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 ; Fri, 12 Apr 91 01:49:09 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Fri, 12 Apr 91 01:49:04 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #397 SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 397 Today's Topics: Re: Space technology new gif's available Digitized Australian Coastline File Needed Re: Launch Technology Re: Space technology Astronaut Gardner to head USAF Test Pilot School (Forwarded) Re: Government vs. Commercial R&D Re: I want to go to orbit... Re: comsat cancellations and lawsuits Light pollution slowed 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: 12 Apr 91 00:07:25 GMT From: stanford.edu!neon.Stanford.EDU!Neon!jmc@decwrl.dec.com (John McCarthy) Subject: Re: Space technology The Rosenberg's were executed in January or February 1953, right after Eisenhower took office - Truman had passed the buck on possible commutation. Sputnik was in October 1957, and there had been plenty of flaps in between, so "right on the heels" isn't correct. ------------------------------ Date: 12 Apr 91 00:13:57 GMT From: swrinde!mips!wrdis01!nstn.ns.ca!IRIS1.UCIS.Dal.Ca!roberts@ucsd.edu (Greg Roberts) Subject: new gif's available There is a new set of gifs available at iris1.ucis.dal.ca . They are in the directory neptune, and there are 32 gif images taken from the science sampler disk. There is one image of zero size, and will be removed. enjoy.. ------------------------------ Date: 11 Apr 91 08:28:12 GMT From: agate!bionet!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!munnari.oz.au!uniwa!cc.curtin.edu.au!tlijy@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU Subject: Digitized Australian Coastline File Needed Hi fellows, I am working on satellite image rectification problem. I need a digitized Australian coastline data file. I have got one digitized Aus. coastline file from SOL.DEAKIN.EDU.AU SIMTEL-20 data base, but its latitude and longitude stepsize is too large. The resolution of satellite image is about 1/100 degree in both lat. and lon., so the ideal lat. and lon. step of a digitized coastline file should be in the same magnitude otherwise you can not see the coastline. I wonder if someone can help me on that. Thank you in advance. _Jason Y. Li =============================================================================== Satellite & Remote Sensing Res. Group |1) PSImail: psi%050529452300070::TLIJY Dept. of Applied Physics __________|2) Internet: TLIJY@cc.curtin.edu.au Curtin Univ. of Tech. |3) Bitnet: TLIJY%cc.curtin.edu.au@cunyvm.bitnet Perth, West. Australia |4) UUCP : uunet!munnari.oz!cc.curtin.edu.au!TLIJY <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> People who have nothing to say are quickly tired of their own company. [Collier] ------------------------------ Date: 11 Apr 91 16:12:58 GMT From: usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo!henry@ucsd.edu (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: Launch Technology In article <5446@mindlink.UUCP> Bruce_Dunn@mindlink.UUCP (Bruce Dunn) writes: >Ariane chose a hydrazine/N2O4 system in spite of the vastly greater costs of >the propellants (relative to RP-1 and O2), presumably because of the fact that >both propellants are storable... I've never seen a discussion of the exact rationale for Ariane's fuel combination, but remember another consideration: the Ariane contractors were military missile contractors, whose experience with liquid-fuel rockets would have been heavily biased toward storable fuels. It would not surprise me if the decision was made based on what people had experience designing engines for, rather than on the merits of the fuels themselves. Engine development is often the pacing item for launcher development. -- And the bean-counter replied, | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology "beans are more important". | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry ------------------------------ Date: 11 Apr 91 22:19:04 GMT From: unmvax!uokmax!rwmurphr@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Robert W Murphree) Subject: Re: Space technology I like what Carl Sagan said, if you want to develop non-stick frying pans you're better off funding a program for developing non-stick frying pans 99% of the time(rather than a program for sending box cars with men in them to space). When James Webb, the chief NASA administrator invented the words SPINOFF I think he developed one of the all time great public relations gimmic of the 60's. I think the major applications of space technology are, in order of importance: ICBM's, military reconnaisance satellites, weather satellites, communications satellites, propaganda for more NASA expenditures, astronomy, andplanetary probes. Robert W. Murphree rwmurphr@ecn.uoknor.edu internet Norman, Oklahoma 442 park drive, 73069 ------------------------------ Date: 11 Apr 91 23:56:43 GMT From: usenet@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: Astronaut Gardner to head USAF Test Pilot School (Forwarded) Mark Hess Headquarters, Washington, D.C. April 10, 1991 (Phone: 202/453-8536) Barbara Schwartz Johnson Space Center, Houston (Phone: 713/483-5111) RELEASE: 91-52 ASTRONAUT GARDNER TO HEAD USAF TEST PILOT SCHOOL Col. Guy S. Gardner has been named Commandant of the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. He will leave the astronaut corps in June 1991 to assume his new position, which is a part of the Air Force Systems Command. "We are happy that Guy has this outstanding opportunity. Although we'll miss his expertise here, we will look forward to working with him in his new assignment," said David Leestma, Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations. Gardner was pilot on two Space Shuttle missions: STS-27, a Department of Defense flight aboard Atlantis on Dec. 2-6, 1988; and STS-35, which launched the ASTRO-1 astronomy laboratory aboard Columbia on Dec. 2-10, 1990. He has worked at Johnson Space Center, Houston, since his selection in May 1980. After graduating from the Test Pilot School in 1975, Gardner served as a test pilot with the 6512th Test Squadron and as an instructor test pilot at the Edwards facility. Paula Cleggett-Haleim Headquarters, Washington, D.C. April 12, 1991 (Phone: 202/453-1549) Jim Doyle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadina, Calif. (Phone: 818/354-5011) RELEASE: 91-53 VENUS DESCRIBED AS VOLCANIC AND GEOLOGICALLY ACTIVE Widespread volcanism and a geologically active surface were descriptions of the planet Venus presented today in the first published papers by members of the Magellan Project science team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. In the papers published in Science magazine, Magellan scientists described geologic features of Earth's sister planet as they begin the unprecedented task of mapping an Earth-size planet. The reports describe extensive and explosive volcanism, tectonic deformations, mountain belts and a number of impact craters that indicate a relatively young surface age of a few hundred million years. Science team members described several types of lava flows, evidence of lava rivers hundreds of miles long and craters created by meteorite impacts that caused surface material to be ejected as far as 600 miles. The Magellan spacecraft is producing comprehensive image and altimetry data for the planet Venus," said Project Scientist Stephen Saunders and his co-authors in one of the papers. The Magellan spacecraft was launched May 4, 1989, and began mapping Venus on Sept. 15, 1990. Its primary mission goal of mapping 70 percent of the planet was accomplished April 3. Project officials said that when the first mapping cycle of 243-days -- one Venus rotation beneath the orbiter -- ends on May 15, a total of 84 percent of the planet's surface will have been acquired. NASA officials announced last week that because of the excellence of the radar images produced by the spacecraft and the excitement they have generated in the science community, a second mapping cycle has been approved. The first priority of the second cycle, beginning May 16, will be to acquire the remaining 16 percent of the planet's surface in radar imagery, including the south pole which has not been imaged by spacecraft before. The papers, written by science team members from JPL and other American and foreign institutions, covered the first 21 days of Magellan radar image data. The Magellan Project is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. ------------------------------ Date: 11 Apr 91 01:08:58 GMT From: agate!bionet!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!IRO.UMontreal.CA!matrox!altitude!elevia!alain@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (W.A.Simon) Subject: Re: Government vs. Commercial R&D In <10006@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) writes: >In article <314.2802ED1D@nss.FIDONET.ORG>, Paul.Blase@nss.FIDONET.ORG (Paul Blase) writes: >> to: szabo@crg5.UUCP (Nick Szabo) >> >> NS> If understand your point, it is that government money is >> >> NS> needed, not necessarily government lab work. >> >>More than just government money, rather a market for the first product >> >>from a technology. >There is a third source, which USED to be very important. Private research >efforts, and non-government non-profit funding, constituted a major part of >the research effort in this country before WWII, and this should be done >again. We must get rid of governmental control of research, and government >funding has provided government control in too many areas. >Instead, we are getting government limitation and government disincentives >into the private sector, and government direction of research. I do not even >think the government should do much interfering with development, but neither >government bureaucrats nor anyone else should try to direct research. Hey, we may agree on something after all. Death to the bureaucrats, or something. Tally ho! Ayn Rand for ever and all that. Ok, ok, I could not resist a bit of poking in the old rib, but I am with you on this one. >Herman Rubin -- Alain - The Old Man of the Mountain UUCP: alain@elevia.UUCP ------------------------------ Date: 11 Apr 91 13:31:11 GMT From: agate!bionet!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!kksys!wd0gol!newave!john@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (John A. Weeks III) Subject: Re: I want to go to orbit... In article heskett@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Donald Heskett) writes: > > [stuff deleted]... may I ask if anyone has seen of or heard from > > Robert Truax lately. > Truax had earlier built a steam powered rocket that Eveil Kneivel > I haven't read anything about Truax in perhaps five years and am also > curious about what he is up to these days, if anything. I just read an article about Truax. I don't recall whether it was in Air & Space, Ad Astra, or the Planetary Report. The article was mostly history. -john- -- +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ John A. Weeks III (612) 942-6969 john@newave.mn.org NeWave Communications ...uunet!tcnet!wd0gol!newave!john ------------------------------ Date: 9 Apr 91 17:31:05 GMT From: skipper!shafer@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) Subject: Re: comsat cancellations and lawsuits In article <1991Apr9.162115.11094@zoo.toronto.edu> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes: In article <1991Apr9.091742.12288@pbs.org> pstinson@pbs.org writes: >By the way, the suit is against NASA >and not the government... A curious assertion. NASA *is* the government, being a government agency. I'd be very surprised if you can sue NASA as a separate entity; I know you can't give them money separately. We certainly are part of the US Government and suing us is suing the Gov't. Incidentally (and I have no idea if it has any relationship to this case) you can't sue the government without its permission. Nice deal, huh? -- Mary Shafer shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA Of course I don't speak for NASA "A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all"--Unknown US fighter pilot ------------------------------ Date: 11 Apr 91 21:57:30 GMT From: agate!bionet!uwm.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!ephillip%magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Earl W Phillips) Subject: Light pollution slowed Following is a copy of a story I wrote that explains how I was recently involved in trying to slow the spread of light pollution here locally; thought you'd be interested! TRYING TO STEM THE TIDE OF LIGHT POLLUTION By Earl W. Phillips, Jr The issue of light pollution is one that affects many people in many different ways. It obviously affects those of us whose vocations, or avocations happen to be astronomy; but it also affects those whose main interests are not the sky. I'm talking about all the future generations of children who, with an increasingly light polluted sky, will not look up and wonder; "What's out there"? For it's from that wondering kid that all astronomers, professional and amateur alike, spring from. Here in Central Ohio where I live, we recently actually had a chance to do something about it. I live in Columbus, Ohio, and nearby is Perkins Observatory. This beautiful structure once housed a 69-inchreflector, but due to the high percentage of cloudy nights here, plus the encroaching light pollution from Columbus, the 69-inch was dissasembled and moved to Flagstaff, Arizona in 1961. It was replaced with a 32-inch F/17 reflector, which seems dwarfed by a dome originally built to house a much more massive scope. The land upon which Perkins Observatory sits is situated in Liberty Township. One of the Township's Zoning Committee members, Dr.Robert Dixon, who is himself an avid amateur optical astronomer, as well as a professional radio astronomer, introduced lighting regulations into the zoning code. These proposed regulations call for: A) Use of fully shielded cut-off fixtures; B) Directing light fixtures downward rather than upward; C) Shielding the light in such a way that the light emitting portion of the fixture cannot be seen at a reasonable distance. The specific requirements of the proposed regulations were: A) Where used for security purposes or to illuminate walkways, roadways, equipment yards and parking lots, only fully shielded cut-off style outdoor light fixtures shall be utilized. B) Where used for signs or for decorative effects or recreational facilities, such as for building, landscape or ballfield illumination, the outdoor light fixtures shall be equipped with automatic timing devices and shielded and focused to minimize light pollution. C) All outdoor light fixtures installed and maintained upon private property within all zoning districts shall be turned off between 11:00 PM and sunrise EXCEPT when used for security purposes or to illuminate walkways, roadways, equipment yards and parking lots. D) All illuminated signs for commercial purposes shall be turned off between 11:00 PM and sunrise, EXCEPT that signs may be illuminated while the business facility is open to the public. All forms of flashing, rotating, moving or digital lights shall be prohibited. E) All outdoor light pole fixtures shall not exceed a maximum height of thirty (30) feet. F) In addition to these provisions, all outdoor light fixtures shall be installed in conformity with all other applicable provisions of the resolution. Exemptions are made for light fixtures producing light directly by the combustion of fossil fuels, as well as low-voltage lighting and holiday lighting. The proposed lighting regulations seemed sensible, and something everyone in the as-yet sparsely populated Liberty Township could live with. It was hoped that, if adopted, these lighting regulations would slow the harm that the ever-increasing development would bring. There were some that were against the code, however. Their main arguement seemed to be that of over-regulation and enforcement. The final meeting that would decide the fate of the proposed lighting regulations was held on Wednesday, March 20, 1991 at 7:30 PM. Myself, Dr.Wing of Perkins Observatory, Dr.Mitchell, an Astronomy Professor at Ohio State University, and Dr.Barnhart, of Big Ear, the Ohio State University Radio Telescope (where Dr.Dixon is the Assistant Director), attended to speak in favor of the proposed regulations if necessary. As it turned out, it was necessary. There were two parties that requested the complete removal of the proposed regulations, again citing over-regulation and enforcibility as the primary reasons. I spoke up in favor of the codes, citing examples such as Tulsa, Oklahoma and their success with lighting codes. Dr.Wing then spoke up in favor, stating that sometime, we all need reminders such as these proposed regulations to be courteous. Then, Dr.Barnhart spoke up in favor, from the standpoint of conservation of energy, and thus, money. In the end, the proposed regulations were indeed adopted. I believe that this is the very first instance of such code here in Central Ohio. But this is a small victory. It is obvious that those of us here in Central Ohio, and everywhere, must pick up this issue and carry it further, in ever-widening circles to the Municipalities, Townships, and Counties all around us. Only by such action can we have hope of securing reasonably dark sky for the next generation of kids, to look up and wonder;"What's that"? ***************************************************************** * | ====@==== ///////// * * ephillip@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu| ``________// * * | `------' * * -JR- | Space;........the final * * | frontier............... * ***************************************************************** ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V13 #397 *******************