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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #181

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 181

Today's Topics:
NASA launches search for Associate Administrator for Exploration (Forwarded)
            Space Jobs, 1991 edition (rev)
         NASA Headline News for 02/20/91 (Forwarded)
             Re: Space Studies Institute
        Space news from Flight Int. for Jan91
               Re: Controversy
          Re: SOLAR TERRESTRIAL FORECAST AND REVIEW
            Re: SPS, Shuttle, Gaia

Administrivia:

    Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to
  [e-mail].  Other mail, esp. [un]subscription requests,
  should be sent to [e-mail], or, if urgent, to
             [e-mail]

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

Date: 19 Feb 91 04:17:36 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA launches search for Associate Administrator for Exploration (Forwarded)

Vera Hirschberg
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                  February 12, 1991
(Phone:  [phone])


RELEASE:  91-24

NASA LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR EXPLORATION


     NASA Administrator Richard H. Truly today announced a
nationwide search for a senior official to direct NASA's
activities to send people to the Moon and to explore Mars.

     Truly said that NASA seeks "an outstanding individual, with
talent and vision" for the newly created position of Associate
Administrator for Exploration.  "I encourage qualified applicants
from within NASA and from all sectors of our society - academia,
industry and government," he added.  "We need an outstanding
individual to help carry out President Bush's stated goal of a
long-term program of human exploration of space, as stated in his
Space Exploration Initiative."

     NASA's vacancy announcement for the position will be issued
tomorrow and will be open through March 6.  The announcement is
for a career appointment to a position in the NASA Senior
Executive Service (SES), serving at NASA Headquarters in
Washington, D.C.

     Today's announcement followed Truly's announcement on
December 18 to implement immediately two recommendations made by
the Advisory Committee on the Future of the U.S. Space Program
and seek ways to implement others.  One of the recommendations he
pledged to implement was to create a new Office of Exploration
under an Associate Administrator.  The initial duties of the
office, he said, would be to formulate "well thought-out" options
to meet the challenges of returning to the Moon and exploring
Mars.

     Applications should be sent to:  NASA Headquarters;
DP/Bonnie Acoveno; 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.; Washington, D.C.
20546.  Acoveno can be contacted for additional information by
calling 202/453-8478.

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

Date: 19 Feb 91 17:22:51 GMT
From: phoenix![e-mail]  (Marc Wayne Mcconley)
Subject: Space Jobs, 1991 edition (rev)

In 1990 the Princeton Planetary Society published the first edition of
"Space Jobs:  The Guide to Careers in Space-Related Fields."  The publication
was enormously successful:  we distributed 2000 copies to space enthusiasts
across the country and even sent a few to people in Great Britain, Australia,
and Ecuador. Due to the tremendous response to the first edition, PPS has
published an expanded, up-to-date second edition of the guide.

The 40-page publication boasts 69 listings for summer and full-time job
opportunities as well as graduate school programs.  The second edition
of "Space Jobs" features strategies for entering the space field and
describes positions at consulting and engineering firms, NASA, and non-profit
organizations.  The expanded special section on graduate schools highlights
a myriad of programs ranging from space manufacturing to space policy.
Additional sections include tips on becoming an astronaut and listings
of NASA Space Grant Fellowships and Consortia, as well as NASA Centers for
the Commercial Development of Space.

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!  To order send check or money order made payable to
Princeton Planetary Society for $4 per copy, plus $1 per copy for shipping
and handling to:

Princeton Planetary Society
315 West College
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ  08544

International:  Please send an International Money Order payable to the
Princeton Planetary Society in US dollars.
--
Marc W. McConley
President, Princeton Planetary Society
Reply-To:  [e-mail]  ||  [phone]

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

Date: 20 Feb 91 17:57:03 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov![e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA Headline News for 02/20/91 (Forwarded)


             Headline News
Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA Headquarters

  Wednesday, February 20, 1991    Audio Service: 202 / 755-1788

This is NASA Headline News for Wednesday, February 20, 1991

At Kennedy Space Center, the terminal countdown demonstration
test for the STS-39 Discovery DOD mission concluded on time at 11:10
am EST.  Vice President Quayle arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility
at 10:20 am and proceeded on an abbreviated tour of the Vehicle Assembly
Building and Orbiter Processing Facilities.  The Vice President spoke to
launch control team and Discovery flight team members while he toured
the Launch Control Complex.

The quick disconnect door hinge problem on Discovery continues to
undergo analysis.  A decision as to whether to roll back, fix in place or
fly-as-is is expected to be made by nightfall tomorrow, Thursday, Feb.
21.

The Space Life Sciences crew was at KSC yesterday for a crew
equipment interface test of the Spacelab habitable long module.  The
module is currently in the Operations and Checkout Building.  The crew
interface test yesterday was the final major milestone prior to moving the
module to the OPF for installation in Columbia's payload bay.  That move
is presently slated for mid-March.

                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ulysses is presently 132 million miles from Earth and travelling,
with respect to the Sun, at 60,300 miles per hour.  The mission is in a
routine operations phase with science observations continuing.  Deep
Space Network station antennas provide eight hours of tracking a day,
during which time real-time data is acquired.  The wobble caused by
uneven solar heating of the spacecraft's axial boom has not returned,
though flight controllers caution that it could return any time between
now and April.  Ulysses is expected to be sufficiently far from the Sun by
April to preclude a recurrence after then.

                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NASA yesterday released the first of a series of new space-age
learning tools.  The first product, a 21-minute video called "Space
Basics," is intended to illustrate orbital science, and uses space
photography acquired on the STS-41 mission aboard Discovery.  The video
tape is accompanied by a teachers resource booklet which includes
background information on rockets and orbits, a vocabulary and reference
list, and suggestions for classroom projects.  NASA will develop
additional video and slide sets relating to specific missions and space
flight concepts.  NASA will also distribute to the education community a
mission summary following each shuttle mission.  These summaries will
also feature suggested classroom activities based on that mission's science
and technology experiments.

                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Goddard Space Flight Center Director John Klineberg yesterday
announced the appointment of Peter Burr as Deputy Director.
Burr's appointment is effective immediately.  Burr had been Goddard's
director of flight projects since 1989 and prior to that had been deputy
director of flight projects since 1980.  He has also been the project
manager for the Solar Max Mission and, more recently, for the Upper
Atmosphere Research Satellite.

                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kennedy Space Center yesterday awarded a $56.215 million contract to
Metric Constructors Inc., Tampa, for construction of the KSC Space
Station Processing Facility.  Metric Constructors will build the
457,000-square-foot facility just east of the Operations and Checkout
Building in the KSC industrial area.  When finished, the facility will be a
three-story multi-function building housing laboratories, control rooms,
staging areas, communications and control facilities, and office space for
the nearly 1,000 NASA and contractor employees who are expected to
work there.

The facility will contain high-bay and intermediate-bay processing
space for payloads totalling over 63,000 square feet.  Several additional
features include a 5,000 square-foot air lock, air-bearing work stands,
and a visitor viewing facility.  It will be the largest construction project at
KSC since the Apollo era and is expected to be open for occupancy by
Summer of 1994.
_________________________________________________________
Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select
TV.  All times are Eastern.  **indicates a live program.

Wednesday, 2/20/91
    12:10 pm    **Press conference with Vice President Dan Quayle, live
            from the Kennedy Space Center.

     1:30 pm    **Magellan-at-Venus status report, live from Jet
            Propulsion Laboratory.



_________________________________________________________
All events and times may change without notice.  This report is filed daily,
Monday through Friday, at 12:00 pm, EST.  It is a service of Internal
Communications Branch at NASA Headquarters.  Contact:  CREDMOND
on NASAmail or at 202/453-8425.
_________________________________________________________
NASA Select TV:  Satcom F2R, Transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West
Longitude, Audio 6.8, Frequency 3960 MHz.

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

Date: 18 Feb 91 11:02:25 GMT
From: munnari.oz.au!metro!cluster![e-mail]  (Raymond Lister)
Subject: Re: Space Studies Institute


Recently, a couple of people have mentioned the Space Studies Institute,
and mentioned what a fine organization it is.  They haven't however, given
much detail. Most importantly, they haven't told you where to send your money!

The Institute was founded by Gerard O'Neill who is well known for his work on
the "High Frontier": large space colonies located in Earth orbit, or at the
Earth-Moon Langrangian points.  The colonies would be constructed as much as
possible from lunar materials, launched by mass drivers.  O'Neill is also an
advocate of solar power satellites.  The SSI does spend some time and money
on lobbying, but spends the bulk of its limited funds on projects such as ...

1. Technical studies of Solar Power Satellites.
2. The design and construction of the Lunar Prospector, a small spacecraft
   that will provide a chemical map of the moon, and search especially for
   ice at the lunar poles. The spacecraft will use an Apollo surplus
   gamma-ray spectrometer, supplied by NASA, and will be launched from a
   shuttle.
3. Processing of lunar materials: which has reached the point of construction
   of a (Earth based!) pilot plant.  This work proceeds in conjunction with
   Alcoa/Goldsworthy, and McDonnell Douglas.
4. Studies of uses for the shuttle external tanks.

  ... and others.

The SSI depends on private donations for its work.  There are various classes
of associate, based on how much money you can afford to part with.  I think
the lowest is about $US30.  At least it used to be that low, but it may have
risen (I have increased my subscription in order to buy an even warmer feeling).

Your money doesn't buy a glossy periodical.  You do get a newsletter that
describes progress on the Institute's projects.

If you're interested, write to:

Space Studies Institute
PO Box 82
Princeton
New Jersey 08542-9938
USA

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

Date: 19 Feb 91 08:45:18 GMT
From: mcsun!ukc!axion!phoebe![e-mail]  (swaraj jeyasingh)
Subject: Space news from Flight Int. for Jan91

Space news from Flight International for Jan 91
[Sorry its so late folks]

Japan's  Superbird  A  satellite's  attitude control's  thruster system  has
malfunctioned and telecomm services from the craft has been suspended.   The
satellite, based on Ford Aerospace (now Space Systems  Loral) 1300  Supersat
bus was launched by Ariane in June89. (The 2 JCsats are based on Hughes  376
bus) It provides telcomm services in competition with Japan Comm Satellite's
JCsat. (Superbird B was destroyed in the Ariane V36 explosion) A replacement
is due in November. 1990 obviously  a bad  year for  telecomms sats.   Other
problems include Japans BS3A (25% loss of power) and France's TDF.

Israel  Space  Agency  signs  up  with  Spot  Image  Agency  to receive  and
distribute Spot  imagery in  Israel.  A  satellite ground  station built  to
track the first two Offeq experimental satellites will be modified for  Spot
data reception.

South Africa is to launch its first  space rocket  within 3  years from  the
Overgberg missile test site on the south coast of Cape Province.  There have
been two test launches  from this  site, reaching  "hundreds of  kilometres"
over the Indian Ocean.

Saga of first British astronaut continues.  The mission is definitely on for
May but a argument has broken over the technical  merit of  the project.   A
number of former space executives involved in the project  are now  critical
and saying that scientific value has been sacrificed in favour of staging  a
publicity stunt.  The astronaut (Tim Mace or Helen Sharman, both in training
in Star City) face the prospect  of flying  the first  British manned  space
mission with no British experiments to carry out.  Like  the first  Japanese
astronaut, the  British astronaut  will be  there for  the ride,  ostensibly
carrying  out  some  experiments  for  the  NPO,  normally  done  by  Soviet
cosmonauts.  Some executives are now talking with NPO about a "real  science
mission" which could be flown later.

ESA are asking member states to cough  up a  $8m for  Giotto fly  by of  the
comet Grigg-Skjellerup  in 1992.   The rejuvenated  spacecraft flew  through
Halley's comet in  Mar 1986  and performed  its first  Earth gravity  assist
fly-by in July 90, placing it ready for a rendezvous for the second cometary
fly  by.  Five  scientific instruments  are still  functioning: dust  impact
detector, ion sensor, plasma analyser, magnetometer and spectrometer.

The  ESA's  Orbital   Test  Satellite,   OTS2  launched   as  precursor   to
communication  satellite  for  Eutelsat  and  Inmarsat has  been place  dina
"graveyard orbit" -about 320km higher than GEO - relieving pressure on space
in that region.   ESA boosted  GEOS-2 into  a similar  orbit in  1978 for  a
similar reason.




Swaraj Jeyasingh        ([e-mail])
British Telecom Research Labs, Martlesham Heath, IPSWICH UK

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

Date: 19 Feb 91 22:40:24 GMT
From: bonnie.concordia.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Controversy

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Chris Jones) writes:
>Surveyors (there were 6 out of 7 successful flights, I believe) ...

5 out of 7.  Surveyor 2 had an engine failure and tumbled out of control
at the beginning of retrofire.  Surveyor 4 mysteriously went silent just
before landing; it might have landed successfully if this was just a
radio failure.
--
"Read the OSI protocol specifications?  | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
I can't even *lift* them!"              |  [e-mail]  utzoo!henry

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

Date: 18 Feb 91 17:40:03 GMT
From: aramis.rutgers.edu!gauss.rutgers.edu!math.rutgers.edu![e-mail]  (Scott Cromar)
Subject: Re: SOLAR TERRESTRIAL FORECAST AND REVIEW

Inquiry: To which latitudes does the phrase "northerly middle
latitudes" refer?

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

Date: 19 Feb 91 05:24:32 GMT
From: sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi![e-mail]  (Michael V. Kent)
Subject: Re: SPS, Shuttle, Gaia

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] ("Allen W. Sherzer") writes:
>This is what we spend on salaries of the crews, fuel, ETs, SRBs, wire,
>electricity, replacement parts, and the other things needed to keep the
>Shuttle flying every year. You say that we collect $1.5B in user fees
>for the Shuttle. Yet we spend over $3B on flying it. Tell me, if the actual
>flyaway cost of a mission is $193 then what happened to the other $1.5B?
                              ^^^^
To whom do I write my check?   :)  :)

Actually, I don't say we collect $1.5G in user fees for the Shuttle.  The
Shuttle is no longer flying commercial payloads, except for the occaisional
satellite rescue mission.  Most of the Shuttle payloads are NASA's; the rest
is split up between the DoD, ESA, and a few others.  I believe the usual
arrangement for science experiments is for NASA to provide a Shuttle mission
in exchange for a copy of the data.  As for the other $1.5G, see below.

[discussion of flyaway cost vs. flyaway price deleted.]

>
>>When comparing prices in the government aerospace world, you must remember to
>>compare like costs.
>
>and I still don't understand why you don't regard my estimates as program
>costs when they don't include the program costs. Just because the government
>is willing to take a loss doesn't mean that the price reflects their costs.

Neither NASA nor the OMB believe they are taking a loss, or so it would seem
from statements it made recently.  The article in AvWeek seemed to me to be
saying this was their estimate at the flyaway COST, not just their price.
Actually, Intelsat is paying less than $193M.  NASA's reasoning on the
Mars Observer launch vehicle verifies they believe this.  I don't have
any detailed info on Shuttle operations, but perhaps they are including
ASRM and P&W SSME development in there as well, I don't know.
>
>>Why use flyaway costs in the first place?  Consider this.  Was the Titan IV
>>commercially developed or was it developed under government contract?
>
>I was using the Titan III (commercial Titan) not Titan IV for the estimate.
>Yes some of the development cost is not included in this price. On the
>other hand, some of the development cost IS included. Martin did incur costs
>to commercialize the Titan. GD spent half a billion on the Atlas and I assume
>a similar number went to the Titan. This cost (and the associated cost of
>money) is included in the Titan estimate. It is not included in the
>Shuttle estimate. In this estimate I did everything I could to make the
>Shuttle look good and Titan look bad.

These were rhetorical questions to show how complicated a detailed cost
analysis is in the government aerospace world, thus providing a good reason
to use published flyaway costs for comparisons.  I don't fully understand
how the government accounting system works, how money is shifted between
accounts, how money is held over from year to year, etc.  Because the gov't
system is so complicated, I am content to use published figures for costs.
NASA's accountants hopefully have a much better grip on the system than I do.

Michael Kent                                   [e-mail]

P.S. Allen, do you have any detailed figures on Bush's FY92 budget request for
NASA?

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

End of SPACE Digest V13 #181
*******************