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 ; Thu, 9 Nov 89 01:34:31 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Thu, 9 Nov 89 01:33:45 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #223 SPACE Digest Volume 10 : Issue 223 Today's Topics: Re: Advice?? (asking for) a query Seeking Correspondance with AmRoc Engineer NASA Headline News (Forwarded) Re: More Info on NASP Re: A "spacey" ambition? NASA Update (Forwarded) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 7 Nov 89 18:35:13 GMT From: mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!delta.eecs.nwu.edu!phil@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (William LeFebvre) Subject: Re: Advice?? (asking for) In article <1989Nov6.174204.896@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: >In article <89306.192249AEA1@PSUVM.BITNET> AEA1@PSUVM.BITNET (Amy Antonucci) writes: >>I was wondering if anyone out there could give me advice on how >>to get on the right track so that I may be involved in the space >>program as a career. > >Operating mostly means working for NASA. The current setup for shuttle flight operations is kind of half NASA/JSC and half "STSOC" (Shuttle Transport System Operations Contract). STSOC is a consortium of companies, primarily Rockwell (the RSOC group), Bendix, and Ford Aerospace (not sure about the last one). There are advantages and disadvantages with each (NASA vs. STSOC). STSOC typically pays better at first, but there is little chance for advancement. NASA is the other way around, and has the advantage that you can always try to switch to something else when you get bored with STS operations. My wife was hired by Rockwell/RSOC fresh out of college in the summer of 1986 (just after Challenger and just before an across-the-board hiring freeze!). She double majored in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and graduated cum laude from Rice University (I'm not saying this to boast, but to give you an indication of her qualifications....of course, being female helped a bit, too, with the so-called "equal employment" quotas and all). After being there for about two years (as I recall) she was given the opportunity to switch over to NASA. Some people may not realize that this is a possibility, but it is: you can start off with a contractor and may still have the opportunity to switch to NASA a few years later. > Getting involved with the military does not look like a particularly > good way to get into the space business, at present. When you ride > a gorilla, you go where the gorilla wants to go, not where you want to go. That's a great way of putting it. In the military, THEY decide where you are stationed: you have very little say in the matter. Besides, it looks like the Air Force is getting out of the manned space business, at least for now. William LeFebvre Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Northwestern University ------------------------------ Date: 7 Nov 89 22:24:16 GMT From: garfield!leif!bewing@uunet.uu.net Subject: a query I am collecting information for a comparative study of the various ways a government spends the taxpayers money. included will be everything from housing the homeless to space research. can anyone tell me the cost of the last shuttle launch; how much is set aside for space exploration and what % of the budget this is. you can send this info directly to me rather than post it to the net if you wish. -----------------------------------------\ Bob Ewing -----------------------------/ / St. John's, nfld. :-) ------------------------------ Date: 8 Nov 89 02:15:11 GMT From: vixie!pacbell!well!avery@decwrl.dec.com (Avery Ray Colter) Subject: Seeking Correspondance with AmRoc Engineer I have heard many things about the American Rocket Company, and I would like to know more from someone who works there, as I am considering applying there. I invite anyone who works at AmRoc to correspond in E-mail. Thanks. -- Avery Ray Colter (415) 451-7786 | Now, class, repeat after me: {apple|ucbvax|pacbell}!well!avery | ICH LIEBE DIE BELEIBTEN LEIBEN, avery@well.sf.ca.us | UND HUPFENDE HUEFTE HABE ICH GERN! ------------------------------ Date: 8 Nov 89 19:58:52 GMT From: agate!genet!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!samsung!usc!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Ron Baalke) Subject: NASA Headline News (Forwarded) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, November 8, 1989 audio: 202/755-1788 ----------------------------------------------------------------- This is NASA headline news for Wednesday, November 8.... Taxi testing, takeoff, a captive flight and landing of the NASA B-52 and the Pegasus air launched orbital booster is now scheduled for Thursday at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., weather permitting. An attempt today was scrubbed. The test flight will verify the integrity of the configuration prior to launch which is expected sometime near the end of the year. If the test is conducted tomorrow, a video tape replay of highlights is scheduled for 4:00 p. m., eastern time, on NASA Select TV. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory reports that the Galileo spacecraft has operated well since it was deployed from the orbiter Atlantis last month. The flight team is continuing checkout of elements of the spacecraft. Galileo instruments detected and characterized the recent major solar flare activity that began october 19. The first trajectory correction is scheduled for later this week. Project officials say that nothing so far has ruled out the possibility of an encounter with the asteroid Gaspra between the first and second earth flybys. The solar flare in late October has inflicted some damage to the Magellan spacecraft's solar panels and star sensor system. A JPL spokesman told United Press International that highly charged particles streaming from the sun caused the Venus-bound spacecraft to lose two percent of its power and upset star calibrations for about a week. A NASA-NOAA geological team says the recent California earthquake resulted in a crustral movement of about 2 inches near Fort Ord in the San Francisco bay area. The data were obtained by mobile very long baseline interferometry systems. The measurements were taken immediately after the quake by Goddard Space Flight Center and NOAA geodetic survey scientists who have been monitoring sites along the San Andreas fault since 1972. Preparations for the next space shuttle launch continue at Kennedy Space Center. The flight readiness test on the main propulsion system is being conducted today. Launch of the STS-33 mission is set for November 20. 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: 9 Nov 89 00:49:45 GMT From: oliveb!mipos3!omepd!omews10.intel.com!larry@apple.com (Larry Smith) Subject: Re: More Info on NASP Jim Bowery responds: >Larry Smith writes: ... >Right, Larry. They pull out the old viewgraphs that were used to >sell the Shuttle as an operational vehicle ... >..., and you think the real goal >of NASP is to BUILD anything? >The REAL GOAL of NASP is, as many of us who haven't forgotten history >have been trying to tell the space nerds all along, to start yet >another Big Development Project ... >... other ideas can then try to find funding in an environment >of vested interests, bureaucracy and political sleaze. DAMN IT JIM !! I'M A SPACE NERD, NOT AN ACTIVIST !!! Sorry, no flame intended, I couldn't resist. Anyway, being a supporter of X-30, the current program is the only game in town that I have !! I don't think that I would be able to raise billions of dollars over the next 5-6 years, on the capital markets, to finance this program myself, and my last name isn't Forbes, Perot, or Trump. By the way, back in 1986 when NASP/X-30 started, they projected costs over the total program of 3.4 billion through 1994. Germany's Sanger project also started in 1986. They project their costs at near 20 billion. But their program stretches out to 2010. In fairness, there are those that say X-30 will cost much more that 3.4 billion over its total life as well. There has also been great progress made on NASP/X-30. What great progress ? Well, the program is classified, but let me speak in generalities about a few of them. The development of hypersonic fluid dynamics, and the development of airframe integrated hypersonic propulsion. I call some of the developments in my last post, REAL development. The development of hypersonic test facilities. Before X-30, there were a few hypersonic test facilities in all of the world. Now there are many more. The development of denser hydrogen fuels (ie: slush hydrogen). There was also one location that was going to start investigating gelatinized hydrogen. Eventually, carbon based fuels will be in short supply, even for commercial aircraft. The improvement of Isp in high thrust engines, via air breathing techniques. There's no reason why some of these techniques can't be used on vertical launchers as well. The marrying of lower speed engine technologies, with hypersonic engine technologies. This enables takeoff from a runway, and acceleration up to hypersonic engine 'start' velocities. The development of cooling technologies, and low weight, high strength, high temperature materials. Including their manufacturing and bonding processes. Examples are: Titanium Aluminide, Carbon Carbon, Heat Pipes, there are others as well. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) - Numerical Wind Tunnels. Previously codes existed to model a one dimensional approach to hypersonic CFD. Example: Hypersonic flow, without viscous effects, without real gas effects, without chemical equilibrium effects, without low density flow effects, without turbulence models, etc . Now multi-dimensional integrated codes exist, that attempt to model almost the total flow Different models of turbulence have also been added, to model internal engine flows, and boundary layer seperation on the airframe. As I said in my last posting, we need to validate these codes via REAL vehicles. Visualization of Computational Results. As you can see from the complexity of the model above, this is one of the projects that is driving development of this new field. Hypersonic crew ejection (well its not realy ejection in the normal usage of the word). Now, there are ALLOT of aerospace projects that can benefit from advances in at least ONE of these areas. And thats just an additional benefit of the X-30 program!! In my opinion, its very short sighted to kill this program. The research and the hardware tests so far, are ahead of schedule, and they say GO! Allot of people think the X-30 is too far out. But remember, the shuttle flys at those velocities during re-entry. So we're not talking of an environment that hasn't been experienced before at all. Imagine designing the first hypersonic re-entry vehicle. No supercomputers to use. Very little hypersonic shock wave, boundary layer theory. Talk about risky. If you say all of this is just SMOKE, then I guess we disagree. We can't stop researching and developing improvements to our space transportation systems. Larry Smith ------------------------------ Date: 7 Nov 89 18:49:12 GMT From: logicon.arpa!trantor.harris-atd.com!x102a!wmccain@nosc.mil (mccain wb 17021) Subject: Re: A "spacey" ambition? In reference to the recent discussions of how to get into space, how would one actually go about applying? Is there some toll free number at NASA I could call to get an application sent to me, or is the process itself a closely held secret? I would appreciate hearing what anyone knows on the subject. Bruce McCain ------------------------------ Date: 9 Nov 89 00:19:56 GMT From: henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!forsight!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@cs.ucla.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: NASA Update (Forwarded) RELEASE: 89-171 DETAILED CONSOLIDATION OF SPACE FLIGHT/SPACE STATION OFFICES ANNOUNCED NASA Administrator Richard H. Truly today provided additional details on the consolidation of the Offices of Space Flight and Space Station into a single organization headed by Associate Administrator Dr. William B. Lenoir. The newly formed organization will be called the Office of Space Flight (OSF). George Abbey will continue to serve as the Deputy Associate Administrator for the organization. "The consolidation provides a structure within which the leadership and accomplishment of assigned programs and space transportation will be assured," said Lenoir. "The division of responsibilities is clear and the mechanisms to assure coordination are in place." It is planned that the Space Flight organization will include four major areas: Space Shuttle, Space Station Freedom, Space Flight Systems and Human Resources and Institutions. Robert L. Crippen is the acting Director of the Space Shuttle Program, and Richard H. Kohrs is the Director of the Space Station Freedom Program. Joseph B. Mahon is the Director for Flight Systems, and Richard J. Wisniewski is the Director for Human Resources and Institutions. Several offices and staff positions will provide Lenoir with direct support. Those areas are Resources Management with responsibility for resource evaluation and integration for all OSF programs, and Program Control for Space Station Freedom in Reston and the Space Shuttle at JSC; Transportation Services which will serve as the interface with space transportation customers; an Executive Unit with responsibility for correspondence control, audit functions, reviews of NASA Management Instructions, and administrative and management services to the OSF organization at NASA Headquarters; and a Technical Integration and Analysis Office which will provide the Associate Administrator with a quick-response capability in dealing with selected technical issues or concerns. The consolidation results in no major changes in the Space Shuttle program. At NASA Headquarters, the organization now in place continues with the major functions of Program Plans, System Engineering and Analysis, and Operations Utilization. Two deputies, one for program and one for operations continue to be located at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, and Kennedy Space Center, Fla., respectively. Lines of communication and decision making remain unchanged. The most significant changes made as a result of the consolidation have been made to program management organizational elements within the Space Station Freedom Program. This organization has been strengthened and program management has been consolidated into NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and Reston, Va. The Program Director's office will now include three major functions: engineering, operations and policy. The Deputy Director, Robert Moorehead, is located in Reston, Va. The Deputy Director is supported by a Deputy for Operations, also located at Reston, and a Deputy for Integration, located at JSC. The Deputy for Integration is supported by two field offices, with a manager for element integration at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., and a manager for system integration at JSC. At Reston, strong staff offices in system engineering and analysis, management integration, and safety, reliability and quality assurance are retained. No major organizational changes have been made within the Space Flight Systems division. A new focus on human resources management has been assigned to the Human Resources and Institutions organization. Primary responsibilities continue to be the advocacy, determination and recommendation of manpower, facilities and other institutional resources. The focus on leadership development within the Office of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters and across the centers will be strengthened. Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov Jet Propulsion Lab M/S 301-355 | baalke@jems.jpl.nasa.gov 4800 Oak Grove Dr. | Pasadena, CA 91109 | ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V10 #223 *******************