Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from beak.andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl@andrew.cmu.edu (->+dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl) (->ota+space.digests) ID ; Sat, 21 Oct 89 16:06:42 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Sat, 21 Oct 89 16:06:09 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #144 SPACE Digest Volume 10 : Issue 144 Today's Topics: NASA Prediction Bulletins: Space Shuttle Module expansion of Mir delayed due to electronics failures Re: HMI/AI in aeronautics ans space conference HMI/AI in aeronatics and space conference NASA astronaut selection procedures Re: Geyser-like plume discovered on Neptune's moon Triton random notes about AMROC attempt Re: The Moon vs. My Backyard Re: Galileo--- history repeats itself ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 20 Oct 89 20:54:20 GMT From: ncis.tis.llnl.gov!blackbird!tkelso@lll-winken.llnl.gov (TS Kelso) Subject: NASA Prediction Bulletins: Space Shuttle The most current orbital elements from the NASA Prediction Bulletins are carried on the Celestial RCP/M, (513) 427-0674, and are updated several times weekly. Documentation and tracking software are also available on this system. As a service to the satellite user community, the most current elements for the current shuttle mission are provided below. The Celestial RCP/M may be accessed 24 hours/day at 300, 1200, or 2400 baud using 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity. STS-34 1 20297U 89 84 A 89293.77450672 -.00138432 00000-0 -56943-3 0 116 2 20297 34.3195 134.3257 0026119 213.4539 146.5504 15.84885491 309 -- Dr TS Kelso Asst Professor of Space Operations tkelso@blackbird.afit.af.mil Air Force Institute of Technology ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Oct 89 11:56:22 EDT From: Glenn Chapman Subject: Module expansion of Mir delayed due to electronics failures The USSR had been expected to launch an expansion module to the Mir/Kvant space station on Oct. 16th. On Oct. 11 TASS (their news service) carried a report that this launch had been delayed due to problems with the electronics on the section (the air lock or D module - a 20 Tonne edition to Mir). The problems were due to the electronics chips in the scientific instruments on the module, not in the control system of the section itself. The final tests showed these failures just as the module was being prepared for the launch (typically it would be rolled out about a day or two before launch). Interestingly the Soviet published statements compared the failures of these instruments unfavorably with the long term survival of the Voyager probes. It noted that these problems would have occurred in orbit if the module had been launched on the original schedule last spring (ie. the integrated circuits suffered a high infant mortality failure as it is called in the electronics field). This air lock system is now set for a mid November launch, while the T module (technology one) is set for February '90. The crew will maintain their original time table of coming down on Feb. 19, '90. Cosmonauts Alexander Viktorenko and Alexander Serebrov on Oct. 10th had spent 35 days on this mission, 33 of them aboard the Mir/Kvant. This period exceeds the total cumulative time of the most active unretired US astronauts (John Young at 34 days and Paul Weitz's Skylab 2 & STS-9 total of 33 days - other more experienced ones have left the service). As of Oct. 19th Serebrov had a total of 55 day in orbit (including 8 from Soyuz T-7/Salyut 7 in Aug. '82 and 2 from Soyuz T-8 in Apr. '83) while Viktorenko has accumulated 51 days (adding to his 6 on Soyuz TM-3/Mir in July '87). Current research onboard Mir is divided between using the Kvant telescope for stellar observations, and earth observation pictures. Let us see if the Russians can overcome these problems and get on to the next stage in Mir's operations. Glenn Chapman MIT Lincoln Lab ------------------------------ Date: 6 Oct 89 15:27:06 GMT From: eru!luth!sunic!mcsun!ukc!edcastle!aiai!aiai.uucp!roberto@bloom-beacon.mit.edu (Roberto Desimone) Subject: Re: HMI/AI in aeronautics ans space conference Note that papers and enquiries for the: 3rd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HUMAN MACHINE INTERACTION AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ODYSSUD Toulouse - Blagnac, France, 26 - 28 September 1990 should be sent to: G.Picchi Telephone: 61 55 70 01 CERT Telex: 521596F B.P. 4025 Fax: 61 55 71 72 31055 Toulouse Cedex France NOT to R. Desimone at AIAI, Edinburgh. Unfortunately, I forgot to remove my .signature file. Sorry for the confusion. ------------------------------ Date: 6 Oct 89 15:16:31 GMT From: eru!luth!sunic!mcsun!ukc!edcastle!aiai!aiai.uucp!roberto@bloom-beacon.mit.edu (Roberto Desimone) Subject: HMI/AI in aeronatics and space conference 3rd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HUMAN MACHINE INTERACTION AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ODYSSUD Toulouse - Blagnac France 26 - 28 September 1990 Conference Objectives This conference is aimed at promoting an international cooperation between representatives of industry, academia and government, with particular reference to Aeronautics and Space applications. As with the two previous conferences held in Toulouse, France in 1986 and 1988, the objectives are: - Examine-of-the-art Human Machine Interaction and AI research, - Highlight the achievements over the past two years, - Evaluate these aplications which are now operational and in commercial service. Topics A) Fundamental Topics: -Knowledge Representation, -Knowledge Acquisition, Machine Learning, -Reasoning Modeling and Explanation, -Planning, Schedulinbg, -Real-Time Reasoning -Human Factors, -Interface Languages. B) Application Domains: - Specification and Design, - Production Management, - Maintenance, Diagnosis and Control, - Operator Assistance, - Mission Planning and Monitoring, - Education and Training Tutorials Half-day tutorials on the basic concepts of AI and HMI will be held before the conference providing that a minimum of 10 participants register for each tutorial. Two tutorials are proposed: 1. Introduction to AI and to Operatorn Assistant Systems, 2. Cognitive Engineering Any suggestions for additional subjects will be welcomed and if suitable will be included. Important Dates Deadline for submitted papers: November 15, 1989 Notification of acceptance and mailing of recommendations to authors: February 1, 1990 Full papers due: June 15, 1990 Papers submitted must be written in English. Fees - 3,000 FF for conference and 1,200 FF for each tutorial. Please send papers and enquiries to the Conference Secretariat at G.Picchi Telephone: 61 55 70 01 CERT Telex: 521596F B.P. 4025 Fax: 61 55 71 72 31055 Toulouse Cedex France Roberto Desimone JANET: roberto@aiai.ed KB Planning Group (KBPG) ARPA: r.desimone%uk.ac.ed@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk AI Applications Institute, Edinburgh EH1 1HN, Scotland Tel: +44 31 225-4464 Fax: +44 31 226-2730 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Oct 89 21:32:15 PST From: Peter Scott Subject: NASA astronaut selection procedures X-Vms-Mail-To: EXOS%"space@andrew.cmu.edu" skipper!shafer@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) writes: ------------------------------ Date: 10 Oct 89 06:25:04 GMT From: bungia!orbit!pnet51!schaper@UMN-CS.CS.UMN.EDU (S Schaper) Subject: Re: Geyser-like plume discovered on Neptune's moon Triton Speaking of contamination of Pristine planets and moons in the solar system, now we can add smokestack industries on Triton to the massive strip-mining on Miranda...:-) UUCP: {amdahl!bungia, uunet!rosevax, chinet, killer}!orbit!pnet51!schaper ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!schaper@nosc.mil INET: schaper@pnet51.cts.com ------------------------------ Date: 8 Oct 89 21:55:48 GMT From: zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!percy!parsely!bucket!loop!keithl@uunet.uu.net (Keith Lofstrom) Subject: random notes about AMROC attempt Some random notes about AMROC: I attended the previews and press conferences for the September 28 SET-1 (single engine test) launch attempt (it was THE social event of the SEASON!), and had a chance to talk with AMROC engineers. A few observations about the visit, and subsequent events: 1) The rocket DID NOT EXPLODE, which is one of AMROC's main claims. The rocket collapsed because the flames from the unfortunately stationary rocket weakened the outside of the fiber-wound composite case. At least they demonstrated something important, even with a failure. 2) AMROC chose the hybrid technology for safety reasons; construction and handling is simplified. The polybutadiene rubber propellant is simple to work with and environmentally benign (one of the reporters there made a big deal of that) and probably won't be changed. They may change from LOX to nitrous oxide. I'm not sure I heard this right - perhaps N2O5 - the person I talked to said it would be liquid at room temperature, and use a smaller tank. 3) AMROC has made over 150 firings with 35 engines at Edwards, and they have a tendency to re-use hardware. I don't know whether the failing valve had been tried before or not. If any other parts didn't get crisped this time, they may get used on SET-2. 4) The LOX is pressurized with catalytically heated helium - this saves tankage weight (the helium is heated to 800 degrees F, and the LOX is pressurized to 400 PSI, pardon my FPS). Sheila Smith, the engineer who thought this one up, wonders why nobody tried this before. 5) AMROC ran the electronics on a shake table, but mechanical stuff has only been tested in static tests at Edwards. I guess they figure the best way to test it is to fly it. 6) At present, the AMROC flight controller is built by Interferometrics, around a ruggedized PC(!). Mac fiends despair not; the launch controllers are MAC IIs with E Machine displays. The final flight sequence control starts with a carriage return - and various test functions are chosen with the mouse! 7) AMROC was having some telemetry problems before the first attempt (silly readings from sensors, etc). Usual finger pointing between EEs and MEs. The problems went away. 8) The FIRST launch delay (from the 20th to the 27th) was caused by a two day delay for a valve change. They had to reschedule one week to avoid a conflict with an MX launch scheduled later. 9) They need a good digital designer. I'd take the job myself if I wanted to live in SoCal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Other random notes: One of the crews that made it to watch the first attempt was the programming team from Xanadu Hypertext (hi guys), in a rented Green Tortoise temporarily equipped with Macs and Sun workstations. They programmed all the way down from SF, and all the way back. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wild, unfounded speculation: I wonder if AMROC is using NiCads? Given the long time the rocket sat on the pad, perhaps the batteries gave out while the valve motor was running. That could explain the previous valve problems, and the sensor problems. NiCads have a nasty tendency to give no indications of discharge until they quit; unless they are cycled to full discharge, they won't recharge all the way. Hmmm... -- Keith Lofstrom keithl@loop tektronix!psueea!qiclab!loop!keithl Launch Loop, P.O. Box 1538, Portland, Oregon 97207 (503)-628-3645 ------------------------------ Date: 9 Oct 89 20:07:16 GMT From: telesoft!roger@ucsd.edu (Roger Arnold @prodigal) Subject: Re: The Moon vs. My Backyard Nick Szabo has posted some provocative articles, challenging, among other things, the viability of using lunar material as a source of oxygen for spacecraft fuel. If one is proposing that access to lunar oxygen as a spacecraft fuel provides a adequate rationale a lunar base, I agree that it's nonsense. Nick was quite correct when he suggested that the most efficient way to obtain cheaper oxygen for fueling deep space craft was to reduce the cost of earth to orbit transportation. There's room for an order of magnitude improvement just from expendables optimized for economy, rather than military performance. There's room for another order of magnitude if we could develop a reusable booster and orbiter system that had true aircraft style "refuel and fly" capability. But the cost of development for the latter would be high, at best, and it probably can't be done under a government program. But cheap, mass produced expendables are certainly possible; just ask the Russians. On the other hand, if one starts from the proposition that there is GOING to be a lunar base (for reasons of politics, national prestige, or whatever), then it makes eminent sense to include in the plans a capability for lunar oxygen production. Having oxygen available on the lunar surface for fueling a lunar shuttle makes a dramatic difference in the overall project logistics. There's no real question about the technical feasibility of a lunar oxygen plant, if you don't place overly stringent demands on retention and recycling of imported material. E.g., if you only require that every pound of imported material generate 50 pounds of oxygen before being lost to inefficiencies in the recycling system, then the problem is fairly easy. What's debatable is whether you can make the system totally independent of a supply stream of replacement material from earth. At least, that's my understanding of the issue. - Roger Arnold ucsd!telesoft!roger ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 89 01:57:27 GMT From: vsi1!v7fs1!mvp@apple.com (Mike Van Pelt) Subject: Re: Galileo--- history repeats itself In article K_MACART@UNHH.BITNET writes: > Wasn't it the Christics who persecuted Galileo hundreds of years ago anyway? I think you'll find that the so-called "Christic Institute" has little to do with Christianity in general or the Catholic church in particular. It's just yet another one of those groups of mindless tree-huggers with a nutzoid-left political agenda. I assume from the name that they put some kind of theological gloss over the tired old slogans from the 60's. -- Mike Van Pelt "There are just two religions on this planet. Headland Technology There's the one that says that God is God, (Was: Video Seven) and the one that says that Man is God." ...ames!vsi1!v7fs1!mvp -- Frank Peretti ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V10 #144 *******************