Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/pc/text/spacedig/v15_0/v15no022.txt

Internet Message Format | 1993-07-13 | 29KB

Date: Wed, 22 Jul 92 05:01:05
From: Space Digest maintainer <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Space Digest V15 #022
To: Space Digest Readers
Precedence: bulk


Space Digest                Wed, 22 Jul 92       Volume 15 : Issue 022

Today's Topics:
            Antimatter (was propulsion questions) (2 msgs)
   Astronomy Lab for MS Windows 3.X - BETA TESTERS NEEDED (2 msgs)
                         ESA Future (4 msgs)
                 Galileo Antenna. What's left to try?
NASA experiment could save lives, time and money [Release 92-115] (Forwarded)
                 Phobos2-probe UFO pic-pro and contra
                                 PPK
                    Propulsion questions (2 msgs)
     Star Trek and public perception of space/science/engineering
       Support Lunar Resource Mapper Too!  Re: Manned/Unmanned
      Testers for Astronomy Lab: NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS!!! (2 msgs)
                         Visual acuity for MS
             Whale killing for "science" -- so for what?

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 16:03:41 GMT
From: Bob Martin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Antimatter (was propulsion questions)
Newsgroups: sci.space

[e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:

>Getting enough antimatter for interstellar propulsion is harder, because
>then we start needing kilogram quantities at least.  That's probably going
>to take large-scale facilities in space.

I think it's safe to say that nobody would want kilogram quantities of
anti-matter concentrated in any one place on the planet.  Such a thing
could ruin th eneighborhood and bring property prices screaming down
around our ears.

Actually, I wonder if even the moon would be a safe place to
concentrate a few hundred kilograms of the stuff.  Maybe the
farside...  I think I would prefer Mars.

Lets see.  100kg, e=mc^2, thats 9e25 ergs right.  The Sun puts out
4e33 ergs in a sec and has a surface area of about 6e12 km^2.  So, an
accident with 100kg of antimatter would be sort of like having a piece
of the sun, roughly the size of Texas, in your back yard for about 1
second.  Not particularily desirable.


--
+---Robert C. Martin---+-RRR---CCC-M-----M-| R.C.M. Consulting         |
| [e-mail] |-R--R-C----M-M-M-M-| C++/C/Unix Engineering    |
|     (Uncle Bob.)     |-RRR--C----M--M--M-| OOA/OOD/OOP Training      |
+----------------------+-R--R--CCC-M-----M-| Product Design & Devel.   |

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

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 19:59:34 GMT
From: Nick Haines <[e-mail]>
Subject: Antimatter (was propulsion questions)
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <rmartin.711734621@yosemite> [e-mail] (Bob Martin) writes:

   [antimatter]

   Actually, I wonder if even the moon would be a safe place to
   concentrate a few hundred kilograms of the stuff.  Maybe the
   farside...  I think I would prefer Mars.

Well if you _must_ use some planetary body, the far side of the moon
is just fine. 100kg of anti-matter will only yield a 4 gigaton
explosion (assuming it's reactive enough to all go boom at once).
Sure, you'll leave a pretty big crater, but it's not going to shift
the moon or anything.

Nick

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 17:46:59 GMT
From: Brad Cain <[e-mail]>
Subject: Astronomy Lab for MS Windows 3.X - BETA TESTERS NEEDED
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms,comp.ibm.pc.misc,sci.astro,sci.space,sci.edu,comp.windows.ms.programmer,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d

sorry to do this, but


I would like to be on your beta test team...

heres the info

Gateway 2000 386-25
no math co-processor
130 meg HD
8 megs ram
Diamond Speedstar w/1 meg of ram
Windows 3.1, Dos 5, Qemm 6.02
Epson LQ-850 printer

thanks

--
**********************************************************
Brad Cain -- University of Delaware Electrical Engineering
[e-mail]         [e-mail]
**********************************************************

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

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 19:44:33 GMT
From: "Jan K. Remke" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Astronomy Lab for MS Windows 3.X - BETA TESTERS NEEDED
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms,comp.ibm.pc.misc,sci.astro,sci.space,sci.edu,comp.windows.ms.programmer,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d

I AM INTERESTED, TOO. Please add me to your list. Mail Bounced...

Your's:
Jan

--
Jan K. Remke, Postfach 304041, W-1000 Berlin 30, Tel. auf Anfrage...
[e-mail] / [e-mail] (Planet Earth sytems)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesus loves you - Problems remaining: Worldwide Terrorism on Earth !

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 16:00:23 GMT
From: "Philippos A. Peleties" <[e-mail]>
Subject: ESA Future
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Matthew DeLuca) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
>>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Matthew DeLuca) writes:
>>>Well, yes, but then they don't have independent acess to space, which was one
>>>of the reasons ESA was founded in the first place.  Sort of pointless.
>
>>Not at all.  Just make Russia an ESA member.  It *is* a European country!
>
>Well, geographically it is partly in Europe, (it's as much Asian as
>European, if we want to get picky) but socially, economically, and
>culturally it is pretty far off...I can't see them getting into the ESA,
>especially with all the petty bickering and infighting among the member
>nations.
>
>Besides...you'd have to get Ukraine in there as well, since they make
>some of the rockets, and nobody knows how long Russia and they are going
>to remain on speaking terms...
>
>The best bet for Europe is to get their act together, decide what they
>*really* want, and get it done, and not look to the outside for help.
>


The point is this: ex-Soviet (Russian/Ukranian) technology most likely
will be used in some rather substantial capacity and some combination
of the above countries will become ESA members whether they are geographically
located in Europe or not.

It makes sense economically, politically and any other way there is to
measure things.


>--
>Matthew DeLuca                      "I'd hire the Dorsai, if I knew their
>Georgia Institute of Technology      P.O. box."
>Office of Information Technology                - Zebediah Carter,
>Internet: [e-mail]              _The Number of the Beast_


Philip Peleties
--


I speak for myself, I think for myself, I work for myself ... but I don't want
to play by myself ... so bring your toys and let's share ...

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

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 17:04:46 GMT
From: Hartmut Frommert <[e-mail]>
Subject: ESA Future
Newsgroups: sci.space

[e-mail] (Matthew DeLuca) writes:
>[e-mail] writes:
>>ESA could buy space and transport to Mir. Somebody should make sure the
>>Russian capabilities don't rot.

They (i.e. the governments involved) probably can't find any agreement even
for purchasing empty space.

>Well, yes, but then they don't have independent acess to space, which was one
>of the reasons ESA was founded in the first place.  Sort of pointless.

which is another reason that they will not do it. Since in Germany the public
has changed its mind on space projects, and the government spends all money
for things correlated with reunification, ESA has a huge lack in funding.
So everything looks like NO future for ESA.
--
 Hartmut Frommert, LS Dehnen, Physics, | E-Mail: <[e-mail]>
 Univ of Constance, P.O.Box 55 60,     |     or  <[e-mail]>
 D-W-7750 Constance, Germany  | + SAVE THE WHALES ! BOYCOTT NORWAY !        +
 Phone: [phone]   | + Whales R intelligent. Whale killers not.  +
+ Whale killing is murder. Eating whales is cannibalism. Eat whale killers. +

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 18:07:02 GMT
From: Matthew DeLuca <[e-mail]>
Subject: ESA Future
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Philippos A. Peleties) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Matthew DeLuca) writes:

>The point is this: ex-Soviet (Russian/Ukranian) technology most likely
>will be used in some rather substantial capacity and some combination
>of the above countries will become ESA members whether they are geographically
>located in Europe or not.

>It makes sense economically, politically and any other way there is to
>measure things.

I think the real point here is that you completely ignored what I wrote and
simply poted what you would *like* to see.

In principle, it would be good for the former Soviet states to cooperate
with the ESA and contribute their storehouse of experience and knowhow.

In practice, it's extremely unlikely.  Funding for the ESA comes from contri-
butions by the member nations, and there is no way the ex-Soviet states can
afford it.  The only way they could even consider it is if they completely
scrapped their current space program and subordinate themselves to the ESA,
which is unlikely, to say the least.

I think what we are going to see happen is a fairly signifigant scaleback in
Russian space activity for several years, followed by a gradual resumption to
former levels around the turn of the century, when their economy starts to
function again.  As for the ESA, God only knows what is going to happen to
them...probably bicker themselves to death.

--
Matthew DeLuca                      "I'd hire the Dorsai, if I knew their
Georgia Institute of Technology      P.O. box."
Office of Information Technology                - Zebediah Carter,
Internet: [e-mail]              _The Number of the Beast_

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

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 19:26:38 GMT
From: Doug Mohney <[e-mail]>
Subject: ESA Future
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Matthew DeLuca) writes:

>In principle, it would be good for the former Soviet states to cooperate
>with the ESA and contribute their storehouse of experience and knowhow.
>
>In practice, it's extremely unlikely.  Funding for the ESA comes from contri-
>butions by the member nations, and there is no way the ex-Soviet states can
>afford it.  The only way they could even consider it is if they completely
>scrapped their current space program and subordinate themselves to the ESA,
>which is unlikely, to say the least.

Should look up terms like "in kind" aid. And "cheaper facilities." And
"hypersonic wind tunnels."  And other goodies which could be rented at cost.

If DoE can spend $9 million to fund fusion research in Russian and NASA is
preparing to spend more money with the not-so-evil Confederation, ESA
might do the same.

>I think what we are going to see happen is a fairly signifigant scaleback in
>Russian space activity for several years, followed by a gradual resumption to
>former levels around the turn of the century, when their economy starts to
>function again.

I think the first REAL commercialization of space (the sort of thing which Nick
and Alan espouse, but can't seem to get going here) is happening in Russia.
They've got incentive; if they don't get outside cash, they're unemployed.
With various export technology controls being lifted, it is quite feasible to
see some U.S. companies put together experiments here and send them up for
30-60-90-120 day stints on Mir. For cold cash.

   Previous signature chastized by Canadian Grad Student who flayed the United
   States as a bully from his bastion of free speech in Pittsburgh, PA.
                    Yes, fact IS stranger that fiction.
  -- >                  [e-mail]                        < --

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 19:08:05 GMT
From: David Knapp <[e-mail]>
Subject: Galileo Antenna. What's left to try?
Newsgroups: sci.space

Perhaps I've missed some crucial posts (which is entrirely possible given
a quirky news server) but I haven't seen a lot of news regarding the
details of the Galileo Antenna.

What is the confidence (of the NASA team, not some net-philosophers)
that thermal cycling will help?

What else can be attempted?  Thruster bursts? Fast rotation?

What is the confidence that *some* technique will succeed?

What is the schedule for more dramatic attmempts at freeing the antenna?

Any tidbits would be read. Thanks.


--
"Oh please, Lord, break the curse on women's hearts that says we don't need
our men.  Break that independence...Help men to rise up to take positions
of leadership and authority that we might submit to them."  -Toni Denver,
 operation rescue member, as she is quoted in Life Magazine, July 1992

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

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 18:35:25 GMT
From: Dave Jones <[e-mail]>
Subject: NASA experiment could save lives, time and money [Release 92-115] (Forwarded)
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>
>The sudden availability of lots of emergency beacons will almost certainly
>result in lots more false, maliciously false and prankster alarms.

Maybe its not as bad as your gut reaction would lead you to believe.  By
definition this system would be oriented to areas where there are few
people.  Pranksters are unlikely to journey to a wilderness area just to
get their jollies.  Calls identified as coming from relatively populated
areas could be dispatched to local authorities, who would deal with
false alarms in the usual way.  When you pickup a signal from the North
Slope, you can be pretty sure it's genuine.  If it's 50 miles from
Anchorage, you leave it to the local people who know if it's near a road
or not and can act accordingly.  It's not like a malicious distress
call: the search area will be small and easy to locate.  Come to think
of it, we've had radios for long enough that rescue operations will be
used to a certain amount of background noise from cranks.


--
||))) If you build it                          )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))|
||))) They will cancel it   - Field of Dweebs. )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))|
||))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))|
||Dave Jones ([e-mail]) | Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY   |

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 17:19:29 GMT
From: Tarl Neustaedter <[e-mail]>
Subject: Phobos2-probe UFO pic-pro and contra
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.alien.visitors,alt.paranormal

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Stefan Hartmann) writes:
> [someone else's quoted mail]
> [quoted mail from me, ending with:]
>
> I've observed this discussion before, and I don't care to carry it on.
> It is the provenance of conspiracy theorists and ufo true-believers, not
> anyone who has ever worked with CCDs or space equipment. The only reason
> I commented is because after posting it to sci.astro, you posted it to an
> erotica group, which was inappropriate.
>        Tarl
>
>
> So, what do You all say about this ?

a) You need to read the netiquette documents on news.newusers. Posting a
   piece of private email without permission of the sender, is considered
   at best impolite and at worst of dubious legality.
b) My email clearly stated that I did not care to get involved in the
   discussion, the only reason I commented is that you had posted the
   picture to an inappropriate group. Your posting my email under these
   conditions is flat offensive.
c) Kindly keep ufo discussions off of the sci. groups and erotica groups.
   You have your forum on alt.alien-visitors and alt.paranormal, keep to
   them.
--
         Tarl Neustaedter    [e-mail]
         Marlboro, Mass.    Stratus Computer
Disclaimer: My employer is not responsible for my opinions.

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 17:09:51 GMT
From: John Roberts <[e-mail]>
Subject: PPK
Newsgroups: sci.space

-From: [e-mail]
-Subject: message from Space Digest
-Date: 20 Jul 92 20:07:57 GMT
-Organization: [via International Space University]

-To Anyone on this list who would enjoy answering my question about outer
-space:
-   The year is 2010. This is your last day on earth. Tomorrow you leave with

-the first civilian crew hand-picked by NASA to colonize the moon. NASA
-prepares your OFK - Offical Flight Kit - with all you need to survive
-physically on the moon. You are also allowed to take your PPK - Personal
-Preference Kit. It is the size of a traveler's shaving kit and must weigh no
-more than a pound. In it you must pack whatever you need to sustain you
-emotionally and spiritually in outer space.
-   What will you choose??

Well, you wouldn't need anything that could be produced on the moon, and
you wouldn't need photos, other images, literature, etc., because they can
be transmitted from Earth later on. So what you would want to concentrate on
are things that you value in themselves.

Some possibilities you might consider:
 - Legal documents (i.e. marriage licence), autographs, baseball cards, etc.
 - Food items that won't be available on the moon for many decades
    (though ruling out the possibility of ever being able to get things by
    "mail order" even at sky-high prices seems a little farfetched).
 - The shrunken head of a revered ancestor. (Bones, in the traditional Chinese
   custom, would be a little too heavy and bulky, unless further reduced.)
 - The Hope Diamond.

I wouldn't necessarily choose any of these, but others might.
What do people typically carry in their "luggage allowance" on the Concorde?

John Roberts
[e-mail]

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 16:44:15 GMT
From: Bob Martin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Propulsion questions
Newsgroups: sci.space

[e-mail] (Nick Haines) writes:

>In article <rmartin.711643766@thor> [e-mail] (Bob Martin) writes:

>   What about Arthur C. Clarke's A-Drive.  Blow a small stream of
>   reaction mass past a mini-black hole (A few tons??, the size of a
>   proton??)  Some of the stream is accellerated into the singularity.
>   The frictional heating of its accelleration and accreation is absorbed
>   by the rest of the matter in the stream which then roars out the
>   exhaust nozzle and supplies thrust.

>Problems:

>- if the black hole is small enough to be light (you have to carry it
>  along, you don't want too much mass) it's also small enough to
>  evaporate in a burst of extreme gammas.

clearly you want to make sure that the singularity is massive enough
such that its evaporation rate is slower than its accretion rate.
Does anybody know what the relationships of mass to evaporation rate
is?  I was under the impression that explosive evaporation only took
place when the singularity was very very small, i.e. < 1e6g or so.

>- you still need lots of reaction mass.

You need reaction mass, yes.  The amound depends on the delta V you
need.  For short hops, you only need a little.  For long hauls, you
need more.  And, if you are thinking about interstellar hops, you can
still use the bussard ramscoop to collect hydrogen and blow it past
the singularity.

Can anybody tell us the efficiency of this with respect to a fusion
drive?

>- it's probably at least as tricky to control as a bottle full of
>  anti-hydrogen.

Maybe.  Remember you can control the charge of a singularity just by
forcing it to swallow some ions.  Also, its mass will give it a
certain amount of inertial stability, i.e. it's not likely to be
bouncing around its container at a decent fraction of C.  Thus, the
control system will have time to marshal it forces and keep the
singularity at bey.


--
+---Robert C. Martin---+-RRR---CCC-M-----M-| R.C.M. Consulting         |
| [e-mail] |-R--R-C----M-M-M-M-| C++/C/Unix Engineering    |
|     (Uncle Bob.)     |-RRR--C----M--M--M-| OOA/OOD/OOP Training      |
+----------------------+-R--R--CCC-M-----M-| Product Design & Devel.   |

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

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 20:02:02 GMT
From: Nick Haines <[e-mail]>
Subject: Propulsion questions
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <rmartin.711737055@yosemite> [e-mail] (Bob Martin) writes:

   [about a black-hole drive]

   Can anybody tell us the efficiency of this with respect to a fusion
   drive?

I can guarantee that the answer to that question is "no". I mean, it
might be a neat idea, but we're not going to have a decent figure for
the efficiency of it until we've actually got a small black hole to
play with.

Nick

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 21:32:01 GMT
From: SCOTT I CHASE <[e-mail]>
Subject: Star Trek and public perception of space/science/engineering
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Phil G. Fraering) writes...

>_both_ Star Trek series... Hell, if anyone ever starts a terraforming
>project somewhere, you know some Professional Idiot over in Congress
>or Parlaiment or the Diet or the Supreme Soviet is going to stand up
>and say "But how do we know there isn't some life there we can't even
>begin to imagine, like that episode of Star Trek?"

No need.  I'll stand up and ask it.  It is such a ridiculous question?
Would you want something from a nearby star system to come here and
accidentally reterraform Earth to their liking because they didn't notice
we were here?  Until we meet a new life form or two from another planet
I don't think you can make a convincing case for our ability to know
them when we see them.

-Scott

--------------------
Scott I. Chase            "The question seems to be of such a character
[e-mail]        that if I should come to life after my death
                and some mathematician were to tell me that it
                had been definitely settled, I think I would
                immediately drop dead again."      - Vandiver

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

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 16:54:38 GMT
From: Hartmut Frommert <[e-mail]>
Subject: Support Lunar Resource Mapper Too!  Re: Manned/Unmanned
Newsgroups: sci.space

Please, allow some comments from afar...

[e-mail] writes:

[...]

>Support Lunar Resource Mapper as well if you
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ i'll abbrev him to LRM
>truly want to support unmanned space flight. Write your Congress critter
>or call or fax to support that in the 93 budget. It is a low cost planetary
>probe that will do much to increase our knowledge of our nearest planetary
>body. Do you know that after Mars Observer's mission is over, that we will
>know more about Mars and Venus than about the Moon! That is tragic and
>must be corrected.

[...]

Very true that Lunar research suffered in the past, which should be improved.
So I'd like the LRM to be supported, it's important for planetary science.

On the other hand, that our knowledge on the Moon needs improvement, and,
therefore, LRM, should in *NO* way mislead anybody to think that we know
*ALL* interesting things (or even too much) on Mars and/or Venus. So also a
successor of Magellan, as well as Mars Observer (and LRM) should be taken
into consideration.

Also you should keep in mind that on longer terms there will either be manned
AND unmanned spaceflight or nothing but some commercial (and perhaps
military) sat's. In the non-scientific public (or, partially, even the
non-space scientific), people are PRO or CONTRA spaceflight as a whole,
as far as funded by public (assumed from observations here in Germany).
The anti-space party likes to profit from a manned-unmanned discussion:
as public funds decrease, both manned and unmanned space projects suffer,
which we just see concerning the ESA projects. So I urge everybody to
support *first* an increasing of space budget *as a whole*.

--
 Hartmut Frommert, LS Dehnen, Physics, | E-Mail: <[e-mail]>
 Univ of Constance, P.O.Box 55 60,     |     or  <[e-mail]>
 D-W-7750 Constance, Germany  | + SAVE THE WHALES ! BOYCOTT NORWAY !        +
 Phone: [phone]   | + Whales R intelligent. Whale killers not.  +
+ Whale killing is murder. Eating whales is cannibalism. Eat whale killers. +

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

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 17:38:53 GMT
From: Duncan Foster <[e-mail]>
Subject: Testers for Astronomy Lab: NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS!!!
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms,comp.windows.ms.programmer,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,sci.astro,sci.space,sci.edu

Sorry, this one doesn't work either. Count me in though!

------- Unsent Draft

To: uunet!edoc9!erict
Subject:Re: Beta Testers Needed for Windows 3.X Astronomy Program
- ---------
In sci.astro you write:

>*** Beta Testers Needed for Windows 3.X Astronomy Program ***

>Name: Duncan Foster
>US Mail Address: "Radharc", Kilquade, Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
>E-Mail Address: [e-mail]
>Version of MS-Windows: 3.0
>Version of MS-DOS: 5
>CPU: 80386sx
>Math Coprocessor (not required): none
>Memory: 1Mb
>Graphics Card: VGA (supports some SVGA modes)
>Printer: none

Not a US citizen. Does that matter??

Duncan Foster



------- End of Unsent Draft

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

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 20:11:48 GMT
From: Brian Preble <[e-mail]>
Subject: Testers for Astronomy Lab: NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS!!!
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms,comp.windows.ms.programmer,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,sci.astro,sci.space,sci.edu

Sorry, but my email bounced.

>To: uunet!edoc9!erict
>Subject:Re: Beta Testers Needed for Windows 3.X Astronomy Program
>- ---------
>In sci.astro you write:
>
>>*** Beta Testers Needed for Windows 3.X Astronomy Program ***

Name: Brian Preble
US Mail Address: 177 Harvard Street #1; Cambridge, MA 02139-2706
E-Mail Address: [e-mail]
Version of MS-Windows: 3.1
Version of MS-DOS: 5.00 / 4DOS 4.01
CPU: 80486/33
Math Coprocessor (not required): N/A
Memory: 16 Mb
Graphics Card: ATI Wonder
Printer: GPC SpectraStar (color PostScript)

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 19:31:20 GMT
From: "Kieran A. Carroll" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Visual acuity for MS
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Claudio Egalon) writes:
>>Most of the literature  that  I have read about the visual acuity
>>requirements for Missions Specialists, MS, says that the applicant
>>must have a 20/100 uncorreted *however* ...
>
>The exact number is probably pretty much irrelevant.  You'd have to be
>awfully good to overcome a handicap like poor vision....

Good point. One practical use of such a requirement, however, might
be to provide a guideline for deciding when an active astronaut
should retire. A number of the astronauts wear glasses on-orbit;
likely many of them due to deteriorating eye-sight as they grow
older. Even if all new-hires had 20-20 uncorrected vision, once they're
in their 40's it'd start getting worse. The requirement may apply
less to new-hires than to old hands.
--

     Kieran A. Carroll @ U of Toronto Aerospace Institute
     uunet!attcan!utzoo!kcarroll [e-mail]

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

Date: 21 Jul 92 20:20:49 GMT
From: Steinn Sigurdsson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Whale killing for "science" -- so for what?
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.misc

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Hartmut Frommert) writes:


   A side remark on sci.space, as the discussion swept over from sci.misc:
   (Prof. Carl Sagan said similar things in COSMOS)

   I assume that many of the readers here are deeply interested in SETI,
   extra-terrestrial life (in particular, intelligent), etc.. How can one hope
   that there may be *any* useful (and peaceful) contact with ETI's if we
   are not even able to peaceful co-existence with the other TI's (the whales) ?

You presume: whales are intelligent and that useful => peaceful

   Please, no flames here. The discussion should stay on sci.misc.
           ^^^^^^^^^^^
What, no snide "cannibal" comments? At least try putting in your own
follow-ups if you want redirected discussion...

*  Steinn Sigurdsson               Lick Observatory          *
* [e-mail]        "standard disclaimer"      *
*  Some people think they're really clever            *
*  Smash your head against the wall            Specials, 1979    *

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End of Space Digest Volume 15 : Issue 022
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