Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V13_1/V13_116.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #116

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 116

Today's Topics:
          Any opinions on EZcosmos software?
               Magellan article
              Re: Fire in Space
              Galileo Update - 01/31/91
      Re: Metrics (was Re: Rotating Joints for Habitat)
             Re: Ultimate Weapon
              Re: Fire in Space
        GEOMAGNETIC STORM WARNING INFORMATIONAL UPDATE

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Date: Thu, 31 Jan 91 14:52 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Any opinions on EZcosmos software?
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From:    MEDINF::EDWARD       "William E. Hammond III" 31-JAN-1991 14:50:36.99
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Subj:    Any opinions on EZcosmos software?

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    Has anyone on the net purchased EZcosmos sofware?  I'm thinking about
purchasing  a copy and wondered if anyone has any ideas about it, ie is there
something better that I should look at.  This software is for IMB PCs.  thx!

One more question,  I am also looking for source code for XPHOON (it prints an
image of the moon's current phase on screen zero of an X-WINDOW type terminal),
Thanks in advance!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[e-mail]             /"Ask not what your country can do for you,
Edward Hammond, Analyst programmer/but ask what you can do for your country."JFK
Duke University Med Ctr          /"World peace, it's not a dream anymore, it's a
Durham NC, 27710                /necessity."   Me.

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Date: 31 Jan 91 19:36:28 GMT
From: snorkelwacker.mit.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
Subject: Magellan article
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Associated Press -- 1/31/91
"Magellan Venus"
By Lee Siegel

"Intense squeezing, stretching, collapsing and bulging of
Venus' landscape may explain why the planet is marked by an
amazing network of faults and cracks, Magellan spacecraft
geologists say."

The Los Angeles-based science writer says the region of
Venus' Alpha highlands is so extensively deformed by
geological forces that NASA was describing it like bread dough
which had been kneaded.

The story says the Magellan radar data have revealed
extensively fractured regions, named tesserae after the Greek
word for tile, which cover from 10 to 15 percent of the planet's
surface and which contain criss-crossing faults which may
cause "Venusquakes."

The writer says that analysis of the tesserae data  so far seems
to indicate the tesserae features may have been subjected to
different forces at different times.  Some regions may have been
created as cooler rock in Venus' crust slowly sank deeper into
the planet and thereby created a downward drag that squeezed
overlying layers to form the faults, ridges and valleys.

The story says that molten rock rising from deep inside Venus
may have also created some tesserae by making the landscape
bulge upward and stretch apart.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      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!

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

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Date: 31 Jan 91 23:15:22 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Subject: Re: Fire in Space
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In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dan Gookin) writes:
>I have this perverse curiosity about what fire--specifically a
>flame--would look like in space.
>
>If figure if you lit a match, it probably would lack the familiar
>conical shape the flame has here on earth. In fact, I think it would
>look like a point of light or perhaps a spherical flame...

If there's enough of an air current to keep it going, you'll get something
more or less like a 1G flame, in the appropriate direction.  If not, you'll
get a spherical smoke cloud and no flame, as it extinguishes itself.  (But
if you move it, it will re-ignite (!), because there's still a lot of hot,
partially-reacted combustion products in that cloud just waiting for
some oxygen.)
--
If the Space Shuttle was the answer,   | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
what was the question?                 |  [e-mail]   utzoo!henry

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Date: 31 Jan 91 18:33:33 GMT
From: snorkelwacker.mit.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
Subject: Galileo Update - 01/31/91
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                     GALILEO STATUS REPORT
                        January 31, 1991

     The Galileo spacecraft is 25.6 million miles from Earth, and
87 million miles from the Sun.  Its speed in solar orbit is
81,773 mph.  The round-trip communication time is 4 minutes, 35
seconds.

     Galileo's health and performance continue to be excellent.
The spacecraft is spinning at 2.89 rpm, with the spin axis
pointed within 2 degrees of the Sun, updated every other day.
Telemetry at 40 bits per second includes Magnetometer, Dust
Detector and star buffer readouts.  The last, a record of star
intensities taken by the star sensor, is used to update the
attitude control team's star catalog.  As of today,
communications will use the primary Low Gain Antenna, located on
the sunlit side of the spacecraft.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      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!

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

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Date: 31 Jan 91 05:59:07 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!mel.dit.csiro.au!yarra!melba.bby.oz.au![e-mail]  (Zev Sero)
Organization: Burdett, Buckeridge and Young Ltd.
Subject: Re: Metrics (was Re: Rotating Joints for Habitat)
References: <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
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Henry> "Meter" is an acceptable alternate spelling of "metre" in the English-
Henry> speaking countries, and in the US :-).

In some English-speaking countries, but not in Australia. Over here a
meter is strictly a measuring device.
--
                                    Zev Sero  -  [e-mail]
This I say unto you, be not sexist pigs.
        -  The prophetess, Morgori Oestrydingh  (S.Tepper)

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Date: 31 Jan 91 20:35:03 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (Anil Dosaj)
Organization: U. Texas @ Austin Astronomy/McDonald Observatory
Subject: Re: Ultimate Weapon
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In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Lane Kagey) writes:
>in article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Roland Stolfa) says:
>> Xref: legs sci.astro:10710 sci.space:24964
>>
>> Fellow spacers, lend me your eyes for a few seconds...ok, minutes.
>> I would like to ask a few questions about black holes.  As this progresses,
>> you will see how it relates to my subject line.
>>
>
>have any of you read "the krone experiment", i don't remember the author.
>it described a physicist who 'discovered' how to build a black hole and
>contain it. i won't give the details cause it would spoil it.
>
>it postulates several interesting effects and problems related to such a
>situation.
>
>
>Lane Kagey                          [e-mail] -or- ...uunet!legs!lane
>c/o AST Research Inc. Dept 670      fax: [phone]
>16215 Alton Parkway P.O. Box 19658  Tel: [phone]
>Irvine, California 92713-9658
>
>--
>Lane Kagey                          [e-mail] -or- ...uunet!legs!lane
>c/o AST Research Inc. Dept 670      fax: [phone]
>16215 Alton Parkway P.O. Box 19658  Tel: [phone]
>Irvine, California 92713-9658

 The Krone Experiment was written by our own Dr. John Craig Wheeler, at UT
Austin.

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

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Date: 31 Jan 91 22:37:36 GMT
From: ncar.ucar.EDU![e-mail]  (Gary Strand)
Organization: Climate Sensitivity and CO2 Research Group, CGD/NCAR
Subject: Re: Fire in Space
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> Dan Gookin

> If figure if you lit a match, it probably would lack the familiar conical
> shape the flame has here on earth. In fact, I think it would look like a
> point of light or perhaps a spherical flame.

  Why? What effect does gravity have on the burning particles, relative to
  the forces they feel from the other heated particles around them? I would
  think that since gravity plays such a small role in what a flame looks
  like, it would look the same on the Shuttle (say) as here on earth.
--
Gary Strand                           There is only one success -- to be able
Internet: [e-mail]      to spend your life in your own way.
Voicenet: [phone]                                 - Christopher Morley

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

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Date:    Thu, 31 Jan 91 23:20:14 MST
From: [e-mail] (Cary Oler)
Subject: GEOMAGNETIC STORM WARNING INFORMATIONAL UPDATE
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                *********************************************
                ***    GEOMAGNETIC STORM WARNING UPDATE   ***
                *********************************************


                               01 February, 1991

                             Informational Update

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


ATTENTION:

     Further analysis has been performed on potential impacts from the major
energetic flare of 31 January.  A major geomagnetic storm is still
anticipated.  The main phase of the storm is expected to occur either late
on 01 February (UT time) or early on 02 February.  A sudden storm
commencement (SSC) is expected to precede this storm.

     The intensity of the predicted storm has been downgraded from potential
planetary A-index values of 80 to betweeen 40 and 65.  Higher latitudes will
experience more intensive storming and higher magnetic A-index values.
Translated, these figures mean that middle and low latitudes will experience
major to high-intensity minor storming.  A risk does still exist for possible
brief bursts of severe storming over middle and low latitudes, although this
is looking less likely now than it did 24 hours ago.  High latitudes will
experience major storming with possible frequent periods of severe storming.

     People should note that the accuracy of predicting magnetic activity
from major flares is a very difficult task dependent on many unknowns.
Hence, there is a risk that the magnetic storm may not be quite as intense
as is predicted.  On the other hand, there is also a risk that magnetic
storming could exceed the values predicted.

     ALL OF THE WARNINGS WHICH WERE ISSUED ON 31 JANUARY REMAIN IN EFFECT.
The probability for a magnetic storm is very high (80% or better).  People
who could be affected should continue to be on the alert for changes in
conditions.  A magnetic storm alert will be posted if magnetic storming
occurs.

     To calm the fears which these warnings may have caused for people who
are unaware or uneducated about these types of phenomena, please note that
these events pose no threat to humans.  They do represent significant threats,
however, to the equipment and networks which we have established on earth.
Communications is particularly susceptible to heavy impacts.  However, no
one should worry about receiving dangerous doses of radiation or other
dangerous elements from the major flares and geomagnetic storms which occur.
The earth has excellent natural protection mechanisms to protect us against
any harm.  Unfortunately, the equipment we have established and use (such
as the electricity we consume, communications and satellite functions) can
be threatened by this sort of activity.  Damage to the equipment of
susceptible industries can occur if appropriate safeguards are not taken.
This is the reason the warnings are issued.

     Additional information:  Satellite altitude protons increased to
event levels at 06:00 UT on 31 January.  They peaked at 240 p.f.u. at
16:20 UT on 31 January.  They have been declining since then and are now at
levels below 65 p.f.u. (still way above the event threshold).  They are
expected to continue declining unless another major proton flare occurs.

     A polar cap absorption (PCA) event occurred on 31 January and is
presently in progress.  Significant degradation in high-latitude and polar
region radio propagation has resulted and is expected to continue for the
next 36 to 48 hours (after the magnetic storm has passed).  Significant
degradation in middle and low latitude radio propagation conditions are still
expected during the main phase of the expected geomagnetic storm on 02
February.  Near blackout conditions could be experienced over the polar and
high latitude regions, particularly during the sunlit periods of the day.
Middle and low latitudes will suffer significant absorption, noise and very
strong signal flutter and fading.  However, there is a good possibility for
some auroral backscatter communications on VHF frequencies over middle and
high latitudes (possibly even stretching into the lower latitudes).  Radio
conditions should begin returning to more normal conditions during the
post-storm residual magnetic activity, sometime late on 03 January to 04
January.

     Auroral storming is expected to begin sometime during the evening hours
on 02 February for North American observers.  Observers in the UK and Europe
should witness the onset of the main phase of the geomagnetic and auroral
storm in the early morning hours of 02 February (local time - possibly
earlier).  The leading edge of the auroral zone is expected to migrate
southward to lie over regions near 45 to 55 degrees north latitude (there is
a slight risk it could migrate further south, but this is not currently
anticipated).  Low latitude auroral observations will be possible during
the main phase of this storm, particularly during the moonless hours of the
evenings (the moon rises roughly around 21:00 local time on 02 February).

     Reports of auroral and/or radio condition observations would be
appreciated.  Please send descriptive reports (stating location, observation
time, and observational summaries) to "[e-mail]".  Thanks.

     Major flaring is still very likely over the next 24 to 72 hours.
Several regions (namely, regions 6462 (S18W57), 6466 (S09W53), 6469 (S13W40),
and 6471 (S12E02)) remain very capable of producing major energetic activity.
There is still a high probability for further proton flaring from any of
these regions.  Hence, the risk for future strong satellite proton events
and/or PCA event activity remains high.


**  End of Warning **

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End of SPACE Digest V13 #116
*******************