Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/pc/text/spacedig/v13_6/v13_690.txt

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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #690

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 690

Today's Topics:
         INFO: More on Hoagland's Mars - ParaNet File
              Re: Microgravity?
         Looking for video imaging technology experts
      Shuttle & Launch Policies (Was: Re: More on Freedom Vote)
         Re: INFO: Clandestine Mars Observer Launch?
            Re: Fred Vote Thursday
               Re: More on Freedom Vote
               Re: More on Freedom Vote

Administrivia:

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

Date: 2 Jun 91 22:18:10 GMT
From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!crdgw1!ge-dab!tarpit!bilver![e-mail]  (Don Allen)
Subject: INFO: More on Hoagland's Mars - ParaNet File


The following text comes from the ParaNet UFO echo. I'm posting
it to the NET as it seems to be interesting. NOTE to cross-posted
groups..BEFORE you flame me, how about keeping an OPEN MIND?

As I do NOT have alot of time available to pursue follow-ups
_exclusively_, please direct all comments to me via mail.

The usual hate mail will get merrily dumped to dev/null, so flame
away if you must :-)

----------Begin Included Text-------------------------------------



Message #6489 - INFO.PARANET
   Date : 29-May-91 12:45
   From : ParaNet(sm) Information Service
     To : All
Subject : More on Hoagland's Mars

****************************************************************
ParaNet File Number:
Reprinted from Air & Space Smithsonian, June/July 1991.

                            FACE OFF

In 1976 the Viking I orbiter, flying some 1,100 miles above Mars,
photographed  a  region called Cydonia. Close inspection  of  one
frame  revealed  what looked like a human face  gazing  soulfully
into eternity. A Viking project scientist showed the image to the
press, dismissed it as a trick of light and shadow, and the  Face
On Mars was forgotten-for a while.
  Three  years  later,  Vincent DiPietro  and  Gregory  Molenaar,
computer  imaging  specialists  at NASA's  Goddard  Space  Flight
Center  in Maryland, analyzed a computer enhancement of The  Face
and decided it merited a serious look. Science raspberried  them,
but  it was too late. A new subculture had been born. Today,  two
groups-the  Mars Project in Santa Cruz, California, and the  Mars
Mission  in  Wytheville, Virginia-exist solely to push  the  idea
that  The Face and nearby structures may be monuments left  by  a
long-vanished intelligent civilization.
  Of  the  two  groups, the latter,  founded  by  science  writer
Richard  Hoagland, is the more energetic. Hoagland wants NASA  to
reshoot  Cydonia when the Mars Observer returns to the planet  in
1993,  and he pursues this vision with zeal reminiscent  of  Burt
Lancaster  in  The  Rainmaker.  Like  many  people  involved   in
missionary  work  on behalf of fringe topics,  Hoagland  believes
he's  being thwarted by higher-ups intent on muffling the  truth.
In  this  case, the higher-ups are at NASA. In a 1989  letter  to
Representative  Robert Roe, then chairman of the House  Committee
on   Science,  Space,  and  Technology,  Hoagland  charged   that
"political   obstacles,   within...NASA  have   blocked   serious
consideration of this evidence for 13 years." The  latest-alleged
outrage  involves  the  cancellation  of  a  documentary   called
"Hoagland's  Mars"  that was produced by  NASA's  Lewis  Research
Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
  Hoagland's  version of what happened goes like this:  In  March
1990  he  was  invited to Speak to a group  of  Lewis  employees.
During  that visit, Lynn Bondurant, educational  programs  chief,
interviewed  him  about  The Face with  a  documentary  in  mind.
Hoagland was pleased to learn that Bondurant would "give our work
a  fair  airing,  putting it in context of the  history  of  Mars
explorations."  The program was scheduled for a January  6,  1991
satellite transmission for PBS stations, says Hoagland, when NASA
"pulled the plug." Why? Because "the planetary science  community
hit the roof. They were absolutely furious that this subject  was
going  to  be legitimized." Now, Hoagland says,  the  program  is
being  recut to "put me in the same camp as Percival Lowell-as  a
well-meaning buffoon."
  A  source  close to the production says the  program  is  being
revised  "to present other views on The Face." That's probably  a
good  idea,  because the script I have doesn't present  the  full
pageantry  of  Hoagland's ideas. It covers his  belief  that  the
arrangement  of  The  Face  and  surrounding  structures  reveals
encoded  mathematical  constants,  but it fails  to  mention  his
wilder  extrapolations. Hoagland and geomorphologist  Erol  Torun
argue  in  a  self-published  paper that  the  constants  give  a
startling  insight  into planetary physics. The  theorizing  gets
pretty  dense:  "The  'tetrahedral  geometry'...is  revealing  an
equivalent   higher-order   mathematical   topology:   i.e.,    a
vorticular'two-torus'energy flow.... "
   The  bottom line is this: the entities who built Cydonia  were
trying  to  tell  the universe about a  "new  physics"  that  may
involve "a hitherto unknown relationship between two of the  four
basic forces of the Universe-gravity and electromagnetism:  i.e.,
a 'Unified Field.'"
   Coincidentally,  the miracle math of Cydonia conies into  play
in   a   mind-device  called  the   N-Machine,   which   Hoagland
enthusiastically  promotes. Invented by physicist Bruce de  Palma
(brother of Hollywood director Brian), the N-Machine, as Hoagland
puts   it,  "generates  more  energy  out  of   the   interaction
between 'space' and the hi-speed rotation of a spinning mass than
[is]  required  by  the motors  that  mechanically  rotate  those
masses."  Hoagland dares to say that from which  most  physicists
recoil: 'We may be talking about energy coming from nothing."  He
has  been  flogging this miracle device on "For The  People,"  an
overheated  radio talk show in Cedar Key, Florida.  Hoagland  and
Chuck  Harder,  the show's host, get  pretty  imaginative.  After
cancellation of "Hoagland's Mars," Harder said, "I gotta  believe
one  of the reasons...'Hoagland's Mars' has been put on  ice  has
got to be because of the Middle East thing.... Once your  program
would  be transmitted...the press would jump on it, and it  might
steal some of the thunder from Bush's ''project.'"
  Hoagland  replied,  'Well,  it's  even  more  disturbing   than
that....'Hoagland's  Mars' is the opening gun to a whole new  way
of life that taps a virtually inexhaustible energy source for the
benefit  of mankind. We are about to go to war...over a  resource
that is really useless."
  Hoagland:  buffoon  or Einstein of the 1990s?  Only  time  will
tell. For those wanting a closer look, Hoagland's own version  of
"Hoagland's Mars"-with all the theories-is available from  Curley
and Company, Signal Mountain, Tennessee.
                      -Alex Heard

END

PARANET FILE NAME: CYDONIA2.TXT

----EOF---


--
-* Don Allen *-  InterNet: [e-mail]  // Amiga..for the rest of us.
USnail: 1818G Landing Dr, Sanford Fl 32771 \X/ Why use anything else? :^)
UUCP: ..uunet!tarpit!bilver!vicstoy!dona      0110 0110 0110 Just say NO!
Illuminati < MJ-12|Grudge|TLC|CFR|FED|EEC|Bush > WAR = "New World Order"

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

Date: 4 Jun 91 14:51:52 GMT
From: news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Microgravity?

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Herman Rubin) writes:
>> A 710-meter shaft set deep into the Earth forms the centerpiece of a
>> new microgravity experimentation facility...
>
>I must be missing something.  How do we get microgravity at this depth?

Drop something down it.  You get microgravity down to about 709 meters... :-)
It's easier to drill shafts than build towers for long drops.
--
"We're thinking about upgrading from    | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
SunOS 4.1.1 to SunOS 3.5."              |  [e-mail]  utzoo!henry

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

Date: 4 Jun 91 15:10:40 GMT
From: oasys![e-mail]  (Mark Goldberg)
Subject: Looking for video imaging technology experts

I am working on a project in real-time video imaging.  I would like
to touch base, via e-mail or phone, with those having expertise ion
any of the following areas:

     - Low-light level TV or computer imaging

     - Use of real-time imaging to make photometric measurements
          (that is, quantify the actual brightness of a scene)

     - Video imaging research and technology

     - Helicopter mounts for cameras

Plese contact me by e-mail at the address below, or call me during the
day at [phone].  Many thanks in advance.

=========David Taylor Research Center (a US Navy lab) - Annapolis, MD==========
    /|/| /||)|/  /~_/\| |\|)[~|)/~_  |  "Everyone's entitled to MY opinion."
   / | |/~||\|\  \_/\/|_|/|)[_|\\_/  |      [e-mail]
"Poor is the man whose pleasure depends on the permission of another."-Madonna

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

Date: 4 Jun 91 19:24:44 GMT
From: agate!headcrash.Berkeley.EDU![e-mail]  (George William Herbert)
Subject: Shuttle & Launch Policies (Was: Re: More on Freedom Vote)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Allen W. Sherzer) writes:
>It's more than just Congress, it's also the Space Council and space
>activists. Look at the signs: OMB is using the money for another
>orbiter to fund HLV work. Congress is moving toward commercial
>procurement policies which will move cargo off the Shuttle. The
>only thing left is spacelab and Freedom resuply which can be done
>for FAR less with expendables.

Allen, following the Challenger accident, all commercial and most military
payloads were taken off the shuttle.  The only payloads that the shuttle now
carries, mostly for the simple reason that it's only launching 7-9 times a
year, are ones that ONLY it can carry.  Big recon birds, manned experiments,
large/wierd payloads (Galileo, Hubble, GRO).

-george william herbert
[e-mail]

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

Date: 4 Jun 91 19:30:11 GMT
From: agate!headcrash.Berkeley.EDU![e-mail]  (George William Herbert)
Subject: Re: INFO: Clandestine Mars Observer Launch?

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (John A. Weeks III) writes:
>
>If you are interested in this type of information, consider subscribing
>to the paranet mailing list.

    Since this newsgroup is sci.space, I would encourage those who want
to post Paranet's stuff (and other second-source material) to think long
and hard about wether it's up to any scientific standards.  Hoagland's isn't
really (and don't start on me why; I talked to him myself, as well as the
NASA people who can debunk him, and the reason that he's still around is
mostly that the scientists were PR idiots and never published a negative-
results paper and sat on their enhanced and second-angle data).

    The Lunar stuff was, however, appropriate.

-george william herbert
[e-mail]

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

Date: 4 Jun 91 15:14:00 GMT
From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!acm.rpi.edu![e-mail]  (Greg Moore)
Subject: Re: Fred Vote Thursday

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Allen W. Sherzer) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jim Bowery) writes:
>
>>By the way, the current vote count puts it nip and tuck.  Fred has
>>just enough votes to tie if the House majority whip's stats are correct.
>>Fred has 140 Republicans and 77 Democrats.
>
>This is incorrect, 217 is enough to win by one vote. At the moment there
>are only 432 members in the House (three seats are vacant due to death,
>resignation, ect). Also note that a tie is a win since the VP gets the
>tiebreaking vote.

The VP only breaks ties in the Senate, not in the House. (The Senate having
100 members, it is possible for a tie with all members voting.)  As the
House has 435 members, if all members vote there can not be a tie.  As
right now there are only 432 active seats, you are right, there can be a
tie, but Quayle can't break it.

>The momentum is also on Freedoms side. Last Freday there where only 70
>votes in favor of the amendment to restore Freedom funding.
>
>  Allen
>
>--
>+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
>|Allen W. Sherzer |   DETROIT: Where the weak are killed and eaten.         |
>|   [e-mail]   |                                                         |
>+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+


Carpe Diem                             [e-mail]
                                       [e-mail]
"All that is gold does not glitter."   [e-mail]

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

Date: 4 Jun 91 15:41:33 GMT
From: mojo![e-mail]  (Doug Mohney)
Subject: Re: More on Freedom Vote

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Allen W. Sherzer) writes:

>It's more than just Congress, it's also the Space Council and space
>activists.

Should be space fanatics.

> Look at the signs: OMB is using the money for another
>orbiter to fund HLV work. Congress is moving toward commercial
>procurement policies which will move cargo off the Shuttle. The
>only thing left is spacelab and Freedom resuply which can be done
>for FAR less with expendables.
>
>If NASA doesn't get the orbiters they will be forced to allow for
>the use of ACRV or perhaps Comet to transport astronauts. When
>that happens the Shuttle is finished.

If Freedom is canned, NASA can put-put along with a 4 Shuttle fleet. Less wear
and tear on all orbiters.

>This won't happen overnight and it will take work by activists
>who want to see cost effective infrastructure. But it will
>happen.

Allen has obviously not yet butted heads with the Astronaut Mafia, DoD and the
Air Force, Congressional Pork Barrel, and the lobbying firms who work for
Rockwell International and Lockheed.

Nor with anyone who has a Shuttle poster on their wall.

If there is a serious proposal to ditch STS for Soviet-made tin cans(which Mr.
Sherzer assures us can be done for less money than it takes to build two B-2
bombers), I'll be writing a check to the "Made in the USA" advertising council.


     Signature envy: quality of some people to put 24+ lines in their .sigs
  -- >                  [e-mail]                        < --

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

Date: 4 Jun 91 17:05:48 GMT
From: orca!bambam![e-mail]  (Bob Pendleton)
Subject: Re: More on Freedom Vote

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Doug Mohney) writes:
> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Allen W. Sherzer) writes:


> >Another interesting note is that the President is playing hardball on
> >this issue. He recently spoke with Jamie Whitten who is the head of
> >the Appropriation Committee. He told him that if Freedom isn't built
> >then there was no reason to build the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM)
> >for the Shuttle. ASRM is built in Whitten's district and he consideres
> >it an important project. Bush's veiled threat should have a big effect.

> And you are so naieve as to think that you can get Congress to kill the
> Shuttle, which is already operational, to go to tin cans....
>
> Watch, look, and learn.

Killing the ASRM is NOT the same as killing the shuttle. The ASRM is
an all new replacement for the existing SRM. The main reason for
building the ASRM is to put Thiokol out of the SRM business. Secondary
reasons for building the ASRM are to bring the shuttles payload up to
spec and to put a big aerospace manufacturing plant in the back woods
of the Great State of Mississippi.

The extra payload is needed to support Fred. Without Fred the reasons
for building ASRM come down to revenge against Thiokol and a shifting
of Utah pork to Mississippi. Whoopee...

Personally, I hope they bury Fred so deep it never gets out. Talk
about a gold plated over rated waste of money. If I've every seen a
solution looking for a problem Fred is it. The second worse example
would be the shuttle.

            Bob P.

P.S.

We should've build the X-15B.

--
              Bob Pendleton, speaking only for myself.
   [e-mail] or decwrl!esunix!bpendlet or hellgate!esunix!bpendlet

                         Tools, not rules.

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

End of SPACE Digest V13 #690
*******************