Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V13_1/V13_151.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #151

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 151

Today's Topics:
            Two more CRRES release windows
              Galileo Update - 02/11/91
     Re: Kevlar (was:  Manoeuvring using rope and anchor)
          O(n) n-body simulation? Feng Zaho?
        Re: Confusion regarding "Firm Fred Decisions"
                COPUOS
        Re: O(n) n-body simulation? Feng Zaho?
               Mir sweepstakes
   When will there be 'TAU'? (was Re: The edge of the solar system)
             space news from Dec 24 AW&ST

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:    Mon, 11 Feb 1991 19:05:50 CST
From: [e-mail] (Pat Reiff [phone]-2650)
Subject: Two more CRRES release windows
X-Vmsmail-To: SMTP%"[e-mail]"


CRRES NEWS    FEBRUARY 10, 1991

The next window for CRRES release is February 12, 1991 at the discrete times

0315, 0345, 0415, 0445, 0515, 0545, 0615, 0645 and 0715.
  [NOTE - THIS IS UT; subtract 6 hours for CST, etc...PR]

   For this window G-6 [Lithium] will be prime.

The Feb 14 release has windows every half hour 0430 - 0830 UT.

   For the February 14 window, G-8 [large Barium]
will be prime since we have Millstone Hill Radar coverage only for the
first hour of the window (A matter of ability to see the field-line foot,
not a matter of scheduling).

The most recent orbital elements and predicted elements for February 12
are listed below, plus look directions for Houston.

David L. Reasoner, Project Scientist, MSFC

[Recall hotline number [phone] for latest information]

CSTC ORBIT DETERMINATION FOR 02/09/91 AND PREDICTED ELEMENTS FOR
FEB 12


CSTC0209;                          the satellite name string
CSTC ELEMENTS FOR 02/09/91    ;    element set description
1991;                              the epoch year (YYYY)
40.570821759;                      the epoch day (DDD.dddd)
18.141661716;                      orbital inclination (degrees)
325.45852390;                      right ascension (degrees)
.71356199690;                      eccentricity
351.87114906;                      argument of perigee (degrees)
2.438631995 ;                      mean motion (orbits/day)
12.938751848;                      mean anomaly (degrees)
23331.152539;                      semi-major axis (km)
.000044765  ;                      decay (ndot2 orbits/day**2)
1;                                 decay flag (0=no, 1=yes)
0.          ;                      beacon frequency (MHz)
485         ;                      orbit number at epoch
0;                                 orbit base (0=perigee, 1=equator)
0.          ;                      nddot6 or Bahn latitude
0.          ;                      drag or Bahn longitude
2;                                 0=SSI, 1=Bahn, 2=SGP, 3=SGP4/SDP4


CSTP0212;                          the satellite name string
CSTC PRED. ELEM. 02/12/91     ;    element set description
1991;                              the epoch year (YYYY)
43.0000     ;                      the epoch day (DDD.dddd)
18.13092    ;                      orbital inclination (degrees)
324.52637   ;                      right ascension (degrees)
.7136593    ;                      eccentricity
353.53639   ;                      argument of perigee (degrees)
2.438695321 ;                      mean motion (orbits/day)
345.57657   ;                      mean anomaly (degrees)
23327.414651;                      semi-major axis (km)
.000046666  ;                      decay (ndot2 orbits/day**2)
1;                                 decay flag (0=no, 1=yes)
0.          ;                      beacon frequency (MHz)
490         ;                      orbit number at epoch
0;                                 orbit base (0=perigee, 1=equator)
0.          ;                      nddot6 or Bahn latitude
0.          ;                      drag or Bahn longitude
2;                                 0=SSI, 1=Bahn, 2=SGP, 3=SGP4/SDP4

--------

Silicon Ephemeris          V3.00          Copyright (C) Silicon Solutions, Inc.
observer(s): HOUSTON                                        object(s): CSTP0212

[For other locations, *very roughly*, increase the elevation by (30 deg - your
latitude); increase the azimuth by (95 deg - your W. longitude)]

                      elev  azim  range   lat    lon height  beacon
________ utc _______   deg   deg   km     deg    deg   km      Mhz    or/sq phi

Tue 12Feb91 03:15:00  52.2 128.5  29589   7.9  -70.9  28474   0.0000    491  74
Tue 12Feb91 03:45:00  53.1 133.8  31765   6.3  -73.2  30688   0.0000    491  87
Tue 12Feb91 04:15:00  54.0 140.0  33283   4.9  -76.1  32250   0.0000    491 100
Tue 12Feb91 04:45:00  54.7 146.8  34199   3.5  -79.3  33201   0.0000    491 113
Tue 12Feb91 05:15:00  55.0 154.0  34548   2.1  -82.6  33566   0.0000    491 126
Tue 12Feb91 05:45:00  54.8 161.2  34346   0.8  -85.9  33352   0.0000    491 139
Tue 12Feb91 06:15:00  53.9 168.1  33591  -0.6  -89.2  32554   0.0000    491 152
Tue 12Feb91 06:45:00  52.4 174.3  32268  -2.1  -92.2  31154   0.0000    491 165
Tue 12Feb91 07:15:00  50.3 179.2  30343  -3.8  -94.7  29114   0.0000    491 178
Tue 12Feb91 07:45:00  47.5 182.4  27760  -5.6  -96.5  26378   0.0000    491 191
Tue 12Feb91 08:15:00  43.9 183.1  24438  -7.7  -97.1  22854   0.0000    491 204
Tue 12Feb91 08:45:00  38.8 180.2  20272 -10.3  -95.3  18405   0.0000    491 217
Tue 12Feb91 09:15:00  29.7 170.4  15206 -13.7  -88.4  12817   0.0000    491 230
Tue 12Feb91 09:45:00   3.7 145.2  10034 -17.9  -65.8   5865   0.0000    491 243



Silicon Ephemeris          V3.00          Copyright (C) Silicon Solutions, Inc.
observer(s): HOUSTON                                        object(s): CSTP0214



                      elev  azim  range   lat    lon height  beacon
________ utc _______   deg   deg   km     deg    deg   km      Mhz    or/sq phi

Thu 14Feb91 04:30:00  62.7 167.8  29278   7.3  -90.5  28691   0.0000    496  75
Thu 14Feb91 05:00:00  61.6 174.3  31488   5.7  -92.9  30845   0.0000    496  88
Thu 14Feb91 05:30:00  60.2 181.4  33064   4.3  -95.8  32353   0.0000    496 101
Thu 14Feb91 06:00:00  58.4 188.4  34052   2.9  -99.0  33252   0.0000    496 114
Thu 14Feb91 06:30:00  56.2 195.0  34481   1.5 -102.3  33566   0.0000    496 127
Thu 14Feb91 07:00:00  53.6 200.7  34358   0.1 -105.6  33302   0.0000    496 140
Thu 14Feb91 07:30:00  50.7 205.5  33679  -1.3 -108.9  32452   0.0000    496 153
Thu 14Feb91 08:00:00  47.5 209.3  32418  -2.8 -111.8  30998   0.0000    496 166
Thu 14Feb91 08:30:00  44.1 211.8  30533  -4.4 -114.3  28900   0.0000    496 179
Thu 14Feb91 09:00:00  40.6 212.8  27956  -6.2 -116.0  26099   0.0000    496 192
Thu 14Feb91 09:30:00  37.0 211.8  24582  -8.4 -116.4  22501   0.0000    496 205
Thu 14Feb91 10:00:00  33.0 207.4  20262 -11.0 -114.3  17963   0.0000    496 218
Thu 14Feb91 10:30:00  27.2 195.8  14828 -14.4 -106.6  12263   0.0000    496 231
Thu 14Feb91 11:00:00   7.6 162.3   8840 -18.2  -81.2   5202   0.0000    496 244
------
From the First Space Science Department in the World:
                                                    :      _^ ^_    ____
     Patricia H. Reiff                              :     / O O \   |GO \
     Department of Space Physics and Astronomy      :     \  V  /   |OWLS\
     Rice University, Houston, TX 77251-1892        :    / ""R"" \__/
     internet:  [e-mail]  (128.42.10.3)    \ ""U"" /
     SPAN:      RICE::REIFF                         :    _/|\ /|\_

"Why does man want to go to the Moon? ...  Why does Rice play Texas?"
   ....JFK, Rice Stadium, 1962

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

Date: 11 Feb 91 16:58:54 GMT
From: van-bc!ubc-cs!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Galileo Update - 02/11/91


                        GALILEO STATUS REPORT
                          February 11, 1991

     The Galileo spacecraft's health continues to be excellent.  Yesterday,
Galileo successfully performed the planned sun acquisition activity.  Today,
no spacecraft activity is planned.  Tomorrow, a USO (Ultra Stable Oscillator)
test and a sun acquisition are planned.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      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: 11 Feb 91 20:46:53 GMT
From: magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!samsung!know!tegra![e-mail]  (Johnathan Vail)
Subject: Re: Kevlar (was:  Manoeuvring using rope and anchor)



In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Marty Ryba) writes:

   In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Bruce Dunn) writes:
   |>   Kevlar is fascinating stuff.  I just acquired a spool of Kevlar fiber for
   |> tinkering purposes.  It looks like pale yellow dental floss, or like polyester
   |> sewing thread.  The spool that I have is loaded with a strand that has two
   |> individual thread-like fiber bundles twisted around each other.  The thread is
   Kevlar is fascinating stuff.  It doesn't have to be yellow; I've seen it white
   too.
   |>    The Kevlar I bought was obtained from the Canadian distributor for Edmond
   |> Scientific.  In the Edmond catalog, the item is catalog number G34,883.
   |> Price is $13.50 U.S. for a 600 yard spool.
   Though the price doesn't sound too bad, for convenience and maybe a better
   price, plus for stuff that is really optimized for tensile strength with
   high flexibility and minimal abrasiveness (needed for making cables that
   last), go to any good archery shop.  There are several brands of Kevlar
   on the market; one was called "Super Flight" or something like that was
   twice as strong per weight than standard Kevlar, and lasted longer since one
   needed fewer strands per cable and it was less abrasive.  Remember, the lighter
   the string, the faster the arrow will go.  Archery involves some high-tech
   materials science and physics besides being plain fun.

Should this thread go somewhere else?

Anyway, kite shops sell "300 pound" kevlar string.  It is yellowy,
braided I think, and quite strong.  Just the thing for flying a couple
of 10' stunters in a hurricane...

jv


Law of Stolen Flight: Only flame, and things with wings.
                      All the rest suffer stings.
 _____
|     | Johnathan Vail | [e-mail]
|Tegra| [phone] | N1DXG@448.625-(WorldNet)
 -----  [e-mail] {...sun!sunne ..uunet}!tegra!vail

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

Date: 6 Feb 91 23:57:44 GMT
From: pacbell.com!pacbell!barn!everexn![e-mail]  (Mike Higgins)
Subject: O(n) n-body simulation? Feng Zaho?

Several times in the last 6 months, somebody named [e-mail]
has posted messages in sci.physics about:
        "Feng Zaho's O(n) n-body simulation"
I have sent email to this person several times after each posting, but
he/she never answers...  One time the poster asked if anybody else was
attempting to implement this algorithm...  I for one sure wish I was
someone attempting to implement it, but I cannot find a reference to it!
        Since cristy will not answer my email, perhaps someone else out
here in netland knows what this is and can give me a reference to it.
Or if you know who [e-mail] is and can ask them to get in touch
with me ([e-mail]) I would appreciate it very much.
        Mike Higgins
        [e-mail]

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

Date: 8 Feb 91 16:38:30 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!usc!hacgate!ashtate!dbase![e-mail]  (Michael Wallis)
Subject: Re: Confusion regarding "Firm Fred Decisions"

What a shame ... for a COST of $6 Billion, we could build a much larger and
stronger station based on orbital use of ETs. When will NASA learn that they
don't have to re-invent the wheel every time they do someting in space?

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

Date: 11 Feb 91 16:16:22 GMT
From: ogicse!emory!athena.cs.uga.edu![e-mail]  (David W. Millians)
Subject: COPUOS

I've been following discussion for a while, so I know this hasn't poppped up:
Does anybody know the status of the UN committee on the peaceful uses of
outer space? Reason for asking: I'm going to chair said topic at an
upcoming Model UN, and I've got to get a book together. I'm well versed in
the subjects of space (Dad worked on Gemini and Apollo, and I grew up on
missile bases) but I need a kickstart about where to start finding COPUOS
information. I hope this doesn't offend anybody (it's causing much disc. in
other groups) but I would appreciate E-mail respoinses, and I will summarize
to the group. I read this every day, but I can't imagine too much interest in
the subject for other patrons of the group. Additionally, when I've got my
guide together, I'll summarize MY info about where to get information.
Thanks in advance, o'course. I appreciate it.


--
David W. Millians    [e-mail]
University of Georgia, Athens GA USA.
"What exactly is UNIX, Mr. IFF?" "It is a P2C2E, thief Haroun, on a M2C2D."
(Apologies to Salman Rushdie)  I guess all opinions are mine and only mine.

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

Date: 11 Feb 91 18:29:24 GMT
From: eplrx7![e-mail]  (John Cristy)
Subject: Re: O(n) n-body simulation? Feng Zaho?

See

   An O(N) Algorithm for Three-dimensional N-body Simulations,
   MSEE thesis, Feng Zhao, MIT AILab Technical Report 995, 1987

[e-mail]
--
The UUCP Mailer

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

Date: 7 Feb 91 05:44:00 GMT
From: swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!zardoz.cpd.com!dhw68k!ofa123!f2700.n206.z1.fidonet.org![e-mail]  (William Wright)
Subject: Mir sweepstakes

I'm sorry to report that a District Attorney in Texas (I'm not sure whether it
was a county, or the state itself) has arrested the two organizers of the Mir
sweepstakes.

The charge is "felony".   This means 2-10 yrs in prison + a maximum fine of
$10,000.

Reportedly, the authorities consider toe sweepstakes to be gambling, pure and
simple.   Evidently accepting "free" entries via mail was not enough to satisfy
the authorities.   Reportedly, the authorities offered to drop the charges if
Space Travel Services would refund the entries to date, but Space Travel
Services refused.


--
William Wright
Internet: [e-mail]
Compuserve: >internet:[e-mail]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: 5 Feb 91 13:40:27 GMT
From: mcsun!unido!mpirbn![e-mail]  (Daniel Fischer)
Subject: When will there be 'TAU'? (was Re: The edge of the solar system)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (John Roberts) writes:
>>I have seen several articles about a planned NASA mission: the TAU probe
>>(TAU stands for Thousand Astronomical Units).  A very high tech device, ...
>>Paul Blase - via FidoNet node 1:129/104
>Sounds interesting. It would be powered by a nuclear reactor, of course.
And that's exactly the reason why TAU won't become reality until at least
well into the 21st century. During a NASA press conference in Aug 1989 JPL
director Lew Allen was asked about what had become of 'TAU', and he replied
that the idea was still somewhere in the files, but that one would first have
to wait for a suitable space reactor (I think he mentioned the SP-100 type).
Question: would Topaz-2, which the U.S. is buying from the USSR, help here?

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

Date: 10 Feb 91 22:35:46 GMT
From: swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: space news from Dec 24 AW&ST

[Yes, I'm behind again...  However, I get a bit of a boost this time because
AW&ST doesn't publish during the holidays, so this is the last 1990 issue.
This is AW&ST's "Vista" issue, mostly an overview of the year, so news is
thin.]

The cover is a very nice, sharp, clear full-color photo of the space
station.  The operational one -- Mir, not Fred.

OSC flies first Starbird rocket for SDI.  Starbird is a multi-stage solid-
fuel sounding rocket that flies a trajectory simulating a ballistic missile.
Launch was tracked by ground facilities and the LACE satellite.

US military weather satellite launched Dec 1 ended up in a different orbit
than the one that was intended,, but the spacecraft is operational and is
expected to be useful.  The USAF is assessing the effects.  More debris
was observed around the satellite than usual, but it does not seem to have
affected the bird.

Battle brewing over the space station's paperwork empire in Reston.  Lots
of people have been unhappy about taking station management away from the
field centers, and now the Augustine report urges managing multicenter
projects from a headquarters at or near a "primary center".  Lenoir says
that if they had meant "kill Reston", they would have said so... but
scuttlebutt has it that they did in fact plan to say so, until NASA brass
begged them to hold off pending completion of redesign, and that Reston
will die as a symbol of reform once that has been done.

NASA steals Japan's Christmas:  NASDA's Christmas cards featured the Japanese
Spacelab mission set for 1991, which NASA has now postponed to late 1992.
NASDA is, um, annoyed.

Marginally space-related:  article on "super-super-black" aircraft programs
in the US includes nearly a full page which starts out "let's consider the
following details as comprising a theoretical possibility of a hypersonic
US-developed aircraft which could be cruising the skies tonight..." and
goes on to describe, with illustrations, its appearance, performance,
propulsion, weapons, and even how its surface tiles *smell*.  Theoretical,
they say...

Article reviewing the space station's history comments that it is now
being pulled in opposite directions, with Congress pushing materials and
the Augustine panel (whose views are likely to prevail in the White House)
putting priority on life sciences.  So far, it looks like NASA will try
to compromise by doing both... which may not succeed.  The article suggests
that reviving Space Industries' Industrial Space Facility for the materials
people would make a lot more sense, and would take a lot of heat off NASA.

Article urging more attention to Earth observation in shuttle missions,
with astronauts given more chance to spend time observing and describing
what they see, rather than just snapping the occasional photo.  Also
suggested is giving the public-affairs people in Mission Control more
role in providing commentary:  ground control often swivels the orbiter's
cameras by remote control for Earth observation, but there is seldom any
voice indication of what's being seen, and in fact the public-affairs
console doesn't even have a good-quality atlas for reference.  When
Lenoir worked in ground support during Skylab, one of his jobs was to
write a daily report on the astronauts' Earth observations, but now
that he's the boss, he "...would have little to write about from most
shuttle missions".

Pictures of a smaller version of Energia now under development.  It uses
only two strap-ons and a thinner and shorter core using a single engine.
Name is Energia-M.  First flight perhaps 1993.  Payload is 40 tons, rather
less than Energia's 100 but double what Proton can do.
--
"Read the OSI protocol specifications?  | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
I can't even *lift* them!"              |  [e-mail]  utzoo!henry

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

End of SPACE Digest V13 #151
*******************