Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V13_5/V13_518.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #518

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 518

Today's Topics:
            Re: EXPLOSION over Los Angeles
            Re: EXPLOSION over Los Angeles
            Re: markets and risky ventures
              Re: Why the space station?
       Re: Ethics of Terraforming (was Re: Terraforming Venus)
               Re: Cheap Rocket Society
            Re: EXPLOSION over Los Angeles
       Re: Ethics of Terraforming (was Re: Terraforming Venus)
               Re: Saturn V and the ALS
         NASA Headline News for 05/07/91 (Forwarded)

Administrivia:

    Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 7 May 91 03:30:20 GMT
From: pasteur!agate!bionet!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!kksys!wd0gol!newave![e-mail]  (John A. Weeks III)
Subject: Re: EXPLOSION over Los Angeles

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mary Shafer) writes:
> Maybe not average, but still a meteorite.  People's accounts seem to
> be pretty inaccurate.  Remember all the reports of explosions and
> gear being up, etc, at the time of the collision at LAX in February?
> No explosion, gear down, everything else false, it turned out.

I was watching CNN the night of the LAX collision.  CNN found an air safety
investigator to put on the air.  He mentioned that every crash that he has
ever investigated had at least one witness who swears that the plane was
on fire before impact.  The next caller to CNN described the plane being
on fire as it passed over their apartment building before landing.  Under
other circumstances, this might have been kind of humorous....

-john-

--
=============================================================================
John A. Weeks III               [phone]             [e-mail]
NeWave Communications, Ltd.                        ...uunet!tcnet!newave!john

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

Date: 7 May 91 18:10:52 GMT
From: convex![e-mail]  (Peter Cash)
Subject: Re: EXPLOSION over Los Angeles

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

>Tell me, is it true that you need a license to use a camcorder in LA
>these days ?

Not only that--there's a 7 day "cooling off period" before you can buy one.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             |      Die Welt ist alles, was Zerfall ist.     |
Peter Cash   |       (apologies to Ludwig Wittgenstein)      |[e-mail]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Date: 29 Apr 91 18:48:29 GMT
From: att!news.cs.indiana.edu!noose.ecn.purdue.edu!en.ecn.purdue.edu![e-mail]  (/dev/null)
Subject: Re: markets and risky ventures


[Stuff about various programs not being risky enough
]
What do you propose *IS* a risky venture?  Come on!  He showed you a lot
of forward looking longer term projects.  All you could say was
"Not Risky Enough."  Well, Henry, what *IS* risky enough, and what
nations are willing to shoulder such risk??
(Maybe blowing up the moon to "correct" Earth's axial tilt ? :) )


--
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Brent L. Irvine     |            These are MY opinions   |
| Malt Beverage Analyst     |            As if they counted...:) |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: 7 May 91 18:19:38 GMT
From: hela![e-mail]  (Allen W. Sherzer)
Subject: Re: Why the space station?

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Brian Yamauchi) writes:

>Why not put together a small (!) team of experts (technical personnel,
>not bureaucrats) from the various NASA centers (and perhaps other
>labs, companies, and universities, as well) to design a space station
>with clear goals in mind (orbital support of lunar/planetary exploration)
>-- with the only constraints being engineering, cost, and time?

Well, for microgravity work this has already been done. Space Industries
Industrial space Facility would suite most needs for a small fraction of
the cost of Freedom. It almost got funded a few years ago but NASA managed
to kill it.

  Allen

--
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Allen W. Sherzer |        Allen's tactics are too tricky to deal with      |
|   [e-mail]   |             -- Harel Barzilai                           |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: 7 May 91 18:30:26 GMT
From: hela![e-mail]  (Allen W. Sherzer)
Subject: Re: Ethics of Terraforming (was Re: Terraforming Venus)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Ken Sheppardson) writes:

>Is there anyone else out there who questions the ethics of tampering
>with other planets (with or without the presence of life) to make them
>more 'earthlike'?

I myself note that it took us over 3 million years to climb out of our
gravity well. I wonder why anybody would want to climb back down another
one? For this reason I don't think teraforming is a good idea.

>I'm all for non-intrusive exploration and the
>construction of free-floating stations/colonies, but given our history
>of 'Manifest Destiny', rain forest destruction, ozone depletion, strip
>mining, etc, I feel like we should take a hands off approach to space.

However, I must admit I don't understand this attitude. If Mars is a
lifeless rock what does it matter what we do with it? As to the evils
above, aren't they bad because they make it harder for life to continue?
If so, then wouldn't steps to promote life be good?

   Allen


--
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Allen W. Sherzer |        Allen's tactics are too tricky to deal with      |
|   [e-mail]   |             -- Harel Barzilai                           |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: 7 May 91 15:34:28 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!uc!shamash!timbuk!sequoia![e-mail]  (Greg Titus)
Subject: Re: Cheap Rocket Society

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Paul Blase) writes:
>To: [e-mail]
>
> 2> We, the CRS (Cheap Rocket Society of Kansas) are looking for
> 2> stainless steel air tanks rated (or formerly rated) for around
> 2> 72 cubic feet or better, for experimental use as fuel tanks.
>
>Take a trip to the nearest SCUBA shop (well, that may be a bit of a trip
>for you) and investigate used SCUBA tanks.  Most of them are aluminum,
>is stainless necessary?  Steel tanks are, however, available.  Most
>shops sell off their old rental gear every year.  Good Luck.

Also try the nearest welding supply.  They'll either carry or be
able to give you a lead on compressed-gas tanks (the kind you get
acetylene, oxygen, etc. in).  I would think that certain of the
standard commercial gasses would require stainless steel tanks.

greg
--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Titus ([e-mail])             Compiler Group (Ada)
Cray Research, Inc.                               Santa Fe, NM
Opinions expressed herein (such as they are) are purely my own.

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

Date: 7 May 91 11:36:53 GMT
From: mcsun!ukc!edcastle!hwcs![e-mail]  (Stewart Fleming)
Subject: Re: EXPLOSION over Los Angeles

In article <[e-mail]>,
[e-mail] (Mary Shafer) writes:
   In article <32569@usc> [e-mail] (Steve Robiner) writes:

>>   It was described by witnesses as 'an electrical fire' and others
>>   as 'an explosion.'  I heard one report on the radio that a witness
>>   who happened to videotape the event had his tape confiscated by the
>>   Air Force.

Tell me, is it true that you need a license to use a camcorder in LA
these days ?

TFIC,
STF
--
[e-mail]                        ...ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!sfleming
"I like Los Angeles - it has great parking lots."

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

Date: 7 May 91 19:51:23 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (Heidi Hammel)
Subject: Re: Ethics of Terraforming (was Re: Terraforming Venus)

[e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
>[e-mail] (Ken Sheppardson) writes:
>>  Is there anyone else out there who questions the ethics of tampering
>>  with other planets (with or without the presence of life) to make them
>>  more 'earthlike'? ...
>
>How do you feel about the Hawaiian Islands, which were bare volcanic rock
>until all those foreign plants and animals moved in and started tampering?
>If what nature did there was right, how can it be wrong for nature (which
>includes us) to do the same thing elsewhere?

Anybody else out there getting this strange feeling of deja vu?   I even
checked the dates to make sure these weren't ghost postings resurrected
from the dead (as occasionally happens).

This point (Hawaiian Islands) is where I jumped into the conversation last
time ... I'm not gonna bother again.  Didn't anybody out there save all the
discussion of the ethics of terraforming from last time around?   Seems
pointless to rehash all this when we just did it a few weeks ago .....
--
_________________________________________________________________________
    Heidi B. Hammel   ([e-mail])   MIT 54-316   EAPS Dept.
"A dragon stranded in shallow water furnishes amusement for the shrimps."
                       - an oh-so-true chinese proverb (c/o M. Groening)

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

Date: 7 May 91 19:15:59 GMT
From: celit![e-mail]  (Dave Smith)
Subject: Re: Saturn V and the ALS

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Paul Blase) writes:
>Several things that I think that most people are missing about the ALS.
>
>The ALS is NOT an attempt to build a latest, state-of-the art,
>Lamborghini-class launch vehicle.  Rather, it is a "Ford Pickup" class
>hauler.  The end goal is minimization of launch costs, NOT maximization
>of performance.  To this end:

No, nobody is missing anything.  You're just on different wavelengths.
You are saying the NASA says the ALS will be a "pick-em-up truck."  Because
it's built to perform as a pick-em-up truck it will be cheap.

What everyone else is saying is "The Shuttle was going to be a pick-em-up
truck.  Why is ALS different?"  The only answer I've seen you give to date
is "NASA says so."  You believe NASA.  Eveyone else believes in NASA too,
to build a Lamborghini class vehicle while they're saying they're building
a pick-em-up truck.  (Actually Lamborghini makes very nice tractors and a
most excellent off-road vehicle, but that's besides the point).  I think,
Paul, in order to get anywhere in this discussion you need to explain why
you believe NASA won't end up doing the exact same thing they did with the
Shuttle...and answers like "They say they won't" don't cut it.  Unfortunately
I don't think there's another answer to give.  NASA has lost the trust of
many people.  They're not going to regain it easily.

--
David L. Smith
FPS Computing, San Diego        ucsd!celit!dave or [e-mail]
"It was time to stop playing games.  It was time to put on funny hats and
eat ice cream.  Froggie played his oboe" - Richard Scarry

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

Date: 7 May 91 21:51:32 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA Headline News for 05/07/91 (Forwarded)


             Headline News
Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA Headquarters

  Tuesday, May 7, 1991    Audio Service: 202 / 755-1788

This is NASA Headline News for Tuesday, May 7, 1991 . . .

Discovery and its STS-39 crew landed yesterday shortly before
3:00 pm EDT at Kennedy Space Center.  Winds at the primary
Edwards landing site had picked up causing flight controllers to select
the backup landing site.  The crew and vehicle were reported to be
in excellent condition following the landing.  NASA, Air Force and
Strategic Defense Initiative officials associated with this flight called
the eight-day mission an outstanding success.  Nearly all of the
category one, two and three experiment objectives of this flight were
completed successfully.

The terminal countdown demonstration test for the next launch, the
Columbia STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences mission, concluded this
morning at 11:00 am.  The next step in that planned nine-day mission
is the flight readiness review, scheduled for next Monday and
Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Center, May 13 and 14.

With the arrival this morning of Endeavour, all four orbiters are
now at the Kennedy Space Center.  Endeavour had flown to
Ellington Field, Houston, yesterday and then on to Columbus Air Force
Base, Miss.  NASA's new 747 shuttle carrier aircraft and Endeavour
arrived at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility from Columbus this
morning at 9:28 am.  Endeavour has nearly a year's worth of additional
preparatory work at KSC prior to its first scheduled flight on STS-49,
May 1992.

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

Goddard Space Flight Center controllers report that the Gamma Ray
spacecraft and its four instruments are all performing well.
This past week, the instruments were trained nine degrees off the
center of the Crab Nebula as part of the instrument calibration phase.
Today, the observatory will be pointed on a mysterious cosmic
phenomenon known as the Galactic Hole.  The spacecraft's
instruments will gather data for three days prior to pointing at the
Constellation Vela for a continuation of calibration activities.  The
Gamma Ray Observatory is currently in a 287-by-280-mile orbit.
                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jet Propulsion Laboratory flight controllers report that data
collection and spacecraft operations for Ulysses are continuing
in a routine mode.  Ulysses is currently about 283 million miles from
Earth and moving toward Jupiter at a heliocentric velocity of 50,500
miles per hour.  Nominal pointing maneuvers to reorient the high gain
antenna toward Earth are now occurring about every five days.  JPL
also conducts real-time flight control activities with Ulysses during a
daily eight-to-ten hour Deep Space Network acquisition period.  Recent
activities have included resetting the spacecraft's onboard active and
passive thermal systems to normal, following cessation of the wobble.

Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA
Select TV.  Note that all events and times may change without notice,
and that all times listed are Eastern.


Tuesday, 5/7/91
    12:00 pm    Public Service Recognition Week announcement.

    12:15 pm    Federal Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
          program.

    1:30 pm    NASA Radio Program.

    1:55 pm    Hubble Space Telescope first observation of Jupiter.  LIVE

Wednesday, 5/8/91
    9:30 am    NASA hearing before Senate Subcommittee on VA, HUD
          and Independent Agencies.  LIVE

    1:15 pm    Magellan-at-Venus report from Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
LIVE

This report is filed daily at noon, Monday through Friday.  It is a service of
NASA's Office of Public Affairs.  The contact is Charles Redmond, 202/453-
8425 or CREDMOND on NASAmail.  NASA Select TV is carried on GE
Satcom F2R, transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West Longitude,
transponder frequency is 3960 megaHertz, audio is offset 6.8 MHz,
polarization is vertical.

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

End of SPACE Digest V13 #518
*******************