Message-ID: <8a2Qa6C00VcJQPl04q@andrew.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 90 02:00:23 -0500 (EST)
Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #180

SPACE Digest                                     Volume 11 : Issue 180

Today's Topics:
	       Re: Austrailian Reduced Wobble telescope
	     NASA Headline News for 03/22/90 (Forwarded)
		United Space Federation (LONG Letter)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 22 Mar 90 18:24:52 GMT
From: sunspot!obyrne@noao.edu  (John O'Byrne)
Subject: Re: Austrailian Reduced Wobble telescope

In article <Added.Ya1wsMa00Ui3MJoU8W@andrew.cmu.edu> K_MACART@UNHH.BITNET writes:
>
>        Awhile back on the Discovery Channel, I saw a piece on these guys
>down under at one of the universities that had crafted an optical telescope
>that had the capability to adjust for the wobble of stars due to the air.
>It essentially consisted of two small telescopes a few meters apart that had
>their mirrors hooked up to some sort of computer controled, peizoelectric
>driven movement devices.  Supposedly, the computer tracked the star's image
>and minutely adjusted the postion of the mirrors to keep up with it with a
>minimal delay time.  They claimed that a future version to be built would
>have better resolving power than Palomar.  Any Aussies on the net care to
>comment/correct on this?  It sounds interesting to me.
>
>                                Korac MacArthur
>
>"Death before disclaimer!"

The instrument you are referring to is the Sydney University Stellar
Interferometer.  A prototype instrument was constructed in Sydney over
the last few years to test the techniques involved in building a larger
interferometer.  It was no doubt the prototype you saw on TV.  The
prototype had an 11.4m baseline (i.e distance between the two small
apertures) and thus was capable of resolution greater than the 5m
Palomar telescope.  It used small apertures (only 10cm across - NOT
Celestrons) to minimize the seeing problems associated with larger apertures.  
The wobbling mirrors you refer to were small mirrors inside the laboratory
building, piezo-electrically driven to remove motion of the star image
seen independently by the two input apertures.  This is actually not
an unusual technique.

The light from the two arms of the instrument was combined to
(effectively, if not in fact) produce interference fringes whose
characteristics are governed by the angular size of the star being
observed.  The objective is to measure the apparent angular size of the
star.  The prototype was a testbed, but did yield a new determination
of the angular size of Sirius - about 5 milli-arc seconds from memory.
I might point out that this is smaller than the resolution limit of any
planned single aperture telescope - even using speckle interferometry.

A new interferometer is currently under construction which will have a
maximum baseline of 640m, yielding a maximum resolution of 50 MICRO arc
seconds at blue wavelengths.  The VLBI people may not be too impressed,
but thats not bad for optical wavelengths!

The instrument should see first light in the next few months, with
upgrading to the longest baselines proceeding over time.

I should point out that such an instrument only measures cuts across a
star - it does not produce a picture.  Work in the optical towards
producing images is proceeding however, with techniques analagous to
those used in the radio.  The interferometer has been designed with the
stub of another baseline to facilitate moving into these areas in the
future.

Since this is sci.space, I should note that space based interferometers
consisting one more or more individual satellites are being studied,
but are some time in the future - launching satellites being what it
is.

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

Date: 22 Mar 90 20:41:17 GMT
From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov  (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA Headline News for 03/22/90 (Forwarded)

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, March 22, 1990                     Audio: 202/755-1788
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This is NASA Headline News for Thursday, March 22....


Representatives from NASA and Intelsat meet today at Johnson 
Space Center, in Houston, to discuss possible ways in which the 
Intelsat 6 communications satellite might be recovered or 
deployed into a geosynchronous orbit.  The spacecraft was 
stranded in a low Earth orbit earlier this month when it failed 
to separate properly from the upper stage of a commercial Titan 3 
rocket.  The exploratory engineering discussions will include 
representatives from Johnson Space Center's shuttle integration 
and operations office, systems engineers from Intelsat and  
representatives from the satellite builder...Hughes Aircraft.


Space Station Freedom management officials will conduct an 
in-depth review of the on-going study into requirements for Eva 
activities needed to service and maintain the station in orbit.   
The meeting will be held Friday at NASA Headquarters in 
Washington.  Following a review by Administrator Truly...NASA 
will discuss the contents of the study with members of Congress.


Workers at Kennedy Space Center have completed loading of 
hypergolic fuels into the orbiter Discovery at Launch Pad 39-B.  
The pad has now be opened to other work crews.  A metal seal on a 
12-inch diameter joint associated with engine number two will be 
replaced.  A leak was discovered Tuesday.  Engineers are 
analyzing data to see if any more leaks exist.  And preparations 
are underway to load the Hubble Space Telescope into its canister 
for the move to the launch pad scheduled for next week. 


The first international scientific discussion on global biomass 
burning winds up tomorrow in Williamsburg, va.  Leading 
scientists from more than 35 nations are attending.  They're 
concerned about the thousands of acres of forest land that are 
burned each day throughout the world and how the burning effects 
the chemistry of the atmosphere, the world's climate and 
political, economic and social implications.  

Friday, a panel discussion on the issue will be telecast live 
over PBS...the Public Broadcast System from 2:00 to 3:30 P.M., 
Eastern time. 

                     
                     ******************
 

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the broadcast schedule for public affairs events on NASA 
Select TV.   All times are Eastern.


Monday, March 26..........

     9:30 P.M.        Coverage begins of Delta II launch of 
                      Global Positioning System satellite from
                      Kennedy Space Center.  Launch time is 10:26              
                      P.M.


Thursday, March 29.......

      11:30 A.M.      NASA Update will be transmitted.


All events and times are subject to change without notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
These reports are filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12 noon, 
eastern time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A service of the Internal Communications Branch, NASA HQ.

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

Date: 23 Mar 90 01:41:17 GMT
From: lazlow!evenson@louie.udel.edu
Subject: United Space Federation (LONG Letter)

============================================================

I'm posting this for another who doesn't have USENET feed. 
Please respond to it any views herein, by other means than 
my mailer.

============================================================

       Greetings, from the Founder of the United Space 
Federation, International Headquarters in Ithaca N.Y.,USA.  
I am glad to see that other people around the world have 
herd about this historical event in the world of space 
exploration.  The Organization is the beginning of a truely 
new and excitting erea of space exploration and conquest, 
unlike anything attempted before.  The only other 
organization in the world to day that could be compared to 
the United Space Federeation, would be the United Nations. 
The U.S.F. would not replace or compete with other space 
agencies around the world, but strengthen and unifie them.  
The personel and facilitys of the Organization would belong 
to humanity and represent the interests of all the Nations 
of the world "Earth".  Such large scale international 
projects like (Earth)Moon Bases, Mars missions, Mars Bases 
and other very large space projects would be controlled, 
operated and over seen by the U.S.F.  The benefits of this 
type of symbiotic relationship between Nations through a 
neutral International organization, would be astronomical.  
No one Country could accomplish or maintain such projects 
with out major costs to their citizens and the economies of 
those Nations. If you will, imagine a superhighway into a 
wild wilderness full of exsiting possibilities.  It is built 
an maintained by an independent contractor whos only 
responsibility is to that highway. The cost of building this 
highway is covered by many individuals who wish to use it, 
but otherwise would not have been able to accomplish this 
feat alone.  To use this highway there is a standard toll 
charge, which is used to operate and maintain this highway 
by the independent contractor.  There would be certain rules 
established for those who use this highway, such as no 
military vehicles allowed!  These rules would be agreed upon 
by the many individuals involved in construction of this 
highway, and then forwarded to the independent contractor to 
enforce.  This is a very general description of how the 
United Space Federation would be setup and operated, 
although in reality it most definitely is going to be far 
more complicated.  My dream is gaining much support from 
around the world, so I assume there is a very good 
possibility this could become reality with in 3 years! My 
goal is to have an operating international headquarters and 
staff, and be a recognized international Organization with 
in 3 years.  Any person out there who would like to be part 
of this grand adventure, or would like to assist me are 
welcome to write. It is also my dream to see an 
International Moon Base under construction with in 8 years, 
and a International manned solar cruiser agreed upon and 
under development on the historic and symbolic date of 
January 1st 2000.  The Universe is there waiting for us, and 
is more accessible to human kind then ever before.  The 
benefits to science, industry and world commerce will be 
astounding, and like the wright brothers first flight at 
kitty Hawk.  This will be the beginning of great things to 
come, and will offer many new solutions to world 
environmental, social, political, and economic problems 
facing humankind at the doorstep of the 21st century.  I 
would like to THANK YOU for taking the time to read my 
article, also keep watching for more updates and articles in 
the future for there will be many too follow. The United 
Space Federation can be reached at the following address by 
sending a self addressed/stamped envelope to:                                         
	      Rick R. Dobson                         
              Founder and First Director                                             
	      UNITED SPACE FEDERATION                                       
	      International Headquarters                                       
	      P.O. Box 4722                                       
	      Ithaca, N.Y. 14852                                       
	      USA 

P.S. All articles in the future will be under the heading 
United Space Federation.  Also I would like to let People 
out there Know, there is now a International University for 
strictly space related fields that has students attending 
from all over the world.  If you would like information on 
this let me know and I will send you their address.  The 
name of the University is: International Space University or 
( ISU )

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

End of SPACE Digest V11 #180
*******************