Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V13_0/V13_082.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #082

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 13 : Issue 82

Today's Topics:
Superbowl Jumbotron screen employs NASA technology spinoff (Forwarded)
              Galileo Update - 01/24/91
            decimal to hexadecimal
              Re: Interplanetary travel
            I know who you are...
              Re: Space Station Weights
              Re: SPACE Digest V13 #050
     2 Questions -- Orbital Elements format / Book wanted

Administrivia:

    Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to
  [e-mail].  Other mail, esp. [un]subscription requests,
  should be sent to [e-mail], or, if urgent, to
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 24 Jan 91 18:58:04 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: Superbowl Jumbotron screen employs NASA technology spinoff (Forwarded)

[See, you knew there was a recent to support NASA! :-) -PEY]

Barbara Selby
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.               January 24, 1991
(Phone:  [phone])

Cheryll Madison
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
(Phone:  [phone])


RELEASE:  91-10

SUPERBOWL JUMBOTRON SCREEN EMPLOYS NASA TECHNOLOGY SPINOFF


     The huge television Jumbotron screen, that will track what
may be a hotly-contested Superbowl XXV game in Florida at Tampa
Stadium on Jan.27, will keep its cool, thanks to a NASA
technology spinoff.

     Sensors, originally designed as ingestible capsules to
monitor core body temperatures of human patients, will be used to
monitor potentially damaging heat build-up in electronic circuits
of the Jumbotron.

     The sensor and receiver within the jumbo screen were the
result of a collaborative development effort between the
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., and the Johns
Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.  The
sensor originally was developed as a research tool under NASA's
Technology Utilization's Applications Engineering program.  The
sensor has been used for research in the areas of hypo- and
hyperthermia, sleep disorders, weight loss and sports medicine.

     "The industrial temperature sensor is a good example of the
diversity of applications that can result from  NASA's Technology
Utilization program," said Donald Friedman, Chief, Office of
Commercial Programs at Goddard.  "We are very gratified about the
interest manufacturers have shown in this simple device and are
excited about the potential new uses.  One area in which the
sensor already has been used is honey production through the
monitoring of beehive temperature."

     The huge television Jumbotrons used at National Football
League sports stadiums and also at Times Square in New York City,
N.Y., and at Sea World in Orlando, Fla., are built by the Sony
Corporation and range from 8 by 10 feet to 33 by 110 feet.

     In the Jumbotron, one or two quartz crystal sensors are
nestled among the electronic modules.  The natural vibration
frequency of these crystals increases as temperature increases.
The crystal's vibration is automatically amplified and
telemetered to a receiver outside the screen, which is connected
by cable to a remote control panel within the stadium where the
temperature is displayed.  Appropriate measures then can be taken
to provide the necessary cooling and prevent the Jubotron from
shutting down.

     The industrial temperature sensor is manufactured by HTI,
Inc., in St. Petersburg, Fla., the developer of the sensor's
telemetry system and control panel.  The sensor's extreme
accuracy, up to temperatures of 260 degrees Fahrenheit, and its
flexibility in download and recording of data has interested food
processors, the pharmaceutical industry and manufacturing
processors.  Because the system uses an inductive magnetic
telemetry link, it allows sensors to be used in new situations in
which hard wiring is not possible or appropriate, such as in the
Jumbotrons.

     Sony has 11 Jumbotrons operating within the United States
and is recommending that all units be equipped with the
temperature sensors.  Already the device has been credited with
enhancing reliability of the big screens by documenting the large
temperature increases that occur when the Jumbotrons are turned
off.  The discovery of these temperature surges, which can damage
or destroy electronic circuit boards within the screen, has led
Sony to make a simple but important change in the cooling fan
operation in the screens.  By leaving the fans on for
approximately 1 hour after turning off the screen, Sony
eliminated damaging temperature excursions after the power has
been turned off.

     This research is supported by Goddard's Office of Commercial
Programs.

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

Date: 24 Jan 91 18:46:36 GMT
From: snorkelwacker.mit.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Galileo Update - 01/24/91


                          GALILEO STATUS REPORT
                            January 24, 1991

     Yesterday, the planned sun acquisition was successfully completed on the
Galileo spacecraft. Today, no spacecraft activity is planned.  A command was
successfully sent to reset the Command Loss Timer.

     Tomorrow, spacecraft operations will consist of periodically
performed activities including:

        o A sun acquisition (SITURN)
        o A MAG (Magnetometer) and DDS (Dust Detector) cruise
          science memory readout, and
        o RPM (Retro Propulsion Module) thruster maintenance

     It was reported yesterday that two more than the expected number of lock
indications were observed in CDS (Command Data Subsystem) telemetry on
January 22; an investigation is in process.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [e-mail]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [e-mail]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

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

Date: 21 Jan 91 12:38:37 GMT
From: magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu![e-mail]  (Earl W Phillips)
Subject: decimal to hexadecimal


Could someone give me a quick lesson ({r equation) on how
to conver{ decimal numbers to hexadecimal? Thanx in advance!

*****************************************************************
*                                    | ====@====      ///////// *
* [e-mail]|     ``________//         *
*                                    |       `------'           *
*                 -JR-               | Space;........the final  *
*                                    | frontier...............  *
*****************************************************************

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

Date: 19 Jan 91 20:50:52 GMT
From: sun-barr!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!ists!yunexus!hydroesm!jtsv16!geac!censor!utzoo!utgpu!cunews!cognos!geovision![e-mail]  (Gord Deinstadt)
Subject: Re: Interplanetary travel

[e-mail] (John Roberts) writes:

]After poking at the computer a while, I got the following table showing the
]performance at various mass ratios.

Thanks for the excellent posting!

] While it is true that
]delta-V is maximized when the mass ratio is about 3.9-4.0, you should note
]that the curve is very flat over a wide range of mass ratios. This means
]that delta-V is relatively insensitive to mass ratio over that range, so it
]is highly probable that some other factor will more important to costs than
]a specific mass ratio. For instance, if you run a variable-velocity ion
]drive rocket with a mass ratio of 1 instead of 4, you will get a 75%
]savings in propellant use (and a 60% savings in total mass) with only a
]14% loss of delta-V. This ignores the performance benefits you might gain
]by using a smaller container to store the propellant.

I had no idea the curve was so flat.  Nature is being nice, giving us
room to maneuver.
--
Gord Deinstadt  [e-mail]

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

Date: Mon, 21 Jan 91 16:30:24 PST
From: [e-mail]
X-Vmsmail-To: UTADNX::UTSPAN::AMES::"[e-mail]"
Subject: I know who you are...

This is not space related at all, but Space_Digest is my only outlet to
to network world.  Maybe this message is already out there, but then
again, maybe it isn't.

Anyway, I heard that the Lotus Corporation is going to sell the names,
addresses and phone numbers of 120,000,000 Americans on CD-ROM.  This
database MAY include consumer information such as:

    * Your Annual Salary
    * Your Debt-to-Earnings Ratio
    * Your Net Worth
    * Your Investment Portfolio
    * Your Car(s)
    * Your Gun(s)
    * Your Computer, Stereo Equipment, Video Equipment, etc.
    * Et Cetera...
    * ...and so forth...
    * ...and so on...

I know that some of this is true, but at this time I don't know how
much is just paranoia run amok.  In any case, you may call toll free,
1-800-688-8320, to get a name removal packet from Lotus.  Barring Acts
of God, Congress, or the Courts, this set of CD-ROMs will be available
in March of 1991, so act soon or it'll be too late.

_____________
Dale M. Greer, whose opinions are not to be confused with those of the
Center for Space Sciences, U.T. at Dallas, UTSPAN::UTADNX::UTDSSA::GREER
     "...that flag is a symbol of something greater than just the rights
      in this country." -- Rep. Larry Smith of Florida, October 12, 1989

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

Date: 22 Jan 91 18:56:01 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!rex!rouge![e-mail]  (Fraering Philip)
Subject: Re: Space Station Weights

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Charles Radley) writes:


>I was especially astonished by LLNL's remark that the USSR is
>"..too impoverished for major fiscal participation".  This neglects
>the potentially enormous benefit of having the Soviets' contribute
>cheap off-the-shelf launch vehicles.  This alone could make the whole
>endeavor instantly viable..!  The Soviets in turn would gain enormous
>benefits.

1. The Soviet Union is too poor or inefficient to feed its own people
   without outside help. To many people this is embarrasing.

2. For the first time in history, their space program is susceptible to
   popular political pressure. When combined with point 1, this could mean
   trouble. Mars rocks aren't edible, or else Hobbes wouldn't have brought
   along all that tuna fish when he and Calvin went... ;-)

3. Let's wait and see what happens in the Baltic states before we declare
   amti-communism parochial.

4. Many people here complain that the political process itself hurts the
   space program, with the annual destruction and recreation of project
   funds, etc... Wait until you get 4 or 5 separate political processes
   going. Not to mention when the Japanese pork barrel politicians managing
   their end meet the pork barrel politicians managing ours to negotiate
   the trade package... When Martin Marietta starts buying golf club
   memberships for LDP party officials serving as liasons, there's going to
   be a major scandal over there. Not to mention that some of the irrational
   democrats will attack Japan for stealing technology...
   The whole point of the LLNL proposal is 'Damn the committees, full speed
   ahead' and international cooperation will hinder this.

Phil Fraering
[e-mail]
"The reserve of modern assertions is sometimes pushed to extremes, in which
the fear of being contradicted leads the writer to strip himself of almost
all sense and meaning." Winston S. Churchill, _The_Birth_of_Britian_.

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

Date: 23 Jan 91 02:02:12 GMT
From: zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!sequent!crg5![e-mail]  (Nick Szabo)
Subject: Re: SPACE Digest V13 #050

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tommy Mac) writes:
>Nick Szabo:  I've seen you flaming people left and right since I got on this
>             server, but I will try to be civil while flaming you:

Hmmmm..... I have flamed organizations, projects, and technology, but
I don't think I have flamed people.  Please let me know what I have
said that makes you angry, as my intent is to get human civilization
into space, not to piss people off.


>You seem to feel that space stations are a no-no, or perhaps evil, because:


>-They would be a manned presence in space

I would _love_ to see an economical self-sutstaining manned presence in
space.  Space stations, at over 1 million times (6 orders of magnitude)
the cost of a Winnebago, are neither economical nor self sustaining.
They have no role to play in the movement of human industry or civilization
into space (except perhaps a negative one in diverting funds).

>-They are *OUTDATED*

Indeed.  The DoD needs to do things in space, rather than just go there.
As I write DoD satellites are playing an important role in Iraq
targeting and damage assessment.  The DoD gave up on space stations in the
60's.  Private industry never seriously considered them.  Even NASA has
now redesigned Fred so that it is a "space station" in name only.

>-They would cost too much for what they deliver.

6 orders of magnitude is perhaps a bit large.


>Nick, maybe in fifty years, what you say would be true.  But right now, the
>MIR *space station* is the pinnacle in terms of what we have learned (as a
>species)

I could pick many pinnacles from among the arts and sciences of our
species: Bheetoven, Voyager, the Dirac equation, Rembrandt, the silicon
chip, Darwin's theory of natural selection, etc. etc.  Mir would never
cross my mind.

What exactly has Mir produced?  A few $million in tourist revenue, a
bungled lottery, and some crystals?  While Soviets wait in food
lines and raid each other's TV stations?   That is the dregs, not the
pinnacle.

For the Soviets, for a few years, as long as they were spending $billions
on space anyway, a space station made sense, because they lack the ability
to perform teleoperation.  Mir will not return even 10% of its investment.
It will never house a signficant community of people or became
self-sustaining in any way.  Its era was brief and will soon be gone.


>Maybe you should find some way of expressing that itty-bitty bit of
>irritation that you feel toward the Soviets better-planned space
>program, or our non-planned program, rather than raging on people
>who have innocently concluded that a space-station would be good,
>including me, many strangers from this list, and even some soviets
>who know more about it than all of us put together.

Conclusions are not "innocent" until proven so.  Who have I "raged" at?
I post my views and evidence for same, and I post my thoughts on other
people's views with evidence for same.   I occasionally wax sarcastic
about NASA.  If you think I am "raging", perhaps you are reacting
emotionally to a message would rather not hear.


>Hope you don't think I'm a ----head, but you have been putting the screws to
>anyone who advocates anything you don't agree with.

There are no problems with your head, just perhaps calm down and take
my posts a bit more lightly.  Here I was just stating my opinion, and
now I've got all these people racked up in iron maidens.  :-)



--
Nick Szabo            [e-mail]
Embrace Change...  Keep the Values...  Hold Dear the Laughter...

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

Date: 24 Jan 91 05:09:59 GMT
From: hacker![e-mail]  (Stephen M. Youndt)
Subject: 2 Questions -- Orbital Elements format / Book wanted

1.  Could somebody please explain the format of this to me?  I know it's
    been posted before, but I didn't get it.

Alouette 1
1 00424U 62B-A  1 91 17.65577570  .00000205  00000-0  23580-3 0  3802
2 00424  80.4643  74.6329 0024450  81.2634 279.1276 13.67442533412006


2.  Can someone recommend a good book on orbital mechanics?  I'm looking
    for a text with an emphasis on the math involved in artificial
    satellites.

Any replies should be directed via e-mail.  Thanks in advance. -- SMY
--
Stephen M. Youndt       /   "Remember, no matter where you go,
uunet!hacker!steve     /     there you are."  -- B. Banzai

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

End of SPACE Digest V13 #082
*******************