Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V13_3/V13_394.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #394

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 394

Today's Topics:
         [l/m 7/11] Frequently asked SPACE questions
           Re: Soviet manned lunar program
               Re: Magellan Aerobraking
        Re: comsat cancellations and lawsuits
               Re: RFD:  FAQ newsgroup
          Re: planetary science bibliography
         Re: Space Stations, Money, Startrek
         NASA Headline News for 04/10/91 (Forwarded)

Administrivia:

    Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to
  [e-mail].  Other mail, esp. [un]subscription requests,
  should be sent to [e-mail], or, if urgent, to
             [e-mail]

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

Date: 10 Apr 91 11:01:13 GMT
From: eagle!data.nas.nasa.gov!amelia![e-mail]  (Eugene N. Miya)
Subject: [l/m 7/11] Frequently asked SPACE questions

This list does change.  Slowly.  It only changes when the members
of s.s. have something to add, correct, etc.  I no longer have time to
read s.s., and the SNR is too low.  So if this
does not change it is more a reflection of the other people
you are reading, and not me.  Think about that for a moment.
You make the difference.
    "It's not a message.  I think it's a warning." -- Ripley

This is a list of frequently asked questions on SPACE (which goes back
before 1980).  It is developing.  Good summaries will be accepted
in place of the answers given here.  The point of this is to circulate
existing information, and avoid rehashing old answers.  Better to
build on top than start again.  Nothing more depressing than rehashing
old topics for the 100th time.  References are provided because they
give more complete information than any short generalization.

Questions fall into three basic types:
1) Where do I find some information about space?
Try you local public library first.  You do know how to use a library, don't
you?  Can't tell these days.  The net is not a good place to ask for
general information.  Ask INDIVIDUALS if you must.  There are other sources,
use them, too.  The net is a place for open ended discussion.

2) I have an idea which would improve space flight?
Hope you aren't surprised but 9,999 out of 10,000 have usually been
thought of before.  Again, contact a direct individual source for
evaluation.  NASA fields thousands of these each day.

3) Miscellanous queries.  Sorry, have to take them case by case.

Initially, this message will be automatically posted once per month
and hopefully, we can cut it back to quarterly.  In time questions and
good answers will be added (and maybe removed, nah).

1) What happen to Saturn V plans? What about reviving the Saturn V
as a heavy-lift launcher?

Possible but very expensive -- tools, subcontractors, plans, facilities
are gone or converted for the shuttle, and would need rebuilding,
re-testing, or even total redesign.

2) Where can I learn about space computers: shuttle, programming,
core memories?

%J Communications of the ACM
%V 27
%N 9
%D September 1984
%K Special issue on space [shuttle] computers

%A Myron Kayton
%T Avionics for Manned Spacecraft
%J IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems
%V 25
%N 6
%D November 1989
%P 786-827

Other various AIAA and IEEE publications.

Computers in Spaceflight: The NASA Experience
James E.  Tomayko
1988?

3) SETI computation articles?

%A D. K. Cullers
%A Ivan R. Linscott
%A Bernard M. Oliver
%T Signal Processing in SETI
%J Communications of the ACM
%V 28
%N 11
%D November 1984
%P 1151-1163
%K CR Categories and Subject Descriptors: D.4.1 [Operating Systems]:
Process Management - concurrency; I.5.4 [Pattern Recognition]:
Applications - signal processing; J.2 [Phsyical Sciences and Engineering]:
astronomy
General Terms: Design
Additional Key Words and Phrases: digital Fourier transforms,
finite impulse-response filters, interstellar communications,
Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence, signal detection,
spectrum analysis

You can make it change.  Just discuss the changes on the net, then mail the
resolution to me.

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

Date: 10 Apr 91 11:55:21 GMT
From: eru!hagbard!sunic!news.funet.fi!ra!abo.fi![e-mail]
Subject: Re: Soviet manned lunar program

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Chris Jones) writes:
<...lots of stuff about the Soviet lunar programme deleted>

Sigh...I *wish* the Soviets had gotten there first. Then the US would have
been forced to turn their attention towards Mars. I bet the first manned
Mars mission would have taken place ten years ago if the Americans had lost the
moon race in the 1960s.

> --
> Chris Jones    [e-mail]    {uunet,harvard,world}!ksr!clj

MARCU$

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

Date: 10 Apr 91 17:46:22 GMT
From: swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!titan![e-mail]  (Donald Heskett)
Subject: Re: Magellan Aerobraking

Commenting about Magellan's aerobraking experiment, and related
issues, Henry Spencer ([e-mail]) says, in part:

>And actually NASA is either behind the times, or ignoring non-US
>spaceflight as usual.  Japan's Hiten translunar test spacecraft did a
>very small Earth aerobraking maneuver just recently.  It worked.
>Hiten wasn't designed for it either, that I know of.

Over the years hundreds, if not thousands, of spacecraft have made
un-boosted re-entries. Surely in some of those cases the telemetry
system and temperature sensors were still active, making the early,
benign, phases of re-entry into ad hoc aerobraking experiments.

As far as I can see the Hiten and Magellan aerobraking extend these
tests only slightly. At least Magellan will make use of aerobraking to
achieve a useful end, that of lowering the orbit to increase the
resolution of its radar mapping system.

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

Date: 10 Apr 91 17:47:17 GMT
From: agate!bionet!ucselx!usc!rpi!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utzoo![e-mail]  (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: comsat cancellations and lawsuits

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>> ... You renegotiate a *launch* contract to go up
>> on something else, of course, like the expendables that NASA still had
>> in (admittedly limited) inventory...
>
>And they DID fly on another launcher named Ariane after Hughes made
>arrangements with ArianeSpace.

No thanks to NASA, which dumped them flat rather than helping them work
out a non-shuttle alternative.  It's not entirely an accident, by the way,
that a lot of the birds kicked off the shuttle went to Ariane rather than
a US launcher.  Many of those companies didn't particularly want to have
to deal with the US government again.

>Why should NASA have to renegotiate a contract to launch something the French
>aerospace company had already orbited?

Why are you mixing up time scales like this?  The renegotiation NASA should
have been doing would have been at the time of the shuttle cancellation,
and would have precluded any need for Hughes to go to foreign launchers and
pay higher prices for them.  NASA had agreed to launch those birds at a
specific price, and should have done its best to arrange launches (presumably
on US launchers) for them at something resembling that price.

>By the way, there is a satellite rescue mission coming up next year sometime.
>Do you happen to recall, Henry, who owns this satellite?  I certainly hope it
>isn't a Hughes bird.

I forget who built it, but it is owned by either Intelsat or its insurers.
Probably Intelsat, since the rescue mission makes it still potentially
capable of doing more or less its original mission.
--
And the bean-counter replied,           | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
"beans are more important".             |  [e-mail]  utzoo!henry

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

Date: 10 Apr 91 07:09:13 GMT
From: bfmny0![e-mail]  (Tom Neff)
Subject: Re: RFD:  FAQ newsgroup

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Glenn R. Stone) writes:
>This is a formal RFD for a group in which to crosspost FAQ lists.

Since I have *JUST* posted a long attack on this idea, I won't repost,
but only point to it here:

| From: [e-mail] (Tom Neff)
| Newsgroups: news.admin,news.groups
| Subject: Re: CFD for"comp.faq"
| Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
| Date: 9 Apr 91 10:37:18 GMT
| Lines: 39

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

Date: 9 Apr 91 05:07:41 GMT
From: unisoft!fai!sequent!crg5![e-mail]  (Nick Szabo)
Subject: Re: planetary science bibliography


In article <[e-mail]> is written:

[An excellent planetary science bibliography, thanks!]

>17) Exploring the Planets by
>    Murrow (?) a 1991 book
>    on the history of
>    planetary exploration
>    and politics. I haven't
>    read it but judging by
>    his book "Deep Black"
>    on the politics of satellites
>    I look forward to it.

I believe you refer to _Exploring Space: Voyages in the Solar System and
Beyond_ by William E. Burrows (Random House 1990).  The book goes into
detail about the personalities, politics, machines, and discoveries of
planetary exploration.   The best space exploration history book yet
written.  Highly recommended.


>18) Bruce Murray's memoirs on
>    planetary history, science
>    and politics is a must for
>    the politically inclined
>    "Exploring Space" ?
>    1988.

_Journey Into Space: The First Thirty Years of Space Exploration_ (Norton
1988) by the former JPL director who also co-wrote the Mariner paper on
the Martian polar dry ice.  Technical excellence, idealism, and political
naivete from one of the explorers.  Also recommended.


--
Nick Szabo            [e-mail]
"If you want oil, drill lots of wells" -- J. Paul Getty
The above opinions are my own and not related to those of any
organization I may be affiliated with.

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

Date: 10 Apr 91 23:07:56 GMT
From: usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!mips!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!rpi![e-mail]  (Michael V. Kent)
Subject: Re: Space Stations, Money, Startrek

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Doug Phillipson ) writes:
>    I can't believe that after Skylab and Mir we need MORE data! We built
>a space shuttle, for heavens sake, from previous data and extrapolation of
>learned data. The magnificent thing flew the first time with no unmanned
>trials.  Data isn't the problem.  Vision, imagination and motivation are
>the problem.  We don't have a clear national goal.  I wonder where we would
>be now if Kennedy hadn't been killed.  We would probably at least have a manned
>Martian base by now.  We have some very smart professionals out there and Gigabytes
>of data they could be drawing on for a real station.  I heard that we can't even

Yeah, we have loads of data.  We've had THREE men in space for 84 days ONCE.
We've never BUILT anything in space before.  Skylab was an interim station
and was always meant to be.  Freedom is a 30 year program capable of nearly
unlimited growth.

If Kennedy hadn't been killed we would be in the same position we are now.
Kennedy was no more interested in exploring space than the four Presidents
who followed him.  He was interested only in beating the Russians.  That's
why the moonshot was accepted over a space shuttle and space station, and
that's why the X-15 was cancelled in favor of the capsule approach.

>                        Doug Phillipson

--
Michael Kent                                  [e-mail]
McDonnell Douglas                             Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
St. Louis, Missouri                           Troy, New York
                               Apple II Forever!

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

Date: 10 Apr 91 23:14:32 GMT
From: [e-mail]  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA Headline News for 04/10/91 (Forwarded)


              Headline News
Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA Headquarters

  Wednesday, April 10, 1991    Audio Service: 202 / 755-1788

This is NASA Headline News for Wednesday, April 10, 1991 . . .

The landing of Atlantis and its five-member crew was waived
off this morning at about 10:00 am EDT due to unacceptable
weather at both Edwards Air Force Base and the Kennedy
Space Center.  The STS-37 crew were ready for Atlantis' nominal
9:26 am deorbit maneuver when they were waived off for one orbit.
Shortly thereafter, Johnson Space Center flight controllers determined
that Edwards and Kennedy weather would not support a landing
today.  Edwards weather had sustained high winds, 20 miles per hour
with gusts to over 30, and unacceptable crosswind conditions for all
available runways.  Kennedy weather was even worse, with severe
thunderstorm warnings posted for late morning and early this
afternoon.

Weather predictions for Edwards and Kennedy are "iffy" for
tomorrow, as well.  Winds remain a concern for a nominal West Coast
landing; cloud cover and the possibility of showers are the chief factors
affecting Kennedy as a backup landing site.

Atlantis has been reconfigured for orbital operations with the payload
bay doors and radiators again open.  The crew has a nominal two-day
orbital contingency supply of consumables onboard.  Crew activity
today could include more amateur radio experiment operations and
crew hand-held Earth observations.

Overall, the STS-37 mission has been extremely smooth with no
major anomalies being tracked by flight controllers.  Crew members
reported limited success in contacting the Soviet Mir space station.
Atlantis astronauts reported they could hear the Mir
cosmonauts but could not confirm that Mir received their
transmissions.

                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Marshall Space Flight Center this evening begins a series
of sub-scale test firings to evaluate materials intended for use in the
Advanced Solid Rocket Motor.  The first test will be of a 20-foot-
long, 48-inch-diameter, solid rocket motor for approximately 30
seconds.  The test will be conducted at Marshall's East Test Area by
Aerojet Corp., ASRM Division, Iuka, Miss., under contract to Lockheed
Missiles and Space Co., Sunnyvale, Calif.  Royce Mitchell, the ASRM
project manager, said five nozzle material tests and five insulation
tests will be performed at Marshall this year.

                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Discovery's three main engines undergo their flight readiness
test today.  During this test, the engine valves are cycled and main
engine sensors are calibrated.  Discovery is in good shape for its
currently targeted late April flight for the Department of Defense
STS-39 mission.

                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The House subcommittee on VA-HUD and Independent
Agencies, Robert Traxler (D-Mich.) chairman, today and tomorrow
continues hearings on the FY 1992 NASA budget request.  NASA
Administrator Richard Truly and the program associate
administrators are witnesses.  The hearings begin at 10:00 am and
continue through 4:00 pm each day.  The hearings will be in the
Capitol, Room H-143.  Also tomorrow, the House Committee on
Science, Space and Technology, George Brown, Jr. (D-Calif.)
chairman, will hold hearings, beginning at 9:00 am in Rayburn
Room 2318, on NASA's Space Station Freedom.  The Brown
hearing will be taped and replayed on NASA Select TV at a later date.

Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select
TV.  All times are Eastern.  NASA Select TV is carried on GE Satcom
F2R, transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees W Long., Audio 6.8,
Frequency 3960 MHz.

Wednesday, 4/10/91
    All-day    Continuous live coverage of STS-37 mission originating
          from Johnson Space Center.

    1:15 pm    Magellan-at-Venus report live from the Jet Propulsion
          Laboratory.

    All-day    Resumption of continuous live coverage of the STS-37
          Atlantis mission.
Thursday, 4/11/91
    All-day    Continuous live coverage of STS-37 mission.  Coverage of
          landing preparations from Dryden Flight Research Facility
          dependent on Atlantis landing opportunities.


All events and times may change without notice.  This report is filed
daily, Monday through Friday, by 12:00 pm, Eastern.  It is a service of
NASA Headquarters Office of Public Affairs.  Contact:  CREDMOND
on NASAmail or at 202/453-8425.

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

End of SPACE Digest V13 #394
*******************