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 ; Sun, 3 Jun 1990 01:40:28 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Sun, 3 Jun 1990 01:39:59 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #481 SPACE Digest Volume 11 : Issue 481 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to space+@andrew.cmu.edu. Other mail, esp. administrivia, should be sent to space-request+@andrew.cmu.edu, or, if urgent, to tm2b+@andrew.cmu.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Topics: Re: SPACE Digest V11 #418 RE: Soviet Network links Ulysses plutonium essay in *The Nation*, 14 May Does DoD Want Hawaii? (was: Re: Hawaii and Launching rockets) Re: SPACE Digest V11 #418 Interview with Aerospace Engineer Requested Seeking U.S. Naval Ordinance "Rocket", april 1945 Re: HST future ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 2 Jun 90 07:22:52 GMT From: agate!helios.ee.lbl.gov!hellgate.utah.edu!albion.utah.edu!smcgee@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Scott Mcgee) Subject: Re: SPACE Digest V11 #418 In article <21MAY90.08381270.0008.MUSIC@SDSUMUS> CC62@SDSUMUS.BITNET (Andy Edeburn) writes: >> Cape York is going to be THE spaceport of the 21st Century. I hope the United >> States does not miss out on the action there because of as myopic viewpoint >> now. In fact, I would like to see a Shuttle launch pad installed at Cape York >> as the start of a CANZUS Space Alliance. (CANZUS = Canada, Australia, New >> Zealand and United States). > >Um, I hate to break this to ya gang, but I believe ex-president Ronny >blew this alliance all to hell in 1982. I might be wrong, but I don't >think I am. Toto, I don't think we're in CANZUS anymore! Scott Buttered bread always lands * Scott McGee butter side down! (Unless * email : smcgee%albion@cs.utah.edu it sticks to the ceiling!) * Would YOU mistake these opinions as anyone's but my own? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Jun 90 11:09:29 EDT From: Thomas Lapp Subject: RE: Soviet Network links > Date: 1 Jun 90 07:39:16 GMT > From: mcsun!hp4nl!nikhefh!greg@uunet.uu.net (Greg Retzlaff) > > In article <1990May31.040347.29182@uunet!unhd> rmk@unhd.unh.edu.UUCP (Robert M. Kenney) writes: > > > > What ever happened to the idea of a network link to the USSR? Seems > > > I am collaborating with some Russian scientists at this time. They > indeed have a way to log into a computer here to get and send computer > mail. However, a group of about 5 is limited to about 2 hours of connect > time per MONTH out of the USSR. Many other groups cannot send or The other way that Soviets have to interface with us electronically is by obtaining accounts on USA commercial systems .. ie. CompuServe and the like. Of course, it is a pretty long-distance call to log in, but it can (and is) done. This is not to say that this is their only means of electronic communication, but it is one of them. - tom -- internet : mvac23!thomas@udel.edu or thomas%mvac23@udel.edu uucp : {ucbvax,mcvax,psuvax1,uunet}!udel!mvac23!thomas Europe Bitnet: THOMAS1@GRATHUN1 Location: Newark, DE, USA Quote : The only way to win thermonuclear war is not to play. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Jun 90 03:51 CST From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey Subject: Ulysses plutonium essay in *The Nation*, 14 May Original_To: SPACE Perhaps the first shot in the next battle over plutonium-powered spacecraft has been fired. Karl Grossman and Judith Long have written "NASA Nonsense," a brief essay in *The Nation*, May 14 1990, pages 656-657. Last year NASA launched the Galileo probe with 49 pounds of plutonium aboard to power its "radioisotope thermal generators" (NOT reactors). These device provide electrical power to the spacecraft. Next October they plan to launch the Ulysses solar probe, with similar RTG's carrying 24 pounds of plutonium, which Grossman and Long describe as "the most toxic substance known." Ulysses is a project of the European Space Agency. The authors document that NASA has given contradictory answers to the question of why Galileo and Ulysses couldn't have been powered by solar energy. At the time of the Galileo launch, NASA claimed that the probe operated too far from the Sun to use solar panels (though one NASA study concluded that it's a possibility). Now the authors cite a letter from a NASA staffer to a senator which says that Ulysses "will be operating too close to the Sun for solar panels to function properly." The spacecraft never comes closer than 1 AU to the Sun. "Groups that see solar-powered space missions as the best alternative to those scenarios have filed a lawsuit to block the Ulysses launch and to abort the Galileo mission before its plutonium probe makes two flybys of the Earth, the first this December, passing 625 miles above the Earth, and the second, in December 1992, 185 miles overhead." "A significant new challenge to the Ulysses mission comes from Europe, still reeling from Chernobyl, where West German Greens oppose the mission." Previous ESA spacecraft have all been solar-powered, say the authors. They quote Inge Lindemann, chair of the Green antinuclear forum: `It's very simple... We don't want to see nuclear-powered space flights because of the danger of radioactive contamination.'" They cite their previous article in the November 20, 1989 *The Nation*, which I haven't seen. I know Prof. Grossman, who teaches journalism at the State University of New York at Old Westbury, was commended a few years ago for digging up one of "the most under-reported stories of the year" (1987? 1988?). This story was the fact that Galileo and Ulysses carried plutonium. I don't remember where I read about this award-- possibly *Utne Reader*-- and I don't know where Grossman published his original story. That's a summary of one article. I have more information on the Ulysses question, which I will post in later messages. ______meson Bill Higgins _-~ ____________-~______neutrino Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory - - ~-_ / \ ~----- proton Bitnet: HIGGINS@FNALB.BITNET | | \ / SPAN/Hepnet/Physnet: 43011::HIGGINS - - ~ Internet: HIGGINS@FNALB.FNAL.GOV ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Jun 90 12:12 CST From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey Subject: Does DoD Want Hawaii? (was: Re: Hawaii and Launching rockets) Original_To: SPACE,uucp%"jhanson@cdp.UUCP" After an interesting and thoughtful discussion of the problem of siting a Hawaiian launch facility, David Conrad [davidc@umd5.umd.edu] wrote: >But I suppose all this is beside the point, since the DOD has decided >it wants an SDI launch facility on the big island. It seems important to point out that we have NO evidence from any reliable source that the Department of Defense has made such a decision. The only statement to this effect comes from the original, rather hysterical-sounding, posting of Jay Hanson [usc!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!arisia!cdp!jhanson@ucsd.edu] (You remember-- the one that linked aluminum from solid-strapon exhaust to Alzheimer's disease.) The sensible Mr. Conrad should not become befogged. In my opinion, Mr. Hanson is confused by the very real efforts of Hawaiian entrepeneurs to attract a *commercial* spaceport to the islands, and has somehow decided that SDI is involved. I have not seen any such report in *Aviation Week* or *Space News*, or elsewhere. He also seems to think that SDI is destined to fling large amounts of hardware into the sky. In truth it is still an R&D program, admittedly a large one, and many years from producing operational weapon systems. Furthermore, its growth has been sharply reined in by Congressional opposition, its size is nowhere near what its proponents would have liked, and it's clear that any attempt to fund operational Star Wars systems would face a fierce uphill [(-:] fight. (Note that I'm not afraid to call it "Star Wars." But will somebody please tell George Lucas that it's a crummy name for a movie?) Hawaii *has* recently been mentioned in connection with Star Wars. The (SDI-funded) Sandia coilgun people, having built a fine little catapult, have taken the opportunity to do a bit of harmless press-release-mongering. They suggested a long coilgun be sited in Hawaii to launch payloads into orbit. This was interesting enough that *Scientific American* and *Aerospace America*, among others, gave 'em ink. But the idea is nothing more than lines on a map, so far as I know. Drawn, at that, by a bunch of guys sitting in a desert and probably yearning for more scenic climes. (-: Not a single Hawaiian Coot, Black-necked Stilt, or Dark-Rumped Petrel has had a feather ruffled. Since I am not infinitely well-informed, I could be wrong about this. Please enlighten me if you have evidence that DoD really has plans to launch from Hawaii. And please CITE YOUR SOURCES. Also, Mr. Hanson, as Dean Kling has pointed out, uses environmental-impact regulations to press an unrelated political agenda. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Surely the case against Star Wars is not yet so weak that the only desperate tactic left is to shed crocodile tears over sea turtles. There are issues of technical merit, cost-effectiveness, and arms-race stability on which the SDI program may be questioned. If one opposes SDI, why not address these? Legislators are far more likely to listen with respect to such arguments. Furthermore, the tone of the posting implies that a Star Wars system would be just a fine thing-- as long as it didn't launch from Hawaii. Is that the impression Mr. Hanson wished to leave? /// Bill Higgins E /// |8D:O: occc))))<)) Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory E /// /// Bitnet: HIGGINS@FNALB.BITNET Bumper sticker seen on a Soyuz: SPAN/Hepnet/Physnet: 43011::HIGGINS MY OTHER SPACESHIP IS A BURAN Internet: HIGGINS@FNALB.FNAL.GOV ------------------------------ Date: 2 Jun 90 07:27:46 GMT From: pasteur!helios.ee.lbl.gov!hellgate.utah.edu!albion.utah.edu!smcgee@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Scott Mcgee) Subject: Re: SPACE Digest V11 #418 In article <21MAY90.08381270.0008.MUSIC@SDSUMUS> CC62@SDSUMUS.BITNET (Andy Edeburn) writes: >> Cape York is going to be THE spaceport of the 21st Century. I hope the United >> States does not miss out on the action there because of as myopic viewpoint >> now. In fact, I would like to see a Shuttle launch pad installed at Cape York >> as the start of a CANZUS Space Alliance. (CANZUS = Canada, Australia, New >> Zealand and United States). > >Um, I hate to break this to ya gang, but I believe ex-president Ronny >blew this alliance all to hell in 1982. I might be wrong, but I don't >think I am. Toto, I don't think we're in CANZUS anymore! Scott Buttered bread always lands * Scott McGee butter side down! (Unless * email : smcgee%albion@cs.utah.edu it sticks to the ceiling!) * Would YOU mistake these opinions as anyone's but my own? ------------------------------ Date: 2 Jun 90 23:54:40 GMT From: psuvm!mxp122@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Timothy Pickenheim) Subject: Interview with Aerospace Engineer Requested Currently, I am taking a technical writing course that requires me to write to someone in my future field of work and set up an interview with this person. This interview involves the type of work and the amount of writing that a person does in my field. I am studying to be an Aerospace Engineer at Penn State. This class does not allow me to interview anyone at Penn State. Therefore, I am forced to search elsewhere for an Aerospace Engineer in the space aspect of my major. What I need is names and addresses of Aerospace Engineers involved in the space program or working for companies that are involved with the space program. I will sent a formal letter of inquiry requesting an interview with these individuals. This interview will involve no more than twenty minutes of any individual's time. I am also limited to within 500 miles of Pennsylvania to conduct this interview. Any information that would be helpful should be sent to this account. Thank you. Signed, Timothy Pickenheim ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Jun 90 11:24 EST From: ELIOT@cs.umass.EDU Subject: Seeking U.S. Naval Ordinance "Rocket", april 1945 A friend of mine is desperately seeking a copy of U.S. Naval Ordinance Publication "Rocket" from April 1945. He has seen this document referenced in several places, so it does exist, but he cannot find it. So far he has tried among others the Library of Congress, NASALIB, Naval Architecture Library, Pentagon Library, Naval Ord. Lab China Lake, N.T.I.S. &Etc. Obviously this is not an easy document to find. If you have this document, or know where it can be found please send me E-Mail. Chris Eliot Umass/Amherst ELIOT@cs.umass.edu ------------------------------ Date: 2 Jun 90 03:57:03 GMT From: mnetor!utzoo!henry@uunet.uu.net (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: HST future In article <45600010@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> dslg0849@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes: >Is it expected that the Hubble Space Telescope will eventually perform as >originally designed in spite of the initial problems? Last I heard, the only thing expected to remain an ongoing nuisance is the slight restriction on antenna movement imposed by that misplaced loop of cable. Otherwise, they seemed confident of eventually being able to deal with everything else. The little shiver from the solar arrays during night->day transition would worry me, but apparently that has already been dealt with to some extent and a complete fix is expected. My information isn't necessarily right up to the minute, though. -- As a user I'll take speed over| Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology features any day. -A.Tanenbaum| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V11 #481 *******************