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Subject: SPACE Digest V9 #292

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 9 : Issue 292

Today's Topics:
           robot hands (was 1992 moon base)
              ISECCo   UPDATE #6
  Re: Civilians in space (Was Re: First concert from space--update)
             NASA FY-1990 Budget Request
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 10 Mar 89 11:27:57 EST
From: [e-mail] (J. Rachiele)
Subject: robot hands (was 1992 moon base)


>  Let's take a specific case. I want the robot to open a screwed on access
>cover, remove a circuit card from a card case, put it into a test fixture,
>run test points on the traces (let's say .03" design rules), and finally
>remove and replace a soldered chip and reassemble the unit. Can you point
>to any of this being done even in a controlled ground environment?

For maintenence of military computers in the field, it is not assumed that
the human can do even this much.  The fault localazation software on our system
is required to print out a list of cards, in order, to replace.  And the
doors on the cabinet has handles.  This would make it a little easier.  A
more difficult task might be screwing in a connector without bending any
of the pins (although you may have trouble finding a human who can do this
reliably.:-)


>  ++PLS

                    Jim
                    [e-mail]

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

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From: Robert Jessie Hale III           <[e-mail]>
Subject:  ISECCo   UPDATE #6

   As a reminder I will be off the computer for two weeks.   March 11-27.
Please send all request and comments to FSRRC@ALASKA and ISECCo will reply
as soon as possible.   Please include Mail address.


#24 ACAD3A::FSRRC       Thu 09 Mar 1989  23:35  ( 145)


March 8, 1989
ISECCo PROJECT UPDATE #6:  Crops cycling.

Background:
     Dinner in a small, closed ecology is not a matter of simply choosing
what you want to eat just before you begin cooking, or even a day or  two
before:  it  must be planned months in advance.  The diet  must  be  pre-
calculated  months  in advance of consumption for the food to  be  eatten
must  be grown first.  I doubt it will have to be QUITE this  strict;  if
you could not stand to have carrots & fish for dinner you could get  away
with  substituting cabbage & worms--but the carrots & fish would have  to
be  eatten the next night, or shortly thereafter for in a closed  ecology
all food must be cycled (and the occupant is the 'cycler'!).
     Calculations involve the time required for the desired crop to grow,
quantity  needed, calories required and nutritional data.   Naturally  if
you  want to have carrots for dinner a month from now you better  already
have  them  in  the ground or you won't be able to harvest  them  on  the
desired  date.  Quantity needed for each crop is determined by a  balance
between  the calorie requirement, the nutrient requirement and what  else
is  to  be  eatten.   Calories are easy to look  up,  as  is  nutritional
information.   These calculations may or may not be performed  in  actual
biosphere operation--since we will be gradually building up the ecosystem
we  should  be able to maintain a balanced diet by careful  attention  to
planting schedules.  We may, however, wish to write a computer program to
do  these calculations so as to maintain more complete records and so  we
can more easily trace any problems which may occur.
     Crops  take  a  preductable  length of time to  grow  from  seed  to
harvest.  This time, combined with the rate of consumption determines the
rate  at which the plant should be planted.  Since plants do not have  to
be harvested on a fixed date, but rather over a range of dates, plantings
of  somewhat  larger  batches than that for a single meal  may  be  used.
However the overall effect will be a continuous planting schedule, rather
than  the usual method of planting all your 'acerage' at  once--and  then
harvesting all at once.
     Food  storage in the Biosphere is very limited due to the fact  that
food  is,  in  essence, essential elements locked up  as  the  foodstuff.
Those  elements are required by the biosphere to continue operation.   An
example is carbon dioxide (not quite an element, I realize, but it  makes
the  point);  a single potatoe will require more carbon dioxide  in  it's
growth than there is in the atmosphere in the biosphere.  Should you then
put that potatoe in the 'fridge and save it you have, in essence, removed
all  the carbon dioxide from the air.  Naturally there are  other  things
going  on  to  replentish the carbon dioxide, but  the  amount  you  have
removed  will  decrease  the  efficency of the  system  and  should  more
potatoes be added to your storage bin you will quickly run into  trouble.
Therefore  food  storage,  beyond  a very short  period,  will  be  quite
limited.

Current status:
     We  have  begun a gradual build-up of  hydroponic  food  production.
Our method aims to be providing enough food to support one person by  the
time the Biosphere shell is finished.  Since this is likely several years
away  we  are  progressing  slowly; there is  no  reason  to  finish  the
hydroponics systems and have no place to put them!
     This  is not to say we are not progressing.  We are well on our  way
towards  our initial goal of producing 25% of the food required  for  one
person;  the  hydroponics boxes are built and in place and  some  of  the
watering systems have been built.  We have planted 37 plants, 17 of which
have  germinated  (the  potatoes,  which  are  the  furthest  along,  are
'crawling'  all  over  everywhere!)  Crop plantings shall  proceed  on  a
regularly  in  the desire of producing a constant flow of food  from  the
hydroponics.  This crop cycling usually is not practical in an unenclosed
environment  due to weather considerations.  In a controlled  environment
it is not only possible but desireable for it increases the  productivity
by  allowing plants of a given size to occupy only the space  needed  for
photosynthesis--in a natural environment moving the plants around so they
occupy a minimum of space is impractical (to say the least!).
     Since  we are not working with a total system yet ridged cycling  of
planting  dates is not yet needed.  We are planting on a 2-3  week  cycle
right now, though not everything being grown is planted at each planting.
As  the system works towards completion these planting dates will  become
more  and more frequent and less and less flexibility can be  allowed  as
the consumption of these plants provides more of the person's diet.  When
the system is complete plant cycling will be fairly fixed, especially  in
terms  of  calorie & nutrient production requirements.  Thus,  while  any
given  crop  may  be substituted the total production must  result  in  a
sufficient number of calories and nutrient for the Biosphere inhabitant.

Conclusion:
     Most  plants require 75-100 days to mature in an ideal  environment.
This  requires that each plant to be eatten must be planted that  far  in
advance of the desired date of consumption.  Animal food sources must  be
similarly  managed.   While not completely  inflexible  this  requirement
shall  require considerable forethought in order to maintain an  adequate
diet.
     Larger systems will provide increasing flexibility, but in a  system
the size we are constructing crop cycling becomes of prime importance  in
the  regulation  of  food supply.  Improper planning will  result  in  an
inadequate diet.  This is the reason we are begining to plan crop cycling
and  management  this soon in our efforts; while not needed now  it  will
become critical as the crops move toward providing one person's food.   A
good cycling schedule should be implimented from the beginning to  assure
a minimum of 'peaks' and 'valleys' in food production.

ON other matters:
     Our contract to lease the land on which the Biosphere is to be built
is  moving ahead, and it is expected to be signed well in advance of  the
May deadline.
     While we have not done too much on aero-space craft design since the
last  report  on it we are devoting the majority of our next  meeting  to
mapping out a strategy for design of our test model.  While this  project
is not currently active, and will not be for some time to come, we feel a
that the complexity of the project requires much advance planning for  it
to  succeed.  Therefore we shall continue to have occasional meetings  to
address the problems which will slow or prevent this project so that when
we  have  the necessary funding to proceed we will have a good  idea  the
direction we will need to proceed in!
     After considerable though I have come to the conclusion we will need
to build the Biosphere shell in such a fashion that we can use it in both
a pressurized mode and a de-pressurized (partially, of course!) mode.   I
would  hope we could attain +/- 5 psi, though we may have to  settle  for
slightly less.  The reason for this is the conflicting data I have  found
which is sufficiently confusing to allow me to question what is the  best
pressure.  To add to the confusion some kinds of plants may prefer higher
pressures while others may prefer lower.  Building the Biosphere shell so
that it can do both will nkwhat complicate the airlock but I feel  that
the added experimental flexibility will be well worth it.
     While  not directly related to ISECCo, my project of re-building  my
airplane, a Piper Super Cub, I though I would give a little update on  it
since many of our members have expressed interest in the project.  (Rides
are  a distinct possibility to those who are dedicated  members--and  can
get here!)  Over the winter I have progressed from aiming to do a  simple
recover job of the fabric to doing a complete strip job of the plane.   I
had  been planning on getting it back in the air and then doing the  rest
of  the job in a year or so, but once I got it all apart in the garage  I
figured  I probably should do everything and save myself from  having  to
tear  it  apart again.  (Not to mention I had some unexpected  free  time
this winter!)  I am (finally) at the point where things begin going  back
together  again; I have stripped the frame of everything, sandblasted  it
and  it is ready to paint.  Then I shall put the new tin I made  in,  re-
fabric  it,  put the engine back on, paint it, paint the wings,  put  the
wings back on and...look, is it a bird?  Naw, just Ray out playing  eagle
again...(unfortunately  to accomplish these tasks shall be  rather  time-
comsuming--I am into the project around 800 manhours already, and by  the
time I'm done it may top 1100!)

     Any  of  you who haven't yet joined and are interested   do  get  in
touch  with us.  Our minimum membership is only $5 for an entire  decade.
Anyone who wants  to  join can just send Robert,  FNRJH@ALASKA, or myself
a  note  on here  (PLEASE include a regular mail address: we have  had  a
number  of responses which we have been  unable to  answer  over  BITNET!)
and we'll send you a letter with the information we'll need. Alternatively
you can write ISECCo, P.O. Box 60885, Fairbanks, AK 99706.

                                              --Ray :: President, ISECCo
[end]
Robert J. Hale III
ISECCo Director

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

Date: 11 Mar 89 00:43:15 GMT
From: vsi1!v7fs1![e-mail]  (Mike Van Pelt)
Subject: Re: Civilians in space (Was Re: First concert from space--update)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Ruaraidh Gillies) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
>>The latest major Soviet space problem -- the Soyuz reentry foulup -- put
>>their program back maybe two or three weeks.
>Have to admit defeat here - never heard of it.

This is the one where the Soyuz returning from Mir couldn't fire its
retrorockets.  They were temporarily stranded; low on oxygen, and could
neither get back to Mir or reenter.  The good 'ol sensation-mongering
USA TV networks were full of lots of hand-wringing about how the
cosmonauts were going to run out of air shortly.  Except for one
interview with James Oberg, where he said the cosmonauts were in no
danger, and would reenter on the next orbit.

He was right.

I think it was some kind of computer problem; they just overrode it and
fired the retros manually.

I think the most interesting Soviet failure was the one with the Indian
'guest cosmonaut', in which the booster blew up on the pad.  The
escape tower worked perfectly, and cosmonauts survived, though slightly
mashed due to the high g-forces of escape tower rockets.

(Good heavens, that newsgroups line!!  I'm paring that down to reason.
rec.music.misc!??!?!?!??!?!?!??!?!)
--
"It was more dangerous to drive                 Mike Van Pelt
away from Three Mile Island than                Video 7
to stay there." -- Dr. Bruce Ames.              ...ames!vsi1!v7fs1!mvp

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

Date: 10 Mar 89 22:22:01 GMT
From: cfa!cfa250![e-mail]  (Steve Willner P-316 x57123)
Subject: NASA FY-1990 Budget Request


Here is the NASA budget request for fiscal year 1990 (beginning
October 1, 1989).  This is President Reagan's budget request,
submitted before he left office in January, but as far as I know, the
Bush administration has not made any changes.  In fact, Richard
Darman, Bush's director of OMB, has testified to Congress strongly in
favor of the NASA budget in general and the Space Station program in
particular.  Of course, it remains to be seen what Congress will
actually appropriate, both in total amount and in the various
programs.  (And I'm willing to take a fairly large bet that they
won't act on it at all by October 1.)

The budget and the comments below are from CANOPUS, as condensed by
me.  See copyright information at end.  --SW

NASA SEEKS NEW STARTS FOR TWO PLANETARY MISSIONS - can890110.txt - 1/9/89

"New starts" are sought for the Comet Rendezvous/Asteroid Flyby and
Cassini Saturn/Titan missions in the fiscal 1989 budget proposed
today for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.  The
$13.3 billion budget plan is almost $2.4 billion higher than the
current $10.9 billion budget NASA has for fiscal 1989. The largest
increase is a $1.1 billion jump for the Space Station program. Small
gains are made in physics and astronomy and other science budgets,
and the NASA payroll is to increase by 700 permanent positions.

The CRAF and Cassini missions are proposed as a dual new start to
save money (compared to two separate programs) by using a common
Mariner Mark II bus design and spares.

Funds for several programs--Hubble Space Telescope, Gamma Ray
Observatory, Galileo, and Magellan--drop as these projects approach
flight in 1989.  Others--Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, Global
Geospace Science--rise sharply compared to FY89 funds.

In releasing the budget proposal, NASA Administrator James Fletcher
noted that the FY90 budget "is almost exactly the amount forecast a
year ago when we presented the FY l989 budget to Congress."  He later
commented that, "The budget provides $2 billion to move ahead with
development of the Space Station.  We are moving toward a first
element launch in early l995 with a capability for man-tended
research activity by the end of that year and a permanently manned
capability by the end of l996.

             NASA FY 1990 BUDGET SUMMARY
            (Millions of Dollars)

        NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

                                             FY1989    FY 1990

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT                     4266.6     5751.6
SPACE FLIGHT, CONTROL & DATA COMM.           4464.2     5139.6
CONSTRUCTION OF FACILITIES                    275.1      341.8
RESEARCH & PROGRAM MANAGEMENT                1891.6     2032.2
INSPECTOR GENERAL                              (8.6)       8.8

     TOTAL BUDGET AUTHORITY                 10897.5    13274.0
===========================                 =======    =======

{Format of the following section is slightly confusing; totals in
each category are given first, followed by the items making up that
total.  Pay attention to the indentation.  I've added the word
"total" to what I think are appropriate lines, but I may well have
erred.  Only the first two categories above were included.--SW}

DETAILED BREAKDOWN                          FY 1989    FY 1990

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT                     4266.6     5751.6 (TOTAL)
===========================                 =======    =======

Space Station                                 900.0     2050.2

Space Transportation Capability Development   681.0      639.0 (total)
  Spacelab                                     88.6       98.9
  Upper Stages                                138.8       88.6
  Engineering & Technical Base                155.4      189.8
  Payload Operations & Support Equipment       64.7       81.1
  Advanced Programs                            52.7       48.7
  Tethered Satellite System                    26.4       19.9
  Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle                  73.0      107.0
  Advanced Launch System                       81.4        5.0

Space Science & Applications                 1830.2     1995.3 (total)

  Physics and Astronomy (total)               734.1      894.5
   Hubble Space Telescope Development          95.9       67.0
   Gamma Ray Observatory Development           41.9       26.7
   Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility        16.0       44.0
   Global Geospace Science                     64.4      112.3
   Payload & Instrument Development            81.7       71.4
   Shuttle/Spacelab Payload Mission
    Management & Integration                   69.7       86.1
   Space Station Integrated Planning
         & Attached Payloads                    8.0       23.0
   Explorer Development                        82.1       93.2
   Mission Operation & Data Analysis          143.2      204.8
   Research & Analysis                         85.8      112.5
   Suborbital Program                          45.4       53.5

  Life Sciences (total)                        78.1      124.2
   Human Space Flight & Systems Engineering    27.6       42.8
   Space Biological Sciences                   10.1       27.6
   Research & Analysis                         40.4       53.8

  Planetary Exploration (total)               416.6      396.9
   Galileo Development                         73.4       17.4
   Ulysses Development                         10.3        4.5
   Magellan Development                        43.1
   Mars Observer                              102.2      100.5
   Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby/Cassini      0.0       30.0
   Mission Operations & Data Analysis         110.7      155.4
   Research & Analysis                         76.9       79.1

  Space Applications                          601.4      579.7

   Earth Sciences (total)                     413.7      434.3
    Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite        94.2       73.9
    Ocean Topography Experiment                83.0       72.8
    Scatterometer                              10.6       13.8
    Earth Science Payload Instrument Dev.      46.4       66.5
    Airborne Science & Applications            23.0       19.7
    Geodynamics                                32.9       38.0
    Missions Operations & Data Analysis        17.6       24.8
    Research & Analysis                       106.0      124.8

   Materials Processing                        75.6       92.7

   Space Communications                        92.2       18.6

   Information Systems                         19.9       34.1

Commercial Programs                            44.7       61.0 (total)
  Technology Utilization                       16.5       22.7
  Commercial Use of Space                      28.2       38.3

Aeronautical Research & Technology            404.2      462.8 (total)
  Research & Technology Base (total)          315.6      335.7
  Systems Technology Programs                  88.6      127.1
    (Materials & Structures Systems Tech.)    (19.2)     (30.3)
    (Rotorcraft Systems Technology)           ( 4.8)     ( 4.9)
    (High-Performance Aircraft
      Systems Technology)                     (11.0)     (34.9)
    (Advanced Propulsion Systems Technology)  (13.9)     (14.5)
    (Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation)        (39.7)     (42.5)

Space Research and Technology                 295.9      338.1 (total)
  Research & Technology Base                  134.1      130.1

  Civil Space Technology Initiative (total)   121.8      144.5
    (Propulsion)                              (36.1)     (37.4)
    (Vehicle)                                 (13.3)     (36.0)
    (Information Technology)                  (15.9)     (15.6)
    (Large Structures & Control)              (19.5)     (18.9)
    (Power)                                   (11.1)     (10.7)
    (Automation & Robotics)                   (25.9)     (25.9)

  Pathfinder Program (total)                   40.0       47.3
    (Surface Exploration)                     ( 8.5)     ( 9.3)
    (In-Space Operations)                     (15.0)     (15.6)
    (Humans in Space)                         ( 6.0)     ( 6.3)
    (Space Transfer)                          ( 5.5)     ( 6.1)
    (Mission Studies)                         ( 5.0)     (10.0)

  In-Space Flight Experiments                   0.0       16.2

Transatmospheric Research & Technology         69.4      127.0

Safety, Reliability & Quality Assurance        22.4       23.3

University Space Science & Technology
  Academic Program                            (22.3)      35.0

Tracking & Data Advanced Systems               18.8       19.9

SPACE FLIGHT, CONTROL & DATA COMM.           4464.2     5139.6 (TOTAL)
==================================           =======    =======

Shuttle Production & Capability Development  1128.2     1305.3 (total)
  Orbiter Operationalal Capability            281.8      237.0
  Propulsion Systems                          582.2      727.3
  Launch & Mission Support                    264.2      341.0

Space Shuttle Operations                     2305.2     2562.7 (total)
  Flight Operations                           685.7      772.6
  Flight Hardware                            1112.7     1236.5
  Launch & Landing Operations                 506.8      553.6

Expendable Launch Vehicles                     85.5      169.5

Space & Ground Networks, Communications
  & Data Systems                              945.3     1102.1 (total)
  Space Network                               483.9      582.3
  Ground Network                              228.1      269.6
  Communications & Data Systems               233.3      250.2
===========================                 =======    =======


Copyright information:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CANOPUS is published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics.  Send correspondence about its contents to the executive
editor, William W. L. Taylor ([e-mail];
e-mail to [e-mail] will probably be forwarded).  Send
correspondence about business matters to Mr. John Newbauer, AIAA,
1633 Broadway, NY, NY 10019.  Although AIAA has copyrighted CANOPUS
and registered its name, you are encouraged to distribute CANOPUS
widely, either electronically or as printout copies.  If you do,
however, please send a brief message to Taylor estimating how many
others receive copies.  CANOPUS is partially supported by the
National Space Science Data Center.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Steve Willner            Phone [phone]         Bitnet:   willner@cfa
60 Garden St.            FTS:      830-7123           UUCP:   willner@cfa
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA                 Internet: [e-mail]

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

End of SPACE Digest V9 #292
*******************