Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from hogtown.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 ; Wed, 6 Mar 91 01:51:17 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Wed, 6 Mar 91 01:51:11 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #234 SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 234 Today's Topics: Re: Terraforming, sun shield Administrator to present George M. Low Trophy to Rockwell (Forwarded) Re: Outgassing Re: Why bother? (was Re: Terraforming, sun shield) Re: URGENT: recent space trivia...Please help... SPACE Digest V13 #215 Carina's Voyager and other Astronomy programs... Re: WWN does it again! Re: Space profits Re: Eclipse Administrivia: Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to space+@andrew.cmu.edu. Other mail, esp. [un]subscription requests, should be sent to space-request+@andrew.cmu.edu, or, if urgent, to tm2b+@andrew.cmu.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 4 Mar 91 22:55:09 GMT From: usc!samsung!rex!phung@ucsd.edu (Rick Phung) Subject: Re: Terraforming, sun shield In article <222.27CCDF95@nss.FIDONET.ORG> Paul.Blase@nss.FIDONET.ORG (Paul Blase) writes: > >2) Get ahold of the reports on advanced space propulsion concepts by ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >R. L. Forward (references posted earlier - ask and I'll post again). I've been looking for these. Please re-post. >Paul Blase - via FidoNet node 1:129/104 >UUCP: ...!pitt!nss!Paul.Blase >INTERNET: Paul.Blase@nss.FIDONET.ORG Thanks, Rick phung@rex.tulane.cs.edu ------------------------------ Date: 5 Mar 91 05:12:21 GMT From: usenet@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: Administrator to present George M. Low Trophy to Rockwell (Forwarded) Dwayne C. Brown Headquarters, Washington, D.C. February 28, 1991 (Phone: 202/453-8956) EDITORS NOTE: N91-14 ADMINISTRATOR TO PRESENT GEORGE M. LOW TROPHY TO ROCKWELL NASA Administrator Richard H. Truly will officially present the NASA 1990 George M. Low Trophy, NASA's Quality and Excellence Award, to Bob Minor, President, Space Systems Division, Rockwell International Corp., Downey, Calif., in ceremonies to be held at the company's facilities on March 4, 1991, beginning at 1:30 p.m. EST. Witnessing the event will be Astronaut David Walker, key NASA and Rockwell officials and employees. Among the officials will be Don Beall, Rockwell International Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and NASA's Deputy Administrator J. R. Thompson. Activities of the day include tours and remarks by various congressional, state and local officials at Rockwell's Palmdale and Downey facilities. NASA's Quality and Excellence Team flag will be unfurled along with the presentation of the George M. Low Trophy. NASA's Quality Excellence Award, renamed the George M. Low Trophy, recognizes NASA prime contractors, subcontractors and suppliers for outstanding achievement in quality and productivity improvement and Total Quality Management. Rockwell's Space Systems Division provides a diverse base of products and services ranging from production of the fifth Space Shuttle orbiter to existing orbiter refurbishment and a variety of specialized studies in support of space operations. A brief, informal media session will be provided after each presentation with NASA officials and Astronaut David Walker. Media organizations should contact Rockwell Media Relations Manager Janet Dean on 213/922-5227 for access to the activities. ------------------------------ Date: 4 Mar 91 21:04:11 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!rex!rouge!dlbres10@ucsd.edu (Fraering Philip) Subject: Re: Outgassing In article <19684@ists.ists.ca> white@nereid.ists.ca (Harold Peter White) writes: >A friend of mine has asked me to ask around for references about the >following: >1. The effects of outgassing of matterials in interplanetary space. Outgassing of what by what? I suggest, for starters, a couple elementary texts on comets. Phil Fraering dlbres10@pc.usl.edu ------------------------------ Date: 4 Mar 91 17:41:10 GMT From: tdatirv!sarima@uunet.uu.net (Stanley Friesen) Subject: Re: Why bother? (was Re: Terraforming, sun shield) In article bmb@bluemoon.uucp (Bryan Bankhead) writes: >Terraforming is my least favorite option for creating living space for >humanity.. The energy cost estimated for the terraforming of mars, the >most earthlike planet in the solar system is in the area of 10^23 watts, >or about 100 million times as much as the entire energy consumption fo >humanity for all purposes. ... Ah, but the *easy* planet to terraform is *Venus*. It's atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide, which makes it both very hot, and very dense. Now, plants convert carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into complex hydrocarbons and oxygen. The hydrocarbons, being solid, are removed from the atmosphere. This results in a cooler, less dense atmosphere. Also, the hydrocarbons could act as a humic base for real soil!. Thus to terraform Venus just add a few tons of aerosol phytoplankton and wait a good while. It will become inhabitable with no furhter help. [Note the phytoplankton must be cabable of living floating in air, and with little wate, but that is easily accomplished] -- --------------- uunet!tdatirv!sarima (Stanley Friesen) ------------------------------ Date: 5 Mar 91 00:11:37 GMT From: herve@cvl.umd.edu (Jean-Yves Herve') Subject: Re: URGENT: recent space trivia...Please help... In article <9103030208.aa05304@Bonnie.ics.uci.edu> rhutchin@Bonnie.ICS.UCI.EDU writes: > >1. Did Dan Quayle, who as VP chairs the National Space Council (right?), > ever say something to the effect that Mars is a worthwhile goal becasue > there is air and water there, and thus men could live there easily? > >2. If so, can you give me a REFERENCE? If not, and you are in a good > position to know something like that, could you tell me what position > that might be? > My copy of the "Official Calendar of the `Quayle Quaterly'" gives the following quote (with no reference): "Mars is essentially in the same orbit...somewhat the same distance from the sun, which is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If there is water, that means there is oxygen. If there is oxygen, that means we can breathe." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Jean-Yves Herve' Computer Vision Laboratory herve@cvl.umd.edu Center for Automation Research University of Maryland ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Resent-Date: Tue, 05 Mar 91 22:28:05 EST Date: Fri, 1 Mar 91 02:23:32 EST Resent-From: Tom Mcwilliams <18084TM%MSU.BITNET@BITNET.CC.CMU.EDU> From: space-request+%ANDREW.CMU.EDU@BITNET.CC.CMU.EDU Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #215 Resent-To: space+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU To: david polito <15432DJP@MSU.BITNET>, Tom McWilliams <18084TM@MSU.BITNET> Reply-To: space+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU Resent-Message-Id: Comments: To: space+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU Re: Terra forming Venus, Environmental Concerns ------------------------------ Lots of Stuff about Ecosystems existing, etc. that's been deleted >>>... starting with the greatest ecological >>>disaster in Earth's history: the evolution of photosynthesis. >> >>And look where it eventually lead us ... purported global warming due in >>large part to humanity's wanton abuse of a non-renewable resource, record >>numbers of species' extinctions... >There's nothing "record" about the current numbers of extinctions. Nice, >kind old Mother Nature has thrown far more species into the fire than we >ever have. When I said "greatest ecological disaster", I meant it: maybe >99% of all species then alive on Earth died of oxygen poisoning immediately >after photosynthesis appeared. Even the Cretaceous-Tertiary event makes our >unfortunate recent record look like Mother Teresa's. And had they not been killed by oxygen poisoning, they would have died for lack of food. Photosynthesis (and more recently chemosynthesis) are the only life processes that convert raw energy into food. Non-photosynthesizers eat other life-forms. They would have run out eventually, save for the photosynths >If we're going to be mere humble servants to Nature, *you* can write the >Environmental Impact Statement for the next Ice Age. I'd rather simply >prevent it. :-) Current theory has it that Ice Ages are caused when a land mass moves over a pole by the process of plate tectonics. If the land wasn't there, the ice would just float away every year. If our environment gets too messed up, the greenhouse effect will cause gloabal warming to the point that the caps will melt, drowning all the major pollution- creating cities worldwide (Tokyo, NY, LA, Honk Kong, etc) 8-) Environmental concerns may be real enough, when we get into space. But try and remember that most of the environmental concerns of real import have little relation to the ones that might bother us in the future. THe current fears about "Space Rape" seem to be a reaction to the injustices our white ancestors visitied upon our non-white ancestors, or the very real damage we are doing to the ecosphere (gaia). But there are't any cultures out there (that we've seen) In the immortal words of a famous space-activist: "Space is much different than a continent. There is somewhat more than a lot of it." On Venus, any life that we might actually look for would be destroyed by the intense heat alone! Carbon does not bond well at 900F, and, there is no liquid water. What kind of life would we be talking about? Would we think to look for it? What test would you use? What chemicals are involved? The actual environmental concerns will probably be more like: "your damn fusion products keep gumming up the intake on my ramjet". Or perhaps, not too long from now: "The giant solar grids take all the romance out of moonilght dances." For some scientist to get bent because industrial processes are messing up the 'pristine' nature of the unspoiled landscape on Venus is to completely miss the fact that the industrial processes paid his fare there in the first palce! Perhaps Octavia Butler's point should be made: Wouldn't it be better to spend our agressiveness taming (or ruining, by some views) Venus (or some other alien planet) than killing this one? Or Each other? But, All in all, I agree with Henry. Why get right back into another gravity well? Keep the industrial processes in space, where, like the sewage on the Nile, the Solar wind can just wash all that gunk away. (Sorry about all you chumps living in the Asteroids.) :-) Tommy Mac 18084TM@MSU.BITNET Acknowledge-To: <18084TM@MSU> ------------------------------ Date: 6 Mar 91 00:10:07 GMT From: hsdndev!dartvax!wings.dartmouth.edu!ack@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Andy J. Williams) Subject: Carina's Voyager and other Astronomy programs... 4 or so months back, I bought a copy of Carina's Voyager for the Macintosh. It is, simply put, wonderful. It lets you view the sky from any location within 100 A.U.s of the sun, any point on the earth (down to lat/long minutes), at any time (even outside epoch 2000AD). It can track planets and other motion from any point for any length of time. It also can do ephemerises (sp?) and conjunction searches. (Call that a mini-review if you will). Now, the question I have is this: At work I have, next to my Macintosh IIsi, an IBM PS/2 model 50. Well, I was wondering what kind of programs exist for the IBM out there that are comparable to Voyager? PD/Shareware would be very nice, but I am not against buying something that gets rave reviews. Please eMail to me and I will post a summary, if I get enough to warrant one. Thanks! -Andy -- Andy J. Williams sNail: RFD 1 #268 echo "Hello." Consultant Guy Lebanon NH, 03766 setenv NAME 'Inigo Montoya' Kiewit Computation eMail: ack@wings.dartmouth.edu user>kill -9 my ppid Dartmouth College pHone: 603-646-3417 Prepare to vi. ------------------------------ Date: 5 Mar 91 17:17:43 GMT From: pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!noose.ecn.purdue.edu!mentor.cc.purdue.edu!mace.cc.purdue.edu!dil@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Perry G Ramsey) Subject: Re: WWN does it again! In article <1991Mar4.141033.21332@merrimack.edu>, yetmank@merrimack.edu writes: > In article <1991Mar3.183915.10877@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu>, jabishop@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Jonathan A Bishop) writes: > > > > Yes, folks, the Weekly World News, the people who brought you the hidden > > Challenger transcripts, have done it again! They have conclusively > > that the moon landing was a hoax, and they have sidebars to prove it! > > Only on the moon could a man hit a golf ball as far as Alan Sheppard did. So > somewhere in California, someone built an anti-gravity chamber at least 500 > yards long so the ball could travel that far. Nah, he just used one of those super-duper golf balls that you always see advertised. Of course the famous Apollo 15 trick of dropping the feather and the hammer at the same time was just a special effect, too. You see, they both were on thin strings (very easy to hide against the black set backdrop), and when they were released, someone at the top of the set (just out of camera view) made sure that the strings fed at the same rate. Presto! A falcon feather and a hammer seem to fall at the same rate, even though the whole thing is on a back lot at Universal Studios. You spaceniks are sooooo gullible. 1e5:-) -- Perry G. Ramsey Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences perryr@vm.cc.purdue.edu Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN USA dil@mace.cc.purdue.edu *** IMAGINE YOUR LOGO HERE ****** Ten thousand low-lifes a day read this space. ------------------------------ Date: 5 Mar 91 22:48:55 GMT From: agate!bionet!uwm.edu!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utzoo!henry@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: Space profits In article <9103030400.AA09351@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov> roberts@CMR.NCSL.NIST.GOV (John Roberts) writes: >It also wouldn't hurt to have two companies, the first to lay the >groundwork then fail, the second to cash in on the reward. > :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) You can take this further, in fact. Apparently the pioneering railroad lines in the US were built by incredible sequences of bankruptcies, with each company pushing the line a little further before going bust. The successful railroad barons got going by noticing this and operating behind a string of disposable "front" companies. -- "But this *is* the simplified version | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology for the general public." -S. Harris | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry ------------------------------ Date: 6 Mar 91 01:08:38 GMT From: hub.ucsb.edu!ucsbuxa!3001crad@ucsd.edu (Charles Frank Radley) Subject: Re: Eclipse In article <1980@seti.inria.fr> collet@carmen.inria.fr (P. Collet) writes: The totality track is very long. It includes the southern tip of Baja which is meteoroligically the best site. Totality will be seen from La Paz and Cabo San Lucas. However, there is no hotel space left...and the Mexican authorites are getting nervous. they are thinking of closing the border a couple of days ahead since huge numbers of visitors are expected, and they are worried they cannot cope...food water and fuel shortages are possible, and it is might inhospitable terriroy, and a long way from civilization. The road to Baja is not the best place to get a flat tyre or a seized engine. >A couple of friends and I would like to watch the huge solar eclipse this >summer in the best conditions. >We read it is in Mexico on July 11th in the morning - Mexican time - that it >should last the longer, so we plan to get there, the only snag being that we >don't know exactly where ! >Could any of you out there give us any hint on where we should be when it >happens - near what town,... we would even accept latitude and longitude :-> >Thanks a lot, >Pete. >_______________________________________________________________________________ > ,---.----------------. | ``You know you have a distributed > ( / ) / / / ) P. Collet | system when the crash of a computer > / / / / / / / | you've never heard of stops you from >(_/ . ( ( ( ( ( ( / Tel: +33 (1) | getting any work done.'' > \___________________/ 39.63.52.94 | Leslie Lamport, in spirit. >e-mail : collet@corto.inria.fr |_____________________________________ >I.N.R.I.A. BP.105 78153 Rocquencourt CEDEX France Fax: +33 (1) 39.63.53.30 >_______________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V13 #234 *******************