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Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #194

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 10 : Issue 194

Today's Topics:
           Payload Status for 10/30/89 (Forwarded)
         Re: Manned Jupiter Mission (was Re:
              Re: Manned Jupiter Mission
     Re: Trying to build a fluxgate magnetometer -- help!
         Re: Powersat options II: Magnetism?
           Re: "Terraforming", so-called...
                Galileo Update
              KSC Payload Update
 Re: Manned Jupiter Mission (was Re: Condensed CANOPUS - August 1989)
             Re: PowerSat Options
       Re: Units of Measure (was fluxgate magnetometer)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 30 Oct 89 19:14:31 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: Payload Status for 10/30/89 (Forwarded)

[No, don't ask we what all the acronyms mean.  This is the raw daily payload
status coming out of KSC. -PEY]

Daily Status/KSC Payload Management and Operations 10-30-89


- STS-31R HST (at VPF) -

Friday it was determined the HST single point ground problem was
not a constraint to power up.  Battery charging then was
completed and at 2300 hours Friday, the HST was powered up for
start of functional testing.  At 0045 hours Sunday the HST was
powered down, and vacuum pump down of the reaction wheel
assemblies in Bay 9 picked up.  HST will power up again this
morning.  Personnel are supporting the continuous VPF
environmental and ECS unit monitoring.

-STS-32R SYNCOM (at VPF) -

Platform removal from the VPF was shutdown Friday because of
weather.  Removal has been rescheduled for today.

- STS-35 ASTRO-1/BBXRT (at O&C) -

After removal of a microswitch, a 0.156 inch diameter video probe
was used to aid in the search for the missing washer.  The washer
was located in the PGSA-1 motor area, removed, and the
microswitch reinstalled.

- STS-40 SLS-1 (at O&C) -

Rack 7 and 10 stiffener mod activities have been placed on hold
pending design center resolution of the countersink rivet issue.
Installation of the MVAK servo unit was completed, and the
experiment RAU and code plug was installed.  Assessment of the
MVAK proofloading continues.

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

Date: 31 Oct 89 01:25:26 GMT
From: unmvax!deimos.cis.ksu.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Re: Manned Jupiter Mission (was Re:


In an article by [e-mail], Henry Spencer writes:
>.....
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Brian Yamauchi) writes:
>>Are there any technical obstacles to a Jovian mission other than the
>>longer flight time (requiring more supplies, larger ships, etc.) and
>>the radiation around Jupiter?
>
>Manned Jupiter missions could *really* *really* use better propulsion
>......
>Long travel times magnify supply problems and increase the advantages of
>......
>However, I'd say that the limitations imposed by Jupiter's Van Allen belts
>are the only technical problems that couldn't be solved with reasonable
>effort.  Progress in advanced propulsion has been largely stalled for two

IMHO, and I believe other's opinions, is that one of the greatest challenges of
even a manned trip to Mars is that of radiation shielding from cosmic
radiation.  A functional permanent moon base, being outside of the Van Allen
belts, would need at least 5 m of lunar soil to protect its inhabitants from
cosmic radiation.  If astro/cosmonauts spent 18 months flying to Mars in the
traditional 5-10 cm thick hulled tin can that has been the tradition for space
crafts flown under the Earth's Van Allen belts, they would experience quite
perceptible brain damage from the exposure on the way there, not to mention
what they would experience while there and on the way back!

If humans did make it to Jupiter, I would think that, unless they have very
good shielding, would head either for the cover of >5 m of Jovian moon dirt or
for the underside of the Jovian radiation belts!

BTW, a very good shielding for a spacecraft would probably be paraffin:  It
would absorb the energy of both charged and uncharged particles and not itself
become dangerously radioactive after prolonged exposure.

-- Daniel Pommert

email.internet:    [e-mail]
email.bitnet:    daniel@uiucvmd

phone:    [phone]

post:    DCL Rm, 150
    1304 W. Springfield
    Urbana, IL  61801-2987

where:    40  6 47 N Latitude
    88 13 36 W Longitude

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

Date: 30 Oct 89 07:52:40 GMT
From: munnari.oz.au!bruce!monu1!vaxc![e-mail]  (Joe Voros)
Subject: Re: Manned Jupiter Mission

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Brian Yamauchi) writes:
>
> Are there any technical obstacles to a Jovian mission other than the
> longer flight time (requiring more supplies, larger ships, etc.) and
> the radiation around Jupiter?

One problem is that HAL does not yet exist  :-)

--
Joe Voros, Physics Dept, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia.

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

Date: 30 Oct 89 19:14:24 GMT
From: sei![e-mail]  (Robert Firth)
Subject: Re: Trying to build a fluxgate magnetometer -- help!

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) writes:

>But, come the revolution, the MKSeoisie will be the first with
>their backs against the wall.

Hear hear!  Not content with making us remember all kinds of
silly historical names, they have now removed one of the best
terms in the entire science of electromagnetism.

Who ever heard of "de-Tesla-ing" ?

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

Date: 30 Oct 89 20:18:49 GMT
From: bfmny0![e-mail]  (Tom Neff)
Subject: Re: Powersat options II: Magnetism?

One way to make powersats useless as weapons is to beam their own
support power UP from Earth.  Collect and beam the solar power in a form
unusable for the satellite's own power needs: those are supplied from
the ground.  If the powersat loses lock with its ground collector, the
"plug" is automatically yanked.  (On-board batteries and programming
would suffice to reacquire lock after ground shutoff, so you don't
pull a FOBOS with the thing -- but power collection would not resume
until ground command.)

It makes sense to build them this way from a public safety standpoint
even without terrorism considerations.
--
Annex Canada now!  We need the room,    \)      Tom Neff
    and who's going to stop us.         (\      [e-mail]

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

Date: 30 Oct 89 20:53:54 GMT
From: gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!uhnix1!uhvax1![e-mail]  (ALVIN CARLEY, USS)
Subject: Re: "Terraforming", so-called...

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Steve Rehrauer) writes:
>>    ...  Is anyone blue-skying the
>>    feasibility of this sort of thing in a serious way?
>
> More or less.  You might want to check out Oberg's book "New Earths".
>

I believe the Jim Oberg's book "New Earths" was based on material presented
at the first of two symposiums he organized on the subject of terraforming.
Both were held in conjuction with the annual Lunar and Planetary Science
Conference here in Houston, the first one in the late '70s.

I was not in a position to know of that first symposium, but I not only
attended the second one in 1987, but Jim requested the services of mine
and my brother's video production partnership. We had exclusive rights
to producing the "official" Terraforming II videotape, which we have
exclusive rights to market.  We also have it on audio cassette.

Jim also had proceedings  published, and had us produce "official"
Terraforming II buttons.

I'm not going to get any more commercial than I have already, here.
If anyone is interested in these or any other material we may have,
my first choice is that you send it to our USnail P.O. Box:

        Space Frontier Group
        P.O. Box 231404
        Houston, Tx  77223-1404


I will forward questions to Jim Oberg, on the subject, if you like.


                Alvin Carley
                  -    General Partner, Space Frontier Group
                  - President, University Space Society (SEDS)
                       University of Houston
                  - Assignment Editor,  The COLONIST,
                                       Houston Space Society (NSS)

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

Date: 30 Oct 89 22:39:28 GMT
From: gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!usc!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Galileo Update



                        GALILEO STATUS UPDATE
                          30 OCTOBER 1989

Galileo is now 2.5 million miles from Earth traveling at 59,845 mph as
it slowly drops in towards the orbit of Venus. Its radio transmitter
is now operating at 30 watts and its propulsion system has been
operated twice in tests and for maintainence purposes. Galileo's
atmospheric probe has been checked out last week and its condition is
fine.  The spacecraft's ion detector was turned on during the latter
part of the solar flare and has measured heavy ions in the range of
130 million volts, none of which affected Galileo's electronics. On
Wednesday, the spinning of the lower part of the spacecraft where the
optical sensors are mounted will be stopped. At present the whole
spacecraft is spinning at 2.9 revolutions per minute. The top part
of Galileo where controller electronics, power, propulsion, radiation
and magnetic field sensors, and radio attennas are located will
continue spinning for the duration of the mission.


 Ron Baalke                       |    [phone] x260
 Jet Propulsion Lab  M/S 301-355  |    [e-mail]
 4800 Oak Grove Dr.               |
 Pasadena, CA 91109               |

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

Date: 30 Oct 89 19:18:54 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!usc!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!forsight!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: KSC Payload Update


DAILY STATUS/KSC PAYLOAD MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS 10-30-89


- STS-31R HST (AT VPF) -

FRIDAY IT WAS DETERMINED THE HST SINGLE POINT GROUND PROBLEM WAS
NOT A CONSTRAINT TO POWER UP.  BATTERY CHARGING THEN WAS
COMPLETED AND AT 2300 HOURS FRIDAY, THE HST WAS POWERED UP FOR
START OF FUNCTIONAL TESTING.  AT 0045 HOURS SUNDAY THE HST WAS
POWERED DOWN, AND VACUUM PUMP DOWN OF THE REACTION WHEEL
ASSEMBLIES IN BAY 9 PICKED UP.  HST WILL POWER UP AGAIN THIS
MORNING.  PERSONNEL ARE SUPPORTING THE CONTINUOUS VPF
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECS UNIT MONITORING.

-STS-32R SYNCOM (AT VPF) -

PLATFORM REMOVAL FROM THE VPF WAS SHUTDOWN FRIDAY BECAUSE OF
WEATHER.  REMOVAL HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR TODAY.

- STS-35 ASTRO-1/BBXRT (AT O&C) -

AFTER REMOVAL OF A MICROSWITCH, A 0.156 INCH DIAMETER VIDEO PROBE
WAS USED TO AID IN THE SEARCH FOR THE MISSING WASHER.  THE WASHER
WAS LOCATED IN THE PGSA-1 MOTOR AREA, REMOVED, AND THE
MICROSWITCH REINSTALLED.

- STS-40 SLS-1 (AT O&C) -

RACK 7 AND 10 STIFFENER MOD ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN PLACED ON HOLD
PENDING DESIGN CENTER RESOLUTION OF THE COUNTERSINK RIVET ISSUE.
INSTALLATION OF THE MVAK SERVO UNIT WAS COMPLETED, AND THE
EXPERIMENT RAU AND CODE PLUG WAS INSTALLED.  ASSESSMENT OF THE
MVAK PROOFLOADING CONTINUES.


 Ron Baalke                       |    [phone] x260
 Jet Propulsion Lab  M/S 301-355  |    [e-mail]
 4800 Oak Grove Dr.               |
 Pasadena, CA 91109               |

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

Date: 30 Oct 89 23:56:27 GMT
From: jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Manned Jupiter Mission (was Re: Condensed CANOPUS - August 1989)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mark Gellis) writes:
>I've heard talk of using magnetic fields to deflect cosmic rays, particles,
>etc.  This would supposedly lower the mass of the hull necessary to protect
>the crew of a spacecraft from radiation.  Is this true?  Workable?  What is
>involved in setting up such a "radiation shield"?

It's theoretically possible but complicated.  The designs I'm aware of
for things like space colonies all use brute-force mass rather than
magnetic shielding.  One problem is that it's the very highest energies
that are the big worry; stopping the low 99% is not good enough.

>... I heard something around two meters of
>asteroid/lunar rock should be enough to stop pretty much everything; I was
>wondering if this was true.

As far as I know, that's still the common wisdom.  Unfortunately, 2m of rock
is awfully heavy for a spaceship.

>One final question.  If magnetic fields for radiation shielding will work,
>how much power would it require...

Depending on the scheme, it could require nearly zero power.  Maintaining
a constant field would be done with superconductors.

>Also (okay, I know this is two questions),
>can it operate if the object is moving relatively fast, like a spacecraft
>moving from one location in a solar system to another?

Yes.  Spacecraft velocities are insignificant compared to cosmic-ray
velocities, so object motion is not an issue.
--
A bit of tolerance is worth a  |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
megabyte of flaming.           | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry [e-mail]

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

Date: 30 Oct 89 23:06:15 GMT
From: crash!orbit!pnet51![e-mail]  (S Schaper)
Subject: Re: PowerSat Options

1) I am not opposed to SPS
2) I do not have beam-o-phobia
3) I think you mis-understood. The suggestion wasn't turning the low-density
microwave beam on someone. It started with someone suggesting a _laser_ to
replace it. b) the Mil _could_ send up a radio-frequency FEL to a powersat
clandestinely (well, sort of clandestinely) Certainly it would be inkeeping
with CPSU behaviours to do so.
 Yes it would be absurdly vulnerable. Worried governments wouldn't permit
construction or else remove it, after all, it doesn't take too many seconds
for several to a myriad pumped free-electron lasers to take out all
space-based recon sats, and be ready for anything coming up from the ground,
including bombarding ground-based high-energy weapons like the Soviet
installations at Semi-Politensk and Sharisagan (sp).]
 Note: we know pretty much all we need to technologically to build SPS's but
we _haven't_ the problems are economic/political and geopolitical. I think

UUCP: {amdahl!bungia, uunet!rosevax, chinet, killer}!orbit!pnet51!schaper
ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51![e-mail]
INET: [e-mail]

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

Date: 30 Oct 89 23:06:12 GMT
From: crash!orbit!pnet51![e-mail]  (S Schaper)
Subject: Re: Units of Measure (was fluxgate magnetometer)

Forsooth, sirrah, no goode Englishman will ever use that cursed Frog
gibberish!

   :-)

UUCP: {amdahl!bungia, uunet!rosevax, chinet, killer}!orbit!pnet51!schaper
ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51![e-mail]
INET: [e-mail]

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

End of SPACE Digest V10 #194
*******************