Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V09_3/V9_348.TXT

Internet Message Format | 1991-07-08 | 16KB

Return-path: <[e-mail]>
X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson
Received: from holmes.andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr1/ota/space/[e-mail] (->+dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr1/ota/space/space.dl) (->ota+space.digests)
          ID </afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr1/ota/Mailbox/wYDQ02y00UkZMHN04O>;
          Sat,  8 Apr 89 04:17:06 -0400 (EDT)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Date: Sat,  8 Apr 89 04:16:59 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: SPACE Digest V9 #348

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 9 : Issue 348

Today's Topics:
     Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?
           NASA Prediction Bulletin Format
        Re: Success with cold fusion reported
            Re: NSS Hotline Update 3/31/89
            Re: NSS Hotline Update 3/31/89
     Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?
          Cold fusion: chemical explanation?
  Someone Please Post/Email Recent OSCAR-9 CCD Image Data? Beg, Beg.
Re: Someone Please Post/Email Recent OSCAR-9 CCD Image Data? Beg, Beg.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 3 Apr 89 17:29:52 GMT
From: pitt!cisunx![e-mail]  (James C. Benz)
Subject: Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mike Van Pelt) writes:
>Both of these countries could become the super-OPEC of the 21'st century.
>One of them is the Soviet Union. The other is South Africa.
>We *really* need access to the asteriods, which have plenty of platinum-
>group metals.

With cheap fusion, should be no problem to get there.  Strap a couple of
ion thrusters to a mass driver, program it to clamp itself onto a suitable
asteroid, and start throwing rocks.  Sounds like a great idea for a startup
company and it just may be the impetus the space program needs to make all
our Star Trek dreams come true.  People at NASA keep griping about needing
industrial applications for space.  Hell, it might even be possible to
build colonies on Ganymede - with cheap power, you could melt gigantic
underground caverns in solid rock with glass sides capable of pressurization.
And why even bother with planets at all, just build free-flying self-contained
colonies in solar orbit.  Turn Earth into a big nature preserve - no humans
allowed without a permit and a guide.  Giant leap for mankind indeed.  Let's
get out of this womb and see what's really out there.
--
Jim Benz              [e-mail]     If a modem
University of Pittsburgh                     answers,
UCIR                 [phone]             hang up!

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

Date: 1 Apr 89 22:57:47 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (TS Kelso)
Subject: NASA Prediction Bulletin Format


As a service to the satellite user community, the following description
of the NASA Prediction Bulletin's two-line orbital element set format is
uploaded to sci.space on a monthly basis.  The most current orbital elements
from the NASA Prediction Bulletins are carried on the Celestial RCP/M, (513)
427-0674, and are updated several times weekly.  Documentation and tracking
software are also available on this system.  The Celestial RCP/M may be
accessed 24 hours/day at 300, 1200, or 2400 baud using 8 data bits, 1 stop
bit, no parity.

==============================================================================

Data for each satellite consists of three lines in the following format:

AAAAAAAAAAA
1 NNNNNU NNNNNAAA NNNNN.NNNNNNNN +.NNNNNNNN +NNNNN-N +NNNNN-N N NNNNN
2 NNNNN NNN.NNNN NNN.NNNN NNNNNNN NNN.NNNN NNN.NNNN NN.NNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Line 1 is a eleven-character name.

Lines 2 and 3 are the standard Two-Line Orbital Element Set Format identical
to that used by NASA and NORAD.  The format description is:

Line 2
Column     Description
 01-01     Line Number of Element Data
 03-07     Satellite Number
 10-11     International Designator (Last two digits of launch year)
 12-14     International Designator (Launch number of the year)
 15-17     International Designator (Piece of launch)
 19-20     Epoch Year (Last two digits of year)
 21-32     Epoch (Julian Day and fractional portion of the day)
 34-43     First Time Derivative of the Mean Motion
        or Ballistic Coefficient (Depending on ephemeris type)
 45-52     Second Time Derivative of Mean Motion (decimal point assumed;
           blank if N/A)
 54-61     BSTAR drag term if GP4 general perturbation theory was used.
           Otherwise, radiation pressure coefficient.  (Decimal point assumed)
 63-63     Ephemeris type
 65-68     Element number
 69-69     Check Sum (Modulo 10)
           (Letters, blanks, periods = 0; minus sign = 1)

Line 3
Column     Description
 01-01     Line Number of Element Data
 03-07     Satellite Number
 09-16     Inclination [Degrees]
 18-25     Right Ascension of the Ascending Node [Degrees]
 27-33     Eccentricity (decimal point assumed)
 35-42     Argument of Perigee [Degrees]
 44-51     Mean Anomaly [Degrees]
 53-63     Mean Motion [Revs per day]
 64-68     Revolution number at epoch [Revs]
 69-69     Check Sum (Modulo 10)

All other columns are blank or fixed.

Example:

NOAA 6
1 11416U          86 50.28438588 0.00000140           67960-4 0  5293
2 11416  98.5105  69.3305 0012788  63.2828 296.9658 14.24899292346978

Note that the International Designator fields are usually blank, as issued in
the NASA Prediction Bulletins.

--
Dr TS Kelso                           Asst Professor of Space Operations
[e-mail]          Air Force Institute of Technology

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

Date: 4 Apr 89 16:56:28 GMT
From: ucsdhub!sdsu![e-mail]  (Richard Frost)
Subject: Re: Success with cold fusion reported

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (The Polymath) writes:
> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Mark Armstrong SOFT) writes:
> [...]
> }Why do you think it would be more efficient to produce your own electricity
> }instead of buying it from utilities?? What would be the cost of such system,
> }$5,000 sounds realistic. ...
>
> That's about what I cost it out to.  I'd cheerfully pay $5000 to be energy
> independent.
>
> }... How about maintanence cost, $500 per year. ...
>
> A quart of heavy water has enough energy to power my house for the rest of
> my life and beyond.  The only moving parts are in the generator (probably
> a stirling cycle engine.  Steam turbines aren't efficient enough at that
> scale).  Under current law, the utilities are required to buy any excess
> power I can generate and put on the grid.  I'll bet I can break even on
> maintenance just doing that.

*** Note ***

Although utility companies are required to by any excess power you generate
YOU are responsible for purchasing a synchonous interface to the grid ( a
synchronous inverter if you're generating DC) plus a new meter and pay for
periodic calibration inspections by the utility company.

So if there is any merit to the giant 'hill of salt' speculation that we
could all have fusion generators in our backyard, be prepared to add an
additional $1500 to your overhead costs plus $100 to your annual cost.


Richard Frost        E-mail:    sdsu![e-mail]

- a scientist is someone who learns more and more about less and less
  until they know everything about nothing!    (Ziman)

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

Date: 3 Apr 89 15:00:10 GMT
From: hpda!hpcuhb!hp-ses!hpcc01!hpwrce![e-mail]  (Howard Stateman)
Subject: Re: NSS Hotline Update 3/31/89

>This is the National Space Society's Space Hotline for the week ending
>March 31, 1989.
>8 embryos that died were part of 16 which were fertilized the day before
>liftoff, the other 16 were fertilized nine day prior to launch.  April 1st
>Hotline.  This message will next be updated April 7, 1989.
>----------
This is useless information, unless they did a control group which did
not go into space. If they did, I'd like to know how many of the eggs
fertilized the day before the launch were dead by the time the shuttle
landed (of those eggs which were fertilized but not launched). If they
didn't, I'd like to know why not, and what makes them think they are
doing an experiment worth paying any attention to.

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

Date: 4 Apr 89 20:21:15 GMT
From: dftsrv!nssdcs![e-mail]  (David Pipes )
Subject: Re: NSS Hotline Update 3/31/89


     Howeird,
     (Cool name...)
     CBS News stated, several days after the landing, that the
experiment was done with a control group, and implied that none had
died from that group (it could have been that only the 'expected'
number had died...I am not sure.  What floored everyone is that the
expected results were on the order of deformities, low hatching weight
or the like.  No one expected dead chickens.  Furthermore, it appears
that the most vulnerable ones were those in very early stages of
development.  This could be very important to people who want to design
long-term life support systems in which animals would be bred in orbit.
Gravity might be a necessary ingredient for reproduction.
     As to why anyone should consider this worth paying attention to,
well, you tell me.  You certainly seem interested in the results and
methods! :-)

| EMail: [e-mail]        David Pipes      |
| Vox: [phone]                                       |
| These opinions are mine, not my employers.  You may share |
| them, but please put them back neatly when you are done.  |

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

Date: 3 Apr 89 19:34:10 GMT
From: pitt!cisunx![e-mail]  (James C. Benz)
Subject: Re: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Henry Spencer) writes:
>Nonsense.  Supplying artificial gravity using centrifugal force is no big
>deal, although getting the radius long enough to avoid inner-ear problems
>is certainly a nuisance.  People have designed current-technology Mars
>missions which have artificial gravity.

Well, if you are going to assume *lots* of relatively free fusion energy,
why not just accelerate at 1G or some appreciable fraction thereof, until
you are halfway there, then turn around and decelerate at the same rate?
Voila.  Artificial gravity with no inner ear problems. And no coriolis.
Just a brief period of 0G at turnaround.  An old Sci-Fi trick that still
works.  If going to the outer planets or the asteroid belt, trip times of
a few weeks or months sound about right.
--
Jim Benz              [e-mail]     If a modem
University of Pittsburgh                     answers,
UCIR                 [phone]             hang up!

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

Date: 5 Apr 89 02:52:27 GMT
From: jumbo![e-mail]  (Jorge Stolfi)
Subject: Cold fusion: chemical explanation?

I vaguely recall a posting to sci.space several months ago saying that
the chemical reaction

    H + H -> H2

is very exothermic, to the point that atomic hydrogen---if it could be
stored in large quantities---would make an even better rocket fuel than
H2 + F2.

If this is true, maybe this explains the amazing amounts of energy
claimed by Fleischman and Pons.  A block of palladium saturated with
atomic hydrogen in close to 1:1 atomic ratio may well pack more
chemical energy than the same volume of TNT.  This seems enough to blow
up a lab bench and blast small holes in concrete.

From my armchair laboratory, I conjecture that hydrogen can be absorbed
into palladium in two forms, as isolated atoms (as in the F&P
experiment) or as H2 molecules (as in the usual pressure-driven
absorption).  In the F&P experiment, once the electrode is saturated
with atomic hydrogen, any additional H atoms that are forced into it
will react exothermically with the absorbed H to form adsorbed H2.
This could be the source of the extra heat measured at low-power
experiments.

The power surges and explosions could also be explained if the single-H
hydride is less stable than the H2 form at higher temperatures.
In fact, it could also explain why power surges happen when the current
is reduced (particularly with spongy electrodes): the atomic H starts
to diffuse out of the palladium, and recombines as soon as it reaches
the surface.  The heat thus produced raises the temperature of the
eletrode, which drives more H out, which produces more heat, and so on.

If this makes sense, then the extra energy detected by F&P is
energy that was stored into the electrode during the charging period.
I believe that in normal electrolysis the reactions at the hydrogen
electrode are something like this

   H3O+ + e- + electrical energy  -->  H2O + H

   H + H --> H2 + heat

which add up to

   2H3O+ + 2e-  + electrical energy --> 2H2O + H2 + heat

In the F&P experiment, during the "charging" phase, the reactions are
something like

   H3O+ + e- + electrical energy --> H2O + H

   H + Pd  --> PdH (single-H form)

and during the "production" phase

   2 (PdH) --> Pd2H2 (molecular-H form) + heat

Does this make any sense? (As you can tell, I am no chemist.)

                Jorge Stolfi @ DEC Systems Research Center
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    On the whole, though, the reaction was excellent in the scientific
    world, and from there it passed on to the general public who took a
    passionate interest in the question.  That was important, since the
    masses were expected to subscribe huge sums.
        --Verne, _From the Earth to the Moon_ (1865)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: see previous message.

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

Date: 3 Apr 89 15:28:47 GMT
From: attcan!lsuc!ncrcan!brambo![e-mail]  (Warren W. Gay)
Subject: Someone Please Post/Email Recent OSCAR-9 CCD Image Data? Beg, Beg.

Could someone kindly post the data from the OSCAR-9 CCD image that
was recently taken.  I do not have the equipment to receive it.

If someone could please, pretty please, post the data. I'll
gladly do the work to convert it to Postscript so I can print it.
I'll also gladly share the Postscript file if I have any success.
Uuencoded is FB.

This will make a nice Amateur Radio Club presentation topic too; thanx
in advance.  I'm sure that other netters would chomp at the bit, to
print a satellite image on their laser printers!

So, please, please, pretty please with sugar on it, can someone post
the image data?  I'll even mail you a cat or three for the effort!
Postage paid! (I have 3 cats-- ie. 3 too many!)

73s de VE3WWG.

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

Date: 4 Apr 89 14:52:38 GMT
From: m2c!ulowell!tegra![e-mail]  (Johnathan Vail)
Subject: Re: Someone Please Post/Email Recent OSCAR-9 CCD Image Data? Beg, Beg.

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Warren W. Gay) writes:

   Could someone kindly post the data from the OSCAR-9 CCD image that
   was recently taken.  I do not have the equipment to receive it.

   If someone could please, pretty please, post the data. I'll
   gladly do the work to convert it to Postscript so I can print it.
   I'll also gladly share the Postscript file if I have any success.
   Uuencoded is FB.

I, too would be very interested in this as well.  I have the FBM
conversion software and could redistribute it in other formats for
people (like .PCX, .GIF, .TIF, Sun raster, postscript images etc.).

I can also generate high resolution (4000dpi) paper or film images if
anyone is interested.

ALSO, I would be interested in the formats from UoSat-2 and the micro
sats.  I am working towards an automated image gathering system.

Much Thanks...  jv

"....say you're thinking about a plate of shrimp...
..and someone says to you `plate,' or `shrimp'......"
 _____
|     | Johnathan Vail  | tegra![e-mail]
|Tegra| [phone]  | N1DXG @ 145.110-, 444.2+, 448.625-
 -----

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

End of SPACE Digest V9 #348
*******************