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 01:59:55 -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 01:59:26 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V11 #544 SPACE Digest Volume 11 : Issue 544 Today's Topics: British national space activity Re: What makes a nebula glow?? Re: SPACE Digest V11 #541 NASA Headline News for 06/19/90 (Forwarded) 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 19 Jun 90 13:24:24 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!icdoc!mvax.cc.ic.ac.uk!sund!zmapj36@uunet.uu.net (M.S.Bennett Supvs= Prof Pendry) Subject: British national space activity Due to problems with char sets read 'pound' for $ This is rather on the old side I hope to be able to give the NET swifter responses in the future. National Ciriculum ================== The keynote address to the March meeting of the Parlimentary Space Committee was given by Robert Jackson MP Parlimentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Education and Science. He includes amongst his responsibilities a DES contribution of some $45 million to the space programme, the great majority of which is deployed on European Space Agency projects. This amounts to more than 25 per cent of Government civil space spending. Parliamentarians and industrialists pressed the point that insufficient attention was being paid to the education benefits of space as a source of inspiration, as a broadly based scientific and technological training which provided an entry point into a wide variety of career patterns, and as an area of science which offered the widest ranging theoretical and practical problems. Members observed that whereas applications for aerospace related courses at Universities continue to increase - typically 15 applicants for each place - engineering as a whole found it difficult to attract students. While emphasising the autonomy of higher education institutions and of the Research Councils, the Minister was sympathetic to this view and to a suggestion that an increase in University training in Space Technology at both Undergraduate and Postgraduate level could be a valuable investment for the country. He would also discuss with the Secretary of State the possibilities of including space related matters in the national curriculum for schools. The Minister empasised that his department continues to exercise the most rigorous judgements on space spending. Priority would continue to be given the the ESA's science programme to which the UK contributed 25 milion per annum. UK pressure had led to the recent major review of the scope and costs of ESA's Horizon 2000 science programme and he was encouraged by the suport now being given by other countries for the improvment measures. Other DES intrests include earth observation, which involves a contribution of some 7 million next year. In this area the UK attaches a particulary high priority to the Polar Platform project. However, he was sceptical about the commercial rewards of ESA's microgravity programmes. The Commitee also took intrest in a British company's success in an international competition for a race to Mars in 1992 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage to America. The race will be between solar powered spacecraft representing Europe, US and Asia and employing vast sails (280 meters diameter when unfolded but made of material only thosands of an inch thick) which will be propelled by the pressure exerted by sunlight - light particles or photons. The Cambridge Consultant' design has been selected as the best technical solution from world-wide contenders. The race and the technological challenge is likely to hold all the inspirational appeal of space which the Parlimentary Space Committe was recommending to the Minister ESA meets PSC. ============== On 3-4 May, in Paris, the Parlimentary Space Committee (PSC) met with officials of the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) for discussions on space policis and plans in the light of 1992 and the changing European political scene. The Committe, chaired by Michael Marshall MP, with member of both Houses and leading space industrialists, met with Mr. Joan Majo of the Commission's telecommunications Director General (DG13), and with Prof. R. Luest, Director General of ESA, and all of his Programme Directors. PSC members came prepared to hear views coloured by the differences in the policies of the two Administrations, since the Commission had appeared to challenge ESA's previous sovereignty in civil space R&D. Instead, the PSC came away convinced of the enormous potential in close co-operation between the two Administrations, for the development, exploitation and commercialisation of both space communications and earth observation. the PSC also gained a first-hand account of the practical impact of the UK's declining share in ESA programmes. In his prsentation to the PSC, Mr. Majo advocated the cause for change and for a new framework for Eurpean space. The Commission's proposals for achieving this were set out in the document "The Community and Space: A Coherent Apprach", which was issued in 1987. ESA had proved to be a highly successful Agency for civil space co-operation in the past, but the need had emerged for a shift from scientific and research goals to more commercial objectives geared to meeting market and user demands and improving European competitiveness in the space field. The Community was best placed to meet this need. Community resposibilities also included the overall co-ordination of space R&D, and the focus of space intrest in the developing dialogue with Eastern Eurpoe. The Commission was also axious to improve co-operation between the civil and military space sectors, not only for strategic advantage but also to bolster the Comunity's industrial strength and competitivness. In their presentations to PSC, Prof. Luest and his team stressed the fact that Europe's great acievements in space communications, earth observation and science stemmed first and foremost from the co-operation built up around ESA. On the UK's contribution to ESA, it was emphasised that Britain had bee a major and successful partner in the past, and the decline in our share of activities from 14% to 6% over the past 6 years was a matter of profound regret. The UK had been on the point of dominating the Eurpopean space telecomunications market through its major share of ESA's ECS, MARECS and OLYMPUS satellites, only to put its position at risk by pulling out of new Agency programs too far and too quickly. Prof. Luest cited the UK's meager share of 1% and 6% of the 2 new ESA telecomunications satellite programmes, and questioned the UK Government's assumptions about the maturity of the space communications market. By contrast, the UK's support for ESA's science and earth observation programmes was applauded as a major factor towards their spectacular success. Although ESA's convention specifically ruled out collaboration in any military applications, Prof. Luest was convinced that member nations would support a major role for the Agency in any European programme for the verification of conventional disarmament from space, both in terms of technologies and the use of ESA earth observation satellites. Prof. Luest was convinced of ESA's ability to meet all future challenges without any fundamental change in its charter or organisation. He welcomed the extending dialogue with the Commission. Whereas it was often claimed that ESA's industrial policy of ##juste retour## was a major source of potential conflict with the Single Act and future relations with the Commission, he himself could foresee no such problem. The awarding of industrial contracts by the Agency on the basis of national contributions has been effective in promoting European competitivness, and since ESA's business is R&D and upstream of the market, it does not conflict with Single Act rules. For further Information please contact: Michael Marshall MP House of Commons Whitehall LONDON Tel: 071 219 4698 Or send stuff to me to pass on to him (cheaper if in the USA!) at : seds@cc.ic.ac.uk ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jun 90 13:12:53 GMT From: uokmax!rwmurphr@apple.com (Robert W Murphree) Subject: Re: What makes a nebula glow?? The answer is: BOTH. In the star nursery of a molecular cloud environment there is both flourescence and reflection. When in close proximity to a hot star, radiating a large fraction of its energy in the ultraviolet, there is flourescens. A good example is the orion nebulae (not visible at this time oof year). There are some examples in Cygnus (north american nebulae, etc) see July Astronomy Magazine. There is also reflection-usually not visible in telescopes or binoculars (I'm guessing here). Pictures of the pleiedes show wispy clouds which are reflection nebulae. In addition, some nebulae, called dark nebulae, are actually clouds of dust obscuring locally thick bands of stars and look like 'holes' in the sky. A good description of the history of dark nebulae, nebulae and the Intersteller medium in general is Gerrit Vereschuirs relatively new book "Intersteller matters". Glad you asked, Mark. Robert W. Murphree rwmurphr.uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu ------------------------------ From: AZM@CU.NIH.GOV Date: Tue, 19 Jun 90 08:18:23 EDT Subject: Re: SPACE Digest V11 #541 > From: ogicse!unicorn!n8035388@uunet.uu.net (Worth Henry A) > > Governments lack the political will, businesses lack the profit > motive, and the general public lacks the courage and insight to undertake > major space initiatives. WHINING on the net or to your congressional > representatives about this sad state of affairs will accomplish NOTHING. > > It is instead time for space enthusiasts to create an incentive that > leaves governments and businesses no choice but to get involved. Previous > posters have suggested that the government should create a prize as an > incentive, however, this is not going to happen for all the usual reasons > (do you actually believe that Washington could keep its hands off a > large sum of money while waiting for someone to make a claim). > > What I suggest is that some non-profit organization(s) (existing or > yet to be formed) sponsor such prizes for major accomplishments in space > exploration and development. But, how could such an organization ever > hope to raise a large enough prize to interest those with the resources > and ideas to succeed? INSURANCE, along with a "hook" that makes it > fool-hardy for governments and industry not to get involved. > > When? > ----- > Why not now? The anniversary of Columbus' Voyage is coming up and > promotional tie-ins are possible. One of the prizes could be for the > first solar-sail racer to pass the orbit of Mars. > > MISSION TO EARTH, the MOON, MARS and the solar sail racers are waiting, > and all we are doing is WHINING about what Washington is not doing and > will never do on their own. The ball is in our court and it is high time > we quit complaining and started to come up with some method to provide > governments and industry with no choice but to sponsor international > space initiatives. Lets take the money wasted on lobbying and mailing > useless questionnaires and put it toward developing some real programs and > incentives. > > Well, this is my though on the subject, what are yours? Lets quit > wasting bandwidth on whining and start kicking around some real ideas. > After all, the collective intellect of the net must surely be in excess > of that of congress and the White House put together, it's time to put > up or shut up! > Although I agree with your concern over the dying (dead?) united states space program, I would hope that other solutions than the one you pro- pose can be found. The profit motive, and the governmental equivalent of it, the power-increase motive, have turned "society" in the united states into a nightmare of verbal and visual vomit. Advertisements of every conceivable product and service befoul the surfaces of every physical object in our world, with their gross, gaudy, garrish mes- sages. On the airwaves our sensibilities are assailed and assaulted by "songs" whose "lyrics" tell us of constipation, and diahrhea, and menstrual blood, and passages stuffed with mucous and phlegm, and filthy toilet bowls, and roach-infested kitchens, and mold-and-fungus ridden basements, and decaying food, and foul breath, and upset stomachs, and loose bowels. I am seriously convinced that it is these constant revolting, nauseating, raucous advertisements that are the true causes of most of the suicides in this country. PLEASE don't let this happen to space. Even if it takes an extra century for man to finally escape from planet Filth, and even if it is not the united states that finally succeeds in escaping, don't let the sickening disease of commercialism/profit-hunger/power-hunger befoul and contaminate space. It really won't be worth it. Derd Valpar AZM@NIHCU ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jun 90 18:39:35 GMT From: trident.arc.nasa.gov!yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: NASA Headline News for 06/19/90 (Forwarded) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, June 19, 1990 Audio Service: 202/755-1788 ----------------------------------------------------------------- This is NASA Headline News for Tuesday, June 19....... The crew for mission STS-38 arrived at Kennedy Space Center last night for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test which is scheduled Wednesday and Thursday of this week. This afternoon, they will receive emergency egress training. The Terminal Countdown Demonstration test is scheduled to pick up tomorrow morning with a simulated main engine cutoff scheduled for 11:00 A.M. on Thursday. The Space Shuttle Atlantis arrived at launch pad 39-A yesterday. The hot firing test of the orbiter's two Auxiliary Power Units went well last night and the Rotating Service Structure was placed around the orbiter this morning. ******** President Bush will tour the Hubble Space Telescope technical facilities and view preparations for the Astro Lessons from Space at the Marshall Space Flight Center on Wednesday, June 20. He will then address NASA employees, contractors, science and math teachers attending an educational seminar. The President will focus on the importance of NASA to the country's scientific and technical future. Coverage of the taped highlights of the tour as well as the President's live remarks will begin on NASA Select TV at 2:00 P.M. EDT. ******** Following the President's tour, a press briefing on the X-29 research aircraft program will be broadcast on NASA Select TV tomorrow, June 20 at 4:00 P.M. The X-29 is an advanced technology demonstrator aircraft based at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California. The current flights, using the second of two X-29's, are investigating high- angle characteristics and utility of the aircraft's unique forward-swept-wing/canard configuration. ******** Nissan Motor Company of Japan confirmed yesterday that it had purchased a computer software system called Contam from a U.S. engineer charged last week with smuggling top-secret SDI technology to foreign parties, according to SPACE FAX DAILY. The DAILY said a Reuters service wire reports a spokesman for Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said his firm also had bought the same software through a Japanese trading house for use in an international Space Station Freedom project. -------------------------------------------------------------- Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select TV. All times are Eastern. Tuesday, June 19........ 12:00-2:00 P.M. NASA Video Productions Wednesday, June 20...... 2:00 P.M. Coverage will begin of the President's arrival at 2:30 P.M. Taped highlights of his tour of the Hubble facilities. 3:00 P.M. President Bush live address to Education Conference. 3:30 P.M. Taped highlights. 4:00 P.M. X-29 Press Conference taped at 12:45 P.M. at the Watergate. Thursday, June 21 10:00 A.M. STS-38 countdown demonstration test. Liftoff will be at 11:00 A.M. 11:30 A.M. NASA Update will be transmitted. Friday, June 22......... 11:00 A.M. CRRES mission briefing and photo opportunity. For more information call 407/867-2468. ----------------------------------------------------------------- All events and times are subject to change without notice. These reports are filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12:00 P.M. EDT. This is a service of the Internal Communications Branch, NASA HQ. Contact: JSTANHOPE or CREDMOND on NASAmail or at 202/453-8425. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NASA Select TV: Satcom F2R, Transponder 13, C-Band 72 Degrees West Longitude, Audio 6.8, Frequency 3960 MHz. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V11 #544 *******************