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Subject: SPACE Digest V9 #319

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 9 : Issue 319

Today's Topics:
              NSS Hotline Update 3/24/89
        Would you like to go to Mars in 1992?
     Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?
     Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?
       Re: Simulating Teleoperations, off road handling
     Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?
     Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?
     Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?
     Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?
               CDSF Celebration
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 26 Mar 89 20:56:00 GMT
From: arisia!cdp![e-mail]
Subject: NSS Hotline Update 3/24/89


This is the National Space Society's Space Hotline for the week ending
March 24, 1989.

Last Wednesday Dr. James Fletcher resigned as NASA Administrator.  His
resignation will become effective April 8th, and will end the longest
amount of time that one person has been the NASA Administrator.  Serving as
NASA Administrator from 1971 to 1977, he was primarily responsible for
selling the Space Shuttle Program to then President Nixon.  In 1986 he
took over the NASA Administrator position once again to supervise NASA's
recovery from the Challenger accident, and to push the program into a
system that put more emphasis on quality control and safety.  On April 8,
Deputy Administrator Dale Myers will become acting Administrator until
President Bush appoints a new Administrator.

NASA and the space industry are growing concerned over President Bush's
lack of action on key issues despite his strong vocalization of support for
the civil space program.  An indication of Bush's support will be reveled
in how strongly the Administration fights for the NASA budget.  OMB
Director Richard Darman has come out in favor of the budget and that's a good
start.  A second concern is about the time it has been taking to fill key
appointments.  And the fact that the National Space Council despite having
a director still has no office and staff, and awaits an executive order
from Bush to set up shop.

At Kennedy Space Center...

On Thurs. 8am the Space Shuttle Atlantis completed its roll out to the pad,
where the $530 million Magellan Venus Radar Mapping probe sits in a clean
room waiting to be installed into Atlantis's cargo bay.  Magellan is the
first planetary mission to be launched by the US since 1978.  In addition
the radar mapping probe is the first interplanetary probe built to be
launched specifically on the Space Shuttle.  The launch is scheduled to
take place on April 28, 1989 and must commence by May 23, 1989 while the
launch window to Venus is open.

Today the Discovery Orbiter is scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Space Center
at 5pm.  Discovery, that just returned from its five day mission last week
is reported to be in excellent condition.  Although technician are checking
out two small leeks that occurred in Discovery's main engine no. 1.

As part of a large NASA sounding rocket program, two Black Brant Xs and two
Nike-Orions are scheduled to be launched from Canada's Churchill Research
Range on Hudson Bay.  Two of the rockets carrying colorful barium releases,
will be visible, if cloud cover permits, to individuals in Eastern and Central
Canada, and in the North Central US.  They're scheduled to launched in late
March.  The other two rockets were scheduled to have been launched this
past week, and carried upper atmosphere experiments which are not visible
to individuals on the ground.

Last Thursday the DOT's Office of Commercial Space Transportation issued a
revised commercial launch manifest which calls for 23 launches.  The first
of the commercial launches will take place on March 29th.  Space Services
Incorporated will launch a sounding rocket carrying microgravity experiments,
from the White Sands missile test range in New Mexico.  The launch will
provide seven minutes of 0g for the six materials processing experiments
designed and constructed by the University of Alabama Consortium for
Materials Processing.  To meet regulations to get a license to launch the
mission, SSI must have $1 million in liability for damage to Govt. property,
and $10 million in coverage for third party property.

Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner stated that the US is moving into
an era of commercial space operations signified by the US launch industry
moving off the drawing board and into operations.

Friday's (March 24th) issue of the New York times features National Space
Society activists Glenn H. Reynolds, NSS council S.Neil Hosenball and C.
Dennis Ahearn in an article about space law.  The article outlines these
lawyers participation in current issues of space law especially those
pertaining to commercial launch services.

The Soviet news agency TASS reported that an unmanned Progress 41 supply
spacecraft that was launched on March 16, has docked with the Mir Space
Station.  The docking was carried out through the coordinated use of
onboard automated equipment, ground controllers and two Mir Cosmonauts.

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

Date:    Mon, 27 Mar 89 07:37:35 PST
From: [e-mail] (Don)
Subject: Would you like to go to Mars in 1992?
X-St-Vmsmail-To: JPLLSI::"[e-mail]",ANDERSON


MS/PhD level software designer/programmer wanted for the NASA Mars
Observer spaceflight project.  Work involves the development of instrument
command and data analysis software for an imaging infrared spectrometer.
Both a background in physical sciences and mathematics, and strong
UNIX/C, DBMS, and graphics experience are desired.  Salary commensurate
with experience.  Send letter of interest, resume, and names of three
references/letters of recommendation to:

Don Anderson
Geology Department
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona 85287-1404.
602-965-6336

uucp:  sun!sunburn!tes!anderson

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

Date: 26 Mar 89 00:37:53 GMT
From: attcan!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (0000-Alan Lovejoy) writes:
>>We *really* need access to the asteriods, which have plenty of platinum-
>>group metals.
>
>Then we also need either very advanced AI, very advanced biotechnology,
>or artificial gravity: It appears that low gravity fields shut down the
>human immune system in a way similar to the AIDS virus.  Humans will NOT
>be spending any appreciable percentage of their lives in space until we
>can fix our immune systems so that they tolerate low gravity,  or until
>we can provide gravity artificially.  As things stand, a career as an
>asteroid miner would not last long...

Nonsense.  Supplying artificial gravity using centrifugal force is no big
deal, although getting the radius long enough to avoid inner-ear problems
is certainly a nuisance.  People have designed current-technology Mars
missions which have artificial gravity.

You've also forgotten at least two other ways out of the problem:  better
space propulsion to cut down the lengths of the missions, or just being
patient and persistent with unmanned missions (the main penalty of not
having on-site intelligence for asteroid mining is that any serious mistake
means that operations stop until replacement hardware arrives).

It is also an unproven conjecture that advanced biotechnology will be
needed to deal with the immune-system problem.  There might be some
simple fix.
--
Welcome to Mars!  Your         |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
passport and visa, comrade?    | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

Date: 25 Mar 89 19:03:03 GMT
From: mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!ois.db.toronto.edu![e-mail]  ("John D. DiMarco")
Subject: Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (0000-Alan Lovejoy) writes:
>Then we also need either very advanced AI, very advanced biotechnology,
>or artificial gravity: It appears that low gravity fields shut down the
>human immune system in a way similar to the AIDS virus.  Humans will NOT
>be spending any appreciable percentage of their lives in space until we
>can fix our immune systems so that they tolerate low gravity,  or until
>we can provide gravity artificially.  As things stand, a career as an
>asteroid miner would not last long...
>
Why not a rotating astronaut habitat? Centrifugal forces could provide
"artificial gravity" at the rims of such a habitat. It's not really a new
idea... Thus an asteroid miner would be able to spend some time in a >0 G
environment.

>Alan Lovejoy; alan@pdn; 813-530-2211; AT&T Paradyne: 8550 Ulmerton, Largo, FL.

--

John DiMarco    * We will live in the light *    [e-mail]
[e-mail]     [e-mail]    [e-mail]
{uunet!utai,watmath!utai,decvax!utcsri,decwrl!utcsri}!db!jdd    [e-mail]

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

Date: Sat, 25 Mar 1989 14:17-EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Simulating Teleoperations, off road handling

I wonder if Lucius has ever driven off road. I have.

You bet your sweet A** you have to take running starts. The scenario
discussed by Andy Higgins is not that unusual for real off road 4x4
driving in hill country.

I might also add that one of the maxims of off road driving is "You
WILL get stuck". That is why it is always wise to go four wheeling with
at least 2 vehicles so that one can either:

    a) pull you out
    b) help you fix what you broke
    c) go for help (or more beer while you wait)

You'd better think in terms of the equivalent for your lunar
teleoperation unless you are willing to leave the lunar surface strewn
with stuck buggies.

Driving off road in REAL time on unknown ground takes skill and
attention. (I won't claim a terribly high level of skill, although I
did once drive down some stairs) Teleoperation of a vehicle on rough
unknown ground is going to be APPALLINGLY difficult unless you limit
your travel to relatively flat areas and keep your velocity very low.
(the Lunikhod approach).

I would suggest that legged vehicles such as the Mras Rover concept
being worked on here at CMU are much better suited to remote
teleoperation than wheeled vehicles simply because they DON'T have the
same "GUN IT, DROP THE CLUTCH, TAKE THE HILL AND SLAM ON THE BRAKES AT
THE TOP" type of control needed for operating a wheeled off road
vehicle.

Even if you were driving tanks, you still have to have fine control to
take on obstacles. Ask your nearest Army type.

PS: At least on the moon I couldn't get stuck in the middle of a
river...

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

Date: 26 Mar 89 02:56:15 GMT
From: xanth!nic.MR.NET!shamash!com50!questar![e-mail]  (David Becker)
Subject: Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?


On McNeil Lehrer one the researchers implied that they had
a theoretical basis for pursuing this idea.  An AP article said
they put $100K of 'their own' money (I assume 'their own' means the
department's) because the idea was so unconventional.
Any clues as to what the basis they were working from was? At least
one good enough to risk $100K on it?

The AP article and I believe the interview said they had taken
4 years to confirm their results.  Has no one else in the fusion
community heard about this or started some of their own work?

According to Glen Chapman's summary of the Financial Times article (thanx)
these guys have a decent rap.  Their conduct on the ML interview
didn't suggest any moment-of-glory aspirations but they did sound
as though they had expected a very skeptical reaction.  Now these guys
are smart.  Wouldn't they have done A LOT of homework to be as sure
as possible their careers didn't become,  as Paul Deitz said, s**t
when they announced cold fusion.

  Cold fusion and warm superconducters ... who'd a thunk rec.humor's
  oxymorons would spread here  (and who would have wanted it too :-)
--
David Becker
and another bug bites, and another bug bites   another bug bites the dust
[e-mail]

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

Date: 26 Mar 89 00:12:18 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (Arthur P. Goldberg)
Subject: Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>
>My 12-yr old CRC quotes palladium at $80/troy-ounce,
>and platinum at $150/troy-ounce. For reference, gold was $200/ounce.
>--
The closing quotes Thursday March 23 on the commodities exchange
were platinum $546/troy oz and palladium $146/troy oz.

Arthur Goldberg                          Illegitimati Non Carborundum
3680-D Boelter Hall
UCLA Computer Science Department
LA, Ca. 90024
[phone]
[e-mail]

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

Date: 26 Mar 89 22:49:00 GMT
From: mtxinu!taniwha![e-mail]  (Paul Campbell)
Subject: Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>My 12-yr old CRC quotes palladium at $80/troy-ounce,
>and platinum at $150/troy-ounce. For reference, gold was $200/ounce.


Buy palladium futures now :-)

    Paul


--
Paul Campbell, Taniwha Systems Design, Oakland CA ..!mtxinu!taniwha!paul
"'Give me your tired, your poor - I'll piss on them' that`s what the
Statue of Bigotry sais. 'Let`s club them to death, get it over with
and just dump them on the Boulevard'" - Lou Reed, "New York"

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

Date: 26 Mar 89 05:50:47 GMT
From: phoenix![e-mail]  (John Scott McCauley Jr.)
Subject: Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?

One thing that bugs a lot of people about this discovery is that based on the
news reports, not very many neutrons are produced  -- supposedly they are
off by 9 orders of magnitude according to conventional theory. Here is
a short explanation about the conventional theory of D-D reactions.

[begin theory]

    There are two fusion reactions involving D-D. They are

                  3
    D + D ->   He + n (neutron energy about 2.5 MeV)

    D + D ->   T  + p (proton energy about 1 MeV).

    For interaction energies above 10 keV, the cross section of the
two reactions and hence the reaction rates are about the same. These
have been measured with accelerators. These data agree well with the
cross-sections obtained by doing a WKB approximation of a Coulomb
barrier penetration problem. According to theory and the data a high
temperatures, there is a slight dependence on the spin orientation of the
D-D at high temperatures. Even if the deuterium ions are spin-polarized,
at high temperature you will always see at both neutrons and protons.
So most think that at room temperature both reactions would also
happen at about the same rate.  Therefore 4 watts of fusion power
probably would produce 0.5 watt or so of 2.5 MeV neutrons. This supposedly
is a big neutron source -- people exposed to it for some period of
time may lose hair or even die.

[end theory]

    So if it is fusion and their neutron counts are off by a factor of 1e-9
(as was claimed in the press conference I think),  then the aneutronic (second)
branch seems to be dominant. So does anyone remember enough WKB theory to
figure out if the spin-dependence of the cross-sections can account for this
large number?

       One more thing, it is hard to tell sometimes on a mass spectrometer
if you have Helium-3 or Tritium. Mass spectrometers measure
the charge-to-mass ration. So singly-ionized helium-3 would show up as
mass 3, Tritium would show up as 3, and doubly-ionized helium would be
mass/q of 1.5. Tritium beta-decays to helium-3, so eventually all of
the tritium (half-life about 12-13 yrs) would wind up as helium-3.


    Scott

P.S. Most of this stuff is from memory, so might be useful to double check,
but I think most are right to about 20% or so.

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

Date: 26 Mar 89 21:32:37 GMT
From: agate![e-mail]  (William Baxter)
Subject: CDSF Celebration


Space activism is alive and well in Tucson!

Some 70 people toured the Space Bispheres Ventures facility in Oracle
Junction, AZ.  Many of us later celebrated our successful efforts to
kill the NASA Space Station.  Now we can get on with a real space
program.

William Baxter

ARPA: web@{garnet,brahms,math}.Berkeley.EDU
UUCP: {sun,dual,decwrl,decvax,hplabs,...}!ucbvax!garnet!web

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

End of SPACE Digest V9 #319
*******************