Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V13_7/V13_726.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #726

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 726

Today's Topics:
             Toward 2001 - 10 Jun
      Re: Microsat-EOS (Was:  Re: Fred's Operatic Death)
        Excavating (minig) gold in the space by NASA.
            Re: Traxler says:  WAKE UP!!!!
             Re: Space Station Objectives

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

Date: 10 Jun 91 01:11:04 GMT
From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!pitt!nss![e-mail]  (Bev Freed)
Subject: Toward 2001 - 10 Jun


                            ***********
                            TOWARD 2001
                            ***********
                        Week of 10 June 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 June 10,
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.
====================================================================
                           * * * * * * *
* STS 40 Columbia
LEO / Edwards AFB CA

The 41st Space Shuttle mission should touch down this week after 9
days in space, provided its launch stays on schedule for the first
days of June. Among experiments done by the seven crew members will
be examination of 19 kinds of plants using seeds provided by Sakata
Seed Corp of Japan.
                           * * * * * * *
* Spaceport Florida Eclipse Mission
Tuxpan, Mexico

The small town of Tuxpan, Mexico, located between Mazatlan and Guadalajara,
will be the site of Florida's first rocket launch -- a mission to
measure the solar corona during the 11 July solar eclipse.
                           * * * * * * *
o German Space Policy
Bonn

DARA, the German Space Agency, is expected to release a 10 year
funding plan later this year which will take into consideration the
costs of reunification with the former East Germany. Earth
observation reportedly will receive special emphasis.
                           * * * * * * *
o Space Station Budget Fallout
Tokyo, Japan

High level officials in Japan are threatening to pull out of big science
joint ventures with the USA if funding is not restored to the Space
Station Freedom program. Specifically, Foreign Minister Nakayama
indicated $1 billion participation in the superconducting
supercollider would be withdrawn.
                           * * * * * * *
+ Shuttle Processing Center
NASA KSC FL

Construction is underway on a new three-story, 99,000 sq ft building
which will be used for launch crew training, launch equipment
maintenance, and support of Shuttle orbiter processing. The $8.9
million facility will be located in the Launch Complex 39 area.
                           * * * * * * *
o More CRRES Experiments
The Caribbean

During July and August the Combined Release and Radiation Effects
satellite will set loose another batch of barium in the upper
atmosphere as part of Earth atmosphere experiments.
                           * * * * * * *
o German / Japanese `Express'
Bonn / Tokyo

Deutsche Aerospace MBB-Erno is working with Japan's Institute of Space
and Astronautical Science to develop an 800 kg recoverable capsule
that will carry 200 kg of payload. The capsule will be launched
aboard an ISAS Mu-3S2 rocket.
                           * * * * * * *
o Koreasat
Seoul, S Korea

According to Space Calendar contributor Theo Pirard, South Korea
plans to operate a domestic comsat system by 1995. Two spacecraft
with 15 Ku-band transponders are to be ordered by late 1991 or early
1992, Pirard said.
                           * * * * * * *
+ Lunar Power System
Pasco WA

The money for a system to provide solar energy to the Earth from
facilities on the Moon "has to be fought for" participants in the
Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory Power Beaming Workshop learned
in May. Dan Greenwood, founder of the Lunar Solar Power Coalition,
added significant progress is being made.
                           * * * * * * *
+ Lunar Footnote (Statistic)

6,752 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 1.20.16a
 * 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: 11 Jun 91 17:19:08 GMT
From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!news.nd.edu!mentor.cc.purdue.edu!mace.cc.purdue.edu![e-mail]  (Perry G Ramsey)
Subject: Re: Microsat-EOS (Was:  Re: Fred's Operatic Death)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Greg Moore) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>>In article <[e-mail]> you write:
>>>
>>>       Nick, do you really think we can get 77 microsat-sized and valuable
>>>space-rated environmental monitoring sensor packages for only $1 billion?
>>
>>I am no expert in this field, but at least one environmental monitoring
>>satellite, called SeaStar and based on the Orbital Sciences Corp. PegaStar
>>bus, is being is being built as we speak.  The satellite costs $10 million,
>>and the launch $7 million.  Naively assuming no economies of production
>

Well, so what?  One of the principal requirements of the EOS platforms
is that measurements are simultaneous and consistent.
In my business, we have tons
on data, but unless we can put  it together, we're pretty much just
blowing wind (no pun intended).

I've heard (and personally grilled, since I'm not generally a fan of
space giantism, being an ex-fredder) some of the people directly
involved in system selection, in particular Jeff Dozier of UCSB.  His
response to the small satellite argument is, "Hey, we're not stupid.
We looked at constellations of small satellites, and to get what we
want, it just costs more than one big one."  These are intelligent,
knowledgeable, involved, and honest people, and after reviewing all
the relevant factors, they went with the big platform.  Somewhere, you
have to respect the opinion of the experts, particularly when they've
been working full time on the problem.

Another thing about EOS that's overlooked is that 40% of it is to pay
guys like me to figure out what it all means.  Most NASA programs
start out that way, but  the data analysis part of the budget gets
eaten to pay the hardware cost overruns.  EOS won't do that.  BTW,
that's something to consider when comparing ESA space science to NASA
space science.  ESA doesn't pick up the tab for supporting the end
users of the data; NASA does.

Anyway, just because you can launch 77 small communications satellites
for $1e9 doesn't mean you can do EOS for that.

--
Perry G. Ramsey         Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
[e-mail]  Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA
perryr@purccvm
N9LFF

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

Date: 11 Jun 91 19:09:22 GMT
From: agate!spool.mu.edu!caen!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!hobbes.physics.uiowa.edu!news.iastate.edu!du248-12.cc.iastate.edu![e-mail]  (Sehari Babak)
Subject: Excavating (minig) gold in the space by NASA.


This article originally was posted in misc.invest. I thought it might be
interesting for this news group too.

In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Cray Hardware Support) writes:

>I recently came across this article in sci.elctronics and thought it
>might be of interest since the recent discussion of where the price
>of gold might be going. Anybody care to comment?

>In article <[e-mail]>
>[e-mail] (Luns Tee) writes:
>>>

>>Today's Washington Post reports that an asteroid has been found orbiting the
>>Sun at a distance of about 20 million miles from Earth (closest point).  It
>>apparently contains 10000 tons of gold and 100000 tons of platinum, as well
>>as 10 billion tons of iron and 1 billion tons of nickel.  Its estimated
>>worth was put at around 1 trillion dollars.

This might be one of the first real applications of Space technology. I say
NASA should issue stocks to built a space craft to go and bring that thing
down.  This could open up another very lucrative investment, a side from
satellites.  The technology we gain could help us mine other things in the
space too.  Then, boldly going were no man has gone before makes business
sense to.

I assume this could be possible if the price of gold goes much higher. Let us
forget about mars and concentrate on this, for now. After all, who needs cheap
marsian dart.

                      With highest regards,
                        Babak Sehari.

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

Date: 11 Jun 91 16:50:58 GMT
From: mcsun!inesc!unl!unl![e-mail]  (Jose Pina Coelho)
Subject: Re: Traxler says:  WAKE UP!!!!


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Charles
Frank Radley) writes:

>   ahem, Freedom is hardly a 60's vintage tin can......
>   It is the latest in the state of the art,
That is used to mean "it has a transistor/chip/computer on it" :-)

Seriously now, what is state of the art in fred ?
What sets it apart of Skylab (a 60's vintage tin can) ?


The Appolo on-board computer had 4Kb of memory (I think), if it were
launched today with a 1Gb RAM/100 Mips/50 Mflops computer, still it
wouldn't be state of the art today.


State of the art would be a bus (like in computer bus) in which you
could start pluging modules without problems.


State of the art is something you can't wait for, because when it hits
the market, it's no longer state of the art.


Skylab wasn't state of the art, it was garbage recicling, and it
worked.
It wasn't much more than a fish bowl and a life support system.

It's from that base that you have to start.  I've seen the most
ridiculous fights in this group, like "Does a space station need to
rotate?".
I don't know, nobody knows, but as long as we keep sitting
down here looking up and discussing if a station should spin, we
aren't collecting medical data on wether we need it or not.
It's not with a paper plane that can't stay up there a fourth-night
that you are going to study prolonged stay.


Make a non spinning station.
The astronauts stay healthy ? Good.
The astronauts don't stay healthy ?
GOOD, study them, get a small centrifugator module up there and check
if it is possible to compensate the lack of gravity with
dayly/weekly/whateverly centrifugation.
The astronauts insist on not beeing ok ?  Well, build a spinning
station.  The taxpayer will growl, the oposition will celebrate, but
you got more 0G medical research than in all the past space history.

Even if the centrifugator isn't enough, you can still have shifts.
Two months up, two months down should take care of most (is not all)
of the problems.


>  and wil be the most advanced spacecraft ever flown ( at least

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

Date: 10 Jun 91 18:00:57 GMT
From: ssc-vax!bcsaic!hsvaic![e-mail]  (Dani Eder)
Subject: Re: Space Station Objectives

>So basically, was there ever a set mission or purpose to work towards in
>building Fred, or were there only the wishy washy possiblities?
>
> H. Peter White            " Whoever undertakes to set himself
> [e-mail]      up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge
> [e-mail]          is shipwrecked by the laughter of
> 665-5448 (SAL/ISTS)          the Gods. "        - Albert Einstein

[The following are quoted from the "Space Station Program
Program Requirements Document, February 24, 1988]

PREFACE

"This Space Station Program Requirements Document (PRD) establishes
the highest level requirements associated with the Space Station
Program (SSP). . . ."

SECTION 2

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The SSP objectives are:

(a) Establish a permanently manned multipurpose facility in
low Earth orbit in the 1990's;
(b) Enhance and evolve mankind's ability to live and work
safely in space;
(c) Stimulate technologies of national importance (especially
automation and robotics) by using them to provide SSP capabilities;
(d) Provide long-term, cost effective operation and
utilization of continually improving facilities for
scientific, technological, commercial, and operational
activities enabled or enhanced by the presence of man in
space;
(e) Promote substantial international cooperation in space;
(f) Create and expand opportunities for private-sector
activity in space;
(g) Provide for the evolution of the SS to meet future needs
and challenges;
(h) Provide unmanned platforms from which to perform
long-duration research and operational observations.

[end quote]

[The extent to which the current SSF implementation meets these
objectives is left as an exercise for the net-reader.

Dani Eder]

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

End of SPACE Digest V13 #726
*******************