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 ; Thu, 24 May 90 01:52:35 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Thu, 24 May 90 01:52:05 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #446 SPACE Digest Volume 11 : Issue 446 Today's Topics: Re: Opportunity for space activists: Forensics Re: nuclear policies (space probes) Re: Endangered squirrels Re: NASA Headline News for 05/18/90 (Forwarded) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 23 May 90 21:07:55 GMT From: thorin!homer!leech@mcnc.org (Jonathan Leech) Subject: Re: Opportunity for space activists: Forensics Bill Higgins writes (re the 1990-91 high school debate topic) >This seems to be a great opportunity for space activists. We (such folk as the >readers of this net) are the people who know where to dig up the information >the high-school debaters need. We could make ourselves useful to them. There is an article titled `The Great Space Debate' in the May issue of _Ad Astra_, which says in part: ``...Scott Segal, a long-time debater who teaches at a summer institute on debate technique, has volunteered to be our National Debate Advisor... He will formulate a set of questions about space policy of particular interest to debaters. NSS will the submit the questions to a panel of experts on space policy, such as the NSS Board of Advisors and Governors, and we will then publish the results.'' -- Jon Leech (leech@cs.unc.edu) __@/ ``Thus Mathematics helps / our brains and hands and feet and can make / a race of supermen out of us.'' - The Education of T. C. Mits ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 May 90 14:09:31 EDT From: John Roberts Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are those of the sender and do not reflect NIST policy or agreement. Subject: Re: nuclear policies (space probes) >From: zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!know!samsung!munnari.oz.au!metro!cluster!softway!greg@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Greg Rose) >In article <9437@hydra.gatech.EDU> ccoprmd@prism.gatech.EDU (Matthew DeLuca) writes: >>But if there's nuclear material (RTG's or reactors) aboard the satellites to >>be launched, won't New Zealand wimp out? (Only a half-smiley, folks.) >Strange, one of the smallest, most isolated countries in the world >stands up to one of the biggest and most powerful (and who the party >of the first part relies upon for defence) and tells them that they don't >want their nuclear weapons thanks, AND YOU CALL THIS WIMPING OUT? >I'd like to see a lot more of this. >Greg Rose - assistant test pilot - Softway Pty Ltd >PHONE: +61-2-698-2322 FAX: +61-2-699-9174 NET: greg@softway.oz.au There's a similar situation in the US - the community of Takoma Park, Md (adjacent to DC) has declared itself "nuclear-free". I'm not sure of the details, but I think basically they don't permit any businesses that deal in nuclear armaments, and their local government is not allowed to deal with such businesses. They are making a statement - they don't want to have anything to do with nuclear weapons. Of course, being surrounded by a large country with lots of nuclear and conventional weapons, there's very little military risk to them for taking this lofty moral position. Maybe in this time of reduced international tensions, we could invite the Soviet army to conduct military exercises in Takoma Park. They would have to agree not to kill anybody - just shoot blanks and teargas, and drive tanks over parked cars. :-) :-) (Takoma Park also decided to start trapping its rats alive, and release them in neighboring Frederick County. This plan was stopped when the Frederick County residents replied with some heat that they already had all the rats they needed, and further imports would not be necessary.) John Roberts roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov ------------------------------ Date: 23 May 90 19:47:05 GMT From: concertina!fiddler@sun.com (Steve Hix) Subject: Re: Endangered squirrels In article <1990May23.002522.414@uoft02.utoledo.edu>, fax0112@uoft02.utoledo.edu writes: > In article <6981@hall.cray.com>, gbt@hall.cray.com (Greg Titus) writes: > > In article <9005211940.AA16520@gemini.arc.nasa.gov> greer%utdssa.dnet%utadnx@utspan.span.nasa.gov writes: > >>... Estimates of > >>the Mt. Graham red squirrel population range from 50 to 150 individuals. > >> [quite a bit deleted] > >>... Since the > >>squirrels' habitat spans about 10,000 acres, ... > > > > I have a hard time reconciling these numbers. If we assume > > 100 squirrels for the population, then we've got a population > > density of 0.01 squirrel/acre. This is way too low for a > > Squirrels just don't range very far. At 0.01 squirrel/acre, > > they couldn't even breed. > > > I was just out in Tucson last week where the results of the latest > survey where published. They said the population was higher than last > year but still only about 125-150 critters. Your math is correct but on > what grounds do you make your breeding claim? As the squirrels seem > to have done ok so far I think your claim is absurd. If the squirrels are spread evenly over the range, like peanut butter, then they'll have trouble breeding. (I've noticed that most mammals, when spread so thinly, seem to have trouble doing much of anything.) Squirrels tend to be mobile, and they range far enough to find other squirrels. Doubt if their distribution throughout their range is very smooth. ------------ The only drawback with morning is that it comes at such an inconvenient time of day. ------------ ------------------------------ Date: 24 May 90 02:35:38 GMT From: agate!shelby!neon!jkl@apple.com (John Kallen) Subject: Re: NASA Headline News for 05/18/90 (Forwarded) In article <1990May23.223347.9100@tvcent.uucp> andrew@tvcent.uucp (Andrew Cowie) writes: >In article <49974@ames.arc.nasa.gov> yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) writes: >>The Ulysses spacecraft ... As current propulsion systems are unable to >>lift the spacecraft directly from Earth over the sun's poles, a sling-shot >>trajectory around Jupiter will send the probe across the sun's equator in >>February, 1995. >I'm no expert at orbital mechanics, but how can Ulysses slingshot around >Jupiter to get to a sun-polar orbit when it is taking Galileo 5 or so years >and 3 slingshots to get to Jupiter? Does it have to do with the masses of >the craft involved, or am I missing something important? Galileo wants to be able to slow down around Jupiter to establish orbit. Ulysses just needs a solid boot to change its orbit. Galileo's orbit must therefore be chosen so that its velocity on approach to Jupiter almost matches that of the planet. Not so in the case of Ulysses.... ______________________________________________________________________________ | | | | |\ | | /|\ | John Kallen Computer: kom-pyu'-ter (n) a | |\ \|/ \| * |/ | |/| | | PoBox 11215 device for generating errors | |\ /|\ |\ * |\ | | | | Stanford CA 94309 speedily and unpredictably. _|_|___|___|____|_\|___|__|__|_jkl@neon.stanford.edu___________________________ ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V11 #446 *******************