Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 0;andrew.cmu.edu;Network-Mail Received: from po2.andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr1/ota/space/space.dl@andrew.cmu.edu (->+dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr1/ota/space/space.dl) (->ota+space.digests) ID ; Wed, 17 Aug 88 04:09:20 -0400 (EDT) Received: from andrew.cmu.edu via qmail ID ; Wed, 17 Aug 88 04:05:55 -0400 (EDT) Received: by andrew.cmu.edu (5.54/3.15) id for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr1/ota/space/space.dl; Wed, 17 Aug 88 04:05:18 EDT Received: by angband.s1.gov id AA03283; Wed, 17 Aug 88 01:05:28 PDT id AA03283; Wed, 17 Aug 88 01:05:28 PDT Date: Wed, 17 Aug 88 01:05:28 PDT From: Ted Anderson Message-Id: <8808170805.AA03283@angband.s1.gov> To: Space@angband.s1.gov Reply-To: Space@angband.s1.gov Subject: SPACE Digest V8 #327 SPACE Digest Volume 8 : Issue 327 Today's Topics: Most distant galaxy detected (Forwarded) Re: 95% vs. 99.9% reliability Re: Satellites August shower. Electromagnetic Launchers Re: 95% vs. 99.9% reliability Re: Satellites ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 8 Aug 88 15:27:37 GMT From: yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: Most distant galaxy detected (Forwarded) Charles Redmond Headquarters, Washington, D.C. August 8, l988 Ray Villard Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. RELEASE: 88-111 MOST DISTANT GALAXY DETECTED Astronomers at NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md., and the University of California at Berkeley have uncovered the most distant galaxy yet seen. Called 4C41.17, the newly-discovered galaxy is located at an estimated distance of 15 billion light years -- more than 90 percent of the distance to the visible limits of the universe. The discovery was made by Ken Chambers, a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University; George Miley, professor of astronomy on leave from Leiden University, Netherlands, and stationed by the European Space Agency (ESA) at the Space Telescope Science Institute; and Will van Breugel of the University of California at Berkeley. Extremely distant galaxies are of great interest to astronomers because radiation from these galaxies takes billions of years to reach the Earth. The distance established for 4C41.17 means that what is being seen happened only a few billion years after the Big Bang, which marked the beginning of the universe. Such remote galaxies can be used to study the early stages of the universe. According to current cosmological theories, the physical conditions of the early universe were very different from those encountered today. Hence, remote galaxies like 4C41.17 may help forge a better understanding of how galaxies have evolved since the time of the Big Bang. Galaxy 4C41.17 also is intriguing because it has a fundamentally different appearance from nearby galaxies. It and other high red-shift galaxies have unique, enigmatic properties, say the researchers. They certainly are not "normal" galaxies. Galaxy 4C41.17 is one of several extremely distant galaxies discovered by Chambers, Miley and van Breugel during the past few months using their newly-developed search strategy. Their strategy makes use of the fact that galaxies such as 4C41.17 produce intense radio emissions, millions of times more powerful than those of our own Milky Way galaxy. The unique radio spectrum of these objects can be used to select the most powerful and most distant of them. The researchers find that such galaxies have a distinctive radio spectrum which peaks and then drops off at a much faster rate than found in nearby radio galaxies. This "ultra-steep" spectrum indicates that the galaxies are intrinsically quite luminous, though they appear very faint because of their tremendous distances from Earth. Galaxy 4C41.17 was first identified in a survey of 51 distant radio galaxies conducted by the researchers. Next, detailed radio observations of 4C41.17 were made at various frequencies using the Very Large Array Radio Telescope Facility near Socorro, N.M. Those observations were then followed by an optical search with the 2.1 meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. A long-exposure image revealed 4C41.17's optical component which has the characteristic appearance of a galaxy because the component characteristic is elongated rather than star-like. Once the galaxy was identified optically, the researchers established its huge distance by taking an optical spectrum which uncovered emission lines in carbon and hydrogen produced by the elements within the galaxy. The observations reveal that these lines are greatly shifted along the spectrum, or reddened, more than those of any galaxy previously observed. This red-shift phenomena is attributed to the fact that the universe is expanding, thus these galaxies are moving away from the Earth. Because the universe is expanding at a uniform rate, the more distant a galaxy, the greater its red shift. This phenomenon can be used by astronomers as a measure of distance. Chambers, Miley and van Breugel also discovered that distant, high red-shift galaxies have mysterious properties. Unlike nearby "normal" galaxies, say the researchers, the visible light in distant radio galaxies appears to be stretched out along the direction of their radio emissions. Although this effect is not yet fully understood, it indicates a very close relationship between the starlight presumed to be producing the optical radiation and the powerful radio emissions. The radio emissions may be produced by twin jets of extremely fast particles which are spewed out from a massive black hole rotating at the core of the galaxy. The most likely reason the visible images of galaxies like 4C41.17 are stretched along the directions of their radio emissions is that the high velocity jets of particles, which produce the radio radiation, also compress gas and dust along their paths, triggering new star formations. The new stars then preferentially would be born along the jets' paths, creating the elongated optical appearance seen in 4C41.17. During the last few years, several attempts have been made to draw conclusions about the evolution of the universe by assuming that distant radio galaxies have similarities with nearby galaxies. The unexpected discovery of the strange elongated appearance, associated with extremely distant radio galaxies, forces astronomers to rethink some of their previous deductions. Galaxy 4C41.17 also provides an important clue in determining when galaxies were formed, a question that has intrigued astrophysicists. The researchers say that their discovery establishes conclusively that, in contrast to some theories, galaxies were forming only a few billion years after the Big Bang. This research was supported by NASA, ESA, the National Science Foundation, the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope project, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. The Space Telescope Science Institute is operated for NASA under a contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA). AURA is located on the Johns Hopkins University campus in Baltimore. ------------------------------ Date: 8 Aug 88 16:02:23 GMT From: mike@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Mike Smithwick) Subject: Re: 95% vs. 99.9% reliability In article <1704@eneevax.UUCP> kerog@eneevax.umd.edu.UUCP (Keith Rogers) writes: > >I just don't see why they have to spend more than >two years without a single flight, missing many important launch windows >for various projects, just to have an all temperature space shuttle, >when they could have just flown it on a warm day in almost perfect safety. > >Keith Rogers Right after the event, NASA did announce that they intended to go ahead with Crippin's Vandenburg launch in June of '86 since the SRBs were of a different design and so couldn't suffer the same failure. Plus, the warmer West coast weather would also ease problems. But we all know what happened to those plans, don't we. . . Remember though, that the Accident Review Board came up with a list of "Criticality 1" problems which were fixable during the downtime. So, I imagine that they simply decided that it wouldn't be wise to risk another failure from another problem which could be repaired. -- *** mike (starship janitor) smithwick *** "Due to the Writer's Guild of Amierica strike, this signature is temporarily cancelled". [disclaimer : nope, I don't work for NASA, I take full blame for my ideas] ------------------------------ Date: 8 Aug 88 19:07:52 GMT From: concertina!fiddler@sun.com (Steve Hix) Subject: Re: Satellites In article <1988Aug5.184230.18530@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > In article <62689@sun.uucp> fiddler%concertina@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) writes: > >Pioneer 6 12/16/65 US (still returning good data) > >Pioneer 7 8/16/66 US (still active) > >Pioneer 8 12/13/67 US (still active) > > You missed Pioneer 9, which is also still active. Oops! (See below) > And I think one of the > earlier ones -- Pioneer 8? -- is out of contact and presumed dead, as of > quite recently. My list, unfortunately, doesn't cover events after December 29, '87. > You also missed Pioneers 10 and 11, heading out of the solar system. Also two Mariners, as pointed out in another message. Thanks for the corrections (from various sources) to the list I originally sent out. The errors, btw, are my fault: The list I was getting the info from has all the correct entries. This is what comes of trying to scan through 2,979 launches during lunch. :} ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 08 Aug 88 14:04:30 -0900 Reply-To: Sender: From: Robert Jesse Hale III I have been appointed representive of ISECCo for Space digest. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please send them to me not to the digest unless you decide it is worthy of the nets attention. If I don't reply to you within a week we are having a problem with the net. Then if you choose to use space digest to contact me. At times the net looses an issue or two, please be persistant. Robert J. Hale III I am not an elected member, only a representive of a "people" space intrest group. SPACE: Do you want to go? The International Space Exploration & Colonization Co. (ISECCo) is an organization dedicated to the greatest effort mankind has ever undertaken: extra-terrestrial emigration. Join us on the forefront of science and help us explore and ultimately settle the cosmos. ISECCo is developing space technology with the aim of reducing the cost of getting to, and surviving in, space. We are building an ecologically sealed unit capable of supporting 2 people. This biosphere will be a prototype for self-contained lunar and interplanetary colonies. Other projects include research and development of launch systems, both material and human. The ecologically sealed unit, or biosphere, has already been designed and construction will begin in 1989. Aerospace plane concepts are being studied and once an acceptable design has been selected, a working scaled prototype will be built for air-launch. Sub-orbital flight will test design parameters and demonstrate concept viability. Mass drivers are also being considered for use to launch material from terrestrial and lunar surfaces. Research in robotics, remote sensing, video communication, and space-based power stations is expected to begin early in the next decade. Methods of making space colonies financially independent are being evaluated. This includes space manufacturing, satellite service and repair, space hotels, and space mementos. Generous donations from our members are our current source of income. Future funding will be supplemented through venture capital, grants, and companies wishing to operate in space. Space colonies are feasible with today's technology. Tomorrow's technology will make them economically viable. Help us turn today into tomorrow and come with us on the ultimate journey: Come with us to the stars! For more information send your address to: U.S. mail: Bitnet: ISECCo FNRJH@ALASKA P.O. Box 60885 Fairbanks, AK 99706 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 08 Aug 88 19:37:20 CST From: "SKott L. Underwood" Subject: August shower. I have heard that there is an upcoming meteor shower visible sometime in August here in the U.S. If any- body has any info on this event, please respond via SPACE or e-mail. --- SKott (UCPL040 at UNLVM) P.S. I will be in the Rockies later this month and would like to know the dates and areas of the sky to be observing. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 88 21:36:22 EDT From: dietz@gvax.cs.cornell.edu (Paul F. Dietz) Subject: Electromagnetic Launchers I was thinking a little more about that scheme I described for launching from Earth-based electromagnetic launchers. A major problem with the scheme was that a fixed launcher sends payloads into different orbits depending on the time of launch. This complicates rendezvous with a LEO space station, for example. But you can change orbital parameters without rockets, by exploiting the nonsphericity of the Earth. The plane of orbits can precess (nodal regression) and the major axis of eccentric orbits can be made to rotate (apsidal rotation). Here's an updated scheme for launching mass to a space station in LEO: (1) An EML shoots a payload into a highly eccentric orbit with the same inclination as the station's orbit. A small burn at apogee raises the perigee into the upper atmosphere. (2) Aerobraking lowers the apogee to several thousand miles. A small burn at apogee raises the perigee above the atmosphere. (3) The difference in nodal regression rates between the orbit of the space station and the payload matches the planes of the orbits. This might take several weeks. (4) When the planes are matched, the payload aerobrakes further and enters a low phase matching orbit. Rendezvous. This should remove restrictions on the orbit of LEO space stations that could be supplied by this scheme. Paul F. Dietz dietz@gvax.cs.cornell.edu ------------------------------ Date: 8 Aug 88 21:46:48 GMT From: a!jkw@lanl.gov (Jay Wooten) Subject: Re: 95% vs. 99.9% reliability In article <1704@eneevax.UUCP>, kerog@eneevax.UUCP (Keith Rogers) writes: > Sure the O ring thing had to be fixed, but did it have to kill > the entire U.S. space program in the meantime? You can bet the Soviets would have hardly missed a beat in sending up another one (something they've proved several times in the past). Isn't it interesting that the space "program" of the (once) pioneering leader has become so hamstrung by politics and public/media pressure not to fail, while the otherwise world leader in repressive bureaucracy plods ahead unflinchingly to world leadership in space. ~ Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare ~ ~ The lone and level sands stretch far away................. ~ Jay Wooten Los Alamos National Lab ARPA: jkw@lanl.gov ------------------------------ Date: 9 Aug 88 02:38:48 GMT From: eugene@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Eugene Miya) Subject: Re: Satellites In article <3500001@hpcvlx.HP.COM> bturner@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Bill Turner) writes: >> [Text of satellite list deleted] > >Isn't it a bit depressing that a deep scientific mission hasn't >been launched by the US since 78? > >--Bill Turner Your are telling me? 8-) It's extremely depressing! 8-( But, you the American public wanted "men" in space. [Just stating the facts (all those cards and letters).] You see what is depressing is knowing the (or thinking about the original proposed dates for Missions, largely killed, by Ronnie and friends [Ed Meese who came to Caltech one fateful date in 1981]). You see I think of Galileo as a 1982 launch (when my friends were doing ODs [orbit determinations], you might think of it as 1989 or what ever. Frank at JPL thinks of it as a 1978 launch, and he proposed the Mission! [Think how depressed he would be [he isn't]]. Even worse are the single Solar/Polar mission (rather than tandem), and the total lack of a comet rendezvous. There were other missions cancelled as well. Another gross generalization from --eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers: "Mailers?! HA!", "If my mail does not reach you, please accept my apology." {uunet,hplabs,ncar,decwrl,allegra,tektronix}!ames!aurora!eugene "Send mail, avoid follow-ups. If enough, I'll summarize." Gee, lots of SDI postings: remember Star Wars is a trademark of Lucasfilm, Ltd. ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V8 #327 *******************