Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/pc/text/spacedig/v09_4/v9_472.txt

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Date: Mon,  5 Jun 89 03:16:24 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: SPACE Digest V9 #472

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 9 : Issue 472

Today's Topics:
      Spiral arms (was Re: Extinctions: Asteroids and Dinosaurs)
               info request on MMI & ET
            comet strike in the carolinas?
   Re: Amazon Forest Destruction (was Re: Asteroids and Dinosaurs)
         Re: Magellan Status for 05/24/89 (Forwarded)
              Re: HST (article)
           Re: space news from May 1 AW&ST
             Re: Private Space Companies
         Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..
          Fictional counterpart for Atlantis
          Re: HST transport schedule (as of 5/31/89)
                Bitnet
         Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..
            Space Station computer system
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 1 Jun 89 11:42:34 PDT
From: Peter Scott <[e-mail]>
Subject: Spiral arms (was Re: Extinctions: Asteroids and Dinosaurs)

usc!csun!solaria![e-mail]  (Stephen Walton)
writes:

>Contrary to popular belief, the steller density
>(stars per cubic parsec) in spiral arms is the same as between the
>arms; it is just that most of the new, hot, and therefore bright stars
>are in the arms, causing them to stand out.

Okay, my cosmology is a little rusty here... but I thought that arms in
spiral galaxies were thought to be compression waves and therefore at
different times different parts of the galaxy would be in the arms, which would
preclude stellar differentiation on the basis of age?  Isn't the differentiation
between the disk and the halo, the Pop. I and II stars?  Or am I hopelessly
out of date?

Peter Scott ([e-mail])

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

Date: Thu, 1 Jun 89 15:22:57 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Alan Duester)
Subject: info request on MMI & ET

Hi: This is a general request to the members of SPACE. If you have any
rumors, facts, or in-between information on either Third Millenium
(MMI) or External Tanks Corp. that is fairly recent (within the last
6-9 months), I'd appreciate it if you'd E-mail it to me. Thanks very
much.

Al Duester, Ocean Engineer, M/S S201
Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., Woods Hole, MA 02543
[phone] X2474  (457-2000 TouchTone auto receptionist)
[e-mail]    or   [e-mail]
or A.DUESTER on GEnie

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

Date: Thu, 1 Jun 89 15:22:07 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Alan Duester)
Subject: comet strike in the carolinas?

"Carolina Bays", are they craters?

    Does anyone have any recent information on the geological features known as
the Carolina Bays?  These are elliptical dark splotches between 50m and 2000m in
long axis which occur along the coast from Georgia to Virginia.  There are about
a *million* of them and they all have the same major-minor axis ratio of about
2:1 and are *all* lined up with the major axis pointed NW-SE.  I find these
features intriguing but can't find any recent work on them at all.  There was a
book on them in the '50's (by someone named Johnson I think) which concluded
that "they were of complex origin" which means he couldn't figure it out.
(Remember this was before the era of space awareness and that many meteors would
be considered "ridiculously unlikely")
    I can't escape the conclusion that they are craters form a single massive
event (an ice meteor that fragmented on impact? isn't this a comet?) but they
look recent (to an untrained eye, at least, else the small ones would have been
wiped by surface erosion.)  The fact that all the axis line up leaves no other
explanation that I can see.
    These "features" show up best from the air as dark patches in newly plowed
fields or as swamps or even lakes for the larger ones.  I suspect they were all
originally lakes that filled into swamps, then got overgrown with forest till
they were cleared for fields only a few hundred years ago.  The boundary is
sharper than 1 m and they often have a slight raised rim.  I know that "all
craters are circles" but I've heard rumors that "hypervelocity pellets fired at
low angles into armor plate make ellipses." so this must be a grazing hit.  Yes,
they do overlap one another. No, they're not river meanders which are erratic.
These are *very* regular and I've seen *no* exceptions to the axis orientation.
    Serious problems remain.  Why do they only show on the coastal plain?  As
soon as the land rises, I don't find any.  Were sea level changes critical to
their formation or preservation?
    Most of my input comes from a set of aerial mosaics taken in the mid '50's
which show these features clearly. My father became interested during a flight
over the area in the late fifties and got the photos from the Dept. of
Agriculture that had done them for a land use survey.  We took a vacation down
thru the Carolinas in '58 and I remember swimming in one of the larger lakes.
I've not seen any recent imagery, but I haven't gotten around to ordering
Landsat or SPOT photos.
    I apologize if there's a lot of recent work and I just can't find it.  Every
geologist I ask draws a blank, mumbles "ox-bows" and changes the subject.  Right
now I'd bet on a comet.  I'll bet it was one hell of a show!

Dr. Albert M. Bradly, Research Specialist,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole, MA  02543  [phone] x2474

Telemail : A.BRADLEY/OMNET
[e-mail] *should* forward to above telemail account. For a better path,
send Email via: [e-mail] (Al Duester)

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

Date: Thu, 1 Jun 89 10:34 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Amazon Forest Destruction (was Re: Asteroids and Dinosaurs)

   Date: 29 May 89 00:18:21 GMT
   From: att!shuxd!devildog!hiker![e-mail]  (Michael Starr)
   Subject: Re: Amazon Forest Destruction (was Re: Asteroids and Dinosaurs)

   In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Steve Hosgood) writes:
   >Does anyo3 reckon that an 'educate the Brazilians' campaign based on these
   >shuttle photos would do any good? I'd like to think so, but I don't really
   >believe anything short of direct action would solve the problem.

   Has space photos of the depleted ozone layer over Antartica stopped
   the "civilized" population of the planet from recharging their
   car air conditioners with Freon?

Yes, by US law production of freon will soon end.

Chris Eliot
[e-mail]

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

Date: 1 Jun 89 20:04:24 GMT
From: sgi!daisy![e-mail]  (Mike Wooding)
Subject: Re: Magellan Status for 05/24/89 (Forwarded)

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Peter E. Yee) writes:
>         SPACECRAFT
>         Distance From Earth (mi)                   2,919,025
>
>         Velocity  Geocentric                         5,738 mph
>                   Heliocentric                      60,128 mph
>
>         One Way Light Time                           15 sec

 I assume that Geocentric velocity is in Earth origined coords,
 and Heliocentric in sun origined coords. But over the last two
 Magellan status - the Heliocentric velocity continued to increase
 but the Geocentric velocity decreased? The only explanation that
 comes to my mind is a change in Earth velocity wrto Sun?

 just curious - m wooding

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

Date: 1 Jun 89 16:58:48 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (Eugene Miya)
Subject: Re: HST (article)

This brings up an interesting article.  It was published in Science,
17 March 1989 entitled "Will the Hubble Space Telescope Compute?"

Another gross generalization from

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, [e-mail]
  resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers:
  "You trust the `reply' command with all those different mailers out there?"
  "If my mail does not reach you, please accept my apology."
  {ncar,decwrl,hplabs,uunet}!ames!eugene
                  Live free or die.

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

Date: 1 Jun 89 17:49:50 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!wasatch![e-mail]  (Timothy K Reynolds)
Subject: Re: space news from May 1 AW&ST

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
>
> NASA picks Lockheed/Aerojet team to build the ASRM, despite safety panel
> urgings that the project be dropped.
>
> . . . . .  The plant will
> supposedly ship its first flight-cleared motors in 1994, after which use
> of the current Morton Thiokol SRBs will be phased out over three years.
> Apart from getting rid of MT [about time!], ......
             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hmmmm.  When this contract award was announced, there was a big splash in the
Salt Lake City Deseret News about MT being a sub-contractor for Aerojet on this
proposal.  MT spokesman said how this will insure continued participation in
NASA and shuttle programs.  Perhaps Henry's farewell is a bit premature?


[e-mail]

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

v    id AA13529; Thu, 1 Jun 89 22:28:21 -0700
Date: 1 Jun 89 15:49:48 GMT
From: fluke!ssc-vax![e-mail]  (Stuart Lewis)
Subject: Re: Private Space Companies

>  I doubt that Boeing can develop a new space vehicle given that it
>  cannot even build a new airliner from scratch without collaborating with
>  another company or without government aid.

WHOA!!! WRONG WRONG WRONG!

Boeing is *entirely* self sufficient when it comes to new airplane
development.  All of the Boeing planes were developed with in house
money and bold market gambles.  In fact, the 707 (Dash 80 or whatever
you choose - let's not get picky :-)), and the 747 development costs
nearly busted the company.

Boeing *does* consult very heavily with the airlines (read: custo-
mers) in all their endeavors.  "How many passengers?", "What kind of
range?", "How many galleys?", "Where do you want them?", "How many
engines?", "How many aisles?", "Gross payload?" etc, etc.

This ultra customer customization has in fact caused many of the
delays you read so much about in the press lately.  Seems that
Boeing has gone a little too far in pleasing the customers and every
plane down the line is a distinct original.  We've come out lately
and stated that this super customization is going to be scaled back
in the future.

However, a launch system *is* a different animal. Much fewer
customers - you can't afford to be patient to start turning a profit
after the 4 or 5 hundredth vehicle is sold/delivered like an
airplane.  So although I believe that Boeing does have the bucks to
develop their own launcher, business sense says that would be
foolish without some co-development monies or go ahead funding from
the gov't.  And don't be fooled - Arianne, like Airbus would roll
over and die without the consortium (sp?) funding - if Arianne says
they are making money it's because they have some creative
accountants doing some number shuffles.  Airbus though will stand on
it's own two feet before very long if they continue to chink away at
traditional Boeing niches.

Stuart Lewis
Boeing Aerospace
ssc-vax!sml

*******The opinions here stated do not necc'y reflect the position
of the Boeing Company, but are entirely my own observations - no one
else wants them so I thought bore you with them!*************

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

Date: 2 Jun 89 04:31:36 GMT
From: voder!parns!berlioz![e-mail]  (Eraserhead @ The Noblest Explosion )
Subject: Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..


Despite Venus' proximity to the sun, are there any models out there which
allow of surface temperature reduction to around the Earth's value?

The only one I've read about was in Jerry Pournelle's "A Step Farther Out",
where he mentions the "blue-green algae theory"; one hurls zillions of the
little monsters at the upper atmosphere, and they descend slowly,
anaerobically metabolising CO2 into O2 and water (or something like that)
so that eventually the cooling rains thus produced make it to the surface.

Is there any strong a priori reason why Venus could not be cooled by this
or any other terraforming idea? - is the proximity to the sun going to
defeat every attempt, even with radical restructuring of the atmosphere?
--
Andrew Palfreyman         USENET: ...{this biomass}!nsc!logic!andrew
National Semiconductor M/S D3969, 2900 Semiconductor Dr., PO Box 58090,
Santa Clara, CA 95052-8090 ; 408-721-4788         there's many a slip
                            'twixt cup and lip

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

Date: Fri, 02 Jun 89 01:28:49 CDT
From: "Eric Edwards" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Fictional counterpart for Atlantis

In a recent post John Sparks ([e-mail]) said:
>ir, what about 'Atlantis'? Sure it's a mythical contenent, but what fictional
>ship was it named after?

Well if you pardon one letter, the "Atlantia" from the premier episode of
"Battlestar Galactica" fits the bill nicely.

On an ominous note: The Atlantia blew up in that episode.

Bitnet:    [e-mail]                    __________________________
Internet:  [e-mail]             / \.--------.           /  \
"The Amiga just isn't reliable enough unless you   |  | Eric   |---------+    |
know a lot about the machine" -- Jerry Pournelle   |  `--------'         !    |
  ================================================||  .--------.         !    |
"I did notice that at my party people stood in     |  | Edwards|_________+    |
 line to play with the Amiga"-- Jerry Pournelle    | /`--------'             |
                           BYTE, October '88       \__________________________/

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

Date: 1 Jun 89 16:02:36 GMT
From: mnetor!utzoo!bnr-vpa!bnr-fos!bnr-public![e-mail]  (Peter Bain)
Subject: Re: HST transport schedule (as of 5/31/89)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jim Sims) writes:
>Some current schedule item based on a preliminary LMSC schedule:
>7/10  HST Horizontal - SMA Staking
>10/18 Ship HST and GSE
>10/22 Install PCS Simulator
>11/27 - 12/21  Funct test, GST 8
>1/11  Remove GSE cables
>2/28 - 3/9 Move to PAD
Can you say "acronym overload"?  Jim, could you give us this in
English?  Thanks
         -peter

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

X-Delivery-Notice:  SMTP MAIL FROM does not correspond to sender.
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 89 09:46 EDT
From: "New theories tend to wait for old theorists to die."
 <[e-mail]>
Subject: Bitnet


Hello. I haven't received mail from SPACE-L or PHYSICS-L in about a week and
a half. Could I have been UNSUB'ed without my knowing it, or has there been
a problem with bitnet distribution, or has there just been no mail?

Please respond directly to me, CALVIN @ JHUIGF.BITNET

Thanks in advance for any/all replies.

Damian Hammontree
System Programmer, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

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

Date: 2 Jun 89 17:38:48 GMT
From: ncrlnk!ncrcce![e-mail]  (Wayne D. T. Johnson)
Subject: Re: Venus & the Greenhouse effect..

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Hema Sandhyarani Murty) writes:
>
>I would be extremely interested in the Science article if you could give
>me the reference.  If cloud cool the surface, then they don't seem to helping
>Venus any.

There was a breif article in Discover this month about the early results of a
"EARTH ENERGY BUDGET" project.  It indicated there that the clouds formed over
land do indead reduce the heat due to the sun.  I don't have the article here
but can bring it in if there is some interest.
--
Wayne Johnson                 (Voice) 612-638-7665
NCR Comten, Inc.             (E-MAIL) [e-mail] or
Roseville MN 55113                    [e-mail]
These opinions (or spelling) do not necessarily reflect those of NCR Comten.

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

Date: 2 Jun 89 17:39:19 GMT
From: att!pegasus![e-mail]  (Paul S. R. Chisholm)
Subject: Space Station computer system

Since there's so much interest in the Space *Shuttle* computer systems,
I thought you all might be interested in an article on the Space
*Station* computer systems.  "A System for the 21st Century" appears on
pp. 51-54 of the May 15, 1989, issue of DATAMATION (v. 35, #10).  Some
highlights:  they're talking about thirty to forty IBM PS/2 model 80's
(*please* no religious arguments here; maybe they'll wise up and use
<insert your favorite manufacturer>'s hardware instead), using
trackballs or force-resistant hand controllers instead of mice as
pointing devices, with 4 megabytes of RAM and running X-Windows,
networked with Fiber Distributed Data Interface and perhaps IEEE 802
(they didn't say if they meant Ethernet, Token Ring, or StarLAN).
There's also an Earth-bound system, the Software Support Environment
(SSE), for software development.  The whole deal will require 1,500,000
lines of Ada code, including 900,000 for the SSE.

DATAMATION has occasional reports on NASA computer efforts; see also
"Is Error-Free Software Achievable" in the February 15, 1989 issue.
(The answer seems to be yes, if you're willing to spend a kilobuck per
*line* of code.  Richard Feynman is quoted as saying shuttle software
was of the "highest quality".  The 500,000 lines of shuttle code have
had 0.1 errors per thousand lines of code; the norm is closer to ten.)

Paul S. R. Chisholm, AT&T Bell Laboratories
att!pegasus!psrc, [e-mail], AT&T Mail !psrchisholm
I'm not speaking for the company, I'm just speaking my mind.

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

End of SPACE Digest V9 #472
*******************