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Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 05:12:36 From: Space Digest maintainer <digests@isu.isunet.edu> Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V15 #034 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Fri, 24 Jul 92 Volume 15 : Issue 034 Today's Topics: Propulsion questions Space FAQ 12/15 - Controversial Questions Space FAQ 13/15 - Interest Groups & Publications Space FAQ 14/15 - How to Become an Astronaut Space FAQ 15/15 - Orbital and Planetary Launch Services Visual acuity in microgravity Welcome to the Space Digest!! Please send your messages to "space@isu.isunet.edu", and (un)subscription requests of the form "Subscribe Space <your name>" to one of these addresses: listserv@uga (BITNET), rice::boyle (SPAN/NSInet), utadnx::utspan::rice::boyle (THENET), or space-REQUEST@isu.isunet.edu (Internet). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 24 Jul 92 02:35:11 GMT From: Gary Coffman <ke4zv!gary> Subject: Propulsion questions Newsgroups: sci.space In article <Brst3K.Dps@zoo.toronto.edu> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes: >In article <cbeale.711757918@vela> cbeale@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Christopher Beale) writes: >>I think there is some research going on somewhere with inertial propulsion. >>As it turns out, the old right-hand-rule with spinning disks appears to >>exert a minute force without the classical mass expulsion conservation of >>momentum deal... > >I'd be very surprised to see any reputable research being done on such >subjects. The slightest hint of a violation of conservation of momentum >would be screaming front-page news in physics, and there's been no such >news as far as I know. This sounds like a rehash of the old Dean Drive first popularized in Analog Magazine. It's been throughly discredited. It appeared to produce some thrust, but less than enough to counter it's own weight. The problem was that the measurement was done with a spring scale and the shaking caused by the unbalanced masses caused resonance in the spring giving erroneous readings. Gary ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jul 92 04:36:15 GMT From: Jon Leech <leech@mahler.cs.unc.edu> Subject: Space FAQ 12/15 - Controversial Questions Newsgroups: sci.space,news.answers Archive-name: space/controversy Last-modified: $Date: 92/07/24 00:26:59 $ CONTROVERSIAL QUESTIONS These issues periodically come up with much argument and few facts being offered. The summaries below attempt to represent the position on which much of the net community has settled. Please DON'T bring them up again unless there's something truly new to be discussed. The net can't set public policy, that's what your representatives are for. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SATURN V PLANS Despite a widespread belief to the contrary, the Saturn V blueprints have not been lost. They are kept at Marshall Space Flight Center on microfilm. The problem in re-creating the Saturn V is not finding the drawings, it is finding vendors who can supply mid-1960's vintage hardware (like guidance system components), and the fact that the launch pads and VAB have been converted to Space Shuttle use, so you have no place to launch from. By the time you redesign to accommodate available hardware and re-modify the launch pads, you may as well have started from scratch with a clean sheet design. WHY DATA FROM SPACE MISSIONS ISN'T IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE Investigators associated with NASA missions are allowed exclusive access for one year after the data is obtained in order to give them an opportunity to analyze the data and publish results without being "scooped" by people uninvolved in the mission. However, NASA frequently releases examples (in non-digital form, e.g. photos) to the public early in a mission. RISKS OF NUCLEAR (RTG) POWER SOURCES FOR SPACE PROBES There has been extensive discussion on this topic sparked by attempts to block the Galileo and Ulysses launches on grounds of the plutonium thermal sources being dangerous. Numerous studies claim that even in worst-case scenarios (shuttle explosion during launch, or accidental reentry at interplanetary velocities), the risks are extremely small. Two interesting data points are (1) The May 1968 loss of two SNAP 19B2 RTGs, which landed intact in the Pacific Ocean after a Nimbus B weather satellite failed to reach orbit. The fuel was recovered after 5 months with no release of plutonium. (2) In April 1970, the Apollo 13 lunar module reentered the atmosphere and its SNAP 27 RTG heat source, which was jettisoned, fell intact into the 20,000 feet deep Tonga Trench in the Pacific Ocean. The corrosion resistant materials of the RTG are expected to prevent release of the fuel for a period of time equal to 10 half-lives of the Pu-238 fuel or about 870 years [DOE 1980]. To make your own informed judgement, some references you may wish to pursue are: A good review of the technical facts and issues is given by Daniel Salisbury in "Radiation Risk and Planetary Exploration-- The RTG Controversy," *Planetary Report*, May-June 1987, pages 3-7. Another good article, which also reviews the events preceding Galileo's launch, "Showdown at Pad 39-B," by Robert G. Nichols, appeared in the November 1989 issue of *Ad Astra*. (Both magazines are published by pro-space organizations, the Planetary Society and the National Space Society respectively.) Gordon L Chipman, Jr., "Advanced Space Nuclear Systems" (AAS 82-261), in *Developing the Space Frontier*, edited by Albert Naumann and Grover Alexander, Univelt, 1983, p. 193-213. "Hazards from Plutonium Toxicity", by Bernard L. Cohen, Health Physics, Vol 32 (may) 1977, page 359-379. NUS Corporation, Safety Status Report for the Ulysses Mission: Risk Analysis (Book 1). Document number is NUS 5235; there is no GPO #; published Jan 31, 1990. NASA Office of Space Science and Applications, *Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Ulysses Mission (Tier 2)*, (no serial number or GPO number, but probably available from NTIS or NASA) June 1990. [DOE 1980] U.S. Department of Energy, *Transuranic Elements in the Environment*, Wayne C. Hanson, editor; DOE Document No. DOE/TIC-22800; Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., April 1980.) IMPACT OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE ON THE OZONE LAYER From time to time, claims are made that chemicals released from the Space Shuttle's Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) are responsible for a significant amount of damage to the ozone layer. Studies indicate that they in reality have only a minute impact, both in absolute terms and relative to other chemical sources. The remainder of this item is a response from the author of the quoted study, Charles Jackman. The atmospheric modelling study of the space shuttle effects on the stratosphere involved three independent theoretical groups, and was organized by Dr. Michael Prather, NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies. The three groups involved Michael Prather and Maria Garcia (NASA/GISS), Charlie Jackman and Anne Douglass (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center), and Malcolm Ko and Dak Sze (Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc.). The effort was to look at the effects of the space shuttle and Titan rockets on the stratosphere. The following are the estimated sources of stratospheric chlorine: Industrial sources: 300,000,000 kilograms/year Natural sources: 75,000,000 kilograms/year Shuttle sources: 725,000 kilograms/year The shuttle source assumes 9 space shuttles and 6 Titan rockets are launched yearly. Thus the launches would add less than 0.25% to the total stratospheric chlorine sources. The effect on ozone is minimal: global yearly average total ozone would be decreased by 0.0065%. This is much less than total ozone variability associated with volcanic activity and solar flares. The influence of human-made chlorine products on ozone is computed by atmospheric model calculations to be a 1% decrease in globally averaged ozone between 1980 and 1990. The influence of the space shuttle and Titan rockets on the stratosphere is negligible. The launch schedule of the Space Shuttle and Titan rockets would need to be increased by over a factor of a hundred in order to have about the same effect on ozone as our increases in industrial halocarbons do at the present time. Theoretical results of this study have been published in _The Space Shuttle's Impact on the Stratosphere_, MJ Prather, MM Garcia, AR Douglass, CH Jackman, M.K.W. Ko and N.D. Sze, Journal of Geophysical Research, 95, 18583-18590, 1990. Charles Jackman, Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch, Code 916, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 Also see _Chemical Rockets and the Environment_, A McDonald, R Bennett, J Hinshaw, and M Barnes, Aerospace America, May 1991. HOW LONG CAN A HUMAN LIVE UNPROTECTED IN SPACE If you *don't* try to hold your breath, exposure to space for half a minute or so is unlikely to produce permanent injury. Holding your breath is likely to damage your lungs, something scuba divers have to watch out for when ascending, and you'll have eardrum trouble if your Eustachian tubes are badly plugged up, but theory predicts -- and animal experiments confirm -- that otherwise, exposure to vacuum causes no immediate injury. You do not explode. Your blood does not boil. You do not freeze. You do not instantly lose consciousness. Various minor problems (sunburn, possibly "the bends", certainly some [mild, reversible, painless] swelling of skin and underlying tissue) start after ten seconds or so. At some point you lose consciousness from lack of oxygen. Injuries accumulate. After perhaps one or two minutes, you're dying. The limits are not really known. References: _The Effect on the Chimpanzee of Rapid Decompression to a Near Vacuum_, Alfred G. Koestler ed., NASA CR-329 (Nov 1965). _Experimental Animal Decompression to a Near Vacuum Environment_, R.W. Bancroft, J.E. Dunn, eds, Report SAM-TR-65-48 (June 1965), USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas. USING THE SHUTTLE BEYOND LOW EARTH ORBIT You can't use the shuttle orbiter for missions beyond low Earth orbit because it can't get there. It is big and heavy and does not carry enough fuel, even if you fill part of the cargo bay with tanks. Furthermore, it is not particularly sensible to do so, because much of that weight is things like wings, which are totally useless except in the immediate vicinity of the Earth. The shuttle orbiter is highly specialized for travel between Earth's surface and low orbit. Taking it higher is enormously costly and wasteful. A much better approach would be to use shuttle subsystems to build a specialized high-orbit spacecraft. [Yet another concise answer by Henry Spencer.] THE "FACE ON MARS" There really is a big rock on Mars that looks remarkably like a humanoid face. It appears in two different frames of Viking Orbiter imagery: 35A72 (much more facelike in appearance, and the one more often published, with the Sun 10 degrees above western horizon) and 70A13 (with the Sun 27 degrees from the west). Science writer Richard Hoagland has championed the idea that the Face is artificial, intended to resemble a human, and erected by an extraterrestrial civilization. Most other analysts concede that the resemblance is most likely accidental. Other Viking images show a smiley-faced crater and a lava flow resembling Kermit the Frog elsewhere on Mars. There exists a Mars Anomalies Research Society (sorry, don't know the address) to study the Face. The Mars Observer mission will carry an extremely high-resolution camera, and better images of the formation will hopefully settle this question in a few years. In the meantime, speculation about the Face is best carried on in the altnet group alt.alien.visitors, not sci.space or sci.astro. V. DiPeitro and G. Molenaar, *Unusual Martian Surface Features*, Mars Research, P.O. Box 284, Glen Dale, Maryland, USA, 1982. [Apparently the first lengthy consideration of the Face published. Does anybody know what it costs?] R.R. Pozos, *The Face of Mars*, Chicago Review Press, 1986. [Account of an interdisciplinary speculative conference Hoagland organized to investigate the Face] R.C. Hoagland, *The Monuments of Mars: A City on the Edge of Forever*, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California, USA, 1987. [Elaborate discussion of evidence and speculation that formations near the Face form a city] M.J. Carlotto, "Digital Imagery Analysis of Unusual Martian Surface Features," *Applied Optics*, 27, pp. 1926-1933, 1987. [Extracts three-dimensional model for the Face from the 2-D images] M.J. Carlotto & M.C. Stein, "A Method of Searching for Artificial Objects on Planetary Surfaces," *Journal of the British Interplanetary Society*, Vol. 43 no. 5 (May 1990), p.209-216. [Uses a fractal image analysis model to guess whether the Face is artificial] B. O'Leary, "Analysis of Images of the `Face' on Mars and Possible Intelligent Origin," *JBIS*, Vol. 43 no. 5 (May 1990), p. 203-208. [Lights Carlotto's model from the two angles and shows it's consistent; shows that the Face doesn't look facelike if observed from the surface] NEXT: FAQ #13/15 - Space activist/interest/research groups & space publications ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jul 92 04:36:19 GMT From: Jon Leech <leech@mahler.cs.unc.edu> Subject: Space FAQ 13/15 - Interest Groups & Publications Newsgroups: sci.space,news.answers Archive-name: space/groups Last-modified: $Date: 92/07/24 00:27:06 $ SPACE ACTIVIST/INTEREST/RESEARCH GROUPS AND SPACE PUBLICATIONS GROUPS AMSAT - develops small satellites (since the 1960s) for a variety of uses by amateur radio enthusiasts. Has various publications, supplies QuickTrak satellite tracking software for PC/Mac/Amiga etc. Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) P.O. Box 27 Washington, DC 20044 (301)-589-6062 ASERA - Australian Space Engineering and Research Association. An Australian non-profit organisation to coordinate, promote, and conduct space R&D projects in Australia, involving both Australian and international (primarily university) collaborators. Activities include the development of sounding rockets, small satellites (especially microsatellites), high-altitude research balloons, and appropriate payloads. Provides student projects at all levels, and is open to any person or organisation interested in participating. Publishes a monthly newsletter and a quarterly technical journal. Membership $A100 (dual subscription) Subscriptions $A25 (newsletter only) $A50 (journal only) ASERA Ltd PO Box 184 Ryde, NSW, Australia, 2112 email: lindley@syd.dit.csiro.au BIS - British Interplanetary Society. Probably the oldest pro-space group, BIS publishes two excellent journals: _Spaceflight_, covering current space activities, and the _Journal of the BIS_, containing technical papers on space activities from near-term space probes to interstellar missions. BIS has published a design study for an interstellar probe called _Daedalus_. British Interplanetary Society 27/29 South Lambeth Road London SW8 1SZ ENGLAND No dues information available at present. NSS - the National Space Society, formed by the merger of the L-5 Society and the National Space Institute founded by Von Braun. NSS is a pro-space group distinguished by its network of local chapters. Supports a general agenda of space development and man-in-space, including the NASA space station. Publishes _Ad Astra_, a monthly glossy magazine, and runs Shuttle launch tours, Dial-A-Shuttle and Space Hotline telephone services. A major sponsor of the annual space development conference. Associated with Spacecause and Spacepac, political lobbying organizations. Membership $18 (youth/senior) $35 (regular). National Space Society Membership Department 922 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E. Washington, DC 20003-2140 (202)-543-1900 Planetary Society - founded by Carl Sagan. The largest space advocacy group. Publishes _Planetary Report_, a monthly glossy, and has supported SETI hardware development financially. Agenda is primarily support of space science, recently amended to include an international manned mission to Mars. The Planetary Society 65 North Catalina Avenue Pasadena, California 91106 Membership $35/year. SSI - the Space Studies Institute, founded by Dr. Gerard O'Neill. Publishes _SSI Update_, a bimonthly newsletter describing work-in-progress. Conducts a research program including mass-drivers, lunar mining processes and simulants, composites from lunar materials, solar power satellites. Runs the biennial Princeton Conference on Space Manufacturing. Developing a Lunar Polar Probe for 1992 launch to geochemically map the entire moon and search for volatiles which may be frozen at the poles. Membership $25/year. Senior Associates ($100/year and up) fund most SSI research. Space Studies Institute 258 Rosedale Road PO Box 82 Princeton, NJ 08540 SEDS - Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. Founded in 1980 at MIT and Princeton. SEDS is a chapter-based pro-space organization at high schools and universities around the world. Entirely student run. Each chapter is independent and coordinates its own local activities. Nationally, SEDS runs a scholarship competition, design contests, and holds an annual international conference and meeting in late summer. Students for the Exploration and Development of Space MIT Room W20-445 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 (617) 253-8897 email: odyssey@athena.mit.edu Dues determined by local chapter. SPACECAUSE - A political lobbying organization and part of the NSS Family of Organizations. Publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, Spacecause News. Annual dues is $25. Members also receive a discount on _The Space Activist's Handbook_. Activities to support pro-space legislation include meeting with political leaders and interacting with legislative staff. Spacecause primarily operates in the legislative process. National Office West Coast Office Spacecause Spacecause 922 Pennsylvania Ave. S.E. 3435 Ocean Park Blvd. Washington, D.C. 20003 Suite 201-S (202)543-1900 Santa Monica, CA 90405 SPACEPAC - A political action committee and part of the NSS Family of Organizations. Spacepac researches issues, policies, and candidates. Each year, updates _The Space Activist's Handbook_. Current Handbook price is $25. While Spacepac does not have a membership, it does have regional contacts to coordinate local activity. Spacepac primarily operates in the election process, contributing money and volunteers to pro-space candidates. Spacepac 922 Pennsylvania Ave. S.E. Washington, D.C. 20003 (202)543-1900 UNITED STATES SPACE FOUNDATION - a public, non-profit organization supported by member donations and dedicated to promoting international education, understanding and support of space. The group hosts an annual conference for teachers and others interested in education. Other projects include developing lesson plans that use space to teach other basic skills such as reading. Publishes "Spacewatch," a monthly B&W glossy magazine of USSF events and general space news. Annual dues: Charter $50 ($100 first year) Individual $35 Teacher $29 College student $20 HS/Jr. High $10 Elementary $5 Founder & $1000+ Life Member United States Space Foundation P.O. Box 1838 Colorado Springs, CO 80901 (719) 550-1000 PUBLICATIONS Air & Space / Smithsonian (bimonthly magazine) Box 53261 Boulder, CO 80332-3261 $18/year US, $24/year international Final Frontier (mass-market bimonthly magazine) - history, book reviews, general-interest articles (e.g. "The 7 Wonders of the Solar System", "Everything you always wanted to know about military space programs", etc.) Final Frontier Publishing Co. PO Box 534 Mt. Morris, IL 61054-7852 $14.95/year US, $19.95 Canada, $23.95 elsewhere Space News (weekly magazine) - covers US civil and military space programs. Said to have good political and business but spotty technical coverage. Space News Springfield VA 22159-0500 703-642-7330 $75/year, may have discounts for NSS/SSI members Space Flight News (monthly magazine) - covers current space activities (all nations) in depth and has good historical series on topics like early space capsules, cosmonauts, etc. Available by newsstand in the US (with several months shipping delay), only by mail elsewhere. Subscription Dept. Space Flight News Ltd. PO Box 100 Stamford, Lincs, PE9IXQ ENGLAND #16.20 pounds/year UK and international (surface) airmail: #25/year (Europe) #26 (Middle East) #29 (North America) #31 (Australia, NZ, Japan) Journal of the Astronautical Sciences and Space Times - publications of the American Astronautical Society. No details. AAS Business Office 6352 Rolling Mill Place, Suite #102 Springfield, Va. 22152 703-866-0020 GPS World (semi-monthly) - reports on current and new uses of GPS, news and analysis of the system and policies affecting it, and technical and product issues shaping GPS applications. GPS World 859 Willamette St. P.O. Box 10460 Eugene, OR 97440-2460 503-343-1200 Free to qualified individuals; write for free sample copy. Planetary Encounter - in-depth technical coverage of planetary missions, with diagrams, lists of experiments, interviews with people directly involved. World Spaceflight News - in-depth technical coverage of near-Earth spaceflight. Mostly covers the shuttle: payload manifests, activity schedules, and post-mission assessment reports for every mission. Box 98 Sewell, NJ 08080 $30/year US/Canada $45/year elsewhere UNDOCUMENTED GROUPS Anyone who would care to write up descriptions of the following groups (or others not mentioned) for inclusion in the answer is encouraged to do so. AAS - American Astronautical Society AIAA - American Institute of Astronautics & Aeronautics World Space Foundation Other groups not mentioned above NEXT: FAQ #14/15 - How to become an astronaut ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jul 92 04:36:23 GMT From: Jon Leech <leech@mahler.cs.unc.edu> Subject: Space FAQ 14/15 - How to Become an Astronaut Newsgroups: sci.space,news.answers Archive-name: space/astronaut Last-modified: $Date: 92/07/24 00:26:55 $ HOW TO BECOME AN ASTRONAUT First the short form, authored by Henry Spencer, then an official NASA announcement. Q. How do I become an astronaut? A. We will assume you mean a NASA astronaut, since it's probably impossible for a Westerner to get into the Soviet program, and the other nations have so few astronauts (and fly even fewer) that you're better off hoping to win a lottery. Becoming a shuttle pilot requires lots of fast-jet experience, which means a military flying career; forget that unless you want to do it anyway. So you want to become a shuttle "mission specialist". If you aren't a US citizen, become one; that is a must. After that, the crucial thing to remember is that the demand for such jobs vastly exceeds the supply. NASA's problem is not finding qualified people, but thinning the lineup down to manageable length. It is not enough to be qualified; you must avoid being *dis*qualified for any reason, many of them in principle quite irrelevant to the job. Get a Ph.D. Specialize in something that involves getting your hands dirty with equipment, not just paper and pencil. Forget computer programming entirely; it will be done from the ground for the fore- seeable future. Degree(s) in one field plus work experience in another seems to be a frequent winner. Be in good physical condition, with good eyesight. (DO NOT get a radial keratomy or similar hack to improve your vision; nobody knows what sudden pressure changes would do to RKed eyes, and long-term effects are poorly understood. For that matter, avoid any other significant medical unknowns.) If you can pass a jet-pilot physical, you should be okay; if you can't, your chances are poor. Practise public speaking, and be conservative and conformist in appearance and actions; you've got a tough selling job ahead, trying to convince a cautious, conservative selection committee that you are better than hundreds of other applicants. (And, also, that you will be a credit to NASA after you are hired: public relations is a significant part of the job, and NASA's image is very prim and proper.) The image you want is squeaky-clean workaholic yuppie. Remember also that you will need a security clearance at some point, and Security considers everybody guilty until proven innocent. Keep your nose clean. Get a pilot's license and make flying your number one hobby; experienced pilots are known to be favored even for non-pilot jobs. Work for NASA; of 45 astronauts selected between 1984 and 1988, 43 were military or NASA employees, and the remaining two were a NASA consultant and Mae Jemison (the first black female astronaut). If you apply from outside NASA and miss, but they offer you a job at NASA, ***TAKE IT***; sometimes in the past this has meant "you do look interesting but we want to know you a bit better first". Think space: they want highly motivated people, so lose no chance to demonstrate motivation. Keep trying. Many astronauts didn't make it the first time. NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas Announcement for Mission Specialist and Pilot Astronaut Candidates ================================================================== Astronaut Candidate Program --------------------------- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a need for Pilot Astronaut Candidates and Mission Specialist Astronaut Candidates to support the Space Shuttle Program. NASA is now accepting on a continuous basis and plans to select astronaut candidates as needed. Persons from both the civilian sector and the military services will be considered. All positions are located at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and will involved a 1-year training and evaluation program. Space Shuttle Program Description --------------------------------- The numerous successful flights of the Space Shuttle have demonstrated that operation and experimental investigations in space are becoming routine. The Space Shuttle Orbiter is launched into, and maneuvers in the Earth orbit performing missions lastling up to 30 days. It then returns to earth and is ready for another flight with payloads and flight crew. The Orbiter performs a variety of orbital missions including deployment and retrieval of satellites, service of existing satellites, operation of specialized laboratories (astronomy, earth sciences, materials processing, manufacturing), and other operations. These missions will eventually include the development and servicing of a permanent space station. The Orbiter also provides a staging capability for using higher orbits than can be achieved by the Orbiter itself. Users of the Space Shuttle's capabilities are both domestic and foreign and include government agencies and private industries. The crew normally consists of five people - the commander, the pilot, and three mission specialists. On occasion additional crew members are assigned. The commander, pilot, and mission specialists are NASA astronauts. Pilot Astronaut Pilot astronauts server as both Space Shuttle commanders and pilots. During flight the commander has onboard responsibility for the vehicle, crew, mission success and safety in flight. The pilot assists the commander in controlling and operating the vehicle. In addition, the pilot may assist in the deployment and retrieval of satellites utilizing the remote manipulator system, in extra-vehicular activities, and other payload operations. Mission Specialist Astronaut Mission specialist astronauts, working with the commander and pilot, have overall responsibility for the coordination of Shuttle operations in the areas of crew activity planning, consumables usage, and experiment and payload operations. Mission specialists are required to have a detailed knowledge of Shuttle systems, as well as detailed knowledge of the operational characteristics, mission requirements and objectives, and supporting systems and equipment for each of the experiments to be conducted on their assigned missions. Mission specialists will perform extra-vehicular activities, payload handling using the remote manipulator system, and perform or assist in specific experimental operations. Astronaut Candidate Program =========================== Basic Qualification Requirements -------------------------------- Applicants MUST meet the following minimum requirements prior to submitting an application. Mission Specialist Astronaut Candidate: 1. Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Degree must be followed by at least three years of related progressively responsible, professional experience. An advanced degree is desirable and may be substituted for part or all of the experience requirement (master's degree = 1 year, doctoral degree = 3 years). Quality of academic preparation is important. 2. Ability to pass a NASA class II space physical, which is similar to a civilian or military class II flight physical and includes the following specific standards: Distant visual acuity: 20/100 or better uncorrected, correctable to 20/20, each eye. Blood pressure: 140/90 measured in sitting position. 3. Height between 60 and 76 inches. Pilot Astronaut Candidate: 1. Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Degree must be followed by at least three years of related progressively responsible, professional experience. An advanced degree is desirable. Quality of academic preparation is important. 2. At least 1000 hours pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. Flight test experience highly desirable. 3. Ability to pass a NASA Class I space physical which is similar to a military or civilian Class I flight physical and includes the following specific standards: Distant visual acuity: 20/50 or better uncorrected correctable to 20/20, each eye. Blood pressure: 140/90 measured in sitting position. 4. Height between 64 and 76 inches. Citizenship Requirements Applications for the Astronaut Candidate Program must be citizens of the United States. Note on Academic Requirements Applicants for the Astronaut Candidate Program must meet the basic education requirements for NASA engineering and scientific positions -- specifically: successful completion of standard professional curriculum in an accredited college or university leading to at least a bachelor's degree with major study in an appropriate field of engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics. The following degree fields, while related to engineering and the sciences, are not considered qualifying: - Degrees in technology (Engineering Technology, Aviation Technology, Medical Technology, etc.) - Degrees in Psychology (except for Clinical Psychology, Physiological Psychology, or Experimental Psychology which are qualifying). - Degrees in Nursing. - Degrees in social sciences (Geography, Anthropology, Archaeology, etc.) - Degrees in Aviation, Aviation Management or similar fields. Application Procedures ---------------------- Civilian The application package may be obtained by writing to: NASA Johnson Space Center Astronaut Selection Office ATTN: AHX Houston, TX 77058 Civilian applications will be accepted on a continuous basis. When NASA decides to select additional astronaut candidates, consideration will be given only to those applications on hand on the date of decision is made. Applications received after that date will be retained and considered for the next selection. Applicants will be notified annually of the opportunity to update their applications and to indicate continued interest in being considered for the program. Those applicants who do not update their applications annually will be dropped from consideration, and their applications will not be retained. After the preliminary screening of applications, additional information may be requested for some applicants, and person listed on the application as supervisors and references may be contacted. Active Duty Military Active duty military personnel must submit applications to their respective military service and not directly to NASA. Application procedures will be disseminated by each service. Selection --------- Personal interviews and thorough medical evaluations will be required for both civilian and military applicants under final consideration. Once final selections have been made, all applicants who were considered will be notified of the outcome of the process. Selection rosters established through this process may be used for the selection of additional candidates during a one year period following their establishment. General Program Requirements Selected applicants will be designated Astronaut Candidates and will be assigned to the Astronaut Office at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. The astronaut candidates will undergo a 1 year training and evaluation period during which time they will be assigned technical or scientific responsibilities allowing them to contribute substantially to ongoing programs. They will also participate in the basic astronaut training program which is designed to develop the knowledge and skills required for formal mission training upon selection for a flight. Pilot astronaut candidates will maintain proficiency in NASA aircraft during their candidate period. Applicants should be aware that selection as an astronaut candidate does not insure selection as an astronaut. Final selection as an astronaut will depend on satisfactory completion of the 1 year training and evaluation period. Civilian candidates who successfully complete the training and evaluation and are selected as astronauts will become permanent Federal employees and will be expected to remain with NASA for a period of at least five years. Civilian candidates who are not selected as astronauts may be placed in other positions within NASA depending upon Agency requirements and manpower constraints at that time. Successful military candidates will be detailed to NASA for a specified tour of duty. NASA has an affirmative action program goal of having qualified minorities and women among those qualified as astronaut candidates. Therefore, qualified minorities and women are encouraged to apply. Pay and Benefits ---------------- Civilians Salaries for civilian astronaut candidates are based on the Federal Governments General Schedule pay scales for grades GS-11 through GS-14, and are set in accordance with each individuals academic achievements and experience. Other benefits include vacation and sick leave, a retirement plan, and participation in group health and life insurance plans. Military Selected military personnel will be detailed to the Johnson Space Center but will remain in an active duty status for pay, benefits, leave, and other similar military matters. NEXT: FAQ #15/15 - Orbital and Planetary Launch Services ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jul 92 04:36:26 GMT From: Jon Leech <leech@mahler.cs.unc.edu> Subject: Space FAQ 15/15 - Orbital and Planetary Launch Services Newsgroups: sci.space,news.answers Archive-name: space/launchers Last-modified: $Date: 92/07/24 00:27:09 $ ORBITAL AND PLANETARY LAUNCH SERVICES If anyone has more accurate or more complete information, please post it and copy jim@pnet01.cts.com (Jim Bowery), who maintains the primary copy of this item. Don't forget to include the source of the information. PAYLOAD(LBS) DELIVERED TO COMPANY/VEHICLE $M LEO GTO GEO ESCAPE U.STAGE LAUNCHFAIL(1) MM/Titan4[H] 296 47000 .... 10300 .... Centaur .... .... MM/Titan4 277 49000 15000 5800 .... IUS .... .... MM/Titan3 160 32500 12474 4100 .... TOS .... .... AS/Arian44L[H] 110 21164 9259 5500 .... none .... .... GD/Atlas2 80 15700 6200 3000 .... Centaur .... .... MD/Delta2 52 11100 4010 2000 2816[S] PAMD[H] .... .... GW/LongMarch3 45 6614 2866 1433 .... none .... .... EPAC/EagleS2[E] 30 10000(2)5128 3374 ....(4) USTM(3) 0 0 OSC/Taurus[S] 17 2703 .... .... 374 .... 0 0 EPAC/EagleS1[E] 15 6000 .... .... ....(4) USTM 0 0 AMROC/Aquila[S] 10 2000 1467 .... .... none 0 0 SSI/Conestoga 10 1500(5) 900(6) 550(7) .... 0 0 OSC/Pegasus[H] 9.7 750 .... .... .... none 2 1 EPAC/Eagle[E] 6.7 3000 .... .... .... USTM 0 0 (1) For launches where reflight insurance is issued, the fraction of the launch cost indemnified is the failure level for that flight. For launches where reflight insurance is not issued, a rough estimate is made as to the fraction of the launch cost that would have been indemnified. (2) LEO given is 300nmi altitude [S]. (3) The bipropellant (Isp=323) USTM has a dry weight of approximately 1600LBS which must be subtracted from the total weight to determine weight available for electronics, power, communication and fuel. The USTM provides station-keeping and course correction in addition to transfer and apogee burns. (4) According to [S] escape requires 170kg MMH/NTO fuel with USTM. (5) 200nmi altitude 37.9d inclination [S]. (6) 400nmi altitude [S]. (7) Includes Conestoga apogee kick stage weight. REFLIGHT VEHICLE POLARLBS(9) INSURANCE(%) ACCURACY PAD WEIGHT MM/Titan4[H] .... .... .... 1910449 MM/Titan4 .... .... .... 1885525 MM/Titan3 .... .... .... 1492200 AS/Arian44L .... .... .... 1033000 GD/Atlas2 12400 .... .... 360600 MD/Delta2 8401 .... .... 450000 GW/LongMarch3 .... .... .... 444400 EPAC/EagleS2[E] .... 18 1.4km(9) 268145 OSC/Taurus[S] 2140 .... .... .... EPAC/EagleS1[E] .... 18 1.4km(9) .... AMROC/Aquila[S] 1467 .... .... .... SSI/Conestoga 900 .... 9.3km(10) .... OSC/Pegasus[S] 649 .... .... .... EPAC/Eagle .... 18 .... 99134 (9) For unknown data, conservative figures for polar orbit can be estimated by dividing LEO weight by 2. (10) Circular orbit and <0.02d inclination error to 3 sigma [S]. (11) Reduced payload for upper stage with thrust vector control. 1 sigma [S]. Figures given as "...." are to be included in a future release. Information sources are indicated by a source code within square brackets. For example [H] means the associated information and subsequent information comes from the 1989 Hughes Corp. Survey with dollars given in 1989 dollars. Source codes: H = 1989 Hughes Corp. Survey E = 9/1991 E'Prime Aerospace Corp. report S = "A Status Report on the Availability of Expendable Launch Vehicles for Small Solar System Exploration Payloads", Jim McAdams, Science Applications International Corp. 3/31/1991 ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jul 92 02:27:00 GMT From: Gary Coffman <ke4zv!gary> Subject: Visual acuity in microgravity Newsgroups: sci.space In article <9207221207.AA29101@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov> roberts@CMR.NCSL.NIST.GOV (John Roberts) writes: > >-From: ewright@convex.com (Edward V. Wright) >-Subject: Re: Visual acuity for MS >-Date: 21 Jul 92 22:49:05 GMT >-Organization: Engineering, CONVEX Computer Corp., Richardson, Tx., USA > >-As a side note, even astronauts with perfect vision (on Earth) >-usually wear contact lenses on orbit because the shape of the >-eyeball changes when there is no gravity to distort it. [munch] >Many of the astronauts wear glasses while in orbit. There are ongoing tests >of changes in visual acuity in microgravity, but I don't know whether anything >definitive has been found yet. I think the current theory is that fluid >shift may have some influence on the shape of the eyeball, rather than direct >gravitational distortion. What I'd like to know is how they figure out the prescription. If their vision is perfect on Earth, how do they predict how much, and in what direction, their vision will change in orbit? Or is there a branch of Opti-World on MIR with one hour service? Gary ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 15 : Issue 034 ------------------------------