Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V13_7/V13_756.TXT

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Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #756

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 13 : Issue 756

Today's Topics:
           Re: Solar sails and Belt mining
           Re: Japanese Space Development Direction
     LOW LATITUDE AURORAL ACTIVITY WATCH UPDATE - 18 JUNE
           INFO: New "Electric Spacecraft Magazine"
           Re: CNN Report On Paris Airshow
           Re: CNN Report On Paris Airshow
             Launch failure today
             Re: == No Subject ==
            Re: Excavating (minig) gold in
               Pioneer Venus ?
              Re: Fred's Operatic Death

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: 16 Jun 91 23:40:18 GMT
From: swatsun![e-mail]
Subject: Re: Solar sails and Belt mining

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Ian Stirling) writes...
>If you can make a workable solar sail how much more difficult is it
>to make a large parabolic mirror for melting large boulder size
>chunks of rock?

It was pointed out to me last year that heating by solar flux doesn't
work so well in space since there are no convection currents in the molten
stuff (no gravity).  I don't recall the specifics of this.

If it could work some other way, you wouldn't want to use a parabolic
mirror to focus an image of the sun on the rock, you'd want to use a light
funnel.  See _Scientific_American_ of a few months back for a good
article on light funnels.  They concentrate *all* the incident solar flux
on a spot, a lens or mirror just focuses an image, and thus much flux
does not help heating.

>you get higher temperatures than the surface of the sun by filtering
>the incoming light at the mirror(diffraction grating ?)to leave only the
>higher energy photons,this does not seem to violate any laws as you
>are only able to use a small fraction of the incoming light to heat
>the object but most of the light goes past at lower overall energy.

Huh?  Even the low energy photons should help to heat up the rock,
so no point in filtering them out.  Leaving only high energy photons
does not necessarily yield higher than surface of the sun temperatures,
although you may change the energy distribution profile of your solar
flux, you won't change its "temperature".

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

Date: 17 Jun 91 13:18:04 GMT
From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!ox.com!hela![e-mail]  (Allen W. Sherzer)
Subject: Re: Japanese Space Development Direction

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Nick Janow) writes:

>"Looking far into the future, the Japanese feel that automation in space will
>be a huge enterprise.

I don't think anybody doubts that at all. The only question is the wisdom of
putting all our eggs into one basket. I think the Japanese agree which is
why they are also spending money on manned space.

>Thus they show a willingness to invest in long-term
>space robotics to develop a vast technological base from terrestrial work."

The US also spends a lot on robotics research. In fact, in absolute terms
I suspect we spend even more than Japan.

>I think the Japanese direction is determined by economic and political
>foresight,

Japan is spending billions on Freedom and where the loudest complainers
when it was cancled. May we conclude than that you have changed your mind
and now support Freedom?

   Allen

--
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Allen W. Sherzer |   DETROIT: Where the weak are killed and eaten.         |
|   [e-mail]   |                                                         |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Mon, 17 Jun 91 16:27:41 MDT
From: oler <@BITNET.CC.CMU.EDU:[e-mail]> (CARY OLER)
Subject: LOW LATITUDE AURORAL ACTIVITY WATCH UPDATE - 18 JUNE
X-St-Vmsmail-To: st%"[e-mail]"

                /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

                     LOW LATITUDE AURORAL ACTIVITY WATCH

                         UPDATED: 22:00 UT, 17 JUNE
                               VALID: 18 JUNE

                /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\


ATTENTION:

     The Low Latitude Auroral Activity Watch has been extended to 18 June.
Conditions may become favorable for auroral activity observations over the
lower latitudes on 18 June.  Minor to major geomagnetic storming is currently
in progress and is expected to continue for the next 12 to 18 hours.  By 19
June, conditions are not expected to be favorable for lower latitude auroral
observations.  The UT day of 18 June should be the last day for possible low
latitude auroral observations.

     This watch is valid until 00:00 UT on 19 June.  At that time, it will be
updated or cancelled.


**  End of Watch  **

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

Date: Tue, 18 Jun 91 11:28:51 SET
From: [e-mail]
Comment: CROSSNET mail via MAILER@CMUCCVMA



  ESA Press Release No.20; Paris, 17 June 1991

  ITALY/ESA AGREEMENT ON HERMES TEST FACILITIES

  Senator  Learoo Saparito,  Under Secretary  of  State  at  the Italian
  Ministry of  Universities, Scientific   reserach and   Technology, and
  Mr.Jean-Marie Luton, Director General of ESA, will be  signing a major
  cooperation agreement at 11.30 a.m., on Tuesday, 18  June 1991  in the
  ESA pavilion at the Le Bourget Air Show.

  The subject of the agreement is the co-financing  by Italy  and ESA of
  test facilities  vital for   the development   of the   Hermes thermal
  protection  systems.  The  facilities will  be located  in Italy, near
  Capua. somewhere near Naples, in the South, I thinkY

  Known as SCIROCCO, the facilities will  principally consist  of a very
  high temperature arc-heated wind tunnel that can simulate  heat fluxes
  comparable to those which Hermes will  encounter on  re-entry into the
  atmosphere.

  The cost of developing SCIROCCO, which should be completed  by the end
  of  1993, will  be around  50 Million   Accounting Units   (75 billion
  ItalianY lire) ca.  60 Million US$Y.  ESA will bear 40%  of the cost
  and Italy 60%.

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

Date: 17 Jun 91 19:19:06 GMT
From: agate!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!crdgw1!ge-dab!tarpit!bilver![e-mail]  (Don Allen)
Subject: INFO: New "Electric Spacecraft Magazine"




----------------------------------------------------------------------
This information is presented for your persusal and is a continuation
of my policy of informing the public what is currently available. As
usual my *disclaimer* is simply to present the data and let you form
your own opinion(s). Please feel free to agree,disagree,discuss or
ponder :-)

As I do not have a great amount of time available to pursue follow-ups
exclusively, comments to me should be directed to [e-mail]
in mail.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The following text comes from the MUFONET BBS (1-901-785-4943):

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


Message number 1658 in "MUFONET"
Date: 06-08-91  21:25
From: David Dorsey
To:   All
Subj: New Publication

                            ANNOUNCING:
.
An international networking journal devoted to the exploration of:
.
    * electric and magnetic technology  * anti-gravity
    * atomic and space-time concepts    * harmonics and vibrations
    * energy transformation techniques  * natural phenomena
.
The ELECTRIC SPACECRAFT JOURNAL is a quarterly publication
specifically for those doing creative research and experiments in
the area of spacecraft technology and for those interested in the
subject.  The purpose of this publication is to make it possible
for individuals to communicate and cooperate both formally and
informally with each other in an effort to develop new technology
for spacecraft.  The Journal is an interactive platform for:
.
    * experiments                * direct observation of phenomena
    * documents                  * investigations
    * historical accounts        * new ideas and concepts
    * speculations               * interpretations and comments
.
                   ELECTRIC SPACECRAFT JOURNAL
P.O. BOX 18387, ASHEVILLE, NC 28814 704-252-8083 FAX [phone]
--- QuickBBS 2.66/O (Eval)
 * Origin: MUFONET-BBS Network 901-785-4943 (88:4200/10)

-------------------------------------------------------------------
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: 18 Jun 91 19:44:38 GMT
From: pyramid![e-mail]  (Lon Stowell)
Subject: Re: CNN Report On Paris Airshow

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Matthew DeLuca) writes:
>
>The MiG-31 isn't exactly a new aircraft; it's basically a reworked
>version of the MiG-25, which was initially designed to counter the B-70
>Valkyrie.
>--
     Does the CNN broadcast actually show the B-70 in flight?
     IMHO it still qualifies as one of the most beautiful
     aircraft ever built.

     When the Kennedy administration killed the B-70, I became
     a permanent republican....

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

Date: 19 Jun 91 00:34:17 GMT
From: munnari.oz.au!cs.mu.OZ.AU!mullauna![e-mail]  (Matthew Kwan)
Subject: Re: CNN Report On Paris Airshow

>     Does the CNN broadcast actually show the B-70 in flight?
>     IMHO it still qualifies as one of the most beautiful
>     aircraft ever built.

And it had that other feature I always look for in aircraft - it
was LOUD! A mach 3 plane, burning some hellish fuel mixture, the
Valkyrie must come close to holding the record for loudest plane ever.

mkwan

-------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Kwan
Centre for Computer Security Research
Australian Defence Force Academy

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

Date: 19 Jun 91 02:44:59 GMT
From: news-server.csri.toronto.edu!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!aurora.physics.utoronto.ca![e-mail]  (Christopher Neufeld)
Subject: Launch failure today


   Well, I just saw a throwaway bite on the evening news relating to the
destruction by range safety of an unmanned rocket. The footage had a
round decal with Orbital Sciences Corporation on it, and the same
written across the bottom of the screen, and the voice in the original
broadcast, though obscured by the local newsguy, did include the word
"prospector".
   What was this launch? I wasn't aware of any prospectors due up in the
next little while. While we're at it, what was the launch vehicle? It
sure didn't look like a Pegasus.


--
 Christopher Neufeld....Just a graduate student  | If ignorance is bliss
 [e-mail]    Ad astra  | why aren't there more
 cneufeld@{pnet91,pro-cco}.cts.com               | happy people?
 "Don't edit reality for the sake of simplicity" |

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

Date: 17 Jun 91 02:47:08 GMT
From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!hutto![e-mail]  (Henry Melton)
Subject: Re: == No Subject ==


While looking at an image of the Texas area made by a GEOS weather sat,
I noticed a white dot, about three or four pixels wide in Central Texas,
just north of Austin.  After investigating, it turns out to be the Texas
Crushed Stone company's huge pit (just visible from I-35 between Austin
and Georgetown).  Other than the lakes, it was the only man-made thing
visible on the photo.

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

Date: 17 Jun 91 19:56:26 GMT
From: mintaka!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!ox.com!fmsrl7![e-mail]  (Ron Carter)
Subject: Re: Excavating (minig) gold in

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Codesmiths) writes:
>I can't imagine any way of safely bringing a whole asteroid to the
>earth's surface for a long, long time. Even if it was brought down in
>small pieces it would still be several orders of magnitude beyond
>present technology.

Not true, if you're willing to sacrifice part of it.  Just mold
pieces into lens-shapes like an Apollo heat shield, and drop
them.  If they are mostly iron and land in water, you can just
troll for them with an electromagnet to recover them.

>What would be needed to smelt the asteroid in situ, and just bring
>back the most valuable metals ?

Good question, but separating the metals from the slag, the
iron from the nickel, etc. has more possibilities than just
returning unmodified asteroid pieces.

If mirrors can be deposited using CVD, then it should be
possible to make solar sails from iron.  Attaching a sail
and a small guidance module to a payload package (platinum
and gold wrapped in slag or nickel) would allow them to sail
back to Earth by themselves.

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

Date: 17 Jun 91 22:46:27 GMT
From: news-server.csri.toronto.edu!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!ists!nereid![e-mail]  (H. Peter White)
Subject: Pioneer Venus ?




I've heard rumors lately that Pioneer Venus will be sent into the atmosphere to
collect data for future Magellan work. I guess this would mean that Pioneer
Venus will collect data till the very end.

Anyone else heard anything about this, or did I hear wrong?

 H. Peter White            " Whoever undertakes to set himself
 [e-mail]      up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge
 [e-mail]          is shipwrecked by the laughter of
 665-5448 (SAL/ISTS)          the Gods. "        - Albert Einstein

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

Date: 18 Jun 91 13:55:18 GMT
From: mojo![e-mail]  (Doug Mohney)
Subject: Re: Fred's Operatic Death

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] writes:
>
>>He pays taxes too.
>
>From his paycheck which is 100% funded by the IRS, he pays perhaps
>30% back to the IRS.  BFD.  I said his pro-astronaut posts were
>"self-serving" and they are; they serve to provide revenue for the
>paychecks of himself, his boss, and his co-workers at JSC.

Still doesn't mean he can kiss his right to free speech goodbye, does it?
Of course, that little matter doesn't seem to count for a whole lot to you.
Governmental employees still pay taxes, vote, and contribute to the net.

>The same cannot be said for my postings.  My employer sells computers to
>voluntary purchasers. I do not derive revenue from any of the subjects
>discussed.

So this gives you the RIGHT to be the Czar of Correctness?

>Of course he has a right to his self-serving propaganda; I also have
>a right to point it out for what it is.

Or let others judge for themselves rather than being a zealot about it?
Your propaganda on asteroid mining is getting a little boring of late.

>>Personally Nick, I think if we were pouring money into Asteroid Hunting
>
>I don't propose to "pour" anything more than a tiny fraction of what the
>astronauts are wasting.  Even that small fraction the astronaut groupies
>want to keep for their own programs, as the recent Freddy Krueger war
>so sadly confirms.

Oh GARBAGE, Nick. If the positions were reversed, you'd be the first one in
line to defend your institution.

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

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

End of SPACE Digest V13 #756
*******************