Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V12_6/V12_723.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V12 #723

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 12 : Issue 723

Today's Topics:
         NASA Headline News for 12/20/90 (Forwarded)
               Re: Interstellar travel
               Re: Interstellar travel
              Re: More Launch Cost Data
     Space Station Integrated Design Review completed (Forwarded)
              Magellan Update - 12/21/90

Administrivia:

    Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to
  [e-mail].  Other mail, esp. [un]subscription notices,
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Date: 21 Dec 90 18:50:37 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Subject: NASA Headline News for 12/20/90 (Forwarded)
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             Headline News
Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA Headquarters

  Thursday, December 20, 1990    Audio Service: 202 / 755-1788

This is NASA Headline News for Thursday, December 20, 1990

Holiday visitors at Kennedy Space Center's Spaceport USA Visitor Center
will be able to walk through a full- scale Space Shuttle replica,
starting today.  The 122 foot- long model is the next-best thing to
climbing aboard a real shuttle, according to officials.  The tour
provides an astronaut's view of the Shuttle flight deck, crew quarters,
and cargo bay.  Included is a video display of shuttle activities.  The
replica, named "Ambassador", will be on display for four months at
KSC.  The KSC visitor center was visited by 3 million guests last
year.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


The Space Shuttle Columbia began the last leg of its ferry flight to
KSC, departing Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, this morning at 10:22 a.m.
EST.  Flight plans call for the 747/Shuttle combo to pass near New
Orleans this morning, to skirt the Gulf coast, then to proceed across
the Florida peninsula near St. Petersburg to Orlando, and then proceed
to KSC.  Arrival at KSC is expected to occur around 1:00 pm Eastern
time.   Following arrival, Columbia's ferry tailcone will be removed,
and the Shuttle will be towed to the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Meanwhile, processing continues on Atlantis and Discovery in the
Orbiter Processing Facility.

In the OPF, final electrical connections are being made on Discovery's
right hand OMS pod and installation of the Forward Reaction Control
system is scheduled to start tonight.  Installation of the carbon
brakes on Atlantis is expected to be accomplished this afternoon, and
work will begin on upgrading the Shuttle's  General Purpose Computer
system.


  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


At Marshall Space Flight Center, a 170-second firing of a modified
Space Shuttle main engine is still on schedule for this afternoon at
3:00 pm EST.  The test will contribute to the database necessary for
building future engines with increased reliability.



Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA
Select TV.  All times are Eastern.  **indicates a live program.

Thursday 12/20/90

      11:30 am       NASA Update

      12:00 noon    Administrator's Holiday Message to Employees

      12:30 pm       The Year In Review

       1:00 pm       25 Years of Progress

       2:00 pm    **STS-35 Crew Post-Flight Press Conference from JSC



All events and times may change without notice.  This report is filed
daily, Monday through Friday, at 12:00 pm, EST.  It is a service of
Internal Communications Branch at NASA Headquarters.  Contact:
CREDMOND on NASAmail or at 202/453-8425.


NASA Select TV:  Satcom F2R, Transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West
Longitude, Audio 6.8, Frequency 3960 MHz.

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Date: 20 Dec 90 04:30:08 GMT
From: usc!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo!attcan!telly!moore!eastern!egsgate!p0.f906.n250.z1.fidonet.org![e-mail]  (Maury Markowitz)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:250/906.0 - The Frisch Ta, Newmarket ON
Subject: Re: Interstellar travel
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>> I had done some real 'light' reading on the subject, and could glean that the
>> two most feasible designs were the Air Force's Orion starship (was that given
>                                                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>I believe the Orion was discarded due to technical difficulties -
>it relied upon the continuous detonation of atomic bombs in a
>reaction chamber to supply the thrust - not much even on the
>forefront in the way of materials that can withstand a direct
>nuclear explosion with no appreciable damage.

  No, Orion exploded the bombs some distance away from the ship, and the
blast gasses hit a large "pusher" plate on the back of the spacecraft that
was connected with large shock absorbers to the passenger compartment.
  I was never ment for interstellar travel, although Dyson once (68 I
belive) wrote a paper on "arks" using thermonuclear warheads on a HUGE
craft.  He showed in the paper that it could never be built today (not
enough money/workers), but might become feasible in the future.  It's
interesting that this ship required not extra tech, but more people!

>The Bussard Ramjet I feel may be the most 'practical' if one can
>find a way of a) getting it to 'Ramjet Speed.' and if there is
>enough hydrogen per cubic meter that makes the fusion thrust
>possible.

  Really?  Perhaps you could explain how to do p-p fusion for us.

>For the moment, quick efficient interplanetary travel will probably
>offer good solutions.

>Lightsail, Ion-drive (1970's developed by NASA), etc.

  The intersection of "Quick, efficeint" and "solar sail, ion-drive"
yields the empty set.

                                                       Maury



--
EGSGate Fidonet Gateway, Toronto (egsgate.fidonet.org)
...!{uunet, moore, lsuc}!eastern!egsgate

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Date: 23 Dec 90 00:21:18 GMT
From: pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watserv1!watdragon!watyew![e-mail]  (Brian or James)
Organization: University of Waterloo
Subject: Re: Interstellar travel
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In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Maury Markowitz) writes:
>>For the moment, quick efficient interplanetary travel will probably
>>offer good solutions.
>>Lightsail, Ion-drive (1970's developed by NASA), etc.
>
>  The intersection of "Quick, efficeint" and "solar sail, ion-drive"
>yields the empty set.

    I'm  sorry, I don't follow that. Could you explain?

                            James Nicoll

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Date: 23 Dec 90 04:52:53 GMT
From: usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!zardoz.cpd.com!dhw68k!ofa123![e-mail]  (Wales Larrison)
Organization: One For All <gateway system>
Subject: Re: More Launch Cost Data
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Hi Allan!
>....[Continuing conversation on relative Delta pricing] ...
>>
>>  1) Year of Contract/Annual Dollars.  The SDIO launch was, I ...
>
> The original launch WAS scheduled for Aug. 88 on Delta 183.
>However, the Delta Star payload went up on that vehicle on March
>24, 1989. From the article (Avation Week, Feb. 19, 1990) it looks
>like a decision to go commercial was made at that time. This means
>(if true) that it was about one year lead time. Either way, the
>inflation of holding onto the inventory would be calculated into
>the cost wouldn't it?
   Hmmm.... If the launch was originally scheduled for Aug 88
(FY88), a launch services agreement (the contract) had to have been
signed no later than FY87.  There's at least a 12 month (usually 18-
24 month) lead time in signing off a contract.  I've only heard of
one case when a U.S. rocket manufacturer has committed to buying
parts for a rocket "on spec" (not having firm customers lined up),
so I would suspect a contract was negotiated and signed as early as
FY 86, which set the price, and allowed MDSSC to start building the
Delta involved.  Looking back in my files, SDIO was very heavily
involved at about this time in looking at "non orthodox" ways
of doing business in space - which would also fit.
   The inflation cost of holding onto inventory I don't think is
important as the rocket wasn't procured from inventory - it was a
new build as are all of MDSSC's Deltas.  But the cost would have
been set when the contract was signed (FY 87?), so we could
easily have seen 15% increase in price since then, just due to
inflation.  Think of it this way - a car model's price changes each
year due to inflation/changing costs of materials and labor, so
a $10,000 Honda in 1988 costs about $10,500 in 1989 and $ 11,000
in 1990.
  My guesstimate is that MDSSC and SDIO signed off a contract in
early FY 87 for MDSSC to deliver a Delta for use.  That contract
could have been modified or finalized for the specific launch
services needed as late as about a year before launch, so possibly
the "commercial launch services" agreement could have been made
late...

>>MDSSC quoted $40-50M to me as an initial quote for a single,
>>commercial LEO Delta II launch in July 1990 for a project I was
>>working on, so the NASA value seems to be in the ballpark...
>
> In the ballpark yes. But I hope you don't pay 'list' for your
>launch services. :-)
   So do I.  Since we're teamed with MDSSC on that project I hope
we get it at "wholesale" ... |-)

------------------------------------------------------------------
Wales Larrison             Space Technology Investor
"I just hope the moon is made of green cheese.  With dairy
subsidizes costing so much, it'd be cheaper to mine it there and
ship it back..."


--
Wales Larrison
Internet: [e-mail]
Compuserve: >internet:[e-mail]
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Date: 28 Dec 90 05:12:38 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Subject: Space Station Integrated Design Review completed (Forwarded)
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Mark Hess
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.               December 26, 1990
(Phone:  [phone])


RELEASE:  90-165

SPACE STATION INTEGRATED DESIGN REVIEW COMPLETED

     The Integrated System Preliminary Design Review (ISPDR) for
the Freedom space station, a major milestone leading to the
construction, launch and assembly of the station, was completed
on schedule this week marking the end of a year-long assessment
of Freedom's preliminary design by the NASA centers, their prime
contractors and the international partners involved in the space
station project.

     Over the course of the last 13 months, over 80 separate
design reviews were conducted at NASA centers and contractor
facilities to ensure Freedom's preliminary design could satisfy
requirements for safety, physical and functional compatibility
and for its ability to be built, integrated with other hardware,
and tested.  During this time, every major component, subsystem
and system, which together comprise the space station, were
examined.

     "We did it," said Marc Bensimon, Deputy Manager for
Freedom's Program and Operations Office, Reston, Va., who headed
the ISPDR effort.  "We established the schedule for the PDR last
April and we met every milestone as planned."

     "This was an outstanding effort," said Robert Moorehead,
Deputy Director for Space Station Freedom Program and
Operations.  "Not only did we accomplish the PDR on schedule, we
made the schedule despite having to devote a lot of time and
attention to other issues, like weight and power and EVA
(extravehicular activity) resources."

     Preliminary figures for Freedom's weight as of June 1990
were 143,000 pounds higher than the allocated limit of 512,000
pounds for the total space station, and housekeeping power
exceeded the maximum 45 kw available by nearly 15 kw.  An
intensive summer-long resources scrub reduced weight estimates by
130,000 pounds and reduced the housekeeping power by 13 kw.
Users will receive 30 kw of power to conduct their experiments.

     Despite the added rigors of the ISPDR review progress,
weight and power levels have remained stable.  "What this means
is that the design is maturing and converging," said Bensimon.
"While a PDR is typically conducted with the hardware only 10
percent designed, I was impressed with the detail of the
preliminary design and the knowledge our systems managers
displayed with respect to expected performance of their systems."

     While hardware was a major focus of the ISPDR, space station
managers also reviewed and baselined ground processing
procedures, computer software specifications and pre-flight
verification plans for Freedom.  They also approved design
modifications such as those suggested by Dr. William F. Fisher
and Charles R. Price, Co-chairman of the External Maintenance
Task Team.  In the EVA systems area, program managers approved a
change that would provide a handle on all external orbital
replacement units so that those components could be replaced by
robots as well as humans.

     Both Moorehead and Bensimon acknowledge the current
restructure assessment (begun in November as a result of a 1991
fiscal year budget shortfall of more than $550 million along with
a Congressional mandate to significantly reduce out-year
spending) will have an impact on the design but are confident
that the ISPDR has laid a firm foundation for the restucturing.

     "Certainly there will be design changes," said Moorehead,
"but I think that from a systems and subsystems standpoint, the
ISPDR configuration provides us with an excellent baseline to
work from for the restructuring.  Afterall, regardless of what
Freedom will look like from an overall configuration standpoint,
we will still have to have systems like power, thermal control,
data management and guidance and control.  I anticipate being
able to use a significant proportion of those systems in the
station that comes out of our restructure assessment."

     Bensimon said the next major milestone in the development
process will take place next spring.  By then, engineers will
have completed incorporating the design changes that come out
of the restructuring and can begin a series of stage design
reviews that carefully examine the configuration at various steps
along the assembly sequence.  At each stage, engineers must
make certain the station can function like an independent
spacecraft, with all the necessary backups, to ensure overall
mission success.

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Date: 21 Dec 90 21:29:03 GMT
From: swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
Subject: Magellan Update - 12/21/90
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                       MAGELLAN STATUS REPORT
                         December 21, 1990

     The Magellan spacecraft continues to perform nominally, except for the
Tape Recorder A problem.  All STARCALS (star calibrations) and DESATS
(desaturations) during the past 24 hours were successful.

     The mapping sequence M0356, which will be sent to the spacecraft later
today will shorten the mapping period by 8.6 minutes in order to accommodate
an Earth occultation period of 56 minutes during the playback.  It will also
switch the data management strategy to using only tape recorder B.  This
strategy will cause three small gaps in each image swath as tape recorder B
switches tracks.

     Magellan has now completed 605 mapping orbits and radar data from about
588 orbits has been successfully received on Earth.

     The SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) Data Processing Team has produced 11
standard, 16 special and one temporary image swaths during the past two days.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [e-mail]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [e-mail]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

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

End of SPACE Digest V12 #723
*******************