Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT_ZIP/spacedig/V16_4/V16NO463.ZIP/V16NO463

Internet Message Format | 1993-07-13 | 33KB

Date: Fri, 16 Apr 93 05:05:11
From: Space Digest maintainer <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Space Digest V16 #463
To: Space Digest Readers
Precedence: bulk


Space Digest                Fri, 16 Apr 93       Volume 16 : Issue 463

Today's Topics:
*Doppelganger* (was Re: Vulcan? No, not Spock or Haphaestus) (2 msgs)
                                <None>
                        A WRENCH in the works?
               Comet in Temporary Orbit Around Jupiter?
                      Galileo Update - 04/15/93
                  How many read sci.space? (2 msgs)
 How to get there? (was Re: Comet in Temporary Orbit Around Jupiter?
                             New DC-x gif
               Russian Operation of US Space Missions.
                       Shuttle Launch Question
        Sixty-two thousand (was Re: How many read sci.space?)
                  Some Recent Observations by Hubble
                             Space Debris
            Successful Balloon Flight Measures Ozone Layer
             Two-Line Orbital Element Set:  Space Shuttle

    Welcome to the Space Digest!!  Please send your messages to
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 15 Apr 93 17:00:48 -0600
From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey <[e-mail]>
Subject: *Doppelganger* (was Re: Vulcan? No, not Spock or Haphaestus)
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (CLAUDIO OLIVEIRA EGALON) writes:
> There was a Science fiction movie sometime ago (I do not remember its
> name) about a planet in the same orbit of Earth but hidden behind the
> Sun so it could never be visible from Earth.

This was known as *Journey to the Far Side of the Sun* in the United
States and as *Doppelganger* in the U.K.  It was produced by the great
team of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (whose science was usually a bit
better than this).  It may have been their first production using live
actors-- they were better known for their technophilic puppet shows,
such as *Supercar*, *Stingray*, and *Thunderbirds*.  Later, they went
on to do more live-action SF series: *UFO* and *Space: 1999*.

The astronomy was lousy, but the lifting-body spacecraft, VTOL
airliners, and mighty Portugese launch complex were *wonderful* to
look at.

Bill Higgins, Beam Jockey              | In a churchyard in the valley
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory  | Where the myrtle doth entwine
Bitnet:           [e-mail]  | There grow roses and other posies
Internet:       [e-mail]  | Fertilized by Clementine.
SPAN/Hepnet:           43011::HIGGINS  |

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

Date: 15 Apr 1993 22:22:19 GMT
From: Doug Mohney <[e-mail]>
Subject: *Doppelganger* (was Re: Vulcan? No, not Spock or Haphaestus)
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) writes:

>This was known as *Journey to the Far Side of the Sun* in the United
>States and as *Doppelganger* in the U.K... Later, they went
>on to do more live-action SF series: *UFO* and *Space: 1999*.
>
>The astronomy was lousy, but the lifting-body spacecraft, VTOL
>airliners, and mighty Portugese launch complex were *wonderful* to
>look at.

They recycled a lot of models and theme music for UFO.  Some of the
concepts even showed up in SPACE: 1999.



    Software engineering? That's like military intelligence, isn't it?
  -- >                  [e-mail]                        < --

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

Date: 15 Apr 93 14:56:07 -0600
From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey <[e-mail]>
Subject: <None>
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Paul Gilmartin) writes:
> Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey ([e-mail]) wrote:
> : While you're at it, comet experts, explain how a comet gets into
> : Jovian orbit to begin with!
>
> : There are non-gravitational forces from heating and outgassing when a
> : comet gets into the inner solar system.  [...]
>
> Don't forget the Galilean satellites of Jupiter.

My poor old physics intuition will be very surprised if these tiny
masses, sitting very close to Jupiter, play any role whatsoever in the
problem.   Or, to put it more technically, the extra "volume" they add
to the phase space of possible capture trajectories is negligible.

Jupiter is 2E27 kg, while the Galilean satellites are around 1E23.

Also, as I said, the few references that I've looked at do not
mention outgassing or breakup as important processes.  The important
thing is a Jupiter-Sun-comet "reverse slingshot" that leads to a
weakly Jupiter-bound orbit for the comet (at least a temporary one).

Bill Higgins                       | Late at night she still doth haunt me
Fermilab                           | Dressed in garments soaked in brine
Bitnet:       [e-mail]  | Though in life I used to hug her
Internet:   [e-mail]  | Now she's dead, I draw the line!
SPAN/Hepnet:       43011::HIGGINS  |  --after the tragedy, "Clementine"

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

Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 19:07:25 GMT
From: Mitch <[e-mail]>
Subject: A WRENCH in the works?
Newsgroups: sci.space

Hi all,

I really thought that by now I would have seen something
about this, but I haven't, so here goes:  Last night on
the evening news, the anchorperson said something to the
effect that one of the SSRBs that was recovered after the
recent space shuttle launch was found to have a wrench of
some sort rattling around apparently inside the case.  There
was no elaboration as to where specfically the item was
found, of what type of wrench it was, but the anchorperson
did say something about a NASA official commenting that
there would be an inquiry into how the thing got in the SSRB.

Has anybody else on the net whose info sources may be
better than mine heard anything about this?  It seems rather
weird.

Mitch ---------------------------->[e-mail]

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

Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 22:59:37 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Comet in Temporary Orbit Around Jupiter?
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Ron Baalke) writes:
> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Mark Brader) writes...
>>> > So how close would the comet have gotten to Jupiter on the pass that
>>> > put it into temporary orbit, and how far is it likely to get from
>>> > Jupiter before it makes its escape?
>>>
>>> The answer to all of these questions is we don't know yet.
>>> We don't know for sure if the comet is in a temporary orbit.
>>
>>I see.  I wasn't so interested in this particular case as in typical
>>behavior, anyway.  Can these questions be answered for a previous
>>instance, such as the Gehrels 3 that was mentioned in an earlier posting?
>
> Gehrels 3 was in a temporary Jovian orbit for about 3 or 4 years.  I'll
> get the orbital elements from Dance of the Planets and post them here.

Sorry folks, I should have done this, and meant to just after i hit the
send key...

Orbital Elements of Comet 1977VII (from Dance files)

p(au)          3.424346
e              0.151899
i              1.0988
cap_omega(0) 243.5652
W(0)         231.1607
epoch       1977.04110

Also, perihelions of Gehrels3 were:

April  1973     83 jupiter radii
August 1970     ~3 jupiter radii

Hope this helps...I'm even less of an orbital mechanic than I am an artist.

John Garland
[e-mail]

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

Date: 15 Apr 1993 21:18 UT
From: Ron Baalke <[e-mail]>
Subject: Galileo Update - 04/15/93
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary

Forwarded from Neal Ausman, Galileo Mission Director

                                GALILEO
                     MISSION DIRECTOR STATUS REPORT
                             POST-LAUNCH
                         April 9 - 15, 1993

SPACECRAFT

1.  On April 9, real-time commands were sent, as planned, to reacquire
celestial reference after completion of the Low Gain Antenna (LGA-2)
swing/Dual Drive Actuator (DDA) hammer activities.

2.  On April 9, the EJ-1 (Earth-Jupiter #1) sequence memory load was uplinked
to the spacecraft without incident.  This sequence covers spacecraft activity
from April 12, 1993 to June 14, 1993 and includes a window for the Radio Relay
Antenna (RRA) slew test on April 28, 1993.  The command loss timer was set to
11 days as a part of this sequence memory load.

3.  On April 12 and 15, a NO-OP command was sent to reset the command loss
timer to 264 hours, its planned value during this mission phase.

4.  On April 12, cruise science Memory Readouts (MROs) were performed for the
Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EUV), Dust Detector (DDS), and Magnetometer
(MAG) instruments.  Preliminary analysis indicates the data was received
properly.

5.  On April 12, an Ultra-Stable Oscillator (USO) test was performed to verify
the health status of the USO and to collect gravitational red shift experiment
data; long term trend analysis is continuing.

6.  On April 14, a 40bps modulation index test was performed to determine the
optimal Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) when transmitting at 40bps.  Preliminary
analysis of the data suggests that the present pre-launch selected modulation
index is near the optimal level.

7.  On April 15, cruise science Memory Readouts (MROs) were performed for the
Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EUV) and Magnetometer (MAG) instrument.
Preliminary analysis indicates the data was received properly.

8.  On April 15, a periodic RPM (Retro-Propulsion Module) 10-Newton thruster
flushing maintenance activity was performed; all 12 thrusters were flushed
during the activity.  Thruster performance throughout the activity was nominal.

9.  The AC/DC bus imbalance measurements have not exhibited significant
changes (greater than 25 DN) throughout this period.  The AC measurement reads
19 DN (4.3 volts).  The DC measurement reads 111 DN (12.9 volts).  These
measurements are consistent with the model developed by the AC/DC special
anomaly team.

10. The Spacecraft status as of April 15, 1993, is as follows:

       a)  System Power Margin -  60 watts
       b)  Spin Configuration - Dual-Spin
       c)  Spin Rate/Sensor - 3.15rpm/Star Scanner
       d)  Spacecraft Attitude is approximately 18 degrees
           off-sun (lagging) and 6 degrees off-earth (leading)
       e)  Downlink telemetry rate/antenna- 40bps(coded)/LGA-1
       f)  General Thermal Control - all temperatures within
           acceptable range
       g)  RPM Tank Pressures - all within acceptable range
       h)  Orbiter Science- Instruments powered on are the PWS,
           EUV, UVS, EPD, MAG, HIC, and DDS
       i)  Probe/RRH - powered off, temperatures within
           acceptable range
       j)  CMD Loss Timer Setting - 264 hours
           Time To Initiation - 260 hours


GDS (Ground Data Systems):

1.  Galileo participated in a second DSN (Deep Space Network) acceptance test
for the DSN Telemetry Phase 3 Upgrade on April 13, 1993, using CTA-21
(Compatibility Test Area 21).  The purpose of this test was to verify
the flow of Galileo telemetry data through the new Telemetry Group Controller
(TGC) and the Telemetry Channel Assembly (TCA).  The TGC/TCA is the replacement
for the current Telemetry Processing Assembly (TPA).  Seven different telemetry
rates were run for this test; all ran well on both the MTS (MCCC Telemetry
Subsystem) and the AMMOS MGDS V18.0 GIF with the exception of 10bps.  The
10bps rate had some trouble staying in lock; it appears the TGC/TCA was
not metering the data correctly.  Further comparisons between the MGDS and MTS
data from this test are being conducted. MVT (Mission Verification Test) of
the TGC/TCA system is expected to begin May 16, 1993.


TRAJECTORY

     As of noon Thursday, April 15, 1993, the Galileo Spacecraft trajectory
status was as follows:

    Distance from Earth         152,606,000 km (1.02 AU)
    Distance from Sun           277,519,800 km (1.86 AU)
    Heliocentric Speed          93,400 km per hour
    Distance from Jupiter       543,973,900 km
    Round Trip Light Time       17 minutes, 4 seconds


SPECIAL TOPIC

1.  As of April 15, 1993, a total of 70184 real-time commands have been
transmitted to Galileo since Launch.  Of these, 65076  were initiated in the
sequence design process and 5108 initiated in the real-time command process.
In the past week, 7 real time commands were transmitted: 6 were initiated in
the sequence design process and one initiated in the real time command process.
Major command activities included commands to reacquire celestial reference,
uplink the EJ-1 sequence memory load, and reset the command loss timer.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [e-mail]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Being cynical never helps
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | to correct the situation
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | and causes more aggravation
                                                  | instead.

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

Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 20:42:10 GMT
From: Dillon Pyron <[e-mail]>
Subject: How many read sci.space?
Newsgroups: sci.space

There are actually only two of us.  I do Henry, Fred, Tommy and Mary.  Oh yeah,
this isn't my real name, I'm a bald headed space baby.
--
Dillon Pyron                      | The opinions expressed are those of the
TI/DSEG Lewisville VAX Support    | sender unless otherwise stated.
[phone] (when I'm here)     |
[phone] (when I'm home)     |Texans: Vote NO on Robin Hood.  We need
[e-mail]          |solutions, not gestures.
PADI DM-54909                     |

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

Date: 15 Apr 1993 22:12:34 GMT
From: Doug Mohney <[e-mail]>
Subject: How many read sci.space?
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Dillon Pyron) writes:
>
>There are actually only two of us.  I do Henry, Fred, Tommy and Mary.  Oh yeah,
>this isn't my real name, I'm a bald headed space baby.

Damn!  So it was YOU who was drinking beer with ROBERT McELWANE in the PARKING
LOT of the K-MART!

                UNLIMITED INSEMINATION OF THIS MESSAGE
                    RIGIDLY REFUSED



    Software engineering? That's like military intelligence, isn't it?
  -- >                  [e-mail]                        < --

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

Date: 15 Apr 93 15:13:28 -0600
From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey <[e-mail]>
Subject: How to get there? (was Re: Comet in Temporary Orbit Around Jupiter?
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Paul Gilmartin) writes:
> Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey ([e-mail]) wrote:
> : While you're at it, comet experts, explain how a comet gets into
> : Jovian orbit to begin with!
>
> : There are non-gravitational forces from heating and outgassing when a
> : comet gets into the inner solar system.  [...]
>
> Don't forget the Galilean satellites of Jupiter.

 My poor old physics intuition will be very surprised if these tiny
 masses, sitting very close to Jupiter, play any role whatsoever in the
 problem.   Or, to put it more technically, the extra "volume" they add
 to the phase space of possible capture trajectories is negligible.

 Jupiter is 2E27 kg, while the Galilean satellites are around 1E23.

 Also, as I said, the few references that I've looked at do not
 mention outgassing or breakup as important processes.  The important
 thing is a Jupiter-Sun-comet "reverse slingshot" that leads to a
 weakly Jupiter-bound orbit for the comet (at least a temporary one).

 Bill Higgins                       | Late at night she still doth haunt me
 Fermilab                           | Dressed in garments soaked in brine
 Bitnet:       [e-mail]  | Though in life I used to hug her
 Internet:   [e-mail]  | Now she's dead, I draw the line!
 SPAN/Hepnet:       43011::HIGGINS  |  --after the tragedy, "Clementine"

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

Date: 15 Apr 1993 18:46:37 GMT
From: "Chris W. Johnson" <[e-mail]>
Subject: New DC-x gif
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> Andy Cohen,
[e-mail] writes:
> I just uploaded "DCXart2.GIF" to bongo.cc.utexas.edu...after Chris Johnson
> moves it, it'll probably be in pub/delta-clipper.

Thanks again Andy.

The image is in pub/delta-clipper now. The name has been changed to
"dcx-artists-concept.gif" in the spirit of verboseness. :-)

----Chris

Chris W. Johnson

Internet:   [e-mail]
UUCP:       {husc6|uunet}!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!chrisj
CompuServe: >INTERNET:[e-mail]
AppleLink:  [e-mail]@internet#

...wishing the Delta Clipper team success in the upcoming DC-X flight tests.

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

Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 20:16:12 GMT
From: Josh Hopkins <[e-mail]>
Subject: Russian Operation of US Space Missions.
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro

I know people hate it when someone says somethings like "there was an article
about that somewhere a while ago" but I'm going to say it anyway.  I read an
article on this subject, almost certainly in Space News, and something like
six months ago.  If anyone is really interested in the subject I can probably
hunt it down given enough motivation.
--
Josh Hopkins                                          [e-mail]
          "Tout ce qu'un homme est capable d'imaginer, d'autres hommes
                     seront capable de le realiser"
             -Jules Verne

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

Date: 15 Apr 1993 15:47:45 -0600 (CST)
From: Pack Rat <[e-mail]>
Subject: Shuttle Launch Question

There has been something bothering me while watching
NASA Select for a while.  Well, I should'nt say
bothering, maybe wondering would be better.  When
they are going to launch they say (sorry but I forget
exactly who is saying what, OTC to PLT I think)
"Clear caution & warning memory.  Verify no unexpected
errors. ...".  I am wondering what an "expected error" might
be.  Sorry if this is a really dumb question, but
inquiring minds just gotta know............

Yeah, yeah, I know, its those dumb cosmospheres again!
=============================================================
Randy Padgett, Supervisor      BITNET   : ETRAT@TTACS
Academic Computing Facilities  Internet : [e-mail]
Texas Tech University          THEnet   : TTACS::ETRAT
Lubbock, TX 79409-42042  [phone]   FAX [phone]

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

From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey <[e-mail]>
Subject: Sixty-two thousand (was Re: How many read sci.space?)
Newsgroups: sci.space

Date: 15 Apr 93 13:19:54 -0600
Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Lines: 67
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Nntp-Posting-Host: fnalf.fnal.gov
Sender: [e-mail]
Source-Info:  Sender is really [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Ross  Borden) writes:
> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mark Prado) writes:
>>
>>One could go on and on and on here, but I wonder ... how
>>many people read sci.space and of what power/influence are
>>these individuals?
>>
>     Quick!  Everyone who sees this, post a reply that says:
>
>             "Hey, I read sci.space!"
>
> Then we can count them, and find out how many there are! :-)
> (This will also help answer that nagging question: "Just what is
> the maximum bandwidth of the Internet, anyways?")

A practical suggestion, to be sure, but one could *also* peek into
news.lists, where Brian Reid has posted "USENET Readership report for
Mar 93." Another posting called "USENET READERSHIP SUMMARY REPORT FOR
MAR 93" gives the methodology and caveats of Reid's survey.  (These
postings failed to appear for a while-- I wonder why?-- but they are
now back.)

Reid, alas, gives us no measure of the "power/influence" of readers...
Sorry, Mark.

I suspect Mark, dangling out there on Fidonet, may not get news.lists
so I've mailed him copies of these reports.

The bottom line?

        +-- Estimated total number of people who read the group, worldwide.
        |     +-- Actual number of readers in sampled population
        |     |     +-- Propagation: how many sites receive this group at all
        |     |     |      +-- Recent traffic (messages per month)
        |     |     |      |      +-- Recent traffic (kilobytes per month)
        |     |     |      |      |      +-- Crossposting percentage
        |     |     |      |      |      |    +-- Cost ratio: $US/month/rdr
        |     |     |      |      |      |    |      +-- Share: % of newsrders
        |     |     |      |      |      |    |      |   who read this group.
        V     V     V      V      V      V    V      V
  88  62000  1493   80%  1958  4283.9    19%  0.10   2.9%  sci.space

The first figure indicates that sci.space ranks 88th among most-read
newsgroups.

I've been keeping track sporadically to watch the growth of traffic
and readership.  You might be entertained to see this.

Oct 91   55  71000  1387   84%   718  1865.2    21%  0.04   4.2%  sci.space
Mar 92   43  85000  1741   82%  1207  2727.2    13%  0.06   4.1%  sci.space
Jul 92   48  94000  1550   80%  1044  2448.3    12%  0.04   3.8%  sci.space
May 92   45  94000  2023   82%   834  1744.8    13%  0.04   4.1%  sci.space
(some kind of glitch in estimating number of readers happens here)
Sep 92   45  51000  1690   80%  1420  3541.2    16%  0.11   3.6%  sci.space
Nov 92   78  47000  1372   81%  1220  2633.2    17%  0.08   2.8%  sci.space
(revision in ranking groups happens here(?))
Mar 93   88  62000  1493   80%  1958  4283.9    19%  0.10   2.9%  sci.space

Possibly old Usenet hands could give me some more background on how to
interpret these figures, glitches, or the history of Reid's reporting
effort.  Take it to e-mail-- it doesn't belong in sci.space.

Bill Higgins, Beam Jockey              | In a churchyard in the valley
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory  | Where the myrtle doth entwine
Bitnet:           [e-mail]  | There grow roses and other posies
Internet:       [e-mail]  | Fertilized by Clementine.
SPAN/Hepnet:           43011::HIGGINS  |

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

Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 20:57:06 GMT
From: Richard D Pierce <[e-mail]>
Subject: Some Recent Observations by Hubble
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Ron Baalke) writes:
>Here are some recent observations taken by the Hubble Space Telescope:
>
>     o Observations were made using the High Speed Photometer of the Planet
>       Uranus during an occultation by a faint star in Capricornus.
                                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wow! I knew Uranus is a long way off, but I didn't think it was THAT far away!

--
|                Dick Pierce                |
|    Loudspeaker and Software Consulting    |
| 17 Sartelle Street   Pepperell, MA  01463 |
|       [phone] (Voice and FAX)      |

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

Date: Thu, 15 Apr 93 18:54:27 GMT
From: David Fuzzy Wells <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space Debris
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.materials

>Are there any "good" books on the subject of the removal of
>space debris?

As you probably know, it is hard just finding a book _about_ space
debris...much less, the removal of the junk.

>I am currently trying to find some theoretical way to trap or
>reduce the energy of LEO space debris sufficiently enough for
>it to fall into the atmosphere and burn up or stick to the space
>craft I am reducing the energy with and not cause a great increase
>the crafts energy.
>
>Is this possible?

Hmmm...any reply helpful, huh?  Okay Rich, a question for you.  Why?
(not to mention how? how much? how long? who finances? etc.)  Yes, it is
possible (we once..that is "once" as in "have long since thrown it
away".. had a folder full of theoretical ways to remove trash),
although all had some minor flaw.  Mainly, the who finances this?  how
much will it cost?  and do you have any idea how many pieces of debris
are up there??!!!?!  Short answers: US (nobody else has money to care about
it), bunches!, and bunchies of bunches!!!

Now if this is just an academic exercise, feel free to dream up anything
you want, but good luck on finding a book (and let us know if you do).

Put as for a serious proposal, you must answer the above.  Especially
important is "Why does this need to be done?"  The environment is not
that bad and we are making things safer up there (like venting fuel).
NASA has been trying to tell us the sky is falling for quite a while
now, and when presented with real data (as opposed to theories and
assumptions), their arguments tend to fall flat.  If you want the whole
story on this, I will write a long summary, but as for now, there is no
proof that space assets are in any significant danger from debris
(said with a straight face even as a solar panel crashes into a DSP
bird).

If you think your paper is pretty good, send a CC our way.  We should
probably recreate that file for when Gore et al comes our way
concerned about the SPACE environment.

            Enjoy.

                        Fuzzy.
===============================================================================
_ __/|       | Lt. David "Fuzzy" Wells |"I want peace  on earth,
\'o.O'       |    HQ AFSPACECOM/CNA    |        goodwill toward men."
=(___)=      |      "We do debris"     |"We're the government. We don't do that
   U  ...ack!| [e-mail] | that sort of thing."     -SNEAKERS
===============================================================================

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

Date: 15 Apr 1993 21:24 UT
From: Ron Baalke <[e-mail]>
Subject: Successful Balloon Flight Measures Ozone Layer
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.geo.meteorology

Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. [phone]

Contact:  Mary A. Hardin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                              April 15, 1993
#1506

     Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory report the
successful flight of a balloon carrying instruments designed to
measure and study chemicals in the Earth's ozone layer.

     The April 3 flight from California's Barstow/Daggett Airport
reached an altitude of 37 kilometers (121,000 feet) and took
measurements as part of a program established to correlate data
with the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).

     The data from the balloon flight will also be compared to
readings from the Atmospheric Trace Molecular Spectroscopy
(ATMOS) experiment which is currently flying onboard the shuttle
Discovery.

     "We launch these balloons several times a year as part of an
ongoing ozone research program.  In fact, JPL is actively
involved in the study of ozone and the atmosphere in three
important ways," said Dr. Jim Margitan, principal investigator on
the balloon research campaign.

     "There are two JPL instruments on the UARS satellite," he
continued.  "The ATMOS experiment is conducted by JPL scientists,
and the JPL balloon research provides collaborative ground truth
for those activities, as well as data that is useful in its own
right."

     The measurements taken by the balloon payload will add more
pieces to the complex puzzle of the atmosphere, specifically the
mid-latitude stratosphere during winter and spring.
Understanding the chemistry occurring in this region helps
scientists construct more accurate computer models which are
instrumental in predicting future ozone conditions.

     The scientific balloon payload consisted of three JPL
instruments:  an ultraviolet ozone photometer which measures
ozone as the balloon ascends and descends through the atmosphere;
a submillimeterwave limb sounder which looks at microwave
radiation emitted by molecules in the atmosphere; and a Fourier
transform infrared interferometer which monitors how the
atmosphere absorbs sunlight.

     Launch occurred at about noontime, and following a three-
hour ascent, the balloon floated eastward at approximately 130
kilometers per hour (70 knots).  Data was radioed to ground
stations and recorded onboard.  The flight ended at 10 p.m.
Pacific time in eastern New Mexico when the payload was commanded
to separate from the balloon.

     "We needed to fly through sunset to make the infrared
measurements," Margitan explained, "and we also needed to fly in
darkness to watch how quickly some of the molecules disappear."

     It will be several weeks before scientists will have the
completed results of their experiments.  They will then forward
their data to the UARS central data facility at the Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland for use by the UARS
scientists.

     The balloon was launched by the National Scientific Balloon
Facility, normally based in Palestine, Tex., operating under a
contract from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.  The balloon was
launched in California because of the west-to-east wind direction
and the desire to keep the operation in the southwest.

     The balloons are made of 20-micron (0.8 mil, or less than
one-thousandth of an inch) thick plastic, and are 790,000 cubic
meters (28 million cubic feet) in volume when fully inflated with
helium (120 meters (400 feet) in diameter).  The balloons weigh
between 1,300 and 1,800 kilograms (3,000 and 4,000 pounds).  The
scientific payload weighs about 1,300 kilograms (3,000) pounds
and is 1.8 meters (six feet) square by 4.6 meters (15 feet) high.

     The JPL balloon research is sponsored by NASA's Upper
Atmosphere Research Program and the UARS Correlative Measurements
Program.

                              #####
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [e-mail]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Being cynical never helps
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | to correct the situation
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | and causes more aggravation
                                                  | instead.

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

Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 23:05:44 GMT
From: TS Kelso <[e-mail]>
Subject: Two-Line Orbital Element Set:  Space Shuttle
Newsgroups: sci.space

The most current orbital elements from the NORAD two-line element sets are
carried on the Celestial BBS, [phone], and are updated daily (when
possible).  Documentation and tracking software are also available on this
system.  As a service to the satellite user community, the most current
elements for the current shuttle mission are provided below.  The Celestial
BBS may be accessed 24 hours/day at 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, or 9600 bps using
8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity.

Element sets (also updated daily), shuttle elements, and some documentation
and software are also available via anonymous ftp from archive.afit.af.mil
(129.92.1.66) in the directory pub/space.

STS 56
1 22621U 93 23  A 93105.06179397  .00044513  00000-0  12649-3 0   230
2 22621  57.0022 147.2850 0004246 288.7332  38.0941 15.92991629  1084
1993 023B
1 22623U 93 23  B 93103.37312705  .00041032  00000-0  11888-3 0    86
2 22623  57.0000 155.1150 0004422 293.4650  66.5967 15.92653917   803
--
Dr TS Kelso                           Assistant Professor of Space Operations
[e-mail]                    Air Force Institute of Technology

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

End of Space Digest Volume 16 : Issue 463
------------------------------