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 ; Fri, 3 Nov 89 01:43:56 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Fri, 3 Nov 89 01:42:42 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #194 SPACE Digest Volume 10 : Issue 194 Today's Topics: Payload Status for 10/30/89 (Forwarded) Re: Manned Jupiter Mission (was Re: Re: Manned Jupiter Mission Re: Trying to build a fluxgate magnetometer -- help! Re: Powersat options II: Magnetism? Re: "Terraforming", so-called... Galileo Update KSC Payload Update Re: Manned Jupiter Mission (was Re: Condensed CANOPUS - August 1989) Re: PowerSat Options Re: Units of Measure (was fluxgate magnetometer) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 30 Oct 89 19:14:31 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: Payload Status for 10/30/89 (Forwarded) [No, don't ask we what all the acronyms mean. This is the raw daily payload status coming out of KSC. -PEY] Daily Status/KSC Payload Management and Operations 10-30-89 - STS-31R HST (at VPF) - Friday it was determined the HST single point ground problem was not a constraint to power up. Battery charging then was completed and at 2300 hours Friday, the HST was powered up for start of functional testing. At 0045 hours Sunday the HST was powered down, and vacuum pump down of the reaction wheel assemblies in Bay 9 picked up. HST will power up again this morning. Personnel are supporting the continuous VPF environmental and ECS unit monitoring. -STS-32R SYNCOM (at VPF) - Platform removal from the VPF was shutdown Friday because of weather. Removal has been rescheduled for today. - STS-35 ASTRO-1/BBXRT (at O&C) - After removal of a microswitch, a 0.156 inch diameter video probe was used to aid in the search for the missing washer. The washer was located in the PGSA-1 motor area, removed, and the microswitch reinstalled. - STS-40 SLS-1 (at O&C) - Rack 7 and 10 stiffener mod activities have been placed on hold pending design center resolution of the countersink rivet issue. Installation of the MVAK servo unit was completed, and the experiment RAU and code plug was installed. Assessment of the MVAK proofloading continues. ------------------------------ Date: 31 Oct 89 01:25:26 GMT From: unmvax!deimos.cis.ksu.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!daniel@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU Subject: Re: Manned Jupiter Mission (was Re: In an article by henry@utzoo.uucp, Henry Spencer writes: >..... >In article <1989Oct29.210152.27514@cs.rochester.edu> yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu (Brian Yamauchi) writes: >>Are there any technical obstacles to a Jovian mission other than the >>longer flight time (requiring more supplies, larger ships, etc.) and >>the radiation around Jupiter? > >Manned Jupiter missions could *really* *really* use better propulsion >...... >Long travel times magnify supply problems and increase the advantages of >...... >However, I'd say that the limitations imposed by Jupiter's Van Allen belts >are the only technical problems that couldn't be solved with reasonable >effort. Progress in advanced propulsion has been largely stalled for two IMHO, and I believe other's opinions, is that one of the greatest challenges of even a manned trip to Mars is that of radiation shielding from cosmic radiation. A functional permanent moon base, being outside of the Van Allen belts, would need at least 5 m of lunar soil to protect its inhabitants from cosmic radiation. If astro/cosmonauts spent 18 months flying to Mars in the traditional 5-10 cm thick hulled tin can that has been the tradition for space crafts flown under the Earth's Van Allen belts, they would experience quite perceptible brain damage from the exposure on the way there, not to mention what they would experience while there and on the way back! If humans did make it to Jupiter, I would think that, unless they have very good shielding, would head either for the cover of >5 m of Jovian moon dirt or for the underside of the Jovian radiation belts! BTW, a very good shielding for a spacecraft would probably be paraffin: It would absorb the energy of both charged and uncharged particles and not itself become dangerously radioactive after prolonged exposure. -- Daniel Pommert email.internet: pommert@uiuc.edu email.bitnet: daniel@uiucvmd phone: (217) 333-8629 post: DCL Rm, 150 1304 W. Springfield Urbana, IL 61801-2987 where: 40 6 47 N Latitude 88 13 36 W Longitude ------------------------------ Date: 30 Oct 89 07:52:40 GMT From: munnari.oz.au!bruce!monu1!vaxc!phs433k@uunet.uu.net (Joe Voros) Subject: Re: Manned Jupiter Mission In article <1989Oct29.210152.27514@cs.rochester.edu>, yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu (Brian Yamauchi) writes: > > Are there any technical obstacles to a Jovian mission other than the > longer flight time (requiring more supplies, larger ships, etc.) and > the radiation around Jupiter? One problem is that HAL does not yet exist :-) -- Joe Voros, Physics Dept, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia. ------------------------------ Date: 30 Oct 89 19:14:24 GMT From: sei!firth@PT.CS.CMU.EDU (Robert Firth) Subject: Re: Trying to build a fluxgate magnetometer -- help! In article <1425@calvin.EE.CORNELL.EDU> johns@calvin.spp.cornell.edu.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) writes: >But, come the revolution, the MKSeoisie will be the first with >their backs against the wall. Hear hear! Not content with making us remember all kinds of silly historical names, they have now removed one of the best terms in the entire science of electromagnetism. Who ever heard of "de-Tesla-ing" ? ------------------------------ Date: 30 Oct 89 20:18:49 GMT From: bfmny0!tneff@uunet.uu.net (Tom Neff) Subject: Re: Powersat options II: Magnetism? One way to make powersats useless as weapons is to beam their own support power UP from Earth. Collect and beam the solar power in a form unusable for the satellite's own power needs: those are supplied from the ground. If the powersat loses lock with its ground collector, the "plug" is automatically yanked. (On-board batteries and programming would suffice to reacquire lock after ground shutoff, so you don't pull a FOBOS with the thing -- but power collection would not resume until ground command.) It makes sense to build them this way from a public safety standpoint even without terrorism considerations. -- Annex Canada now! We need the room, \) Tom Neff and who's going to stop us. (\ tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET ------------------------------ Date: 30 Oct 89 20:53:54 GMT From: gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!uhnix1!uhvax1!cosc77c@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (ALVIN CARLEY, USS) Subject: Re: "Terraforming", so-called... In article <1989Oct21.231641.23009@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > In article <4657ba3b.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer) writes: >> ... Is anyone blue-skying the >> feasibility of this sort of thing in a serious way? > > More or less. You might want to check out Oberg's book "New Earths". > I believe the Jim Oberg's book "New Earths" was based on material presented at the first of two symposiums he organized on the subject of terraforming. Both were held in conjuction with the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference here in Houston, the first one in the late '70s. I was not in a position to know of that first symposium, but I not only attended the second one in 1987, but Jim requested the services of mine and my brother's video production partnership. We had exclusive rights to producing the "official" Terraforming II videotape, which we have exclusive rights to market. We also have it on audio cassette. Jim also had proceedings published, and had us produce "official" Terraforming II buttons. I'm not going to get any more commercial than I have already, here. If anyone is interested in these or any other material we may have, my first choice is that you send it to our USnail P.O. Box: Space Frontier Group P.O. Box 231404 Houston, Tx 77223-1404 I will forward questions to Jim Oberg, on the subject, if you like. Alvin Carley - General Partner, Space Frontier Group - President, University Space Society (SEDS) University of Houston - Assignment Editor, The COLONIST, Houston Space Society (NSS) ------------------------------ Date: 30 Oct 89 22:39:28 GMT From: gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!usc!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: Galileo Update GALILEO STATUS UPDATE 30 OCTOBER 1989 Galileo is now 2.5 million miles from Earth traveling at 59,845 mph as it slowly drops in towards the orbit of Venus. Its radio transmitter is now operating at 30 watts and its propulsion system has been operated twice in tests and for maintainence purposes. Galileo's atmospheric probe has been checked out last week and its condition is fine. The spacecraft's ion detector was turned on during the latter part of the solar flare and has measured heavy ions in the range of 130 million volts, none of which affected Galileo's electronics. On Wednesday, the spinning of the lower part of the spacecraft where the optical sensors are mounted will be stopped. At present the whole spacecraft is spinning at 2.9 revolutions per minute. The top part of Galileo where controller electronics, power, propulsion, radiation and magnetic field sensors, and radio attennas are located will continue spinning for the duration of the mission. Ron Baalke | (818) 541-2341 x260 Jet Propulsion Lab M/S 301-355 | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov 4800 Oak Grove Dr. | Pasadena, CA 91109 | ------------------------------ Date: 30 Oct 89 19:18:54 GMT From: cs.utexas.edu!usc!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!forsight!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: KSC Payload Update DAILY STATUS/KSC PAYLOAD MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS 10-30-89 - STS-31R HST (AT VPF) - FRIDAY IT WAS DETERMINED THE HST SINGLE POINT GROUND PROBLEM WAS NOT A CONSTRAINT TO POWER UP. BATTERY CHARGING THEN WAS COMPLETED AND AT 2300 HOURS FRIDAY, THE HST WAS POWERED UP FOR START OF FUNCTIONAL TESTING. AT 0045 HOURS SUNDAY THE HST WAS POWERED DOWN, AND VACUUM PUMP DOWN OF THE REACTION WHEEL ASSEMBLIES IN BAY 9 PICKED UP. HST WILL POWER UP AGAIN THIS MORNING. PERSONNEL ARE SUPPORTING THE CONTINUOUS VPF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECS UNIT MONITORING. -STS-32R SYNCOM (AT VPF) - PLATFORM REMOVAL FROM THE VPF WAS SHUTDOWN FRIDAY BECAUSE OF WEATHER. REMOVAL HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR TODAY. - STS-35 ASTRO-1/BBXRT (AT O&C) - AFTER REMOVAL OF A MICROSWITCH, A 0.156 INCH DIAMETER VIDEO PROBE WAS USED TO AID IN THE SEARCH FOR THE MISSING WASHER. THE WASHER WAS LOCATED IN THE PGSA-1 MOTOR AREA, REMOVED, AND THE MICROSWITCH REINSTALLED. - STS-40 SLS-1 (AT O&C) - RACK 7 AND 10 STIFFENER MOD ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN PLACED ON HOLD PENDING DESIGN CENTER RESOLUTION OF THE COUNTERSINK RIVET ISSUE. INSTALLATION OF THE MVAK SERVO UNIT WAS COMPLETED, AND THE EXPERIMENT RAU AND CODE PLUG WAS INSTALLED. ASSESSMENT OF THE MVAK PROOFLOADING CONTINUES. Ron Baalke | (818) 541-2341 x260 Jet Propulsion Lab M/S 301-355 | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov 4800 Oak Grove Dr. | Pasadena, CA 91109 | ------------------------------ Date: 30 Oct 89 23:56:27 GMT From: jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo!henry@rutgers.edu (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: Manned Jupiter Mission (was Re: Condensed CANOPUS - August 1989) In article <4772@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Mark Gellis) writes: >I've heard talk of using magnetic fields to deflect cosmic rays, particles, >etc. This would supposedly lower the mass of the hull necessary to protect >the crew of a spacecraft from radiation. Is this true? Workable? What is >involved in setting up such a "radiation shield"? It's theoretically possible but complicated. The designs I'm aware of for things like space colonies all use brute-force mass rather than magnetic shielding. One problem is that it's the very highest energies that are the big worry; stopping the low 99% is not good enough. >... I heard something around two meters of >asteroid/lunar rock should be enough to stop pretty much everything; I was >wondering if this was true. As far as I know, that's still the common wisdom. Unfortunately, 2m of rock is awfully heavy for a spaceship. >One final question. If magnetic fields for radiation shielding will work, >how much power would it require... Depending on the scheme, it could require nearly zero power. Maintaining a constant field would be done with superconductors. >Also (okay, I know this is two questions), >can it operate if the object is moving relatively fast, like a spacecraft >moving from one location in a solar system to another? Yes. Spacecraft velocities are insignificant compared to cosmic-ray velocities, so object motion is not an issue. -- A bit of tolerance is worth a | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology megabyte of flaming. | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu ------------------------------ Date: 30 Oct 89 23:06:15 GMT From: crash!orbit!pnet51!schaper@nosc.mil (S Schaper) Subject: Re: PowerSat Options 1) I am not opposed to SPS 2) I do not have beam-o-phobia 3) I think you mis-understood. The suggestion wasn't turning the low-density microwave beam on someone. It started with someone suggesting a _laser_ to replace it. b) the Mil _could_ send up a radio-frequency FEL to a powersat clandestinely (well, sort of clandestinely) Certainly it would be inkeeping with CPSU behaviours to do so. Yes it would be absurdly vulnerable. Worried governments wouldn't permit construction or else remove it, after all, it doesn't take too many seconds for several to a myriad pumped free-electron lasers to take out all space-based recon sats, and be ready for anything coming up from the ground, including bombarding ground-based high-energy weapons like the Soviet installations at Semi-Politensk and Sharisagan (sp).] Note: we know pretty much all we need to technologically to build SPS's but we _haven't_ the problems are economic/political and geopolitical. I think UUCP: {amdahl!bungia, uunet!rosevax, chinet, killer}!orbit!pnet51!schaper ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!schaper@nosc.mil INET: schaper@pnet51.cts.com ------------------------------ Date: 30 Oct 89 23:06:12 GMT From: crash!orbit!pnet51!schaper@nosc.mil (S Schaper) Subject: Re: Units of Measure (was fluxgate magnetometer) Forsooth, sirrah, no goode Englishman will ever use that cursed Frog gibberish! :-) UUCP: {amdahl!bungia, uunet!rosevax, chinet, killer}!orbit!pnet51!schaper ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!schaper@nosc.mil INET: schaper@pnet51.cts.com ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V10 #194 *******************