Message-ID: <IZSV3H200VcJE6904q@andrew.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
Date: Mon,  4 Dec 89 01:38:11 -0500 (EST)
Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #304

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 10 : Issue 304

Today's Topics:
	   Re: NASA Headline News for 12/01/89 (Forwarded)
				Topaz
Re: What happened when SkyLab came down? [was : What happens when a satellite comes down?
	   Re: What's an 'aerospike' booster configuration?
	      Continuing problems docking Kvant 2 to Mir
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 3 Dec 89 21:41:01 GMT
From: zephyr.ens.tek.com!tekgen!tekigm2!johnob@uunet.uu.net  (John Obendorfer)
Subject: Re: NASA Headline News for 12/01/89 (Forwarded)

In article <2377@hudson.acc.virginia.edu> gl8f@bessel.acc.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl) writes:
>In article <37103@ames.arc.nasa.gov> yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) writes:
>
>>The Washington Post reports Vice President Quayle and the 
>>National Space Council, held several meetings this week to 
>>evaluate alternative ways of sending humans to the moon and to 
>>Mars.  Included in one of the sessions were author Tom Clancy, 
>>scientists Carl Sagan and Edward Teller; former astronaut Michael 
>>Collins and physicist Charles Townes.
>
>This left me rolling on the floor. Carl Sagan and Edward Teller were
>listed in the same category, while Charlie Townes was respectfully
>labeled with the actual field he does work in.

   Well, not wanting to start a flame war here, this is an honest
question:  I can see Quayle and the Space Council talking to people like
Sagan, Collins, Townes, (and even Teller, who certainly must know about
something besides engineering new and exciting ways to kill commies),
but Tom Clancy?  Why include an ex-insurance salesman turned pot-boiler
writer?  (Disclaimer: Hunt For Red October, et al, was fine reading for
the 3 days I was in a 103+ degree fever, but it had few insights into the
human condition, as it were :-))

   John

------------------------------

Date: 27 Nov 89 23:45:35 GMT
From: sun-barr!newstop!texsun!pollux!attctc!@ames.arc.nasa.gov  (Stuart Dann)
Subject: Topaz

Does anyone know the specs for the Russian TOPAZ series orbiting reactor? 
ie shielding, power/weight density etc? 


--  
Internet: Stuart.Dann@p0.f203.n670.z3.FIDONET.ORG
UUCP: ...!attctc!tlsi!3!670!203.0!Stuart.Dann
Note: TLSI is a free gateway between Usenet & Fidonet. For info write to root.

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Dec 89 11:40:42 PST
From: Peter Scott <pjs@aristotle.Jpl.Nasa.Gov>
Subject: Re: What happened when SkyLab came down? [was : What happens when a satellite comes down?

vsi1!daver!wombat!george@apple.com  (George Scolaro) writes:

>Eh, what do you mean fortuitous blind luck? Skylab crashed into Western
>Australia, in the goldfields behind Kalgoorlie. Since Kalgoorlie is pretty
>close to due east, 600km, of Perth (the capital with 1 million or so) it
>seems to me that if had come down a tiny bit sooner it would have been less
>then fortuitous. Many of the locals went out on a scrap locating mission,
>probably the closest us poor aussies have got to space tech. in a long time,
>and brought back bits and pieces, certainly some were large enough to squish
>a person.

There's gratitude for you.  We go to all the trouble of plonking the thing
down right where you can pick up souvenirs on a weekend trip and nothing
but complaints.  That's the last time NASA does anything to help the Australian
economy and tourist trade, buddy...    :-)

Peter Scott (pjs@grouch.jpl.nasa.gov)   

Everything I say has the full authority of the Space Administration
behind it...    Ha, just kidding...

------------------------------

Date: 3 Dec 89 16:12:43 GMT
From: mcsun!ukc!icdoc!syma!nickw@uunet.uu.net  (Nick Watkins)
Subject: Re: What's an 'aerospike' booster configuration?

In article <5105@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM> philj@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Phil Jansen) writes:

>What is an 'aerospike' anyway, and how does it work?
The Gary Hudson posting seems to answer this, but if you want to see the
pictures, try "Frontiers of Space" by Phil Bono and Kenneth Gatland
(Blandford Press, various editions from 1969 ish).
 A book full of things to gladden the hearts of most sci.space readers.
Mars bases, space stations, shuttles ...
 Plus ca change

 Nick


-- 
Nick Watkins, Space & Plasma Physics Group, School of Mathematical
& Physical Sciences, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton, E.Sussex, BN1 9QH, ENGLAND
JANET: nickw@syma.sussex.ac.uk   BITNET: nickw%syma.sussex.ac.uk@uk.ac

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Dec 89 18:13 EST
From: APSEY%RCSMPB@gmr.com
Subject: Continuing problems docking Kvant 2 to Mir


Date: Sun, 3 Dec 89
From: Jim Apsey <apsey@gmr.com>
Subject: Kvant 2 expansion preceeding to Mir though with problems

	I heard last evening on Radio Moscow that they're still having
problems with the Kvant 2 docking which has been put off till 6 Dec.  The 
crew tried to manually dock with Kvant 2 but were unsuccessful.  Apparently
the automatic docking system has failed or needs repair.  Kvant 2 is now in
orbit but about 20 Km away at this point.

	I'm reporting this in response to Glenn Chapman's request to cover
events during his travels.
				Jim Apsey
				General Motors Research Laboratories

------------------------------

End of SPACE Digest V10 #304
*******************