From ota Thu Jun 9 03:07:48 1988 Received: by angband.s1.gov id AA11413; Thu, 9 Jun 88 03:07:33 PDT id AA11413; Thu, 9 Jun 88 03:07:33 PDT Date: Thu, 9 Jun 88 03:07:33 PDT From: Ted Anderson Message-Id: <8806091007.AA11413@angband.s1.gov> To: Space@angband.s1.gov Reply-To: Space@angband.s1.gov Subject: SPACE Digest V8 #248 SPACE Digest Volume 8 : Issue 248 Today's Topics: Mars Underground News Vol II, No 1 Re: SPACE Digest V8 #221 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 17 May 88 03:12:10 GMT From: nbires!isis!scicom!rwb@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Robert Brumley) Subject: Mars Underground News Vol II, No 1 This is the latest issue of the Mars Underground News, which contains information relevant to the exploration of the planet Mars. Any replies can be sent directly to Tom Meyer, the editor, at boulder!cubldr!meyer_t or to me and I will forward. Enjoy. Robert Brumley Post: 4661 S. Vivian St. Morrison, CO 80465 Tel: (303) 978-1838 UUCP: (isis,hao)!scicom!rwb -------------------------------------------------------------------- MARS Underground News Vol. II No. 1 FLETCHER SAYS MOON BEST FIRST STEP NASA Administrator, Dr. James C. Fletcher, speaking before the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo. said that the moon, rather than Mars, may be the best initial destination for possible U.S./USSR manned missions. "Going to the moon together would give the two leading spacefaring nations in the world an opportunity to build a stable base for further cooperation, which could, one day, lead to a cooperative mission to Mars," he said. Dr. Fletcher stressed that any cooperative manned activity should be preceded by a program of cooperative unmanned activities. "Flying out to Mars together before building such a foundation could, for several reasons, be less practical," Dr. Fletcher told participants at the April symposium. In the last several months, a number of parties have advocated a U.S./USSR manned mission to Mars. Dr. Fletcher cited three crucial factors favoring the moon for an initial cooperative manned mission: * Timing - A joint mission to the moon would involve a relatively short timetable, while a Mars mission "would probably encompass four or five presidential administrations," Dr. Fletcher said. He said relations between the United States and Soviet Union have yet to demonstrate that degree of stability. * Cooperative experience - A year ago, the United States and Soviet Union signed a space science agreement that established joint working groups in five areas. The efforts of these groups "could lay the groundwork for a strong bridge of mutual cooperation and mutual trust," he said. * Technical readiness - Both nations realize there are "many technical unknowns involved in a manned Mars mission," Dr. Fletcher said. These issues, such as the effects of prolonged weightlessness on the human body, must be considered before commitments can be made for a Mars mission. Complete copies of Dr. Fletcher's speech are available from the NASA Newsroom, (202) 453-8400. ROMANENKO RESULTS Can humans sustain a zero-G trip to Mars? According to preliminary reports from the Soviet Union, cosmonaut Romanenko's physiological adaptation to microgravity required less time, and resulted in smaller losses in bone strength and mineral content than has been observed in previous flights. On December 27, 1987, Soviet cosmonaut Col. Yuri Romanenko established an Earth orbit endurance record of 327 days (11 months) aboard the Mir space station. According to Anders Hansson from the Institute for Space Biomedicine in Sheffield, England, Romanenko reported a 5% loss in bone calcium which levelled off after 80-110 days of flight. Muscle atrophy was more extensive at 10% loss of volume, but only 1% loss of muscle fiber. Romanenko's success, as reported in the December 29, 1987 issue of the New York Times, may be attributed to a rigorous work schedule, two hours of exercise on a stationary bicycle and treadmill, and the "penguin" suits which were designed with elastic bands to provide resistance to movement for additional muscular conditioning. According to a report by Keller and Strauss presented at the 1988 Lunar Base Conference, Houston, Texas, there is a close correlation between skeletal adaption and activity. While Romanenko's regimen was adequate, they concluded that more rigorous activity such as weight training or sprinting may be a more effective countermeasure than more sedentary and less intense activities such as bicycling or running. -- Kelly McMillen ADVANCE ON ROBBINS REPORT In September 1986, the NASA Advisory Council convened a committee of 17 prominent scientists and physicians to make a comprehensive review of NASA's life sciences program, recommend goals, and developed scientific and technical strategies for achieving those goals. Under the chairmanship of Nobel laureate Dr. Frederick C. Robbins, the NASA Life Sciences Strategic Planning Study Committee met periodically for more than a year, visiting field centers, meeting with international representatives, surveying professional organizations and groups active in medicine and biology, and reviewing the issues relevant to the future of basic science, space exploration and, particularly, extended human space flight. Their findings and recommendations will be available in a report, "Exploring the Living Universe: A Strategy for Space Life Sciences," scheduled for release in mid-June. This report takes a bold approach to near-term requirements for biomedical research, gravitational biology, biospherics and exobiology. It also studies the factors that potentially limit human space flight, including physiological deconditioning, radiation exposure, psychological difficulties and environmental requirements. A logical followup to the Paine Report and the Ride Report, the Robbins Report will be available from NASA by calling (202) 453-1530. -- Paula Korn TOO EARLY FOR JOINT MANNED MISSIONS In a November 18, 1987 letter to the President from Congressmen Manuel Lujan, Jr. and Robert Roe, the Congressional twosome asked that the White House explore with the Soviet Union "the possibility of a joint American-Soviet manned mission to Mars." The politicians, both top members of the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology called the mission a "venture that could have more lasting beneficial results in terms of international good-will and technological progress." The response from the White House was handled by J. Edward Fox, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. "At the present time," explained the Fox, "the Department believes it would be premature to commit the United States to join with the Soviet Union in such a major space project. The United States has not yet committed itself to Mars missions beyond the Mars Observer, much less to its own manned mission to Mars, and the current budget situation makes such a commitment difficult at best." The State Department reply also noted that, as space cooperation with the Soviets improves, so too will a confidence level in attempting more ambitious cooperative projects. -- Leonard David REAGAN BOOSTS HUMAN EXPLORATION Speaking before the annual meeting of the Electronic Industries Association in Washington, D.C., President Ronald Reagan underscored his interest in the health of the U.S. civilian space program, including human exploration beyond the confines of Earth. "...I look to the time, before the end of the first decade of the next century, when we may have manned visits to other planets," stated the President. In his dinner address before the electronic trade group, Reagan supported the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) as "an important investment in our future," noting the plane will be capable of taking off from Dulles Airport, leaping into space, docking with the Space Station -- similar to taking off from Washington, D.C. and heading for London. "Not only the Moon, but the entire Solar System beckons, which is why I have issued a new national space policy that reaffirms the goal of U.S. leadership in space and sets a new goal of expanding human exploration into the solar system," Reagan said. The President also remarked that he has asked for $100 million for the initiation of Project Pathfinder, noting the program will "lay the foundation for potential manned and unmaned missions beyond the Earth's orbit." "Tonight I ask Congress and all the American people to join me in making the long-term investment required to advance U.S. leadership in space. We must begin that investment by funding the increases I've proposed for our civil space program. Can we afford to stop our exploration and wait for others to pass us?," the President questioned. -- Leonard David MARS' WATER CYCLES UNDER STUDY Scientist Bruce Jakosky, a research associate with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, is studying Mars' water cycle in an attempt to learn more about climatic trends on Earth. Jakosky was recently selected to assist in coordinating the scientific study of the Red Planet by the 1992 Mars Observer mission. According to Jakosky, the cyclical system on Mars is remarkably similar to ours, providing an excellent model for hypothesizing about Earth's ice ages and future climatic changes. The Colorado scientist said the vast valleys and channels cutting the surface of Mars may be erosional features caused by the red planet's periodic tilting to and away from from the Sun. As Mars tilts toward the Sun every few hundred thousand years, its polar ice caps warm and cause water vapor to be disributed over much of the planet, he theorizes. "The snow and ice build-up, which may be as deep as 10 to 15 meters during high tilt, melts from underneath, quite similar to a greenhouse effect in which the Sun's rays are absorbed but heat is not emitted," Jakosky explains. "It's this run-off from underneath that may cause erosion and form the channels we now see on the surface." - Leonard David MEETING REPORTS CASE FOR MARS RESULTS: LIFE SUPPORT The critical issue of life support for human Mars missions is advancing on several important fronts. Within NASA and associated contractors, the development of the CELSS Breadboard project (closed ecological support system) continues at Kennedy Space Center with supporting research from Johnson and Ames Research Centers. The Biospheres II Venture, a privately funded, and University supported research facitlity in Arizona has recently put 8 people into the closed-system environment for a 2 year trial period. Further research is continuing aboard the Soviet Mir Space Station, though comprehensive reports are not yet available. Among participants at the Case for Mars III held in Boulder, Colorado last July, new ideas presented in the Life Support session included Alice Eichold's proposal that rather than build the space station from the "outside in," the design should be directed toward integrating the need for recreation into the context of routine duty. As an architect from the University of California, Eichold's innovative ideas serve a dual purpose in the CELSS program: utilization of space for the psychological and physical well being of crew members and conservation of space from an engineering point of view. Additionally, Tyler Volk (New York Univ.) examines the consequences of not requiring that all wastes from life support be recycled back to the food plants and concludes that cellulose production on Mars could be an important input for many non-metabolic material requirements on Mars. The fluxes of carbon in cellulose production would probably exceed those in food production and therefore settlements on Mars could utilize "cellulose farms" in making materials for structural components and perhaps furnishings for a Mars base or colony. George Swanson's (Univ. of Colo.) approach to fitness management, discussed in the Biomedical session, was to redefine the parameters of cardio-respiratory fitness by characterizing blood lactate response. His model suggests that the index of fitness should be O2 consumption when the rate of change of lactate just exceeds the rate of O2 consumption rather than defining fitness from the "threshold" model done previously. Additional topics provided insight into the problems of bone loss (M. Cohen), space suit design (J. Billingham), and radiation biology (B. Clark). John Billingham suggested that the space suit be inflated to cover extremities and to constrict muscular blood flow, an idea similar to the "penguin suit" designed by Soviets for use aboard the Mir station. -- Penelope Boston & Kelly McMillen FUTURE MEETINGS Exobiology in Solar System Exploration A Symposium on Exobiology in Solar System Exploration will be held August 24-26, 1988. Symposium topics will include solar system bodies, such as planets, comets, asteroids and other celestial bodies, current knowledge regarding Mars and the question of exobiology, and planned and future NASA activities. In addition, speakers will address the current status of the Mars Observer mission and the U.S. Mars rover sample return project. The program will be held at or near Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. For further information, contact: Judith Huntington or Deborah Schwartz; NASA Ames Research Center; Mail Stop: 239-12; Moffett Field, California 94035; (415) 694-4204. Dust on Mars III A call for abstracts has been issued for the MECA_LPI Workshop entitled "Dust on Mars III" to be held September 21-23, 1988, at Estes Park, Colorado. The goal of the workshop is to stimulate cooperative research on, and discussion of, dust-related processes on Mars; this should provide valuable background information and help in preparation and scientific planning for the Mars Observer mission. The workshop will address the following general questions: 1. How is dust ejected from the martian surface into the atmosphere? 2. How does the global atmospheric circulation affect the redistribution of dust on Mars? 3. Are there sources and sinks of dust on Mars? If so where are they and how do they vary with time? 4. How many components of dust are there on Mars, and what are their properties? The deadline for abstracts is July 15, 1988. Any questions please contact LPI Projects office: (713) 486-2158 or Steve Lee, Organizer (303) 492-5348. 4th International Conference on Mars Although the last mission to Mars ended nearly a decade ago, continuing and new studies have addressed several major areas. In addition, a new generation of spacecraft explorations is planned, beginning with the Soviet mission to Phobos to be launched this year; the Mars Observer mission is scheduled for launch in 1992, and a series of additional Soviet and American missions are under consideration. This seems like a good time to review what is known about Mars and to study the many intriguing questions. To the end, a Fourth International Conference on Mars is planned for January 10-13, 1989; the location will be in Tucson. Major objectives of the conference will be to summarize what is thought to be fairly well known at the beginning of the new era of spacecraft exploration, and to focus discussion on areas of uncertainty. The intended theme of the conference is to summarize those aspects that are known with reasonable confidence; identify the key points at which interpretations diverge; discuss the implications of alternate interpretations; and identify key future measurements. An important goal or outcome of the conference will be the production of a source and text book on Mars, planned to be published by the university of arizona press as part of the space science series. For more information contact Hugh Kieffer, USGS 2255 No. Gemini Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86001. ****************** Editor: Tom Meyer Technical Advisor: Christopher McKay Contributors: Penelope J. Boston, Leonard David, Paula Korn, Kelly McMillen Mail news correspondence to: Mars Underground News, P.O. Box 4877, Boulder, CO 80306 The electronic version of The Mars Underground News is distributed by The Space Network BBS (303) 494-8446. The printed version of The Mars Underground News is published by The Planetary Society Publisher: Charlene Anderson In order to receive The Mars Underground News by mail send $10 (for 1 yr, 4 issues) to: The Planetary Society, 65 N. Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106 ------------- End of Mars Underground News Vol II, No 1. ------------------------------ Date: 17 May 88 19:46:02 GMT From: necntc!ima!haddock!eli@husc6.harvard.edu (Elias Israel) Subject: Re: SPACE Digest V8 #221 In article <579721510.amon@H.GP.CS.CMU.EDU> Dale.Amon@H.GP.CS.CMU.EDU writes: >> Anyone who has ever visited the top of an Hawaiian volcano should >> think twice about the damage that would be done by installing a launch >> site in such a unique environment. A hike below the rim of Haleakala >> on Maui is a truely amazing trip--the closest thing to a walk on >> another planet that any of us are likely to experience. > >Particularly if no one lets us build a spaceport: > > A) near a city because it's to dangerous in a highly developed > area. > B) away from a city because it damages the undeveloped > environment. Amen! First, the location for the proposed spaceport in Hawaii is in Palima Point on the big island (Hawaii) not anywhere near Maui. Yes, I have been to Haleakala and it's one of the most beautiful sights anywhere. Palima Point is not on or near Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa, the two ACTIVE volcanoes of the big island. From the sketches that I have seen, the proposed site is (guess what) on the beach, on the south of the island, I think. Also, the benefits of a site in Hawaii are hefty! For the state of Hawaii, the flow the technology to the state can only mean more money for the state coffers. Naturally, Governor Waihee is a supporter of the Palima Point proposal. For the possible users of the launch facility, it sure is hard to beat a launch site with water in every direction that's only 12 degress off the equator and in a friendly country to boot! I say do it. The age of commercial space development is coming. If you thought the GOVERNMENT did some nifty things in space, just wait until the businessmen who *know what they're doing* take a crack at it. Elias Israel | "Justice, n. A commodity which in more or Interactive Systems Corp. | less adulterated condition the State sells Boston, MA | to the citizen as a reward for his allegiance, ..!ima!haddock!eli | taxes, and personal service." | -- Ambrose Bierce, _The Devil's Dictionary_ ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V8 #248 *******************