Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT_ZIP/spacedig/V11_4/V11_453.ZIP/V11_453

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Date: Sat, 26 May 90 01:49:35 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #453

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 11 : Issue 453

Today's Topics:
             Re: Manned mission to Venus
          IMAGE PROCESSING SOFTWARE REQUEST
              SpaceWatch, SR-71
              Galileo Update - 05/25/90
            Origin of SPS concept?
Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific Basin video transmissions to continue (Forwarded)
              sci.space.announce
            Re: Splitting "SPACE"
Delta/ROSAT launch rescheduled for June 1, conference May 31 (Forwarded)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 26 May 90 04:01:24 GMT
From: thorin!homer![e-mail]  (Jonathan Leech)
Subject: Re: Manned mission to Venus

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mark SOKOLOWSKI) writes:
>to Mars in the 80's. After all, russians weren't that much motivated
>to go to a particular planet when they started their space program, and
>this is why they have sent close to 20 spaceships to Venus, which indicates
>that this location is a good choice for a manned expedition.

    No, it indicates that the Soviet planetary science program has had
a remarkably unsuccessful series of Mars missions and lacks the
capability to stage an outer planets mission to date.
--
    Jon Leech ([e-mail])    __@/
    ``You looked so innocent and vulnerable, I wanted to use
      everything I knew about radar astronomy to protect you.''
    - Dr. Steve Mills in _My Stepmother is an Alien_

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

Date: 25 May 90 11:53:00 EDT
From: "V70D::HUNTRESS" <[e-mail]>
Subject: IMAGE PROCESSING SOFTWARE REQUEST
To: "space" <[e-mail]>

Hi,

Last week somebody asked for a copy of a program from a back
issue of Byte.  It was an image processor for telescope applications.
Well, I got a copy of the software, but I lost the address of the requestor!

So, the original poster (and anybody else) can send me their address,
I will either Email or FTP a copy.

===============================================================================
|  Gary Huntress            |    For a linear fit          |
|  Naval Underwater Systems Center    |    obtain two data points        |
|  Newport RI                |                      |
|  [phone]            | The most common elements in the     |
|  [e-mail]        | universe are hydrogen and stupidity |
|=============================================================================|
|  "Disclaimer?  We don' need no steenking dislaimer"                  |
===============================================================================

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

Date: 25 May 90 10:10:00 PDT
From: "1st Lt. Henry S. Cobb" <[e-mail]>
Subject: SpaceWatch, SR-71
To: "space+" <[e-mail]>


                  I N T E R O F F I C E   M E M O R A N D U M

                                        Date:     25-May-1990 09:36 PDT
                                        From:     Capt Stewart Cobb
                                                  COBBHS
                                        Dept:     CLFP
                                        Tel No:   643-2504

TO:  _MAILER!                             ( _DDN[[e-mail]] )


Subject: SpaceWatch, SR-71

The US military has an extensive network of radars which search the skies for
incoming missile warheads.  It turns out that satellites are hard to distinguish
instantly from warheads.  Therefore, NORAD keeps a list of everything in orbit
that its radars can see.  If a target shows up which does not match a previously
predicted satellite pass, alarms go off (figuratively).

This is the reason NORAD started keeping an orbital catalog.  [Their problem has
gotten a lot easier with space-based surveillance of Soviet missile fields.]

One component of the (pre-Brilliant Pebbles) SDI architecture is the Space
Surveillance and Tracking System (SSTS).  These gadgets scan the skies in the
thermal infrared band, looking for objects warmer than deep space.  They will
see:

a) Sun, Earth, Moon, planets, moons, and many stars
b) other celestial objects, like Earth-crossing asteroids
c) satellites
d) and, they hope, warheads

Of course, they will be optimized to detect warheads, but there's a lot of stuff
out there.  Not only will they detect (many of the) objects which could hit the
Earth, they will _have_ to notice them and subtract them out individually as
they hunt for warheads.  This is not an additional mission for an SDI looking
for justification -- it's an incidental byproduct of a properly functioning SDI
system.

Note that I'm explaining SDI, not selling it.

Now the other topic:  I visited the Strategic Air Command Museum in Omaha,
Nebraska, a few weeks ago.  They have an SR-71 on their ramp, so new it's still
leaking fuel (literally).  You can walk right up to it, stick your head in the
landing gear wells, touch anything you can reach.  I spent an hour walking
around that big black beauty, and I was impressed.  See it now, before it gets
full of beer cans and bubble gum.

If anyone can cross-post this to rec.aviation, I'd appreciate it.  -Cheers, Stu

(Round up the usual disclaimers ...)

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

Date: 25 May 90 23:54:10 GMT
From: usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Galileo Update - 05/25/90


                              GALILEO
                       MISSION STATUS REPORT
                           May 25, 1990

     As of noon Friday (PDT), May 25, 1990, the Galileo spacecraft is
97,747,810 miles from the Earth, 39,742,020 miles from Venus and
traveling at a heliocentric velocity of 61,791 miles per hour.  Galileo is
spinning at 3.15 rpm in cruise mode-dual spin configuration.  The downlink
telemetry rate is at 40 bits/second using the Low Gain Antenna (LGA-1).
Round trip light time is 17 minutes, 30 seconds.

     This was a relatively slow week for spacecraft activities.  Activities
were limited to one SITURN, Cruise Science memory readouts and some radio
frequency telecommunication tests.

     A SITURN to lead the sun was successfully performed on May 21.  The
spacecraft performance during this activity was as expected and without
incident.  The spacecraft attitude sun point angle is at 0.3 degrees.

     Cruise Science Memory Readouts (MROs) were successfully performed for
the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV), Magnetometer (MAG) and Dust Detector (DDS)
instruments on May 21 and May 25.

     Commands were sent to the EUV on May 25 to reconfigure the instrument
to gather cruise data following the EUV response to the commands sent on
May 12.  The instrument response was due to the unexpected operation of the
EUV polling algorithm.

     The operating conditions of the polling algorithm were not well
documented.  Simply stated when the microprocessor is not busy it calls the
polling algorithm.  When called the polling algorithm calculates a number by
multiplying the number of pixels by the number of sectors.  If the result is
greater than 768 then the instrument is "safed".  On May 12 the EUV Fixed
Pattern Noise Table (FPNT) was changed by command; the number of pixels was
increased from 21 to 31 to allow collection of Comet Austin O+ data; the number
of sectors was unchanged (35). Prior to commanding changes to FPNT the change
was tested on the EUV simulator.  This simulator has a preprogrammed high count
rate.  With the high count rate, the EUV microprocessor was busy and thus the
polling algorithm was never activated. The test results led the EUV Team to the
conclusion that the change would work as planned.  Following transmission of
the FPNT changes, the EUV microprocessor, which was operating with a low count
rate and thus was not busy, called the polling algorithm. The product
calculated by the polling algorithm was greater than 768 (31 x 35 = 1085) and
the instrument entered its safe mode.  The commands sent on May 25 reconfigured
the FPNT to its previous state allowing the collection of normal cruise data.
In the state the polling algorithm if called will calculate a product which is
less than 768.

     A radio frequency subsystem (RF) test was successfully performed on
May 25.  This periodic RF test collects valuable information regarding the
integrity of S-Band receiver tracking loop capacitors.

     The AC/DC bus imbalance measurements exhibited some fluctuations.  The
DC measurement dropped about 2.7 volts (25 DN) on May 21 during periods of no
spacecraft activity.  The AC measurement meanwhile remained relatively stable
fluctuating about 0.3 volts (3 DN).  All other power-system related and
subsystem telemetry measurements were as expected.

     The project reviewed and approved the preliminary sequence and command
generation products for the Venus-Earth (VE-5) sequence on May 25.  The VE-5
sequence controls spacecraft activities from June 11 to October 22.
       _   _____    _
      | | |  __ \  | |       Ron Baalke           |  [e-mail]
      | | | |__) | | |       Jet Propulsion Lab   |  [e-mail]
   ___| | |  ___/  | |___    M/S 301-355          |
  |_____/ |_|      |_____|   Pasadena, CA 91109   |

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

Date:     Fri, 25 May 90 13:06:20 CDT
From: Will Martin <[e-mail]>
Subject:  Origin of SPS concept?

Does the concept of a Solar Power Satellite that transmits its power output
down to Earth via microwaves, where it is received by a "rectenna", have a
single point of origin?  That is, did one person think this up from
scratch?  If so, who was that?

We know Arthur C. Clarke was the point of origin for the concept of
geostationary comsats, so that is why the term "Clarke orbit" is used
in his honor (a tip of the hat to Henry Spencer, who mentioned this
in a recent posting describing orbital modes). Does the SPS concept
have a similar single point of origin, or was it one of those ideas
that was just "in the air" at some point in history, and just sort of
generally grew out of the zeitgeist? (That is, no one individual could
be credited with thinking it up.)

I ask this because I heard one of those short radio science features
last weekend that briefly discussed this topic, and on which a specific
academic person (whose name I sadly cannot recall), who had written a
Physics Today article on the subject, was [seemingly] credited with
creating the idea. Since I've seen the subject discussed on this group
for many years, I was somewhat surprised to hear it being treated as if
it was a recently-developed concept. However, maybe the whole thing DID
start with this man's paper. I'd like to know if that was the case.

Regards, Will
[e-mail] OR [e-mail]

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

Date: 25 May 90 18:48:34 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific Basin video transmissions to continue (Forwarded)

Dwayne C. Brown
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                       May 24, 1990
(Phone:  [phone])


N90-36 EDITORS NOTE:

ALASKA, HAWAII AND PACIFIC BASIN VIDEO TRANSMISSIONS TO CONTINUE


     NASA's Office of Space Operations, Washington, D.C., will
continue to provide video transmissions of NASA Shuttle missions
and other activities to Hawaii, Alaska and the Pacific Basin.

     Satellite Transmission and Reception Specialists, Houston,
under contract with NASA, are responsible for the installation,
maintenance and operation of a semi-permanent Earth station at
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., to make these
transmissions possible.

     The contract calls for transmitting future Shuttle launches
and additional events, including educational and scientific
programs and public affairs events.

     The station will provide the transmission via SPACENET 1,
located at 120 degrees west longitude, transponder 17L, 4.060
Mhz.  However, a different satellite may be used for future
events.

     The service will be provided between the hours of 6 p.m. and
8 p.m. local Hawaiian and Alaskan time, beginning with the STS-35
Space Shuttle mission.

     The STS-35 mission, a 9-day flight, will feature around-the-
clock observations by telescopes that will make precise
measurements of objects such as planets, stars and galaxies.

     The mission also will feature "Space Classroom", a new NASA
educational effort designed to involve students and teachers in
the excitement of Space Shuttle missions.  This event will
involve a lesson being taught by the crew from the Shuttle cabin.

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

Date: 25 May 90 22:00:43 GMT
From: zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!dali!milton!maven![e-mail]
Subject: sci.space.announce

I am in favor of replacing sci.space.shuttle with sci.space.announce.

Just seems to be a thing that makes sence.

                    John.
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My boss dosn't know what I do.

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

Date: 25 May 90 07:34:59 GMT
From: bfmny0![e-mail]  (Tom Neff)
Subject: Re: Splitting "SPACE"

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Will Martin) writes:
>The other thing to remember about "sci.space" is that it is not an entity
>in and of itself; it is also part of the Internet SPACE Digest mailing list.
>These are currently two-way gatewayed together. (I think "sci.space.shuttle"
>is also fed into the SPACE Digest, one-way only.)

Right, so if we replace sci.space.shuttle with sci.space.announce, as I
suggested earlier, all we have to do is alter that one-way gateway to
reflect the new group name.  Everything else stays the same.

I would think that SOME Internet folks would actually prefer to have
SPACE-UPDATE-L as a separate list, so they don't have to wade through
squirrels and popes all the time. ;-)

>USENETters seem enamored of topic-splitting and ever-more-specific
>newsgroups, and invariably ignore the larger Internet context in which
>many of these groups exist.

SOME of them are so enamored.  Read the net -- you couldn't seriously
conclude that we ALL do.  And look at what happens when the votes are
counted: almost none of the silly hairsplitting passes.  No more than a
persistent minority of netters are subdivision freaks, so don't tar the
rest of us with that brush.

I agree that sci.space shouldn't be subdivided, because:

 * There's not too much traffic now for a competent newsreader to follow.
   Those who don't know how to skim the interesting parts of a 30 article
   per day newsgroup should spend their time learning how to read news
   instead of trying to dumb down the net to match their skill level.

 * The criteria for division are ephemeral.  Our hobbyhorses change
   continually.  Today SETI, tomorrow comets, next month railguns.

 * The criteria are ill defined.  You cannot put "flames here" and "q&a
   there" and "manned space here" and "misc over there" and expect to keep
   things neat.  New messages will be crossposted or misposted willy-nilly,
   vitiating the usefulness of the subdivision.  Users will quickly realize
   that if you really want to know something you'll have to look everywhere
   anyway.

I do think that a news-no-discussion subgroup makes sense, for people
who want updates but not DE-bates.

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

Date: 25 May 90 18:50:16 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: Delta/ROSAT launch rescheduled for June 1, conference May 31 (Forwarded)

Jim Cast
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                 May 25, 1990
(Phone:  [phone])

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone:  [phone])

N90-37

NOTE TO EDITORS

DELTA/ROSAT LAUNCH RESCHEDULED FOR JUNE 1, CONFERENCE MAY 31

     With the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia scheduled on
May 30, the launch of the Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT) aboard a
Delta II launch vehicle from Complex 17, Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, Fla., has been rescheduled by one day to June 1 to allow
sufficient time to reconfigure common ground support on the
Eastern Test Range.  The launch window for Delta/ROSAT opens at
5:35 p.m. EDT and extends for one hour.
     The prelaunch news conference will be held on Thursday, May
31 at 1:00 p.m. EDT at the KSC News Center.  Participating in
the briefing will be:

     Lt. Col. Harold Donald
     Air Force Test Director, Delta II Program

     Captain Tom Schiano, Launch Weather Officer, USAF
     Cape Canaveral Forecast Facility

     Gil Ousley, ROSAT Project Manager
     NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center

     Wilfried Geist, ROSAT Project Manager, German Aerospace
     Research Establishment, Federal Republic of Germany

     Prof. Dr. Joachim Truemper, ROSAT Project Scientist,
     Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Federal
     Republic of Germany

     Dr. Alan N. Bunner, ROSAT Program Scientist, NASA HQ

     The prelaunch news conference and launch will be carried on
NASA Select television, Satcom F2R, transponder 13.

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

End of SPACE Digest V11 #453
*******************