Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from holmes.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 ; Mon, 24 Apr 89 05:17:00 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <4YIiM2y00UkZ4NWE5n@andrew.cmu.edu> Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Mon, 24 Apr 89 05:16:51 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V9 #391 SPACE Digest Volume 9 : Issue 391 Today's Topics: Condensed CANOPUS - February 1989 MUFON Journal "alien spacecraft" article Re: STS-30 Press Release pack Re: Astrology ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 22 Apr 89 05:05:24 GMT From: cfa!cfa250!willner@husc6.harvard.edu (Steve Willner P-316 x57123) Subject: Condensed CANOPUS - February 1989 Here is the condensed CANOPUS for February 1989. There are 11 articles. CANOPUS is copyright American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, but distribution is encouraged. See full copyright information at end. CONTENTS -- 6 ARTICLES CONDENSED OR IN FULL ESA SCIENCE LAUNCH DATES - can890211.txt - 2/14/89 NASA SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR ORBITAL DEBRIS RADAR - can890205.txt - 1/1989 NASA PLANNING REUSABLE REENTRY SATELLITE - can890206.txt - 1/18/89 IMAGE PROCESSING TO RELIEVE VISION PROBLEMS - can890207.txt - 1/18/89 ASTRONOMY PHASE-A STUDIES - can890209.txt - 2/14/89 NASA ANNOUNCES EARTH OBSERVATION SYSTEM INVESTIGATIONS - can890201.txt - 2/13/89 ------------------------------------------------------------------- ESA SCIENCE LAUNCH DATES - can890211.txt - 2/14/89 ESA Scientific Missions (as of January 1989) HIPPARCOS Astrometry June 1989 Ariane 4 ISO IR Astronomy April 1993 Ariane 4 SOHO Solar Physics March 1995 Shuttle Cluster Plasma Physics December 1995 Ariane 5 XMM X-ray Astronomy mid-1998 Ariane 4 (Some) Astrophysics Missions of Other Agencies GRANAT X & Gamma-ray Ast. 1989 Proton Spectrum-X X-ray Astronomy 1992 Proton Astro-D X-ray Astronomy 1992 M-3SII-3 SAX X-ray Astronomy 1993 Atlas Centaur NASA SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR ORBITAL DEBRIS RADAR - can890205.txt - 1/1989 NASA has requested proposals from industry for a ground-based radar that will quantify and characterize debris orbiting between 180 to 360 miles above Earth. The radar would have the capability of detecting debris as small as 1 centimeter in diameter, contrasted with the 10-centimeter capability of current radar systems. Information is extremely limited about the number and size of small debris pieces at the operational altitude range of the space station. Preliminary experiments, using radar astronomy facilities, have suggested that the number of small debris particles at these altitudes may be higher than expected. The new radar will provide definitive information about such debris, determining its size, altitude and orbital inclination. NASA PLANNING REUSABLE REENTRY SATELLITE - can890206.txt - 1/18/89 NASA officials at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) have released a request for proposals for continued studies and design of an unmanned reusable reentry satellite (RRS) that could significantly expand NASA's capability to investigate the weightlessness environment. The RFP calls for the design of an almost completely reusable spacecraft that could be processed and readied for reflight in 2 months, allowing for several flights each year. The vehicle will be roughly 6 feet in diameter and weighing more than 2,000 pounds with a useful payload of 500 pounds. Designs are expected to be derivatives of the Department of Defense Discovery satellite or NASA's Gemini and Apollo vehicles of the 1960s. Upon completion of the flight, the RRS would reenter and soft-land at a designated ground-site where scientists and engineers would have immediate access to the experiments. IMAGE PROCESSING TO RELIEVE VISION PROBLEMS - can890207.txt - 1/18/89 Image processing techniques developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Mariner 4 mission to Mars have been adapted to offer new hope to sufferers from maculopathy or central spot blindness. This disability affects a small fraction of 1 percent of young people, rising to afflict some 20 percent of those over 75. It is regarded as a leading cause or form of blindness in the U.S. and Europe, though it does not constitute total blindness. ASTRONOMY PHASE-A STUDIES - can890209.txt - 2/14/89 By Christoph Winkler, Peter Jakobsen and Urban Frisk -- ESTEC {By European Space Agency} The GRASP (Gamma-Ray Astronomy with Spectroscopy & Positioning) Phase-A study (SCI(88)2) showed that the GRASP mission was technically feasible and that all scientific requirements could be fulfilled. The requirement to maintain GRASP as a purely European mission within the financial constraints of a `Horizon 2000 blue box' was a major task requiring a novel approach for ESA, i.e. the re-use of existing or planned developments. In view of the common requirements of the GRASP and the XMM payloads, though with less demanding requirements for GRASP, the XMM cornerstone mission spacecraft bus was investigated in detail. The Lyman Phase A Report (SCI(88)3) described an ESA-only mission concept for Lyman involving a purpose-built spacecraft and a shared Ariane launch into a 48-hour high-earth orbit. However, the ESA study also demonstrated that such a mission was not possible within the financial boundaries of a medium-sized mission in the Horizon 2000 long-term plan without substantial contributions from other collaborating agencies. An agreement was reached between ESA, NASA and Canada concerning cooperation on the Lyman mission. Reflecting the relative financial contributions, the observing time would have been shared equally between ESA and NASA with a smaller share going to Canada. As a consequence of the ESA decision to select Huygens/Cassini, the FUSE/Lyman study by NASA, focussing on a mission involving a slightly smaller payload mounted on a re-usable Explorer platform operating from low-earth orbit, will nonetheless still investigate the joint concept. The results of the NASA FUSE study will be subject to a competitive selection next summer along with three other competing Explorer missions. The QUASAT Phase A Report (SCI(88)4) demonstrated the very strong scientific case for space-VLBI and that such a project was technically feasible. QUASAT has always been considered as a joint ESA/NASA project. Before the Challenger accident the partnership was equal but afterwards it was assumed to be an ESA-led project with minor NASA and Canadian support. The non-selection of QUASAT for a Phase A study within the US Explorer program confirmed this model. The ESA study however came to the conclusion that the mission could not be undertaken within the financial boundaries of a medium-sized mission of Horizon 2000. NASA ANNOUNCES EARTH OBSERVATION SYSTEM INVESTIGATIONS - can890201.txt - 2/13/89 A total of 551 individual investigators have been named to teams for the Earth Observing System (EOS) in what may be the largest single science selection by NASA in the last decade. EOS will comprise a complex instrumentation array aboard the manned Space Station and unmanned polar orbit platforms, all designed to provide a comprehensive survey of the Earth from orbit with instruments complementing each other over a long period of time. NASA received 455 proposals. The selection includes 24 instrument investigations, 6 research facility instrument investigation team leaders and 87 team members, and 28 interdisciplinary investigators (20 U.S. and 8 foreign). The various teams selected comprise 551 individuals from 168 institutions, universities or laboratories in 32 states and, including the U.S., 13 countries. RESEARCH FACILITY INSTRUMENTS . Research facility instrument team members and team leaders for the six NASA research facility instruments were selected. Each of the instruments is planned to fly on one of the polar platforms. o Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) will measure atmospheric temperature, moisture and other properties as a function of height above the ground with an accuracy and resolution far surpassing current operational satellite instruments. AIRS Team Leader - Moustafa T. Chahine, JPL o Geodynamics Laser Ranging System (GLRS) is a laser ranging system for the study of the Earth's crustal movements in earthquake prone regions and across tectonic plate boundaries by precisely determining the locations of special mirrors set up on the ground. GLRS can also measure the surface height profile of glaciers and the polar ice sheets to determine how fast they are growing or shrinking. GLRS Team Leader - Steven Cohen, NASA-Goddard. o High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (HIRIS) is an imaging spectrometer providing highly programmable localized measurements of geological, biological, and physical processes. HIRIS Team Leader - Goetz, Alexander F. H., University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (JPL will manage the facility). o Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) is a lidar (laser detection and ranging) system for direct measurement of tropospheric wind velocities by observing the Doppler shift in light reflected from wind born dust. LAWS Team Leader - Baker, Wayman E., NOAA/NMC, Washington, DC.(MSFC will manage the facility) o Moderate Resolution Imaging spectrometer (MODIS) is an imaging spectrometer for the measurement of biological and physical processes in the study of terrestrial, oceanic and atmospheric phenomena. MODIS Team leader - Vincent V. Salomonson, NASA-Goddard. o Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an imaging radar which can see through clouds to observe properties relating to the geology, hydrology, and ecology of the land as well as sea ice and ocean waves. SAR Team Leader - Charles Elachi, JPL, Pasadena, CA. ------------------------------------------------------------ Other articles presented by title only or very briefly: CONDITION OF QM-8 SOLID ROCKET MOTOR FIELD JOINTS - can890202.txt - 2/7/89 {no anomalies} ENGINE FIRING WILL COMPLETE INITIAL TECHNOLOGY TEST BED TEST SERIES - can890203.txt - 2/14/89 {scheduled Feb. 23} BALLHAUS RETURNS TO AMES RESEARCH CENTER - can890204.txt - 2/1/89 {as director} HORIZON 2000 IMPLEMENTATION - can890208.txt - 2/14/89 {ESA funding} HIPPARCOS - can890210.txt - 2/14/89 ----------------END OF CONDENSED CANOPUS----------------------------- This posting represents my own condensation of CANOPUS. For clarity, I have not shown ellipses (...), even when the condensation is drastic. New or significantly rephrased material is in {braces} and is signed {--SW} when it represents an expression of my own opinion. The unabridged CANOPUS is available via e-mail from me at any of the addresses below. Copyright information: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CANOPUS is published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Send correspondence about its contents to the executive editor, William W. L. Taylor (taylor%trwatd.span@star.stanford.edu; e-mail to canopus@cfa.uucp will probably be forwarded). Send correspondence about business matters to Mr. John Newbauer, AIAA, 1633 Broadway, NY, NY 10019. Although AIAA has copyrighted CANOPUS and registered its name, you are encouraged to distribute CANOPUS widely, either electronically or as printout copies. If you do, however, please send a brief message to Taylor estimating how many others receive copies. CANOPUS is partially supported by the National Space Science Data Center. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Steve Willner Phone 617-495-7123 Bitnet: willner@cfa 60 Garden St. FTS: 830-7123 UUCP: willner@cfa Cambridge, MA 02138 USA Internet: willner@cfa.harvard.edu ------------------------------ Date: 21 Apr 89 18:31:22 GMT From: tektronix!orca!tekecs!nobody@uunet.uu.net (-for inetd server command) Subject: MUFON Journal "alien spacecraft" article The following article appears in the current issue of the MUFON UFO Journal, No. 242, April 1989. (MUFON is an acronym for Mutual UFO Network, the largest public UFO investigative organization in the world -- about 2000 members at last count.) ----------- NEWS FlASH Donald B. Ratsch, MUFON member in Baltimore, Maryland, has been monitoring the radio broadcasts from the space shuttle Discovery through WA3NAN, the club station of the Goddard Amateur Radio Club in Greenbelt, MD, transmitting on 147.450 MHZ. At 6:35 a.m. EST on March 14, 1989, he heard this statement, "we have a problem -- we have a fire." (This might have been the first clue to the resultant electrical problem that was subsequently repaired.) The most interesting transmission occurred seven minutes later at 6:42 a.m. EST, when one of the astronauts made this statement "Houston (from) Discovery, we still have the alien spacecraft under observance." Don Ratsch called Walt Andrus [who is the chief administrator of MUFON] and played the tape recording over the telephone on the morning of March 14, 1989. Further analysis of the tape is now being conducted by qualified personnel in Maryland as of Sunday, March 19th. Preliminary analysis of the voice by comparison methods indicates that the astronaut making the second transmission was probably either Michael L. Coats, Commander of Discovery or John E. Blaha, the pilot. We hope to provide more details in the May issue of the Journal on this exiting event. ------- If anyone on the net can add substantive information to this account, please email me or post to the net. I will watch for additional material in the next MUFON UFO Journal and post it to the net. Thanks, Keith Rowell -Keith Rowell, Tektronix, Wilsonville, OR keithr@tolkien.WV.TEK.COM ------------------------------ Date: 21 Apr 89 01:31:36 GMT From: attcan!lsuc!ncrcan!ziebmef!mdf@uunet.uu.net (Matthew Francey) Subject: Re: STS-30 Press Release pack First, I would like to thank Mr. Yee for posting the "press kit". Real information is always like a breath of fresh air... But there seems to be a problem. The IUS described in the kit does not seem capable putting Magellan into an Earth-escape trajectory. Here is the IUS as described: mass at ignition 15160kg (excludes Magellan) total mass at ignition 20750kg (includes Magellan) 1st stage: burn time 150s thrust 187000N fuel 9700kg burn rate 65kg/s exhaust velocity 2.88km/s 2nd stage: burn time 108s thrust 80000N fuel 2700kg burn rate 25kg/s exhaust velocity 3.20km/s Here is how it is used: initial orbit is 297x297km (6675x6675km from geocentre) orbital speed is 7.73km/s. first stage burn the delta-V comes to 2.88*ln(20750/(20750-9700)) = 1.81km/s 1st stage separate an unknown mass is jettisoned. See below... wait 150s from the 1st stage burn, the resulting orbit has a semi-major axis of 14000km, and an eccentricity of 0.523. Assuming that the IUS/Magellan is at the perigee of this orbit then at the end of the 150s wait, IUS/Magellan is now 6730km from the geocentre, and its speed is 9.49km/s. second stage burn the escape velocity at this point (6730km) is 10.88km/s. So, the IUS must now supply a velocity increment of at least 1.39km/s. From this, we can calculate the >minimum< mass of the jettisoned 1st stage. Sparing the details, it comes to 3390kg. And this is the problem. The inert (non-fuel) mass of the IUS at launch is 15160 (total IUS) - 9700 (total 1st stage fuel) - 2700 (total 2nd stage fuel) = 2760kg. It seems that a piece of Magellan will have to be disposed of as well. Can someone explain this away? Perhaps the engines on the IUS have a strange thrust curve? Maybe the data in the press-kit was incorrectly/badly rounded? NASA has made a horrible mistake? I can't use a calculator? -- Name: Matthew Francey Address: N43o34'13.5" W79o34'33.3" 86m mdf@ziebmef.UUCP uunet!utgpu!{ontmoh!moore,ncrcan}!ziebmef!mdf ------------------------------ Date: 21 Apr 89 10:07:07 GMT From: mcvax!ukc!strath-cs!glasgow!bru-cc!me85mda@uunet.uu.net (M D Ayton) Subject: Re: Astrology It just occured to me; how did the astrologers manage so well without noticing that up to comparatively recently they were three planets short? Since the existence of a further planet "X" is theorised, will they admit that their horoscopes aren't quite as accurate ( >8-) ) as they might be? The peepul have a right to know! Martin. ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V9 #391 *******************