Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from hogtown.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 ; Sat, 9 Feb 91 02:06:26 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Sat, 9 Feb 91 02:06:23 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #139 SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 139 Today's Topics: Ulysses Update - 02/06/91 Re: Salyut 7 to reenter Feb. 6-7th Re: Japan's Space Industry (was Re: Humanity's Launch Window) Magellan Update - 02/06/91 Re: Japan's Space Industry (was Re: Humanity's Launch Window) Re: Japan's Space Industry (was Re: Humanity's Launch Window) Private space investment Re: Rope and anchor Mir Sweepstakes Organizers Arrested Administrivia: Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to space+@andrew.cmu.edu. Other mail, esp. [un]subscription requests, should be sent to space-request+@andrew.cmu.edu, or, if urgent, to tm2b+@andrew.cmu.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 6 Feb 91 15:36:37 GMT From: pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/06/91 ULYSSES STATUS REPORT February 6, 1991 On February 5 at 11:35 AM (PST), the Ulysses project declared a spacecraft emergency for the Ulysses spacecraft. It was confirmed that the spacecraft was responding to command at 3:55 PM the same day, so the project lifted the spacecraft emergency. The uplink command subcarrier freqency was modified to 16001.600 Hz, and the change appears to have rectified the problem. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov | | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab | ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |___ M/S 301-355 | It's 10PM, do you know /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | where your spacecraft is? |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ | We do! ------------------------------ Date: 6 Feb 91 17:49:20 GMT From: snorkelwacker.mit.edu!usc!cs.utexas.edu!hellgate.utah.edu!csn!tramp.Colorado.EDU!grusin@bloom-beacon.mit.edu (GRUSIN MICHAEL) Subject: Re: Salyut 7 to reenter Feb. 6-7th ...can we get updated orbital elements for this event, or running commentary from someone who's 'tracking' it as to when / where it's going to finally fall? (The re-entry's going to be something to see, for those in the right place (especially at night!)). -grusin@tramp.colorado.edu ------------------------------ Date: 6 Feb 91 17:56:21 GMT From: rochester!sol!yamauchi@cu-arpa.cs.cornell.edu (Brian Yamauchi) Subject: Re: Japan's Space Industry (was Re: Humanity's Launch Window) In article <91037.075048GIPP@GECRDVM1.BITNET> GIPP@gecrdvm1.crd.ge.com writes: In article , yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu (Brian Yamauchi) says: >Japanese companies also seem to have more of a long-term vision with >regard to space development. I've heard that Shimizu has plans for an >orbital space station (for tourism), a lunar base, and a Mars base, >and that Ohbayashi has plans for a lunar mining complex. > >Whether these plans will be translated into reality is another issue, I"ve read lots of similar plans for american-based companies, but like you said, there's a world of difference between paper dreams/ studies and metal bending reality. True, but I'd still be interested in hearing about any large-scale plans for commercial space development that are being considered by American companies. I've already heard the plans for government-funded bases on the moon and Mars, as well as near-term commercial plans such as ET farms. -- _______________________________________________________________________________ Brian Yamauchi University of Rochester yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu Department of Computer Science _______________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: 6 Feb 91 19:20:28 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@ucsd.edu (Ron Baalke) Subject: Magellan Update - 02/06/91 MAGELLAN STATUS REPORT February 6, 1991 The Magellan spacecraft and its radar system are performing nominally. All STARCALS (star calibrations) and DESATS (desaturations) of the past 24 hours were successful with attitude updates averaging 0.048 degree. Temperatures of several spacecraft subsystems have been near their alarm limits, and mission controllers are monitoring them closely. Last night, the M1037 command sequence was successfully sent to the spacecraft, with the associated radar control parameter and mapping quaternion files, and began execution this morning. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov | | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab | ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |___ M/S 301-355 | It's 10PM, do you know /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | where your spacecraft is? |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ | We do! ------------------------------ Date: 6 Feb 91 18:29:29 GMT From: crdgw1!gecrdvm1!gipp@uunet.uu.net Subject: Re: Japan's Space Industry (was Re: Humanity's Launch Window) In article , yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu (Brian Yamauchi) says: > > >True, but I'd still be interested in hearing about any large-scale >plans for commercial space development that are being considered by >American companies. I've already heard the plans for government-funded >bases on the moon and Mars, as well as near-term commercial plans such >as ET farms. >-- The only one that comes to mind immediately is the proposed venture by some company (great reference eh?) that tried to convince NASA to loan/rent/build them a shuttle to ferry approximately 100 people into space for a quick spin around the planet. I forget whether it required a new shuttle or whether this company had a pop in people carrier for an existing shuttle. I read it in ad astra some while back. I think the builders of Space hab have some kind of commercial plan to fly a commercial experiment package on a shuttle, IF they can convince NASA to go along. Memory is coming back now :-), I've thought of some more! Someone had a brilliant idea of orbiting cremated human remains, but couldn't get govt approval, and (I think) couldn't get their rocket to work. then there was Hummingbird Inc's plan to build their PHoenix launch vehicle to send up tourists into space. I believe they actually had paying customers/investors with cash on the dotted line, but then the challenger accident scared them off. then too, I'm sure AWS would be more than happy to tell you about this great space station/launcher package which is real cheap :-). It's an empty shell, so I'm sure that it would make a great space hotel! >______________________________________________________________________________ >_ > >Brian Yamauchi University of Rochester >yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu Department of Computer Science >______________________________________________________________________________ >_ ------------------------------ Date: 6 Feb 91 11:50:48 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!crdgw1!gecrdvm1!gipp@ucsd.edu Subject: Re: Japan's Space Industry (was Re: Humanity's Launch Window) In article , yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu (Brian Yamauchi) says: > >In article <197.27AE8D32@nss.FIDONET.ORG> Paul.Blase@nss.FIDONET.ORG (Paul >Blase) writes: > > NS> The only thing the Japanese really have over us is efficiency -- > > The key is that Japanese Industry is taking the initiative and not merely > relying upon government funding. Maybe we're more innovative, but they > are DOING it. > DOING what? the last I heard, they were having mega-problems with their first truly home-grown rocket launcher. True, they are making good headway with their adapted-imports, but why is it that everyone worries about competition from Arianespace,the chinese, and potential Soviet commerce than from the Japanese. >Japanese companies also seem to have more of a long-term vision with >regard to space development. I've heard that Shimizu has plans for an >orbital space station (for tourism), a lunar base, and a Mars base, >and that Ohbayashi has plans for a lunar mining complex. > >Whether these plans will be translated into reality is another issue, >but, still, I wonder whether one could suggest similar ideas to an >American Fortune 500 company without being laughed out of the >boardroom... (or whether one would get to the boardroom in the first >place). >-- I"ve read lots of similar plans for american-based companies, but like you said, there's a world of difference between paper dreams/ studies and metal bending reality. >______________________________________________________________________________ >_ > >Brian Yamauchi University of Rochester >yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu Department of Computer Science >______________________________________________________________________________ >_ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Feb 91 20:34:46 EST From: John Roberts Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are those of the sender and do not reflect NIST policy or agreement. Subject: Private space investment >From: szabo@crg5.UUCP (Nick Szabo) >Newsgroups: sci.space >Subject: Re: Japan's Space Industry >I challenge anybody on the net to present a business plan -- the market >plan, R&D plan, projected financing and cash flows will suffice -- for >any one of the following: >* space station >* lunar base >* Martian base >using current launch costs, historical R&D costs for manned >space capsules, space-qualified machinery, etc. Fact is, nobody >on this net or anywhere else on this planet can present a sound >business plan that is within even two orders of magnitude in cost >to being profitable. >Nick Szabo szabo@sequent.com OK, you made your point, private industry should not undertake these projects at this time. Nor should they undertake: HST Voyager Magellan Galileo ground-based astronomical telescopes Mars Observer CRAF/Cassini asteroid sampling Sure money-losers, every one. There might be great appreciation of the data collected, but that doesn't show up on ledgers. There might eventually be benefits from the information gained and from spinoffs of technology, but there is no solid assurance that these benefits will go to the organization that made the investment. There are possibly eventually-profitable ventures in the tourist/souvenir industry, mining operations, etc., but in most cases the payoff is in a good number of years, and thus unacceptable to US business practices. So I agree with you that in the near term, aside from earth-orbit, information-handling satellites, there is very little in space to attract purely private investment by US companies. That's not to say it will always be thus. This also ignores the possibility of government financing of some space activities. John Roberts roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Feb 91 12:49:55 EST From: John Roberts Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are those of the sender and do not reflect NIST policy or agreement. Subject: Re: Rope and anchor >From: jack@cwi.nl (Jack Jansen) >Newsgroups: sci.space >Subject: Manoeuvring using rope and anchor(was: Solar Impact Mission.) >Date: 6 Feb 91 00:02:06 GMT >Would it be technically possible to extend the idea of dipping into >the atmosphere by throwing an anchor out to a planet and swinging >around it? What I'm thinking of is, say, a 10Km Kevlar (or Twaron, >for us Dutch:-) cable with something like an anchor at the end, >have the anchor impact a reasonably sized asteroid (a couple Km >diameter, enough orders of magnitude difference in mass that you >don't accidentally send the asteroid somewhere you don't want it >to be), and release anchor and cable once you're facing the direction >you want to go? >I miss even a feeling for too many numbers (tensile strength required, >tensile strength of available materials, positioning accuracy >needed and attainable, g-forces survivable by the average spacecraft) >to start calculating, but maybe someone else wants to give it a try >(or, probably, tell me why this is a ridiculous idea in the >first place)... >Een volk dat voor tirannen zwicht | Oral: Jack Jansen >zal meer dan lijf en goed verliezen | Internet: jack@cwi.nl >dan dooft het licht | Uucp: hp4nl!cwi.nl!jack Of course you would need great accuracy and a very strong (therefore heavy) cable. I think the cable would also have to be longer. The following table gives the maximum velocity of the incoming spacecraft with respect to the asteroid, as a function of cable length and maximum permitted G-force on the spacecraft. These velocities seem a little on the low side for most applications: Cable length(km) Max G | Max V (m/s) -------------------------------+--------------- 10 1 | 313 10 10 | 990 100 1 | 990 100 10 | 3130 Also note that the jerk (sudden change in acceleration) could be a serious problem. There might be some application for a cable permanently attached to an asteroid, to be used by multiple spacecraft. John Roberts roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov ------------------------------ Date: 6 Feb 91 22:41:17 GMT From: rochester!sol!yamauchi@louie.udel.edu (Brian Yamauchi) Subject: Mir Sweepstakes Organizers Arrested According to a UPI story on Clarinet (clari.tw.space), the organizers of the Mir Sweepstakes were arrested today (2/6) and charged with running an illegal lottery by the local DA. This is a felony charge which carries a penalty of 2-10 years in prison. There is a truly mind-boggling level of hypocrisy involved when state governments can put people in jail for "promoting gambling" through lotteries at the same time that state governments themselves are running lotteries. I don't know whether Texas has a state lottery, but New York does -- maybe someone should arrest Cuomo and toss him in jail... It's sadly ironic that the project to launch Americans on a Soviet rocket was not stopped by the totalitarian oppression of the Soviet government, but by the that of American state and local governments. -- _______________________________________________________________________________ Brian Yamauchi University of Rochester yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu Department of Computer Science _______________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V13 #139 *******************