Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 05:00:05 From: Space Digest maintainer Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V15 #435 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Thu, 19 Nov 92 Volume 15 : Issue 435 Today's Topics: Aurora Breasts in zero-g FREE-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY For Spacecraft (2 msgs) Hubble's mirror (2 msgs) Interesting Swift-Tuttle Scenario ... Mars Simulation in Antarctica SATELLITE PHOTO Saturn V for Freedom deployment Shuttle computers Skywatch - Nov 15-21 - Meteors Spark up the Night Space suit research? Spy Satellite to Arab Emirates? Welcome to the Space Digest!! Please send your messages to "space@isu.isunet.edu", and (un)subscription requests of the form "Subscribe Space " to one of these addresses: listserv@uga (BITNET), rice::boyle (SPAN/NSInet), utadnx::utspan::rice::boyle (THENET), or space-REQUEST@isu.isunet.edu (Internet). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 13:20:39 EET From: flb@flb.optiplan.fi (F.Baube x554) Subject: Aurora Can anyone summarize the rumors and speculation about the "Aurora" black project ? Perhaps some comments about the technologies that are involved, and what that would mean for the development of SSTO, DC-X, HL-20. etc. ? fred :: baube@optiplan.fi ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 11:36:58 +0100 From: thep_t@garbo.sunet.se (MAGNUS OLSSON) Subject: Breasts in zero-g I know this may sound like a weird kind of question, but we were discussing a comment in an SciFi book about the effect of zero-gravity on a female characters breasts, and started wondering what really happens to womens breasts in space. Do women astronauts need to wear bras, for example? /M ------------------------------ Date: 17 Nov 92 16:44:40 -0600 From: mcelwre@cnsvax.uwec.edu Subject: FREE-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY For Spacecraft Newsgroups: sci.space The technology described in the article copied below could be used to power spacecraft, space colonies, etc.: FREE-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY by Robert E. McElwaine, Physicist Ninety to a hundred years ago, everybody "knew" that a heavier-than-air machine could not possibly fly. It would violate the "laws" of physics. All of the "experts" and "authorities" said so. For example, Simon Newcomb declared in 1901: "The demonstration that no possible combination of known substances, known forms of machinery and known forms of force, can be united in a practical machine by which man shall fly long distances through the air, seems to the writer as complete as it is possible for the demonstration of any physical fact to be." Fortunately, a few SMART people such as the Wright Brothers did NOT accept such pronouncements as the final word. Now we take airplanes for granted, (except when they crash). Today, orthodox physicists and other "scientists" are saying similar things against several kinds of 'Free Energy' Technologies, using negative terms such as "pseudo-science" and "perpetual motion", and citing so-called "laws" which assert that "energy cannot be created or destroyed" ("1st law of thermodynamics") and "there is always a decrease in useful energy" ("2nd law of thermodynamics"). The physicists do not know how to do certain things, so they ARROGANTLY declare that those things cannot be done. Such PRINCIPLES OF IMPOTENCE are COMMON in orthodox modern "science" and help to cover up INCONSISTENCIES and CONTRADICTIONS in orthodox modern theories. Free Energy Inventions are devices which can tap a seemingly UNLIMITED supply of energy from the universe, with- OUT burning any kind of fuel, making them the PERFECT SOLUTION to the world-wide energy crisis and its associated pollution, degradation, and depletion of the environment. Most Free Energy Devices probably do not create energy, but rather tap into EXISTING natural energy sources by various forms of induction. UNLIKE solar or wind devices, they need little or no energy storage capacity, because they can tap as much energy as needed WHEN needed. Solar energy has the DIS-advantage that the sun is often blocked by clouds, trees, buildings, or the earth itself, or is reduced by haze or smog or by thick atmosphere at low altitudes and high latitudes. Likewise, wind speed is WIDELY VARIABLE and often non-existent. Neither solar nor wind power are suitable to directly power cars and airplanes. Properly designed Free Energy Devices do NOT have such limitations. For example, at least three U.S. patents (#3,811,058, #3,879,622, and #4,151,431) have so far been awarded for motors that run EXCLUSIVELY on permanent MAGNETS, seemingly tapping into energy circulating through the earth's magnetic field. The first two require a feedback network in order to be self-running. The third one, (as described in detail in "Science & Mechanics" magazine, Spring 1980), requires critical sizes, shapes, orientations, and spacings of magnets, but NO feedback. Such a motor could drive an electric generator or reversible heatpump in one's home, YEAR ROUND, FOR FREE. [Complete descriptive copies of U.S. patents are $3.00 each from the U.S. Patent Office, 2021 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA 22202; correct 7-digit patent number required. Or try getting copies via your local public or university library's inter-library loan dept..] A second type of free-energy device, such as the 'Gray Motor' (U.S. Patent #3,890,548), the 'Tesla Coil', and the unpatented motor of inventor Joseph Newman, taps ELECTRO- MAGNETIC energy by INDUCTION from 'EARTH RESONANCE' (about 12 cycles per second plus harmonics). They typically have a 'SPARK GAP' in the circuit which serves to SYNCHRONIZE the energy in the coils with the energy being tapped. It is important that the total 'inductance' and 'capacitance' of the Device combine to 'RESONATE' at the same frequency as 'EARTH RESONANCE' in order to maximize the power output. This output can also be increased by centering the SPARK GAP at the 'NEUTRAL CENTER' of a strong U-shaped permanent magnet. In the case of a Tesla Coil, slipping a 'TOROID CHOKE COIL' around the secondary coil will enhance output power. ["Earth Energy: Fuelless Propulsion & Power Systems", by John Bigelow, 1976, Health Research, P.O. Box 70, Mokelumne Hill, CA 95245.] During the 1930's, an Austrian civil engineer named Viktor Schauberger invented and partially developed an 'IMPLOSION TURBINE' (German name, 'ZOKWENDLE'), after analyzing erosion, and lack of erosion, in differently shaped waterways, and developing sophisticated mathematical equations to explain it. As described in the book "A Breakthrough to New Free-Energy Sources", by Dan A. Davidson, 1977, water is pumped by an IMPELLER pump through a LOGARITHMIC-SPIRAL-shaped coil of tubing until it reaches a CRITICAL VELOCITY. The water then IMPLODES, no longer touching the inside walls of the tubing, and drives the pump, which then converts the pump's motor into an ELECTRIC GENERATOR. The device seems to be tapping energy from that of the earth's rotation, via the 'Coriolis effect', LIKE A TORNADO. A fourth type of Free Energy Device is the 'McClintock Air Motor' (U.S. Patent #2,982,261), which is a cross between a diesel engine (it has three cylinders with a compression ratio of 27 to 1) and a rotary engine (with solar and planetary gears). It burns NO FUEL, but becomes self-running by driving its own air compressor. This engine also generates a lot of heat, which could be used to heat buildings; and its very HIGH TORQUE makes it ideal for large trucks, preventing their slowing down when climbing hills. [David McClintock is also the REAL original Inventor of the automatic transmission, differential, and 4-wheel drive.] Crystals may someday be used to supply energy, as shown in the Star Trek shows, perhaps by inserting each one between metal capacitor plates and bombarding it with a beam of particles from a small radioactive source like that used in a common household smoke detector. One other energy source should be mentioned here, despite the fact that it does not fit the definition of Free Energy. A Bulgarian-born American Physicist named Joseph Maglich has invented and partially developed an atomic FUSION reactor which he calls 'Migma', which uses NON-radioactive deuterium as a fuel [available in nearly UNLIMITED quantities from sea water], does NOT produce radioactive waste, can be converted DIRECTLY into electricity (with-OUT energy-wasting steam turbines), and can be constructed small enough to power a house or large enough to power a city. And UNLIKE the "Tokamaks" and laser fusion MONSTROSITIES that we read about, Migma WORKS, already producing at least three watts of power for every watt put in. ["New Times" (U.S. version), 6-26-78, pages 32-40.] And then there are the 'cold fusion' experiments that have been in the news lately, originally conducted by University of Utah researchers B. Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann. Some U.S. Navy researchers at the China Lake Naval Weapons Center in California, under the direction of chemist Melvin Miles, finally took the trouble to collect the bubbles coming from such an apparatus, had them analyzed with mass-spectrometry techniques, and found HELIUM 4, which PROVES that atomic FUSION did indeed take place, and enough of it to explain the excess heat generated. There are GOOD INDICATIONS that the two so-called "laws" of thermodynamics are NOT so "absolute". For example, the late Physicist Dewey B. Larson developed a comprehensive GENERAL UNIFIED Theory of the physical universe, which he calls the 'Reciprocal System', (which he describes in detail in several books such as "Nothing But Motion" (1979) and "The Universe of Motion" (1984)), in which the physical universe has TWO DISTINCT HALVES, the material half and an anti-matter half, with a CONTINUOUS CYCLE of matter and energy passing between them, with-OUT the "heat death" predicted by thermodynamic "laws". His Theory explains the universe MUCH BETTER than modern orthodox theories, including phenomena that orthodox physicists and astronomers are still scratching their heads about, and is SELF-CONSISTENT in every way. Some Free Energy Devices might be tapping into that energy flow, seemingly converting "low-quality energy" into "high-quality energy". Also, certain religious organizations such as 'Sant Mat' and 'Eckankar' teach their Members that the physical universe is only the LOWEST of at least a DOZEN major levels of existence, like parallel universes, or analogous to TV channels, as described in books like "The Path of the Masters", by Julian Johnson, 1939, and "Eckankar: The Key to Secret Worlds", by Sri Paul Twitchell, 1969. For example, the next level up from the physical universe is commonly called the 'Astral Plane'. Long-time Members of these groups have learned to 'Soul Travel' into these higher worlds and report on conditions there. It seems plausible that energy could flow down from these higher levels into the physical universe, or be created at the boundary between them, given the right configuration of matter to channel it. This is supported by many successful laboratory-controlled experiments in PSYCHO-KINESIS throughout the world, such as those described in the book "Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain". In terms of economics, the market has FAILED. Inventors do not have enough money and other resources to fully develop and mass-produce Free Energy Equipment, and the conventional energy producer$ have no desire to do so because of their VE$TED INTERE$T$. The government is needed to intervene. If the government does not intervene, then the total supply of energy resources from the earth will continue to decline and will soon run out, prices for energy will increase, and pollution and its harmful effects (including the 'GREENHOUSE EFFECT', acid rain, smog, radioactive contamination, oil spills, rape of the land by strip mining, etc.) will continue to increase. The government should SUBSIDIZE research and development of Free Energy by Inventors and universities, subsidize private production (until the producers can make it on their own), and subsidize consumption by low-income consumers of Free Energy Hardware. The long-range effects of such government intervention would be wide-spread and profound. The quantity of energy demanded from conventional energy producer$ (coal mining companie$, oil companie$ and countries, electric utilitie$, etc.) would drop to near zero, forcing their employees to seek work elsewhere. Energy resources (coal, uranium, oil, and gas) would be left in the ground. Prices for conventional energy supplies would also drop to near zero, while the price of Free Energy Equipment would start out high but drop as supply increases (as happened with VCR's, personal computers, etc.). Costs of producing products that require large quantities of energy to produce would decrease, along with their prices to consumers. Consumers would be able to realize the "opportunity costs" of paying electric utility bills or buying home heating fuel. Tourism would benefit and increase because travelers would not have to spend their money for gasoline for their cars. Government tax revenue from gasoline and other fuels would have to be obtained in some other way. And energy could no longer be used as a MOTIVE OR EXCUSE FOR MAKING WAR. Many conventional energy producer$ would go out of business, but society as a whole, and the earth's environment and ecosystems, would benefit greatly. It is the People, that government should serve, rather than the big corporation$ and bank$. UN-altered REPRODUCTION and DISSEMINATION of this IMPORTANT Information is ENCOURAGED. Robert E. McElwaine B.S., Physics, UW-EC ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 03:42:03 GMT From: Mark Schlegel Subject: FREE-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY For Spacecraft Newsgroups: sci.space mcelwre@cnsvax.uwec.edu writes: > FREE-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY > by Robert E. McElwaine, Physicist > > Ninety to a hundred years ago, everybody "knew" that a > heavier-than-air machine could not possibly fly. It would > violate the "laws" of physics. All of the "experts" and > "authorities" said so. > Technologies, using negative terms such as "pseudo-science" > and "perpetual motion", and citing so-called "laws" which > assert that "energy cannot be created or destroyed" ("1st law > of thermodynamics") and "there is always a decrease in useful > energy" ("2nd law of thermodynamics"). The physicists do not > know how to do certain things, so they ARROGANTLY declare I notice that you say "The physicists" and "they ARROGANTLY..." which seems to suggest that you're not a physicist but above when you gave your name you said that you were a physicist? Why? I wonder. > Maglich has invented and partially developed an atomic FUSION > reactor which he calls 'Migma', which uses NON-radioactive > deuterium as a fuel [available in nearly UNLIMITED quantities ^^^ in contrast to radioactive deuterium? Is there such a thing? (I assure you there isn't) (alright that was a nitpick but I'm having fun here) > In terms of economics, the market has FAILED. Inventors > do not have enough money and other resources to fully develop > and mass-produce Free Energy Equipment, and the conventional > energy producer$ have no desire to do so because of their > VE$TED INTERE$T$. Now this is just ridiculous, the energy industry spends huge amounts of money scrubbing sulfur compounds out of their exhaust products and would virtually kill to get a clean source of energy. Let's assume you are right and these magic sources work and they have these qualities. 1. nearly limitless supply 2. this supply is effectively free (in terms of cost) 3. non-polluting 4. safe to humans and the environment The only vested interest the utilities have is to their past investment of money in their power plants. But the above advantages reduce operating costs SO much that they would jump at it. (imagine an electric plant that doesn't need to buy any coal, has virtually no cost related to safety equipment, spends nothing on environmental technology, and still charges what it used to)==profit! Mark Schlegel, Univ. of Nebraska at Omaha, Dept. of Physics schlegel@unomaha.edu ------------------------------ Date: 17 Nov 92 12:18:39 GMT From: Mario Wolczko Subject: Hubble's mirror Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space In article , henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes: > The *only* test that would have detected the error [an end-to-end test] > [would have been difficult due to problems] > like gravitational distortion of the primary I've seen this mentioned a few times, and it has me confused. Any idea why an end-to-end test would have been more susceptible to gravitational problems than the null corrector test? Couldn't both be performed with the primary flat on its back? And why are there more risks of surface contamination? ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 04:20:21 GMT From: "robert.f.casey" Subject: Hubble's mirror Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space In article <18865@ksr.com> jfw@ksr.com (John F. Woods) writes: >All the managers who approved ignoring those tests (who were probably rewarded >with bonuses for bringing the mirror in on-time) ought to be billed the repair >costs. (and whoever thought to add random spacing washers to a piece of >*precision* equipment, instead of asking why it didn't fit like it was supposed >to, ... Whoever did the above adding washers to the test jig probably felt a lot of time pressure from management to get it done NOW! and don't waste time about it. He also probably figured the designer made an error overlooking a small mounting detail, and he could "correct" it easy enough with the washers, and deliver it as done. And his boss won't be on his ass. Hell, in my job, I have to deal with a lot of bad documentation, missing info, lack of proper training, time pressure, bad bosses, not enough time, and other problems (excuses my boss calles them). Odds are, given time pressure and bad management, I might have hacked the above mirror tester to get it done myself. And probably I would have figured I had to make the "correction" with the washers. And not be able to ask the designer about it ("he's in a meeting all day", "he's out of town", or some such, or "can't you figure it out yourself, you idiot"). ------------------------------ Date: 16 Nov 92 22:19:54 GMT From: Mario Wolczko Subject: Interesting Swift-Tuttle Scenario ... Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space Here's something to think about. Suppose, after S-T has passed out of the range of our best telescopes, and good orbital elements have been obtained, all calculations show a direct hit on Earth is very likely. However, even then there will be no certainty until S-T is reacquired, inbound, presumably many decades hence. What will happen? Here's my guess: there'll be a flurry of discussion and ideas on how to divert the comet, but after that everything will die down and the whole thing will lie dormant (like the comet ;-) -- apart from the occasional minor study -- until the early 22nd century. Then, the schemes will be dusted off and re-assessed, some new ones invented, and -- nothing will happen until either the comet is reacquired, or the last moment to actually start building something arrives. Of course, by then S-T could be an exhibit in the Natural History Museum in Lunar Orbit, or a tour stop on the way to Alpha Centauri ... T-48848 days and counting! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 22:41:21 GMT From: Bruce_Dunn@mindlink.bc.ca Subject: Mars Simulation in Antarctica Newsgroups: sci.space At one point I believe that the US was operating a small nuclear reactor as a source of power and heat in one of their Antarctic bases. Does anyone know the details - this would be highly relevant to moon and or mars bases (which of course would have to however have alternate methods of rejecting heat). -- Bruce Dunn Vancouver, Canada Bruce_Dunn@mindlink.bc.ca ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 01:55:49 GMT From: Tim Fogarty Subject: SATELLITE PHOTO Newsgroups: sci.space In article <16NOV92.12028663.0072@VM1.MCGILL.CA>, IEGS@MUSICB.MCGILL.CA (IEGS000) writes: |> |>COULD SOMEONE HELP ME: SUPPOSE A HURRICANE JUST BLEW IN! WHERE CAN I |>FIND A SATELLITE PHOTOS OF IT'S PROGRESS? |>PLEASE REPLY TO MC.BER |> CNN -- Tim Fogarty Sys Man and Sys Admin for the EGSE in the POCC at JSC for SRL-1, STS-59 FOGARTY@SIR-C.JPL.NASA.GOV ------------------------------ Date: 18 Nov 92 00:50:14 GMT From: Rich Kolker Subject: Saturn V for Freedom deployment Newsgroups: sci.space Chris, There are lots of good references on the Saturn Launch Vehicles. I'd start with "Stages to Saturn", published by NASA in 1980. It's reference number is NASA SP-4206. Try a college library, interlibrary loan or the Government Printing Office. ++richys ------------------------------------------------------------------- rich kolker rkolker@nuchat.sccsi.com It's been a long, long time -------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 08:12:48 EST From: John Roberts Subject: Shuttle computers -From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) -Subject: Re: Shuttle computers -Date: 17 Nov 92 21:44:07 GMT -In article roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov (John Roberts) writes: ->Do you recall how tight the lockstep is? I don't believe I've seen anything ->written on that since before STS-1. -It's not a cycle-by-cycle lockstep like some redundant systems. Every -couple of milliseconds, the four computers in the main redundant set -compare notes; if one disagrees with the others twice in a row, the -others declare it to have failed. The fifth computer runs completely -different software, programmed by a different group using different -methods, as a final backup against disastrous failure; I think switchover -to it is entirely manual. Hm - that sounds like a more software-oriented approach than Pat Nolastname's post would indicate.... I presume there's a way for the astronauts to tell the system to switch a GPC back in (recalling that they once replaced a GPC in-orbit). Is it at all possible to reprogram the GPCs from the ground, or does it have to be done from onboard? John Roberts roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov ------------------------------ Date: 18 Nov 92 03:40:39 GMT From: Tom Parish Subject: Skywatch - Nov 15-21 - Meteors Spark up the Night Newsgroups: sci.space If there is interest I will post the weekly Skywatch written by Jeff Kanipe who is editor of Star Date Magazine. We have been making these columns avaiable via FidoNet on a couple of the echoes (ie. Astronomy, Space) for the last 18 months. Various FidoNet users who also read sci.space on USENET have asked me about posting Skywatch here. So here it is ... you tell me if you "really" want it here. Thanks, Tom Parish --------------------------------------------------------------------- Star Date Turning Point SKYWATCH November 15-21 Meteors Spark up the Night by Jeff Kanipe Editor of Star Date Magazine PLANETS * Mercury is in inferior conjunction and not visible this month. * Venus is the bright "evening star" in the west after sunset. It sets about two hours after sunset. * Mars rises mid-evening in the constellation Gemini. * Jupiter is the "morning star," rising in the east-southeast about four hours before the sun. * Saturn is low in the south at sunset in Capricornus. It sets about midnight. EVENTS Nov. 15: Algol is at minimum brightness. Nov. 15: Mars is five degrees north of the waning gibbous moon. Nov. 17: Leonid meteor shower in the early morning hours. Moon interferes. Nov. 17: Last quarter moon. Nov. 18: Algol is at minimum brightness. Nov. 19: The moon is at perigee, 369,741 km (229,745 mi). Nov. 20: Jupiter is seven degrees north of the crescent moon. THE LEONID METEOR SHOWER ------------------------ Most years, the Leonid meteor shower tends to be rather hum-drum. At most, one can expect to see maybe 10 to 20 meteors per hour zip fleetingly across the sky from a dark location out in the country. But every thirty-three years, this shower suddenly becomes a storm of "shooting stars." The last major storm occurred in 1966 when observers in the central United States saw over 5,000 meteors per hour! Although this is not the year of the storm--that won't happen until we get closer to 1998 or 1999--the shower still bears watching because the intensity of the shower should increase the closer we get to its storm year. Why does a storm happen only occasionally? The answer doesn't have as much to do with where meteors are in space as much as it has to do with where comets are--the sources of the meteors we see in meteor showers. Comets are like those snow-encrusted cars you often see barreling down the freeway in winter, leaving in their wake an icy, blustery trail. When a comet comes out of the deep freeze of deep space and visits the inner solar system, its surface is warmed by the sun. Part of its icy crust suddenly turns to vapor, which blows off the comet's surface, leaving a delineated path of debris through which Earth passes at a specific time of the year. The "blowback" material contains ice, dust, and small gravely material--stuff that later burns up in our atmosphere during a shower. The Leonids in particular are composed of debris from periodic Comet Tempel/Tuttle. This comet has a period of 33.176 years. As the comet approaches the solar system, it brings with it a concentrated trail of debris, which Earth passes through. When this happens, we see a greater display of meteors than usual. Look for the Leonids on the morning of November 17. Although the last quarter moon interferes somewhat, the sky should be dark enough to see some of the brighter meteors. Leo rises in the east around 1:30 a.m., local time, just as Earth is meeting these meteors head on. The greatest number, however, will be seen when the place in the sky from which the meteors appear to radiate (near the Lion's "sickle") is halfway up in the eastern sky, and that occurs around 4 a.m. You can expect to see a half-dozen or more meteors per hour. Then again, if we pass through a "knot" of debris, as occasionally happens with the Leonids, you may see a brief flurry of meteors. Who knows what you may see? I can guarantee, however, that if you remain in bed, you won't see anything at all. -------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Kanipe is editor of Star Date Magazine, published by McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin. Write to Star Date at 2601 University, Room 102, the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 for subscription information. It is very reasonable in cost, informative and colorful. Copyright 1992 The University of Texas McDonald Observatory. Material is intended for personal education and should not be rebroadcast in any written or verbal form without prior permission from the University of Texas. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Also see the daily scripts from the Star Date Radio Program on the Turning Point. HST/DS 512-219-7848 ------------------------------ Date: 17 Nov 92 22:59:02 GMT From: Frank Crary Subject: Space suit research? Newsgroups: sci.space In article prb@access.digex.com (Pat) writes: >...What i was wondering is why have the shuttle run at 14PSI >earth normal atmosphere? if the shuttle ran on a mostly O2 atmosphere at >3-4 PSI wouldnt all the pre breathe stuff become irrelevant? You don't have to go nearly that far: At 6psi of nitrogen partial pressure (~9psi total cabin pressure) there wouldn't be any need for pre-breathing with the current suits. Frank Crary CU Boulder ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 00:44:00 GMT From: "Carlos G. Niederstrasser" Subject: Spy Satellite to Arab Emirates? Newsgroups: talk.politics.space,sci.space In article daniels@ih-nxt07.cso.uiuc.edu (Daniel Ray Sawyer) writes: > > The specific case involved is in today's (Nov 17) New York Times. It seems > that several months ago the United Arab Emirates approached the US gvt > about getting a license to buy an advanced spy satellite from a US firm. > According to the article, the satellite model would be able to pick out > objects one to two meters large. This is supposedly much better than the > photographic satellites sold for "commercial" purposes. > > The Emirates motive is supposedly to be the "first on the block" with > a spy satellite in the Arab world. My philosophy on this is better us than them (them being the Russians) As I see it if we give the satellite to them we will have _some_ control over it. We will know its abilities, its orbit (if we launch it), its lifetime, even its radio frequency and computer encoding. With some restrictions/recomendations we could at least try to make sure the UAE don't use it for purposes contrary to our national interest. On the other hand we could refuse. Odds are that if they really want a satellite they could get it from the Russians. It is not even like they are asking for top of the line (2m resolution isn't that great if you believe some of the rumors about our 'real' spy satellites) The Russians have already started selling photos what is to stop them from selling a whole satellite? And in this case we would barely know anything about it. Of course if the CIA can insure us that the UAE will definetly not buy a sat from the Russians then there is nothing to worry about right? And better that the 'first kid on the block' with a spy satellite be someone we at least can kind of trust, and is politically stable (for now) Oh, and there's always the famed jobs question, which applies to both Russia and the U.S. -- --------------------------------------------------------------------- | Carlos G. Niederstrasser | It is difficult to say what | | Princeton Planetary Society | is impossible; for the dream of | | | yesterday, is the hope of today | | | and the reality of tomorrow | | carlosn@phoenix.princeton.edu |---------------------------------| | space@phoenix.princeton.edu | Ad Astra per Ardua Nostra | --------------------------------------------------------------------- -- --------------------------------------------------------------------- | Carlos G. Niederstrasser | It is difficult to say what | | Princeton Planetary Society | is impossible; for the dream of | | | yesterday, is the hope of today | ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 15 : Issue 435 ------------------------------