Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V16_1/V16NO125.TXT

Internet Message Format | 1993-07-13 | 32KB

Date: Thu,  4 Feb 93 05:17:11
From: Space Digest maintainer <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Subject: Space Digest V16 #125
To: Space Digest Readers
Precedence: bulk


Space Digest                Thu,  4 Feb 93       Volume 16 : Issue 125

Today's Topics:
                        Challenger transcript
                DC-1 eventual construction question...
              extreme responses to Challenger transcript
                        Gaspra GIFs Available
                               HELP!!!
                      parachutes on Challenger?
                             Polar Orbit
                             porsche sale
               Question: International Space University
                      Remote Sensing Conference
          Russian solar sail test now confirmed for Feb. 4th
                           Solar sail Nits
                 So what's happened to Henry Spencer?
                      Space Station Freedom GIF
             Space Station Freedom Media Handbook - 8/18
                            Today in 1986
            Today in 1986-Remember the Challenger (3 msgs)

    Welcome to the Space Digest!!  Please send your messages to
    "[e-mail]", and (un)subscription requests of the form
    "Subscribe Space <your name>" to one of these addresses: listserv@uga
    (BITNET), rice::boyle (SPAN/NSInet), utadnx::utspan::rice::boyle
    (THENET), or [e-mail] (Internet).
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 3 Feb 93 16:30:26 GMT
From: ducman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Challenger transcript
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro

Re: Challenger Tapes

[e-mail] (Andy Harp) writes:

>This is just unbelievably sick - unless you have some proof, shut up.
>Even if you have proof for that matter I don't particularly want to
>see this sort of sick transcript here - I felt physically sick.
>Andy

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

Just because it makes you FEEL sick doesn't mean it is sick.  It is
just intensely emotional - not sick.  The transcript
could be true, but I agree with another poster.  If this existed and and
a fair number of NASA people knew about it or even just knew of its
existence, it would have leaked out years ago.  The TV shock news
programs would have payed through the nose for it.

rbd

=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*========*=*=*=*=*=*=*=========*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
Richard ducman Ducoty                                          Microport Inc.
[e-mail]                                                  Scotts Valley, CA
[e-mail]                                                 408.438.8649

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

Date: 3 Feb 93 17:57:32 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: DC-1 eventual construction question...
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Edward V. Wright) writes:
> In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>
>>So, after delivery of SSTO #1 it would be 3-6 months before #2 is available....
>>And during the time you are flying off the backlog, you can charge a premium
>>due to the fact that your flight is available.
>
> I think you misunderstand what's meant by backlog.  When someone says
> there's a backlog of X satellites waiting for launch, that doesn't
> mean there are X satellites sitting in boxes at the warehouse.  It
> means there are X orders for satellite launches that have not yet
> been fulfilled.  The actual satellites may be under construction
> or still on the drawing board.  Even if those that are complete
> may have to wait for a certain launch window.  Only a small number
> of satellites are waiting around for launch "as soon as possible."
>

Actually, I assumed that it would be worse than that, the potential customer
who had ordered a launch for his yet to be built satellite would have to
forefit a deposit on the ordered launch in order to switch to your vehicle.

But, lets say, he has agreed to pay @20 million on a launch, and he has put
$5 million down.  If you offer him a launch for $10 million, he will forefit
the 5, and pay 10 more for a total of 15 million.  This still makes you money,
and saves him money.  And you can schedule the launch because the satelite
is still yet to be built.  (I again realize that these are probably ridiculous
numbers, but they suffice for the purpose of elucidating my point)

But you are still taking part of the backlog.

        John.

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 17:14:06 GMT
From: Kyrsten Swazey <[e-mail]>
Subject: extreme responses to Challenger transcript
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,comp.org.eff.talk

[e-mail] (Mary Shafer) writes:

>On Wed, 3 Feb 1993 15:14:31 GMT, [e-mail] said:

>WH> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Tarl Neustaedter) writes:
>> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tesuji) writes:
>>>It has been amusing to see the extreme responses to the posting of the
>>>Challenger transcript; the burghers with their torches are storming the
>>>castle again.
>>
>> Had you simply posted that fabricated transcript, you would have been
>> flamed for posting something inappropriate and frankly libelious (yes,
>> you accuse NASA of a coverup. That's libelious). And it would have ended.
>>
>> The extreme reactions come from the fact that you don't have the BALLS

>WH> Hey, the poster _could_ be a woman or a eunuch.

>Some women have balls.

>And most of us can tell the difference between metaphor and anatomy.

>WH> Some of us find the
>WH> equating of courage with testosterone to be offensive.  GUTS doesn't
>WH> cut it either (guts = intestines => internal testicles).

>By that logic, GUTS = OVARIES.  That has some interesting implications
>in the digestive process.

>For what it's worth, women manufacture testosterone, just as men
>manufacture estrogen.  The relative quantities vary, of course.

>Mary Shafer

What about chutzpah (sp?)?!

--kyrsten

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

Date: 3 Feb 1993 19:09:35 GMT
From: David Gutierrez <[e-mail]>
Subject: Gaspra GIFs Available
Newsgroups: sci.space

I had a picture of Gaspra as my desktop background picture for a couple of
months. Several people passing by asked me why I had a picture of a potato on
my screen. :-)

David Gutierrez
[e-mail]

"Only fools are positive." - Moe Howard

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

Date: 3 Feb 93 15:24:58 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: HELP!!!
Newsgroups: sci.space

Hey, does anyone know the rest mass of the universe and its radius? I need to
check out a theory.
--Ray Cote

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

Date: 3 Feb 93 15:32:55 GMT
From: Gary Coffman <ke4zv!gary>
Subject: parachutes on Challenger?
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jeff Bytof) writes:
>Were parachutes available to the crew of the Challenger?

No. Not that there's any evidence that they would have been able to
use them if there had been any. Given a 12 G jolt, depressurization,
and a likely aerodynamically unstable cabin, it's unlikely anyone
would have been able to put on a chute, get clear, and use it.

Correct me if I get this wrong netters, but the Shuttle now does
have an escape mechanism involving parachutes and a pole to get
clear of the orbiter so as to avoid ditching in a relatively intact
gliding Shuttle. I seriously doubt this system would have been of
any use to Challenger's crew since it would take considerable time
to deploy and use.

Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     |

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 17:57:03 GMT
From: fred j mccall 575-3539 <[e-mail]>
Subject: Polar Orbit
Newsgroups: sci.space

In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

>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..

They launch from Vandenburg because the facilities exist, the weather
is nice and warm, and they have lots of open water to the south for
range safety purposes.  Alaska is a bad choice for regular operations.
It's too cold for too big a part of the year.

--
"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live
 in the real world."   -- Mary Shafer, NASA Ames Dryden
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[e-mail] - I don't speak for others and they don't speak for me.

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 18:13:28 GMT
From: Robert Clements <[e-mail]>
Subject: porsche sale
Newsgroups: alt.california,msu.admin,msu.general,alt.antiques,sci.aeronautic,sci.bio,sci.chem,sci.engr.chem,sci.engr.mech,sci.med,sci.physics,sci.space,rec.auto,rec.autos

Attention:
This ad is meant for those who live in the region or can afford to fly
here and drive or ship the car back.

FORE SALE

1988 Porsche 924s - special edition - showroom condition
23,070 miles, jet black, ac, 5spd., grey&burg. clth<hr interior
car is in Billings, Montana

email me [e-mail] as to what it might be worth to you
i'll get back in touch with who ever thinks it worth the most and we'll
go from there.

Thax for putting up with this post and sorry I could not post it to
a more ideal newsgroup.

--
**** [e-mail] *****
Whitehouse  -  the next generation
(1st)No.1- It's wrong to create a whole race of humans to live as slaves.
Clintoon - Resistance is futile.  Your hard earned incomes will be assimilated.

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

Date: 3 Feb 1993 10:27 PST
From: "Horowitz, Irwin Kenneth" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Question: International Space University
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Michael Burstein) writes...
>I read in the Boston Globe today that the ISU had found a place for a
>permanent campus, in France.  I was wondering if anyone out there knows
>how I can get in contact with them.  Every year they run their summer
>program somewhere else, and I've been interested in applying, but I
>don't know how to reach them.
>
Considering the fact that you are located in Boston, I find it rather
humorous that you aren't able to locate them.  Take the Red Line to Central
Square...go to 955 Massachusetts Avenue...take the elevator to the 7th
floor (I think) and you're there!  Ask for Steve Abrams...tell him I sent
ya! :-)  Or if you prefer to contact them over e-mail, you can reach Steve
at [e-mail] (he's the system manager for ISU).

Note:  I think the address is 955 Mass Ave in Cambridge, but this is from
memory, so it may be wrong.  You can always get a phone book for Cambridge
and look it up in there...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Irwin Horowitz                        |
Astronomy Department                  |"Whoever heard of a female astronomer?"
California Institute of Technology    |--Charlene Sinclair, "Dinosaurs"
[e-mail]                |
[e-mail]                 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: 3 Feb 1993 17:07 UT
From: Ron Baalke <[e-mail]>
Subject: Remote Sensing Conference
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.geo.geology

Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE [phone]

Contact:  Franklin O'Donnell

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                Feb. 3, 1993

     Earthquakes and environmental hazards will be among topics
discussed at a scientific conference Feb. 8-11 in Pasadena,
Calif., co-sponsored by NASA.

     More than 500 participants from 37 countries are expected at
the Ninth Thematic Conference on Geologic Remote Sensing
organized by the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan.

     The June 1992 Landers, Calif., earthquake and its aftermath
will be discussed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California
Institute of Technology researchers in a special session
Thursday, Feb. 11, chaired by Dr. Robert Crippen of JPL.

     The conference will take place at the Pasadena Convention
Center.

     Sponsors and participating agencies in addition to NASA
include Amoco, Arco Oil and Gas, BHP-Utah Mines, Chevron Overseas
Production, Cominco, Conoco, Exxon Production Research, Intera
Information Technologies, Texaco Exploration and Production, the
U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Energy.

                              #####


Note to Editors:  Journalists are invited to cover the
conference.  For more information, contact Wendy Raeder of the
Environmental Research Institute of Michigan at [phone],
ext. 3453; or, during the conference, at [phone].
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [e-mail]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Never yell "Movie!" in a
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | crowded fire station.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 19:22:07 GMT
From: Glenn Chapman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Russian solar sail test now confirmed for Feb. 4th
Newsgroups: sci.space

     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: 3 Feb 1993 18:48:52 -0000
From: Mr PJ Mahon <[e-mail]>
Subject: Solar sail Nits
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tom) writes:
>
>Further nit:  If light has momentum and protons have a wavelength,
>how do you classify one as wind and not the other?  They are both
>"stuff emitted from the sun at supersonic velocities" after all.
>
>-Tommy Mac



        Well personally, I would have thought that the answer is simply
that the photon has zero rest mass.

        Cheers,

        Pat Mahon
        Dept. of Physics
        University of Warwick
        Coventry UK.

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 18:00:49 GMT
From: fred j mccall 575-3539 <[e-mail]>
Subject: So what's happened to Henry Spencer?
Newsgroups: sci.space

In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Thomas Kuerten) writes:


>In article <[e-mail]>, "Bob Montante" <[e-mail]> writes:
>|> | > |>Does anyone know why Henry Spencer has not posted recently?
>|> | >
>|> | > Perhaps he is on vacation - with Elvis?
>|>
>|> He's *ba-a-a-a-ck-k-k...*
>|>
>|> :) And we're all glad!

>who's back ?
>Elvis ?

Is there a Henry Spencer stamp yet?  Which Henry picture did they use?  ;-)

--
"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live
 in the real world."   -- Mary Shafer, NASA Ames Dryden
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[e-mail] - I don't speak for others and they don't speak for me.

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

Date: 29 Jan 93 17:52:37 GMT
From: Ken Sheppardson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space Station Freedom GIF
Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.binaries.pictures.d

I've posted the first four parts (of nine) of ssf.gif to
alt.binaries.pictures.misc. I'll post the remaining five
later.

It's a 1200x1000 or so color gif of the PCC (Permanent
Crew Configuration) Space Station Freedom generated on
a Silicon Graphics here in our office using Wavefront.
The image was generated using the current official SSF
Level II I-DEAS solid model of the PCC configuration.

I have another gif showing a closeup of the module pattern,
which I'll post later. (I'll be out of the office for a week
starting tomorrow.)

---
Ken Sheppardson
[e-mail]
Space Station Freedom Advanced Programs Office
NASA Langley Research Center

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 18:58:36 GMT
From: Bruce Dunn <[e-mail]>
Subject: Space Station Freedom Media Handbook - 8/18
Newsgroups: sci.space

From NASA SPACELINK:

"6_10_2_5_6.TXT" (5597 bytes) was created on 10-15-92

Program Description

Assembly

Space Station Freedom weighs over a half million pounds and will
require multiple launches for its assembly in orbit.  Based upon
the Shuttle's performance and payload bay physical characteristics,
the current planning calls for 17 Shuttle flights including four
ASRM flights to get all the elements, systems and support equipment
to Earth orbit.  On the eighteenth flight, the centrifuge will be
added.  This assembly process will take about four years.  The
sequence in which these flights occur and the packaging of selected
parts is dependent on many factors.  Early planning of the assembly
sequence was based on various criteria such as utilization, manning,
safety, power and microgravity levels.

A brief description of Space Station Freedom's major assembly milestones
is presented below.  There are three major milestones which are planned
to be accomplished at the completion of the first, sixth and seventeenth
Shuttle flights.

        The First Element Launch (FEL)
        Man-Tended Capability (MTC)
        Permanently Manned Capability (PMC)

While the station is being assembled, there will be three flights
per year to support user activities.  These flights will begin
following MTC.

First Element Launch (FEL)
The first station cargo, called Mission Build (MB-1) carried by the
Shuttle will consist of a set of integrated components to provide
a "cornerstone" on which to assemble the station.  This cornerstone
will be the starboard side of the station and includes a solar power
module, an unpressurized berthing mechanism, the Mobile Transporter,
two pre-integrated truss (PIT) segments, an alpha rotary joint
assembly, and starboard integrated equipment assembly (IEA).  These
pre-integrated truss segments will be built and checked out on Earth.
They will then be connected, on-orbit, by astronauts and the Shuttle's
Remote Manipulator System (RMS).  The Space Shuttle will rendezvous
and berth with this cornerstone assembly on subsequent assembly
flights.

Second Assembly Flight (MB-2)
The second assembly flight will deliver the third PIT segment and two
propulsion modules.  The electrical power system (EPS) will be activated,
attitude control and reboost capability will become operational, and
the S-band portion of the communications and tracking (C&T) system will
be activated.

Third Assembly Flight (MB-3)
The third assembly flight will transport another PIT segment with a
Thermal Control System (TCS) radiator, UHF and Ku-Band portions of the
C&T system and the Canadian-provided Space Station Remote Manipulator
System (SSRMS).

Fourth Assembly Flight (MB-4)
The fourth assembly flight will deliver another PIT segment, crew and
equipment transfer aids (CETAs) and additional equipment.

Fifth Assembly Flight (MB-5)
The fifth assembly flight will deliver the port node and racks, a
pressurized docking adapter and the cupola including a workstation.
On this flight a pressurized berthing location will be established
for future use; the central TCS will be activated; and the station
will be capable of command and control activities.

Man-Tended Capability (MTC)
The sixth Shuttle flight will carry the U.S. Laboratory Module and racks.
At this point, the station includes propulsion modules, a TDRS antenna,
thermal control, guidance, navigation, and control apparatus, the aft
port node, the pressurized docking adapter, the Mobile Servicing System,
a cupola and the U.S. Laboratory Module outfitted to accomodate
experiments.  These added components and elements will provide the
station with an early man-tended capability until PMC.  Payloads
which can function unattended until the next scheduled assembly flight
will be accomodated at this time.

Seventh Assembly Flight (MB-7)
The seventh assembly flight will add an airlock, pressurized docking
adapter, the Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM)
and Mobile Servicing System Maintenance Depot (MMD).

Eighth Assembly Flight (MB-8)
This flight will add another pre-integrated truss section with
Thermal Control System and UHF antenna.

Ninth Assembly Flight (MB-9)
Another trus section with three dry cargo berthing mechanisms
and two propulsion modules of reduced capacity will be added.

Tenth Assembly Flight (MB-10)
The flight will add still another truss section along with the port
photovoltaic power module with alpha joint assembly and power
module platforms.

Eleventh Assembly Flight (MB-11)
The Shuttle will bring up the starboard node and outboard photo-
voltaic power module spacer.

Twelfth Assembly Flight (MB-12)
the Shuttle will lift the Japanese Experiment Module, DC to DC
conversion units and heat exchangers.

Thirteenth Assembly Flight (MB-13)
The shuttle will place the ESA Attached Pressurized Laboratory
in orbit along with its DC to DC conversion units and heat
exchanger.

Fourteenth Assembly Flight (MB-14)
The Shuttle will bring up the last truss section with starboard
photovoltaic power module.

Fifteenth Assembly Flight (MB-15)
The Shuttle will bring up the JEM Exposed Facility and Experiment
Logistics Module's Pressurized Section and Exposed Section.

Sixteenth Assembly Flight (MB-16)
The Shuttle will bring up the U.S. Habitation Module and system
racks, containing fully-functional life support, data management
and manned systems.

Permanently Manned Capability (PMC)
On the seventeenth flight, the Shuttle will bring up the Assured
Crew Return Vehicle that will allow for the station to be
permanently manned with an emergency escape capability.  The
centrifuge and Node 3 will follow on the eighteenth Shuttle
flight.


The material above is one of many files from SPACELINK
A Space-Related Informational Database
Provided by the NASA Educational Affairs Division
Operated by the Marshall Space Flight Center
On a Data General ECLIPSE MV7800 Minicomputer

SPACELINK may be contacted in three ways:

1) Using a modem, by phone at 205-895-0028

2) Using Telnet, at spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov

3) Using FTP capability. Username is anonymous and Password is guest.
Address is 192.149.89.61.


--
Bruce Dunn    Vancouver, Canada   [e-mail]

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 17:20:20 GMT
From: Doug Page <[e-mail]>
Subject: Today in 1986
Newsgroups: sci.space

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (fred j mccall 575-3539) writes:
|> In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Tom) writes:
|>
|> >Got back from class, and some pals were watching the launch.  We were
|> >all pretty stunned when it blew up.  Some thoughts that ran through
|> >my head were "That's the risk required for actual exploration" and
|> >"Damned shame that it had to happen to the first civilian" and
|> >"Why do they keep showing it over and over?"
|>
|> Just in the interests of accuracy, Christa McAuliffe was not "the
|> first civilian".  Many of the Mission Specialists were and are
|> civilians.  She was the first PASSENGER (in the sense of not having a
|> real mission assignment that required being there), unless you elect
|> to give that honor to "Pukin' Jake".
|>

Funny how people forget that Neil Armstrong was a civilian when he stepped on
the moon. . .

***  The opinions are mine and don't necessarily represent those of my  ***
***  employer.                                                          ***

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

Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1993 21:47:54 GMT
From: The Charlatan <[e-mail]>
Subject: Today in 1986-Remember the Challenger
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle

When it Challenger disaster, occured I was in 10th grade. At my
high school, we were writing exams. As such, the school was
closed for regualr classes. I remember as this was my only full
day-off from exams, I was at home do nothing in particular. Then my
friend called, and said the Challenger blew up. I spent the rest of
the day glued, to TV and the major networks.

 I still can remember everything exactly as it happened.
The only other real jarring incident like this for me, and probably
other Canadians of my age, was the Ben Johnson scandal in 1988.

Alex

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

Date: Tue, 02 Feb 93 00:24:46 CST
From: jim jaworski <[e-mail]>
Subject: Today in 1986-Remember the Challenger
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle

[e-mail] (Keith A. Grimm) writes:

> In article <5=[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Sean Michael Gallag
> |> >Just a reminder- 7 years ago today- 11:38am EST....
> |> >So, where were you when the Challenger disaster took place?

I was in the local General Hospital having a non-cancerous tumor removed
from my left wrist (Giant Cell Tumor).
At the time I was 19 years old.
I saw the news of the disaster first on CBS with Dan Rather when he
interuped 'The Price is Right' game show.

Jim

[e-mail]
The Inquiring Mind BBS, Winnipeg, Manitoba  204 488-1607

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

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1993 18:00:48 GMT
From: Henry Spencer <[e-mail]>
Subject: Today in 1986-Remember the Challenger
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (THIS SPACE FOR RENT) writes:
>> ...  If your response
>> to thinking about Challenger is "never again!", you are part of the
>> problem, not part of the solution.
>
>The grounding of the shuttle fleet after the Challenger was a very
>serious blow to the space program.  About the only thing I can think
>of that would have been worse would be pressing on and then having
>another shuttle blow up two months later because they hadn't figured
>out the problem yet...

Of course you put things on hold until you have some idea of what the
problem is and how it can be avoided.  The Rogers Commission did that
well enough:  it was the combination of low temperatures (stiffening
the O-rings) and high pressure in the pre-launch leak test (tending
to move the primary O-rings out of position) that was devastating.
The SRB joint certainly was a bad design that needed real revision,
but lowering the leak-test pressure back to its original value and
avoiding low-temperature launches would have been enough to make
launches reasonably safe, safe enough to resume a limited schedule
(carrying only the most urgent payloads) while more thorough fixes
were designed and implemented.

>As for people who say "never again" being part
>of the probelm, I accept that deaths are inevitable in space
>exploration, but I think we _must_ say "never again" to deaths caused
>by managers who don't want to hear bad news.

Just how badly are you prepared to cripple the space program in the course
of pursuing this fantasy?

It might, just might, have been possible to largely eliminate such problems
by radically revising the shuttle management structure after Challenger.
That wasn't done.  All that happened was that a few more committees and
a few more rules were piled on top of the existing organization.

People who are close to it tell me that the pressure to get the launch up
on time is present again.  Bearers of bad news are never going to be overly
welcome in that environment.  The best you can hope for is an organization
run by a few competent people who are held *responsible* for the results;
such people will usually listen (perhaps a bit grudgingly) to the bad news.
But that is *not* what we have here.

The lesson the bureaucracy learned from Challenger was that killing seven
astronauts isn't a very serious crime.  Nobody got hauled up against a
wall and shot.  There weren't even any criminal charges laid.  The worst
that happened to the senior managers was a few early retirements with fat
pensions.  Thiokol made a large profit on Challenger.  A few knuckles got
rapped in public, but after the media fuss died down, it was back to
business as usual for the management and the contractors.

To these people, "never again" means "we must cover our asses still more
thoroughly, and if we call it safety, nobody will object".  "No price is
too great for someone else to pay, if it will minimize the chances that
the next failure will be blamed on me."  "You say the new rules make it
nearly impossible to get anything useful done aboard a shuttle?  Don't you
know that safety has to have highest priority?"

When you cry "never again", without coupling that cry with a demand for
fundamental reform, and without backing it up with the political clout
to make it happen, you are just encouraging this attitude.  I said it
once and I'll say it again:  you are part of the problem, not part of
the solution.  You are making things worse, not better.
--
"God willing... we shall return."       | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
       -Gene Cernan, the Moon, Dec 1972 |  [e-mail]  utzoo!henry

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End of Space Digest Volume 16 : Issue 125
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