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, 1 Jul 91 02:02:22 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <0cPgJae00WBwE2xU42@andrew.cmu.edu> Precedence: junk Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Mon, 1 Jul 91 02:02:15 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #756 SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 756 Today's Topics: Re: Solar sails and Belt mining Re: Japanese Space Development Direction LOW LATITUDE AURORAL ACTIVITY WATCH UPDATE - 18 JUNE INFO: New "Electric Spacecraft Magazine" Re: CNN Report On Paris Airshow Re: CNN Report On Paris Airshow Launch failure today Re: == No Subject == Re: Excavating (minig) gold in Pioneer Venus ? Re: Fred's Operatic Death 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: 16 Jun 91 23:40:18 GMT From: swatsun!news@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu Subject: Re: Solar sails and Belt mining In article <1991Jun16.125917.7326@demon.co.uk>, printf@cix.compulink.co.uk (Ian Stirling) writes... >If you can make a workable solar sail how much more difficult is it >to make a large parabolic mirror for melting large boulder size >chunks of rock? It was pointed out to me last year that heating by solar flux doesn't work so well in space since there are no convection currents in the molten stuff (no gravity). I don't recall the specifics of this. If it could work some other way, you wouldn't want to use a parabolic mirror to focus an image of the sun on the rock, you'd want to use a light funnel. See _Scientific_American_ of a few months back for a good article on light funnels. They concentrate *all* the incident solar flux on a spot, a lens or mirror just focuses an image, and thus much flux does not help heating. >you get higher temperatures than the surface of the sun by filtering >the incoming light at the mirror(diffraction grating ?)to leave only the >higher energy photons,this does not seem to violate any laws as you >are only able to use a small fraction of the incoming light to heat >the object but most of the light goes past at lower overall energy. Huh? Even the low energy photons should help to heat up the rock, so no point in filtering them out. Leaving only high energy photons does not necessarily yield higher than surface of the sun temperatures, although you may change the energy distribution profile of your solar flux, you won't change its "temperature". ------------------------------ Date: 17 Jun 91 13:18:04 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!ox.com!hela!aws@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Allen W. Sherzer) Subject: Re: Japanese Space Development Direction In article <6204@mindlink.bc.ca> Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow) writes: >"Looking far into the future, the Japanese feel that automation in space will >be a huge enterprise. I don't think anybody doubts that at all. The only question is the wisdom of putting all our eggs into one basket. I think the Japanese agree which is why they are also spending money on manned space. >Thus they show a willingness to invest in long-term >space robotics to develop a vast technological base from terrestrial work." The US also spends a lot on robotics research. In fact, in absolute terms I suspect we spend even more than Japan. >I think the Japanese direction is determined by economic and political >foresight, Japan is spending billions on Freedom and where the loudest complainers when it was cancled. May we conclude than that you have changed your mind and now support Freedom? Allen -- +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Allen W. Sherzer | DETROIT: Where the weak are killed and eaten. | | aws@iti.org | | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Jun 91 16:27:41 MDT From: oler <@BITNET.CC.CMU.EDU:oler@HG.ULeth.CA> (CARY OLER) Subject: LOW LATITUDE AURORAL ACTIVITY WATCH UPDATE - 18 JUNE X-St-Vmsmail-To: st%"space+@andrew.cmu.edu" /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ LOW LATITUDE AURORAL ACTIVITY WATCH UPDATED: 22:00 UT, 17 JUNE VALID: 18 JUNE /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ ATTENTION: The Low Latitude Auroral Activity Watch has been extended to 18 June. Conditions may become favorable for auroral activity observations over the lower latitudes on 18 June. Minor to major geomagnetic storming is currently in progress and is expected to continue for the next 12 to 18 hours. By 19 June, conditions are not expected to be favorable for lower latitude auroral observations. The UT day of 18 June should be the last day for possible low latitude auroral observations. This watch is valid until 00:00 UT on 19 June. At that time, it will be updated or cancelled. ** End of Watch ** ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jun 91 11:28:51 SET From: MSKALA%ESRIN.BITNET@vma.cc.cmu.edu Comment: CROSSNET mail via MAILER@CMUCCVMA ESA Press Release No.20; Paris, 17 June 1991 ITALY/ESA AGREEMENT ON HERMES TEST FACILITIES Senator Learoo Saparito, Under Secretary of State at the Italian Ministry of Universities, Scientific reserach and Technology, and Mr.Jean-Marie Luton, Director General of ESA, will be signing a major cooperation agreement at 11.30 a.m., on Tuesday, 18 June 1991 in the ESA pavilion at the Le Bourget Air Show. The subject of the agreement is the co-financing by Italy and ESA of test facilities vital for the development of the Hermes thermal protection systems. The facilities will be located in Italy, near Capua. somewhere near Naples, in the South, I thinkY Known as SCIROCCO, the facilities will principally consist of a very high temperature arc-heated wind tunnel that can simulate heat fluxes comparable to those which Hermes will encounter on re-entry into the atmosphere. The cost of developing SCIROCCO, which should be completed by the end of 1993, will be around 50 Million Accounting Units (75 billion ItalianY lire) ca. 60 Million US$Y. ESA will bear 40% of the cost and Italy 60%. ------------------------------ Date: 17 Jun 91 19:19:06 GMT From: agate!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!crdgw1!ge-dab!tarpit!bilver!dona@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Don Allen) Subject: INFO: New "Electric Spacecraft Magazine" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This information is presented for your persusal and is a continuation of my policy of informing the public what is currently available. As usual my *disclaimer* is simply to present the data and let you form your own opinion(s). Please feel free to agree,disagree,discuss or ponder :-) As I do not have a great amount of time available to pursue follow-ups exclusively, comments to me should be directed to dona@bilver.uucp in mail. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The following text comes from the MUFONET BBS (1-901-785-4943): ----Begin Included Text --------------------------------------------- Message number 1658 in "MUFONET" Date: 06-08-91 21:25 From: David Dorsey To: All Subj: New Publication ANNOUNCING: . An international networking journal devoted to the exploration of: . * electric and magnetic technology * anti-gravity * atomic and space-time concepts * harmonics and vibrations * energy transformation techniques * natural phenomena . The ELECTRIC SPACECRAFT JOURNAL is a quarterly publication specifically for those doing creative research and experiments in the area of spacecraft technology and for those interested in the subject. The purpose of this publication is to make it possible for individuals to communicate and cooperate both formally and informally with each other in an effort to develop new technology for spacecraft. The Journal is an interactive platform for: . * experiments * direct observation of phenomena * documents * investigations * historical accounts * new ideas and concepts * speculations * interpretations and comments . ELECTRIC SPACECRAFT JOURNAL P.O. BOX 18387, ASHEVILLE, NC 28814 704-252-8083 FAX 704-683-3511 --- QuickBBS 2.66/O (Eval) * Origin: MUFONET-BBS Network 901-785-4943 (88:4200/10) ------------------------------------------------------------------- EOF -- -* Don Allen *- InterNet: dona@bilver.UUCP // Amiga..for the rest of us. USnail: 1818G Landing Dr, Sanford Fl 32771 \X/ Why use anything else? :^) UUCP: ..uunet!tarpit!bilver!vicstoy!dona 0110 0110 0110 Just say NO! Illuminati < MJ-12|Grudge|TLC|CFR|FED|EEC|Bush > WAR = "New World Order" ------------------------------ Date: 18 Jun 91 19:44:38 GMT From: pyramid!lstowell@hplabs.hpl.hp.com (Lon Stowell) Subject: Re: CNN Report On Paris Airshow In article <31509@hydra.gatech.EDU> ccoprmd@prism.gatech.EDU (Matthew DeLuca) writes: > >The MiG-31 isn't exactly a new aircraft; it's basically a reworked >version of the MiG-25, which was initially designed to counter the B-70 >Valkyrie. >-- Does the CNN broadcast actually show the B-70 in flight? IMHO it still qualifies as one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built. When the Kennedy administration killed the B-70, I became a permanent republican.... ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jun 91 00:34:17 GMT From: munnari.oz.au!cs.mu.OZ.AU!mullauna!mkwan@uunet.uu.net (Matthew Kwan) Subject: Re: CNN Report On Paris Airshow > Does the CNN broadcast actually show the B-70 in flight? > IMHO it still qualifies as one of the most beautiful > aircraft ever built. And it had that other feature I always look for in aircraft - it was LOUD! A mach 3 plane, burning some hellish fuel mixture, the Valkyrie must come close to holding the record for loudest plane ever. mkwan ------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew Kwan Centre for Computer Security Research Australian Defence Force Academy ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jun 91 02:44:59 GMT From: news-server.csri.toronto.edu!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!aurora.physics.utoronto.ca!neufeld@uunet.uu.net (Christopher Neufeld) Subject: Launch failure today Well, I just saw a throwaway bite on the evening news relating to the destruction by range safety of an unmanned rocket. The footage had a round decal with Orbital Sciences Corporation on it, and the same written across the bottom of the screen, and the voice in the original broadcast, though obscured by the local newsguy, did include the word "prospector". What was this launch? I wasn't aware of any prospectors due up in the next little while. While we're at it, what was the launch vehicle? It sure didn't look like a Pegasus. -- Christopher Neufeld....Just a graduate student | If ignorance is bliss neufeld@aurora.physics.utoronto.ca Ad astra | why aren't there more cneufeld@{pnet91,pro-cco}.cts.com | happy people? "Don't edit reality for the sake of simplicity" | ------------------------------ Date: 17 Jun 91 02:47:08 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!hutto!henry@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Henry Melton) Subject: Re: == No Subject == While looking at an image of the Texas area made by a GEOS weather sat, I noticed a white dot, about three or four pixels wide in Central Texas, just north of Austin. After investigating, it turns out to be the Texas Crushed Stone company's huge pit (just visible from I-35 between Austin and Georgetown). Other than the lakes, it was the only man-made thing visible on the photo. ------------------------------ Date: 17 Jun 91 19:56:26 GMT From: mintaka!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!ox.com!fmsrl7!wreck@bloom-beacon.mit.edu (Ron Carter) Subject: Re: Excavating (minig) gold in In article dingbat@cix.compulink.co.uk (Codesmiths) writes: >I can't imagine any way of safely bringing a whole asteroid to the >earth's surface for a long, long time. Even if it was brought down in >small pieces it would still be several orders of magnitude beyond >present technology. Not true, if you're willing to sacrifice part of it. Just mold pieces into lens-shapes like an Apollo heat shield, and drop them. If they are mostly iron and land in water, you can just troll for them with an electromagnet to recover them. >What would be needed to smelt the asteroid in situ, and just bring >back the most valuable metals ? Good question, but separating the metals from the slag, the iron from the nickel, etc. has more possibilities than just returning unmodified asteroid pieces. If mirrors can be deposited using CVD, then it should be possible to make solar sails from iron. Attaching a sail and a small guidance module to a payload package (platinum and gold wrapped in slag or nickel) would allow them to sail back to Earth by themselves. ------------------------------ Date: 17 Jun 91 22:46:27 GMT From: news-server.csri.toronto.edu!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!ists!nereid!white@uunet.uu.net (H. Peter White) Subject: Pioneer Venus ? I've heard rumors lately that Pioneer Venus will be sent into the atmosphere to collect data for future Magellan work. I guess this would mean that Pioneer Venus will collect data till the very end. Anyone else heard anything about this, or did I hear wrong? H. Peter White " Whoever undertakes to set himself white@nereid.sal.ists.ca up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge fs300367@yusol.bitnet is shipwrecked by the laughter of 665-5448 (SAL/ISTS) the Gods. " - Albert Einstein ------------------------------ Date: 18 Jun 91 13:55:18 GMT From: mojo!SYSMGR%KING.ENG.UMD.EDU@mimsy.umd.edu (Doug Mohney) Subject: Re: Fred's Operatic Death In article <1991Jun17.222205.15504@sequent.com>, szabo@sequent.com writes: > >>He pays taxes too. > >From his paycheck which is 100% funded by the IRS, he pays perhaps >30% back to the IRS. BFD. I said his pro-astronaut posts were >"self-serving" and they are; they serve to provide revenue for the >paychecks of himself, his boss, and his co-workers at JSC. Still doesn't mean he can kiss his right to free speech goodbye, does it? Of course, that little matter doesn't seem to count for a whole lot to you. Governmental employees still pay taxes, vote, and contribute to the net. >The same cannot be said for my postings. My employer sells computers to >voluntary purchasers. I do not derive revenue from any of the subjects >discussed. So this gives you the RIGHT to be the Czar of Correctness? >Of course he has a right to his self-serving propaganda; I also have >a right to point it out for what it is. Or let others judge for themselves rather than being a zealot about it? Your propaganda on asteroid mining is getting a little boring of late. >>Personally Nick, I think if we were pouring money into Asteroid Hunting > >I don't propose to "pour" anything more than a tiny fraction of what the >astronauts are wasting. Even that small fraction the astronaut groupies >want to keep for their own programs, as the recent Freddy Krueger war >so sadly confirms. Oh GARBAGE, Nick. If the positions were reversed, you'd be the first one in line to defend your institution. Signature envy: quality of some people to put 24+ lines in their .sigs -- > SYSMGR@CADLAB.ENG.UMD.EDU < -- ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V13 #756 *******************