Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V16_1/V16NO117.TXT

Internet Message Format | 1993-07-13 | 36KB

Date: Wed,  3 Feb 93 05:37:19
From: Space Digest maintainer <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Space Digest V16 #117
To: Space Digest Readers
Precedence: bulk


Space Digest                Wed,  3 Feb 93       Volume 16 : Issue 117

Today's Topics:
                     "suicides" of SDI scientists
                        Challenger transcript
                    Mir/SSF(Fred) Combo Mission..
           Precursors to Fred (was Re: Sabatier Reactors.)
               Question: International Space University
                 So what's happened to Henry Spencer?
              Space FAQ 06/15 - Constants and Equations
               Space FAQ 07/15 - Astronomical Mnemonics
                     Space FAQ 08/15 - Addresses
                 Space FAQ 09/15 - Mission Schedules
                    Using off-the-shelf-components
                           Well.. (2 msgs)

    Welcome to the Space Digest!!  Please send your messages to
    "[e-mail]", 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 [e-mail] (Internet).
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 2 Feb 1993 18:06:31 GMT
From: Andy Cohen <[e-mail]>
Subject: "suicides" of SDI scientists
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Dave
Michelson) wrote:
>
> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (John Roberts) writes:
> >
> >...there's a significant chance that you read either this story or a reference
> >to this story, and now you remember it as an historical event.
> >
> >Or, maybe, [lowers voice to ominous tone]
> >it...wasn't...just...a...story!!! [eerie music plays in background]
> >
> > :-)
>
> In fact, it *was* an historical event.  About four years ago(?), the media
> spent a great deal of time pondering a number of "suspicious" suicides
> of defence scientists working in Britain for companies like Marconi
> Space and Defence.  It's even possible that "60 Minutes" ran a segment
> on the issue.  Nothing was ever proven, though, and the media lost
> interest.  As I recall, the suspicious nature of the deaths was raised
> by the victim's families who asked the media to investigate on their behalf.

I recollect that they were not working on SDI......I recall that they were
working on a superfast torpedo........The source was Av Week...

Andy Cohen
McDonnell Douglas Aerospace

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

Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1993 16:40:36 GMT
From: fred j mccall 575-3539 <[e-mail]>
Subject: Challenger transcript
Newsgroups: sci.space

In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Vilkata TDK) writes:

>In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tim Tyler) writes:

>>29 Jan 93 22:58, Tesuji wrote to All:

>> T>   A secret NASA tape reveals that the crew of the shuttle Challenger
>> T> not only survived the explosion that ripped the vessel apart; they
>> T> screamed, cried, cursed and prayed for three hellish minutes before
>> T> they slammed into the Atlantic and perished on January 28, 1986.

>> T>   The tape is said to begin with a startled crewman screaming,"What
>> T> happened? What happened? Oh God - No!"  Screams and curses are heard-
>> T> several crewmen begin to weep- and then others bid their families
>> T> farewell.

>> T>   Two minutes forty-five seconds later the tape ends. That's when the
>> T> shuttles crew compartment, which remained intact after the vessel
>> T> exploded over the Atlantic, hit the ocean at over 2,000 miles per
>> T> hour, instantly killing the crew.

>>Well, that and the rest of that post was certainly the most tasteless thing I've seen here in ages...

>Why do you think it's tasteless?  It happens to be the truth.

Horse manure.

>I went to Space
>Camp for two years, and lots of those people have information the general
>public usually doesn't.

Yeah, and the brother of a friend of mine was an astronaut at the
time.  So what?

[And we won't even mention all the people on here who work a lot
closer to things than you ever got.  Oh, but of course, they're all
part of a Conspiracy of Silence.  Silly me.]


>In fact, the first year, my group's counselor was the
>daughter of astronaut Robert L. Stewart, Jenny (very nice).  I don't remember
>if it was she or someone else, but someone told us that the last thing they
>heard _before the explosion_ was something to the effect of "Uh oh."

This was known and has nothing to do with the lack of veracity of
stupid things like this purported 'transcript', which of course is
supposed to come from the personal recorder of the Teacher in Space
(gotta work her in there somewhere for the emotional impact, after
all).

>The truth is, they were all conscious (sp?) and aware of what was happening.

Well, they were sure conscious when it blew up (which is all your
'inside knowledge' proves), but we all kind of knew that already.
We've never been in the habit of launching unconscious crews.  That at
least one person became aware of there being *something* wrong
immediately before the explostion is hardly incredible.  The remainder
of this whole issue is merely sensationalist crap that someone posted
to get attention.

>Which makes it that much more terrible, but that's Life, and a lot of us like
>to know the whole truth.

With your attitude, you will never believe it.  You're too busy
looking for The Real Truth -- you know, the one that corresponds with
what you want to believe rather than what happened.

--
"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live
 in the real world."   -- Mary Shafer, NASA Ames Dryden
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[e-mail] - I don't speak for others and they don't speak for me.

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

Date: Mon,  1 Feb 93 17:18:55 PST
From: Brian Stuart Thorn <[e-mail]>
Subject: Mir/SSF(Fred) Combo Mission..
Newsgroups: sci.space

>Why must the US have its own pet progect space station.. Why not have a
>combined one, maybe under a loose UN aspicies... United Fed here we come..
>Why not schedule Soyuz and Shuttle mission so that both US and Russian and
>other Astronauts go up on different birds. Maybe have a revolving crew?
>How dificult would it be to just build onto Mir or dsign a new center and
>connect Mir to it.. Do some mining of waste space debris.. After all ther emus
t
>be alot of junk in space that is just there for the taking and using..
>Why must we spend more money to send materials into space when the materials
>have already been sent into space..
>
>
>Michael Adams

     Sounds alot like putting all our eggs in one basket. Didn't we
     learn something about that on January 28, 1986?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian S. Thorn                                    "If ignorance is bliss,
[e-mail]                               this must be heaven."
                                                -Diane Chambers, "Cheers"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: 2 Feb 1993 18:04:57 GMT
From: Andy Cohen <[e-mail]>
Subject: Precursors to Fred (was Re: Sabatier Reactors.)
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Edward V. Wright) wrote:
>
> In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Doug Mohney) writes:
>
> >So how do you suggest NASA tests hardware and flight procedures before Freedom
> >goes up?
>
> Well, if I was in a position to offer suggestions to NASA
> (if NASA was willing to listen), I'd suggest that they *stop*
> testing hardware and flight procedures for space station
> Freedom.  Forget about building the ultimate whizzy-gadget
> loaded station.  Just take what we already have and know
> (which is quite a lot) and *build* the damn thing already.

There is no more "ultimate whizzy-gadget loaded station". That went away a
long time ago.... What we are building is just what is needed....period.
SSF has been literally a fixed price program now for awhile.....even though
it's officially cost plus.
As far as building in orbit.....  The first element launch (FEL)......

(*********1995!!!! This has held firm......SINCE 1988!!********)

simply places the first truss assembly up there (this one has the first
solar arrays, rotary joints and a bunch of avionics boxes) The crew will
likely need to go out and do checkups on it to make sure it's OK after
launch.  The second launch (don't ask how long between launches.....  it's
still being worked...BUT THE FIRST INTERVAL WILL BE VERY SHORT...i.e.,
*****2 mos*****) puts up the next truss with enough additional boxes to
start up some power and the propulsion system....  This second launch will
require the job of placing the second truss on the Unpressurized berthing
adapter (UBA) via the mobile transporter (MT.....a kinda cart which will
travel along the length of the truss and will also carry the robotic
servicing stuff....sorry...I'm trying to be brief)...then mating the two
structures with motorized latching and bolting mechanisms.  Once the second
truss (S2) is on the UBA, the robot arm grabs the first (S1) and moves it
into position.....  Of course, there will be a great deal of EVA for the
crew thoughout the procedure...  Especially after the mating to attach the
cabling and piping...etc......there will be four more launches after that
for the Man-tended configuration to be completed..... IT WILL BE COMPLETED
IN AT LEAST 15 mos after FEL....baring glitches and weather....

There are no test flights that are on our critical path.  Any "test
flights" are exploratory and not tied to our schedules/milestones.

There are critical tests though at White Sands for propulsion going on
right now for which ....They have already cut metal.   I've actually seen
metal truss assemblies....

We ARE building it.....even though the amount of $ we need to do the job
correctly by 1995...96 through to 98 for full man-tended.....is
diminishing.....  The people working the drawings are all on a 24 hour a
day schedule with most working through the weekend....  They are busting
their butts....with only the glory of the completed job to look forward to
afterward..... layoffs at some point will be inevitable.....  After all
there are no follow-on programs....

ONE THING IS A DEFINATE.......  WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT THERE WILL NOT BE A
SPACE STATION FREEDOM!!!!

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

Date: 2 Feb 93 18:56:48 GMT
From: Michael Burstein <[e-mail]>
Subject: Question: International Space University
Newsgroups: sci.space

I read in the Boston Globe today that the ISU had found a place for a
permanent campus, in France.  I was wondering if anyone out there knows
how I can get in contact with them.  Every year they run their summer
program somewhere else, and I've been interested in applying, but I
don't know how to reach them.


--
Michael A. Burstein
Physics Department, Boston University         [e-mail]
590 Commonwealth Ave.                         [phone] (o)
Boston, MA 02215                              [phone] (h)

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

Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1993 17:51:02 GMT
From: Thomas Kuerten <[e-mail]>
Subject: So what's happened to Henry Spencer?
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, "Bob Montante" <[e-mail]> writes:
|> | > |>Does anyone know why Henry Spencer has not posted recently?
|> | >
|> | > Perhaps he is on vacation - with Elvis?
|>
|> He's *ba-a-a-a-ck-k-k...*
|>
|> :) And we're all glad!

who's back ?
Elvis ?

...


--
Thomas Kuerten
beim Pfarracker 29
8044 Unterschleissheim
email: [e-mail]

                          "Oh no, not one more of this silly past-post-poems...:)"

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

Date: 2 Feb 1993 13:58:19 -0500
From: Jon Leech <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space FAQ 06/15 - Constants and Equations
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.answers,news.answers

Archive-name: space/constants
Last-modified: $Date: 93/02/02 13:16:58 $

CONSTANTS AND EQUATIONS FOR CALCULATIONS

    This list was originally compiled by Dale Greer. Additions would be
    appreciated.

    Numbers in parentheses are approximations that will serve for most
    blue-skying purposes.

    Unix systems provide the 'units' program, useful in converting
    between different systems (metric/English, etc.)

    NUMBERS

    7726 m/s     (8000)  -- Earth orbital velocity at 300 km altitude
    3075 m/s     (3000)  -- Earth orbital velocity at 35786 km (geosync)
    6378 km         (6400)  -- Mean radius of Earth
    1738 km         (1700)  -- Mean radius of Moon
    5.974e24 kg     (6e24)  -- Mass of Earth
    7.348e22 kg     (7e22)  -- Mass of Moon
    1.989e30 kg     (2e30)  -- Mass of Sun
    3.986e14 m^3/s^2 (4e14)  -- Gravitational constant times mass of Earth
    4.903e12 m^3/s^2 (5e12)  -- Gravitational constant times mass of Moon
    1.327e20 m^3/s^2 (13e19) -- Gravitational constant times mass of Sun
    384401 km     ( 4e5)  -- Mean Earth-Moon distance
    1.496e11 m     (15e10) -- Mean Earth-Sun distance (Astronomical Unit)

    1 megaton (MT) TNT = about 4.2e15 J or the energy equivalent of
    about .05 kg (50 gm) of matter. Ref: J.R Williams, "The Energy Level
    of Things", Air Force Special Weapons Center (ARDC), Kirtland Air
    Force Base, New Mexico, 1963. Also see "The Effects of Nuclear
    Weapons", compiled by S. Glasstone and P.J. Dolan, published by the
    US Department of Defense (obtain from the GPO).

    EQUATIONS

    Where d is distance, v is velocity, a is acceleration, t is time.
    Additional more specialized equations are available from:

        ames.arc.nasa.gov:pub/SPACE/FAQ/MoreEquations


    For constant acceleration
        d = d0 + vt + .5at^2
        v = v0 + at
      v^2 = 2ad

    Acceleration on a cylinder (space colony, etc.) of radius r and
        rotation period t:

        a = 4 pi**2 r / t^2

    For circular Keplerian orbits where:
        Vc     = velocity of a circular orbit
        Vesc = escape velocity
        M     = Total mass of orbiting and orbited bodies
        G     = Gravitational constant (defined below)
        u     = G * M (can be measured much more accurately than G or M)
        K     = -G * M / 2 / a
        r     = radius of orbit (measured from center of mass of system)
        V     = orbital velocity
        P     = orbital period
        a     = semimajor axis of orbit

        Vc     = sqrt(M * G / r)
        Vesc = sqrt(2 * M * G / r) = sqrt(2) * Vc
        V^2  = u/a
        P     = 2 pi/(Sqrt(u/a^3))
        K     = 1/2 V**2 - G * M / r (conservation of energy)

        The period of an eccentric orbit is the same as the period
           of a circular orbit with the same semi-major axis.

    Change in velocity required for a plane change of angle phi in a
    circular orbit:

        delta V = 2 sqrt(GM/r) sin (phi/2)

    Energy to put mass m into a circular orbit (ignores rotational
    velocity, which reduces the energy a bit).

        GMm (1/Re - 1/2Rcirc)
        Re = radius of the earth
        Rcirc = radius of the circular orbit.

    Classical rocket equation, where
        dv    = change in velocity
        Isp = specific impulse of engine
        Ve    = exhaust velocity
        x    = reaction mass
        m1    = rocket mass excluding reaction mass
        g    = 9.80665 m / s^2

        Ve    = Isp * g
        dv    = Ve * ln((m1 + x) / m1)
        = Ve * ln((final mass) / (initial mass))

    Relativistic rocket equation (constant acceleration)

        t (unaccelerated) = c/a * sinh(a*t/c)
        d = c**2/a * (cosh(a*t/c) - 1)
        v = c * tanh(a*t/c)

    Relativistic rocket with exhaust velocity Ve and mass ratio MR:

        at/c = Ve/c * ln(MR), or

        t (unaccelerated) = c/a * sinh(Ve/c * ln(MR))
        d = c**2/a * (cosh(Ve/C * ln(MR)) - 1)
        v = c * tanh(Ve/C * ln(MR))

    Converting from parallax to distance:

        d (in parsecs) = 1 / p (in arc seconds)
        d (in astronomical units) = 206265 / p

    Miscellaneous
        f=ma    -- Force is mass times acceleration
        w=fd    -- Work (energy) is force times distance

    Atmospheric density varies as exp(-mgz/kT) where z is altitude, m is
    molecular weight in kg of air, g is local acceleration of gravity, T
    is temperature, k is Bolztmann's constant. On Earth up to 100 km,

        d = d0*exp(-z*1.42e-4)

    where d is density, d0 is density at 0km, is approximately true, so

        d@12km (40000 ft) = d0*.18
        d@9 km (30000 ft) = d0*.27
        d@6 km (20000 ft) = d0*.43
        d@3 km (10000 ft) = d0*.65


    Titius-Bode Law for approximating planetary distances:

        R(n) = 0.4 + 0.3 * 2^N Astronomical Units (N = -infinity for
        Mercury, 0 for Venus, 1 for Earth, etc.)

        This fits fairly well except for Neptune.

    CONSTANTS

    6.62618e-34 J-s  (7e-34) -- Planck's Constant "h"
    1.054589e-34 J-s (1e-34) -- Planck's Constant / (2 * PI), "h bar"
    1.3807e-23 J/K    (1.4e-23) - Boltzmann's Constant "k"
    5.6697e-8 W/m^2/K (6e-8) -- Stephan-Boltzmann Constant "sigma"
    6.673e-11 N m^2/kg^2 (7e-11) -- Newton's Gravitational Constant "G"
    0.0029 m K     (3e-3)  -- Wien's Constant "sigma(W)"
    3.827e26 W     (4e26)  -- Luminosity of Sun
    1370 W / m^2     (1400)  -- Solar Constant (intensity at 1 AU)
    6.96e8 m     (7e8)     -- radius of Sun
    1738 km         (2e3)     -- radius of Moon
    299792458 m/s      (3e8)  -- speed of light in vacuum "c"
    9.46053e15 m      (1e16) -- light year
    206264.806 AU      (2e5)  -- \
    3.2616 light years (3)     --  --> parsec
    3.0856e16 m     (3e16)  -- /


Black Hole radius (also called Schwarzschild Radius):

    2GM/c^2, where G is Newton's Grav Constant, M is mass of BH,
        c is speed of light

    Things to add (somebody look them up!)
    Basic rocketry numbers & equations
    Aerodynamical stuff
    Energy to put a pound into orbit or accelerate to interstellar
        velocities.
    Non-circular cases?
    Atmosphere scale height for various planets.


NEXT: FAQ #7/15 - Astronomical Mnemonics

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

Date: 2 Feb 1993 13:58:24 -0500
From: Jon Leech <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space FAQ 07/15 - Astronomical Mnemonics
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.answers,news.answers

Archive-name: space/mnemonics
Last-modified: $Date: 93/02/02 13:17:06 $

ASTRONOMICAL MNEMONICS (This is the last FAQ section posted to sci.astro)

    Gathered from various flurries of mnemonic postings on sci.astro.

    Spectral classification sequence: O B A F G K M R N S

    Oh Be A Fine Girl Kiss Me Right Now, Sweetheart. (a classic)

    O'Dell's Big Astronomical Fiasco Gonna Kill Me Right Now Surely
    Obese Balding Astronomy Found Guilty; Killed Many Reluctant
        Nonscience Students.
    Octopus Brains, A Favorite Gastronomical Kitchen Menu,
        Requires No Sauce
    Odd Ball Astronomers Find Generally Kooky Mnemonics
        Really Nifty Stuff
    Oh Big And Ferocious Gorilla, Kill My Roomate Next Saturday
    Oh Boy, A Flash! Godzilla Kills Mothra! Really Not Surprising!
    Oh Boy, An F Grade Kills Me
    On Bad Afternoons Fermented Grapes Keep Mrs. Richard Nixon Smiling
    On, Backward Astronomer, Forget Geocentricity; Kepler's Motions
        Reveal Nature's Simplicity
    Our Bad Astronomy Faculty Gets Killed Monday
    Oven Baked Ants, Fried Gently, Kept Moist, Retain Natural Succulence
    Overseas Broadcast: A Flash!  Godzilla kills Mothra!
        (Rodan Named Successor)
    Overweight Boys and Fat Girls Keep Munching
    Only Bored Astronomers Find Gratification Knowing Mnemonics
    Oh Bloody Astronomy!  F Grades Kill Me

    Order of the planets:

    Sun
    Mercury
    Venus
    Earth (Terra)
    Mars
    (Asteroids)
    Jupiter
    Saturn
    Uranus
    Neptune
    Pluto

    My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas
    Mother Very Thoughtfully Made A Jelly Sandwich Under No Protest
    My Very Erotic Mate Joyfully Satisfies Unusual Needs Passionately
    Men Very Easily Make Jugs Serve Useful Nocturnal Purposes
    Man Very Early Made A Jug Serve Useful Noble Purposes
    My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets
    My Very Eager Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets
    My Very Exhausted Mother hAs Just Swept Up a Planetary Nebula
    Most Voters Earn Money Just Showing Up Near Polls
    My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizza-pies
    Many Viscious Elephants Made John, Suzy and Uncle Need Protection
    Solar Mass Very Easily Makes All Jupiter's Satellites Undergo
        Numerous Perturbations.

    Mein Vater erklaert mir jeden Sonntag unsere niedlichen Planeten
        (My Father explains to me every Sunday our nine planets)
    Man verachte einen Menschen in seinem Unglueck nie -- Punkt
        (Never scorn/despise a person in his misfortune/bad luck/misery
        -- period!)

    Colors of the spectrum: Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet
    ROY G. BIV  (pronounce as a man's name)
    Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain
    Read Out Your Good Book In Verse

    Galilean Satellite of Jupiter: Io Europa Ganymede Callisto
    I Expect God Cries
    I Eat Green Cheese
    I Embarrass Good Christians

    Ich erschrecke all guten Christen
        (I scare all good Christians)

    Saturnian Satellites
    MET DR THIP
    Miriam's Enchiladas Taste Divine Recently. Tell Her I'm Proud.
    (Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Titan, Hyperion,
        Iapetus, Phoebe)

    Uranian Satellites:
    MAUTO
    Mispronunciations Afflict Uranus Too Often
    My Angel Uriel Takes Opium
    (Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon)

NOTE: the remaining FAQ sections do not appear in sci.astro, as they cover
    material of relevance only to sci.space.

NEXT: FAQ #8/15 - Contacting NASA, ESA, and other space agencies/companies

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

Date: 2 Feb 1993 13:58:27 -0500
From: Jon Leech <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space FAQ 08/15 - Addresses
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.answers,news.answers

Archive-name: space/addresses
Last-modified: $Date: 93/02/02 12:14:33 $

CONTACTING NASA, ESA, AND OTHER SPACE AGENCIES/COMPANIES

Many space activities center around large Government or International
Bureaucracies.    In the US that means NASA.  If you have basic information
requests: (e.g., general PR info, research grants, data, limited tours, and
ESPECIALLY SUMMER EMPLOYMENT (typically resumes should be ready by Jan.  1),
etc.), consider contacting the nearest NASA Center to answer your questions.

EMail typically will not get you any where, computers are used by
investigators, not PR people. The typical volume of mail per Center is a
multiple of 10,000 letters a day. Seek the Public Information Office at one
of the below, this is their job:

NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is the
civilian space agency of of the United States Federal Government.
It reports directly to the White House and is not a Cabinet
post such as the military Department of Defense.  Its 20K+ employees
are civil servants and hence US citizens.  Another 100K+ contractors
also work for NASA.

NASA CENTERS

    NASA Headquarters (NASA HQ)
    Washington DC 20546
    (202)-453-8400

    Ask them questions about policy, money, and things of political
    nature. Direct specific questions to the appropriate center.

    NASA Ames Research Center (ARC)
    Moffett Field, CA 94035
    (415)-694-5091

    Some aeronautical research, atmosphere reentry, Mars and Venus
    planetary atmospheres. "Lead center" for Helicopter research,
    V/STOL, etc. Runs Pioneer series of space probes.

    NASA Ames Research Center
    Dryden Flight Research Facility [DFRF]
    P. O. Box 273
    Edwards, CA  93523
    (805)-258-8381

    Aircraft, mostly. Tested the shuttle orbiter landing
    characteristics. Developed X-1, D-558, X-3, X-4, X-5, XB-70, and of
    course, the X-15.

    NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
    Greenbelt, MD 20771
    [Outside of Washington DC]
    (301)-344-6255

    Earth orbiting unmanned satellites and sounding rockets. Developed
    LANDSAT.

    Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
    California Institute of Technology
    4800 Oak Grove Dr.
    Pasadena, CA 91109
    (818)-354-5011

    The "heavies" in planetary research probes and other unmanned
    projects (they also had a lot to do with IRAS). They run Voyager,
    Magellan, Galileo, and will run Cassini, CRAF, etc. etc.. For
    images, probe navigation, and other info about unmanned exploration,
    this is the place to go.

    JPL is run under contract for NASA by the nearby California
    Institute of Technology, unlike the NASA centers above. This
    distinction is subtle but critical. JPL has different requirements
    for unsolicited research proposals and summer hires. For instance in
    the latter, an SF 171 is useless. Employees are Caltech employees,
    contractors, and for the most part have similar responsibilities.
    They offer an alternative to funding after other NASA Centers.

    NASA Johnson Manned Space Center (JSC)
    Houston, TX 77058
    (713)-483-5111

    JSC manages Space Shuttle, ground control of manned missions.
    Astronaut training. Manned mission simulators.

    NASA Kennedy Space Flight Center (KSC)
    Titusville, FL 32899
    (407)-867-2468

    Space launch center. You know this one.

    NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC)
    Hampton, VA 23665
    [Near Newport News, VA]
    (804)-865-2935

    Original NASA site. Specializes in theoretical and experimental
    flight dynamics. Viking. Long Duration Exposure Facility.

    NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC)
    21000 Brookpark Rd.
    Cleveland, OH 44135
    (216)-433-4000

    Aircraft/Rocket propulsion. Space power generation. Materials
    research.

    NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
    Huntsville, AL 35812
    (205)-453-0034

    Development, production, delivery of Solid Rocket Boosters, External
    Tank, Orbiter main engines. Propulsion and launchers.

    Michoud Assembly Facility
    Orleans Parish
    New Orleans, LA 70129
    (504)-255-2601

    Shuttle external tanks are produced here; formerly Michoud produced
    first stages for the Saturn V.

    Stennis Space Center
    Bay St. Louis, Mississippi 39529
    (601)-688-3341

    Space Shuttle main engines are tested here, as were Saturn V first
    and second stages. The center also does remote-sensing and
    technology-transfer research.

    Wallops Flight Center
    Wallops Island, VA 23337
    [phone]
        Aeronautical research, sounding rockets, Scout launcher.

    Manager, Technology Utilization Office
    NASA Scientific and Technical Information Facility
    Post Office Box 8757
    Baltimore, Maryland 21240

    Specific requests for software must go thru COSMIC at the Univ. of
    Georgia, NASA's contracted software redistribution service. You can
    reach them at [e-mail].

    NOTE: Foreign nationals requesting information must go through their
    Embassies in Washington DC. These are facilities of the US Government
    and are regarded with some degree of economic sensitivity. Centers
    cannot directly return information without high Center approval. Allow
    at least 1 month for clearance. This includes COSMIC.

The US Air Force Space Command can be contacted thru the Pentagon along with
    other Department of Defense offices. They have unacknowledged offices in
    Los Angeles, Sunnyvale, Colorado Springs, and other locations. They have
    a budget which rivals NASA in size.

ARIANESPACE HEADQUARTERS
    Boulevard de l'Europe
    B.P. 177
    91006 Evry Cedex
    France

ARIANESPACE, INC.
    1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 875
    Washington, DC 20006
    (202)-728-9075

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (ESA)
    955 L'Enfant Plaza S.W.
    Washington, D.C. 20024
    (202)-488-4158

NATIONAL SPACE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NASDA)
    4-1 Hamamatsu-Cho, 2 Chome
    Minato-Ku, Tokyo 105, JAPAN

SOYUZKARTA
    45 Vologradsij Pr.
    Moscow 109125
    USSR

SPACE CAMP
    Alabama Space and Rocket Center    U.S. SPACE CAMP
    1 Tranquility Base            6225 Vectorspace Blvd
    Huntsville, AL 35805        Titusville FL  32780
    (205)-837-3400            [phone]

    Registration and mailing list are handled through Huntsville -- both
    camps are described in the same brochure.

    Programs offered at Space Camp are:

    Space Camp - one week, youngsters completing grades 4-6
    Space Academy I - one week, grades 7-9
    Aviation Challenge - one week high school program, grades 9-11
    Space Academy II - 8 days, college accredited, grades 10-12
    Adult Program - 3 days (editorial comment: it's great!)
    Teachers Program - 5 days

SPACE COMMERCE CORPORATION (U.S. agent for Soviet launch services)
    504 Pluto Drive            69th flr, Texas Commerce Tower
    Colorado Springs, CO 80906        Houston, TX 77002
    (719)-578-5490            (713)-227-9000

SPACEHAB
    600 Maryland Avenue, SW
    Suite 201 West
    Washington, DC 20004
    (202)-488-3483

SPOT IMAGE CORPORATION
    1857 Preston White Drive,
    Reston, VA 22091
    (FAX) (703)-648-1813    (703)-620-2200


OTHER COMMERCIAL SPACE BUSINESSES

    Vincent Cate maintains a list with addresses and some info for a variety
of companies in space-related businesses. This is mailed out on the
space-investors list he runs (see the "Network Resources" FAQ) and is also
available by anonymous ftp from furmint.nectar.cs.cmu.edu (128.2.209.111) in
/usr/vac/ftp/space-companies.


NEXT: FAQ #9/15 - Schedules for space missions, and how to see them

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

Date: 2 Feb 1993 13:58:29 -0500
From: Jon Leech <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space FAQ 09/15 - Mission Schedules
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.answers,news.answers

Archive-name: space/schedule
Last-modified: $Date: 93/02/02 13:17:12 $

SPACE SHUTTLE ANSWERS, LAUNCH SCHEDULES, TV COVERAGE

    SHUTTLE LAUNCHINGS AND LANDINGS; SCHEDULES AND HOW TO SEE THEM

    Shuttle operations are discussed in the Usenet group sci.space.shuttle,
    and Ken Hollis ([e-mail]) posts a compressed version
    of the shuttle manifest (launch dates and other information)
    periodically there. The manifest is also available from the Ames SPACE
    archive in SPACE/FAQ/manifest. The portion of his manifest formerly
    included in this FAQ has been removed; please refer to his posting or
    the archived copy. For the most up to date information on upcoming
    missions, call (407) 867-INFO (867-4636) at Kennedy Space Center.

    Official NASA shuttle status reports are posted to sci.space.news
    frequently.

    HOW TO RECEIVE THE NASA TV CHANNEL, NASA SELECT

    NASA SELECT is broadcast by satellite. If you have access to a satellite
    dish, you can find SELECT on Satcom F2R, Transponder 13, C-Band, 72
    degrees West Longitude, Audio 6.8, Frequency 3960 MHz. F2R is stationed
    over the Atlantic, and is increasingly difficult to receive from
    California and points west. During events of special interest (e.g.
    shuttle missions), SELECT is sometimes broadcast on a second satellite
    for these viewers.

    If you can't get a satellite feed, some cable operators carry SELECT.
    It's worth asking if yours doesn't.

    The SELECT schedule is found in the NASA Headline News which is
    frequently posted to sci.space. Generally it carries press conferences,
    briefings by NASA officials, and live coverage of shuttle missions and
    planetary encounters. SELECT has recently begun carrying much more
    secondary material (associated with SPACELINK) when missions are not
    being covered.


    AMATEUR RADIO FREQUENCIES FOR SHUTTLE MISSIONS

    The following are believed to rebroadcast space shuttle mission audio:

    W6FXN  - Los Angeles
    K6MF   - Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California
    WA3NAN - Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, Maryland.
    W5RRR  - Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, Texas
    W6VIO  - Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California.
    W1AW Voice Bulletins

    Station    VHF       10m       15m       20m      40m     80m
    ------     ------  ------  ------  ------  -----    -----
    W6FXN     145.46
    K6MF     145.585             7.165    3.840
    WA3NAN     147.45  28.650  21.395  14.295  7.185    3.860
    W5RRR     146.64  28.400  21.350  14.280  7.227    3.850
    W6VIO     224.04         21.340  14.270
    W6VIO     224.04         21.280  14.282  7.165    3.840
    W1AW         28.590  21.390  14.290  7.290    3.990

    W5RRR transmits mission audio on 146.64, a special event station on the
    other frequencies supplying Keplerian Elements and mission information.

    W1AW also transmits on 147.555, 18.160. No mission audio but they
    transmit voice bulletins at 0245 and 0545 UTC.

    Frequencies in the 10-20m bands require USB and frequencies in the 40
    and 80m bands LSB. Use FM for the VHF frequencies.

    [This item was most recently updated courtesy of Gary Morris
    ([e-mail], KK6YB, N5QWC)]


    SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER FUEL COMPOSITION

    Reference: "Shuttle Flight Operations Manual" Volume 8B - Solid Rocket
    Booster Systems, NASA Document JSC-12770

    Propellant Composition (percent)

    Ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer)            69.6
    Aluminum                        16
    Iron Oxide (burn rate catalyst)            0.4
    Polybutadiene-acrilic acid-acrylonitrile (a rubber) 12.04
    Epoxy curing agent                    1.96

    End reference

    Comment: The aluminum, rubber, and epoxy all burn with the oxidizer.

NEXT: FAQ #10/15 - Historical planetary probes

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

Date: 2 Feb 1993 18:17:10 GMT
From: Andy Cohen <[e-mail]>
Subject: Using off-the-shelf-components
Newsgroups: sci.space

When you are talking about computers tied to avionics...flight qualified
gets alot hairier....  since the systems health (and the crews lives) are
at stake the requirements are much more than that described above....  For
example, all avionics equipment not only has to meet the env reqs already
stated (protecting the IVA env), the boxes also have to be protected FROM
the Ext env.....  that is there has to be a great deal of radiation
protection...... a floppy for an avionics based computer I've heard weighs
in at 10 lbs......  Now...this is different from a PC which is not part of
the avionics systems.....here, the reqs are likely as those already
mentioned......  The CPSC program which is part of my group had to add a
bit of protection to the powerbooks before they flew.....

Andy Cohen
McDonnell Douglas Aerospace

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

Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1993 14:30:35 GMT
From: Jim Campbell <[e-mail]>
Subject: Well..
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Michael Y Ko) writes:
>Well, since Warp 1 is c, the speed of light, it should take a ship traveling
>to a planet 60 light years away 60 years. Pretty basic...
>

    According to which observer(s)? You know, that relativity stuff....



--
Jim Campbell                |    "Remember to tweet!"
[e-mail]            |    Is it my imagination, or am
WB6ZPB         NSS#36691    ASA TNS    |    I just imagining things?

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

Date: 2 Feb 93 19:12:28 GMT
From: Goulet Martin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Well..
Newsgroups: sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech,sci.space

Warp 1 = 1 c (where c is the speed of light)

So, it would take 60 years at warp 1...



--
************************************************************************
* Martin Goulet.                   *  We are Borg! Resistance is       *
* ([e-mail])       *  futile. You will be assimilated! *
************************************************************************

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

End of Space Digest Volume 16 : Issue 117
------------------------------