Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V13_1/V13_110.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #110

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 110

Today's Topics:
         Re: Satellite Imagery of Iraq/Kuwait
              Re: Spacing Organizations
        MAJOR SOLAR FLARE ALERT - HIGH IMPACT EXPECTED
              Re: decimal to hexadecimal
              Re: Spacing Organizations
              Re: SPACE Digest V13 #089
              Re: Expendable vs Shuttle
             Galileo Update #2 - 01/31/91
              Re: SPACE Digest V13 #094
             Re: Voyager CD-ROMs

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
             [e-mail]

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

Date: 30 Jan 91 22:04:27 GMT
From: zephyr.ens.tek.com!wrgate!mtdoom![e-mail]  (Dan Tilque)
Subject: Re: Satellite Imagery of Iraq/Kuwait

[e-mail] (Mark Perew) writes:
>First, let me state that I don't want to cause sci.space to descend
>into a cloud of political debate.  I'd like to keep this more on
>the technological and factual areas.

Amen.

>As I recall when Chernobyl had its little "event" the media was
>displaying LandSat-style imagery within a couple of days of the
>"event".  However, we are now 13 days into Operation Desert Storm
>and I haven't seen any visible spectrum or IR imagery from the
>Persian Gulf area.

My understanding is that neither the French nor the U.S. will allow
release of satellite pictures of anywhere near the Persian gulf.  I'm
not sure about the Soviets.

On Jan 27, "60 Minutes" had a report on an Iraqi plant which was
supposedly refining weapons grade uranium.  It was up in the mountains
in the northeastern part of Iraq.  They'd gotten a couple of Soviet
sattelite images and had them processed to get 3-D "images" (what do
they call them anyway? Stereograms?).  There was a road up to the plant
that was obvious, but it took an expert to point out where the plant
was.

I can't remember if they even said when they obtained these images.  My
impression was that it was last summer.

---
Dan Tilque    --    [e-mail]

"A BURRO is an ass.  A BURROW is a hole in the ground.
 As a reporter, you are expected to know the difference."
                -- UPI Stylebook

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

Date: 31 Jan 91 03:29:56 GMT
From: milton!sumax!polari![e-mail]  (Charles Radley)
Subject: Re: Spacing Organizations



+number of interesting things.  One was info on an Australian
+experimental satelite that was launched in the early 60s from
+Woomera, using British launcher.  But the whole project was
+Australian.  Orbited for couple of weeks.
-
A couple of corrections needed here.     In 1967 the Australian
Ministry of Defence used an AMERICAN Redstone vehicle to launch
Wresat-1A (Weapons Research Establishment Satellite) from the Woomera
launch site in South Australia.  That launch was planned and excuted
entirely by Australian personnel.  The spacecraft was designed and
constructed by the Australian WRE.   The expended first stage of the
Redstone was recently found in the desert and will be put in a
museum.
    In 1966 France launched a satellite from Algeria, but Australia
can still claim credit as the third nation to launch a satellite from
its own national territory.
    Britain launched several suborbital vehicles from Woomera, but
only achieved one successful orbital launch, Black Arrow X-3 (called
Prospero upon injection) in 1971.   Black Arrow / Prospero was 100 %
British, with no Australian involvement in the flight hardware.  A
couple of years ago I heard Prospero was still transmitting, but I
have heard nothing recently.
    Britain was also involved in European orbital attempts from
Woomera, all of which failed - Europa-2A achieved orbit in 1972 but
the fairing failed to separate so the spacecraft was lost.

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

X-Delivery-Notice:  SMTP MAIL FROM does not correspond to sender.
Date:    Thu, 31 Jan 91 00:34:34 MST
From: [e-mail] (Cary Oler)
Subject: MAJOR SOLAR FLARE ALERT - HIGH IMPACT EXPECTED
X-St-Vmsmail-To: st%"[e-mail]"

                        --  MAJOR SOLAR FLARE ALERT  --

                               JANUARY 31, 1991


                          ** MAJOR IMPACT EXPECTED **
                              Flare Event Summary

                                    --------


MAJOR ENERGETIC EVENT SUMMARY

     Two significant X-class flares exploded off of the sun over the past
24 hours.  The first flare (and least-significant) occurred at 09:04 UT on
30 January.  The flare was rated a class X1.0/2B flare and was not associated
with any sweep frequency events or other significant radio bursts.  It was
produced by Region 6466.  The flare location was S08W34.  The duration of the
event was 1 hour and 27 minutes.  No significant impacts are expected from
this flare.

     HOWEVER, another major X-class energetic flare erupted early in this UT
day.  The flare peaked at 02:30 UT on 31 January and has been classed an
X1.3/2N Tenflare.  This flare was associated with significant Type II and
Type IV sweeps (rated at an intensity level of 2)!  The duration of this
flare was 103 minutes (or 1 hour and 43 minutes).  It was associated with
a 600 s.f.u. Tenflare.  The flare originated from Region 6469 at a location
of S11W27.  This region has grown explosively over the past 24 hours.

     A PROTON WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT SERVICES
CENTER!  Protons are now arriving (as of 06:30 UT on 31 January).  Models
are predicting a proton event with flux levels as high as 200 p.f.u. at
greater than 10 MeV!  This is expected to be a SIGNIFICANT proton flare!

     A POLAR CAP ABSORPTION WARNING has been issued for high latitude
regions.  The expected influx of energetic protons could produce a moderate
intensity PCA over polar and high latitude regions.  An associated radio
blackout could occur over the polar and high latitude regions if the PCA
becomes intense enough.

     A MAJOR GEOMAGNETIC STORM is expected to occur on 01 February in
response to this latest proton flare.  An SSC is expected between 08:00 UT
on 01 February and 20:00 UT on 01 February, followed by the main phase of
the storm several hours later.  This storm could last between 18 and 36
hours.  The probability for a major geomagnetic storm is very high (80%).
Global geomagnetic storm intensities are expected to push the magnetic
A-index to levels between 50 and 100; localized activity could easily
surpass this rating.

     A MAJOR AURORAL STORM is expected to occur when the geomagnetic storm
begins.  An auroral storm alert has been issued for all middle AND LOW
LATITUDES!  If activity reaches levels currently anticipated, widespread
auroral activity will become visible over middle and low latitudes (as well
as high latitudes).

     MAJOR HF RADIO PROPAGATION DEGRADATION is expected to occur with the
onset of the main phase of the geomagnetic and auroral storming.  Radio
blackout warnings have been posted for high latitudes and middle latitudes.
All latitudes will experience major disruptions in HF propagation conditions.

     BISTATIC AURORAL BACKSCATTER COMMUNICATIONS ALERTS are being issued
to high and middle latitudes, with increased possibilities for successful
(albeit quite disturbed signal qualities) auroral communications over low
latitudes.

     A POTENTIAL ELECTRICAL ANOMALY WARNING is being issued to all
organizations and industries which could be affected by significant
geomagnetic perturbations.  A risk for geomagnetically induced electrical
currents into long conductive objects exists during the main phase of the
expected geomagnetic storm, provided the intensity of the predicted storm
reaches or surpasses levels anticipated.  Potentially affected industries
include:  Electrical power distribution networks, continental or
transatlantic telecommunications networks, pipeline networks, railway
systems, etc.  Strong magnetic perturbations may develope with intensities
capable of inducing currents into relatively long, ground-based conductive
objects.  All organizations and industries which could be affected are
warned to be on the alert for potential anomalies.  Anomalies could occur
anytime after the main phase begins (which is expected between 08:00 UT
on 01 February and about 04:00 UT on 02 February).

     Further major flaring from the potent regions currently on the solar
disk is likely over the next 3 to 7 days.  K-indices could reach levels
between 7 and 9 during the main phase of the geomagnetic storm (note that
a K-index of 9 is the top of the scale for measuring magnetic
perturbations).

     For revised prediction charts, consult the Potential Major Geomagnetic
Storm Warning which has been posted in conjunction with this alert.

**  End of Report **

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

Date:     Thu, 31 Jan 91 01:38 CST
From: <[e-mail]>
Subject:  Re: decimal to hexadecimal

In article <[e-mail]>, ephillip@ma
   gnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Earl W Phillips) writes:
>
> Could someone give me a quick lesson ({r equation) on how
> to conver{ decimal numbers to hexadecimal? Thanx in advance!


A quick and dirty way to do it (easy to program) is:

(1) convert the decimal to binary
(2) group the binary digits in groups of 4, starting from the RIGHT of the
    binary number; add leading zeroes if needed
(3) convert each group of 4 binary numbers to its equivalent hex number,
    i.e.,  0000 -> 0
           0001 -> 1
            ...
           1010 -> A
           1011 -> B
            ...


an example:   decimal 16 = binary 10000
              grouping digits gives      1   0000
              add leading zeroes      0001   0000
              0001 binary = 1 hex
              0000 binary = 0 hex
              so decimal 16 = 10 hex

+----------------------------------+-------------------------------------------+
|                                  |             ~~ top quark ~~               |
|       Cheryl A. Hoefelmeyer      |                    @                      |
|                                  |      Southwest Texas State University     |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                     DECnet address: SWT::CH02079                             |
|                     BITnet address: [e-mail]                   |
| really long, cool, cryptic address: [e-mail]  |
|            cyberspace grid address: [e-mail]%09296435          |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "If there's nothing wrong with me, then there's something wrong with the     |
|  universe." -- Dr. Beverly Crusher                                           |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: 31 Jan 91 10:06:38 GMT
From: research![e-mail]  (A.C.Beresford)
Subject: Re: Spacing Organizations

To add to your info Charles, and give credit to old friends
 colleagues. The satellite experiments for WRESAT were designed
and constructed by the Space Laborarory of the Physics Dept.,
University of Adelaide. They were based on instruments flown in
sounding rockets, measuring the composition of the atmosphere
by changes in absorbtion as the Sun "set" from satellite.
Later versions also flew in the Mesospheric explorer satellite
I understand.

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

Date: Thu, 31 Jan 91 12:25:02 -0800
From: [e-mail] (60351000)
Subject: Re: SPACE Digest V13 #089

Please...

  Do NOT send me the Space Digest!!
  It's just cluttering up my mailbox.

Thank you.

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

Date: 31 Jan 91 16:58:51 GMT
From: usc!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Expendable vs Shuttle

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] ("Allen W. Sherzer") writes:
>>Actually, the Challenger breakup (it wasn't an explosion) would have been
>>survivable had the astronauts been in a tough little capsule with parachutes
>>rather than in a big fragile orbiter with wings.
>
>Especially when you realize that the capsule has a nice little rocket
>to carry the crew to safety.

My personal opinion is that the rocket isn't necessary, actually, unless
we are talking about failures at extremely low altitude.
--
If the Space Shuttle was the answer,   | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
what was the question?                 |  [e-mail]   utzoo!henry

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

Date: 31 Jan 91 19:37:56 GMT
From: snorkelwacker.mit.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Galileo Update #2 - 01/31/91


                         GALILEO STATUS REPORT
                           January 31, 1991

     Yesterday, the CDS "B" (Command Data Subsystem) memory readout activity
was successfully completed with no anomalies or parity errors observed.
Today, the planned Low Gain Antenna switch from LGA2 to LGA1 was successfully
completed.  In addition to the antenna switch, a planned sun acquisition
activity was also successfully completed.  Tomorrow, spacecraft activity will
be limited to a cruise science memory readout for the MAG (Magnetometer) and
DDS (Dust Detector) instruments.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [e-mail]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | It's 10PM, do you know
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | where your spacecraft is?
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | We do!

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

Date: Thu, 31 Jan 91 12:25:36 -0800
From: [e-mail] (60351000)
Subject: Re: SPACE Digest V13 #094

Please...

  Do NOT send me the Space Digest!!
  It's just cluttering up my mailbox.

Thank you.

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

Date: 31 Jan 91 14:57:37 GMT
From: dftsrv!nssdcb.gsfc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Lee E. Brotzman)
Subject: Re: Voyager CD-ROMs

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Hunter Scales) writes...
>[e-mail] (Ron Baalke) writes:
>>     I've received a number of inquiries about the Voyager images available
>>on CD-ROMs.  There are eight CD-ROMs that contain about 16,000 images taken
>
>    Does anyone know if these CD-ROMs can be read on a Macinosh?

   When you order the CD-ROMs from the NSSDC, ask for the Macintosh
Browser program for CD-ROMs.  This program was written by Dana Swift
of AEROMET Corp. in Tulsa, OK, to support his work with a variety of
NASA CD-ROM products.  It has many nice features like "thumbnails" --
subsampled renderings of all the images in a folder allowing the user
to select the image he wants to see by clicking on the postage stamp
version.  The software works with PDS images (Voyager) and FITS images
(Einstein X-ray CD-ROMs) and with FITS tables (ADC astronomical
catalogs).

>
>    I dont understand.  Were all the color pictures false color?
>    I was under the impression that they were created by multiple
>    monochrome pictures take thru color filters?
>
   But the individual images are still monochrome, right?  That's the
way they are stored on the CD-ROM, as the original data.  The Browser
program mentioned above now comes with another program called "True
Color!" that allows one to "register" the multiple filter images and
render a reasonably good true color image.  The multi-filter images
are not all at exactly the same alignment and each image has to be
adjusted and rotated slightly in order to get them all lined up.
JPL-quality images take some more extensive image processing than that
but the Mac program gives good results, nonetheless.

>Motorola Semiconductor Inc.             Hunter Scales
>Austin, Texas                           oakhill![e-mail]
>#include <disclaimer.h>

-- Lee E. Brotzman                    Internet:  [e-mail]
-- ST Systems Corp.                   SPAN:      NSSDCA::BROTZMAN
-- Astrophysics Data System           BITNET:    ZMLEB@SCFVM
-- National Space Science Data Center "Prayer: the last refuge of a scoundrel"
-- "My thoughts are my own"                                 Lisa Simpson, 1990

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

End of SPACE Digest V13 #110
*******************