Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V15_4/V15NO409.TXT

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Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 05:05:08
From: Space Digest maintainer <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Space Digest V15 #409
To: Space Digest Readers
Precedence: bulk


Space Digest                Wed, 11 Nov 92       Volume 15 : Issue 409

Today's Topics:
                 Automated space station construction
              First Saturn 5 Launch - 25 Years Ago Today
                           Hubble's mirror
                       KSC Feature Story Ideas
                 Looking for FTP site to get pictures
                 Low-pressure O2 atmosphere (2 msgs)
                Lunar "colony" reality check (4 msgs)
             Lunar "colony" reality check and Apollo fire
                Mars Simulation in Antarctica (2 msgs)
                        NASA Coverup (2 msgs)
                   Space suit research??? (2 msgs)
            UPCOMING ASTRONOMY CAMPS FOR ADULTS AND TEENS
               Where are shuttle research publications?

    Welcome to the Space Digest!!  Please send your messages to
    "[e-mail]", and (un)subscription requests of the form
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    (BITNET), rice::boyle (SPAN/NSInet), utadnx::utspan::rice::boyle
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 22:34:49 GMT
From: Edmund Hack <arabia!hack>
Subject: Automated space station construction
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>
       [e-mail] (Frank Crary) writes:
>Is anyone looking into robots with very limited autonomy? That is,
>under direction from a human, but able to execute instructions on
>their own for periods of, say, ten seconds?

Yes, there is work on this going on at JSC and (I think) at JPL.  We
call this telerobotics at JSC (i.e half teleoperation, half robotics).
It is a problem that is very difficult, as you must be able to do both

autonomy and teleoperation and be smart about when and how to switch
modes.

Most of the work is centered on teleoperation and on robotics at the
centers.  I am working on a KC-135 experiment for this fiscal year to
take an arm and a vision system and test grasping of polyhedra in
microgravity with vision as the primary input. This is a tough problem
and one that needs to be solved to make lots of missions less expensive.
(From SEI lunar bases to Nick's comet/asteroid miners).


--
Edmund Hack - Lockheed Engineering & Sciences Co. - Houston, TX
[e-mail] - I speak only for myself, unless blah, blah..
NAR 12256 TRA 2004 (dang, 3 too late, Hal.....)

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

Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 19:48:51 PST
From: Brian Stuart Thorn <[e-mail]>
Subject: First Saturn 5 Launch - 25 Years Ago Today
Newsgroups: sci.space

>>the dummy payload went into a nearly circular orbit<<

I thought Apollo 4 (AKA Apollo-Saturn 501) carried a fully operational
Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM). The CSM later made a high-speed
re-entry to simulate lunar-return velocity, and the critical heat shield
performed perfectly.

-Brian

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

Date: 9 Nov 92 12:52:22 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Hubble's mirror
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (jcj) writes:
>>...how the Hubble mirror contractor messed up the figure of the main
>>mirror.  I understand it has spherical aberration, but wonder how
>>[Rockwell?] managed to do that.
>>
>
> Although Rockwell is my competitor in some areas, I must point out it was
> Perkin-Elmer that blew the figuring.
> --


  The error was introduced into the main mirror because the setup used to
test it was missing some spacers which were planned to locate the
test rig at the correct focal point. Because the spacers were not present,
the mirror was figured perfectly, but to the wrong focal point, outside
the range of the Hubble's focusing apperatus. This error would have shown
up had the entire telescope been tested as a whole prior to launch. Sadly,
due to budget constraints, this was never done.



<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
|  Michael Rivero [e-mail]  "Middle-aged Mutant Ninja Animator" |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|      If Thomas Jefferson were alive today, he'ld be ASSASSINATED!      |
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 03:22:32 GMT
From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey <[e-mail]>
Subject: KSC Feature Story Ideas
Newsgroups: sci.space

Gee, I love PR...

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Ron Baalke) writes:
>           KSC FEATURE STORY IDEAS -- NOVEMBER 1992
[...]
>           KSC to Collect Christmastide Donations for Charity
>
>                Center Director Bob Crippen has invited all Government and
>           contractor employees at KSC to participate in the Christmastide
>           Program -- an effort to assist needy individuals and families in
>           Brevard. This year no clothing, toys or food are being collected.
                               ^^                   ^^^^
>           Instead, only monetary donations will be presented to the
>           Salvation Army for distribution throughout the County. This is
>           but one of many ways KSC employees contribute to those less
>           fortunate.
[...]
>           CELSS Continues Crop Studies
>
>                A NASA team has recently harvested nearly 500 pounds of
>           potatoes from KSC's Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems
>           (CELSS) laboratories. The hydroponically grown potatoes are part
>           of a study being conducted by NASA and The Bionetics Corp. to
>           study the most effective ways to grow food plants in space.
>           (Public Affairs Contact: Mitch Varnes)

So why couldn't they donate the potatoes?

Bill Higgins, Beam Jockey              | ASTRONOMY:
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory  | The early science of the sky.
Bitnet:           [e-mail]  | ASTROLOGY:
Internet:       [e-mail]  | How it was paid for.
SPAN/Hepnet:           43011::HIGGINS  | --Michael Rivero

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 02:37:12 GMT
From: Craig Fifer <[e-mail]>
Subject: Looking for FTP site to get pictures
Newsgroups: sci.space

Look under ames.arc.nasa.gov under /GIF and /SPACE/GIF or
telnet to spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov and, at the main menu type g
for go to and then GIF.  Be patient with Spacelink, for it can
be very slowuous at times :).

-Craig Fifer
[e-mail]
--
_____________________________________________________________________________
|   Never play leapfrog with              |   Craig Fifer                   |
|   a unicorn!   -Murphy                  |   3736 Heritage Road, S.W.      |
|                                         |   Roanoke, Virginia  24015-4518 |

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

Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 23:24:26 GMT
From: Steve Linton <[e-mail]>
Subject: Low-Pressure O2 Atmosphere
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] ("F.Baube x554") writes:
|> Carl J Lydick <[e-mail]> writes:
|> > Subject: Lunar "colony" reality check
|> > [e-mail] (Louis Giglio) writes:
|> > >The oxygen had to be diluted with something.
|> > >They would have died otherwise.
|> >
|> > You would be correct had the vehicle been pressurized to 1 atmosphere.
|> > However, your conclusion does not follow if the cabin pressure was .2
|> > atmosphere.
|>
|> But in pure O2 lots of things burn that "shouldn't", like
|> asbestos fibers.  This actually happened long before that
|> Apollo capsule burned up, and should have alerted NASA.

Once again. IT ISN'T THE PURITY IT'S THE PARTIAL PRESSURE!!
In a 0.2 atm 100% O2 environment things burn just like they do on
the ground. In a 1atm 100% O2 atm things burn much better, people
get ill after a while and so on.

The Appolo capsule that burnt had 1atm of pure O2 on the pad, which
would have been reduced to 0.2atm after launch. Later Appolo designs
used 1atm of air on the pad, reducing to 0.2atm of O2 after launch.


There are possible physiological problems with breathing 0.2atm oxygen for a long
(weeks) period, but they are associated with the low total pressure rather than
the purity of the gas.

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

Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 23:27:44 EST
From: John Roberts <[e-mail]>
Subject: Low-pressure O2 atmosphere

-From: [e-mail] ("F.Baube x554")
-Subject: Low-Pressure O2 Atmosphere
-Date: 10 Nov 92 13:11:49 GMT

-If our lunar atmosphere is pure O2, then every dust cloud
-kicked up by a lunar buggy creates an explosion hazard.
-It will have to be "diluted".

One of the concerns of the Apollo program was that lunar materials might
ignite in the oxygen atmosphere of the Lunar Module. Apparently it didn't
happen. It could be that most of the materials are too thoroughly oxidized
to be particularly flammable. The book I mentioned gives average soil (< 1 mm
fraction) for seven Apollo sites, which generally show concentrations of
the components to be consistent to within an order of magnitude (mostly closer
than that.) Here's the composition for the Apollo 11 site: SiO2 (42.04%),
TiO2 (7.48%), Al2O3 (13.92%), FeO (15.74%), MgO (7.90%), CaO (12.01%),
Na2O (0.44%), K2O (0.14%), P2O5 (0.12%), MnO (0.21%), Cr2O3 (0.30%).
(There are also tables for overall highland and maria composition.) Does
anything in there sound like it would be flammable in the stated
concentrations?

-Can nitrogen be generated ?

There's very little nitrogen there (0.19 ppm) - it would probably have to be
imported. But I think that would be worthwhile.

John Roberts
[e-mail]

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 00:29:19 GMT
From: Scott A Koester <[e-mail]>
Subject: Lunar "colony" reality check
Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.sci.planetary

   I don't know too much abotu many of the specifics, but in the sense of the
moon 'colony' paying for itself, did any mention the fact that if solar arrays
are set up on the moon the can produce a large amount energy, energy which
could be used to power the base/colony, or could be beamed back down to the
EArth in the form of microwaves and then collected and tranformed back into
usable energy.  This could be sold at a rate to other countries also.


Scott Koester

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 00:51:51 GMT
From: Steve Jenkins <jenkins@fritz>
Subject: Lunar "colony" reality check
Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.sci.planetary

Sigh.  More myths about oxygen.  Normal oxygen partial pressure is
about 150 mmHg (3 psi).  A pure O2 atmosphere at 150 mmHg total
pressure is no better or worse, physiologically speaking, than air at
sea level.  Nor is it more of a fire hazard.  Oxidation proceeds at
a rate proportional to the partial pressure.

Oxygen, like many gases, has narcotic effects at very high pressures,
such as in deep-sea diving.  It can cause blindness in newborns
(retrolental fibroplasia) at 1 atm.  Otherwise, it's safe to breathe
pure O2 at 1 atm, and patients in cardiac care units often do so for
days and longer.  I've done it many times, and it has absolutely no
noticeable effects.

--
Steve Jenkins                  [e-mail]
Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory    [phone]

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 02:09:40 GMT
From: "John P. Mechalas" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Lunar "colony" reality check
Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.sci.planetary

In article <[e-mail]> jenkins@fritz (Steve Jenkins) writes:
>Sigh.  More myths about oxygen.  Normal oxygen partial pressure is
>about 150 mmHg (3 psi).  A pure O2 atmosphere at 150 mmHg total
>pressure is no better or worse, physiologically speaking, than air at
>sea level.  Nor is it more of a fire hazard.  Oxidation proceeds at

This is true for the most part, but at high O2 pressure, normally inflammable
objects burn quite well.  So in that respect, it is indirectly a fire
hazard...sort of.  :)

--
John Mechalas                                          "I'm not an actor, but
[e-mail]                                 I play one on TV."
Aero Engineering, Purdue University                     #include disclaimer.h

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

Date: 11 Nov 1992 03:42:07 GMT
From: Carl J Lydick <[e-mail]>
Subject: Lunar "colony" reality check
Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.sci.planetary

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Scott A Koester) writes:
>
>   I don't know too much abotu many of the specifics, but in the sense of the
>moon 'colony' paying for itself, did any mention the fact that if solar arrays
>are set up on the moon the can produce a large amount energy, energy which
>could be used to power the base/colony, or could be beamed back down to the
>EArth in the form of microwaves and then collected and tranformed back into
>usable energy.  This could be sold at a rate to other countries also.

Power produced on the lunar surface and beamed directly to earth would have a
number of drawbacks:
    1)  You'd need a very tight beam, which you'd have to be able to aim.
    2)  Even if you manage to take care of 1), the energy would be
        available at any particular place on Earth only 12 hours out of the
        day, with efficiency of the microwave link going down toward the
        ends of the period.  Furthermore, the time of day when the energy
        is available at any particular place on earth won't be the same
        from day to day.  It will vary throughout the day over the course
        of a lunar month.
    3)  Any particular lunar installation will be inoperative for half of
        every lunar month, with decreasing efficiencies toward either end
        of the period in which it's operational.
Now, you *COULD* alleviate the second problem by using geostationary relay
satellites, and you could alleviate the third by having installations spread
around the moon, using yet another relay station (at L4 or L5).  However, we're
now talking about a LOT of hardware.  It would almost certainly make more sense
to put the solar cells on the geosync satellites.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: [e-mail] | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 00:15:24 GMT
From: John Mechalas <[e-mail]>
Subject: Lunar "colony" reality check and Apollo fire
Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.sci.planetary

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (steve hix) writes:
>In article <roelle.721413660@uars_mag> roelle@uars_mag.jhuapl.edu (Curtis Roelle) writes:
>>
>>Are you certain that Apollo astronauts breathed pure O2?  I thought that
>>after the fatal Apollo 1 fire, which killed astronauts Grissom, White, and
>>Chaffee on January 27, 1967, pure O2 was no longer used because it was a
>>proven fire hazard.  Or did NASA simply reduce the cabin pressure as
>>suggested by Carl Lydick?
>
>After the pad fire, NASA quit running the ground overpressure test in
>pure O2.  In orbit, it was still pure O2 at about 3.5psi. Even that is
>a bit above the partial pressure of O2 at sea level (~ 3.08 psi)

First off, it was Apollo 12, and not Apollo 1, that caught fire.  The cause
of the fire was indeed the overpressure of test of the O2.  As it turned
out, what killed the astronauts was not the fire, but the velcro inside the
spacecraft.
   Although the velcro was fireproof for the low 3.5 psi, and up to 5psi, the
overpressure tests of pure O2 made them quite flammable.  Hell, at 16psi of
oxygen, damn near anything will burn.  In the words of Mike Gray, author of
_Angle of Attack_, "Somehow, in the labyrinth of the organization charts, the
people who tested the spacecraft materials for flammability were never
connected to the people who knew that-- for a brief period at the beginning of
the moon trip-- the astronauts would be bathed in high-pressure oxygen."
   The fire ignited the velcro under high-pressure, and the resultant toxic
fumes killed the astronauts within seconds.

--
John Mechalas                                          "I'm not an actor, but
[e-mail]                                 I play one on TV."
Aero Engineering, Purdue University                     #include disclaimer.h

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 00:01:51 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Mars Simulation in Antarctica
Newsgroups: sci.space

So does this mean penguins are martian immigrants?

Inquiring minds want to know!

:) :) :)

-Bill Gawne, STScI

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

Date: 11 Nov 92 06:46:29 GMT
From: Ron Baalke <[e-mail]>
Subject: Mars Simulation in Antarctica
Newsgroups: sci.space

Paula Cleggett-Haleim
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                          November 10, 1992
(Phone:  [phone])

Mike Fluharty
National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C
(Phone:  [phone])

RELEASE:  92-200

FIRST STEPS TO MARS TAKEN BY SIMULATION IN ANTARCTICA

    Scientists from NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are
taking the first steps to Mars this winter in the most unearthly place on the
planet -- Antarctica.

    NASA and NSF researchers are conducting several unique science and
technology projects developed under a joint effort called the Antarctic Space
Analog Program.  The program uses the harsh, frigid conditions of the
Antarctic continent to test technology and techniques for future missions to
the moon and Mars.

    "Our current work stresses exploration by robots and tests of the
equipment needed to support humans in a remote environment.  We're also
studying how humans interact with those technologies," said Dr. John D.
Rummel, NASA Program Committee Co-Chairperson.

    "The U.S. Antarctic Program, under NSF management, is interested in
testing NASA-developed technologies, such as telescience, which could help
reduce the number of people who run our scientific experiments," said Dr.
Carol A. Roberts, NSF Program Committee Co-Chairperson.

    "Also," she continued, "we are very much interested in preserving the
pristine Antarctic environment through improved waste processing and
energy production technologies."

    The Antarctic, known for its physical challenges, isolation and rugged
terrain, is an excellent place to evaluate exploration technologies and human
factor questions because scientists live and work under conditions similar to
those that planetary explorers will encounter.

"Telepresence" and Power

    From October through December, researchers are studying a
permanently frozen Antarctic lake using "telepresence" technology developed
at NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif.  Telepresence lets an
operator, wearing a video headset, see through cameras on a remotely-
controlled robot.  The researcher's head movements direct the camera's
movements.

    In the project, a remotely operated "rover", connected to the surface
by a cable, will descend into Lake Hoare to study the lake's life forms.  The
goal is to demonstrate the scientific use of telepresence while gaining further
insight into the Mars environment that may have existed several billion years
ago.

    The scientists' field camp is supported by an advanced solar power
system that can be deployed easily in remote field locations.  NASA's Lewis
Research Center, Cleveland, developed the system.

    The NASA Office of Space Science and Applications and Office of
Advanced Concepts and Technology and NSF's Division of Polar Programs
jointly sponsor the expedition.

"Dante" to Descend into Volcanic "Inferno"

    Later this season, NASA plans to send an eight-legged robot into the
crater of Antarctica's Mount Erebus, the world's only easily-reached volcano
with a permanent lava lake.  The rover, appropriately dubbed "Dante," will
photograph the crater, measure the temperature of the lava lake and sample
the gases it releases.

    The Erebus project will test technology for future robotic explorers
that could cross the rugged Martian landscape.  It also will collect science
data to help understand Earth's environment, since some scientists think that
gases from volcanic eruptions may play a role in depleting Earth's ozone layer.

    Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, built Dante under a $2 million
NASA grant.

[NOTE:  This rover test has been postponed to next year.  Last week, Dante
        damaged four its legs during a test run and has been sent back to
        Carnegie Mellon for repairs.  Ron Baalke  ]

Fresh Food for Future Explorers

    In another experiment, the NASA/NSF researchers are trying to
produce fresh food and to a significant extent, recover water under controlled
conditions at the South Pole.

    The Closed Ecological Life Support System Antarctic Analog Project
addresses crop productivity, the effect of fresh food on humans' well-being
and how the integrated system performs.  Scientists believe that having fresh
food during the long South Polar winter will be good for their physical and
psychological well-being -- benefits that would apply to long-duration human
space missions as well.

    The project's waste management system also will reduce the impact of
humans on the pristine polar environment.  In January, scientists will travel
to the South Pole to evaluate the site and to analyze waste materials that will
be recycled by the system.

    The program is managed by the Advanced Life Support Division at
NASA's Ames Research Center and is co-sponsored by Ames' Life Sciences
Division and the NSF Division of Polar Programs.

- end -
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [e-mail]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Give people a second
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | chance, but not a third.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 01:33:35 GMT
From: "John D. Boggs" <[e-mail]>
Subject: NASA Coverup
Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.conspiracy

>
>     Von Daniken also make a lot of dishonest (or _extremely_ ignorant)
> claims about a lot of other quite mundane objects from all over the
> world. Someone has compiled a list of such and it is included as part
> of a book whose name and author I can't remember. The title had
> something like "unexplained mysteries" in it and I think it was published
> by Readers Digest. There is a more complete list somewhere else but
> I can't remember even vague details about it. There might be a reference
> to it in the fisrt.
>
I have a Reader's Digest book of this type of stuff, though it doesn't
mention Von Daniken.  It's called _Strange Stories, Amazing Facts,_
and is, along with _Strangest of All,_ [Frank Edwards?] one of my
most fondly remembered books from childhood.  It's full of
"unsolvable" mysteries and silly stories, with not a shred of reference
to back them up.  But fun Fun FUN!!

-John D. Boggs     [e-mail]

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 00:17:13 GMT
From: Edmund Hack <arabia!hack>
Subject: NASA Coverup
Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.conspiracy

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>    I  rented  a  videotape  called "Man to the Moon" ,produced by CBS news.
>   Timing Buzz Aldrin's leap from the 3 foot bottom rung of the Lunar Module
>   ladder , I come up with about 1 second ,which would be consistent with  a
>   lunar  gravity  of  1/6. Although he still to be holding on to the ladder
>   throughout the leap , it seems that it is just to steady himself , not to
>   slow the fall.
>
>    On this basis then, I concede that the lunar gravity is 1/6 .
>   ______________________________________________________________

Good. It would have been unfortunate and embarassing for us to have been
found out right now.  The AmAzIng NEUTRAL PARTICLE BEAMS were about
ready for testing.  :-)

>    I  apologize  ,publicly  ,  over the net, to the general class of people
>   known as "NASA Scientists" who I accused of concealing  the  truth  about
>   the lunar gravity.

Thanks.
>
[munch]
>    I  will  continue , however to point out alternative theories to account
>   for various facts  of  nature.  Theories  are  not  science,  but  merely
>   suggestions  of  possible  explanations  for  observed  phenomena  .   An
>   alternate theory need only be logically and mathematically consistent  to
>   be as viable as relativity , or any other theory.

No, what you have is necessary, but not sufficient.  It must also be
testable and make some predictions about the universe to be as viable as
relativity (General or Special). (This is true to first order.  I am
aware that there is some discussion in philosophy of science about
falsifiability, as well as other nits.)
>
>    I  am  , at least,gratified to learn that Velikovsky's idea of planetary
>   collisions , long scorned and ridiculed by the scientific community ,  is
>   now the prevailing theory explaining the origin of the moon.

No, no, no. NONE of Velikovsky's ideas are (at least as explained in the
copy of "Worlds in Collision" I have) accepted in the mainstream of
planetary and lunar science.  They are, in general, WRONG. Very wrong.
As wrong as the Question to the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life,
the Universe and Everything.

>   More on this later.

Do tell......


--
Edmund Hack - Lockheed Engineering & Sciences Co. - Houston, TX
[e-mail] - I speak only for myself, unless blah, blah..
NAR 12256 TRA 2004 (dang, 3 too late, Hal.....)

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

Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 23:23:20 GMT
From: STANCZYK MICHAEL B <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space suit research???
Newsgroups: sci.space

With all the talk about US space suits being at 5 psi and pure O2 I was
wondering what the current state of research is in space suits using
1 atm and normal air?

Mike Stanczyk
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 02:07:58 GMT
From: Frank Crary <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space suit research???
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (STANCZYK MICHAEL B) writes:
>With all the talk about US space suits being at 5 psi and pure O2 I was
>wondering what the current state of research is in space suits using
>1 atm and normal air?

Non-existant: A two-gas system would be enough trouble that no one
is looking into it. As for 1 atm, it really isn't necessary: At 8.5
psi, you don't have problems with pre-breathing or the bends anymore.
High pressures do, however, usually limit the mobility/flexability of
a suit. The current (unfunded) goal is for a 8.5 psi "no pre-breath"
pure-oxygen suit. One of the proposed designs (the Ames Hard Suit)
doesn't suffer at high pressures, so in theory it could go all
the way up to one atmosphere (although this isn't currently
planned for...)

                                              Frank Crary
                                              CU Boulder

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

Date: 10 Nov 92 23:51:38 GMT
From: Jeff Regester <[e-mail]>
Subject: UPCOMING ASTRONOMY CAMPS FOR ADULTS AND TEENS
Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.sci.planetary

The Steward Observatory Astronomy Camps for Adults and Teens for the
coming winter, spring and summer have been scheduled. The dates are:
   Advanced Adult Camp   Feb 18-21
   Beginning Adult Camp  Apr 23-25
   Beginning Teen Camp   Jun 7-14
   Advanced Teen Camp    Jun 18-25

The Astronomy Camps are run by Steward Observatory (Univ. of Arizona)
as a non-profit educational outreach project. Attendees use the 40",
60", and 61" research telescopes of the Mt Lemmon and Mt Bigelow
Observatories (north of Tucson) operated by NASA and Steward. A 16"
Schmidt camera and numerous portable telescopes are also available.

The Adult Camps are during weekends and consist of observing (using
eyepieces, astrophotography with film and CCDs, and photometry,
according to participant interest) and lectures, demonstrations, and
discussions. Tours of research and engineering facilities, such as the
spin-casting facilities of the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab, are
also conducted.

The Teen Camps (for ages 13 to 17) each last a week, four nights of which
are spent observing. Activities include those of the Adult Camps plus tours
of Kitt Peak facilities, science demonstrations, lectures (space program,
archaeoastronomy, space art with Kim Poor, etc.) and other activities
(model rockets, volleyball, orienteering in the mountains, etc.)

For both Teens and Adults, the Advanced camps are for those who have
previously attended a Beginning Camp or who have prior amateur astronomy
experience. The Camps are run by Dr Donald McCarthy of Steward Observatory.
Other Steward faculty and graduate students, as well as personnel of Flandrau
Planetarium, participate as guest speakers and camp counselors.

To receive more info about the Camps, contact either

 Don McCarthy  voice: [phone]
               email: [e-mail]
               usps:  Steward Observatory, U of A, Tucson AZ, 85721
    or

 Jeff Regester voice: [phone]
               email: [e-mail]
               usps:  Steward Observatory, U of A, Tucson AZ, 85721


     Jeff Regester
     counselor, U of A Astronomy Camps

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

Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 02:15:25 GMT
From: "I am a terminator." <[e-mail]>
Subject: Where are shuttle research publications?
Newsgroups: sci.space

Where can I find publications on research and work done with the shuttle?

Henry Choy
[e-mail]

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End of Space Digest Volume 15 : Issue 409
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