Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V13_6/V13_624.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #624

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 624

Today's Topics:
           Payload Summary for 05/20/91 (Forwarded)
      Re: Crater Found From 65-Million Year Old Asteriod
             Re: Gravity vs. Mass
             Re: Asteroid mining
           Re: Rational next station design process
    UW-Madison Researchers Make Major Discovery Using HST
         Re: Fred cut, AXAF and SIRTF funded
    Re: Revising a biased history of space science funding
               Shuttle reports
               Re: Saturn V and the ALS
              Re: Why the space station?
         NASA Headline News for 05/20/91 (Forwarded)

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: 20 May 91 17:22:20 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: Payload Summary for 05/20/91 (Forwarded)


                              PAYLOAD TEST AND ACTIVITY SHEET
                              KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

                              TDRS-E/IUS-15
                              STS-43/DISCOVERY

                              May 20, 1991

          George H. Diller
          407/867-2468
          FTS 823-2468


          Upcoming Activity        * denotes change since last status

          CITE Testing begins: Interface Verification Test  5/20
          Astronaut payload inspection  5/20
          End-to-End TDRS communications test  5/28*
          IUS software demonstration load 5/29 *
          IUS Power-on stray voltage checks 5/31 *
          CITE disconnects 6/3 *
          IUS ordnance installation 6/4 *
          IUS/TDRS Installation into payload canister  6/14
          Move to Pad B/Install in PCR  6/17
          TDRS propellant loading  6/24-6/25
          Install IUS/TDRS into Atlantis  6/30
          Establish payload electrical connections  7/1
          Interface Verication Test (IVT)  7/5
          End-to-End Test (ETE)  7/7
          IUS Flight Ready Checks  7/12
          IUS Battery Installation 7/13-7/14 *
          IUS Simulated Countdown  7/16
          TDRS Battery Charging and Reconditioning  7/11-7/23
          IUS ordnance installation  7/19
          Close payload bay doors  7/22


          Activity Completed

          TDRS arrival at KSC  3/5
          IUS Arrival  4/26
          IUS Test Cell Installation  4/29
          TDRS removal from shipping container  4/30
          IUS/TDRS Mate  5/8
          Single Access Antenna (SAA) Inspection 5/10
          IUS checkout station testing (cos wrap test) completed 5/13
          TDRS State of Health Checks completed 5/14
          White Sands Compatability Test complete 5/15
          IUS/TDRS Electrical Mates 5/16

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

Date: 22 May 91 00:00:12 GMT
From: agate!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!kksys!wd0gol!newave![e-mail]  (John A. Weeks III)
Subject: Re: Crater Found From 65-Million Year Old Asteriod

In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Paul Blase):
> to: [e-mail] (John A. Weeks III)
> JA> report that `scientists' have found the remains of a 102 mile

> No need to put quotes around 'scientists'; the crater was originally
> discovered by oil exploration teams, scientists have just got around
> to finding additional confirmation

I always take things with a grain of salt when the press refers to a
scientist without identifing the scientiest, their organization, or provide
some type of credentials.

> JA> [...]  I was under the impression that an impact was
> JA> suspected to have happend all along based on the Iridum layer,
> JA> but that no one has connected the extinction to the impact.

> Although the iridium layer is pretty good evidence for an impact, no one
> had ever found the crater from the impact that produced it.
> Some scientists theorized that the layer could have been produced
> volcanically.  I'm not sure what you mean by "no one has connected....",
> that connection was what was causing all of the fuss in the first place!
> Actually, meteor strikes are suspected in many extinctions, although the
> evidence is, of course, somewhat fuzzy at present.

There is circumstantial evidence that the impact is connected with the
extinction, and, as Henry pointed out, it would be a major coincidence
if the two were not interrelated.  But there are some outstanding problems
with this theory that need to be satistified before it can be considered
a closed issue.  I am not a well versed in the field, so I can only repeat
what I read (and partly understand).  The dinosaurs did not die out in
one instant.  The extinction appears to have taken hundreds if not thousands
of years.  This could be consistant with a climate change, but one might
expect the effects of a major impact to be more immedieate.  There have been
a number of major extinctions, but only this one has the iridium layer.
These other extinctions will need to be explained, and the differences
between these other causes and the C-T extinction will have to be shown
to have different causes.  Perhaps all of the extinctions were caused by
impacts, if so, perhaps physical evidence will be discovered.  All in all,
I do not know of any conclusive proof that has been offered to connect
the C-T extincction to the comet/asteriod impact.  There is a regular flow
of papers on this area, so keep tuned....

-john-

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

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

ReSent-Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Resent-Date:  Thu, 23 May 91 08:59:12 EDT
Resent-From: Harold Pritchett <[e-mail]>
Resent-To: Space discussion group <[e-mail]>
Date:         Wed, 22 May 91 09:46:56 CDT
From: THE GAR <[e-mail]>

Can anyone recommend a book on Telescope Building?  I can't afford a
telescope, and I really don't know how much cheaper building your own
would be.  I am not looking for a Hubble or a Maxwell, but I would like
something a little more powerful than the KMart jobs that I can afford.

Primary interest:  Planetary observations.
Budget:  about $100.  (feel free to tell me that this is totally unrealistic,
                       if that is the case).

I was struck by an Arthur Clarke story recently, (its in his newest anthology
Tales from Planet Earth) that describes the satisfaction of viewing planetary
bodies through a telescope that you had worked to create yourself.  I think
it must be a wonderful feeling.

If anyone has any advice, or could refer me to a good reference, I would
greatly appreciate it.


 /++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++\
!  Later        +   Systems Programmer                                 !
!  Gary Warner  +   Samford University Computer Services               !
!               +   II TIMOTHY 2:15                                    !
 \+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++/

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

Date: 21 May 91 13:39:51 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (Sandy Antunes)
Subject: Re: Gravity vs. Mass

Easy physics here...
>(most of message deleted) When you climbed into the tunnel...
> and reach the center of the planet, would your weight be incredibly
> multiplied or zero?

The mass/gravitational constant formula assumed point masses.  If
you were in the center of the Earth, there is technically no central
mass attracting you.  The gravitational force is due to the entire
mass surrounding you, and a simple integral (simple?) solves the
problem... zero weight.

Or you could use common sense, easier then integrals!

As a side comment, if the general point-mass assumption used in the
simple form of the grav const. formula were true, there would be no
tides... tides are due to the fact that things really aren't point masses.
                                              sandy
--------------------------------------------------------------
[e-mail]     Sandy Antunes, El Loco d'Waupelani
  it's 2am... do you know what time it is?  ------------------

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

Date: 21 May 91 19:42:14 GMT
From: agate!spool.mu.edu!rex!rouge![e-mail]  (Fraering Philip)
Subject: Re: Asteroid mining

J.D. Nicholl mentions the Sudbury Astrobleme wrt asteroid
mining.

It is now thought that an asteroid, in melting a layer of rock with
the impact, caused a _terrestrial_ nickel deposit to differentiate.

Or at least I think. Where did I put those memory enhancement devices?

--
Phil Fraering || Usenet (?):[e-mail] || YellNet: 318/365-5418
''It hardly mattered now; it was, in fact, a fine and enviable
madness, this delusion that all questions have answers, and nothing is
beyond the reach of a strong left arm.`` - Larry Niven and Jerry
Pournelle, _The Mote in God's Eye_

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

Date: 22 May 91 03:39:20 GMT
From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!mintaka!ogicse!sequent!muncher.sequent.com![e-mail]
Subject: Re: Rational next station design process

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Kieran A. Carroll) writes:

>The United States has no space program.
>The last space program in the US was Apollo.

Good frigging grief.


--
Nick Szabo                [e-mail]
"If you understand something the first time you see it, you probably
knew it already.  The more bewildered you are, the more successful
the mission was." -- Ed Stone, Voyager space explorer

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

Date: 22 May 91 03:00:40 GMT
From: agate!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!kksys!wd0gol!newave![e-mail]  (John A. Weeks III)
Subject: UW-Madison Researchers Make Major Discovery Using HST


I heard on NPR that researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison,
WI, have made a major discovery using the Hubble Space Telescope.  It
seems that they have found several large clouds of hydrogen in space very
near our solar system.  The UW scientist that was interviewed said that
they did not have a theory to explain why the hydrogen was there, and the
fact that it was concentrated into clouds was also mysterious.  He speculated
that perhaps the clouds were held togather by "dark matter".

If anyone hears more details on this story, please post.  I am interested
in how this fits in with the big bang theory.

-john-

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

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

Date: 22 May 91 17:52:59 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!news.uu.net!indetech!hsv3![e-mail]  (Mike Van Pelt)
Subject: Re: Fred cut, AXAF and SIRTF funded

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>The Luddites have a real myth going here about poltical necessity
>of astronauts.

Luddites?  That does it, I just typed /szabo/a:j.

(Not a permanent KILL file entry, but I'm 300 messages behind,
and I've got to make some cuts somewhere...)
--
Mike Van Pelt                     "Something is happening here,
Headland Technology/Video 7        What it is ain't exactly clear..."
...ames!vsi1!v7fs1!mvp                 -- Pons & Fleischmann

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

Date: 24 May 91 02:51:58 GMT
From: convex![e-mail]  (Richard A. Schumacher)
Subject: Re: Revising a biased history of space science funding

[e-mail] (Karl Stapelfeldt) writes:
>the Apollo missions were the most important exploration missions ever
>conducted....  You imply that the Apollo program
>damaged planetary science, when in fact the opposite is true.  To
>ignore Apollo's contribution to planetary science shows an extreme
>bias against manned programs.

Are you arguing that, had Apollo not been mounted, no unmanned lunar
sample return missions would have been done? Are you arguing that it
was wise to have spent 30 billion dollars for the sampling and surveying
actually done, with no follow-on missions for 20 years?

Even so, Apollo's greatest harm was not in the low return of science for
dollars spent: it was in teaching a generation of taxpayers, congressmen
and NASA administrators that space was only an arena for huge, one-shot
stunts, and not a place where ongoing, evolving useful work could be done.

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

Date: 24 May 91 04:19:33 GMT
From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!news.cs.indiana.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu![e-mail]  (Eric Behr)
Subject: Shuttle reports

As only some old-timers will remember, I started the whole business over 3
years ago; after I lost Internet access, Peter has been diligently carrying
the torch. The least I can do to repay him is to post SpaceLink reports
while he is on vacation. Hope you'll enjoy the uploads.      Eric
--
Eric Behr, Illinois State University, Mathematics Department
Internet: [e-mail]    Bitnet: ebehr@ilstu

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

Date: 18 May 91 23:41:47 GMT
From: agate!lightning.Berkeley.EDU![e-mail]  (Frank Crary)
Subject: Re: Saturn V and the ALS

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Fraering Philip) writes:
>So then we are bound by treaty to build Freedom, no matter what the
>cost? All the Japanese would have to do would be to hold us to that,
>and we'd have to build Freedom,

No, the US is the ONLY Freedom partner who does NOT regard the "inter-
government agreement" (A State Department term) as a treaty. Since the
US congress did not approve it, we are NOT legaly bound to build
Freedom. However, Japan and the ESA take the agreement VERY seriously.
If (or no that we have) dumped Freedom, will we be able to get these
foreign space agencies to trust us again (say for an international
Mars mission, etc.) ?

                      Frank Crary
                                   UC Berkeley

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

Date: 19 May 91 18:53:10 GMT
From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!quest![e-mail]  (Steve Schaper - SSB)
Subject: Re: Why the space station?

Would it possibly be less costly to send the polar corer probe with onboard electron microscope, gas chromatograph, etc, and sample the core every cubic milimeter and take a while to do it, then to transfer the material back to earth, with all the capabilities needed, not to mention the very tiny, but _not_ politically insignificant chance that there might be living spores frozen a goodly way down?

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

Date: 20 May 91 17:14:30 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA Headline News for 05/20/91 (Forwarded)


             Headline News
Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA
Headquarters
  Monday, May 20, 1991    Audio Service: 202
/ 755-1788

This is NASA Headline News for Monday, May 20, 1991 . . .

NASA officials are continuing efforts to reverse the proposal of the
House Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies
to terminate the space station program.  Senior management personnel
are meeting this week with key Congressional and Administration leaders
to coordinate their efforts.

The crew of the STS-40 Space Shuttle Columbia arrived at Kennedy Space
Center yesterday afternoon to begin activities in preparation for
launch of their life science mission Wednesday morning.  Medical exams
and flight equipment fit checks dominate their schedule today.  STS- 40
Commander Bryan D. O'Connor and Pilot Sidney M. Gutierrez will log time
in the Shuttle Training Aircraft today, in preparation for the launch.

This morning, NASA test director Eric Redding termed countdown
operations "nominal" during the countdown status briefing, citing only
a minor instrumentation problem with a humidity separator on board
Columbia.  The problem is not expected to affect the launch schedule.
At the launch pad, work continues in setting up Spacelab access
equipment for final preparation prior to launch.  The shuttle's
internal power system has been fueled and the Spacelab module is being
powered up today. Checkout of the lab's animal holding facilities is
expected to begin this afternoon and the research animals will be
placed aboard Columbia early tomorrow morning.

Forecasters are watching a low pressure system over the central Gulf
that may affect Wednesday's launch.  That system, in combination with
an upper level low pressure trough from the west, could produce lower
level wind conditions that would violate launch criteria.  Shuttle
weather officer Ed Priselac predicts the possibility of a 60 percent
chance of weather violating launch criteria at T-minus zero Wednesday
and a 40 percent chance during the entire two-hour launch window.
Similar weather is expected Thursday, with Friday's weather improving.

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

NASA announced today that a second Astro mission will fly aboard the
Space Shuttle.  Cited as reason for the reflight was the success of the
first mission and the demonstrated ability of the instruments to
acquire high-quality scientific data.  The Astro mission will fly the
Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope, the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope and
the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photopolarimeter Experiment.

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

Orbiting Venus, the Magellan spacecraft operated its small thrusters
for more than a half hour Friday to slightly adjust its orbit to avoid
duplicating altimeter data obtained during the first phase of its
mapping mission.  The new track over the planet's surface will
interleave with the first phase's track.  Mapping of the planet was
continued Friday evening.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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, 5/21/91
     9:00 am    Countdown Status Briefing with Mike Leinbach, KSC
            test director, from KSC.  (LIVE)
    11:30 am    Pre-launch press conference with Dr. Lennard Fisk,
            NASA science and applications administrator, Robert
            Crippen, NASA shuttle director, James Harrington,
            STS-40 launch director, Capt. Mike Adams, USAF weather
            officer, from KSC. (LIVE)

Wednesday, 5/22/91
     3:15 am    Begin continuous pre-launch coverage of STS-40 (LIVE)
     8:00 am    Scheduled launch of Columbia for STS-40 mission. (LIVE)
     3:40 pm    Queen Elizabeth II visit at Johnson Space Center

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 #624
*******************