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 16:16:25 -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 16:16:02 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #146 SPACE Digest Volume 10 : Issue 146 Today's Topics: NASA Headline News for 10/10/89 (Forwarded) Galileo Luddite status Galileo Update Re: Galileo Jovian atmospheric probe -- is it sterilized??? Re: What would we do WITHOUT 'Freedom'? space-based radar Re: Geyser-like plume discovered on Neptune's moon Triton (Forwarded) Re: Galileo Luddite status Re: Titius Series / Quantum orbits? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10 Oct 89 21:10:02 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: NASA Headline News for 10/10/89 (Forwarded) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, Oct. 10, 1989 Audio: 202/755-1788 ----------------------------------------------------------------- This is NASA Headline News for Tuesday, October 10th...... Technicians at Kennedy Space Center are accessing a possible problem with one of the main engine controllers on the space shuttle Atlantis. It is not known at this time whether the computer for Atlantis's no. 2 engine will have to be changed, and if so what effect that would have on the scheduled Oct. 12 launch date. Meanwhile, attorney's for NASA and three anti-nuclear groups are in U.S. District Court this morning for a hearing on the safety of the nuclear powered generators which provide electricity for the Galileo spacecraft. The three citizens' groups are seeking an injunction to block the launch. The Magellan/Venus spacecraft has weathered two major solar storms on August 12th and September 29th. The last occurrence of a storm of comparable magnitude was in 1972. The two storms have resulted in permanent, minor reductions of solar panel power output. They have also caused large amounts of spurious star scanner outputs preventing full attitude updates for several days following the storms. for mapping, software filters are being installed which will lessen the effects from the storms. Magellan is now more than 57 million miles from Earth. The Hubble Space Telescope, scheduled for launch aboard the shuttle Discovery in March, arrived at Kennedy Space Center last week for pre-flight tests and inspections. The telescope was shipped from Sunnyvale, Calif., aboard an air force C-5A transport jet inside a special container built for large satellites. It has been taken to the Vertical Processing Facility at KSC. ********** ----------------------------------------------------------------- Here's the broadcast schedule for public affairs events on NASA Select television. All times are Eastern. Wednesday, Oct. 11..... 9:00 A.M. Countdown status report 11:00 A.M. The Jovian system 1:00 P.M. Pre-launch news conference All events and times are subject to change without notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------- These reports are filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12 noon, Eastern time. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A service of the Internal Communications Branch (LPC), NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. ------------------------------ Date: 10 Oct 89 22:56:50 GMT From: aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!masticol@rutgers.edu (Steve Masticola) Subject: Galileo Luddite status Has anyone heard what the court decision was on the Galileo launch? I listened to NPR tonight, heard nothing. Of course, if the judge delays until after Atlantis lifts off, it's all academic... - Steve (masticol@athos.rutgers.edu) ------------------------------ Date: 10 Oct 89 21:35:55 GMT From: usc!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@ucsd.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: Galileo Update GALILEO DAILY REPORT 10 OCTOBER 1989 General Spacecraft The spacecraft is in is launch ready state as previously reported. The spacecraft continues to be monitored 24 hours a day both at KSC and at Pasadena. There have been no problems to date. LCET LCET #1 was returned to the VPF (Vehicle Processing Facility) area on 9 October. All communications, power, and power cables have been installed. LCET #1 is now operational and monitoring the spacecraft telemetry derived from the composite telemetry through the T-0 cabling. Telemetry alarms matching those of the MTS have been inserted and are operational. This provides a backup capability in case the lines to JPL become inoperative. Schedule Discussion and Assessment The launch at this time is still scheduled for 12 October at 1:29 p.m. EDT. Ron Baalke (818) 541-2341 Jet Propulsion Lab M/S 301-355 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena, CA 91109 ------------------------------ Date: 10 Oct 89 02:40:08 GMT From: munnari.oz.au!csc!ccadfa!usage!basser!cluster!andrewt@uunet.uu.net (Andrew Taylor) Subject: Re: Galileo Jovian atmospheric probe -- is it sterilized??? >... and yet when the isthmus of Panama >formed (quite recently geologically speaking) the North American mammals >almost _immediately_ spread South and _totally wiped out_ all the native >South American mammals. Wrong, quite a few marsupials and "South American" placental mammals remain. >I know of only one South American mammal that managed to make the trip >the other direction --- the Opossum. At least one Armadillo species has. Andrew ------------------------------ Date: 9 Oct 89 19:07:54 GMT From: ibmpa!szabonj@uunet.uu.net (nick szabo) Subject: Re: What would we do WITHOUT 'Freedom'? In article <3520@questar.QUESTAR.MN.ORG> al@questar.QUESTAR.MN.ORG (Al Viall) writes: >And this is probably >the last chance for a long time that we will have the opportunity to see such >a thing accomplished considering that it takes 20 years just to cut >through federal red tape and another 10 years for congressional approval. It takes twenty years to build something monstrous like the Station. Small unmanned efforts can be mounted within 5-10 years of proposal. Our real space efforts--planetary exploration, new technology, microgravity research, privatization, etc. etc.--do not at all rely on the Station. >As it is, we will be lucky to have ANY other country (i.e. ESA, Japan) >doing space business with us in the future anyway. Nasa will have to cut >back on the station anyways, which will directly affect the planned modules >of the ESA and Japan, showing once again that they can't trust the US >space industry; agreement or NOT. Blah! > NASA has basically promised Europe and Japan a free ride on our Station. We spend the $30 billion, and they do the research. Blah to that! >As a potent launching pad for interplanetary journeys, whether manned or not, >we can't afford NOT to get the Station up there. The Station is useless as a platform for interplanetary journeys. nobody has even pretended it is useful for unmanned interplanetary craft. "Quick is beautiful" Freeman Dyson -- -------------------------------------------- Nick Szabo uunet!ibmsupt!szabonj These opinions are not related to Big Blue's ------------------------------ Date: 10 Oct 89 14:03:58 GMT From: attcan!lsuc!maccs!cs3sd3ai@uunet.uu.net (Stripper) Subject: space-based radar I am not really sure which newsgroup to post this to, so I'll start this query by saying that if anyone knows of a more appropriate newsgroup to put this in, flame me, and then tell me where to put it! Here's the problem : I am currently doing a thesis on the merits of "Digitally Adaptive Beamforming in a Space-Based Radar". What I plan on doing is simulating a DAB system in space, and then test different configurations of the system with a computer model. The possible variations of the system include : a) varying the number of satellites (global coverage) which trades off cost with detail b) varying the size of the receiver/transmitter c) whether any processing of the signal should be done at the satellite or on the ground d) more simple parameters such as the band the system should use, etc.. If anyone has any ideas on this project, or know of someone that would, could you please e-mail me?! :-) If I get some response, I'll summarize and post it to the net. Thanx John Clarke McMaster U. Hamilton, ON Canada e-mail : cs3sd3ai@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca or : cs4g6au@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca 8404509@jhevax.mcmaster.ca 8412195@scivax.mcmaster.ca Thanx again! ------------------------------ Date: 10 Oct 89 18:18:07 GMT From: ibmpa!szabonj@uunet.uu.net (nick szabo) Subject: Re: Geyser-like plume discovered on Neptune's moon Triton (Forwarded) In article <33233@ames.arc.nasa.gov> yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) writes: >Charles Redmond > Voyager 2's working life among the planets may be at an end, >but the spacecraft and its twin, Voyager 1, are expected to >continue returning information about the various fields and >particles they encounter while approaching and eventually >crossing the boundary of our solar system. The plutonium-based >generators that provide electricity to the spacecraft are >expected to keep alive the computers, science instruments and >radio transmitter for up to 25 or 30 more years. > > As of today, the long-lived project will be known as the >Voyager Interstellar Mission. The Voyager Project is managed for >NASA's Office of Space Science And Applications by the Jet >Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Speaking as a person experienced in the ins and outs of JPL beauracracy (but not speaking _for_ anybody but myself, of course :-) I can't help but wonder about the proposed scientific merits of this extended mission. Voyager 1 and 2 have explored more planets and moons, and returned more valuable data, than any other space probes, and I daresay, any other space mission in history. Their mission, carried out more than successfully, was to give us data on the gas giant planets and moons. But this mission has ended. The "Voyager Interstellar Mission" is a new twist. There are a large number of people working on Voyager right now, and quite naturally they need something to do. Meanwhile, we are launching the Galileo and Magellan missions. These projects plan to return at least an order of magnitude more data than Voyager, and will put a high demand on the communications networks and computational facilities. In 1992 we will launch Mars Observer, and later in the 90's CRAF and Cassini. There are not enough resources to support both these new missions and the "extended missions" of the Voyagers, Pioneers, etc. Both Voyagers, two of the Pioneers, and ICE all require the use of our largest and rarest (70m) antennae. Building a new 70m dish would cost and estimated $2 billion: the price of a new space shuttle. If we support the extended missions, we could lose valuable data from the new planetary missions. A question for astronomers and planetary scientists on the net: does the "Voyager Interstellar Mission" have enough scientific merit to sacrifice data from Galileo and Magellan? If not, IMHO Voyager workers should be transferred to Galileo, Magellan or wherever they want to go, and retrained as necessary. They are heroes and deserve our best. We can let the Voyagers fly free, checking in as schedules allow, content in the knowledge that they have completed our greatest space mission ever. -- -------------------------------------------- Nick Szabo uunet!ibmsupt!szabonj These opinions are not related to Big Blue's ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 89 16:44:56 GMT From: oliveb!mipos3!td2cad!jreece@apple.com (John Reece ) Subject: Re: Galileo Luddite status In article masticol@athos.rutgers.edu (Steve Masticola) writes: >Has anyone heard what the court decision was on the Galileo launch? I >listened to NPR tonight, heard nothing. The judge refused to block the launch. Along with the Bakker and Gabor verdicts, this has reconfirmed my faith in the American justice system. However, this morning they said they were going to try again with the same judge. By the way, has anyone noticed how reminiscent this debate has been of that scene in "Rain Main" where Tom Cruise tries to convince Dustin Hoffman that it's safe to fly? Maybe if we got Quantas to launch the mission instead of NASA these technophobes would be satisfied. -- John Reece jreece@yoyodyne.intel.com ------------------------------ Date: 11 Oct 89 13:04:49 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!dcl-cs!gdt!gdr!mapjilg@uunet.uu.net (J I L Gold) Subject: Re: Titius Series / Quantum orbits? >I used the series to show that like electron orbits, planetary orbits are >stable - they will return to stable orbits if slightly displaced from them. >This is, of course, the theory expounded in my book ... I'm not sure if you refer to long-term or short-term stability. Of course, planetary orbits are short-term stable or else we wouldn't be here. However, the best theory and the most advanced computational work has failed to show whether the solar system is stable over large epochs or not. Also, does the Titius (-Bode) rule account for elliptical orbits? If so, presumably the figure is the semi-major axis. What then about the semi-minor axis? There are infinite possibilities for this. If so, what weight can we give to the rule. If the rule does *not* apply to elliptical orbits,then what use is it anyway? J.Gold University of Bath England UK mapjilg@uk.ac.bath.gdr ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V10 #146 *******************