Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 32766 Received: from andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl@andrew.cmu.edu (->ota+space.digests) ID ; Fri, 5 Jul 91 02:34:11 -0400 (EDT) Received: from hogtown.andrew.cmu.edu via qmail ID ; Fri, 5 Jul 91 02:33:18 -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, 5 Jul 91 02:31:49 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #783 SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 783 Today's Topics: NASA Headline News for 06/17/91 (Forwarded) Re: Beanstalk analysis reprise Re: Solar Flares Affecting the Planet? * SpaceNews 24-Jun-91 * Re: Please Don't Go! 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: 22 Jun 91 01:00:07 GMT From: att!pacbell.com!news.arc.nasa.gov!usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Peter E. Yee) Subject: NASA Headline News for 06/17/91 (Forwarded) [Finally starting to catch up on my backlog of things to do. -PEY] Headline News Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA Headquarters Monday, June 17, 1991 Audio Service: 202 / 755-1788 This is NASA Headline News for Monday, June 17, 1991 . . . Ferry preparations on Columbia at the Dryden Flight Research Facility are coming along well. The Kennedy Space Center crew expects to have Columbia ready for departure to the Cape by Wednesday, with arrival at KSC on Thursday. Columbia will then be serviced and prepared for another ferry flight in mid-August, this time back to the Rockwell orbiter facility in Palmdale for a series of modifications and refurbishments. Columbia is expected to be returned to KSC in February, 1992. The STS-40 medical subjects -- Rhea Seddon, James Bagian, Millie Hughes-Fulford, and Drew Gaffney -- remain at Dryden and are about half-way finished with their seven- day post-landing medical testing. Activity associated with the Atlantis STS-43 mission also continues to progress smoothly. The payload, Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-E, was moved to the launch pad this morning. Atlantis is being prepared for transport to the vehicle assembly building tomorrow night for stacking. KSC officials note that this turnaround processing for Atlantis, 60 days, is the fastest and cleanest they have performed to date. Everything looks good to support a July launch of Atlantis to deliver the TDRS-West replacement satellite. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Last week the Gamma Ray Observatory was maneuvered to point at its first scientific target of opportunity -- the Sun. The 17-ton observatory was repositioned by Goddard Space Flight Center controllers to gather data from two X-class solar flares that occurred last week. The X-class is the largest and most powerful type of solar flare and while much is known about the composition and magnitude of solar flares, surprisingly little is known about their thermonuclear processes. All four of GRO's instrument teams received good data on the solar activity. GRO is in a 287-by-280 statute mile orbit. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Flight controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory report the X-band telemetry link from the Ulysses spacecraft was lost Friday, June 14, for approximately two hours beginning shortly before Columbia landed. After loss of the downlink telemetry, the spacecraft went into a safing mode, which switched off all nine science experiments. The telemetry link was reestablished at 1:01 pm EDT. No science data have been acquired since the link was lost. JPL Ulysses mission operations will reestablish a stable thermal environment on the spacecraft and begin turning the science instruments back on early this week. The cause of the incident currently is being investigated. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The launch of Joust 1, a commercial suborbital rocket carrying 10 material and biotechnology experiments, is scheduled for 7:00 am EDT tomorrow, June 18 from Launch Complex 20 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Joust 1 mission is sponsored by the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Orbital Sciences Corp., Space Data Division, under a contract with UAH CMDS, is providing the Prospector rocket and launch services. The launch will be carried live on NASA Select TV. Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select TV. Note that all events and times may change without notice, and that all times listed are Eastern. indicates a program is transmitted live. Monday, 6/17/91 1:00 pm NASA radio programs will be transmitted. Tuesday, 6/18/91 6:30 am Coverage of Joust-1 launch preparations begins. 7:00 am Scheduled launch time of Joust-1 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station This report is filed daily at noon, Monday through Friday. It is a service of NASA's Office of Public Affairs. The contact is Charles Redmond, 202/453-8425 or CREDMOND on NASAmail. NASA Select TV is carried on GE Satcom F2R, transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West Longitude, transponder frequency is 3960 megaHertz, audio is offset 6.8 MHz, polarization is vertical. ------------------------------ Date: 20 Jun 91 13:52:04 GMT From: ssc-vax!bcsaic!hsvaic!eder@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Dani Eder) Subject: Re: Beanstalk analysis reprise In article <1991Jun18.160904.15921@nntp-server.caltech.edu> carl@sol1.gps.caltech.edu writes: > >There was a science fact article in ANALOG Science Fiction/Science Fact a >couple of years ago that concluded that, given our understanding of chemical >bonds, there was no material theoretically strong enough to build a beanstalk >on Earth (on Mars or the Moon, yes; on Earth, no), but that pinwheels would be >feasible. Anybody out there who can point us to the appropriate issue of >Analog? >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't know about Analog, but take a look at the current issue of 'Science'. There is a paper on observation of transparency changes in graphite being subjected to 18 GPa (2.61 million psi) in a diamond anvil cell. Therefore pure diamond has a demonstrated compressive strength of at least this much. The specific gravity of diamond is 3.513 g/cc, or 0.127 lb/cubic inch. Thus the scale height in compression is 20.56 million inches, or 324 miles. Graphite fiber has a commercial tensile strength of 1 million psi and a density of 1.84 g/cc. This gives a scale length in tension of 15.04 million inches, or 237 miles. In theory, if we allow an area ratio of 100 for each of a 'tower of babel' from the ground and a 'jacob's ladder' from orbit, we can build to 4.6 scale lengths with an optimal exponential taper. This means that the combined structures can be built to 2583 miles in 1 g. Since the Earth's gravity well is equivalent to 3963 miles at 1 g, we can build 65% of a beanstalk. This is with no factor of safety in design, but is intended to show that we are within a factor of 2 of being able to build a beanstalk. Dani Eder ------------------------------ Date: 21 Jun 91 08:10:15 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!emory!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Gary Coffman) Subject: Re: Solar Flares Affecting the Planet? In article <9106160352.AA19559@phys> jep@PHYS.PHYSICS.UCF.EDU ("Jason Epel [Consultant]") writes: > > It may be more non-scientific based rumor than fact, but I've heard >that some scientists believe the run on plate disturbances can be >attributed to the extraordinary solar flare activity we have experienced >in the past weeks. There's more to linking the two together than is >implied, physically speaking such is 'possible' though may as in this >case be improbable. > > Is there any evidence to make this claim legitimate? Or are people >losing all sense of [scientific] reality? Well, a non-scientific speculation on a non-scientific rumor. :-) The one gross effect of solar flares we are sure of is the distortion of the Earth's magnetic field. The Earth's field is weak by laboratory standards, but it is vast. Quite a bit of energy must be stored in so large a field. It's possible that warping the field could trigger some tectonic event that was poised to happen anyway. Thus the volcanos in the Philippines and Japan going off in near succession. Certainly geomagnetic induction can disrupt power and communications grids, perhaps it can trigger subsurface events as well. Gary ------------------------------ Date: 22 Jun 91 02:40:43 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!masscomp!ocpt!tsdiag!ka2qhd!kd2bd@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (John Magliacane) Subject: * SpaceNews 24-Jun-91 * SB NEWS @ AMSAT < KD2BD $SPC0624 * SpaceNews 24-Jun-91 * Bulletin ID: $SPC0624 ========= SpaceNews ========= MONDAY JUNE 24, 1991 SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is published every week and is made available for unlimited distribution. * UoSAT-F NEWS * ================ UoSAT-F will fly with a European remote sensing satellite and some other microsats. Intended orbit will have a height of about 780km and a 98 degree inclination. UoSAT-F will be called UoSAT-5/OSCAR-22 after launch. The main mission is to provide store-and-forward communications for a group called SatelLife who will use it for a non-profit electronic mail network for health professionals. Initially, 5 African medical schools will use "Health- Net" for E-mail and to receive up-to-date medical literature. When not serving HealthNet on commercial frequencies, UO-22 will QSY to Amateur Satellite channels sending AX.25 data at 9600 bps. Uplink is 2m and downlink is 70cm (same as frequencies planned for UoSAT4/OSCAR-15). Stations using UO-14 will be able to receive UO-22 with the same software and hardware. Telemetry, status messages and files will be transmitted in the same pattern and format as UO-14. UO-22 will have a similar role to UO-9, UO-11 and WEBERSAT. Instead of providing 2-way communications, it will transmit experimental data and telemetry. UO-22 carries a CCD camera with a wide-angle lens (110 deg) giving a broad field of view. Images will represent 1600 x 1800 km. Ground features will be more detectable than on previous cameras (UO-9 and WO-18). The image will be 578 x 576 pixels, giving about 2 km ground resolution. A pixel is 8 bits, giving a black and white image with 256 grey levels. UO-22 will broadcast CCD images using the PACSAT Protocol. Two Transputers in the camera unit will send the image to the main 80C186 On Board Computer. The OBC will make an image file, with 256 bytes of header information and a PACSAT File Header, which will then be sent. Interested in writing display programs? Complete technical file details will be published soon. When UoS confirm the camera works, they'll release a display program for PC compatibles. FREQUENCY PLAN: Downlink : 435.120 MHz 9600 bps FSK 1200 bps AFSK (backup) 5 W or 2 W Uplink : 145.900 MHz 9600 bps FSK 1200 bps AFSK (backup) The uplink will only be used by groundstations transmitting "hole lists" and requests for the PACSAT Broadcast Protocol. Launch has been postponed until at least mid-July while Arianespace check an anomaly in the Ariane rocket's third stage and modify it. The extra time will be used to continue development and testing of flight software. UoS hope to bring UO-22 on-line rapidly, perhaps returning the first CCD images a couple of weeks after launch. Incidentally, the French SARA satellite which has no connection with amateur radio, on same launch as UO-22, uses 145.995 MHz as a downlink!! 73 Richard G3RWL (GB7HSN, OSCARS 14/16/19/20) 14JUN91 [Story via OSCAR-11] * VOYAGER RADIO LINKS * ======================= Voyager Spacecraft Radio Telecommunications Subsystem: Transmitting Frequency (MHz) Transmitting Parameters: 2295 8415 Transmitter power - Low Power 6.5W 12W - High Power 19W 18W Transmitting antenna gain 35dB 47dB Transmitting Polarization RCP RCP or LCP Receiving Parameters: Receiving frequency 2115 MHz Receiving antenna gain 35dB Noise temperature 2000K Receiving polarization RCP Performance Parameters of a 64-meter NASA DSN Tracking Station Receiving Frequency Receiving Parameters: 2295 8415 64-meter antenna gain 61dB 71dB Noise temperature at zenith 22K 25K Receiving polarization RCP/LCP RCP/LCP Transmitting Parameters: Transmitting frequency 2115 MHz Transmitter power 20 to 100 kW 64-meter antenna gain 60dB Transmitting polarization RCP * FEEDBACK WELCOMED * ===================== Feedback regarding SpaceNews may be directed to the editor using any one of the following paths: UUCP : ...!rutgers.edu!ka2qhd!kd2bd VOICE : 908-842-1900 ext 607 PACKET : KD2BD @ NN2Z.NJ.USA.NA PRODIGY : GHNS63D INTERNET : kd2bd@ka2qhd.de.com -OR- kd2bd@tomcat.gsfc.nasa.gov MAIL : John A. Magliacane, KD2BD Department of Electronics Technology Advanced Technology Center Brookdale Community College Lincroft, New Jersey 07738 U.S.A. /EX -- John A. Magliacane FAX : (908) 747-7107 Electronics Technology Department AMPR : KD2BD @ NN2Z.NJ.USA.NA Brookdale Community College UUCP : ...!rutgers!ka2qhd!kd2bd Lincroft, NJ 07738 USA VOICE: (908) 842-1900 ext 607 ------------------------------ Date: 22 Jun 91 01:33:25 GMT From: bbn.com!nic!kira!emily!wollman@eddie.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) Subject: Re: Please Don't Go! In article <33172@rouge.usl.edu> dlbres10@pc.usl.edu (Fraering Philip) writes: >The title says it all. Any of the NASA employees out there posting, >whether or not it is self-serving propaganda or not, please continue >reading and posting. Please ignore the more inflammatory people on >this list. They don't speak for everyone. "I wish to associate myself with the remarks of the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana." (Not that I think Congress things any better...) >I don't think NASA is perfect, but I do think it can be part of the >solution. Depending on who you listen to (and believe me, I got past the "/szabo/hK:j" stage a while ago), the Evil Space Bureaucracies may be harmful to your long-term health. However, as the overused cliche goes, "they're the only ones we've got." (Now if only we could get the Soviet space people... perhaps I should write Vadim Antonov a note...) Unlike many of the pie-in-the-sky dreams of the net.space.arch-capitalists, NASA, ESA, and the rest have worthwhile things going on in space RIGHT NOW, and I want to hear about them! That's why I will definitely vote for a separate space-politics newsgroup, no matter what it ends up being called. [It would be nice if we could get Gene Miya back...] It is nice to be able to see comments from people who actually work with space, instead of continuous rantings from employees of major *computer* manufacturers, no matter how well-informed that may be. -GAWollman Garrett A. Wollman - wollman@emily.uvm.edu Disclaimer: I'm not even sure this represents *my* opinion, never mind UVM's, EMBA's, EMBA-CF's, or indeed anyone else's. ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V13 #783 *******************