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 ; Mon, 27 Nov 89 01:24:28 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Mon, 27 Nov 89 01:24:08 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #279 SPACE Digest Volume 10 : Issue 279 Today's Topics: Soviets successfully launch Mir expansion module space news from Oct 2 AW&ST Re: UK/USSR cosmonaut's named for Juno mission to Mir Carbon in Asteroids (was Re: Moon Colonies / Ant Tanks?) Carbon in Asteroids (was Re: Moon Colonies / Ant Tanks?) Re: Antimatter Drives. Re: Asteroid strikes and warning times RE: SPACE Digest V10 #277 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Nov 89 12:09:30 EST From: Glenn Chapman Subject: Soviets successfully launch Mir expansion module The USSR successfully launched the first of the large expansion modules to their Mir/Kvant space station today at about 8 am EST (16:00 Moscow time) today (Nov. 26). The exact launch time was not stated and there was no shortwave news available at 8 am. This 20 Tonne "D" module is almost the same size as the core section of Mir. Its most important additions to the station's ability are a new large airlock, a Manned Maneuvering Unite (called by them the "space chair or space bicycle") and two more crew cabins (bringing the total in the station to 4). Docking will occur on Dec. 2 on the axial docking port at the front "ball" section of Mir. Shortly there after the module will be swung to one of the four side docking ports on that ball by means of a robot arm attached to the new section itself. No times for this transfer have been stated. The expansion of Mir is finally underway after being delayed from its first expected launch in the spring, and a second attempt in October. Now we will see how the station operates when there is the asymmetry in the loading of the station that one module on the side creates. Glenn Chapman MIT Lincoln Lab ------------------------------ Date: 26 Nov 89 22:33:57 GMT From: cs.utexas.edu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo!henry@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Henry Spencer) Subject: space news from Oct 2 AW&ST Editorial commenting that despite protestations of "strong support", Bush, Quayle, and the National Space Council have been silent while NASP has been fighting for its life in budget hearings. DARPA is examining a proposal by Globesat Inc and CTA Inc for a small tactical spysat, capable of launch on Pegasus or other small boosters, that could provide 1m resolution from a 400nmi orbit. The concept is to give the armed forces a low-cost quick-look reconnaissance capability. Latest on the Incredible Shrinking Space Station... Completion will slip 18 months to 1999 and management will be reorganized, again. More of the management authority will move to Marshall and Johnson. Launch of the Japanese and European modules will slip about a year to 1998. Electric power available to users drops from 45kW to 30kW. The oxyhydrogen thruster scheme has been abandoned in favor of hydrazine; this will be a simpler system and will not need 4kW of power for water electrolysis, but will need regular fuel shipments from Earth. The 20kHz AC power system is abandoned [good!] in favor of DC. [Curious -- why not use the standard aircraft 400Hz AC? Because that would be an admission that the ridiculous 20kHz stuff was a mistake?] The thermal control system is being redesigned and simplified. The combined effect of several of these changes is to eliminate the need for a major external plumbing network, which will simplify assembly. The 8psi spacesuit is deferred in favor of using the 4psi shuttle suit (which requires a substantial prebreathing period before use). These changes were formally recommended to Truly by Lenoir (associate admin for Space Station and Spaceflight) last week. [Readers are reminded that all times in these summaries are as of publication date.] Lenoir was not impressed by the state the program was in when he took over: "I had hoped I would find the program in better shape..." He wasn't impressed by the management setup either: "There were certainly more efficient ways to segment this program..." The international partners are considering their reactions, but overall they are not pleased. Congress is also starting to grumble about the continued shrinkage and slippage of the program. SDI flies two sounding-rocket tests Sept 4 and 11 to validate laboratory data on survivability techniques. Few details available. NASA assesses water damage to Columbia after accidental activation Sept 24 of a fire-extinguisher water-deluge system. [Eventually assessed as not serious.] The payload bay doors, and most other doors, were closed at the time, and the orbiter was powered down. It has been powered up without incident, although there is some remaining worry about wet connectors that might short. LDEF is just above 200nmi. If Columbia goes up on schedule Dec 18, LDEF will be retrieved Dec 21 at a predicted altitude of 177nmi. Solar activity of late is nearly 25% above prediction, however. NASA would be reluctant to attempt retrieval below 130nmi. Last NASA-run KSC expendable launch successful Sept 25, carrying a Navy comsat, after a 3-day slip due to concern about Hurricane Hugo. -- That's not a joke, that's | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology NASA. -Nick Szabo | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu ------------------------------ Date: 26 Nov 89 07:30:17 GMT From: usc!cs.utexas.edu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!ists!yunexus!utzoo!henry@ucsd.edu (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: UK/USSR cosmonaut's named for Juno mission to Mir In article <8911260427.AA17591@ll-vlsi.arpa> glenn@VLSI.LL.MIT.EDU (Glenn Chapman) writes: > The British have announced (on Nov. 25th) the finalist for the >UK/USSR Juno mission in Apr. 1991. The first of the comosnauts is >Miss Helen Sharman... The other is Major Timothy Mace... Interesting. There had been reports that the Soviets had set a firm condition that both candidates be of the same sex, to simplify last-minute swaps of prime and backup. -- That's not a joke, that's | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology NASA. -Nick Szabo | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu ------------------------------ Date: 26 Nov 89 09:46:07 GMT From: zephyr.ens.tek.com!wrgate!mrloog!dant@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Dan Tilque) Subject: Carbon in Asteroids (was Re: Moon Colonies / Ant Tanks?) henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Mark Gellis) writes: >>... this means you have to have >>carbon as an initial material. How common is carbon in the solar >>system (not counting hard to reach places like the core of the sun)? > >There is, however, a useful >amount of carbon in certain classes of meteorites and hence very probably >in certain classes of asteroids. Those are the C-class asteroids. I don't think they've subdivided the class, but I could be wrong. There is one slight hitch: the C-class tend to inhabit the outer part of the asteroid belt. The inner part is mainly stony, stony-irons and iron class asteroids. There are exceptions of course, this is only a general rule. What this means is that C-class have a average semi-major axis of about 2.8 A.U. and the others about 2.3. This would make it somewhat more expensive to reach the average C-class asteroid. I don't know what the typical composition of Earth-crossing (i.e. nearby) asteroids is although I suspect it's the same as the inner asteroid belt. --- Dan Tilque -- dant@mrloog.WR.TEK.COM "There are no more Communists in China." -- Chiang Kai-shek, 1939 ------------------------------ Date: 26 Nov 89 09:16:37 GMT From: zephyr.ens.tek.com!wrgate!mrloog!dant@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Dan Tilque) Subject: Carbon in Asteroids (was Re: Moon Colonies / Ant Tanks?) henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > f3w@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Mark Gellis) writes: >>... this means you have to have >>carbon as an initial material. How common is carbon in the solar >>system (not counting hard to reach places like the core of the sun)? > >There is, however, a useful >amount of carbon in certain classes of meteorites and hence very probably >in certain classes of asteroids. Those are the C-class asteroids. I don't think they've subdivided the class, but I could be wrong. There is one slight hitch: the C-class tend to inhabit the outer part of the asteroid belt. The inner part is mainly stony, stony-irons and iron class asteroids. There are exceptions of course, this is only a general rule. What this means is that C-class have a average semi-major axis of about 2.8 A.U. and the others about 2.3. This would make it somewhat more expensive to reach the average C-class asteroid. I don't know what the typical composition of Earth-crossing (i.e. nearby) asteroids is although I suspect it's the same as the inner asteroid belt. --- Dan Tilque -- dant@mrloog.WR.TEK.COM "There are no more Communists in China." -- Chiang Kai-shek, 1939 ------------------------------ Date: 26 Nov 89 23:17:24 GMT From: bfmny0!tneff@uunet.uu.net (Tom Neff) Subject: Re: Antimatter Drives. I wish to object to the anti-matter bias of this newsgroup, as exemplified by the references to L. Rob Forward and others. Is there no PRO-matter spokesman who will step forward? -- "Of course, this is a, this is a Hunt, you | Tom Neff will -- that will uncover a lot of things. | tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET You open that scab, there's a hell of a lot of things... This involves these Cubans, Hunt, and a lot of hanky-panky that we have nothing to do with ourselves." -- RN 6/23/72 ------------------------------ Date: 26 Nov 89 08:56:28 GMT From: zephyr.ens.tek.com!wrgate!mrloog!dant@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Dan Tilque) Subject: Re: Asteroid strikes and warning times henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > path@ux.acss.umn.edu (Patrick A. Hillmeyer) writes: > >>If they could give a warning would it be early enough to >>do anything? ... I'm wondering if there would be enough time >>to get out the word that this is a natural disaster and not a first strike. > >If it came in on the right sort of trajectory and was recognized for what it >was, maybe. I wouldn't put a large bet on it myself. I would think that NORAD would be at least somewhat proficient at identifying meteors. Every once in a while, a large fireball whizzes by over North America causing a rash of phone calls to local police about UFO's or whatever. I doubt if North America is unique in this regard, so I would expect NORAD's Soviet counterparts to be similarly proficient. Meteors should be identifyable by their high velocity as well as the long trail of ionized air they leaves behind. --- Dan Tilque -- dant@mrloog.WR.TEK.COM "There are no more Communists in China." -- Chiang Kai-shek, 1939 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Nov 89 14:16 EDT From: "Eric W. Weisstein" Subject: RE: SPACE Digest V10 #277 To: cornell!andrew.cmu.edu!space+@wrath.cs.cornell.edu Dear Sir, Please remove me from the Space Digest mailing list. Unfortunately, I have insufficient disk space to receive such a large amount of mail. Thanks. Eric pc3y@crnlvax5.bitnet ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V10 #279 *******************