Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT_ZIP/spacedig/V09_4/V9_475.ZIP/V9_475

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Date: Wed,  7 Jun 89 03:16:46 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: SPACE Digest V9 #475

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 9 : Issue 475

Today's Topics:
          Re: Space Station computer system
         Re: OSC Hercules Launch Information
           Re: space news from May 1 AW&ST
            Re: How Hubble will get there
         Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..
          Re: HST transport schedule (as of 5/31/89)
         Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..
          Re: HST transport schedule (as of 5/31/89)
          Re: HST transport schedule (as of 5/31/89)
         Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..
           Re: space news from May 1 AW&ST
        Re: Meteorite impact in Soviet Union in 1947.
           Re: HST transport schedule (as of 5/31/
            Re: Amazon Forest Destruction
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 3 Jun 89 21:26:17 GMT
From: bfmny0![e-mail]  (Tom Neff)
Subject: Re: Space Station computer system

Haven't tracked down the DATAMATION reference yet, but the critical
question to me about Station computers is - will there be a
distinction between station critical computer operations (guidance
control etc) versus experiment support computing. It seems foolish to
entrust flight dynamics to a desktop PC of any kind. On the other hand
experiment support requires a coding platform common in academia and
industry which makes PCs an OK choice (just as the upgraded GRiD
laptop on the Shuttle will be - the predecessor was MSDOS capable but
not PC compatible. It was used for experiment support but ground based
investigators found it hard getting hardware to program).
--
Tom Neff                UUCP:     ...!uunet!bfmny0!tneff
    "Truisms aren't everything."    Internet: [e-mail]

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

Date: 3 Jun 89 22:20:57 GMT
From: jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: OSC Hercules Launch Information

In article <890602-105011-2653@Xerox> [e-mail] writes:
>Does anyone on the net have any info about where OSC is in their
>development of Hercules ?  Specifically I was looking for the date that
>they expect to do the first launch.

There were talking July this year.  I haven't seen a recent update on that,
but as far as I know they're still pretty much on schedule.
--
You *can* understand sendmail, |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
but it's not worth it. -Collyer| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

Date: 1 Jun 89 11:14:53 GMT
From: mcvax!ukc!reading!cf-cm!cybaswan![e-mail]  (Steve Hosgood)
Subject: Re: space news from May 1 AW&ST

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
>NASA to test a parafoil system, developed by Pioneer Aerospace, for
>precision landings by parachute of launcher components weighing up to
>60 klbs.  The parafoil, a gliding parachute, looks okay on paper, but
>reefing [gradual opening] is utterly necessary because parafoils open
>very abruptly, and reefing big parafoils is tricky.  Pioneer has a
>new approach.  Parafoils have a particular advantage over conventional
>parachute systems because by flaring a parafoil (making an abrupt pull-up
>to trade forward speed for a reduction in sink rate), the landing can be
>made gentle enough to eliminate the need for retrorockets or other
>impact-cushioning devices.
>--

Wasn't this originally invented by Dr Francis Rogallo in about 1963? The
project had been started in an attempt to come up with a method for dry-landing
Apollo (and other) manned space capsules. It was scrapped because NASA found
that the wet-landing system developed over many years worked OK and there
was no real need to change.

In 1968, N. Random Students in some American university 'discovered' Rogallo's
patents and made some crude triangular flying machines out of bamboo and
polythene sheeting. I've seen some film of these beasts - it's a surprise
that so few people got killed!

The modern derivatives are safer, have L/D ratios of about 14:1 and are called
Hang Gliders. I have one in my garage. I don't get much time to fly it these
days however :-(

Steve

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

Date: 26 May 89 17:19:41 GMT
From: pacbell!qvax2![e-mail]  (Jerry Gardner @ex2561)
Subject: Re: How Hubble will get there



In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Greg Hennessy) writes:
>
>Actually it will go in a C5A transport plane. It was going to go by
>boar, but recently it was determined that the place could carry the
 ^^^^

Gee, that must have been one helluva big boar!


Jerry Gardner, NJ6A        Qantel Business Systems
               {hplabs,pacbell,ihnp4}!qantel!qvax2!jerry

Disclaimer?  We don't need no stinking disclaimers!

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

Date: 3 Jun 89 22:19:41 GMT
From: jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Kelly St.Clair) writes:
>Is there anything that gives us the *RIGHT* to remake another world in our
>own image?

Is there any reason why we shouldn't?  Remember, we are bringing life into
a desert so desolate that it makes the Sahara look like the Amazon jungle.
Life gets almost everywhere on Earth by various means, and often greatly
alters the destination's environment to make it more hospitable.  Getting
into space, and growing there, is much harder; we are nature's answer to
that problem.
--
You *can* understand sendmail, |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
but it's not worth it. -Collyer| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

Date: 3 Jun 89 14:11:42 GMT
From: stsci![e-mail]  (Jim Sims)
Subject: Re: HST transport schedule (as of 5/31/89)

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Peter Bain) writes:
> >Some current schedule item based on a preliminary LMSC schedule:
> >7/10  HST Horizontal - SMA Staking
> >10/18 Ship HST and GSE             Hubble Space Telescope
> >10/22 Install PCS Simulator        Pointing Control System
> >11/27 - 12/21  Funct test, GST 8   Ground System Test
> >1/11  Remove GSE cables
> >2/28 - 3/9 Move to PAD                (launch pad!!!!!!)

> Can you say "acronym overload"?  Jim, could you give us this in
> English?  Thanks
>          -peter

Even I don't know what all of em are....  (GSE)
--
    Jim Sims      Space Telescope Science Institute      Baltimore, MD
             UUCP:  {arizona,decvax,hao,ihnp4}!noao!stsci!sims
    ARPA:  [e-mail]                           SPAM:  SCIVAX::SIMS

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

Date: 3 Jun 89 13:57:57 GMT
From: att!mcdchg!ddsw1!corpane![e-mail]  (John Sparks)
Subject: Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..

<[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Sender:
Reply-To: [e-mail] (John Sparks)
Followup-To:
Distribution:
Organization: Corpane Industries, Inc.
Keywords:

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Hema Sandhyarani
Murty) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Henry
Spencer) writes:
>> like the effect of clouds on climate (they
>> tend to cool the surface, on the whole).  The "habitable zone" around
>> the Sun is rather wider than was formerly thought; Earth is not on the
>> brink of becoming another Venus.
>>

> If cloud cool the surface, then they don't seem to helping
>Venus any.

I just watched a Nova episode that dealt with the greenhouse effect.
It was stated that the lower atmosphere clouds (cumulus) tend to cool the land
while upper atmosphere clouds (cirrus[?]) will act as a blanket and keep heat
in.  Scientist confirmed this by measuring temperatures above and below cumulus
clouds and above and below the upper atmosphere clouds.

Unfortunately excess greenhouse gases will cause the formation of more of
these upper atmosphere clouds, Nova said.

Nova also stated that CO2 was only one of the greenhouse gases, Methane and
Flourocarbons are also culprits. And both are on the rise.

[sorry this went away form sci.space, I just saw the Nova episode and read
this thread and thought I would share what I heard]

--
John Sparks   |  {rutgers|uunet}!ukma!corpane!sparks | D.I.S.K. 24hrs 1200bps
[not for RHF] |          [e-mail]         | 502/968-5401 thru -5406
If you've seen one nuclear war, you've seen them all.

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

Date: 4 Jun 89 18:57:30 GMT
From: indri!larry![e-mail]  (Jeffrey W Percival)
Subject: Re: HST transport schedule (as of 5/31/89)

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Peter Bain) writes:
> >7/10  HST Horizontal - SMA Staking


Secondary Mirror Assembly.
--
Jeff Percival ([e-mail])

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

Date: 4 Jun 89 15:22:08 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx![e-mail]  (Bill Jefferys)
Subject: Re: HST transport schedule (as of 5/31/89)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jim Sims) writes:
#In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Peter Bain) writes:
#> >Some current schedule item based on a preliminary LMSC schedule:
#> >7/10  HST Horizontal - SMA Staking
#> >10/18 Ship HST and GSE             Hubble Space Telescope
#> >10/22 Install PCS Simulator        Pointing Control System
#> >11/27 - 12/21  Funct test, GST 8   Ground System Test
#> >1/11  Remove GSE cables
#> >2/28 - 3/9 Move to PAD                (launch pad!!!!!!)
#
#> Can you say "acronym overload"?  Jim, could you give us this in
#> English?  Thanks
#>          -peter
#
#Even I don't know what all of em are....  (GSE)

Ground Support Equipment.

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

Date: 4 Jun 89 22:24:33 GMT
From: uflorida!mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Hema Sandhyarani Murty) writes:
>I would be extremely interested in the Science article if you could give
>me the reference...

"Climatic Consequences of Very High Carbon Dioxide Levels in the Earth's
Early Atmosphere", by Kasting and Ackerman, Science 12 Dec 1986, p 1383.
(Longer ago than I thought.)  Both the early Earth and the present one are
safe against runaway greenhouse effect even with 100 atmospheres (!!) of
CO2.  The surface does get kind of hot in the more extreme cases, but the
oceans remain stable.  Actually, the worst area -- where Earth's atmosphere
is only marginally stable -- is at CO2 pressures of 0.1-1.0 atmospheres,
where surface temperature is raised substantially by greenhouse effect
but atmospheric pressure is not high enough to keep the stratosphere
relatively dry.  A modest increase in the brightness of the Sun could
drive such an atmosphere into runaway greenhouse, although it's stable
if left alone.

>If cloud cool the surface, then they don't seem to helping
>Venus any...

The effects of clouds vary a great deal.  They absorb outgoing radiant
heat, but they also reflect incoming light.  On Earth in most cases, the
net effect is cooling.  The Science paper doesn't actually figure clouds
in to any extent, it turns out -- I'd remembered that incorrectly.  They
discuss the matter, and attempt to allow for cloud effects in small ways,
but nobody knows how clouds would behave in a CO2-rich atmosphere.  They
say that it takes fairly pathological cases for clouds to contribute much
net warming on Earth.
--
You *can* understand sendmail, |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
but it's not worth it. -Collyer| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

Date: 4 Jun 89 05:54:52 GMT
From: mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: space news from May 1 AW&ST

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Steve Hosgood) writes:
>>NASA to test a parafoil system, developed by Pioneer Aerospace, for
>>precision landings by parachute of launcher components...
>
>Wasn't this originally invented by Dr Francis Rogallo in about 1963? ...

If I haven't got the terms mixed up, no, they are not the same thing.
Rogallo's concept was a flexible wing, with shape held by rigid members
or shroud lines or both.  Typically it had a single surface and was
triangular.  A parafoil is a gliding parachute, with two surfaces kept
apart by ram pressure and a rectangular shape.  Parafoils have largely
replaced circular parachutes for high-performance sport parachuting.
They are parachutes first and wings second.

>[Rogallo effort] an attempt to come up with a method for dry-landing
>Apollo (and other) manned space capsules. It was scrapped because NASA found
>that the wet-landing system developed over many years worked OK and there
>was no real need to change.

Not quite right, if I'm not mistaken.  According to Michael Collins's
"Liftoff", Apollo opted for a wet landing very early because it clearly
involved less on-board weight.  Gemini originally was going to use a
Rogallo wing in hopes of developing pinpoint landing techniques.  The
wing idea ran into problems, and Gemini's most important job was to
prove technology for Apollo, which wasn't going to use it anyway, so
Gemini switched to wet landing.  If Apollo's schedule had not forced
the issue, Gemini might well have stayed with the Rogallo wing; being
able to make a pinpoint landing on land was clearly superior to splashing
down in the ocean and having to be picked up.  The motive to change was
there all right, but short-term schedule problems took priority.
--
You *can* understand sendmail, |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
but it's not worth it. -Collyer| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

Date: 3 Jun 89 18:00:44 GMT
From: mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!attcan!ncrcan!ziebmef![e-mail]  (Howard J. Scrimgeour)
Subject: Re: Meteorite impact in Soviet Union in 1947.

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>
>    If memory serves me, this was known as the "Tingustu Event"
>(or something close to that).  Witnessed by many from afar, there
>were reports of extremely high-intensity light from the horizon.
>An enormous circular section of forest was flattened and flash-
>burned.  However, NO CRATER nor evidence of any crater exsists.

I'm afraid you're confusing two events. The one you're thinking of
is the "Tunguska" event, an explosion which took place in Siberia
in (I believe) 1910. I've heard it suggested that the absence of
a crater was due to the object bursting (vaporizing) some distance
above ground. This adds weight to the suggestion that the object was
a cometary nucleaus (iceball) rather than a meteor.

+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Howard J. Scrimgeour, D.V.M.                                           |
| [e-mail]       CIS:75126,2744                               |
| uunet!{utgpu!moore,attcan!telly}!ziebmef!hjsdvm                        |
| "We also walk dogs..."                                                 |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: 5 Jun 89 16:02:00 GMT
From: m.cs.uiuc.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Re: HST transport schedule (as of 5/31/


/* Written 11:02 am  Jun  1, 1989 by [e-mail] in m.cs.uiuc.edu:sci.space */
In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jim Sims) writes:
>Some current schedule item based on a preliminary LMSC schedule:
>7/10  HST Horizontal - SMA Staking
>10/18 Ship HST and GSE
>10/22 Install PCS Simulator
>11/27 - 12/21  Funct test, GST 8
>1/11  Remove GSE cables
>2/28 - 3/9 Move to PAD
Can you say "acronym overload"?  Jim, could you give us this in
English?  Thanks
         -peter
/* End of text from m.cs.uiuc.edu:sci.space */

GSE - Ground Support Equipment
GST - Ground Support Test [?]
HST - Hubble Space Telescope
PAD - Not an acronym.
SMA - Secondary Mirror Assembly

What's PCS?

A-T

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

Date: 5 Jun 89 18:30:33 GMT
From: ncrlnk!ncrcce![e-mail]  (Wayne D. T. Johnson)
Subject: Re: Amazon Forest Destruction

Article in the local news last night:
ozone was being destroyed by electrons coming from the magnetosphere
this causing 14% of the ozone loss since 1975...
--
Wayne Johnson                 (Voice) 612-638-7665
NCR Comten, Inc.             (E-MAIL) [e-mail] or
Roseville MN 55113                    [e-mail]
These opinions (or spelling) do not necessarily reflect those of NCR Comten.

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

End of SPACE Digest V9 #475
*******************