Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V16_4/V16NO405.TXT

Internet Message Format | 1993-07-13 | 30KB

Date: Fri,  2 Apr 93 05:32:24
From: Space Digest maintainer <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Space Digest V16 #405
To: Space Digest Readers
Precedence: bulk


Space Digest                Fri,  2 Apr 93       Volume 16 : Issue 405

Today's Topics:
                       Commercial point of view
                            Guns for Space
              lie low netters! UFO's want you! (2 msgs)
                   Mexican Space Program? (2 msgs)
                                NORAD
                            nuclear waste
                     Quaint US Archaisms (3 msgs)
             Space FAQ 14/15 - How to Become an Astronaut
           the call to space (was Re: Clueless Szaboisms )
                        Venus Craters Database

    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
    (THENET), or [e-mail] (Internet).
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 1 Apr 93 21:30:33 GMT
From: Gary Coffman <ke4zv!gary>
Subject: Commercial point of view
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <f_=[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Greg Moore) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Nick Szabo) writes:
>>for comsat  monopoly).  These were long-term
>>investments; Comsat did not show a major return for
>>nearly 20 years and is only now becoming a hot stock
>>(paradoxically, now that its monopoly has been curtailed).
>>
>    Could this though be partly due to the fact that
>its monopoly was broken.  Competition can force a company
>to become leaner and meaner, and hence a better company.
>Is this true at all with Comsat?

Ironically, Comsat has been vigorously repositioning itself *out*
of the space business. Their earth station field service staff
now spends less than 5% of their effort on earth station service,
the bulk of their time is spent installing video on demand systems
in hotels. This purely terrestrial system is based on banks of
VCRs. They are rumored, from a very high source in the company,
to be vigorously pursuing purchase of fiber optic terminal
equipment suppliers. As told to me by this source, they see the
comsat marketplace as saturated, and are vigorously diversifying
out of the space based segment. They intend to be a general
communications service provider with space assets only a minor
part of the operation.

Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     |

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

Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 15:02:49 GMT
From: "Brian A.Laxson" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Guns for Space
Newsgroups: sci.space

    I think we should find something a littttllllleeeee bit friendlier
to play with.


* the man with no .sig  <damn>

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

Date: 1 Apr 93 21:16:00 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: lie low netters! UFO's want you!
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (David Geiser) writes...
>
>At last, a true reason for allowing anonymous postings!

I wonder if Szabo and Sherzier are part of this conspiracy. Remember that
Nick especialy dropped out for a while. Could be a plot by the Shalnuskis
(See Pournelles' Jannisary series) could be fighting our advance into space.

It would explain a lot of things on here.

Maybe pat is an agent?  :-)

:-) :-) :-)

Smilies for the possibly humor imparied.

Now Henry is a definite candidate.

Dennis, University of Alabama in Huntsville

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

Date: 1 Apr 93 11:37:57 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: lie low netters! UFO's want you!
Newsgroups: sci.space

          Maybe they will come down and fix some of the flame retards in
          this newsgroup.  An egoectomy perhaps?

          Tom Freebairn  | To all Men in Black who take
                         | exception to this post:
                         | Please go to John_-_Winston's house.
                         | He's expecting you.

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

Date: 1 Apr 93 21:01:15 GMT
From: Gary Coffman <ke4zv!gary>
Subject: Mexican Space Program?
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Nick Szabo) writes:
>[e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
>
>>Canada's space budget is tiny
>>compared to the US's, and Mexico's has got to be smaller yet.
>
>Good grief, this is hardly the whole story.  Mexico has a huge,
>young, mechanically skilled and literate workforce that,
>like Russians and unlike American government contractors, don't
>demand huge sums to do straightforward but tedious industrial
>jobs.  U.S. and Japanese electronics firms already poor $billions
>per year into Latin America.  Freed from defense & NASA
>protectionist contracting rules (hah!  that'll be the day!) the
>U.S. aerospace industry would likely do the same.

Nick's right about this, perhaps in ways he doesn't realize. The
US government's job is to protect the interests of US nationals,
as well as the US national interest. Thus US government purchases are
preferentially made from US companies operating in the US using
US labor. The US government is not in the business of exporting
US jobs with taxpayer funds, nor is it in the business of exporting
the technological industrial base on which it's security depends.
All the cries to "Buy Russian", or "Move Boeing to Tijuana" neglect
these issues.

Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     |

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

Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 15:09:19 GMT
From: "Brian A.Laxson" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Mexican Space Program?
Newsgroups: sci.space

Henry Spencer writes
>putting up most of the money, they're going to want control... and Canada
>and Mexico are not going to be interested in putting up money for
>projects they have no say in.

    Gee, you mean like SSFred?  The states has a long history of
intentionally misinforming it's allies, Canada being prime on the list.
This occurs not only in space programs but in military conflicts, like the
Gulf War  (hi guys, did I forget to mention that we are at war now.)

        Brian

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

Date: 1 Apr 93 15:40:21 GMT
From: ARLIN B COLLINS <[e-mail]>
Subject: NORAD
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>Does anyone have a telephone no. for NORAD? (Is it called Space
>Command now?). I need to urgently check if there have been any
>re-entries in last 2 days! Any e-mail addresses would also be
>of use!

  Just fly toward the US and don't respond to any radio calls to you,
  THEY will contact you!!!

  It doesn't strike me that contacting NORAD is the thing to do,
  just post what you saw/heard/imagined/found  when/where/etc
  and let the 'net' speculate/calculate as to whether or not
  you have a treasure.
--
 Arlin B Collins    Thu 01 Apr   Sun   Civil  Naut   Astro
 [e-mail]   rise:  06:16  05:51  05:22  04:52
 lat N32.9 long W096.9    set:  18:48  19:12  19:42  20:11

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

Date: 1 Apr 93 21:32:54 GMT
From: Gary Coffman <ke4zv!gary>
Subject: nuclear waste
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Kevin W. Plaxco) writes:
>And, I suppose, one could call the red-brown goo that covers comets,
>Pluto, and, no doubt, the surface of Titan "oil", but I wouldn't.

If it's a long chain hydrocarbon that can be refined into useful
products, "a rose by any other name" still stinks like crude.

Gary

--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     |

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

Date: 1 Apr 93 11:36:22 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Quaint US Archaisms
Newsgroups: sci.space

          When I first entered this thread I did so with tongue planted
          firmly in cheek as, I think, have most of the others, but...
          It does speak to some serious concerns.

          First concern: In my first posting I said that metric alone
          should be used in press releases.  This came from a conversation
          I had many years ago with a friend who was a teacher at the time.
          He refused to teach his grade schoolers conversions between
          metric and English measurements.  He would hold up a meter stick
          and say - "This is a meter.  A thousand of these make a
          kilometer.  1/100 of this is a centimeter.  These have nothing to
          do with yards, miles or inches.  Get over your bad selves."  I
          always thought this made wonderful sense.

          Don't get me wrong, coming from the land without daylight savings
          time, I understand the need to hold on to what always was even if
          it does not make much sense.  The Indiana Senate recently
          defeated yet another attempt to drag us into 20 century time, to
          the collective sigh of Hoosiers everywhere.  If we are to be
          stereotyped as rubes we want it to at least be eccentric rubes.

          Second concern:  As a journalism type I am ashamed to say that I
          would never have questioned the conversions given in the original
          posting.  Hell it came from JPL, right?  This is sloppy thinking
          and I am indebted to the person that first pointed the errors
          out.  It is a lesson wise to learn.

          Tom Freebairn     | What do the Frogs say on the planet Szabo?
                            | (all together now!)
                            | Luddite.  Luddite.

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

Date: 1 Apr 93 21:39:34 GMT
From: Gary Coffman <ke4zv!gary>
Subject: Quaint US Archaisms
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mark Robert Thorson) writes:
>May I humbly point out that the English system has standard sizes in
>an exponential distribution (1/2", 1/4", 1/8", etc.) while metric
>sizes tend to be anything.  An old American car can be serviced with
>about 5 wrenches.  A proper metric wrench set has lots of sizes,
>typically 3 to 25 millimeters in increments of 1 mm.

Not to be seen as defending a decicentric measuring system, but in
countries where SI units abound, strength of materials still requires
fasteners in an exponential series. Only a few sizes of metric fasteners
are in common use, and oddly enough they are the ones closest to Imperial
measures. Pass the 1/2 inch, I mean 13mm, wrench please.

Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     |

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

Date: 1 Apr 93 18:17:06 GMT
From: INNES MATTHEW <[e-mail]>
Subject: Quaint US Archaisms
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mark Robert Thorson) writes:
>May I humbly point out that the English system has standard sizes in
>an exponential distribution (1/2", 1/4", 1/8", etc.) while metric
>sizes tend to be anything.  An old American car can be serviced with
>about 5 wrenches.  A proper metric wrench set has lots of sizes,
>typically 3 to 25 millimeters in increments of 1 mm.

Well, for that matter, a proper imperial wrench set has lots of sizes,
typically in increments of 1/16 or 1/32.  And while an old American car
can be serviced with about five wrenches, that's certainly not true of
a modern American car.  Each system has its advantages and disadvantages,
and while which one is actually superior (if such a thing is possible) can
be debated endlessly, the SI system will most likely end up replacing
the imperial system, even in the USA.  The simple fact of the almost
exclusive use of SI in the world at large will, no doubt, force its
adoption in the US eventually.
Or maybe not.  The weight of tradition will certainly carry the old
system for many years.  Canada has been officially metric for almost
twenty years now, but even government job specifications come in both
SI and imperial measurement.  Old habits die hard.


--
                        Matt Innes
                        <[e-mail]>

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

Date: 1 Apr 93 10:02:07 GMT
From: Jon Leech <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space FAQ 14/15 - How to Become an Astronaut
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.answers,news.answers

Archive-name: space/astronaut
Last-modified: $Date: 93/04/01 14:39:02 $

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 non-Russian to get into the cosmonaut corps (paying

    passengers are not professional cosmonauts), 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:
          20/150 or better uncorrected,
          correctable to 20/20, each eye.

     Blood pressure:
          140/90 measured in sitting position.

    3. Height between 58.5 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: 1 Apr 93 10:28:04 GMT
From: Pat <[e-mail]>
Subject: the call to space (was Re: Clueless Szaboisms )
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (fred j mccall 575-3539) writes:
>It isn't feasible for Japan to try to stockpile the amount of oil they
>would need to run their industries if they did no use nuclear power.

Of course,  Given they export 50 % of the GNP,  What do they do.
Anything serious enough to disrupt the sea lanes for oil will
also hose their export routes.

I imagine they only need to stockpile about 6 months oil while
they plan around things,  or the crisis is resolved.

Given they import everything,  oil is just one more critical commodity.

Granted they have to get it from a relatively small number of
supplier nations,  but still with the world changing the way it is,
i think they could get a pipeline from siberia in a few more years.
If they would stop behaving like S****s over the kuriles.


pat

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

Date: 1 Apr 93 17:59:01 GMT
From: Ron Baalke <[e-mail]>
Subject: Venus Craters Database
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary,sci.geo.geology

                            ==========================
                              VENUS CRATERS DATABASE
                                  April 1, 1993
                            ==========================

     The latest database of impact craters on Venus is now available at the
Ames Space Archives.  The database catalogs all impact craters on the 99
percent of Venus imaged by the Magellan spacecraft.  Included are the latitude,
longitude, and diameter of the crater, as well as a classification.  The names
given are either formal IAU names or in the process of submission through the
U.S. Geological Survey.  This database was assembled by Dr. Gerald Schaber at
the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona.

     The database is available in two formats.  The craters.txt is an ASCII
file with the data in columns separated by spaces.  The craters.asc has the
data in comma-delimited format and should permit it to easily be loaded into
any database program.

     The files are available using anonymous ftp at:

        ftp:      ames.arc.nasa.gov (128.102.18.3)
        user:     anonymous
        cd:       pub/SPACE/MAGELLAN
        files:    craters.txt    (ASCII version)
                  craters.asc    (Generic database version)
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [e-mail]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Don't ever take a fence
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | down until you know the
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | reason it was put up.

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

End of Space Digest Volume 16 : Issue 405
------------------------------