Date: Fri, 16 Apr 93 05:05:11 From: Space Digest maintainer Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V16 #463 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Fri, 16 Apr 93 Volume 16 : Issue 463 Today's Topics: *Doppelganger* (was Re: Vulcan? No, not Spock or Haphaestus) (2 msgs) A WRENCH in the works? Comet in Temporary Orbit Around Jupiter? Galileo Update - 04/15/93 How many read sci.space? (2 msgs) How to get there? (was Re: Comet in Temporary Orbit Around Jupiter? New DC-x gif Russian Operation of US Space Missions. Shuttle Launch Question Sixty-two thousand (was Re: How many read sci.space?) Some Recent Observations by Hubble Space Debris Successful Balloon Flight Measures Ozone Layer Two-Line Orbital Element Set: Space Shuttle 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: 15 Apr 93 17:00:48 -0600 From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey Subject: *Doppelganger* (was Re: Vulcan? No, not Spock or Haphaestus) Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1qju0bINN10l@rave.larc.nasa.gov>, C.O.EGALON@LARC.NASA.GOV (CLAUDIO OLIVEIRA EGALON) writes: > There was a Science fiction movie sometime ago (I do not remember its > name) about a planet in the same orbit of Earth but hidden behind the > Sun so it could never be visible from Earth. This was known as *Journey to the Far Side of the Sun* in the United States and as *Doppelganger* in the U.K. It was produced by the great team of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (whose science was usually a bit better than this). It may have been their first production using live actors-- they were better known for their technophilic puppet shows, such as *Supercar*, *Stingray*, and *Thunderbirds*. Later, they went on to do more live-action SF series: *UFO* and *Space: 1999*. The astronomy was lousy, but the lifting-body spacecraft, VTOL airliners, and mighty Portugese launch complex were *wonderful* to look at. Bill Higgins, Beam Jockey | In a churchyard in the valley Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory | Where the myrtle doth entwine Bitnet: HIGGINS@FNAL.BITNET | There grow roses and other posies Internet: HIGGINS@FNAL.FNAL.GOV | Fertilized by Clementine. SPAN/Hepnet: 43011::HIGGINS | ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 1993 22:22:19 GMT From: Doug Mohney Subject: *Doppelganger* (was Re: Vulcan? No, not Spock or Haphaestus) Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1993Apr15.170048.1@fnalf.fnal.gov>, higgins@fnalf.fnal.gov (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) writes: >This was known as *Journey to the Far Side of the Sun* in the United >States and as *Doppelganger* in the U.K... Later, they went >on to do more live-action SF series: *UFO* and *Space: 1999*. > >The astronomy was lousy, but the lifting-body spacecraft, VTOL >airliners, and mighty Portugese launch complex were *wonderful* to >look at. They recycled a lot of models and theme music for UFO. Some of the concepts even showed up in SPACE: 1999. Software engineering? That's like military intelligence, isn't it? -- > SYSMGR@CADLAB.ENG.UMD.EDU < -- ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 93 14:56:07 -0600 From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey Subject: Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary In article <1993Apr15.051309.22252@stortek.com>, pg@sanitas.stortek.com (Paul Gilmartin) writes: > Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey (higgins@fnalf.fnal.gov) wrote: > : While you're at it, comet experts, explain how a comet gets into > : Jovian orbit to begin with! > > : There are non-gravitational forces from heating and outgassing when a > : comet gets into the inner solar system. [...] > > Don't forget the Galilean satellites of Jupiter. My poor old physics intuition will be very surprised if these tiny masses, sitting very close to Jupiter, play any role whatsoever in the problem. Or, to put it more technically, the extra "volume" they add to the phase space of possible capture trajectories is negligible. Jupiter is 2E27 kg, while the Galilean satellites are around 1E23. Also, as I said, the few references that I've looked at do not mention outgassing or breakup as important processes. The important thing is a Jupiter-Sun-comet "reverse slingshot" that leads to a weakly Jupiter-bound orbit for the comet (at least a temporary one). Bill Higgins | Late at night she still doth haunt me Fermilab | Dressed in garments soaked in brine Bitnet: HIGGINS@FNAL.BITNET | Though in life I used to hug her Internet: HIGGINS@FNAL.FNAL.GOV | Now she's dead, I draw the line! SPAN/Hepnet: 43011::HIGGINS | --after the tragedy, "Clementine" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 19:07:25 GMT From: Mitch Subject: A WRENCH in the works? Newsgroups: sci.space Hi all, I really thought that by now I would have seen something about this, but I haven't, so here goes: Last night on the evening news, the anchorperson said something to the effect that one of the SSRBs that was recovered after the recent space shuttle launch was found to have a wrench of some sort rattling around apparently inside the case. There was no elaboration as to where specfically the item was found, of what type of wrench it was, but the anchorperson did say something about a NASA official commenting that there would be an inquiry into how the thing got in the SSRB. Has anybody else on the net whose info sources may be better than mine heard anything about this? It seems rather weird. Mitch ---------------------------->jmcocker@eos.ncsu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 22:59:37 GMT From: jgarland@kean.ucs.mun.ca Subject: Comet in Temporary Orbit Around Jupiter? Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary In article <15APR199315012030@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov>, baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke) writes: > In article <1993Apr15.094320.1723@sq.sq.com>, msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader) writes... >>> > So how close would the comet have gotten to Jupiter on the pass that >>> > put it into temporary orbit, and how far is it likely to get from >>> > Jupiter before it makes its escape? >>> >>> The answer to all of these questions is we don't know yet. >>> We don't know for sure if the comet is in a temporary orbit. >> >>I see. I wasn't so interested in this particular case as in typical >>behavior, anyway. Can these questions be answered for a previous >>instance, such as the Gehrels 3 that was mentioned in an earlier posting? > > Gehrels 3 was in a temporary Jovian orbit for about 3 or 4 years. I'll > get the orbital elements from Dance of the Planets and post them here. Sorry folks, I should have done this, and meant to just after i hit the send key... Orbital Elements of Comet 1977VII (from Dance files) p(au) 3.424346 e 0.151899 i 1.0988 cap_omega(0) 243.5652 W(0) 231.1607 epoch 1977.04110 Also, perihelions of Gehrels3 were: April 1973 83 jupiter radii August 1970 ~3 jupiter radii Hope this helps...I'm even less of an orbital mechanic than I am an artist. John Garland jgarland@kean.ucs.mun.ca ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 1993 21:18 UT From: Ron Baalke Subject: Galileo Update - 04/15/93 Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary Forwarded from Neal Ausman, Galileo Mission Director GALILEO MISSION DIRECTOR STATUS REPORT POST-LAUNCH April 9 - 15, 1993 SPACECRAFT 1. On April 9, real-time commands were sent, as planned, to reacquire celestial reference after completion of the Low Gain Antenna (LGA-2) swing/Dual Drive Actuator (DDA) hammer activities. 2. On April 9, the EJ-1 (Earth-Jupiter #1) sequence memory load was uplinked to the spacecraft without incident. This sequence covers spacecraft activity from April 12, 1993 to June 14, 1993 and includes a window for the Radio Relay Antenna (RRA) slew test on April 28, 1993. The command loss timer was set to 11 days as a part of this sequence memory load. 3. On April 12 and 15, a NO-OP command was sent to reset the command loss timer to 264 hours, its planned value during this mission phase. 4. On April 12, cruise science Memory Readouts (MROs) were performed for the Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EUV), Dust Detector (DDS), and Magnetometer (MAG) instruments. Preliminary analysis indicates the data was received properly. 5. On April 12, an Ultra-Stable Oscillator (USO) test was performed to verify the health status of the USO and to collect gravitational red shift experiment data; long term trend analysis is continuing. 6. On April 14, a 40bps modulation index test was performed to determine the optimal Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) when transmitting at 40bps. Preliminary analysis of the data suggests that the present pre-launch selected modulation index is near the optimal level. 7. On April 15, cruise science Memory Readouts (MROs) were performed for the Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EUV) and Magnetometer (MAG) instrument. Preliminary analysis indicates the data was received properly. 8. On April 15, a periodic RPM (Retro-Propulsion Module) 10-Newton thruster flushing maintenance activity was performed; all 12 thrusters were flushed during the activity. Thruster performance throughout the activity was nominal. 9. The AC/DC bus imbalance measurements have not exhibited significant changes (greater than 25 DN) throughout this period. The AC measurement reads 19 DN (4.3 volts). The DC measurement reads 111 DN (12.9 volts). These measurements are consistent with the model developed by the AC/DC special anomaly team. 10. The Spacecraft status as of April 15, 1993, is as follows: a) System Power Margin - 60 watts b) Spin Configuration - Dual-Spin c) Spin Rate/Sensor - 3.15rpm/Star Scanner d) Spacecraft Attitude is approximately 18 degrees off-sun (lagging) and 6 degrees off-earth (leading) e) Downlink telemetry rate/antenna- 40bps(coded)/LGA-1 f) General Thermal Control - all temperatures within acceptable range g) RPM Tank Pressures - all within acceptable range h) Orbiter Science- Instruments powered on are the PWS, EUV, UVS, EPD, MAG, HIC, and DDS i) Probe/RRH - powered off, temperatures within acceptable range j) CMD Loss Timer Setting - 264 hours Time To Initiation - 260 hours GDS (Ground Data Systems): 1. Galileo participated in a second DSN (Deep Space Network) acceptance test for the DSN Telemetry Phase 3 Upgrade on April 13, 1993, using CTA-21 (Compatibility Test Area 21). The purpose of this test was to verify the flow of Galileo telemetry data through the new Telemetry Group Controller (TGC) and the Telemetry Channel Assembly (TCA). The TGC/TCA is the replacement for the current Telemetry Processing Assembly (TPA). Seven different telemetry rates were run for this test; all ran well on both the MTS (MCCC Telemetry Subsystem) and the AMMOS MGDS V18.0 GIF with the exception of 10bps. The 10bps rate had some trouble staying in lock; it appears the TGC/TCA was not metering the data correctly. Further comparisons between the MGDS and MTS data from this test are being conducted. MVT (Mission Verification Test) of the TGC/TCA system is expected to begin May 16, 1993. TRAJECTORY As of noon Thursday, April 15, 1993, the Galileo Spacecraft trajectory status was as follows: Distance from Earth 152,606,000 km (1.02 AU) Distance from Sun 277,519,800 km (1.86 AU) Heliocentric Speed 93,400 km per hour Distance from Jupiter 543,973,900 km Round Trip Light Time 17 minutes, 4 seconds SPECIAL TOPIC 1. As of April 15, 1993, a total of 70184 real-time commands have been transmitted to Galileo since Launch. Of these, 65076 were initiated in the sequence design process and 5108 initiated in the real-time command process. In the past week, 7 real time commands were transmitted: 6 were initiated in the sequence design process and one initiated in the real time command process. Major command activities included commands to reacquire celestial reference, uplink the EJ-1 sequence memory load, and reset the command loss timer. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov | | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab | ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |__ M/S 525-3684 Telos | Being cynical never helps /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | to correct the situation |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ | and causes more aggravation | instead. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 20:42:10 GMT From: Dillon Pyron Subject: How many read sci.space? Newsgroups: sci.space There are actually only two of us. I do Henry, Fred, Tommy and Mary. Oh yeah, this isn't my real name, I'm a bald headed space baby. -- Dillon Pyron | The opinions expressed are those of the TI/DSEG Lewisville VAX Support | sender unless otherwise stated. (214)462-3556 (when I'm here) | (214)492-4656 (when I'm home) |Texans: Vote NO on Robin Hood. We need pyron@skndiv.dseg.ti.com |solutions, not gestures. PADI DM-54909 | ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 1993 22:12:34 GMT From: Doug Mohney Subject: How many read sci.space? Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1993Apr15.204210.26022@mksol.dseg.ti.com>, pyron@skndiv.dseg.ti.com (Dillon Pyron) writes: > >There are actually only two of us. I do Henry, Fred, Tommy and Mary. Oh yeah, >this isn't my real name, I'm a bald headed space baby. Damn! So it was YOU who was drinking beer with ROBERT McELWANE in the PARKING LOT of the K-MART! UNLIMITED INSEMINATION OF THIS MESSAGE RIGIDLY REFUSED Software engineering? That's like military intelligence, isn't it? -- > SYSMGR@CADLAB.ENG.UMD.EDU < -- ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 93 15:13:28 -0600 From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey Subject: How to get there? (was Re: Comet in Temporary Orbit Around Jupiter? Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary In article <1993Apr15.051309.22252@stortek.com>, pg@sanitas.stortek.com (Paul Gilmartin) writes: > Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey (higgins@fnalf.fnal.gov) wrote: > : While you're at it, comet experts, explain how a comet gets into > : Jovian orbit to begin with! > > : There are non-gravitational forces from heating and outgassing when a > : comet gets into the inner solar system. [...] > > Don't forget the Galilean satellites of Jupiter. My poor old physics intuition will be very surprised if these tiny masses, sitting very close to Jupiter, play any role whatsoever in the problem. Or, to put it more technically, the extra "volume" they add to the phase space of possible capture trajectories is negligible. Jupiter is 2E27 kg, while the Galilean satellites are around 1E23. Also, as I said, the few references that I've looked at do not mention outgassing or breakup as important processes. The important thing is a Jupiter-Sun-comet "reverse slingshot" that leads to a weakly Jupiter-bound orbit for the comet (at least a temporary one). Bill Higgins | Late at night she still doth haunt me Fermilab | Dressed in garments soaked in brine Bitnet: HIGGINS@FNAL.BITNET | Though in life I used to hug her Internet: HIGGINS@FNAL.FNAL.GOV | Now she's dead, I draw the line! SPAN/Hepnet: 43011::HIGGINS | --after the tragedy, "Clementine" ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 1993 18:46:37 GMT From: "Chris W. Johnson" Subject: New DC-x gif Newsgroups: sci.space In article Andy Cohen, Cohen@ssdgwy.mdc.com writes: > I just uploaded "DCXart2.GIF" to bongo.cc.utexas.edu...after Chris Johnson > moves it, it'll probably be in pub/delta-clipper. Thanks again Andy. The image is in pub/delta-clipper now. The name has been changed to "dcx-artists-concept.gif" in the spirit of verboseness. :-) ----Chris Chris W. Johnson Internet: chrisj@emx.cc.utexas.edu UUCP: {husc6|uunet}!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!chrisj CompuServe: >INTERNET:chrisj@emx.cc.utexas.edu AppleLink: chrisj@emx.cc.utexas.edu@internet# ...wishing the Delta Clipper team success in the upcoming DC-X flight tests. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 20:16:12 GMT From: Josh Hopkins Subject: Russian Operation of US Space Missions. Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro I know people hate it when someone says somethings like "there was an article about that somewhere a while ago" but I'm going to say it anyway. I read an article on this subject, almost certainly in Space News, and something like six months ago. If anyone is really interested in the subject I can probably hunt it down given enough motivation. -- Josh Hopkins jbh55289@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu "Tout ce qu'un homme est capable d'imaginer, d'autres hommes seront capable de le realiser" -Jules Verne ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 1993 15:47:45 -0600 (CST) From: Pack Rat Subject: Shuttle Launch Question There has been something bothering me while watching NASA Select for a while. Well, I should'nt say bothering, maybe wondering would be better. When they are going to launch they say (sorry but I forget exactly who is saying what, OTC to PLT I think) "Clear caution & warning memory. Verify no unexpected errors. ...". I am wondering what an "expected error" might be. Sorry if this is a really dumb question, but inquiring minds just gotta know............ Yeah, yeah, I know, its those dumb cosmospheres again! ============================================================= Randy Padgett, Supervisor BITNET : ETRAT@TTACS Academic Computing Facilities Internet : ETRAT@TTACS.TTU.EDU Texas Tech University THEnet : TTACS::ETRAT Lubbock, TX 79409-42042 (806) 742-3653 FAX (806) 742-1755 ------------------------------ From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey Subject: Sixty-two thousand (was Re: How many read sci.space?) Newsgroups: sci.space Date: 15 Apr 93 13:19:54 -0600 Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Lines: 67 Message-Id: <1993Apr15.131954.1@fnalf.fnal.gov> References: <734850108.F00002@permanet.org> <1993Apr15.072429.10206@sol.UVic.CA> Nntp-Posting-Host: fnalf.fnal.gov Sender: news@CRABAPPLE.SRV.CS.CMU.EDU Source-Info: Sender is really isu@VACATION.VENARI.CS.CMU.EDU In article <1993Apr15.072429.10206@sol.UVic.CA>, rborden@ugly.UVic.CA (Ross Borden) writes: > In article <734850108.F00002@permanet.org> Mark.Prado@p2.f349.n109.z1.permanet.org (Mark Prado) writes: >> >>One could go on and on and on here, but I wonder ... how >>many people read sci.space and of what power/influence are >>these individuals? >> > Quick! Everyone who sees this, post a reply that says: > > "Hey, I read sci.space!" > > Then we can count them, and find out how many there are! :-) > (This will also help answer that nagging question: "Just what is > the maximum bandwidth of the Internet, anyways?") A practical suggestion, to be sure, but one could *also* peek into news.lists, where Brian Reid has posted "USENET Readership report for Mar 93." Another posting called "USENET READERSHIP SUMMARY REPORT FOR MAR 93" gives the methodology and caveats of Reid's survey. (These postings failed to appear for a while-- I wonder why?-- but they are now back.) Reid, alas, gives us no measure of the "power/influence" of readers... Sorry, Mark. I suspect Mark, dangling out there on Fidonet, may not get news.lists so I've mailed him copies of these reports. The bottom line? +-- Estimated total number of people who read the group, worldwide. | +-- Actual number of readers in sampled population | | +-- Propagation: how many sites receive this group at all | | | +-- Recent traffic (messages per month) | | | | +-- Recent traffic (kilobytes per month) | | | | | +-- Crossposting percentage | | | | | | +-- Cost ratio: $US/month/rdr | | | | | | | +-- Share: % of newsrders | | | | | | | | who read this group. V V V V V V V V 88 62000 1493 80% 1958 4283.9 19% 0.10 2.9% sci.space The first figure indicates that sci.space ranks 88th among most-read newsgroups. I've been keeping track sporadically to watch the growth of traffic and readership. You might be entertained to see this. Oct 91 55 71000 1387 84% 718 1865.2 21% 0.04 4.2% sci.space Mar 92 43 85000 1741 82% 1207 2727.2 13% 0.06 4.1% sci.space Jul 92 48 94000 1550 80% 1044 2448.3 12% 0.04 3.8% sci.space May 92 45 94000 2023 82% 834 1744.8 13% 0.04 4.1% sci.space (some kind of glitch in estimating number of readers happens here) Sep 92 45 51000 1690 80% 1420 3541.2 16% 0.11 3.6% sci.space Nov 92 78 47000 1372 81% 1220 2633.2 17% 0.08 2.8% sci.space (revision in ranking groups happens here(?)) Mar 93 88 62000 1493 80% 1958 4283.9 19% 0.10 2.9% sci.space Possibly old Usenet hands could give me some more background on how to interpret these figures, glitches, or the history of Reid's reporting effort. Take it to e-mail-- it doesn't belong in sci.space. Bill Higgins, Beam Jockey | In a churchyard in the valley Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory | Where the myrtle doth entwine Bitnet: HIGGINS@FNAL.BITNET | There grow roses and other posies Internet: HIGGINS@FNAL.FNAL.GOV | Fertilized by Clementine. SPAN/Hepnet: 43011::HIGGINS | ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 20:57:06 GMT From: Richard D Pierce Subject: Some Recent Observations by Hubble Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary In article <15APR199316461058@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov> baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke) writes: >Here are some recent observations taken by the Hubble Space Telescope: > > o Observations were made using the High Speed Photometer of the Planet > Uranus during an occultation by a faint star in Capricornus. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Wow! I knew Uranus is a long way off, but I didn't think it was THAT far away! -- | Dick Pierce | | Loudspeaker and Software Consulting | | 17 Sartelle Street Pepperell, MA 01463 | | (508) 433-9183 (Voice and FAX) | ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 93 18:54:27 GMT From: David Fuzzy Wells Subject: Space Debris Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.materials >Are there any "good" books on the subject of the removal of >space debris? As you probably know, it is hard just finding a book _about_ space debris...much less, the removal of the junk. >I am currently trying to find some theoretical way to trap or >reduce the energy of LEO space debris sufficiently enough for >it to fall into the atmosphere and burn up or stick to the space >craft I am reducing the energy with and not cause a great increase >the crafts energy. > >Is this possible? Hmmm...any reply helpful, huh? Okay Rich, a question for you. Why? (not to mention how? how much? how long? who finances? etc.) Yes, it is possible (we once..that is "once" as in "have long since thrown it away".. had a folder full of theoretical ways to remove trash), although all had some minor flaw. Mainly, the who finances this? how much will it cost? and do you have any idea how many pieces of debris are up there??!!!?! Short answers: US (nobody else has money to care about it), bunches!, and bunchies of bunches!!! Now if this is just an academic exercise, feel free to dream up anything you want, but good luck on finding a book (and let us know if you do). Put as for a serious proposal, you must answer the above. Especially important is "Why does this need to be done?" The environment is not that bad and we are making things safer up there (like venting fuel). NASA has been trying to tell us the sky is falling for quite a while now, and when presented with real data (as opposed to theories and assumptions), their arguments tend to fall flat. If you want the whole story on this, I will write a long summary, but as for now, there is no proof that space assets are in any significant danger from debris (said with a straight face even as a solar panel crashes into a DSP bird). If you think your paper is pretty good, send a CC our way. We should probably recreate that file for when Gore et al comes our way concerned about the SPACE environment. Enjoy. Fuzzy. =============================================================================== _ __/| | Lt. David "Fuzzy" Wells |"I want peace on earth, \'o.O' | HQ AFSPACECOM/CNA | goodwill toward men." =(___)= | "We do debris" |"We're the government. We don't do that U ...ack!| wdwells@esprit.uccs.edu | that sort of thing." -SNEAKERS =============================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 1993 21:24 UT From: Ron Baalke Subject: Successful Balloon Flight Measures Ozone Layer Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.geo.meteorology Forwarded from: PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. (818) 354-5011 Contact: Mary A. Hardin FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 15, 1993 #1506 Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory report the successful flight of a balloon carrying instruments designed to measure and study chemicals in the Earth's ozone layer. The April 3 flight from California's Barstow/Daggett Airport reached an altitude of 37 kilometers (121,000 feet) and took measurements as part of a program established to correlate data with the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). The data from the balloon flight will also be compared to readings from the Atmospheric Trace Molecular Spectroscopy (ATMOS) experiment which is currently flying onboard the shuttle Discovery. "We launch these balloons several times a year as part of an ongoing ozone research program. In fact, JPL is actively involved in the study of ozone and the atmosphere in three important ways," said Dr. Jim Margitan, principal investigator on the balloon research campaign. "There are two JPL instruments on the UARS satellite," he continued. "The ATMOS experiment is conducted by JPL scientists, and the JPL balloon research provides collaborative ground truth for those activities, as well as data that is useful in its own right." The measurements taken by the balloon payload will add more pieces to the complex puzzle of the atmosphere, specifically the mid-latitude stratosphere during winter and spring. Understanding the chemistry occurring in this region helps scientists construct more accurate computer models which are instrumental in predicting future ozone conditions. The scientific balloon payload consisted of three JPL instruments: an ultraviolet ozone photometer which measures ozone as the balloon ascends and descends through the atmosphere; a submillimeterwave limb sounder which looks at microwave radiation emitted by molecules in the atmosphere; and a Fourier transform infrared interferometer which monitors how the atmosphere absorbs sunlight. Launch occurred at about noontime, and following a three- hour ascent, the balloon floated eastward at approximately 130 kilometers per hour (70 knots). Data was radioed to ground stations and recorded onboard. The flight ended at 10 p.m. Pacific time in eastern New Mexico when the payload was commanded to separate from the balloon. "We needed to fly through sunset to make the infrared measurements," Margitan explained, "and we also needed to fly in darkness to watch how quickly some of the molecules disappear." It will be several weeks before scientists will have the completed results of their experiments. They will then forward their data to the UARS central data facility at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland for use by the UARS scientists. The balloon was launched by the National Scientific Balloon Facility, normally based in Palestine, Tex., operating under a contract from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The balloon was launched in California because of the west-to-east wind direction and the desire to keep the operation in the southwest. The balloons are made of 20-micron (0.8 mil, or less than one-thousandth of an inch) thick plastic, and are 790,000 cubic meters (28 million cubic feet) in volume when fully inflated with helium (120 meters (400 feet) in diameter). The balloons weigh between 1,300 and 1,800 kilograms (3,000 and 4,000 pounds). The scientific payload weighs about 1,300 kilograms (3,000) pounds and is 1.8 meters (six feet) square by 4.6 meters (15 feet) high. The JPL balloon research is sponsored by NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Program and the UARS Correlative Measurements Program. ##### ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov | | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab | ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |__ M/S 525-3684 Telos | Being cynical never helps /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | to correct the situation |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ | and causes more aggravation | instead. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 23:05:44 GMT From: TS Kelso Subject: Two-Line Orbital Element Set: Space Shuttle Newsgroups: sci.space The most current orbital elements from the NORAD two-line element sets are carried on the Celestial BBS, (513) 427-0674, and are updated daily (when possible). Documentation and tracking software are also available on this system. As a service to the satellite user community, the most current elements for the current shuttle mission are provided below. The Celestial BBS may be accessed 24 hours/day at 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, or 9600 bps using 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity. Element sets (also updated daily), shuttle elements, and some documentation and software are also available via anonymous ftp from archive.afit.af.mil (129.92.1.66) in the directory pub/space. STS 56 1 22621U 93 23 A 93105.06179397 .00044513 00000-0 12649-3 0 230 2 22621 57.0022 147.2850 0004246 288.7332 38.0941 15.92991629 1084 1993 023B 1 22623U 93 23 B 93103.37312705 .00041032 00000-0 11888-3 0 86 2 22623 57.0000 155.1150 0004422 293.4650 66.5967 15.92653917 803 -- Dr TS Kelso Assistant Professor of Space Operations tkelso@afit.af.mil Air Force Institute of Technology ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 16 : Issue 463 ------------------------------