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 ; Mon, 24 Jun 91 05:43:56 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Mon, 24 Jun 91 05:43:51 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #701 SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 701 Today's Topics: MAJOR GEOMAGNETIC STORM UPDATE - 06 JUNE Re: Request For Discussion: sci.space.moderated Re: NASA budget crisis Re: Crary's Quick Debunkings Urgent action needed Re: Death of the Space Station Colors in the Aurora 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: Wed, 5 Jun 91 23:28:13 MDT From: oler <@BITNET.CC.CMU.EDU:oler@HG.ULeth.CA> (CARY OLER) Subject: MAJOR GEOMAGNETIC STORM UPDATE - 06 JUNE X-St-Vmsmail-To: st%"space+@andrew.cmu.edu" /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ GEOMAGNETIC STORM UPDATE /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ 05:00 UT, 06 June ------------- STORM UPDATE INFORMATION: Geomagnetic storming is continuing at major to severe storm levels. The intensity of the storming has decreased slightly over the past six hours, although major to severe geomagnetic storming is expected to continue for the next 12 to 18 hours. Thereafter, some additional decay in activity can be expected. However, the most recent major flare (class X12+/3B event) was associated with major Type II and IV sweeps, and is expected to produce an additional strong interplanetary shock sometime after 03:00 UT on 07 June. The activity associated with this event is expected to cause storm activity to reintensify to major to severe storm levels. Conditions do not look good for the rest of this week and possibly even the early part of next week. Region 6659 is expected to continue to spawn major flares for the next three days at least. And with each passing day, this region will continue to move into a better position for inflicting high terrestrial impacts. The most recent major flare is expected to produce another PCA enhancement. Absorption levels should pass PCA event thresholds. Polar and high latitudes are warned to expect continued proton-related anomalies over the coming week. HF propagation conditions have been fair to extremely poor. Blackout conditions have been observed over many regions, particularly over the higher latitudes. Polar cap absorption associated with continuing proton activity has also degraded polar and high latitude signal propagation on the HF bands. Errors do exist on polar and high latitude navigational paths. Extensive VHF auroral backscatter openings have been possible on a global basis over the past 24 hours. Conditions have been very favorable for unusual VHF scatter propagation. These conditions are expected to continue for at least the next 12 hours. On 07 and 08 June, conditions should again become very favorable for VHF scatter propagation as storm conditions intensify. Auroral activity has been high to extremely high. Low latitude auroral observations have been widely possible over the past 24 hours and are expected to continue to be possible over the next 12 to 18 hours. Auroral activity could again be observed over the lower latitudes on the evening of 07/08 June. Frequent sightings may be possible over the next week to 10 days as Region 6659 continues to produce potent major flaring and possibly high terrestrial impacts. Todays most recent major class X12+/3B event could produce levels of auroral activity sufficient to be observed from Florida. Sightings of auroral activity from Hawaii may become possible over the coming week if very powerful solar flaring continues. A short PCA event was observed on 04/05 June. The event began at 15:20 UT on 04 June and ended around 09:00 UT on 05 June. Absorption levels are still above normal (presently running at around 1.2 dB) and will remain above normal over the next 24 hours. 10 MeV protons are presently hovering near 90 pfu. Protons are expected to become enhanced once again as we feel a proton impact from the most recent major flare. Levels are expected to reach 3,600 to 3,700 pfu. Another update will be posted later this UT day. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Jun 91 09:31 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon X-Mailer: Mail User's Shell (7.1.2 7/11/90) Received: by silo.info.com (/\=-/\ Smail3.1.18.1 #18.1) id ; Thu, 6 Jun 91 07:37 PDT Received: by jartel.info.com (/\=-/\ Smail3.1.18.1 #18.7) id ; Thu, 6 Jun 91 07:28 PDT Received: by crash.cts.com (/\==/\ Smail3.1.20.1 #20.12) id ; Thu, 6 Jun 91 07:16 PDT Message-Id: Date: Thu, 6 Jun 91 06:57:24 PDT From: jim@pnet01.cts.com (Jim Bowery) To: crash!space+@andrew.cmu.edu Subject: Re: Request For Discussion: sci.space.moderated Doug Mohney writes: > ....Peter Yee and the other Official > NASA folks (ooops, can't remember the other one) who bring us daily updates, > GIFs, plus the orbital stuff should go into one group. > > This would leave sci.space open for the political lobbying which it was not > intended for.... The problem is the U.S. space program dominated by politics. You don't solve that problem by shutting down political free speech on the net. You do it by talking about the nature of the problem to see how you can change the rules of the game so space becomes less political. Changing the rules of the game requires political action. This is very similar to the problem encountered when JSC/Fred supporters, having played politics with space funding in prior years, now object to space scientists playing politics: "How dare people who are trying to do science engage in politics! Only politicians should engage in politics. Therefore, only JSC/Fred supporters should be allowed to engage in political action because we aren't scientists -- we are politicians POSING as scientists." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Bowery 619/295-3164 The Coalition for PO Box 1981 Science and La Jolla, CA 92038 Commerce ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 6 Jun 91 23:30:09 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!isi.edu!cew@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Craig E. Ward) Subject: Re: NASA budget crisis In article <1991Jun6.182042.30756@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu> rwmurphr@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Robert W Murphree) writes: >Please call your congressmen to vote against the space station. It is in >direct competition with NSF. This is wrong. Dead wrong. See my reply to Joe Cain, in message id number 18194@venera.isi.edu, for why. -- Craig E. Ward Slogan: "nemo me impune lacessit" USPS: USC/Information Sciences Institute 4676 Admiralty Way, Suite 1200 Marina del Rey, CA 90292 ------------------------------ Date: 7 Jun 91 01:01:05 GMT From: stan!martin@uunet.uu.net (Mark Martin) Subject: Re: Crary's Quick Debunkings In article <1991Jun5.091743.7972@agora.rain.com> trifid@agora.rain.com (Roadster Racewerks) writes: ... >Anybody care to list other terran formations that resemble faces, etc.? I know >they exist all over the planet... > >Suze Hammond >trifid@agora.rain.com Off the top of my head, I can think of, in Colorado, Sleeping Elephant Butte, Profile Rock, Rabbit Ears Pass, all geographical items which resemble the things they were named after. People naturally recognize features which resemble familiar artifacts. It's not surprising to find so many of these features named after familiar things. I would think that if an alien civilization were to begin studying Earth in the way we are studying Mars, they would recognize a completely different set of geographical features, and pay no particular attention to the Great Sphinx in Egypt or other similar man-made features. We might tell them 'Italy looks like a boot', and they would wonder what a boot was untill we pointed to the ones on somebody's feet. -- martin@Solbourne.COM | Another man is what you'll see Mark Martin | Who looks like you, and looks like me Solbourne Computer, inc. | And yet, somehow, Engineer, Technician, Mystic | He will not feel the same! ------------------------------ Date: 6 Jun 91 13:23:20 GMT From: prism!mailer.cc.fsu.edu!geomag!cain@gatech.edu (Joe Cain) Subject: Urgent action needed The American Geophysical Union recognizes that passage of the following amendment would do serious damage to future space science programs and ask all to phone their congressional representatives and urge that this amendment be defeated. Instead, they support the originally passed budget of the Appropriations Committee supporting the Augustine Report. ****THIS MUST BE DONE TODAY FOR POSSIBLE EFFECT******* This was received from my congressman's` legislative correspondent yesterday afternoon: SUMMARY OF MAJOR PROVISIONS OF THE CHAPMAN/LOWERY AMENDMENT THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT WOULD NEARLY FULLY FUND SPACE STATION FREEDOM, WITHOUT MODIFICATION TO THE 602(B) ALLOCATION TO THE VETERANS/HUD APPROPRIATIONS BILL. THE AMENDMENT WOULD RESTORE SPACE STATION AND LEAVES VIRTUALLY ALL OTHER NON-NASA PROGRAMS IN THE BUDGET INTACT AND ADDS $33M TO ADDRESS URGENT NEEDS IN VETERANS MEDICAL CARE. NASA o Freeze all NASA programs at FY91 funding levels, providing 1.9B for Space Station Freedom. o No NASA program would receive less than last year's funding amount. VETERANS O Increase funding for Veterans Medical Care Programs by $33M. NSF o No change; fully fund NSF at the President's request, as recommended by the Appropriations Committee. EPA o No change; fund all EPA increases as recommended by the Appropriations Committee. HUD o Reduce subsidized Housing Operations subsidies to the President's requested level. The Committe had increased the President's request by $250M, but disallowed the expenditure of the $250M until September 20, 1992, ten days before the end of the fiscal year. o All other HUD programs--including CDBG, Elderly and Handicap new construction, and public housing modernization and construction-- funded at the levels approved by the Appropriations Committee. FEMA o No changes; fund all FEMA programs as recommended by the Appropriations Committee. All other Agencies and Programs o No changes; fund all other accounts as recommended by the Appropriations Committee. Scoring o The proposed amendment is fully offset in both budget authority and outlays. **************************************************************** In their testimony May 1, 1991, the President of the AGU pointed out several aspects of the deliberations concerning Space Station Freedom(SSF): -Scientific research is critical to the solution of major environmental problems affecting our nation and planet. The potential contributions of SSF is ..minimal and not commensurate with the enormous costs.. -there is little that cannot be done with unmanned satellites for Earth Observation -the total cost of SSF is not now made public but is likely to be of the order of $180 billion over its 30 year life. The operating costs alone will be about $5 billion per year. -all possible benefits are hopelessly overpriced. space manufacturing results have been minimal. Ask any teacher if the educational value of the $180 billion could not be spent better elsewhere! -the high costs will delay other NASA programs that are far more likely to produce much greater benefits and contribute more to U. S. leadership in Space, such as the Mission to and from Planet Earth as recommended by the Augustine committee. We note that this committee did not include SSF in its Mission to Planet Earth Program. The AGU is not opposed to manned space per se, but in the face of the present budget reduction needs to agree with the vote of the full Appropriations Committee. It seems to be a case where the major support is from the builders of the SSF, not the potential users. Joseph Cain cain@geomag.gly.fsu.edu cain@fsu.bitnet scri::cain ------------------------------ Date: 7 Jun 91 04:24:57 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!hobbes.physics.uiowa.edu!news.iastate.edu!vaxd.iastate.edu!TAAW3@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU Subject: Re: Death of the Space Station I agree, we definitely need to work together with the Soviet Union. But they already know what they want the space station to do, at first at least. I found that out on a recent trip to NASA in Houston. ------------------------------ Date: 5 Jun 91 12:56:23 GMT From: ssc-vax!fluke!dyndata!dynamo!dan@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Dan Everhart) Subject: Colors in the Aurora There was a TREMENDOUS aurora last night here in the Seattle area. At it's peak, about 3/4 of the sky was lit. Although most of the aurora was phosphorescent green, at times there were patches of red, and once or twice a streak of white. What causes the varying colors in an aurora? Also, how long does it take the aurora-causing particles to travel from the sun to the earth? -- Dan Everhart Dynamic Data & Electronics dan@dyndata.uucp 7107 179th St SW dan@dyndata.celestial.com Edmonds, WA 98026, USA {camco,eskimo,fluke}!dyndata!dan ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V13 #701 *******************