Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from corsica.andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr1/ota/space/space.dl@andrew.cmu.edu (->+dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr1/ota/space/space.dl) (->ota+space.digests) ID ; Fri, 16 Jun 89 03:16:36 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <8Ya-ZAi00UkVQ8OU4o@andrew.cmu.edu> Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Fri, 16 Jun 89 03:16:29 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V9 #489 SPACE Digest Volume 9 : Issue 489 Today's Topics: Test - astro,space,physics NASA, Amroc agree to critical chemical exchange (Forwarded) Orbital queries Re: Kremlin reveals space budget Ozone depletion, atmospheric models, and public policy Don't mess with NASA? Re: Don't mess with NASA? Re: How Hubble will get there Re: comet strike in the carolinas? comet strike in the carolinas? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 13 Jun 89 18:36:34 GMT From: dasys1!mohib@nyu.edu (Mohib) Subject: Test - astro,space,physics Test. -- Mohib N Durrani Big Electric Cat Public UNIX ..!cmcl2!{ccnysci,cucard,hombre}!dasys1!mohib ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 89 16:05:15 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: NASA, Amroc agree to critical chemical exchange (Forwarded) Jim Cast Headquarters, Washington, D.C. June 14, 1989 RELEASE: 89-92 NASA, AMROC AGREE TO CRITICAL CHEMICAL EXCHANGE Under a recent agreement between NASA and the American Rocket Company (AMROC), Camarillo, Calif., NASA has provided a critical chemical to the company for its scheduled launch of a commercial Single Module Launch Vehicle (SMLV) from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in July. AMROC's supply of hydrogen peroxide, used in the reaction control system of the SMLV, was found to be unusable upon delivery. Replacement by the overseas manufacturer could not be delivered in time for the launch date. AMROC turned to NASA after exhausting attempts to acquire the chemical from other commercial sources. NASA uses hydrogen peroxide in its Scout launch vehicle reaction control systems. Within 2 weeks, after determining that its Scout vehicle supplies were adequate to cover near-term demands, NASA provided two drums (about 600 lbs.) of the chemical to AMROC. "NASA's quick response and positive commitment aided us in holding our flight test schedules and target launch date for our customers," said George Koopman, president of AMROC. "This is the kind of partnership, cooperation and support the commercial expendable launch vehicle (ELV) industry wants and needs." The chemical was provided to AMROC on a reimbursable basis from supplies at the Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. NASA will restore and expand its supply for Scout vehicles this fall. NASA is assisting the commercialization of the nation's fledgling ELV industry by making available use of its unique personal expertise, services and facilities that are not available from the private sector. NASA also is purchasing its ELV launch services needs directly from commercial operators, whenever possible, to support its scientific and applications missions that are not assigned to fly on the Space Shuttle. Missions that do not require the unique capabilities of the Space Shuttle are being placed on ELVs in support of NASA's policy to use a mixed fleet of Shuttles and ELVs to assure access to space for its programs. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 89 21:20:46 GMT From: rsmith@louie.udel.edu (R Timothy Smith) Subject: Orbital queries Two questions: 1) What activities would you use to convince students (say in the 4th- through 9th-grade range) that the motion of the moon around the earth and the earth around the sun (viewed from above the northern hemisphere in space) are both counter-clockwise? What alternatives are there to noting times at which the moon or stars arrive at the same point in the sky on consecutive nights? 2) Why do most space launches orbit west-to-east relative to the earth's surface? Obviously other possibilities exist (e.g., geosynchronous and polar). Nonetheless, I don't know of any that go east-to-west. How come? Thanks in advance for any insights - - Tim ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 89 14:44:02 GMT From: beowulf!stramm@sdcsvax.ucsd.edu (Bernd Stramm) Subject: Re: Kremlin reveals space budget In article <5182@mtgzz.att.com> dls@mtgzz.att.com (d.l.skran) writes: > >My guess is that these figures are low by a factor of 2 or 3 for >propaganda purposes. They are totally unbelievable. > >Dale not Amon Skran Remember that their pricing is kind of artificial --- since they don't have a market economy, the government basically sets the prices of what they buy, so prices don't reflect "real" cost. ###################################################################### stramm%cs@ucsd.edu ARPA (new) | Bernd Stramm stramm@sdcsvax.ucsd.edu ARPA (old) | CSE Department, UC San Diego bstramm@ucsd BITNET | La Jolla, Ca 92093 ------------------------------ Date: WED 14 JUN 1989 09:03:00 EDT From: "Allen Hinkle - TU Computing Center; (606)233-8134" To: Subject: The TU computing center would greatly appreciate it if you would remove FREE012@TRANSY from your mailing list. The said person is a student here and has gone home for the summer and will not return until mid September. Thank you. Allen Hinkle Programmer/Analyst TU Computing Center ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Jun 89 15:36:00 EDT From: John Roberts Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are those of the sender and do not reflect NIST policy or agreement. Subject: Ozone depletion, atmospheric models, and public policy >From: ginosko!infinet!ulowell!tegra!vail@uunet.uu.net (Johnathan Vail) >In article <386@v7fs1.UUCP> mvp@v7fs1.UUCP (Mike Van Pelt) writes: >>I suspected from the beginning that the so-called 'ozone hole' was just >>part of a natural cycle that we would have been seeing all along if we >>had had satellites for decades. It makes no sense whatsoever that a >>fluorocarbon-induced hole would first appear over the south pole. >It makes no sense until you understand it. Maybe to someone who does >it makes perfect sense. This is not an entirely reasonable argument, since the proposed "fix" is to undertake a presumably expensive switch to alternate products, with us as consumers or taxpayers expected to foot the bill. The scientific community appears to be very hesitant to provide the "general public" with sufficient information to make an informed decision on the matter. I went to our technical library looked through some books on ozone depletion written since 1980, and came to the following conclusions: - The main reason the scientists are so hesitant at giving out authoritative information is that they don't have much themselves. Most of their work involves the construction of atmospheric models, which disagree with one another at many points. Whenever a new piece of information comes in, several models are killed off, and new ones are created to take their place. - It is generally agreed that an increase in the short wavelength ultraviolet light reaching the surface is undesirable. This light can be blocked by O3 (ozone) or by O2 (regular oxygen). (The books don't really go into the relative effectiveness of the two.) Ozone is generated by lower-atmospheric processes and in the upper atmosphere when high energy UV light blasts an O2 molecule apart. Ozone eventually breaks down by itself, but the process can be speeded by the presence of certain substances or other conditions. The rates of generation and breakdown determine the equilibrium level. - It has been determined that chlorine and certain other substances can speed the breakdown process in the upper atmosphere, lowering the equilibrium level of ozone. Chlorine can be released by the breakdown of CFCs from aerosol cans, refrigerators, etc. CFCs tend to break down very slowly, with an expected lifetime of 50-100 years. The free chlorine atoms last only a relatively short time, before combining with other substances and drifting back toward the troposphere. Thus any effects from CFCs build up only gradually, and take a long time to die out. This long-term effect is the main reason for concern. - Ozone depletion by chlorine is expected to be effective only in the upper atmosphere. If the current ozone layer were depleted, it is expected that more ozone would form lower down, but scientists basically have no idea on how much would form, and to what extent it would compensate for depletion of the upper layer. Ozone produced by humans at the surface would also block ultraviolet light to some extent. - There is very little interest in measuring the short wavelength ultraviolet light at the surface. Many (but not all) researchers seem to feel that depletion of the current ozone layer would be directly proportional to increase of ultraviolet at the surface. - I would assume that the winter holes in the ozone layer at the poles are caused by depletion of the ozone when there is not much sunlight present. The ozone builds back up in the spring when the sun reappears. Of course, the ozone layer isn't really *needed* at night. Again, not much apparent interest in measuring UV levels at the ground. - Most or all of the chlorine in the upper atmosphere is assumed to be a result of human activity. Not much on the speculation that the ocean could be the source of much of the chlorine. (The ocean contains huge quantities of chlorine in the form of salt, and salt particles are known to travel at least into the upper troposphere.) - Though the books don't really specify, I presume that the breakdown model for the CFCs would be a standard exponential decay. If this is the case, then any effects would start to diminish almost immediately if the release of CFCs were suddenly stopped. I believe this is a fairly accurate representation of much of the information in the books I looked through. Any more authoritative information would be welcome. In any event, it appears that the current political climate will cause CFCs to be phased out, though Soviet physicists remain unconvinced that there is solid evidence of a hazard. In a few years, the scientists involved will give a sigh of relief and exclaim, "See? We saved the world!" John Roberts roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov (new address) ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 89 18:10:08 GMT From: concertina!fiddler@sun.com (Steve Hix) Subject: Don't mess with NASA? On my way into work this morning, as I passed Moffett Field, I noticed a NASA helicopter hovering about the active runway. What use could they have for a Bell HueyCobra (AH-1)? (I know, it's probably a testbed for some new rotor design, but, on the other hand, perhaps someone is getting tired of vocal critics... :} ) ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 89 19:00:42 GMT From: skipper!shafer@ames.arc.nasa.gov Subject: Re: Don't mess with NASA? In article <109957@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> fiddler%concertina@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) writes: On my way into work this morning, as I passed Moffett Field, I noticed a NASA helicopter hovering about the active runway. What use could they have for a Bell HueyCobra (AH-1)? (I know, it's probably a testbed for some new rotor design, but, on the other hand, perhaps someone is getting tired of vocal critics... :} ) We have a B-52, fighters, and attack aircraft here at Ames-Dryden. Be nice! (Do I really have to add the smiley?) -- M F Shafer |Ignore the reply-to address NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility |Use shafer@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov NASA management doesn't know what I'm doing and I don't know what they're doing, and everybody's happy this way. ------------------------------ Date: 13 Jun 89 21:31:10 GMT From: stsci!berry@noao.edu (Jim Berry) Subject: Re: How Hubble will get there From article <502@cybaswan.UUCP>, by iiit-sh@cybaswan.UUCP (Steve Hosgood): > In article <583@stsci.edu> sims@stsci.EDU (Jim Sims) writes: >>(and yes, I promise to be a good boy and _NOT_ post TLAs without translations >> from now on) >> > Ok, so - er - what's a TLA please? > Steve Three Letter Acronym. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jim Berry | UUCP:{arizona,decvax,hao}!noao!stsci!berry Space Telescope Science Institute | ARPA: berry@stsci.edu Baltimore, Md. 21218 | SPAM: SCIVAX::BERRY, KEPLER::BERRY ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 89 19:19:10 GMT From: skipper!shafer@ames.arc.nasa.gov Subject: Re: comet strike in the carolinas? In NASA SP-486, "Geomorphology from Space", pp. 432-433, is a list of 15 possible origins of the Carolina Bays, including meteor swarms and spawning fish, and some nice photos showing the overlap and alignment. I'm not going to key in the whole thing, but they say that all hypotheses except aeolian blowouts (deflation) are untenable. They say it happened in the Pleistocene, with wind and wave action producing the alignment of the half million (!) lakes. There are references. If the original poster will provide an address I will send a xerox copy of the relevent pages. Maybe s/he will key the whole thing in for anyone else who's interested. Incidently, this SP is really great. Try to get a copy. -- M F Shafer |Ignore the reply-to address NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility |Use shafer@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov NASA management doesn't know what I'm doing and I don't know what they're doing, and everybody's happy this way. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Jun 89 13:46:52 EDT From: capnal@aqua.whoi.edu (Alan Duester) Subject: comet strike in the carolinas? Stu Friedberg (stuart@cs.wisc.edu) replied: >The need for a high water table accounts for the restriction to coastal >areas (high confidence). The large-scale orientation of geological >strata of soluble mineral (e.g., limestone) accounts for the >consistent orientation (moderate to low confidence). > >Of course, that's a hypothesis made in the absence of evidence. I would >expect both of your hypotheses could be easily falsified by cursory >examination. If location of soluble stone doesn't coincide with the >Carolina Bays, mine can be discarded. If evidence of splashing, fusion, >and foreign minerals is lacking, yours can be discarded. (If we are >talking tens or hundreds of thousands of grazing impacts there should >be some remnant of the impacting meteors, wouldn't you agree?) First, I agree emphaticaly that cursory examination could shoot down either hypothesis. I am amazed that no one seems able to do so instantly by refering to some serious studies of the Bays. Second, these features *do* overlap as craters should. You can see little ones overlapping big ones and the other way around, as well as small ones completely contained within big ones. Some sort of soluble strata causing these features seems difficult to explain. Third, if the features were created by a mostly-ice comet, I doubt if you'd see any direct remains (specifically no magnetic anomoly). You should see some signs of shock structures in cores around the area however. If all the nearby strata were undisturbed, no meteors for sure. >Re: Carolina bays.... Are you sure they're not glaciation features? No, of course I'm not sure! I'm looking for hard evidence and am amazed there isn't much around. Science doesn't move by evidence alone however. Suspicion and hunches about what is a productive avenue to follow are always important. I *suspect* that anything left by glaciers would be more erratic in shape. I also have a hunch these might actually be craters in which case the ramifications re extinction events and environmental trauma should be interesting. >..It seems to me that common geological processes can create >parallel, linear features that run considerable distances. >I'm picturing parallel, linear folding and thrusting along >a subduction zone, for example; followed by weathering, leaving you >with a lot of aligned features such as lakes. > >What would be most telling would be if you could show that the >common axis of these features was *contradictory* to some >detectable geographical axis ... "the mountains go thisaway >and these here bays all run cross-grain to 'em" .. that would >be striking. Yeah, I'd like to know what the strata around there really are. Aligned near-linear geological structures are common, but perfect ellipses (lots of 'em) sure look odd. Hence my interest. If anyone is interested, send me a SASE and I'll send you xerox copies of some of the photo mosaics I have. Snail mail address is Al Bradley, Woods Hole Oceanographic, Woods Hole, Mass, 02543. If anyone can find some hard info on these things, I'd sure like to know. Email c/o: capnal@aqua.whoi.edu =============================================================================== Al Duester, Ocean Engineer, MS S201 # SPAN: 6308::capnal or capnal@6308.span Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution # INTERNET: capnal@aqua.whoi.edu Woods Hole, MA 02543 # GEnie: A.DUESTER (508) 548-1400 x2474 (ans. Machine, voice messages, (508) 457-2000 auto-receptionist for touch tone phones =============================================================================== ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V9 #489 *******************