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, 20 Jun 1990 01:29:53 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Wed, 20 Jun 1990 01:29:15 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #542 SPACE Digest Volume 11 : Issue 542 Today's Topics: Nebula light emission Model Rockets in Orbit Magellan Update - 06/19/90 Re: "KH-12" and LACROSSE Re: HST amateur projects Re: Galileo Update - 06/14/90 Re: NASA Data access on Internet? Lenoir monthly press meeting set for June 20 (Forwarded) Re: Aim For The Moon - model rocket contest Animation of Weather Satellite Photos Re: DSN Reliability and Resources Question Administrivia: Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to space+@andrew.cmu.edu. Other mail, esp. [un]subscription notices, should be sent to space-request+@andrew.cmu.edu, or, if urgent, to tm2b+@andrew.cmu.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: mnmon%CONNCOLL.BITNET@vma.cc.cmu.edu Date: Tue, 19 Jun 90 11:04:56 EDT Subject: Nebula light emission >Mark Maxwell asked about flouresence from nebula Actually, some nebulae are seen by reflected light, but the ones you are referring to glow by flouresence. This is when short wavelength light is absorbed and then re-emitted at a longer wavelength. Recall the so-called "black light posters" or the misnamed "neon" colors popular in fashion. The source of the short wavelength light is the embedded stars. See such astronomy texts as the one by Abell, or Pasachoff and Kutner. Mike Monce Physics Dept Connecticut College ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jun 90 13:57:00 PDT From: "1st Lt. Henry S. Cobb" Subject: Model Rockets in Orbit To: "space+" Five years ago, the MIT Aero/Astro Engineering department had something going called Project Goddard. The aim was to be the first non-governmental organization to orbit a payload. First stage was solid. Second and third stages (as I recall) were kerosine/LOX. They got as far as burning up a 10-lb thrust prototype third stage engine on a test stand before I left. The goal was to put 1 kilogram in orbit. We learned a lot, especially that things like guidance systems do not shrink nearly as easily as fuel tanks. I don't know if the project is still going; in any case, the goal has been achieved by the first launch of Pegasus, which was (more or less) a private launch vehicle. The SCOUT Planning Guide says that a Scout booster (21500 kg GLOW) can put a 250 kg payload into a 200 Km orbit, which is about as low as you can get and still call it an orbit. Linear scaling says that an 86 kg model rocket could put 1 kg into the same orbit. Unfortunately, the scaling ain't linear! Scout is about as simple a rocket as you can get. The stages are all solid fuel, more or less the same as high-class model rocket engines. The guidance system is incredibly simple: a roll-yaw stabilization gyro, a pitch stabilization gyro, and a timer. The timer kicks the pitch gyro occasionally to bend the trajectory downrange. Even though it's 1960 technology, you're not going to build a system much lighter than that with microprocessors. The fourth (and optional fifth) stages are spun up pointing in the right direction, but otherwise unguided. Anyone who's seriously considering building a simple solid-fuel rocket should take a look at the Scout. To make a significantly smaller rocket, you have to be able to significantly improve on that design. It won't be easy. Not a Scout lover, just a skeptic -- Stu (cobbhs @ afsd-ssd.af.mil) ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jun 90 22:55:50 GMT From: usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@ucsd.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: Magellan Update - 06/19/90 MAGELLAN STATUS REPORT June 19, 1990 The Magellan spacecraft continues to cruise and perform nominally 51 days prior to encounter with Venus. Six of the seven daily star calibrations were fully successful last week in spite of increased solar activity. The average daily attitude update was 0.05 degrees. The foreground/background filter successfully rejected several spurious interrupts on June 9 and 10, and aided the star scanner unit to pick up the correct star pairs both days. The week was capped with a very successful test of the personnel, the software and the command sequences required to recover the random access memory safing within 10 hours of orbit insertion. The breadboard test showed recovery from its intentional safing configuration and successful orbit insertion. The spacecraft is now 113 million miles from Earth and has closed to within less than 10 million miles from Venus. Its heliocentric velocity is more than 80,000 miles per hour. One way light time, as of Monday, was 10 minutes and nine seconds. SPACECRAFT Distance from Earth (mi) 113,888,559 Velocity Heliocentric 80,630 mph One-way light time (6/18/90) 10 mins, 9 secs _ _____ _ | | | __ \ | | Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov | | | |__) | | | Jet Propulsion Lab | baalke@jems.jpl.nasa.gov ___| | | ___/ | |___ M/S 301-355 | |_____/ |_| |_____| Pasadena, CA 91109 | ------------------------------ Date: 18 Jun 90 10:03:32 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!icdoc!syma!nickw@uunet.uu.net (Nick Watkins) Subject: Re: "KH-12" and LACROSSE From article <1990Jun16.025515.27008@wam.umd.edu>, by yun@wam.umd.edu (Dragon Taunter): >>>A while ago NASA and the Pentagon said one of the spy >>>satellites (it sounded like KH-12) had not deployed >>>properly from a shuttle and parts were supposed to > I have read that the KH designations are no longer used and that the actual > codename for the satellite was LACROSS or something like that. I am under > the impression that the USAF knew the satellite was lost so they intentionally > blew it incase any parts of it should fall into the USSR. Thus explaining > they breakup into four peices. According to Jeffrey Richelson's excellent new book, "America's Secret Eyes In Space", the KH designations are no longer used, & so the new imaging satellites are called Advanced KENNAN (KENNAN was the KH11). LACROSSE however is a large radar satellite, and thus an equine of a different hue entirely. Best book yet on imaging spysats, I'd say, & essential reading for all contributors to this thread. Widely available in US, found mine in a San Diego mall. As to what happened to the last 2 Shuttle launches of KH type satellites, who knows? Not I. Nick -- Dr. Nick Watkins, Space & Plasma Physics Group, School of Mathematical & Physical Sciences, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton, E.Sussex, BN1 9QH, ENGLAND JANET: nickw@syma.sussex.ac.uk BITNET: nickw%syma.sussex.ac.uk@uk.ac ------------------------------ Date: 18 Jun 90 15:50:36 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!icdoc!mvax.cc.ic.ac.uk!sunc!umapu02@uunet.uu.net (D.A.G. Gillies Supvsr Dr K.J. Bignell) Subject: Re: HST amateur projects In article <90165.192941GILLA@QUCDN.BITNET> GILLA@QUCDN.QueensU.CA (Arnold G. Gill) writes: >In article <1990Jun13.111515.28686@cc.ic.ac.uk>, umapu02@sunc.cc.ic.ac.uk >(D.A.G. Gillies Supvsr Dr K.J. Bignell) says: >> >>In article <1990Jun12.022939.5130@ecn.purdue.edu> >>muttiah@stable.ecn.purdue.edu >>(Ranjan S Muttiah) writes: >>>How far into the edges of the universe can HST point ? >> According to a NASA scientist writing in Scientific American,about >>14 000 million light years,or roughly 90% of the way to the big bang. > Isn't this a little bit misleading? Given an object that is bright >enough, one should be able to see it all the way back to the Big Bang (even if >it has been red-shifted away). I guess it is a little difficult to explain to >the public that it is not how far you can see with HST that is important, but >rather how faint and with what resolution. In fact, in astronomy, asking how >far is almost meaningless - it depends on far too many theories/assumptions. When asked how far HST could point,I replied with the figure I had heard quoted.The response to your follow up is simple - no you can't see all the way to the Big Bang,because until 100 000 years after the Big Bang matter and radiation were coupled,and the universe was opaque.It wasn't until things were cool enough for *atoms* (rather than nuclei) to form that photons could decouple from the matter to give a transparent universe.Even if this were not true,red shift is pretty significant.HST is NOT a radio telescope,so if all the radiation you are detecting is downshifted beyond near-infrared,it's not much use. I repeat - should there be QSO's or proto-galaxies at distances out to 14 billion ly,then HST should have a good chance of finding them. David Gillies (umapu02@cc.ic.ac.uk) ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jun 90 06:59:22 GMT From: mtndew!friedl@uunet.uu.net (Stephen J. Friedl) Subject: Re: Galileo Update - 06/14/90 > The AC/DC bus imbalance measurements have remained very stable. The AC > measurement continues to indicate a near short circuit to chassis. How can the spacecraft function with its AC power supply nearly shorted to ground? Why is it not disabled entirely? Am I missing something, or is this A Big Deal? Steve -- Stephen J. Friedl, KA8CMY / Software Consultant / Tustin, CA / 3B2-kind-of-guy +1 714 544 6561 / friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US / {uunet,attmail}!mtndew!friedl Sat-is-fac-tion (sat' is fak" shen) n. Seeing Pick Systems cave into UNIX ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 90 21:32:26 GMT From: dev!dftsrv!amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov!fasteddy@uunet.uu.net (John 'Fast-Eddie' McMahon) Subject: Re: NASA Data access on Internet? In article <75494@aerospace.AERO.ORG>, smith@aerospace.aero.org (Thomas F. Smith) writes... :In the article it says "...anyone with access to the Internet, :BITNET, or Telenet computer network can call NSSDC computers :arount the clock. Callers can review a menu of services and (Mucho general information deleted) :Their you have it. The capability exists. Those who know how :to do it must be the ones who have a "real" need for the data! : :So HOW? : :Anybody willing to provide the info? The SPAN (Space Physics Analysis Network) Management Office is part of the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), they can probably assist you in accessing the menu systems. Contact: NETMGR@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV Keep in mind that these systems are primarily for legitimate research projects, not casual browsing. Please contact them only if you plan on doing research. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John "Fast Eddie" McMahon FASTEDDY@DFTNIC.GSFC.NASA.GOV Code 930.4 - Advanced Data Flow Technology Office SDCDCL::FASTEDDY (SPAN) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD (301) 286-2045 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Disclaimer: These are my views. Although I am a NASA contractor, I do not speak for NASA or ST Systems Corporation. I don't work for Jim Green, the National Space Science Data Center, or any of it's support organizations. ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jun 90 18:24:14 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: Lenoir monthly press meeting set for June 20 (Forwarded) Mark Hess June 18, 1990 Headquarters, Washington, D.C. (Phone: 202/453-4164) EDITORS NOTE: N90-45 LENOIR MONTHLY PRESS MEETING SET FOR JUNE 20 NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight Dr. William B. Lenoir will hold his monthly review with the news media on Wednesday, June 20, from 3 until 5 p.m. EDT. The review will be held in Room 425, Building 10-B, 600 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. Space Shuttle Director Robert L. Crippen and Space Station Freedom Director Richard H. Kohrs also may participate in the review. ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jun 90 18:36:28 GMT From: sam.cs.cmu.edu!vac@PT.CS.CMU.EDU (Vincent Cate) Subject: Re: Aim For The Moon - model rocket contest If you send $2.00 to: Aerotech, Inc 1955 South Palm St, Suite 15 Los Vegas, NV 89104 you can get a catalog of large engines. They at least go up to "M" and maybe "N". Aerotech's phone numbers are (702) 641-2301 and (702) 641-2302. An "M" sells for $995. A "G" sells for $17 at a local store. I do not have a catalog yet, but it seems prices are going to be doing something like: A B C $1 D $2 E $4 F $8 G $16 H $32 I $64 J $128 K $256 L $512 M $1024 N $2048 The above estimated prices are probably not too far off for "G" and up. There is some place that sells them for 30% off. In case you did not already know, each letter has twice the newton-seconds of the previous one. A "G" has about 120 N-S of thrust and the fuel weighs about 60 grams (I don't know the case weight). While "A" to "D" are rather small, there are large rocket motors for sale for reasonable prices. Note that if you had one stage for each of the above motors your total motor cost would be about $4,096. Your delta-V should be more than enough to get escape velocity if your payload is about the weight of an "A". Note that the transmitter may transmit a high powered burst for a very short time, say 1/100 of second every 100 seconds, so as not to use very much power. With a 90 foot dish on the ground we should be able to pick up such a signal. I think us little guys could really make rockets to send things into space!!!!!!!!!!! It seems you may have to be a member of Tripoli before you can buy large engines (at least from some places). Tripoli's address is: Tripoli Rocketry Association Inc. P.O. Box 87669 San Diego, CA 92138-7669 The important point is that a small rocket gets the same delta-V for the same payload/fuel ratio of a large rocket if it has the same Isp and these "little" rockets have about the same Isp. This means that ROCKETS SCALE DOWN VERY WELL except for air resistance and control. If all you want to do is go up, control may not be much of a problem (could fins and spinning be enough?). Getting into orbit would be hard since you would need good control. The higher you get the less of a problem air resistance will be. Smaller rockets do have smaller diameters, but air resistance does cause lower payload/fuel ratios for small rockets getting the same delta-V as larger ones. -- Vince ------------------------------ Date: 15 Jun 90 16:47:41 GMT From: u800552@lanl.gov (James R. White) Subject: Animation of Weather Satellite Photos Does anybody know of any software that will display a series of GIF files in rapid succession that runs on the MAC? It would be useful for animating the weather satellite photos. -- James R. (Bob) White || U800552@beta.lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory || Phone (505)-667-3853 (Work) N-6 / MS K559 || Phone (505)-662-7554 (Home) Los Alamos, NM 87544 USA || FTS 843-3853 ------------------------------ Date: 18 Jun 90 17:11:04 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!icdoc!syma!nickw@uunet.uu.net (Nick Watkins) Subject: Re: DSN Reliability and Resources Question From article <3535@calvin.cs.mcgill.ca>, by msdos@quiche.cs.mcgill.ca (Mark SOKOLOWSKI): > In article <2959@rwthinf.UUCP> dieter@rwthinf.UUCP (Dieter Kreuer) writes: >> >>How much did ESA get for delivering the first SPACELAB module >>to NASA? I'll never understand why they gave it away for free (it >>was worth $1 billion, as far as I remember). > Spacelab was given away free. I think we (ESA) agreed to deliver the first set of hardware & NASA were to pay for any further sets. I also seem to recall they actually did buy one, am I right ? I think ESA's motivation was a leg up into manned Space Technology, plus the early 1970's shuttle traffic model which anticipated rather a lot (900 in 10 years ?) more Shuttle flights than we have seen, necessitating more than one set of hardware. Nick -- Dr. Nick Watkins, Space & Plasma Physics Group, School of Mathematical & Physical Sciences, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton, E.Sussex, BN1 9QH, ENGLAND JANET: nickw@syma.sussex.ac.uk BITNET: nickw%syma.sussex.ac.uk@uk.ac ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V11 #542 *******************