Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V16_1/V16NO123.TXT

Internet Message Format | 1993-07-13 | 39KB

Date: Thu,  4 Feb 93 05:08:03
From: Space Digest maintainer <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Space Digest V16 #123
To: Space Digest Readers
Precedence: bulk


Space Digest                Thu,  4 Feb 93       Volume 16 : Issue 123

Today's Topics:
          An 'agitator' replies (was: Clinton's Promises...)
          challengar transcript (aka. tastelessness vs. cen)
     How the media portrays scientists? RE: Was bumbling geek...
                      Info to ESA press release
                             Interception
                             Polar Orbit
                Re : Ignore the Challenger transcript
          Russian solar sail test now confirmed for Feb. 4th
                        Satellite of the Month
              Space Camp (was re: Challenger Transcript)
                Today in 1986-Remember the Challenger

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 06:17:31 GMT
From: "Edward V. Wright" <[e-mail]>
Subject: An 'agitator' replies (was: Clinton's Promises...)
Newsgroups: sci.space

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

>They go up three times a year, we go up eight.  They send up two or three
>people, we send up five to eight.  So for every ten people they send up, we
>are sending somewhere between forty and seventy.  I wouldn't say they are
>doing 'far far' more than we are.

They use unmanned launchers to do many of the things we do with the
Shuttle.  This is because of NASA's decision, back in the 1970's, to
move all payloads off expendables and onto the Shuttle.  Russians
also stay in space up to a year longer than we do.



>Furthermore, I am not absolutely opposed to spending money on Russian gear;
>as I said in a post late last week, using Soyuz for the ACRV is a reasonable
>plan.  But when people start proposing ongoing procurement for launch services
>from the Russians that would cripple the U.S. industry, or scrapping Freedom
>and leasing space on Mir, then I start thinking there's something wrong.
>
>Believe it or not, there's more to space than the almighty dollar.

Oh, yeah?  Why don't you take a drive out to Atlanta Hartsfield Airport
and count the number of jetliners you see sitting on the tarmac.
Multiply by $100 million or so to calculate the value of the aircraft.

Look at the number of flights landing and taking off -- all for the
almighty dollar you disdain.  Think about what've you seen as you
drive home -- in a car that I'll wager was made by a company in
search of the almight dollar, or the all-powerful yen.

The almighty dollar made this country, kid.  It built the railroads,
the mines, the harbors, and transformed the Great American Desert
into the Breadbasket of the World.  Not some jingoistic government
program for "higher goals."  It you want to see what kind of results
that brings, look at the Ukraine.  The former Breadbasket of Europe,
reduced to a region that can't even feed itself.

You think that we have an active program because NASA launches
eight Shuttle flights per year?  Phah!  Eight popcycles!  Go
out to Atlanta Hartsfield and you'll see eight airliners taking
off within a five-minute interval.  Every one of them carrying
more people on one flight than the United States and Soviet space
programs have flown in 30 years.  And that's just one airport,
in one region of the country.  The same thing is happening, at
the same time, all over the world.  All because of people going
after the almighty dollar.

The Japanese want to build a Honeymoon Hotel in orbit.  Not a
little tin can like Space Station Freedom, a big wheel like the
one in 2001.  They estimate it will cost $46 billion, of which
an insignificant fraction is the actual construction cost.  Most
of it is the cost of Space Shuttle launches.  And still, even with
that, it's only about half-again the cost of SS Freedom.

The Japanese won't pay $46 billion to build the hotel.  But when
someone builds a reuseable commercial space-transportation system
and the cost drops to $1 billion dollars, someone will build it --
and rent out lab space to NASA in the basement -- for the almighty
dollar.

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 11:53:29 -0500 (EST)
From: [e-mail] (Bryan Glancey)
Subject: challengar transcript (aka. tastelessness vs. cen)

    I closely read this digest all the time, sometimes intelligent things
are said and sometimes not so intelligent things are said. In the recent
article which griped about non disclosure of the tapes of the final moments
of the Challenger disaster this non disclosure was seemingly compared to
censorship and a conspiracy of silence. This is one of the non-intelligent thing
s that you read here.
    This tape, if it were released, would cause nothing but pain and agony
to the families of those who died; a pain and agony already felt in the loss
of their loved ones. Why should this tape be released only for the cheap
amusement of a few people or to satisfy the media for a news chunk of the day.
These men and women died in honourable service to their country, doing a job
that we all value greatly (or else we wouldn't be reading this). I say that
there is a limit to the decency of disclosure (though it should be noted that
I am EXTREMELY libreal) and that this tape, if it exists is beyond that limit.
    Let the honourable dead rest in peace and let's honour their memory
without making it a cheap media event.

        Bryan Glancey


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'Life's the illusion, love is the dream'   Buzzcocks

'Life is just a dream; a story that I read, a picture that I've seen a thousand
times before - but it's never quite the same.'
        -Nine Big Dogs

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 09:23:41 GMT
From: "Hugh D.R. Evans (ESA/ESTEC/WMA Netherlands" <[e-mail]>
Subject: How the media portrays scientists? RE: Was bumbling geek...
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] writes:
|>In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Robert S. Hill) writes:

|>> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] writes...
|>>>According to _Lorenzo's Oil_, scientists are cold-hearted, self-serving
|>>>bureaucrats who like to torture little children for their studies.
|>>>Didn't see any geeks.
|>>
|>> For a heroic portrayal, see George Pal's movie 'War of the Worlds' from
|>> the 1950's.
|>>
|>> Robert S. Hill
|>> [e-mail]
|>
|>
|>For an extreme example see Steve Urkle(sp)....
|>
|>

Oh come on now, what about 'Back to the Future'?  The realistic
portrayal of your typical scientist creating a time machine in his garage
shows us all in the best possible light. :-)

--
Hugh Evans    European Space Research and Technology Centre
Internet:    [e-mail]    or [e-mail]
SPAN        ESTWM8::hevans

  "Etiquette is a universal language.  And so is English.  Foreigners may
   pretend otherwise, but if English is spoken loudly enough, anyone can
   understand it, the British included." - P.J. O'Rourke, Modern Manners

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

Date: Wednesday, 3 Feb 1993 10:22:27 CET
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Info to ESA press release
Newsgroups: sci.space

   INFORMATION NOTE TO THE PRESS Nr. 01-93
   Paris, 02.02.93



   Meteosat-3 to be Stationed over America

   On 27 January 1993, the ESA-built weather satellite, Meteosat-3,
   began its move to a new station, longitude 75 degrees West, over
   the South American state of Colombia. From there it will be able to
   provide meteorological coverage of virtually the whole of the
   American continent and, most importantly, the United States of
   America.

   In 1991, following agreement between ESA and EUMETSAT,
   Meteosat-3 was made available to the US meteorological service
   NOAA, to cover a potential deficiency caused by delays in the US
   agency's new second-generation satellite service. Meteosat-3
   became an instant television star as it plotted the course of the
   devastating hurricane, called "Andrew", which hit Florida in
   August 1992.

   It was the least that Europe could do for its friends in the United
   States: between 1985 and 1988, NOAA made capacity available on
   its GOES-4 satellite to Europe to collect meteorological data.

   Meteosat-3 is to become such an integral part of NOAA's
   forecasting service that for the first time ever, Europe has now
   constructed a satellite ground station on US territory, at Wallops
   Island, Virginia.

   Primetime Weather

   Meteosat weather images have been a feature of primetime
   European television for over 15 years. They have provided fast,
   reliable meteorological data for Europeans; warnings of storms,
   rain, ice, drought, sun and snow. Forecasts that enable everyone
   to plan each day with a little more care and a great deal more
   safety.

   Meteorologists combine satellite data with ground measurements to
   make weather predictions, based on complex computer models. Two
   Meteosats, operating in a geostationary orbit 36OOO kilometres



   above the equator, provide a daily stream of weather data to users
   all over Europe, Africa and the United States. A third Meteosat is
   operated in stand-by mode as an in-orbit spare.

   The Meteosat satellites - A Proven Concept

   Meteosat-3 consists of two cylindrical bodies, concentrically
   stacked. The main body is covered with solar cells and most
   subsystems, including the radiometer which generates the images,
   are located in this cylinder. The second, smaller cylinder carries
   an electronically despun antenna together with the communications
   equipment.

   At the heart of the satellite is a radiometer. This is a telescope
   with a focal length of 3.65 metres with a set of detectors in the
   focal plane to measure the radiance of the Earth and its cloud
   cover in three spectral bands : visible, infrared (thermal) and
   water-vapour. By virtue of the spin motion of the satellite, the
   radiometer scans the Earth from East to West ; the South to North
   scan is achieved by tilting the telescope axis. A set of three
   images with resolutions of 2,5 km in the visible and 5 km in the
   other spectral bands, is produced every 30 minutes.

   Getting Meteosat-3 Data to the Users

   An on-board communications system transmits the raw images from
   the satellite to the Wallops ground station in Virginia in the United
   States; these data are relayed by a telecommunications satellite to
   the Meteosat ground facilities in ESA's European Space Operations
   Centre (ESOC), Darmstadt. From here, the spacecraft and its
   payload are controlled. Images are processed and meteorological
   products derived and distributed to national meteorological
   services and nearly 2000 end users. The meteorological products
   and image data for the United States are relayed to the Wallops
   station by a telecommunications satellite, for distribution via
   Meteosat's communications payload and ground telecommunications
   links.

   A unique feature of this system is that not only Meteosat-3 but
   also the Wallops station is completely remote-controlled from ESOC
   in Darmstadt, including any station reconfigurations and
   software-updating. Trans-Atlantic telephone trunk lines and ESA-
   installed back-up facilities ensure redundancy of the whole
   communications system.

   Meteosat - A Success Story with a Long Tradition



   Meteosat-1, Europe's first meteorological satellite, was launched
   in 1977 as a pre-operational satellite. It provided a permanent view
   of most of Europe, all of Africa, parts of Asia, North and South
   America; in total over 100 countries. Meteosat-2 was launched in
   1981 and Meteosat-3 in 1988.

   In addition to fulfilling their missions to the complete satisfaction
   of scientists and meteorologists, the success of these pre-
   operational satellites paved the way for the operational Meteosat
   programme which covers the construction of three more satellites,
   support ground facilities and the operation of these facilities until
   the end of 1995.

   A dedicated European organisation, EUMETSAT, was set up in
   1986 to ensure the financing and overall-responsibility for this
   programme. ESA oversees the construction and orbital operation
   of Meteosat-4 through Meteosat-6 on behalf of EUMETSAT.

   The first operational satellite, Meteosat-4, was launched on 6
   March 1989; Meteosat-5 on 2 March 1991, to be followed by
   Meteosat-6 in November 1993.

   Meteosat-3 and the Americas - a Long Relation

   When the lack of geostationary satellite capacity over the Americas
   became apparent in early 1991, Europe reacted quickly by moving
   METEOSAT-3 to 50 degrees West, from where it could still be
   controlled directly from Darmstadt. Within a few months began
   what is known as the Atlantic Data Coverage (ADC) mission.

   The ADC mission served several purposes. First to extend
   Europe's monitoring of the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas and
   secondly to provide support to NOAA, especially during the
   hurricane season. This was of particular interest to NOAA since
   their operations were relying on a single Geostationary Operational
   Environmental Satellite (GOES) located around 98 degrees West.
   Thanks to METEOSAT-3, it was not necessary to move the GOES
   satellite to a more easterly location during the hurricane season.
   Finally, the ADC mission would provide support to the
   meteorological services of Central and South America.

   The success of the ADC mission was particularly emphasised in
   August 1992 at the time of Hurricane Andrew, when Meteosat-3
   allowed the forecasters to have half-hourly updates of the
   situation before the hurricane struck the coast of Florida.

   Since NOAA wished to move the satellite even more westwards, the
   Wallops Meteosat ground station had to be built. With its



   inauguration on 25 February 1993, the extended ADC mission of
   Meteosat will begin.

   All equipment necessary for the extended-ADC (X-ADC) mission
   has been procured in Europe, through a contract for which
   Dornier/Deutsche Aerospace of Germany is the prime contractor.
   NOAA is funding the hardware and software, communication links
   and operations cost for the X-ADC mission. A final running-in
   phase was successfully accomplished during January 1993 when
   METEOSAT-3 at 50 degrees West was operated via the Wallops
   relay station. METEOSAT-3 is now drifting toward 75 degrees West
   and X-ADC operations will start late February 1993 with the
   official inauguration of the ground station. Should it be
   necessary, the range of the ground station is such that the
   mission could be operated at up to 115 degrees West.

   First Image of the Extended ADC Mission

   The first Meteosat-3 image during the X-ADC mission, showing all
   of the Americas, should be available from ESA Public Relations as
   from 24 February. Media wishing to obtain prints are requested to
   contact one of the Public Relations offices.

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

Date: Wed, 03 Feb 93 17:33:07 MET
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Interception

(Sorry for boring most of the list with that, but a dozen people seem
 more or less interested...)

The following is a transcript of the interception of ??? by two F-16
of the Belgian Air Force during the night March 30-31, 1990. Does it
look serious? Interesting times are 22h13 - 22h14, 22h27-22h32,
22h39-22h44, 22h46. I put some questions inside the transcript because
I don't know anything in aviation and interception procedures. The
Belgian military are now silent, therefore I try to get help elsewhere.
I already posted (last September) the listing of what the radar of one
of the two F-16 recorded.

J. Pharabod

                         30/03/90   QRA(I) SCRAMBLE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 TIME  C   P                  ITEMS TAD 465
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2207   C       Loud & clear how me
           P   Reading you 5, flight level 90
       C       Task VID check armament safe
           P   Safe
       C       For your info, contact at your bearing 310 range is 15
           P   310, 15, and confirm it's still on FL 90
       C       checking

=>my remarks and questions: Time is GMT (local time -2). I believe that
  P = the pilot of one of the two F-16. I suspect that C = ground
  controller. What does mean "flight level 90" ? What means VID ?
  Why does P check armament ? "Live" weapons ?

220730     P   Bravo reading you 5
       C       Bravo 5 as well. No
       C       No height on the contact for the moment
           P   Both levelling off FL 90
       C       Roger and both starboard 310
           P   OK, SB 310
       C       Last altitude on the contact is FL 210
       C       Keep on turning, roll out 320
           P   320

=>my questions: what do mean "starboard 310" and "roll out 320" ?

2208  C       320, 17 miles. And for the moment maximum level 10000ft

=>my question: is C giving to P the position and altitude of target ?

          P    Steady 320
      C        Roger 330, 5 to 10 right range is 15
               Possible altitude 10000ft
           P   Steady at 10000. No contact
2209   C       Contact 330 range 10. 11000ft
               Starboard 330
           P   Steady 330
       C       330. 5 right range is 9
           P   No contact keep on taking
       C       345 range 7. Reduce speed. Slow moving
           P   Roger, slow moving
       C       Still at 10000ft. Bearing 345 range 5
           P   Confirm altitude
2210   C       Last altitude 10000ft. Check 10 left range is 3.
               Left side 2 miles. No altitude. Passing overhead
           P   No contact
       C       Just below you
           P   Say again
       C       Just below you now. Both vector 090.Contact is 090 range 2
               When steady check 090 range 3. Slow moving.
               Inside turn 4 Nm, 060, 3.
           P   One blinking light just in front of you, do you see it,
               just below you. An orange one.
       C       Range is 3, 060, 3.
           P   ... heading 180. Roger reversing 180
               You have contact on me MEEL. Roger contact on you.
               If you reverse 180, on your nose 1 mile. It should be
               1 o'clock for you.Blinking orange light.It's on the ground
           P   Efflux, you still have the contact.

=> my questions: What means MEEL ? What means "reversing 180" ? Efflux =
   flowing out, emanation. What does it mean here ?

       C       Contact for the moment 020, 15
           P   Confirm 020
       C       020, 5 miles
           P   See the blinking light I mean
               unreadable....flash
       C       030, 6 miles
           P   Contact on the ground seems to be 1 light
       C       Another contact now 360, 10 miles
           P   360, 10
2213   C       Altitude 11000ft, 350, 11 miles
           P   I have a contact 9000 heading 250 at 970 knots
       C       Possibly your target
           P   One contact on the nose 9000ft speed 310
       C       Range is 6?
           P   Eddy do you confirm contact
               I have the same in B 15 now
               unreadable
       C       Contact is at 3 miles now. On the nose 3
           P   Contact is coming in and out
       C       Roger and now... 2miles
               Right inside turn, level 1 mile
2214           Expedite right, roll out 130

=>my question: what does mean "expedite right" ?

           P   unreadable. 130
       C       140 range 3
           P   Confirm heading efflux
       C       130, 120 even. And continue roll out 180
               He's now 170,4. Check camera on. 160, 3.
           P   Camera on
               I've a possible contact now at 550 knots in C. 6 alt 10000

=>my question: what means "in C" ?

       C       Just overhead
2215           If possible take a maximum of pictures.
           P   May I suggest you keep the HUD, I keep...
       C       At your 6 o'clock 2
           P   unreadable
           P   Efflux, give a new heading
       C       Roll out 360, 360, 2. unreadable
               Continue SB 030
           P   030
       C       He's now 050, 3. Altitude 105. Keep on turningtowards 090
           P   Steady 090
       C       090 on the nose 2
           P   One a/c passing below. Efflux is it possible ?

=>my question: what means "a/c" ?

       C       At what altitude ?
           P   I see it efflux
       C       On the nose 2 miles
           P   MEEL, you see it, just below me now
               Efflux you have a new heading
       C       South, 2
           P   Say altitude
       C       FL 105. Snap 130. 130, 3. Last alt. reported 10000ft
               On the nose 2

=>my question: what means "snap 130" ?

           P   come in attack
       C       Past the contact now. Altitude is 10000ft
           P   I'm at 9000ft
       C       Still no contact?
           P      "   "   "    !
               Heading please
       C       270, 2
           P   Confirm 260
2219   C       270
2220       P   Roll out 270. Steady 270. 10000ft
       C       No more contact for the moment
           P   MEEL you switch 135 05 go
       C       Can you contact Brussels on 127.15
           P   127.15, go
               Efflux, confirm new heading
2221   C       Keep on turning right 090
           P   Turning left 090. Efflux steady east now
       C       Roger, maintain
           P   Positive contact as well
       C       For the moment no more contact on the scope
2222       P   No contact on the scope as well
               Check fuel. unreadable
               Possible contact at 19 miles 800 knots h 350
2223           3000ft //           Efflux confirm
               one contact at 5 miles, left side, speed fast
       C       No contact for the moment
           P   4 miles to the left
       C       Clear to investigate
           P   Investigating. Rolling out now 034
2224           Brussels is calling. No contact.
       C       Traffic approaching from 320 range 15, 9000ft.
               Possible contact bearing 270 range 12.
               Starboard turn
2225       P   Turning right 270
               This contact seems to be civilian traffic
           P   Say again Efflux
       C       Contact is civilian traffic
2226       P   Rolling out 277
       C       Roger, maintain
               17 from efflux
           P   Come in efflux
       C       Did you see in the previous investigation...

           P   I had a kind of flashing light on the nose 5 miles
       C       And this light was coming from the south?
2227       P   This light is steady
       C       When did you pass over the light, give me a top
           P   Turning left to pass overhead at 10000ft and give you the
               coordinates
               Just passing overhead the light
       C       Roger
           P   Coordinates : 50.32.08
                             04.11.08
               Reversing east, 10000ft
       C       Roger
       C       Possible contact bearing 020 12 miles
           P   12 miles looking out
       C       High speed roll out 040
           P   040
       C       Heading is 115  Starb 060
           P   One contact on nose 10 miles
       C       That's the target. No alt on him for the moment
           P   Contact in C 12 MEEL, at 5000ft. 740 knots
               Good contact again. Investigating
               One contact on the nose 7 miles
       C       Chear to investigate, check armament safe
2231       P   Sweet and safe
       C       Passing overhead BE for the moment
           P   Lost contact now, he's moving very fast
       C       That's affirm
               High speed for the moment
           P   One contact on the nose 6 miles, speed to 100 knots
       C       080, 10 miles. Heading is 120
           P   120 confirm
       C       Affirmative
2232   C       Last alt. reported 10000ft
               070, 10 miles
           P   070, 10 confirm
               Rolling out 070. Altitude 7000ft
               Lost contact more info efflux
       C       Lost contact as well. It should be 090, 10
               Roll out 100
2233       P   100
       C       Normally on the nose range 15
               You have contact
2234       P   No contact
       C       095 Range 18
               17, both starboard 310
           P   SB 310
               Fuel 044
       C       17 check playtime left
           P   Playtime left 15 minutes
           P   17 steady 310
       C       Roger 17. Maintain hdg for the moment
               One civilian traffic 315 range is 12 at 5000ft in the TMA
2238       P   Looking out
               Contact at 6000ft slow moving at C
       C       It's civilian traffic. Passing 2 o'clock 5 miles
               5000ft, check 310, 12 miles possible contact
2239       P   10 miles on the nose 10000ft
               Contact
       C       On the nose range 7
2240       P   Got the same
       C       Check camera on
2241       P   Camera on
       C       If possible take max of pictures
           P   Very slow moving
       C       Check alt. of contact
           P   I still have the contact, 5 miles
       C       No height
           P   No height
       C       3 o'clock 2 miles
           P      "    "    "
       C       Crossing left to right
           P   Say again
       C       Left side high
           P   Looking out. I see one beacon on the nose
2242   C       One civilian traffic west, 10 miles
       C       Contact 100, SB 100
           P   Roger SB 100
       C       Civilian traffic 300, 5 miles
           P      "    "    "    "    "
               Steady 120
       C       Continue 100
           P   100
       C       Even 060 now
               060, 5
           P   Steady 060
       C       060, 3. You have contact?
           P   One contact but speed is changing from 100 to 600
       C       I have the same contact
           P   Slightly to right 4 miles
       C       Affirmative. High moving
           P   Steady east now
       C       Roger
           P   Lost contact
       C       Both vector 180
2244       P   Turning right south
       C       Contact south higher
           P   Looking out. Steady south.
       C       Nine o'clock 3. sorry 3 o'clock
           P   Steady south no contact
2245   C       Disregard snap 360 now
           P   360 to the left
               Check fuel
       C       Possible contact 350 range 10
           P   350, 10
       C       2 contacts due to civilian traffic same position 345, 9
               left 330
               17 left 330
               left 330
2246   C       Civilian traffic 340 range 7
           P   Contact on traffic
       C       At 5000ft, other contact at 325 range is 7, no height
           P   Contact on the radar now
       C       Check camera on
           P   Camera on loosing contact
       C       He's now 345 range is 5
           P   We have the same in B 8, 10000ft. MEEL
       C       350, 3
           P   Radar contact
               Contact slightly to the left, 8 miles, lost contact now
2247   C       He's at your 360 now
               360...
           P   Request to turn north
       C       Clear now
           P   Steady north efflux
       C       Roger, no contact
           P   negative
       C       Reverse south

(... going on up to time 22h53, but nothing really interesting)

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 07:55:14 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Polar Orbit
Newsgroups: sci.space

Why does the US launch polar orbit missions from Vandenburg? other than for
military missions? I wonder is they know about Poker Flats here in Alaska
which has many of the same benfits as Vandenburg (open spaces) but nicely is
near the pole.. Actually more like near or at the Arctic Circle..

Michael Adams
Alias: Morgoth/Ghost Wheel
[e-mail]
==
Michael Adams, [e-mail] -- I'm not high, just jacked

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

Date: Mon, 01 Feb 93 15:16:56 EST
From: Jonathan Deitch <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re : Ignore the Challenger transcript
Newsgroups: sci.space

 >From: [e-mail]
 >Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1993 22:58:08 GMT Organization: Anonymous contact service
 >Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro

 >X-Anon-To:sci.space,sci.astro

This means this message was posted anonymously ... there's no way to trace
the original poster.

 >  A secret NASA tape reveals that the crew of the shuttle Challenger not only
 >survived the explosion that ripped the vessel apart; they screamed, cried,
 >cursed and prayed for three hellish minutes before they slammed into the
 >Atlantic and perished on January 28, 1986.

This has been posted many, many times over the course of the last few years
after it originally appeared in one of the more reputable newspapers in
New York ... the National Enquirer, I believe.

Simply put, cover up or no cover up, this article did not appear from any
kind of believable source (that it was posted anonymously should tell you
something ...) and is most likely a bogus post intended for some prank.

- Jonathan



--
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           [e-mail]   Bellnet: 1 - (404) - 261 - 3665
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Atlanta 1996 !! | Play Pinball !! | Don't Panic ! | "I hate it when I can't
--------------------------------------------------| trust my own technology!"
"Thrills!  Chills!  Magic!  Prizes!" -- Hurricane |    -- Geordi LaForge

Gene Roddenberry, Isaac Asimov, Jim Henson, Dr. Seuss, Mel Blanc ... Sigh ...

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Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 11:22:54 -0800
From: Glenn Chapman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Russian solar sail test now confirmed for Feb. 4th

     The Russian solar sail experiment schedule was announced
on Radio Moscow this morning (Feb. 3).  The starting point for the
experiment is the Progress TM-15 cargo craft, which is currently attached
to the rear docking port (Kvant module port) of their Mir space station.
The Progress masses about 5 Tonnes at this point, as it delivered
about 2.5 Tonnes of fuel/supplies to Mir when it arrived there in October.
This in this test, called the Znamya experiment, the Progress TM-15 tanker
has a 20 metre mirror diameter solar sail folded on the vehicle.
It will be detached from the Mir space station on "In the early hours of
Thurs. Feb. 4th" Radio Moscow.  After moving a few hundred metres from Mir
it will deploy the sail and orientate itself to have the sun in line with
the sail.  However in some experiments the sail will be angled to
reflect that light to earth (they talk of trying to illuminate dark Arctic
areas, but do not make it clear if that is only for future work, and
not an experiment to be done now). The test  will continue for
three days (till Feb. 6th).  One point of care is that only a small
change in the orbit of Mir, which usually is done a few days
before the Progress tanker leaves, would  significantly alter any viewing time
times.  However the latest Norad orbital elements (Feb. 2nd) indicate
no new changes.  Note that Mir is currently in about a 400 Km orbit,
so that it does not take much change in location on earth to significantly
alter were to look for the space station and the Progress.  Probably one
would see Mir itself first, and then sometime during the pass get a
bright flash when the mirror becomes properly aligned to your location.
Brightness in a close approach would be nearly that of the Moon according
to one estimate.
    Best viewing will probably occur near sunrise, when the
mirror, which is pointed towards the sun, is reflecting light while towards
the earth's edge just before it enters the terminator for the earth's shadow.
Exact times will depend on the orbital elements and your location
    For those that have satellite observing programs here is the
latest Mir data

Epoch Day:            30.5959211
Inclination           51.6201
Rt Asc. of the Node: 190.3727
Eccentricity           0.0002579
Arg. of Periaps      333.1555
Mean Anomaly          26.9263
Mean Motion           15.5833193
Mean M. Accel.         0.0000793

                                                        Yours truly
                            Glenn Chapman
                            Simon Fraser U.
                            [e-mail]

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

Date: 2 Feb 93 19:28:46 GMT
From: Bruce Watson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Satellite of the Month
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro

Artificial earth satellite Cosmos 398 (NORAD #04966, COSPAR 1971-016A)
was launched on a Proton (SL-13) launcher from the Baikonur (Tyuratam)
Cosmodrome on 1971 February 26. This satellite is in an orbit inclined
to the earth's equator by 51.5 degrees. In 1993, it makes one
revolution of the earth every 112.4 minutes in an elliptical orbit
with a low point (perigee) of 190 km and a high point (apogee) of
2486 km above the surface of the earth. Its visual characteristics
indicate that it may be approximated as a sphere of 6.2 meters diameter.

When launched it was put into a parking orbit of 196 x 275 km and soon
afterwards boosted to an orbit of 200 x 11000 km. Since then, the apogee
has steadily decreased. TRW Space Log asks if this Cosmos was manned
lunar related. Was this a test of a command or lunar module
in earth orbit or was it supposed to go to the moon but the burn
didn't last long enough?

I've been trying to observe Cosmos 398 while its perigee was over
my latitude since January of 1986 when its apogee was 5800 km.
Finally on the evenings of Jan 26-27 and Jan 27-28 I succeeded.
On Jan 27, at 1:00 UTC, it appeared just north of Orion's belt moving
very swiftly to the northeast at +2 magnitude. It was 198 km above
the earth and 492 km distant from me. On the following evening,
Jan 28 at 1:21 UTC, it passed through Cepheus and under the pole star
moving to the northeast at +4 magnitude. It was 199 km above the
earth and 308 km distant. Both evenings it was about 45 seconds late
relative to the elements given below. The next time the perigee is above
northern latitudes will be late June.

Cosmos 398       6.2  0.0  0.0  4.4
1 04966U 71016  A 93 22.19651361  .00101327  26323-4  31262-3 0  9786
2 04966  51.4625  16.6086 1487809  50.8249 321.5614 12.80975878704617

--
Bruce Watson ([e-mail]) Bulletin 629-49 Item 6700 Extract 75,131

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 13:43:28 GMT
From: Rich Kolker <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space Camp (was re: Challenger Transcript)
Newsgroups: sci.space

A few words in defense of Space Camp...

I've not only attended Space Camp, I've designed programs for them.  I also
work for a NASA contractor, and yes, it is true that Space Camp trainers
(and folks in the space program) do sometimes know things that don't make
it out to the "general public".  That is the nature of any business, where
insiders know more than outsiders.

This in no way justifies the argument that the transcript posted is anything
\but a fabrication.  I am reminded of someone's comment, "They laughed at Galileo."
and the response, "They also laughed at Bozo the clown".

Dont take this individual's views out on what is basically a good program.

++rich
-------------------------------------------------------------------
   rich kolker       [e-mail]
                         < Do Not Write In This Space>
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1993 23:49:02 GMT
From: Marc G Fournier <[e-mail]>
Subject: Today in 1986-Remember the Challenger
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Simon E. Booth) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>
>>I was watching the launch in the conference room here at JSC.  I had worked for
>> NASA for 6 months.  51-L was the first flight I worked with in one of the
>> simulators here.  I knew some of the crew.  They were wonderful people.
>>
>>
>>Keith A. Grimm
>>NASA-JSC
>>Houston, TX  77058
>
>My apologies if my posting was inapropriate. I forgot about the aerospace
>personel who might have known the Challenger crew.
>
    Why sorry?  For making sure we remember those who risked, and still
risk their lives for the continued enlightenment of man-kind about their
surroundings?

    i think more of us need a reminder of things that  matter, or should
matter.

marc
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------------------------------

End of Space Digest Volume 16 : Issue 123
------------------------------