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, 11 Aug 89 05:18:10 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Fri, 11 Aug 89 05:18:02 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V9 #598 SPACE Digest Volume 9 : Issue 598 Today's Topics: Re: Russian Mars Probe (was Re: Possible Evidence For Life On Mars.) re: neptune encounter Re: Period of sidereal day on moon?y Satellites Re: Modules NSS Dinners NSS Elections -- Comments anyone? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 29 Jul 89 06:48:00 GMT From: uakari.primate.wisc.edu!indri!pikes!udenva!isis!scicom!paranet!mcorbin@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Michael Corbin) Subject: Re: Russian Mars Probe (was Re: Possible Evidence For Life On Mars.) > From: suelh@druhi.ATT.COM (Sue Hendrix) > Date: 26 Jul 89 17:02:00 GMT > Organization: AT&T, Denver, CO > Message-ID: <4442@druhi.ATT.COM> > Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space > > In article <1989Jul24.034608.15245@cs.dal.ca>, > lane@cs.dal.ca (John Wright/Dr. Pat Lane) writes: > > I caught a bit on the CBC news a few weeks ago about a recent U.S.S.R. > probe > > to Mars - sorry I don't remember the name. Apparently the probe suddenly > > went dead as it entered the planet's orbit. According to the news piece, > > the Russians have been very closed mouthed about what happened to the > probe > > but have made comments about something "extaordinary" which "shouldn't > have > > been there". They have refused to release the final pictures taken by > the > > craft which apparently sparked these comments but were planning to show > > them at an upcoming scientific conference. There was no mention of this > > being evidence of life on Mars or of alien life but that seemed to be the > > suggestion of the piece. > > I tried for an email reply, but my mailer died on this. > > Well, I DO have some details, but they come from a fantasy > role playing > game. > > We are playing a modern day GURPS game set at JPL. Our > characters have > discovered that the Phobos probe is still active, has been > taken over > by some group of people and is sending back pictures which > include human > looking skeletons on Phobos. > > Of course this is all fantasy, but our GM has been known > to be > prescient on occasion... > > Your article was a source of amusement and chills among our > group. > > Cheers. > -- > Sue Hendrix, > net.goddess > att!drutx!druhi!suelh > > "Grenades in the halls? I don't think I can get that > authorized." > > --- ConfMail V4.00 > * Origin: Paranet - The worls most important computer > network (1:30163/150) Sue, Here is a transcript of an article that might be of interest to you. If anyone has more information, I would also appreciate it. Mike THE FOLLOWING NEWS ITEM APPEARED ON AP (ASSOCIATED PRESS) AT 4:41 PM EST MARCH 30, 1989: . "SOVIET RESEARCH CENTERS ARE NOW TRYING TO INTERPRET SO FAR 'UNEXPLAINED OPTICAL PHONOMENA' ON THE PICTURES OF THE MARTIAN SURFACE. THE PICTURES SHOW AN INIGMATIC STRIP 23-25 MILES WIDE AND A LARGE SPINDLE-SHAPED FORMATION." . According to NASA liason spokepersons in Moscow, the Soviets had not turned on their camera and WERE NOT even taking pictures of the Martian surface. This is the information which was relayed only a few weeks ago. AP also stated that the Soviet news program "Vremya" showed a detailed map of Mars "compiled from photos taken during the mission." It DOES now appear that the Soviets WERE taking pictures and furthermore, it looks like they may have found something in those photographs which is quite interesting. . ============================================================= Uploaded by Martin Arant on ParaNet Alpha (303)431-1343 -- Michael Corbin - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: ...!scicom!mcorbin INTERNET: mcorbin@paranet.FIDONET.ORG ------------------------------ Date: 28 Jul 89 19:14:05 GMT From: att!mtuxo!mtgzz!drutx!michael@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (J. Michael Butters) Subject: re: neptune encounter >Ok, here's a far-fetched question.. >My understanding is that after the Voyager II Neptune fly-by, Voyager >will head out of the solar system. What possibilities are there for a >slingshot around Neptune to send the probe towards Pluto (if it could >catch the planet), or even slingshot it back towards the planets it had >already visited for yet another look, eventually bringing it towards >Earth? Let's get a little bit more carried away and say that we could >capture the probe for analysis of anything which may have been carried >back from encounters with the distant planets, such as microscopic dust >from the outer planets. >How possible would such a maneuver be? Are we lacking too much >information on the planets to be able to calculate the trajectories? >Alternatively, if Voyager II heads out of the solar system, how much >longer will we be able to maintain radio contact? Will the probe be >sending back information at that time, or will it be simply shut off >and left to drift? >-charles >-- >Charles Daffinger >Take me to the river, Drop me in the water< (812) 339-7354 >cdaf@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu {pur-ee,rutgers,pyramid,ames}!iuvax!cdaf >Home of the Whitewater mailing list: whitewater-request@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu Way back in December, 1970, National Geographic had an article in their monthly magazine entitled "Voyage to the Planets" which discussed the missions of the Voyager spacecrafts and their planned trajectories to ALL the planets of the solar system. One of the crafts was to pass well under the planet Saturn which would send it at an angle up to the planet Pluto. I never did learn why this plan was rejected and Pluto left out of the mission. In answer to your questions, I think that Pluto is at too great and angle from where Neptune is at to accomplish such a maneuver with the spacecraft. Maybe I don't quite understand all the necessary factors involved in changing trajectories but I think that a large angle change in direction is not possible given the conditions of the spacecraft (like the small amount of fuel on board), or the stress that the craft would have to endure by coming very close to a planet in order to make such a large change in trajectory. As far a the transmitter goes I think that it will be left on and tracked until it either quits or the signal is too weak to receive any longer. J. Michael Butters AT&T Bell Labs Denver ------------------------------ Date: 29 Jul 89 13:58:51 GMT From: b.gp.cs.cmu.edu!Ralf.Brown%B.GP.CS.CMU.EDU@PT.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Re: Period of sidereal day on moon?y In article <3225@uwovax.uwo.ca>, 2014_2300@uwovax.uwo.ca (Ken Hunt) wrote: }In article <1496@dukeac.UUCP>, tcamp@dukeac.UUCP (Ted A. Campbell) writes: }> What is the period of a sidereal day on the moon? } I can tell you that it is going to be about the length of a lunar } month, 29.5306 days. The moon has what is called a captured rotation The sidereal day of the moon is about 27.3 days. During that time, the earth-moon system has moved far enough in orbit around the sun that it takes the moon two full days to catch up. -- UUCP: {ucbvax,harvard}!cs.cmu.edu!ralf -=-=-=-=- Voice: (412) 268-3053 (school) ARPA: ralf@cs.cmu.edu BIT: ralf%cs.cmu.edu@CMUCCVMA FIDO: Ralf Brown 1:129/46 FAX: available on request Disclaimer? I claimed something? "I don't want to sound like I'm avoiding answering your question; I just want to avoid answering your question." -- Alan Demers ------------------------------ Date: 29 Jul 89 06:53:00 GMT From: uakari.primate.wisc.edu!indri!pikes!udenva!isis!scicom!paranet!mcorbin@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Michael Corbin) Subject: Satellites I am new to this newsgroup and am curious about something that I have seen in the night sky. I have noticed a variety of objects which appear to be the size of a medium star moving in different directions across the sky. Some of them are probably satellites, however there have been a few which pulse or flash very intensely at times and do not seem to be rythmic. Could anyone enlighten me on what these objects could be? Thanks, Mike -- Michael Corbin - via FidoNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: ...!scicom!mcorbin INTERNET: mcorbin@paranet.FIDONET.ORG ------------------------------ Date: 29 Jul 89 16:43:54 GMT From: nsc!taux01!amos@decwrl.dec.com (Amos Shapir) Subject: Re: Modules Talk about bad-luck names! In article <1620@cfa237.cfa250.harvard.edu> mcdowell@cfa250.harvard.edu (Jonathan McDowell) writes: >13 Odyssey Aquarius ^ Named after Odysseus' mythic journey - he had had a lot of trouble coming back home! >17 America Challenger ^ The last of its kind... :-( -- Amos Shapir amos@taux01.nsc.com or amos@nsc.nsc.com National Semiconductor (Israel) P.O.B. 3007, Herzlia 46104, Israel Tel. +972 52 522261 TWX: 33691, fax: +972-52-558322 34 48 E / 32 10 N (My other cpu is a NS32532) ------------------------------ Date: 28 Jul 89 01:19:07 GMT From: edsews!rel!ttardis!lfm@uunet.uu.net (The Master -- ttardis SuperUser) Subject: NSS Dinners I got the following enclosure in my latest issue of the National Space Society magazine "Ad Astra" and thought some of you might be interested. Me, I can't afford it, but maybe some desperate netter can scrape together the dough: (BTW: this is typed in exactly as it appears) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IN CELEBRATION OF THE VOYAGER 2 ENCOUNTER WITH NEPTUNE Gene Roddenberry The Board of Directors of National Space Society The Original Cast of Star Trek Cordially invite you to an Informal Reception To see the encounter *live* from Voyager 2 and to meet the Original Star Trek Stars Friday, August 25, 1989 5:00 - 7:00 pm at Dabney Lounge and Gardens California Institute of Technology Pasedena, California $100 per person Casual Dress CALL NSS (202) 543-1900 FOR YOUR INVITATION <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> IN CELEBRATION OF THE VOYAGER 2 ENCOUNTER WITH NEPTUNE Gene Roddenberry The Board of Directors of National Space Society The Original Cast of Star Trek Cordially invite you to a Private Cocktail Buffet with the Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast on the closed set of Star Trek Saturday, August 26, 1989 7:00 - 9:00 P.M. at Paramount Pictures 5555 Melrose Avenue Hollywood, California $1,000 per person Informal Dress Limited Seating CALL NSS (202) 543-1900 TODAY FOR YOUR INVITATION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -JT ______________________________________________________________________________ "Stop, you running dog of the oppressor class and crypto-fascist enemy of the proletariat!" "Yes! What he said!" -- Two Soviet HIND-D pilots use a typical Soviet Battle-Cry [G.I. Joe Special Missions #19] JT the LFM (Large Furry Marsupial) UUCP: ...uunet!edsews!rel!ttardis!lfm ------------------------------ Date: 29 Jul 89 22:38:49 GMT From: rochester!yamauchi@cu-arpa.cs.cornell.edu (Brian Yamauchi) Subject: NSS Elections -- Comments anyone? I just received my ballot for the NSS Board of Directors Election. While I am familiar with a few of the names (Ben Bova, Hugh Downs, Eric Drexler, and Christine Peterson), I am completely unfamiliar with most of the candidates. Does anyone have any comments (pro or con) about: Andrew Cutler Edward Finch Nathan Goldman Mark Hopkins Margaret Jordan John Logsdon Richard Puckett Joseph Redfield Glenn Reynolds Terry Savage Glen Wilson (They each have a <300 word essay in the ballot, but most are not especially informative.) I do get the impression that Hopkins has been influential in recent NSS policy -- which may be good or bad depending on whether you like recent NSS policy. _______________________________________________________________________________ Brian Yamauchi University of Rochester yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu Computer Science Department _______________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V9 #598 *******************