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) ID ; Sun, 9 Jun 91 01:25:49 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Sun, 9 Jun 91 01:25:40 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #624 SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 624 Today's Topics: Payload Summary for 05/20/91 (Forwarded) Re: Crater Found From 65-Million Year Old Asteriod Re: Gravity vs. Mass Re: Asteroid mining Re: Rational next station design process UW-Madison Researchers Make Major Discovery Using HST Re: Fred cut, AXAF and SIRTF funded Re: Revising a biased history of space science funding Shuttle reports Re: Saturn V and the ALS Re: Why the space station? NASA Headline News for 05/20/91 (Forwarded) 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: 20 May 91 17:22:20 GMT From: usenet@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: Payload Summary for 05/20/91 (Forwarded) PAYLOAD TEST AND ACTIVITY SHEET KENNEDY SPACE CENTER TDRS-E/IUS-15 STS-43/DISCOVERY May 20, 1991 George H. Diller 407/867-2468 FTS 823-2468 Upcoming Activity * denotes change since last status CITE Testing begins: Interface Verification Test 5/20 Astronaut payload inspection 5/20 End-to-End TDRS communications test 5/28* IUS software demonstration load 5/29 * IUS Power-on stray voltage checks 5/31 * CITE disconnects 6/3 * IUS ordnance installation 6/4 * IUS/TDRS Installation into payload canister 6/14 Move to Pad B/Install in PCR 6/17 TDRS propellant loading 6/24-6/25 Install IUS/TDRS into Atlantis 6/30 Establish payload electrical connections 7/1 Interface Verication Test (IVT) 7/5 End-to-End Test (ETE) 7/7 IUS Flight Ready Checks 7/12 IUS Battery Installation 7/13-7/14 * IUS Simulated Countdown 7/16 TDRS Battery Charging and Reconditioning 7/11-7/23 IUS ordnance installation 7/19 Close payload bay doors 7/22 Activity Completed TDRS arrival at KSC 3/5 IUS Arrival 4/26 IUS Test Cell Installation 4/29 TDRS removal from shipping container 4/30 IUS/TDRS Mate 5/8 Single Access Antenna (SAA) Inspection 5/10 IUS checkout station testing (cos wrap test) completed 5/13 TDRS State of Health Checks completed 5/14 White Sands Compatability Test complete 5/15 IUS/TDRS Electrical Mates 5/16 ------------------------------ Date: 22 May 91 00:00:12 GMT From: agate!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!kksys!wd0gol!newave!john@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (John A. Weeks III) Subject: Re: Crater Found From 65-Million Year Old Asteriod In <385.2838ECB6@nss.FIDONET.ORG> Paul.Blase@nss.FIDONET.ORG (Paul Blase): > to: john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III) > JA> report that `scientists' have found the remains of a 102 mile > No need to put quotes around 'scientists'; the crater was originally > discovered by oil exploration teams, scientists have just got around > to finding additional confirmation I always take things with a grain of salt when the press refers to a scientist without identifing the scientiest, their organization, or provide some type of credentials. > JA> [...] I was under the impression that an impact was > JA> suspected to have happend all along based on the Iridum layer, > JA> but that no one has connected the extinction to the impact. > Although the iridium layer is pretty good evidence for an impact, no one > had ever found the crater from the impact that produced it. > Some scientists theorized that the layer could have been produced > volcanically. I'm not sure what you mean by "no one has connected....", > that connection was what was causing all of the fuss in the first place! > Actually, meteor strikes are suspected in many extinctions, although the > evidence is, of course, somewhat fuzzy at present. There is circumstantial evidence that the impact is connected with the extinction, and, as Henry pointed out, it would be a major coincidence if the two were not interrelated. But there are some outstanding problems with this theory that need to be satistified before it can be considered a closed issue. I am not a well versed in the field, so I can only repeat what I read (and partly understand). The dinosaurs did not die out in one instant. The extinction appears to have taken hundreds if not thousands of years. This could be consistant with a climate change, but one might expect the effects of a major impact to be more immedieate. There have been a number of major extinctions, but only this one has the iridium layer. These other extinctions will need to be explained, and the differences between these other causes and the C-T extinction will have to be shown to have different causes. Perhaps all of the extinctions were caused by impacts, if so, perhaps physical evidence will be discovered. All in all, I do not know of any conclusive proof that has been offered to connect the C-T extincction to the comet/asteriod impact. There is a regular flow of papers on this area, so keep tuned.... -john- -- ============================================================================= John A. Weeks III (612) 942-6969 john@newave.mn.org NeWave Communications, Ltd. ...uunet!tcnet!newave!john ------------------------------ ReSent-Message-ID: Resent-Date: Thu, 23 May 91 08:59:12 EDT Resent-From: Harold Pritchett Resent-To: Space discussion group Date: Wed, 22 May 91 09:46:56 CDT From: THE GAR Can anyone recommend a book on Telescope Building? I can't afford a telescope, and I really don't know how much cheaper building your own would be. I am not looking for a Hubble or a Maxwell, but I would like something a little more powerful than the KMart jobs that I can afford. Primary interest: Planetary observations. Budget: about $100. (feel free to tell me that this is totally unrealistic, if that is the case). I was struck by an Arthur Clarke story recently, (its in his newest anthology Tales from Planet Earth) that describes the satisfaction of viewing planetary bodies through a telescope that you had worked to create yourself. I think it must be a wonderful feeling. If anyone has any advice, or could refer me to a good reference, I would greatly appreciate it. /++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++\ ! Later + Systems Programmer ! ! Gary Warner + Samford University Computer Services ! ! + II TIMOTHY 2:15 ! \+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++/ ------------------------------ Date: 21 May 91 13:39:51 GMT From: antunes@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Sandy Antunes) Subject: Re: Gravity vs. Mass Easy physics here... >(most of message deleted) When you climbed into the tunnel... > and reach the center of the planet, would your weight be incredibly > multiplied or zero? The mass/gravitational constant formula assumed point masses. If you were in the center of the Earth, there is technically no central mass attracting you. The gravitational force is due to the entire mass surrounding you, and a simple integral (simple?) solves the problem... zero weight. Or you could use common sense, easier then integrals! As a side comment, if the general point-mass assumption used in the simple form of the grav const. formula were true, there would be no tides... tides are due to the fact that things really aren't point masses. sandy -------------------------------------------------------------- antunes@astrod.astro.psu Sandy Antunes, El Loco d'Waupelani it's 2am... do you know what time it is? ------------------ ------------------------------ Date: 21 May 91 19:42:14 GMT From: agate!spool.mu.edu!rex!rouge!dlbres10@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Fraering Philip) Subject: Re: Asteroid mining J.D. Nicholl mentions the Sudbury Astrobleme wrt asteroid mining. It is now thought that an asteroid, in melting a layer of rock with the impact, caused a _terrestrial_ nickel deposit to differentiate. Or at least I think. Where did I put those memory enhancement devices? -- Phil Fraering || Usenet (?):dlbres10@pc.usl.edu || YellNet: 318/365-5418 ''It hardly mattered now; it was, in fact, a fine and enviable madness, this delusion that all questions have answers, and nothing is beyond the reach of a strong left arm.`` - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, _The Mote in God's Eye_ ------------------------------ Date: 22 May 91 03:39:20 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!mintaka!ogicse!sequent!muncher.sequent.com!szabo@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu Subject: Re: Rational next station design process In article <1991May21.053228.24880@zoo.toronto.edu> kcarroll@zoo.toronto.edu (Kieran A. Carroll) writes: >The United States has no space program. >The last space program in the US was Apollo. Good frigging grief. -- Nick Szabo szabo@sequent.com "If you understand something the first time you see it, you probably knew it already. The more bewildered you are, the more successful the mission was." -- Ed Stone, Voyager space explorer ------------------------------ Date: 22 May 91 03:00:40 GMT From: agate!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!kksys!wd0gol!newave!john@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (John A. Weeks III) Subject: UW-Madison Researchers Make Major Discovery Using HST I heard on NPR that researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI, have made a major discovery using the Hubble Space Telescope. It seems that they have found several large clouds of hydrogen in space very near our solar system. The UW scientist that was interviewed said that they did not have a theory to explain why the hydrogen was there, and the fact that it was concentrated into clouds was also mysterious. He speculated that perhaps the clouds were held togather by "dark matter". If anyone hears more details on this story, please post. I am interested in how this fits in with the big bang theory. -john- -- ============================================================================= John A. Weeks III (612) 942-6969 john@newave.mn.org NeWave Communications, Ltd. ...uunet!tcnet!newave!john ------------------------------ Date: 22 May 91 17:52:59 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!news.uu.net!indetech!hsv3!mvp@ucsd.edu (Mike Van Pelt) Subject: Re: Fred cut, AXAF and SIRTF funded In article <1991May17.040852.10479@sequent.com> szabo@sequent.com writes: >The Luddites have a real myth going here about poltical necessity >of astronauts. Luddites? That does it, I just typed /szabo/a:j. (Not a permanent KILL file entry, but I'm 300 messages behind, and I've got to make some cuts somewhere...) -- Mike Van Pelt "Something is happening here, Headland Technology/Video 7 What it is ain't exactly clear..." ...ames!vsi1!v7fs1!mvp -- Pons & Fleischmann ------------------------------ Date: 24 May 91 02:51:58 GMT From: convex!schumach@uunet.uu.net (Richard A. Schumacher) Subject: Re: Revising a biased history of space science funding krs@dullea.ipac.caltech.edu (Karl Stapelfeldt) writes: >the Apollo missions were the most important exploration missions ever >conducted.... You imply that the Apollo program >damaged planetary science, when in fact the opposite is true. To >ignore Apollo's contribution to planetary science shows an extreme >bias against manned programs. Are you arguing that, had Apollo not been mounted, no unmanned lunar sample return missions would have been done? Are you arguing that it was wise to have spent 30 billion dollars for the sampling and surveying actually done, with no follow-on missions for 20 years? Even so, Apollo's greatest harm was not in the low return of science for dollars spent: it was in teaching a generation of taxpayers, congressmen and NASA administrators that space was only an arena for huge, one-shot stunts, and not a place where ongoing, evolving useful work could be done. ------------------------------ Date: 24 May 91 04:19:33 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!news.cs.indiana.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu!ejbehr@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Eric Behr) Subject: Shuttle reports As only some old-timers will remember, I started the whole business over 3 years ago; after I lost Internet access, Peter has been diligently carrying the torch. The least I can do to repay him is to post SpaceLink reports while he is on vacation. Hope you'll enjoy the uploads. Eric -- Eric Behr, Illinois State University, Mathematics Department Internet: ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu Bitnet: ebehr@ilstu ------------------------------ Date: 18 May 91 23:41:47 GMT From: agate!lightning.Berkeley.EDU!fcrary@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Frank Crary) Subject: Re: Saturn V and the ALS In article dlbres10@pc.usl.edu (Fraering Philip) writes: >So then we are bound by treaty to build Freedom, no matter what the >cost? All the Japanese would have to do would be to hold us to that, >and we'd have to build Freedom, No, the US is the ONLY Freedom partner who does NOT regard the "inter- government agreement" (A State Department term) as a treaty. Since the US congress did not approve it, we are NOT legaly bound to build Freedom. However, Japan and the ESA take the agreement VERY seriously. If (or no that we have) dumped Freedom, will we be able to get these foreign space agencies to trust us again (say for an international Mars mission, etc.) ? Frank Crary UC Berkeley ------------------------------ Date: 19 May 91 18:53:10 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!quest!schaper@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Steve Schaper - SSB) Subject: Re: Why the space station? Would it possibly be less costly to send the polar corer probe with onboard electron microscope, gas chromatograph, etc, and sample the core every cubic milimeter and take a while to do it, then to transfer the material back to earth, with all the capabilities needed, not to mention the very tiny, but _not_ politically insignificant chance that there might be living spores frozen a goodly way down? ------------------------------ Date: 20 May 91 17:14:30 GMT From: usenet@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) Subject: NASA Headline News for 05/20/91 (Forwarded) Headline News Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA Headquarters Monday, May 20, 1991 Audio Service: 202 / 755-1788 This is NASA Headline News for Monday, May 20, 1991 . . . NASA officials are continuing efforts to reverse the proposal of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies to terminate the space station program. Senior management personnel are meeting this week with key Congressional and Administration leaders to coordinate their efforts. The crew of the STS-40 Space Shuttle Columbia arrived at Kennedy Space Center yesterday afternoon to begin activities in preparation for launch of their life science mission Wednesday morning. Medical exams and flight equipment fit checks dominate their schedule today. STS- 40 Commander Bryan D. O'Connor and Pilot Sidney M. Gutierrez will log time in the Shuttle Training Aircraft today, in preparation for the launch. This morning, NASA test director Eric Redding termed countdown operations "nominal" during the countdown status briefing, citing only a minor instrumentation problem with a humidity separator on board Columbia. The problem is not expected to affect the launch schedule. At the launch pad, work continues in setting up Spacelab access equipment for final preparation prior to launch. The shuttle's internal power system has been fueled and the Spacelab module is being powered up today. Checkout of the lab's animal holding facilities is expected to begin this afternoon and the research animals will be placed aboard Columbia early tomorrow morning. Forecasters are watching a low pressure system over the central Gulf that may affect Wednesday's launch. That system, in combination with an upper level low pressure trough from the west, could produce lower level wind conditions that would violate launch criteria. Shuttle weather officer Ed Priselac predicts the possibility of a 60 percent chance of weather violating launch criteria at T-minus zero Wednesday and a 40 percent chance during the entire two-hour launch window. Similar weather is expected Thursday, with Friday's weather improving. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NASA announced today that a second Astro mission will fly aboard the Space Shuttle. Cited as reason for the reflight was the success of the first mission and the demonstrated ability of the instruments to acquire high-quality scientific data. The Astro mission will fly the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope, the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope and the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photopolarimeter Experiment. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Orbiting Venus, the Magellan spacecraft operated its small thrusters for more than a half hour Friday to slightly adjust its orbit to avoid duplicating altimeter data obtained during the first phase of its mapping mission. The new track over the planet's surface will interleave with the first phase's track. Mapping of the planet was continued Friday evening. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select TV. Note that all events and times may change without notice, and that all times listed are Eastern. Tuesday, 5/21/91 9:00 am Countdown Status Briefing with Mike Leinbach, KSC test director, from KSC. (LIVE) 11:30 am Pre-launch press conference with Dr. Lennard Fisk, NASA science and applications administrator, Robert Crippen, NASA shuttle director, James Harrington, STS-40 launch director, Capt. Mike Adams, USAF weather officer, from KSC. (LIVE) Wednesday, 5/22/91 3:15 am Begin continuous pre-launch coverage of STS-40 (LIVE) 8:00 am Scheduled launch of Columbia for STS-40 mission. (LIVE) 3:40 pm Queen Elizabeth II visit at Johnson Space Center This report is filed daily at noon, Monday through Friday. It is a service of NASA's Office of Public Affairs. The contact is Charles Redmond, 202/453-8425 or CREDMOND on NASAmail. NASA Select TV is carried on GE Satcom F2R, transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West Longitude, transponder frequency is 3960 megaHertz, audio is offset 6.8 MHz, polarization is vertical. ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V13 #624 *******************