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Date: Tue, 2 Mar 93 10:56:39
From: Space Digest maintainer <digests@isu.isunet.edu>
Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu
Subject: Space Digest V16 #253
To: Space Digest Readers
Precedence: bulk
Space Digest Tue, 2 Mar 93 Volume 16 : Issue 253
Today's Topics:
Diffs to sci.space/sci.astro Frequently Asked Questions
Space FAQ 01/15 - Introduction
Welcome to the Space Digest!! Please send your messages to
"space@isu.isunet.edu", and (un)subscription requests of the form
"Subscribe Space <your name>" to one of these addresses: listserv@uga
(BITNET), rice::boyle (SPAN/NSInet), utadnx::utspan::rice::boyle
(THENET), or space-REQUEST@isu.isunet.edu (Internet).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 28 Feb 93 17:23:18 GMT
From: Jon Leech <leech@cs.unc.edu>
Subject: Diffs to sci.space/sci.astro Frequently Asked Questions
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,sci.answers,news.answers
Archive-name: space/diff
DIFFS SINCE LAST FAQ POSTING (IN POSTING ORDER)
(These are hand-edited context diffs; do not attempt to use them to patch
old copies of the FAQ).
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.intro
*** /tmp/,RCSt1a24770 Sun Feb 28 22:10:22 1993
--- FAQ.intro Sun Feb 28 22:09:54 1993
***************
*** 126,131 ****
--- 126,132 ----
Publishers of space/astronomy material
Careers in the space industry
DC-X single-stage to orbit (SSTO) program
+ How to name a star after a person
LLNL "great exploration"
Lunar Prospector
Lunar science and activities
***************
*** 150,155 ****
--- 151,157 ----
9 Space shuttle answers, launch schedules, TV coverage
Shuttle launchings and landings; schedules and how to see them
+ Why does the shuttle roll just after liftoff?
How to receive the NASA TV channel, NASA SELECT
Amateur radio frequencies for shuttle missions
Solid Rocket Booster fuel composition
***************
*** 186,191 ****
--- 188,194 ----
Risks of nuclear (RTG) power sources for space probes
Impact of the space shuttle on the ozone layer
How long can a human live unprotected in space
+ How the Challenger astronauts died
Using the shuttle beyond Low Earth Orbit
The "Face on Mars"
***************
*** 245,256 ****
NASA contact info, started FAQ postings
french@isu.isunet.edu (Patrick M. French) - space group contact info
g@telesoft.com (Gary Morris) - amateur radio info
! gaetz@uwovax.uwo.ca (Terry Gaetz) - N-body calculations,
orbital dynamics
grandi@noao.edu (Steve Grandi) - planetary positions
greer%utd201.dnet%utadnx@utspan.span.nasa.gov (Dale M. Greer) - constants
henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) - survival in vacuum,
! astronaut how-to, publication refs, DC-X
higgins@fnal.bitnet (William Higgins) - RTGs, publishers,
shuttle landings, spysats, propulsion, "Face on Mars"
hmueller@cssun.tamu.edu (Hal Mueller) - map projections,
--- 248,259 ----
NASA contact info, started FAQ postings
french@isu.isunet.edu (Patrick M. French) - space group contact info
g@telesoft.com (Gary Morris) - amateur radio info
! gaetz@cfa.harvard.edu (Terry Gaetz) - N-body calculations,
orbital dynamics
grandi@noao.edu (Steve Grandi) - planetary positions
greer%utd201.dnet%utadnx@utspan.span.nasa.gov (Dale M. Greer) - constants
henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) - survival in vacuum,
! astronaut how-to, Challenger disaster, publication refs, DC-X
higgins@fnal.bitnet (William Higgins) - RTGs, publishers,
shuttle landings, spysats, propulsion, "Face on Mars"
hmueller@cssun.tamu.edu (Hal Mueller) - map projections,
***************
*** 257,265 ****
--- 260,270 ----
orbital dynamics
jbh55289@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Josh Hopkins) - launch services
jim@pnet01.cts.com (Jim Bowery) - propulsion, launch services
+ jnhead@pirl.lpl.arizona.edu (James N. Head) - atmospheric scale heights
jscotti@lpl.arizona.edu (Jim Scotti) - planetary positions
kcarroll@zoo.toronto.edu (Kieran A. Carroll)- refs for spacecraft design
ken@orion.bitnet (Kenneth Ng) - RTGs
+ kjenks@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov (Ken Jenks) - shuttle roll manuever
klaes@verga.enet.dec.com (Larry Klaes) - planetary probe history
leech@cs.unc.edu (Jon Leech) - crater diameters
lfa@ssi.com (Lou Adornato) - orbital dynamics
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.data
*** /tmp/,RCSt1a24780 Sun Feb 28 22:10:25 1993
--- FAQ.data Sun Feb 28 22:09:54 1993
***************
*** 114,126 ****
Contact newsdesk@jplpost.jpl.nasa.gov or phone (818)-354-7170.
NASA LANGLEY (TECHNICAL REPORTS)
techreports.larc.nasa.gov is an anonymous FTP site offering technical
reports. To get started, cd to directory pub/techreports/larc/92 and
retrieve files README and abstracts.92. Most files are compressed
! PostScript.
Contact tr-admin@techreports.larc.nasa.gov.
--- 114,138 ----
Contact newsdesk@jplpost.jpl.nasa.gov or phone (818)-354-7170.
+
NASA LANGLEY (TECHNICAL REPORTS)
techreports.larc.nasa.gov is an anonymous FTP site offering technical
reports. To get started, cd to directory pub/techreports/larc/92 and
retrieve files README and abstracts.92. Most files are compressed
! PostScript. The reports are also in a WAIS database with the following
! description:
+ (:source
+ :version 3
+ :ip-name "techreports.larc.nasa.gov"
+ :tcp-port 210
+ :database-name "nasa-larc-abs"
+ :cost 0.00
+ :cost-unit :free
+ :maintainer "M.L.Nelson@LaRC.NASA.GOV"
+ :description "NASA Langley Research Center Technical Reports
+
Contact tr-admin@techreports.larc.nasa.gov.
***************
*** 168,174 ****
more carriage returns to get the "Username:" and log in as 'NODIS' (no
password).
! The system is menu-driven; topics available as of 4/10/92 are:
1 - Master Directory - NASA & Global Change
2 - Personnel Information Management System
--- 180,186 ----
more carriage returns to get the "Username:" and log in as 'NODIS' (no
password).
! The system is menu-driven; topics available as of 3/93 are:
1 - Master Directory - NASA & Global Change
2 - Personnel Information Management System
***************
*** 182,194 ****
10 - Astronomical Data Center (ADC)
11 - STEP Bulletin Board Service
12 - Standards and Technology Information System
! Data can be ordered from the NSSDC on CD-ROM and other formats. Among
! the many types of data available are Voyager, Magellan, and other
! planetary images, Earth observation data, and star catalogs. Viewers for
! Macintosh and IBM systems are also available. As an example of the cost,
! an 8 CD set of Voyager images is $75. Data may ordered online, by email,
! or by physical mail. The postal address is:
National Space Science Data Center
Request Coordination Office
--- 194,211 ----
10 - Astronomical Data Center (ADC)
11 - STEP Bulletin Board Service
12 - Standards and Technology Information System
+ 13 - Planetary Science & Magellan Project Information
+ 14 - Other Online Data Services at NSSDC
+ 15 - CD-ROMS Available at NSSDC
! For users with Internet access, datasets are made available via
! anonymous FTP once you select the desired datasets from the online
! catalog. For other users, data may be ordered on CD-ROM and in other
! formats. Among the many types of data available are Voyager, Magellan,
! and other planetary images, Earth observation data, and star catalogs.
! Viewers for Macintosh and IBM systems are also available. As an example
! of the cost, an 8 CD set of Voyager images is $75. Data may ordered
! online, by email, or by physical mail. The postal address is:
National Space Science Data Center
Request Coordination Office
***************
*** 199,207 ****
Telephone: (301) 286-6695
Email address: request@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov
-
- NSSDCA is also an anonymous FTP site, but no comprehensive list of
- what's there is available at present.
SPACE AND PLANETARY IMAGE FACILITY
--- 216,221 ----
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.math
*** /tmp/,RCSt1a24785 Sun Feb 28 22:10:26 1993
--- FAQ.math Sun Feb 28 21:04:49 1993
***************
*** 288,321 ****
INTERPRETING THE FITS IMAGE FORMAT
If you just need to examine FITS images, use the ppm package (see the
! comp.graphics FAQ) to convert them to your preferred format. Failing
! that, the basic reference for FITS may be found in the following 3
! papers:
!
! Wells, D. C., Greisen, E. W., and Harten, R. H., "FITS: a
! flexible image transport system," Astronomy and Astrophysics
! Supplement Series, 44, 363-370, 1981.
!
! Grosbol, P., Harten, R. H., Greisen, E. W., and Wells, D. C.,
! "Generalized extensions and blocking factors for FITS,"
! Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series, 73, 359-364, 1988
!
! Harten, R. H., Grosbol. P., Greisen, E. W., and Wells, D. C.,
! "The FITS tables extension, Astronomy and Astrophysics
! Supplement Series, 73, 365-372, 1988.
!
! A DRAFT document describing FITS and the Floating Point Agreement
! defining FP storage formats is available by anonymous FTP from
! nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (128.183.36.23). Get ANON_DIR:[FITS]README.;1 to
! begin with. There are known to be errors and ambiguities in this
! document, so it should not be used as a fundamental reference. Questions
! should be sent by email to the FITS support office
! (bschlesinger@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov) or telephone at (301)-513-1634
!
! A FORTRAN library for reading and writing FITS files is available by
! anonymous FTP from tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov (128.183.8.77) in directory
! pub/fitsio3. Contact the author, William Pence
! (pence@tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov) for more details.
SKY (UNIX EPHEMERIS PROGRAM)
--- 288,296 ----
INTERPRETING THE FITS IMAGE FORMAT
If you just need to examine FITS images, use the ppm package (see the
! comp.graphics FAQ) to convert them to your preferred format. For more
! information on the format and other software to read and write it, see
! the sci.astro.fits FAQ.
SKY (UNIX EPHEMERIS PROGRAM)
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.references
*** /tmp/,RCSt1a24790 Sun Feb 28 22:10:28 1993
--- FAQ.references Sun Feb 28 21:20:37 1993
***************
*** 146,151 ****
--- 146,170 ----
by anonymous FTP or through the email server.
+ HOW TO NAME A STAR AFTER A PERSON
+
+ Official names are decided by committees of the International
+ Astronomical Union, and are not for sale. There are purely commercial
+ organizations which will, for a fee, send you pretty certificates and
+ star maps describing where to find "your" star. These organizations have
+ absolutely no standing in the astronomical community and the names they
+ assign are not used by anyone else. It's also likely that you won't be
+ able to see "your" star without binoculars or a telescope. See the back
+ pages of Astronomy or other amateur astronomy publications for contact
+ info; one such organization may be found at:
+
+ International Star Registry
+ 34523 Wilson Road
+ Ingleside, IL 60041
+
+ This is not an endorsement of ISR.
+
+
LLNL "GREAT EXPLORATION"
The LLNL "Great Exploration", a plan for an on-the-cheap space station,
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.constants
*** /tmp/,RCSt1a24795 Sun Feb 28 22:10:29 1993
--- FAQ.constants Sun Feb 28 22:09:53 1993
***************
*** 16,22 ****
7726 m/s (8000) -- Earth orbital velocity at 300 km altitude
3075 m/s (3000) -- Earth orbital velocity at 35786 km (geosync)
! 6378 km (6400) -- Mean radius of Earth
1738 km (1700) -- Mean radius of Moon
5.974e24 kg (6e24) -- Mass of Earth
7.348e22 kg (7e22) -- Mass of Moon
--- 16,23 ----
7726 m/s (8000) -- Earth orbital velocity at 300 km altitude
3075 m/s (3000) -- Earth orbital velocity at 35786 km (geosync)
! 6371 km (6400) -- Mean radius of Earth
! 6378 km (6400) -- Equatorial radius of Earth
1738 km (1700) -- Mean radius of Moon
5.974e24 kg (6e24) -- Mass of Earth
7.348e22 kg (7e22) -- Mass of Moon
***************
*** 133,138 ****
--- 134,151 ----
d@6 km (20000 ft) = d0*.43
d@3 km (10000 ft) = d0*.65
+ Atmospheric scale height Dry lapse rate
+ (in km at emission level) (K/km)
+ ------------------------- --------------
+ Earth 7.5 9.8
+ Mars 11 4.4
+ Venus 4.9 10.5
+ Titan 18 1.3
+ Jupiter 19 2.0
+ Saturn 37 0.7
+ Uranus 24 0.7
+ Neptune 21 0.8
+ Triton 8 1
Titius-Bode Law for approximating planetary distances:
***************
*** 171,177 ****
Energy to put a pound into orbit or accelerate to interstellar
velocities.
Non-circular cases?
- Atmosphere scale height for various planets.
NEXT: FAQ #7/15 - Astronomical Mnemonics
--- 184,189 ----
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.mnemonics
No differences encountered
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.addresses
*** /tmp/,RCSt1a24805 Sun Feb 28 22:10:32 1993
--- FAQ.addresses Sun Feb 28 22:09:53 1993
***************
*** 25,31 ****
NASA Headquarters (NASA HQ)
Washington DC 20546
! (202)-453-8400
Ask them questions about policy, money, and things of political
nature. Direct specific questions to the appropriate center.
--- 25,31 ----
NASA Headquarters (NASA HQ)
Washington DC 20546
! (202)-358-1600
Ask them questions about policy, money, and things of political
nature. Direct specific questions to the appropriate center.
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.schedule
*** /tmp/,RCSt1a24810 Sun Feb 28 22:10:33 1993
--- FAQ.schedule Sun Feb 28 22:09:54 1993
***************
*** 17,22 ****
--- 17,107 ----
Official NASA shuttle status reports are posted to sci.space.news
frequently.
+
+ WHY DOES THE SHUTTLE ROLL JUST AFTER LIFTOFF?
+
+ The following answer and translation are provided by Ken Jenks
+ (kjenks@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov).
+
+ The "Ascent Guidance and Flight Control Training Manual," ASC G&C 2102,
+ says:
+
+ "During the vertical rise phase, the launch pad attitude is
+ commanded until an I-loaded V(rel) sufficient to assure launch tower
+ clearance is achieved. Then, the tilt maneuver (roll program)
+ orients the vehicle to a heads down attitude required to generate a
+ negative q-alpha, which in turn alleviates structural loading. Other
+ advantages with this attitude are performance gain, decreased abort
+ maneuver complexity, improved S-band look angles, and crew view of
+ the horizon. The tilt maneuver is also required to start gaining
+ downrange velocity to achieve the main engine cutoff (MECO) target
+ in second stage."
+
+ This really is a good answer, but it's couched in NASA jargon. I'll try
+ to interpret.
+
+ 1) We wait until the Shuttle clears the tower before rolling.
+
+ 2) Then, we roll the Shuttle around so that the angle of attack
+ between the wind caused by passage through the atmosphere (the
+ "relative wind") and the chord of the wings (the imaginary line
+ between the leading edge and the trailing edge) is a slightly
+ negative angle ("a negative q-alpha"). This causes a little bit of
+ "downward" force (toward the belly of the Orbiter, or the +Z
+ direction) and this force "alleviates structural loading."
+ We have to be careful about those wings -- they're about the
+ most "delicate" part of the vehicle.
+
+ 3) The new attitude (after the roll) also allows us to carry more
+ mass to orbit, or to achieve a higher orbit with the same mass, or
+ to change the orbit to a higher or lower inclination than would be
+ the case if we didn't roll ("performance gain").
+
+ 4) The new attitude allows the crew to fly a less complicated
+ flight path if they had to execute one of the more dangerous abort
+ maneuvers, the Return To Launch Site ("decreased abort maneuver
+ complexity").
+
+ 5) The new attitude improves the ability for ground-based radio
+ antennae to have a good line-of-sight signal with the S-band radio
+ antennae on the Orbiter ("improved S-band look angles").
+
+ 6) The new attitude allows the crew to see the horizon, which is a
+ helpful (but not mandatory) part of piloting any flying machine.
+
+ 7) The new attitude orients the Shuttle so that the body is
+ more nearly parallel with the ground, and the nose to the east
+ (usually). This allows the thrust from the engines to add velocity
+ in the correct direction to eventually achieve orbit. Remember:
+ velocity is a vector quantity made of both speed and direction.
+ The Shuttle has to have a large horizontal component to its
+ velocity and a very small vertical component to attain orbit.
+
+ This all begs the question, "Why isn't the launch pad oriented to give
+ this nice attitude to begin with? Why does the Shuttle need to roll to
+ achieve that attitude?" The answer is that the pads were leftovers
+ from the Apollo days. The Shuttle straddles two flame trenches -- one
+ for the Solid Rocket Motor exhaust, one for the Space Shuttle Main
+ Engine exhaust. (You can see the effects of this on any daytime
+ launch. The SRM exhaust is dirty gray garbage, and the SSME exhaust is
+ fluffy white steam. Watch for the difference between the "top"
+ [Orbiter side] and the "bottom" [External Tank side] of the stack.) The
+ access tower and other support and service structure are all oriented
+ basically the same way they were for the Saturn V's. (A side note: the
+ Saturn V's also had a roll program. Don't ask me why -- I'm a Shuttle
+ guy.)
+
+ I checked with a buddy in Ascent Dynamics. He added that the "roll
+ maneuver" is really a maneuver in all three axes: roll, pitch and yaw.
+ The roll component of that maneuver is performed for the reasons
+ stated. The pitch component controls loading on the wings by keeping
+ the angle of attack (q-alpha) within a tight tolerance. The yaw
+ component is used to determine the orbital inclination. The total
+ maneuver is really expressed as a "quaternion," a grad-level-math
+ concept for combining all three rotation matrices in one four-element
+ array.
+
+
HOW TO RECEIVE THE NASA TV CHANNEL, NASA SELECT
NASA SELECT is broadcast by satellite. If you have access to a satellite
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.new_probes
*** /tmp/,RCSt1a24820 Sun Feb 28 22:10:36 1993
--- FAQ.new_probes Sun Feb 28 22:09:54 1993
***************
*** 59,70 ****
GALILEO - Jupiter orbiter and atmosphere probe, in transit. Has returned
the first resolved images of an asteroid, Gaspra, while in transit to
! Jupiter. Efforts to unfurl the stuck High-Gain Antenna (HGA) are
! continuing, though eventual success appears less likely. If the HGA
! cannot be unfurled, JPL has developed a backup plan using data
compression (JPEG-like for images, lossless compression for data from
the other instruments) which should allow the mission to achieve
! approximately 70% of its objectives.
Galileo Schedule
----------------
--- 59,69 ----
GALILEO - Jupiter orbiter and atmosphere probe, in transit. Has returned
the first resolved images of an asteroid, Gaspra, while in transit to
! Jupiter. Efforts to unfurl the stuck High-Gain Antenna (HGA) have
! essentially been abandoned. JPL has developed a backup plan using data
compression (JPEG-like for images, lossless compression for data from
the other instruments) which should allow the mission to achieve
! approximately 70% of its original objectives.
Galileo Schedule
----------------
***************
*** 104,111 ****
MARS OBSERVER - Mars orbiter including 1.5 m/pixel resolution camera.
! Currently (11/92) in transit to Mars arrival in 8/93. Operations start
! 11/93 for one martian year (687 days).
TOPEX/Poseidon - Joint US/French Earth observing satellite, launched in
--- 103,111 ----
MARS OBSERVER - Mars orbiter including 1.5 m/pixel resolution camera.
! Launched 9/24/92 on a Titan III/TOS booster. MO is currently (3/93) in
! transit to Mars, arriving on 8/24/93. Operations will start 11/93 for
! one martian year (687 days).
TOPEX/Poseidon - Joint US/French Earth observing satellite, launched in
***************
*** 142,147 ****
--- 142,160 ----
on updated shuttle manifests; corrections and updates are welcome.
1993 Missions
+ o ALEXIS [spring, Pegasus]
+ ALEXIS (Array of Low-Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors) is to perform
+ a wide-field sky survey in the "soft" (low-energy) X-ray
+ spectrum. It will scan the entire sky every six months to search
+ for variations in soft-X-ray emission from sources such as white
+ dwarfs, cataclysmic variable stars and flare stars. It will also
+ search nearby space for such exotic objects as isolated neutron
+ stars and gamma-ray bursters. ALEXIS is a project of Los Alamos
+ National Laboratory and is primarily a technology development
+ mission that uses astrophysical sources to demonstrate the
+ technology. Contact project investigator Jeffrey J Bloch
+ (jjb@beta.lanl.gov) for more information.
+
o Wind [Aug, Delta II rocket]
Satellite to measure solar wind input to magnetosphere.
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.controversy
*** /tmp/,RCSt1a24825 Sun Feb 28 22:10:37 1993
--- FAQ.controversy Sun Feb 28 22:09:53 1993
***************
*** 168,173 ****
--- 168,188 ----
of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas.
+ HOW THE CHALLENGER ASTRONAUTS DIED
+
+ The Challenger shuttle launch was not destroyed in an explosion. This is
+ a well-documented fact; see the Rogers Commission report, for example.
+ What looked like an explosion was fuel burning after the external tank
+ came apart. The forces on the crew cabin were not sufficient to kill the
+ astronauts, never mind destroy their bodies, according to the Kerwin
+ team's medical/forensic report.
+
+ The astronauts were killed when the more-or-less intact cabin hit the
+ water at circa 200MPH, and their bodies then spent several weeks
+ underwater. Their remains were recovered, and after the Kerwin team
+ examined them, they were sent off to be buried.
+
+
USING THE SHUTTLE BEYOND LOW EARTH ORBIT
You can't use the shuttle orbiter for missions beyond low Earth orbit
===================================================================
diff -t -c -r1.17 FAQ.groups
*** /tmp/,RCSt1a24830 Sun Feb 28 22:10:39 1993
--- FAQ.groups Sun Feb 28 22:09:54 1993
***************
*** 5,10 ****
--- 5,51 ----
GROUPS
+ AIA -- Aerospace Industry Association. Professional group, with primary
+ membership of major aerospace firms. Headquartered in the DC area.
+ Acts as the "voice of the aerospace industry" -- and it's opinions
+ are usually backed up by reams of analyses and the reputations of
+ the firms in AIA.
+
+ [address needed]
+
+ AIAA -- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
+ Professional association, with somewhere about 30,000-40,000
+ members. 65 local chapters around the country -- largest chapters
+ are DC area (3000 members), LA (2100 members), San Francisco (2000
+ members), Seattle/NW (1500), Houston (1200) and Orange County
+ (1200), plus student chapters. Not a union, but acts to represent
+ aviation and space professionals (engineers, managers, financial
+ types) nationwide. Holds over 30 conferences a year on space and
+ aviation topics publishes technical Journals (Aerospace Journal,
+ Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, etc.), technical reference books
+ and is _THE_ source on current aerospace state of the art through
+ their published papers and proceedings. Also offers continuing
+ education classes on aerospace design. Has over 60 technical
+ committees, and over 30 committees for industry standards. AIAA acts
+ as a professional society -- offers a centralized resume/jobs
+ function, provides classes on job search, offers low-cost health and
+ life insurance, and lobbies for appropriate legislation (AIAA was
+ one of the major organizations pushing for IRAs - Individual
+ Retirement Accounts). Very active public policy arm -- works
+ directly with the media, congress and government agencies as a
+ legislative liaison and clearinghouse for inquiries about aerospace
+ technology technical issues. Reasonably non-partisan, in that they
+ represent the industry as a whole, and not a single company,
+ organization, or viewpoint.
+
+ Membership $70/yr (student memberships are less).
+
+ American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
+ The Aerospace Center
+ 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW
+ Washington, DC 20077-0820
+ (202)-646-7400
+
AMSAT - develops small satellites (since the 1960s) for a variety of
uses by amateur radio enthusiasts. Has various publications,
supplies QuickTrak satellite tracking software for PC/Mac/Amiga etc.
***************
*** 66,71 ****
--- 107,123 ----
the National Space Institute in 1987, forming the National Space
Society.
+ NSC - National Space Club. Open for general membership, but not well
+ known at all. Primarily comprised of professionals in aerospace
+ industry. Acts as information conduit and social gathering group.
+ Active in DC, with a chapter in LA. Monthly meetings with invited
+ speakers who are "heavy hitters" in the field. Annual "Outlook on
+ Space" conference is _the_ definitive source of data on government
+ annual planning for space programs. Cheap membership (approx
+ $20/yr).
+
+ [address needed]
+
NSS - the National Space Society. NSS is a pro-space group distinguished
by its network of local chapters. Supports a general agenda of space
development and man-in-space, including the NASA space station.
***************
*** 95,105 ****
Membership $35/year.
SSI - the Space Studies Institute, founded by Dr. Gerard O'Neill.
! Publishes _SSI Update_, a bimonthly newsletter describing
! work-in-progress. Conducts a research program including
! mass-drivers, lunar mining processes and simulants, composites from
! lunar materials, solar power satellites. Runs the biennial Princeton
! Conference on Space Manufacturing.
Membership $25/year. Senior Associates ($100/year and up) fund most
SSI research.
--- 147,158 ----
Membership $35/year.
SSI - the Space Studies Institute, founded by Dr. Gerard O'Neill.
! Physicist Freeman Dyson took over the Presidency of SSI after
! O'Neill's death in 1992. Publishes _SSI Update_, a bimonthly
! newsletter describing work-in-progress. Conducts a research program
! including mass-drivers, lunar mining processes and simulants,
! composites from lunar materials, solar power satellites. Runs the
! biennial Princeton Conference on Space Manufacturing.
Membership $25/year. Senior Associates ($100/year and up) fund most
SSI research.
***************
*** 176,184 ****
--- 229,252 ----
Colorado Springs, CO 80901
(719)-550-1000
+ WORLD SPACE FOUNDATION - has been designing and building a solar-sail
+ spacecraft for longer than any similar group; many JPL employees lend
+ their talents to this project. WSF also provides partial funding for the
+ Palomar Sky Survey, an extremely successful search for near-Earth
+ asteroids. Publishes *Foundation News* and *Foundation Astronautics
+ Notebook*, each a quarterly 4-8 page newsletter. Contributing Associate,
+ minimum of $15/year (but more money always welcome to support projects).
+ World Space Foundation
+ Post Office Box Y
+ South Pasadena, California 91301
+
+
PUBLICATIONS
+ Aerospace Daily (McGraw-Hill)
+ Very good coverage of aerospace and space issues. Approx. $1400/yr.
+
Air & Space / Smithsonian (bimonthly magazine)
Box 53261
Boulder, CO 80332-3261
***************
*** 208,227 ****
(703)-642-7330
$75/year, may have discounts for NSS/SSI members
- Space Flight News (monthly magazine) - covers current space activities
- (all nations) in depth and has good historical series on topics like
- early space capsules, cosmonauts, etc. Available by newsstand in the
- US (with several months shipping delay), only by mail elsewhere.
-
- Subscription Dept.
- Space Flight News Ltd.
- PO Box 100
- Stamford, Lincs, PE9IXQ
- ENGLAND
- #16.20 pounds/year UK and international (surface)
- airmail: #25/year (Europe) #26 (Middle East) #29 (North America) #31
- (Australia, NZ, Japan)
-
Journal of the Astronautical Sciences and Space Times - publications of
the American Astronautical Society. No details.
--- 276,281 ----
***************
*** 242,247 ****
--- 296,305 ----
Free to qualified individuals; write for free sample copy.
+ Innovation (Space Technology) -- Free. Published by the NASA Office of
+ Advanced Concepts and Technology. A revised version of the NASA
+ Office of Commercial Programs newsletter.
+
Planetary Encounter - in-depth technical coverage of planetary missions,
with diagrams, lists of experiments, interviews with people directly
involved.
***************
*** 254,259 ****
--- 312,347 ----
$30/year US/Canada
$45/year elsewhere
+ Space (bi-monthly magazine)
+ British aerospace trade journal. Very good. $75/year.
+
+ Space Calendar (weekly newsletter)
+
+ Space Daily/Space Fax Daily (newsletter)
+ Short (1 paragraph) news notes. Available online for a fee
+ (unknown).
+
+ Space Technology Investor/Commercial Space News -- irregular Internet
+ column on aspects of commercial space business. Free. Also limited
+ fax and paper edition.
+
+ P.O. Box 2452
+ Seal Beach, CA 90740-1452.
+
+ All the following are published by:
+
+ Phillips Business Information, Inc.
+ 7811 Montrose Road
+ Potomac, MC 20854
+
+ Aerospace Financial News - $595/year.
+ Defense Daily - Very good coverage of space and defense issues.
+ $1395/year.
+ Space Business News (bi-weekly) - Very good overview of space
+ business activities. $497/year.
+ Space Exploration Technology (bi-weekly) - $495/year.
+ Space Station News (bi-weekly) - $497/year.
+
UNDOCUMENTED GROUPS
Anyone who would care to write up descriptions of the following
***************
*** 261,268 ****
encouraged to do so.
AAS - American Astronautical Society
- AIAA - American Institute of Astronautics & Aeronautics
- World Space Foundation
Other groups not mentioned above
NEXT: FAQ #14/15 - How to become an astronaut
--- 349,354 ----
------------------------------
Date: 28 Feb 93 17:25:50 GMT
From: Jon Leech <leech@cs.unc.edu>
Subject: Space FAQ 01/15 - Introduction
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.answers,news.answers
Archive-name: space/intro
Last-modified: $Date: 93/02/28 22:17:43 $
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON SCI.SPACE/SCI.ASTRO
INTRODUCTION
This series of linked messages is periodically posted to the Usenet
groups sci.space and sci.astro in an attempt to provide good answers to
frequently asked questions and other reference material which is worth
preserving. If you have corrections or answers to other frequently asked
questions that you would like included in this posting, send email to
leech@cs.unc.edu (Jon Leech).
If you don't want to see the FAQ, add 'Frequently Asked Questions' to
your KILL file for this group (if you're not reading this with a newsreader
that can kill articles by subject, you're out of luck).
The FAQ volume is excessive right now and will hopefully be trimmed down
by rewriting and condensing over time. The FAQ postings are available in
the Ames SPACE archive in FAQ/faq<#>.
Good summaries will be accepted in place of the answers given here. The
point of this is to circulate existing information, and avoid rehashing old
answers. Better to build on top than start again. Nothing more depressing
than rehashing old topics for the 100th time. References are provided
because they give more complete information than any short generalization.
Questions fall into three basic types:
1) Where do I find some information about space?
Try your local public library first. The net is not a good place to ask
for general information. Ask INDIVIDUALS (by email) if you must. There
are other sources, use them, too. The net is a place for open ended
discussion.
2) I have an idea which would improve space flight?
Hope you aren't surprised, but 9,999 out of 10,000 have usually been
thought of before. Again, contact a direct individual source for
evaluation. NASA fields thousands of these each day.
3) Miscellanous queries.
These are addressed on a case-by-case basis in the following series of
FAQ postings.
SUGGESTIONS FOR BETTER NETIQUETTE
Read news.announce.newusers if you're on Usenet.
Minimize cross references, [Do you REALLY NEED to?]
Edit "Subject:" lines, especially if you're taking a tangent.
Send mail instead, avoid posting follow ups. (1 mail message worth
100 posts).
Internet mail readers: send requests to add/drop to SPACE-REQUEST
not SPACE.
Read all available articles before posting a follow-up. (Check all
references.)
Cut down attributed articles (leave only the points you're
responding to; remove signatures and headers). Summarize!
Put a return address in the body (signature) of your message (mail
or article), state your institution, etc. Don't assume the
'reply' function of mailers will work.
Use absolute dates. Post in a timely way. Don't post what everyone
will get on TV anyway.
Some editors and window systems do character count line wrapping:
keep lines under 80 characters for those using ASCII terminals
(use carriage returns).
INDEX TO LINKED POSTINGS
I've attempted to break the postings up into related areas. There isn't
a keyword index yet; the following lists the major subject areas in each
posting. Only those containing astronomy-related material are posted to
sci.astro (indicated by '*' following the posting number).
# Contents
1* Introduction
Suggestions for better netiquette
Index to linked postings
Notes on addresses, phone numbers, etc.
Contributors
2* Network resources
Overview
Mailing lists
Periodically updated information
Warning about non-public networks
3* Online (and some offline) sources of images, data, etc.
Introduction
Viewing Images
Online Archives
NASA Ames
NASA Astrophysics Data System
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (Mission Information and Images)
NASA Langley (Technical Reports)
NASA Spacelink
National Space Science Data Center
Space And Planetary Image Facility
Space Telescope Science Institute Electronic Info. Service
Starcat
Astronomical Databases
Astronomy Programs
Orbital Element Sets
SPACE Digest
Landsat & NASA Photos
Planetary Maps
Cometary Orbits
4* Performing calculations and interpreting data formats
Computing spacecraft orbits and trajectories
Computing planetary positions
Computing crater diameters from Earth-impacting asteroids
Map projections and spherical trignometry
Performing N-body simulations efficiently
Interpreting the FITS image format
Sky (Unix ephemeris program)
Three-dimensional star/galaxy coordinates
5* References on specific areas
Publishers of space/astronomy material
Careers in the space industry
DC-X single-stage to orbit (SSTO) program
How to name a star after a person
LLNL "great exploration"
Lunar Prospector
Lunar science and activities
Spacecraft models
Rocket propulsion
Spacecraft design
Esoteric propulsion schemes (solar sails, lasers, fusion...)
Spy satellites
Space shuttle computer systems
SETI computation (signal processing)
Amateur satellies & weather satellites
Tides
6* Constants and equations for calculations
7* Astronomical Mnemonics
8 Contacting NASA, ESA, and other space agencies/companies
NASA Centers / Arianespace / ESA / NASDA / Soyuzkarta / Space
Camp / Space Commerce Corporation / Spacehab / SPOT Image
Other commercial space businesses
9 Space shuttle answers, launch schedules, TV coverage
Shuttle launchings and landings; schedules and how to see them
Why does the shuttle roll just after liftoff?
How to receive the NASA TV channel, NASA SELECT
Amateur radio frequencies for shuttle missions
Solid Rocket Booster fuel composition
10 Planetary probes - Historical Missions
US planetary missions
Mariner (Venus, Mars, & Mercury flybys and orbiters)
Pioneer (Moon, Sun, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn flybys and orbiters)
Ranger (Lunar lander and impact missions)
Lunar Orbiter (Lunar surface photography)
Surveyor (Lunar soft landers)
Viking (Mars orbiters and landers)
Voyager (Outer planet flybys)
Soviet planetary missions
Soviet Lunar probes
Soviet Venus probes
Soviet Mars probes
Japanese planetary missions
Planetary mission references
11 Upcoming planetary probes - missions and schedules
Cassini
Galileo
Magellan
Mars Observer
TOPEX/Poseidon
Ulysses
Other space science missions
Proposed missions
12 Controversial questions
What happened to the Saturn V plans
Why data from space missions isn't immediately available
Risks of nuclear (RTG) power sources for space probes
Impact of the space shuttle on the ozone layer
How long can a human live unprotected in space
How the Challenger astronauts died
Using the shuttle beyond Low Earth Orbit
The "Face on Mars"
13 Space activist/interest/research groups and space publications
Groups
Publications
Undocumented Groups
14 How to become an astronaut
15 Orbital and Planetary Launch Services
NOTES ON ADDRESSES, PHONE NUMBERS, ETC.
Unless otherwise specified, telephone numbers, addresses, and so on are
for the United States of America. Non-US readers should remember to add
the country code for telephone calls, etc.
CREDITS
Eugene Miya started a series of linked FAQ postings some years ago which
inspired (and was largely absorbed into) this set.
Peter Yee and Ron Baalke have and continue to spend a lot of their own
time setting up the SPACE archives at NASA Ames and forwarding official
NASA announcements.
Many other people have contributed material to this list in the form of
old postings to sci.space and sci.astro which I've edited. Please let me
know if corrections need to be made. Contributors I've managed to keep
track of are:
0004847546@mcimail.com (Francis Reddy) - map projections
ad038@yfn.ysu.edu (Steven Fisk) - publication refs.
akerman@bill.phy.queensu.CA (Richard Akerman) - crater diameters
alweigel@athena.mit.edu (Lisa Weigel) - SEDS info
aoab314@emx.utexas.edu (Srinivas Bettadpur) - tides
awpaeth@watcgl.waterloo.edu (Alan Wm Paeth) - map projections
aws@iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer) - Great Exploration
baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke) - planetary probe schedules
bankst@rata.vuw.ac.nz (Timothy Banks) - map projections,
variable star analysis archive
bern@uni-trier.de (Jochen Bern) - German mnemonic translation
brosen@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (Bernie Rosen) - Space Camp
bschlesinger@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Barry Schlesinger) - FITS format
cew@venera.isi.edu (Craig E. Ward) - space group contact info
chapin@cbnewsc.att.com (Tom Chapin) - planetary positions
cunnida@tenet.edu (D. Alan Cunningham) - NASA Spacelink
cyamamot@kilroy.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Cliff Yamamoto) - orbital elements
datri@convex.com (Anthony Datri) - PDS/VICAR viewing software
daver@sjc.mentorg.com (Dave Rickel) - orbit formulae
dlbres10@pc.usl.edu (Phil Fraering) - propulsion
eder@hsvaic.boeing.com (Dani Eder) - Saturn V plans, SRBs
eugene@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya) - introduction,
NASA contact info, started FAQ postings
french@isu.isunet.edu (Patrick M. French) - space group contact info
g@telesoft.com (Gary Morris) - amateur radio info
gaetz@cfa.harvard.edu (Terry Gaetz) - N-body calculations,
orbital dynamics
grandi@noao.edu (Steve Grandi) - planetary positions
greer%utd201.dnet%utadnx@utspan.span.nasa.gov (Dale M. Greer) - constants
henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) - survival in vacuum,
astronaut how-to, Challenger disaster, publication refs, DC-X
higgins@fnal.bitnet (William Higgins) - RTGs, publishers,
shuttle landings, spysats, propulsion, "Face on Mars"
hmueller@cssun.tamu.edu (Hal Mueller) - map projections,
orbital dynamics
jbh55289@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Josh Hopkins) - launch services
jim@pnet01.cts.com (Jim Bowery) - propulsion, launch services
jnhead@pirl.lpl.arizona.edu (James N. Head) - atmospheric scale heights
jscotti@lpl.arizona.edu (Jim Scotti) - planetary positions
kcarroll@zoo.toronto.edu (Kieran A. Carroll)- refs for spacecraft design
ken@orion.bitnet (Kenneth Ng) - RTGs
kjenks@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov (Ken Jenks) - shuttle roll manuever
klaes@verga.enet.dec.com (Larry Klaes) - planetary probe history
leech@cs.unc.edu (Jon Leech) - crater diameters
lfa@ssi.com (Lou Adornato) - orbital dynamics
maury.markowitz@egsgate.fidonet.org (Maury Markowitz) - propulsion
max@west.darkside.com (Erik Max Francis) - equations
mbellon@mcdurb.Urbana.Gould.COM - N-body calculations
mcconley@phoenix.Princeton.edu (Marc Wayne Mcconley) - space careers
msb@sq.com (Mark Brader) - Mariner 1 info.
mwm@cmu.edu (Mark Maimone) - SPACE Digest
nickw@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Dr. Nick Watkins) - models, spysats
ohainaut@eso.org (Olivier R. Hainaut) - publishers, STARCAT
oneil@aio.jsc.nasa.gov (Graham O'Neil) - Lunar Prospector
opus@pioneer.unm.edu (Colby Kraybill) - SPIF data archive
panama@cup.portal.com (Kenneth W Durham) - cometary orbits, IAU
paul.blase@nss.fidonet.org (Paul Blase) - propulsion
pjs@plato.jpl.nasa.gov (Peter Scott) - RTGs
pschleck@unomaha.edu (Paul W. Schleck) - AMSAT, ARRL contact info
rdb@mel.cocam.oz.au (Rodney Brown) - propulsion refs
rja7m@phil.cs.virginia.edu (Ran Atkinson) - FTPable astro. programs
rjungcla@ihlpb.att.com (R. Michael Jungclas)- models
roelle@sigi.jhuapl.edu (Curt Roelle) - German mnemonic translation
seal@leonardo.jpl.nasa.gov (David Seal) - Cassini mission schedule
shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) - photos, shuttle landings
smith@sndpit.enet.dec.com (Willie Smith) - photos
stephen@gpwd.gp.co.nz (Stephen Dixon) - shuttle audio frequencies
sterner@warper.jhuapl.edu (Ray Sterner) - planetary positions
stooke@vaxr.sscl.uwo.ca (Phil Stooke) - planetary maps
ted_anderson@transarc.com (Ted Anderson) - propulsion
terry@astro.as.utexas.edu (Terry Hancock) - NASA center info
thorson@typhoon.atmos.coloState.edu (Bill Thorson) - FITS info
tm2b+@andrew.cmu.edu (Todd L. Masco) - SPACE Digest
tom@ssd.csd.harris.com (Tom Horsley) - refs for algorithms
veikko.makela@helsinki.fi (Veikko Makela) - orbital element sets
Wales.Larrison@ofa123.fidonet.org (Wales Larrison) - groups & publications
wayne@csri.utoronto.ca (Wayne Hayes) - constants
weemba@libra.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener) - Voyager history
yamada@yscvax.ysc.go.jp (Yoshiro Yamada) - ISAS/NASDA missions
yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter Yee) - AMES archive server,
propulsion
In Net memoriam:
Ted Flinn
NEXT: FAQ #2/15 - Network Resources
------------------------------
End of Space Digest Volume 16 : Issue 253
------------------------------