Message-ID: <kZvAkDW00VcJ42VE5n@andrew.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
Date: Thu,  1 Mar 90 02:15:28 -0500 (EST)
Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #92

SPACE Digest                                      Volume 11 : Issue 92

Today's Topics:
	   Re: Did SEASAT See More Than It Was Supposed To?
		Re: New private home satellite network
Soviet lunar program (was Titan I != Titan II AND more thoughts on N1)
			     Re: Beanpole
       Re: Fun Space Fact #1: Launcher Development Costs (long)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 27 Feb 90 20:19:22 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!walt.cc.utexas.edu!wastoid@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (Feulner ... Matthew Feulner)
Subject: Re: Did SEASAT See More Than It Was Supposed To?

In article <25205@ut-emx.UUCP>  I wrote:
>
>Geosat is a Navy satellite originally used for high resolution ocean
>geoid recovery.  After its original mission was completed, it was
>"moved" into the ERM (= SEASAT orbit) for scientific studies.  I don't
>think it has a SAR on board.  Also, it doesn't have a scatterometer,
                                microwave radiometer   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>which means the altimeter can not compensate for wet tropospheric
>effects as well as SEASAT could => less precise altimeter measurements.
>

I guess I should also add the phrase, "at least, not that we know of."

Matthew Feulner

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

Date: Wed, 28 Feb 90 13:59:37 CST
From: lfa@vielle.cray.com (Lou Adornato)
Subject: Re: New private home satellite network

>NBC and some other cable/media companies are launching a home satellite
>network.  Private 18 inch dish which is easy to install, 102 channels,
>all digital, HDTV and more -- cost around $300/year, plus $250 for
>dish.
>
>In other words, cable is dealt a serious blow.  A totally new network
>with none of the old trappings.

If the cable operators want to stay in business, they'll have to provide
something that the satellite network can't.  My guess is that they will modify
their operations to provide bidirectional service, which, due to beam
allignment, contention, and propagation delay problems, aren't practical for the
satellite networks.

(There are several ways to do this, including installing bidirectional amps, 
changing the configuration of the cable interconnects, or replacing existing
cable with optical fiber.  Startup costs won't be cheap, but we're talking about
an expensive system fighting for economic survival.  Anyone who wants more info
should check out the first two chapters in "Computer Networks" by Andrew S.
Tannenbaum [Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-162959-X].)

This will mean almost universal access to something similar to the internet
(call it the outernet), at least here in the states.  Aside from the social
aspects, I'd say that, if this satellite project starts to approach completion,
companies making LAN equipment will become a _really_ good stock investement.

Lou Adornato    |  Statements herein do not represent the opinions or attitudes 
Cray Research   |  of Cray Research, Inc. or its subsidiaries.
lfa@cray.com    |       (...yet)

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

Date: Wed, 28 Feb 90 16:16:45 CST
From: lfa@vielle.cray.com (Lou Adornato)
Subject: Soviet lunar program (was Titan I != Titan II AND more thoughts on N1)

mcsun!ukc!icdoc!syma!nickw@uunet.uu.net  (Nick Watkins) writes:

>Article claims that US outspent USSR by factor of 10 to 1
>on lunar programme, hard to know how seriously to take this.

Aside from questionable accounting (and, really, how much practice does a 
communist accountant get?), comparing dollars to ruples has always been tricky.
The best description I've heard is from comic Yakov Smyrnof, who said

"If you want to compare dollars, ruples, and pounds, it takes about a pound of
ruples to make a dollar"

Lou Adornato    |  Statements herein do not represent the opinions or attitudes 
Cray Research   |  of Cray Research, Inc. or its subsidiaries.
lfa@cray.com    |       (...yet)

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

Date: 27 Feb 90 10:40:12 GMT
From: hpda!hpcuhb!hpsqf!hpopd!james@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU  (James Kay)
Subject: Re: Beanpole

Or "The Fountains of Paradise" (Arthur C Clarke) - similar idea.

James Kay

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

Date: 27 Feb 90 03:13:00 GMT
From: bu.edu!lectroid!jjmhome!cpoint!frog!john@bloom-beacon.mit.edu  (John Woods)
Subject: Re: Fun Space Fact #1: Launcher Development Costs (long)

In article <1990Feb20.173440.7976@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
> 
> Um, why is that such a fundamental difficulty?  Or are you pricing that
> based on the Incredible Gold-Plated Space Station?

Amusingly enough, a couple of years back there was an article in SCiENCE
headlined "The Inflatable $pace $tation."  As the font indicates, they 
were talking about NA$A's, not LLNL's....

-- 
John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (508) 626-1101
...!decvax!frog!john, john@frog.UUCP, ...!mit-eddie!jfw, jfw@eddie.mit.edu

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End of SPACE Digest V11 #92
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