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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #668

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 668

Today's Topics:
     Research assistant positions at UC Berkeley - Space Sciences
         SIGNIFICANT MAJOR SOLAR FLARE ALERT
        Re: Tethers (was Re: Laser launchers)
             Toward 2001 - 27 May
               Re: satellite refuelling

Administrivia:

    Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to
  [e-mail].  Other mail, esp. [un]subscription requests,
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 31 May 91 23:32:07 GMT
From: stanford.edu!agate![e-mail]  (EUVE jobs)
Subject: Research assistant positions at UC Berkeley - Space Sciences


                   Map the Unseen Universe

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) Project  is looking for
talented  and  enthusiastic  professionals  to join our team in
exploring and documenting stars and galaxies as they have never
been seen before.

EUVE is a NASA satellite scheduled for launch in December 1991.
Its  four  telescopes  were  designed  and  built  at the Space
Sciences Laboratory of the University of California, Berkeley.
These high-tech instruments will scan the sky in the first-ever
study of  the extreme ultraviolet,  a band of the spectrum that
cannot  be  seen  from  Earth.   Discoveries  await  us in this
previously unexplored region of space.

Among the challenges of the EUVE mission  is the development of
software to interpret the data gathered by the satellite.  This
software  will be used to study  the entire sky, creating a map
of the locations and intensities of stars and other astronomical
sources  emitting EUV radiation,  and to  convert photon  events
into meaningful data for in-depth scientific study.

The following positions are available:

                        STAFF POSITIONS

All  jobs  require  a  background in Astronomy,  Physics, Math,
Computer Science, or a related field.  In addition,  applicants
must  be  familiar  with  the  UNIX  operating system  and have
experience with C and/or FORTRAN.


RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Box # 12-215-218-22 Q

Work  on  a  scientific  team  for reducing  and analyzing EUVE
spectrometer  data for the  Guest Observer Program.  Coordinate
data   processing   activities   of   space-  and  ground-based
astronomical  observations  and  assist  in  using software for
scientific analysis of data.   Integrate instrument calibration
data  into  an  evolving   software  package;  test  integrated
astronomical software. Assist with evaluation of Guest Observer
proposals.

REQUIRED:  Related work experience on an astronomical satellite
           project.
DESIRABLE: Knowledge of IRAF.


RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Box # 03-214-218-22

Support  the  processing  of  EUVE  satellite  data  from  raw
telemetry  into  skymaps,  source catalogs, time-tagged photon
files, and spectra.  Monitor  the  data  processing flow, help
detect  previously  unknown  EUV   sources,   assist   in  the
understanding  of  spacecraft  aspect,   produce  skymaps   in
multiple bandpasses,  produce a history file database, develop
data processing strategies with the staff scientists.

REQUIRED:  Experience with C or Bourne shell scripts.
DESIRABLE: Experience  with  data  reduction  and  analysis
           techniques with astronomical packages.

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

All jobs are located  at the  Center for EUV Astrophysics on
the  UC  Berkeley  campus.  To  apply,  send  a  resume  and
three  references to the UC Employment Office, 2539 Channing
Way, Berkeley, CA 94720.   Cite the box number given for the
position.

You may also  send  copies of resumes  and cover  letters by
email  to  [e-mail].   However,  official
applications MUST go through the UC Employment Office at the
address given above.



               THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IS AN
          EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

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

Date: Sat, 1 Jun 91 13:05:58 MDT
From: oler <@BITNET.CC.CMU.EDU:[e-mail]> (CARY OLER)
Subject: SIGNIFICANT MAJOR SOLAR FLARE ALERT
X-St-Vmsmail-To: st%"[e-mail]"

                        --  MAJOR SOLAR FLARE ALERT  --

                                 JUNE 01, 1991

                              Flare Event Summary
                          Potential Impact Assessment


                                    --------



MAJOR ENERGETIC EVENT SUMMARY

     A very powerful solar flare ripped out of the northeast solar limb
today.  The event, one of the most powerful events observed in several years,
produced an impressive spray out to as far as 0.51 solar radii.  The x-rays
from this flare peaked at a class X12 level before saturating the sensors on
the GOES satellites.  Saturation occurred for a period of 12 minutes, so the
true intensity of this flare is unknown (it was well above a class X12
level).  The location of this very energetic event is not firmly known.  The
region which spawned this flare is still just slightly beyond the east solar
limb and should rotate into view shortly.  The associated flare spray was
observed at a solar latitude of N30E90.  This event included a major Type II
sweep frequency event, and a moderate intensity Type IV continuum burst.  The
10 cm radio burst was 5,400 sfu, while the 245 MHz burst was rated at 21,000
sfu.  The integrated x-ray flux from this event is estimated at 4.50, which
is extraordinarily high for any solar event.  The flare began at 14:56 UT,
reached a peak near 15:00 UT (preliminary data) and has not yet finished.
X-rays decayed to a class X1.0 level at 17:30 UT and at the time of this
writing (18:00 UT) x-rays were still above the M8.0 level.

     This is an exceedingly significant solar flare.  Although the optical
counterpart cannot be determined accurately due to the poor location of this
flare, the optical portion that was observed was estimated at 2N.
Significant protons were likely ejected from this flare, but due to the poor
location of the flare, we may not observe any protons from it.

     This flare produced one of the most significant ionospheric impacts in
quite some time.  A major HF radio blackout occurred with this event.  All HF
bands have been wiped out since approximately 15:00 UT (over three hours so
far), and blackout conditions are expected to continue for at least another
hour or so.  Some improvement may be observed by 20:00 UT, although
ionization levels will remain enhanced throughout the rest of the UT day.
Significant VHF enhancements may have been observed with this event.  Data
has not yet arrived concerning the VHF spectrum.


POTENTIAL TERRESTRIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

     There is not expected to be a geomagnetic impact from this large flare.
There is a very slight risk that protons might become slightly enhanced,
although the probability for this is rather low.  A proton event remains in
progress at the present time (particles are hovering near 10 pfu).

     The next two weeks should prove to be very interesting.  If the region
which spawned todays very powerful event holds together throughout the next
two weeks, very high terrestrial impacts might be observed.  Central
meridian transit of this region should occur within 7 or 8 days.  More will
be known when this region rotates into view.

     HF radio operators should expect to see further minor to major radio
blackouts over the next two weeks.  Perhaps not as all-encompassing as this
most recent major event was, but strong nonetheless.

     Watch for future major flare alerts, and possible warnings.


**  End of Alert  **

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

Date: 1 Jun 91 21:34:43 GMT
From: news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Tethers (was Re: Laser launchers)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (joefish) writes:
>The long things you were discussing are called "beanstalks",
>and are science fiction, because the materials to make them
>possible will never exist.

Nonsense.  For the full geostationary beanstalk, given careful design (in
particular, a tapered cable), the strengths are well within theoretical
maximum strengths of materials.  They are beyond the current state of the
art, but the state of the art is advancing rapidly.  Less demanding designs
like rotating low-orbit tethers can be done with off-the-shelf materials,
although they have their own complications.

>A steel cable 20 miles long will
>break from it's own weight.

Make it out of 1Mpsi carbon fiber (commercially available for several years)
and it won't.  Nobody has ever suggested using steel.

>The question is:  How can discussions of beanstalks be stopped?

By persistently posting completely ignorant and incorrect flames about them?
--
"We're thinking about upgrading from    | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
SunOS 4.1.1 to SunOS 3.5."              |  [e-mail]  utzoo!henry

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

Date: 25 May 91 17:36:42 GMT
From: usc!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!pitt!nss![e-mail]  (Bev Freed)
Subject: Toward 2001 - 27 May


                            ***********
                            TOWARD 2001
                            ***********
                        Week of 27 May 1991
                 A Weekly Feature of SPACE CALENDAR
                   + = Domestic (USA) Earth event
                   * = Domestic (USA) space event
                   o = International Earth event
                   # = International space event
--------------------------------------------------------------------
                        REPRINT INFORMATION
This information is reproduced by permission of the Space Age
Publishing Company.  All rights reserved.  Copyright April 15,
1991.  Reproduction in any form without written permission violates
federal statute with penalty of up to $50,000.  SPACE CALENDAR is
edited and published on the Big `Space' Island of Hawaii.
====================================================================
                           * * * * * * *
+ 5th Shuttle Orbiter
Washington DC

NASA administrator Richard Truly will pursue the issue of another
orbiter to bring the fleet back to its originally planned strength.
Truly told a Senate panel on 8 May that debate should continue.
                           * * * * * * *
+ American Rocket Co
Camrillo CA

AMROC is proceeding with plans to use its hybrid rocket engine
technology to build the Aquila launcher. The new rocket is to have a
LEO capacity of 1,400 lb (636 kg) and could be ready for flight by
late 1994.
                           * * * * * * *
o Canada Space Technologies
Ancaster Ontario

Founded in 1990, CST is negotiating with Canadian officials for
rights to transform the defunct Churchill Research Range into a
commercial launch facility. A 1989 feasibility study found the
market could make the range profitable after a few years.
                           * * * * * * *
o Solidaridad System
Mexico City, Mexico

Hughes will provide two HS601 satellites, ground equipment, and
training to the Mexican government for US$183.47 million. The first
spacecraft, which will have a service life of 12-14 years, is to be
delivered by September 1993 and could be launched as early as
November 1993.
                           * * * * * * *
# Soviet Mir 1 Space Station
Low Earth Orbit

Cosmonauts Viktor Afanasyev and Musa Manarov should return to Earth
this week following a 6 month tour of duty, along with premier
British astronaut Helen Sharman. New crew at Mir 1 consists of
Anatoly P Artsebarski and Sergei K Krikalyov.
                           * * * * * * *
o Arabsat Consortium
Cairo, Egypt

A third ArabSat communications satellite, worth US$50 million, will
be launched in December 1991 via an Ariane rocket, ministers of the
group revealed in early May. The move ends speculation that Arabsat
would honor an earlier contract with China Great Wall Industries
Corp.
                           * * * * * * *
o HutchVision Ltd / MTV Deal
Hong Kong

HutchVision expects to begin 24 hour programming of an adapted MTV
to its pan-Asia audience in September, following an agreement with
Viacom International.
                           * * * * * * *
+ Texas Space Future
College Station TX

Texas' work in superconductivity, biomedical research, and
agriculture is part of "creating a world that will make `Star Trek'
look primitive" Governor Ann Richards told graduates from Texas A&M
this month. Those developments will make Texas an international
trade center, Richards said.
                           * * * * * * *
+ Onizuka Space Center
Kona HI

The $2 million Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka Space Center at Keahole
Airport should be open in time for the 11 July total solar eclipse,
the coordinating committee said recently. About $750,000 worth of
exhibits have yet to be installed in the $1.3 million structure
completed by the state earlier this year.
                           * * * * * * *
+ Lunar Footnote (Statistic)

6,738 Days since Moon last visited by humans.
                           * * * * * * *
o International Space Year 1992 (Quotation)

      "The most important policy objective of the ISY . . . is
 to instill a new Space Age frame of reference in the thoughts and
              actions of governments and individuals."
               -- The late U S Senator Spark M Matsunaga, Hawaii
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--- Opus-CBCS 1.20.iii
 * Origin: NSS BBS - Ad Astra! [phone] *HST* (1:129/104.0)
--
Bev Freed - via FidoNet node 1:129/104
UUCP: ...!pitt!nss!freed
INTERNET: [e-mail]

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

Date: 27 May 91 19:56:00 GMT
From: agate!spool.mu.edu!rex!rouge![e-mail]  (Fraering Philip)
Subject: Re: satellite refuelling

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:

\Very slowly.  There is some interest in small electric thrusters for comsat
/stationkeeping, but I don't think anyone has flown them yet.  The hottest
\new development (pun unintentional) in comsat thrusters is using resistance
/grids or electric arcs to superheat the exhaust from a hydrazine thruster.

Couldn't an electric heating element be used as a catalyst?

Doesn't the design of some resistojets involve feeding the hydrazine
itself into an arcjet, without prior decomposition?

BTW, WRT extraterrestrial resources: most schemes to retrieve
extraterrestrial resources involve propulsion devices much
more sophisticated, powerful, and efficient (both energy and
propellantwise) than the thrusters on today's comsats. This
same technology applied to sattelites would at today's usage
levels greatly diminish the need for any sort of refuelling.

I suspect that bulk fuels from Earth or extraterrestrial resources
would have to serve a different market than today's comsats. There
is no immediate market right now.

Phil Fraering || Usenet (?):[e-mail] || YellNet: 318/365-5418
Standard disclaimer, whatever a disclaimer is, applies.
''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_

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

End of SPACE Digest V13 #668
*******************