impact process.  If they can drag out the process sufficiently,
the whole project will either collapse, or can be contested because the
original cost decisions are no longer valid.  You can look around your local
community and find examples.  In Western Washington the most celebrated
cases logging in National Forests (jobs vs. the spotted owl), building a
Naval home port in Everett, the use of dolphins to guard the Trident
Submarine base, and what to do with garbage (burn it, bury it
of ship it to someone else's back yard).  Note that I'm NOT complaining
about objections to the environmental assessment because its shoddily done
or isn't complete, but using the environmental process as the tool of
choice because you don't like what is proposed.

  What saddens me is that either the environmental laws will be gutted to
prevent obstructionism (egregious, not based on valid objections to the
environmental assessment itself) or that no large scale, visionary project
will be built in the U.S. again.  Kennedy Space Center itself probably
couldn't be built today.  I just hope the next space port is built in
a reasonable friendly country (e.g. Cape York) so Americans at least
get access to it.



        Dean
        [e-mail]

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

Date: Wed, 30 May 90 18:28:59 CDT
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Manned Mission To Venus

> [e-mail]" "Edward Joseph Bennett"

> Fred McCall writes:
>
> >I fail to understand how anyone who is 20 could still be so grossly
> >misinformed about what is reasonable/possible within the realm of
> >the current technology.
>
> That is where you miss the point. I don't think anyone is planning on
> starting any of these Terraforming projects,etc. tomorrow. In essence
> the realm of current technology is irrelevant to the disscussion.

No, that is where you miss the point.  I was specifically referring
to one 20-year-old individual's "I wanna go to Venus and I wanna go
NOW" postings, not to the obviously speculative postings about
terraforming which arose from it.

==============================================================================
| Fred McCall  ([e-mail]) | "Insisting on perfect safety is for  |
| Advanced Systems Division           |  people who don't have the balls to  |
| Defense Systems & Electronics Group |  live in the real world."            |
| Texas Instruments, Inc.             |                     -- Mary Shafer   |
+-------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
|  I speak for me.  I don't speak for others, and they don't speak for me.   |
==============================================================================

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

Date: 30 May 90 15:41:09 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!emory!ogicse!plains![e-mail]  (Michael J. Hennebry)
Subject: Re: HAWAII AND STAR WARS

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Brian or James) writes:
>Tourist in space. "Anyone mind if I open both doors of this airlock?
>I wanna photograph explosive decompression' *Whooosh*.

His name is Twoflower.

--
Mike [e-mail]
"You know, I've never killed a teacher before.
I'm not sure any Qwarm has had occasion to kill a teacher.
There isn't much call for it."                --                Marquel

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

Date: 30 May 90 16:50:45 GMT
From: zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!umich!ox.com!itivax!vax3.iti.org![e-mail]  (Allen W. Sherzer)
Subject: Re: One Small Step for a Space Activist  Vol 1 No. 5

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jonathan Leech) writes:

>>The attendees also expressed the need for
>>greater continuity in NASA goals and programs. Hopefully, this will help to
>>get stable multi-year funding for some of these projects.

>    I keep hearing this idea.  Which other, if any, federal programs
>(a) have any sort of multi-year funding commitment and (b) have
>actually received the money in the second year and beyond rather than
>been reshuffled in the next frantic budget summit?

It's not that unusual for DoD spending on big projects. It makes it a
lot cheaper for everybody involved. I don't know of any cases where funding
in a multi-year procurement has been cut due to budget pressures.

>E.g., is there any
>reason to expect a longterm commitment will be either made or kept?

There is some chance. The administration is pushing the Space Exploration
Initiative very hard. The space station would likely be under multi-
year funding now if Congress was pleased with progress.

  Allen
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Allen W. Sherzer         |   Real men write self modifying code.          |
|   [e-mail]            |                                                |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Wed, 30 May 90 16:17 EST
From: Cheol Kim <[e-mail]>
Subject: SPACE DIGEST


        Hello, please remove my name from this list "space".
        thank you.

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

Date: 30 May 90 18:34:58 GMT
From: swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!IDA.ORG!pbs![e-mail]
Subject: Re: Doing something

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes:
>>>>(deleted)
>>So why don't you guys do something about it???? It's a terrible loss!!!!
>
> Why don't *you* do something about it?  You're the one who's excited about
> Venus.  I can think of plenty of things that should have higher priority,
> like resuming the exploration of the Moon.
> --
On the subject of taking action: a few weeks ago ABC News had a story about a
student from GMU (that's George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., USA).  While
researching a term paper he accidentally learned that Apollo 204 still existed
and was about to be dumped in a missile silo. [Sound familiar to us useneters?
:-) ]   The student did not think this was a fitting way for the Apollo 1
capsule to end up.  He believed it should be enshrined in a museum somewhere
and immediately contacted Congressmen, former astronauts and aerospace museum
directors.  As a result of his actions, ABC reported that NASA is reconsidering
the whole idea for disposal of the remains.  Several museums, including the Air
and Space Museum in Washington and the Cosmosphere near Kansas City have
expressed interest in acquiring Apollo 204.  While the matter had not yet been
completely settled, the student from GMU has set the wheels in motion because
he DID do something.  It is an example to be followed.

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

Date: 30 May 90 15:03:15 GMT
From: shlump.nac.dec.com!renoir.dec.com![e-mail]
Subject: Japan's first lunar probe falls silent.


        In the July 1990 issue of SKY & TELESCOPE magazine, there is a
    very brief article on page 14 stating that "Japan's HAGOROMO, a
    satellite that went into orbit around the Moon in March, was not
    completely successful.  Its transmitter failed, making the probe
    untrackable."

        Does anyone have more details on this incident?

        Thank you.

        Larry Klaes  [e-mail]
             or - ...!decwrl!wrksys.enet.dec.com!klaes
                 or - [e-mail]
                     or - [e-mail]

             "The Universe, or nothing!" - H. G. Wells

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

Date: Wed, 30 May 90 13:14:00 EDT
From: John Roberts <[e-mail]>
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are those of the sender
    and do not reflect NIST policy or agreement.
Subject: Re: Hawaii and 'Star Wars' (long)


>From: usc!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!arisia!cdp![e-mail]
>Subject: HAWAII AND STAR WARS

>HAWAII TO BE SACRIFICED TO STAR WARS!

>The State of Hawaii is proposing to construct a Star Wars Rocket
>Launch Facility in the Ka'u District of Hawaii Island (southern end of
>the Big Island).  An Environmental Impact Statement is due to be
>completed in the latter part of 1990.

>SOLID ROCKET MOTOR EXHAUST HAZARDS

>The State plans to use three different rockets at the proposed
>rocket launch facility, all would use solid rocket motors (SRM).  SRMs
>release large amounts of both aluminum and hydrogen chloride (forms
>hydrochloric acid) into the atmosphere.

>A recent study, reported in the British medical journal "LANCET",
>Jan. 14, 1989, found a direct relationship between aluminum in the water
>supply and Alzheimer's disease.

As others have pointed out, there are huge quantities of aluminum already in
the environment. Furthermore, most people use aluminum cookware. The outer
surface of aluminum which has been exposed to the air is aluminum oxide.

>HYDROGEN CHLORIDE is a severe pulmonary and skin irritant.

Bad news! Your digestive system already contains a strong concentration of
hydrogen chloride. Also, since sodium chloride is an ionic compound, your
island is surrounded by billions of tons of hydrogen chloride in the sea
water. Granted, I wouldn't want to get a lungful of the gas in concentrated
form, but do you really think they'll let anybody get close enough for that
to happen?

You left out two more potentially hazardous exhaust products:
 - HYDROGEN OXIDE (H2): When introduced into the lungs in sufficient
   quantities, this substance has been known to cause death by drowning.
   And a rocket launch will release it right into the air, which we breathe!

 - CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2): The same toxic gas released by animals and automobiles,
   it causes death even in fairly low concentrations. Even worse, it's a
   *greenhouse gas*, and will undoubtedly cause us to be cooked.

>MAJOR FLUIDS AND GASES USED FOR LAUNCHING

>DIMETHYLHYDRAZINE (UDMH) is corrosive to the eyes, skin and
>respiratory system.  Dimethylhydrazine is carcinogenic (causes cancer)
>in mice following oral administration. Eighty-one percent of mice
>subcutaneously injected

Does the study say how much was injected, and how it was decided that this
was the "right" amount? Is this one of thos cases like the rats being fed
saccharin equivalent to several hundred cans of diet soda a day?

>BERYLLIUM-POWERED STAR WARS ROCKETS
>Star Wars payloads will include a new weapons system called Space
>Based Interceptors (SBI).  Morton Thiokol is building a solid-fueled
>first stage, which uses beryllium hydride fuel, to be used for SBIs.
>Beryllium replaces the aluminum in the fuel, reducing fuel weight by
>about 45%.
I'd be more concerned about beryllium than these other substances, since it's
well known as an extremely potent enzyme poison, and it doesn't "break down".
Are you absolutely sure that they intend to fire these in the atmosphere in
peacetime?

>ENDANGERED SPECIES
>SEA TURTLES - Sandy beaches in the vicinity of the site are...
>MAMMALS - Endangered mammals include the Hawaiian Bat or...
>ENDANGERED BIRDS - The Hoonoua wetland is located near the...

>WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
>Contact you congressional representatives and ask them to
>cut funding for Star Wars.

Or better yet, MOVE OFF OF HAWAII. If the island had a large, active, fully
staffed spaceport, and *nobody else*, the native animals and plants would
probably be a lot better off than they are now. (Many :-)'s ) Or else, push
for legislation to outlaw active volcanoes.

Seriously, this looks more like the alar panic than an honest attempt to
scientifically assess the risks. Sure, substances will be or could be released
which are potentially harmful. The same is true of any natural or human
activity. Your analysis ignores details such as allowable exposure levels
and expected concentrations, which are necessary for any sensible evaluation.
What is needed is an honest effort to make the best possible estimate of the
level of risk, and the expected effects upon humans and other living things.
That's what the Environmental Impact Statement is for! The current law
probably reads something like 'projects of this type shall not be attempted
if there is deemed to be sufficient risk of significant environmental damage,
as determined by careful scientific analysis'. Your proposal would be the
equivalent of changing this law to read 'as determined by careful scientific
analysis or by blind irrational panic'.

Risk analysis is a topic of great concern these days, but it's also a very
complex and technical field of study. A large segment of the population
seems to feel that it can be quickly learned on any street corner, or that
common sense without specialized knowledge is sufficient to resolve any
technical issue.

>Jay Hanson                              808-322-7268
>78-6622 Alii Drive,
>Kailua-Kona, HI  96740
                 John Roberts
                 [e-mail]

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

End of SPACE Digest V11 #468
*******************