Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from beak.andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl@andrew.cmu.edu (->+dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl) (->ota+space.digests) ID ; Wed, 15 Nov 89 01:47:41 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Wed, 15 Nov 89 01:46:56 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #247 SPACE Digest Volume 10 : Issue 247 Today's Topics: Re: HST Resolving power theories of the furture Re: Thanks For Responding Galileo Update Re: Hubble Space Telescope Re: Aging Payload Specialists NASA Select Radio Programs for 11/20/89 (Forwarded) Re: Trying to build a fluxgate magnetometer -- help! Payload Status for 11/14/89 (Forwarded) Re: Hubble Space Telescope Re: Future Space Missions Re: COBE Press Kit (long) Re: Thanks For Responding ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 14 Nov 89 19:21:04 GMT From: uceng!dmocsny@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (daniel mocsny) Subject: Re: HST Resolving power In article <1989Nov14.060617.752@terminator.cc.umich.edu>, allanb@ronin.us.cc.umich.edu (Allan M. Bjorklund) writes: > > I redid the calculations, and came up with the HST being able > to resolve a 3000 mile wide object at 39 AU which is about 5.3 light > hours, which is the distance to Pluto. But unfortunately, Pluto is only > about half that in diameter. Gee, does that mean we can't discover Pluto until HST Release 2.0 orbits? Dan Mocsny dmocsny@uceng.uc.edu ------------------------------ Date: 7 Nov 89 15:59:44 GMT From: mailrus!shadooby!samsung!usc!snorkelwacker!spdcc!merk!xylogics!cloud9!jjmhome!m2c!wpi!bill@purdue.edu (Bill Marrs) Subject: theories of the furture To anyone who has ideas about the future: I am in the middle of a project in which I will be constructing a scenario of the future. The scenario is going to focus on the influence that computer networks is going to have on our culture. If you have an opinion on how you think networks are going to effect the future, please send me e-mail. If you have any general ideas about other changes that may occur in the future please send them along too. If I use your ideas in my scenario, I will want to use you as a reference, so please give me your name, position, and address. If you don't want to be mentioned as a reference just say so, I value your ideas anyways. Please send me e-mail (bill@wpi.wpi.edu). thank you, Bill Marrs Box 380 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA 01609 ------------------------------ Date: 14 Nov 89 23:07:49 GMT From: xrxedds!sigmond!russ@uunet.uu.net (Russ Olsen) Subject: Re: Thanks For Responding In article <1754@syma.sussex.ac.uk> nickw@syma.susx.ac.uk (Nick Watkins) writes: >They brought back "pieces of tube, the TV camera mount, pieces >of cable and, at their own suggestion, the soil scoop"(Andrew Wilson, >"The Eagle Has Wings", BIS, 1982). There ARE pictures, e.g. page 39 of >op. cit. or photos between pp. 212 and 213 of Richard S. Lewis', "The >Voyages of Apollo" (Quadrangle, 1974). I think both of these books would >also interest you. It was indeed planned. > >Nick > You can find some of the pieces (the TV camera mount, I think) on display at the Air and Space museum in Washington DC. It's a real kick. Russ Olsen ------------------------------ Date: 14 Nov 89 22:14:38 GMT From: samsung!usc!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@think.com (Ron Baalke) Subject: Galileo Update Galileo Status Report 14 November 1989 The first course change maneuver for Galileo was successfully completed last Saturday. The two day maneuver began last Thursday morning at a distance of 28,200,000 miles from Earth, and consisted of a long series of time pulses of Galileo's 2.2 pound thrusters. A shorter continuous period of firing would have overheated the thrusters. The total speed change was 38 mph which will move Galileo closer to its target point near Venus, but changes the arrival time to Venus on February 9th by only a few minutes. During the maneuver, a temperature sensor on one of the thrusters failed. However, in the future the temperature of that thruster can be deduced from nearby thruster readings. Galileo is now 55,162,000 miles from Earth and traveling at 60,807 mph. After gaining momentum from Venus's gravity, Galileo will return to Earth in December next year, use Earth's gravity to loop out to the asteroid belt, and return back to Earth again two years later for a final gravity push to reach Jupiter in December 1995. Several more days of tracking are needed to determine the accuracy of last week's course change. Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov Jet Propulsion Lab M/S 301-355 | baalke@jems.jpl.nasa.gov 4800 Oak Grove Dr. | Pasadena, CA 91109 | ------------------------------ Date: 14 Nov 89 07:14:14 GMT From: voder!dtg.nsc.com!andrew@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Lord Snooty @ The Giant Poisoned Electric Head ) Subject: Re: Hubble Space Telescope (Greg S. Hennessy) writes: > The resolution of HST is [roughly] 20 milliarcseconds. Let us consider > Alpha centuri. It is about 1.3 parsecs away, this 1 arcsecond will be > 1.3 AU or about 130 million miles. 20 mas will be about 26 million miles. So I guess that planets will not be visible, even for the closest stars. I guess the planetary albedo will not be bright enough. I guess the tiny tidal wobble on the star is undetectable; but maybe integrating over a long enough time at that resolution...? -- ........................................................................... Andrew Palfreyman a wet bird never flies at night time sucks andrew@dtg.nsc.com there are always two sides to a broken window ------------------------------ Date: 13 Nov 89 19:15:55 GMT From: skipper!shafer@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) Subject: Re: Aging Payload Specialists In article <234@cfa.HARVARD.EDU> willner@cfa.HARVARD.EDU (Steve Willner) writes: >NASA press release: >>>>Hughes-Fulford, 43, previously assigned to Spacelab Life >> Sciences-2 as the prime payload specialist, has been reassigned >> to SLS-1 to replace Dr. Robert W. Phillips, 60. Phillips is > ^^ >> stepping down for medical reasons. >I wonder if he really failed to pass an exam or just lost his FAA first >class medical because of the age limit. Or does NASA impose its own >age limit? Anybody know? I don't know about astronauts and mission specialists, but I do know about NASA research test pilots. Our test pilots don't have first class medicals, they have second class medicals. Furthermore, these are NASA, not FAA, medicals, although the two are identical. (For example, I have a NASA third class medical, since I occasionally fly, but am not a pilot. Had I wanted to do any FAA-controlled flying I would have asked for an FAA third class, instead, but the NASA medical has less paperwork.) I believe, BTW, that the astronauts and mission specialists also have second class medicals. Regarding age limits, NASA has a rule that their pilots cannot be the command pilot once they're 60 yrs old. They can, however, continue to fly. Obviously, they can't fly single-seat fighters, but many of our aircraft have larger crews on which the older pilots can serve. Waivers to this rule can be granted for a limited number of years-- one or two, I believe. BTW, NASA chooses to follow FAA rules wherever we can, but that's our choice. The aircraft in our hangars may have FAA registrations, but they probably don't have type certificates. N825NA is a TF-104G, for example, and N905NA is the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. N905NA isn't labeled "experimental" or recertified, though. -- Mary Shafer shafer@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA Of course I don't speak for NASA ------------------------------ Date: 15 Nov 89 00:20:35 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: NASA Select Radio Programs for 11/20/89 (Forwarded) The NASA radio shows will be on NASA Select, Monday, November 20th at 1:00 pm Eastern. #1352 F-18: Testing Supermaneuverability (Feat: Jennifer Baer-Riedhart, DFRF) USE: 11/20/89 Thru 11/26/89 #1353 Worlds Together, Worlds Apart (Part 1) (Feat: Jim Head, Brown University) USE: 11/27/89 Thru 12/03/89 #1354 Worlds Together, Worlds Apart (Part 2) (Feat: Jim Head, Brown University) USE: 12/04/89 Thru 12/10/89 #1355 LDEF - Bringing Home A Treasure (Feat: Bill Kinard, LaRC) USE: 12/11/89 Thru 12/17/89 NASA Select is on SATCOM F-2R, transponder 13, 72 degrees west longitude. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Nov 89 04:07:26 GMT From: bnlux0!geller@sbcs.sunysb.edu (joseph geller) Subject: Re: Trying to build a fluxgate magnetometer -- help! I would like to send some notes on magnetometers to mahaun@sactoh0 but, my email keeps bouncing; please send your full email address or regular mail address to geller@bnlux0.bnl.gov or to bnl, bldg911A (ags), Upton, NY, 11973. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Nov 89 23:31:36 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: Payload Status for 11/14/89 (Forwarded) Daily Status/KSC Payload Management and Operations 11-14-89 - STS-31R HST (at VPF) - HST will remain powered down until SYNCOM hazardous operations are complete this morning at approximately 0930. Personnel are supporting the continuous VPF environmental and ECS unit monitoring. Installation of the pointing control system and one flight recorder were installed yesterday. -STS-32R SYNCOM (at VPF) - The SYNCOM spacecraft arrived at the facility at 0600 hours yesterday, was moved into the highbay, and soft cover was removed. Due to personnel time restrictions, transfer into the VPHD J-hooks was rescheduled for this morning. The launch power rack was moved into the high bay, connected, and battery charging is active. - STS-35 ASTRO-1/BBXRT (at O&C) - IPR troubleshooting the problems taken during IPS power on retest was active yesterday. MUE validation is continuing. - STS-40 SLS-1 (at O&C) - Proofloading the MVAC joggle equipment and SLS module cleaning was completed yesterday at 1130 hours. Rack 4 structural mod activities continue. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Nov 89 21:44:03 GMT From: zephyr.ens.tek.com!wrgate!mrloog!dant@uunet.uu.net (Dan Tilque) Subject: Re: Hubble Space Telescope In article <590B0C11140C02E7-MTABWIDENER*DXANDY@widener> DXANDY@WIDENER.BITNET writes: > > I recall reading somewhere that the Hubble Space Telescope would be able >to resolve continents on planets orbiting distant stars. Is this a piece of >fanciful reporting, as it would seem, or is there actually some basis in >truth? Actually, they were hoping to be able to read the license plates on the aliens cars. --- Dan Tilque -- dant@mrloog.WR.TEK.COM "I spent my last ten dollars on birth control and beer, Life is so much simpler when I'm sober and queer." -- Lyrics whose author I don't know ------------------------------ Date: 14 Nov 89 22:21:51 GMT From: cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo!henry@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: Future Space Missions In article <5714@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> lmg@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (lawrence.m.geary,ho,) writes: >#...the Shuttle/IUS combination is the heaviest >#booster available (outside the Soviet Union). Titan/Centaur is in second >#place by a considerable margin. >... > >Didn't we use Titan/Centaur to launch the Voyagers? That's right. The Voyagers went up before the shuttle was operational and after all the bigger stuff was abandoned. >#The only available-now launcher that could do a better job on Cassini >#would be Energia. > >Available now is not the issue. Cassini is launching toward the end of >the century... But it must be planned now, on the basis of launch vehicles which are known to be available. That limits the list to Titan/Centaur and Shuttle/IUS. If NASA would *commit* to, say, a Shuttle-C/Centaur combination, that would be a different story... assuming funds for it continued to be available, that is. The space-station planners don't feel they can count on the improved version of the shuttle SRBs, much less Shuttle-C. >We succeeded in going from initial concept to a moon landing >in less time than that. Now you are confirming my suspicions that we are >dead in the water as far as progress on ELV's goes. No program. No plan. Quite so, I'm afraid. The NASA that ran Project Apollo is not the one running today's programs, and the Congress that supported it has changed a little too. The only new large expendables being pursued at all are Shuttle-C and ALS. Both suffer from the same problem: where are the customers? I suspect Shuttle-C, being a relatively tame shuttle derivative, can get funded with the space station and a few other things as justification. ALS hasn't a prayer of ever flying unless the political situation vis-a-vis SDI changes radically. -- A bit of tolerance is worth a | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology megabyte of flaming. | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu ------------------------------ Date: 14 Nov 89 22:10:10 GMT From: cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!utzoo!henry@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: COBE Press Kit (long) In article <1989Nov11.233742.5058@utzoo.uucp> I wrote: >... A sun-synchronous orbit does have eclipses, >especially in summer and winter when one of the Earth's poles is tilted >well away from the Sun and satellites passing near it are therefore in >shadow. I *think* there would be times in spring and fall when the bird >would be in continuous sunlight... It turns out that it's a bit better than that. A well-chosen 900km Sun-synchronous orbit -- what was used for IRAS -- can have continuous sunlight for 10 consecutive months of the year. The combination of substantial orbital altitude and an orbit that isn't exactly polar keeps the satellite out of Earth's shadow at one of the solstices, but nothing can be done about the other. (My thanks to Steve Willner, who pointed out a JBIS paper about IRAS that mentions this.) A higher orbit might give truly continuous sunlight, although the required orbital inclination increases with altitude and the Van Allen belts are a problem above about 1000km. -- A bit of tolerance is worth a | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology megabyte of flaming. | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu ------------------------------ Date: 13 Nov 89 10:01:48 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!icdoc!syma!andy@uunet.uu.net (Andy Clews) Subject: Re: Thanks For Responding From article <31710@cci632.UUCP>, by lmm@cci632.UUCP (Lance Michel): > However, one thing you mentioned was Apollo 12 retrieving pieces from > Surveyor 3. WOW. I never knew that. [....] > .... Can you provide any datails > as to WHAT PARTS?? or were their any PICURES of the Surveyor sitting there? Nick Watkins has already answered these questions, but you might be interested to know that when Conrad and Bean first arrived at the Surveyor craft, they were surprised to find it covered in a light coat of brown(?) dust when they came to it. After a while they realised it was dust kicked up by the Apollo 12 LM when it made its landing approach, even though it landed some 600 feet away. One of the pictures of Surveyor shows the LM in the background behind Surveyor Crater. Quite a striking picture. -- Andy Clews, Computing Service, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QN, ENGLAND JANET: andy@syma.sussex.ac.uk BITNET: andy%syma.sussex.ac.uk@uk.ac Voice: +44 273 606755 ext.2129 ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V10 #247 *******************