Message-ID: <8Ze3AnC00VcJIGBU4Q@andrew.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
Date: Mon,  8 Jan 90 01:29:09 -0500 (EST)
Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #387

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 10 : Issue 387

Today's Topics:
			 Re: who's out there?
     Re: Chris Robertson's "Henry bio" (was Re: who's out there?)
	       Re: Launching AUSSAT on Chinese rockets
		   Re: Air to orbit launch in 1985?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 24 Dec 89 02:47:18 GMT
From: usc!samsung!munnari.oz.au!basser!metro!pta!mcc!chris@ucsd.edu  (Chris Robertson)
Subject: Re: who's out there?

In article <71*thompson@arc.cdn> thompson@arc.CDN (bradley thompson) writes:
>
>... I would like to suggest ... for some of our more frequent
>contributors ... a brief bio. [be] submitted ... people
>like Dietz, Neff, Spencer, and Szabo. ...
                   ^^^^^^^
Well, since Henry's on vacation right now and it'll be about a week
before he's up again, I thought I'd fill in a little of his background
for you, since I've been putting together a "Henry bio" for some years now.

Henry began in Saskatoon, and his interest in space was well
established by the time he was in a high school.  Efforts to talk
to the teachers there have unfortunately been unsuccessful, as the school
doesn't seem to exist any more.  (When I mentioned this to Henry, he
mailed something vague about being interested in chemistry at school, too.)

At the University of Saskatchewan he was active in both chemistry and
computer science, but again the details are hazy as the chemistry lab
he was in doesn't seem to exist now either.  I'm not sure whether he was
active in the University Space Society as I can't find out how extensive the
University's net was then.

He moved to Toronto for the Master's program in computer science, but the
building where he was first based doesn't seem to exist any more --
the Dean said a fire started mysteriously in the middle of the night.
The fire department arrived amazingly fast, and immediately concentrated
all their efforts on saving the computers and tapes;  this suggests
strongly that the Toronto networks were better established at that time
than many of us realized.

The computer science department was moved to temporary accommodations,
and it was there that I myself first encountered Henry;  the place
was a warren of old corridors, and I never did find out exactly where
his working terminal was.  (Now, of course, that we realize Henry's
significance, I curse myself for my lack of persistence, especially
since that building doesn't really exist any more -- it's been totally
gutted and renovated into Admin offices.)

It was about this time that Usenet began, and Henry immediately made
connections to it and began to post frequently in the emerging space
groups.  We realized, of course, that the net must be connecting to
NASA, although no one in authority would confirm this.  Actually,
Henry's interests and connections are quite wide-ranging;  he's
well-known in the C newsgroups, as well as the military ones.  I
personally have found his military knowledge quite amazing, but I
suppose that's not surprising, considering his interests in cryptology.

He is currently based in the Zoology Department at the Univ. of Toronto
(a solid, fire-proof building with an extensive networked computer
facility).  We have all wondered at the significance of this, but those
zoologists are keeping pretty quiet about it, and there are lots of
locked doors.  Henry has the reputation of being difficult to find;
in fact, his "office" (some of you may recall the discussion on Henry's
office in comp.lang.C a few years ago) is located next to the machine
room and you actually have to go through the machine room to get to it.
People who've interacted with Henry for a long time know not to try
to get a response from him first thing in the morning, when the Zoology
computers are still processing overnight news.

As far as general philosophy goes, Henry has always maintained that
self-aware entities should not remain planet-bound, but should make
all possible efforts to move into space, with the abundant resources
of the asteroids and the lack of obstruction for laser-based
communications networks, and he puts in a lot of time working towards
this goal.  He has addressed the local space enthusiast group
(unfortunately, there was a mixup about the date, and most of the
members arrived on the wrong Tuesday;  but the couple of guys from
the computer science dept. who actually heard Henry's talk said it
was very good), and always makes a direct line for the space groups at
the annual World Science Fiction conventions in September.  In his spare
time he reads every space-related journal he can access, and writes
other computer programs.

I hope this has been of interest to you, although it's a bit sketchy.
I have been very frustrated by the setbacks in my efforts to uncover
more about Henry's origins, but feel confident of finally getting some
more information now that I have my own link to utzoo.

-- 
mallow(3) - allocate discontinuous memory |    Chris Robertson
            and fill with white space     |  chris@mcc.pyrsyd.oz

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

Date: 27 Dec 89 22:23:28 GMT
From: usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!caesar.cs.montana.edu!milton!maven!games@ucsd.edu  (Games Wizard)
Subject: Re: Chris Robertson's "Henry bio" (was Re: who's out there?)

In article <841@dsacg2.UUCP>, nam2254@dsacg2.UUCP (Tom Ohmer) writes:
> < doesn't seem to exist any more.  (When I mentioned this to Henry, he
>   ^^^^^^^         ^^^^^
> < he was in doesn't seem to exist now either.  I'm not sure whether he was
>             ^^^^^^^         ^^^^^
> < building where he was first based doesn't seem to exist any more --
>                                     ^^^^^^^         ^^^^^
> < the Dean said a fire started mysteriously in the middle of the night.
> < since that building doesn't really exist any more -- it's been totally
>                       ^^^^^^^        ^^^^^
> 
> Whew!!!  And, to think, I would have invited him to stay at MY home if he 
> were ever in the neighborhood.  My smoke detector's battery is dead.  


Maybe he is >REALLY< a space alien, and all of these references were made up as 
a cover.  Now that you have sleuthed him out, well, face eating is not a 
pretty sight.

		John Stevens-Schlick

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

Date: 29 Dec 89 14:44:19 GMT
From: bfmny0!tneff@uunet.uu.net  (Tom Neff)
Subject: Re: Launching AUSSAT on Chinese rockets

In article <1989Dec29.033150.18486@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>I wish the opponents of launching things on Long March would be consistent
>about what their objection is.  Half the time they say that China is
>selling launches far below cost and this is unfair competition, and half
>the time they say that China is making a large profit which supports rocket
>research, thereby somehow contributing to atrocities like Tiananmen Square.
>I'm afraid Anthony Lee has set a new record, with both arguments in one
>article.   ...

This unfairly characterizes Anthony's argument.  Reread the article.  He
does NOT say China's rates are 'below cost'.  And he does NOT say that
satellite revenues are used for atrocities.

Long March represents a source of hard Western currency for the Chinese,
whose yuan is worthless on the international market.  It would be nearly
impossible to compute a 'cost' against which Long March rates could be
compared, except insofar as the Chinese must purchase Western components
for their equipment.  Virtually any pricing China chose would be
'artificial'.  Halving US rates assures startup business.  The rest is
politics.

At any rate Long March production will not ramp up enough in the next
few years to put more than a dent in the Titan or Ariane manifests.

Anthony's primary argument is MORAL, and convincing.  These are the
butchers of Tiananmen Square.  We should not be doing business with
them, certainly not NEW business with them anyway.  Success at wringing
hard currency from us cements their power base against forces of change
at home.  Democracy is sweeping the world -- we have no business fawning
over the remaining holdouts.  Long March's real price is far too high!

-- 
Knowing when to optimize is    ==>/     Tom Neff
as important as knowing how.     /<==   tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET

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

Date: 29 Dec 89 18:23:01 GMT
From: megatest!bbowen@decwrl.dec.com  (Bruce Bowen)
Subject: Re: Air to orbit launch in 1985?

In article <246@sixhub.UUCP> davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes:
>
>  Just caught a documentary on the F15 fighter. Among other things
>described was a report of the F15 shooting down a dead US satellite
>with a missle... in 1985.


   From what I understand of the incident, the satellite was not dead.
When the military shot it down it pissed off a lot of scientists who
were using it at the time.  I remember Casper Weinberger at the time
saying something to the effect of "oh well, that's the way it goes."


Bruce

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

End of SPACE Digest V10 #387
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