Date: Fri, 17 Jul 92 05:00:05 From: Space Digest maintainer Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V15 #007 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Fri, 17 Jul 92 Volume 15 : Issue 007 Today's Topics: Biosphere: the final inside word Chemical unit operations in space (2 msgs) Electronic Journal of the ASA - July 1992 Help in astro-physics needed! Mars Direct: Any Independent Evaluation? Space Transportation Infrastructure Costs (Was Re: Interstates) (2 msgs) Theoretical problem Welcome to the Space Digest!! Please send your messages to "space@isu.isunet.edu" (on Internet). If you are on Bitnet, you must use a gateway (e.g., "space%isu.isunet.edu@CUNYVM"). Please do **NOT** send (un)subscription requests to that address! Instead, send the message "Subscribe Space " to one of these addresses: listserv@uga (BITNET), RICE::BOYLE (SPAN/NSInet), UTADNX::UTSPAN::RICE::BOYLE (THENET), or space-REQUEST@isu.isunet.edu (Internet). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 16 Jul 1992 13:54:49 GMT From: George William Herbert Subject: Biosphere: the final inside word Newsgroups: sci.space I finally tracked Bernd down again and asked him the right questions in the right way. Here's what really happened re: CO2 scrubbers in the Biosphere II project. They've had some minimal scrubber ability designed in since early conceptual stages of the design. They weren't planning on using it very much... Bernd quoted me a total capability like (over time) removing 100ppm CO2 from the atmosphere inside. They didn't talk a lot about it but he says it was on their plans and specs they released, so he's suprised everyone else (me 8-) didn't know about it. It was run for 6 weeks in December and Jan. this year when they found the CO2 levels rising, apparently due to effects from El Nino. It did what it did and ran out of oomph when they thought it would and everything stabilized on its own. Lesson: Ask the correct question (not "Did you Add" but "Did you Have?") when people are likely to be defensive. Since everyone's been very down on Biosphere, Bernd didn't hear the question I thought I was asking until I rephrased it properly nonthreateningly. This, of course, would not happen if people didn't make the Biosphere II crew paranoid about the seriosuness of their work. 8-) -george william herbert gwh@soda.berkeley.edu gwh@lurnix.com gwh@uchu.isu92.ac.jp until 28 aug ------------------------------ Date: 16 Jul 92 11:52:19 GMT From: John Roberts Subject: Chemical unit operations in space Newsgroups: sci.space -From: spgreg@mars.lerc.nasa.gov (Greg Macrae) -Subject: Re: Chemical unit operations in space -Date: 15 Jul 92 14:14:00 GMT -Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center -The last shuttle flight demonstrated a very high degree of control over -droplet location, and motion using sound waves, and that was the first -such experiment ever conducted! Actually, I think it's been done on previous Shuttle missions, but not with this degree of precision and versatility. John Roberts roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov ------------------------------ Date: 16 Jul 92 11:56:53 GMT From: John Roberts Subject: Chemical unit operations in space Newsgroups: sci.space -From: ecmtwhk@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz (Thomas Koenig) -Subject: Chemical unit operations in space -Date: 15 Jul 92 06:56:17 GMT -Organization: University of Auckland, New Zealand. -I've been wondering a bit about how a chemical plant would look -like in space. Much of the experimentation on STS-50 was directed toward finding ways to process and manipulate materials in microgravity. One example was the surface tension driven convection experiment. It will probably be a year or more before all the results are in from those experiments. John Roberts roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Jul 92 06:44:58 PDT From: "IDC, PKO3-1/27D, Pole 27-C, 223-3283" Subject: Electronic Journal of the ASA - July 1992 THE ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF THE ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE ATLANTIC Volume 3, Number 12 - July 1992 ########################### TABLE OF CONTENTS ########################### * ASA Membership and Article Submission Information * New Ears on the Sky: The NASA SETI Microwave Observing Project - ARC and JPL SETI Project * Winter Star Party 1992 Report - Eric Greene ########################### ASA MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION The Electronic Journal of the Astronomical Society of the Atlantic (EJASA) is published monthly by the Astronomical Society of the Atlantic, Incorporated. The ASA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of amateur and professional astronomy and space exploration, as well as the social and educational needs of its members. ASA membership application is open to all with an interest in astronomy and space exploration. Members receive the Journal of the ASA (hardcopy sent through United States Mail - Not a duplicate of this Electronic Journal) and the Astronomical League's REFLECTOR magazine. Members may also purchase discount subscriptions to ASTRONOMY and SKY & TELESCOPE magazines. For information on membership, you may contact the Society at any of the following addresses: Astronomical Society of the Atlantic (ASA) c/o Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Georgia State University (GSU) Atlanta, Georgia 30303 U.S.A. asa@chara.gsu.edu ASA BBS: (404) 564-9623, 300/1200/2400 Baud. or telephone the Society Recording at (404) 264-0451 to leave your address and/or receive the latest Society news. ASA Officers and Council - President - Don Barry Vice President - Nils Turner Secretary - Ingrid Siegert-Tanghe Treasurer - Mike Burkhead Directors - Bill Bagnuolo, Eric Greene, Tano Scigliano Council - Bill Bagnuolo, Bill Black, Mike Burkhead, Frank Guyton, Larry Klaes, Ken Poshedly, Jim Rouse, Tano Scigliano, John Stauter, Wess Stuckey, Harry Taylor, Gary Thompson, Cindy Weaver, Bob Vickers ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS - Article submissions to the EJASA on astronomy and space exploration are most welcome. Please send your on-line articles in ASCII format to Larry Klaes, EJASA Editor, at the following net addresses or the above Society addresses: klaes@verga.enet.dec.com or - ...!decwrl!verga.enet.dec.com!klaes or - klaes%verga.dec@decwrl.enet.dec.com or - klaes%verga.enet.dec.com@uunet.uu.net You may also use the above addresses for EJASA back issue requests, letters to the editor, and ASA membership information. When sending your article submissions, please be certain to include either a network or regular mail address where you can be reached, a telephone number, and a brief biographical sketch. DISCLAIMER - Submissions are welcome for consideration. Articles submitted, unless otherwise stated, become the property of the Astronomical Society of the Atlantic, Incorporated. Though the articles will not be used for profit, they are subject to editing, abridgment, and other changes. Copying or reprinting of the EJASA, in part or in whole, is encouraged, provided clear attribution is made to the Astronomical Society of the Atlantic, the Electronic Journal, and the author(s). Opinions expressed in the EJASA are those of the authors' and not necessarily those of the ASA. This Journal is Copyright (c) 1992 by the Astronomical Society of the Atlantic, Incorporated. NEW EARS ON THE SKY: THE NASA SETI MICROWAVE OBSERVING PROJECT ARC and JPL SETI Project In support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) mandate to investigate the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the Universe, NASA's SETI Microwave Observing Project (MOP) is scheduled to become operational this autumn, completing fifteen years of research and development. The objective of the NASA SETI Microwave Observing Project is to seek evidence of extraterrestrial intelligent life by conducting a comprehensive systematic search of a portion of the microwave radio spectrum where there is the least background noise from astrophysical sources. The SETI Project is testing the hypothesis that biology, intelli- gence, culture, and technology are widely distributed phenomena in the Universe. In the Milky Way galaxy, there are approximately four hundred billion stars, of which five to ten percent are stable enough to support life over evolutionary time scales. Thus, in this galaxy alone, there are approximately twenty billion stars similar to Earth's Sun. If even a small fraction of these life-supporting regions have developed biological complexity and intelligence, there may be thousands or even millions of technology-using species in the Milky Way at the present time. Human beings developed technology early in order to control their environment and ensure an adequate food supply. With a secure environment, stable food sources, and higher population densities, cultural evolution - the transmission of information between indi- viduals and generations - supplemented biological evolution. It was during the most recent phase of this process of cultural evolution that our communicate social species developed a technological civili- zation which has become detectable over interstellar distances due to its activities in the radio spectrum. If other civilizations exist and have also exploited the radio spectrum, the electromagnetic manifestations of distant societies await detection. Cultural activity on Earth has led to the explosive development of technology, including radio communication and powerful radars. Some of humanity's earliest broadcasts have by now propagated some seventy light years into space, past several hundred solar-type stars. In principle, then, intelligent beings in distant planetary systems could learn of our existence by studying radio waves from space, just as we could discover any such beings by using similar means. Given this strong possibility, NASA is preparing to conduct the largest search ever for the radio emissions of other cultures. The SETI Microwave Observing Project (MOP) is managed by the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) at Moffett Field, California, and is being jointly carried out by ARC, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, researchers at participating universities, and the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN). The SETI Project has not yet begun operations, and no searching has been done by NASA. The planned search will be billions of times more comprehensive than all previous efforts by others in this field. It will use two complementary search modes: A Targeted Search and an All-Sky Survey. Both search elements will deploy state-of-the-art digital spectrum analyzers and signal processing equipment to carry out fully automated observations and data processing activities. Plans call for the Targeted Search and All-Sky Survey operations to begin on Columbus Day, October 12, 1992, to commemorate the spirit of exploration. The Targeted Search, conducted by ARC, is designed to examine nearly eight hundred solar-type stars within eighty light years of Earth in the 1,000 to 3,000 megahertz (MHz) microwave radio band. Special wide frequency bandwidth Multi Channel Spectrum Analyzers (MCSA) will be deployed at radio astronomy observatories with the largest existing antennas, using about five percent of the available time. Some of the large radio telescopes that will be used are the National Science Foundation's 305-meter (1,000-foot) diameter antenna at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, the Australian 64-meter (210-foot) diameter antenna at Parkes, Australia, the Deep Space Network's 70-meter (230-foot) diameter antenna at Tidbinbilla, Australia, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's (NRAO) 42-meter (140-foot) diameter antenna at Green Bank, West Virginia. The Green Bank radio telescope will become a dedicated site. Arecibo will be used to inaugurate the SETI Targeted Search on October 12. In the Targeted Search, an automatic data analysis subsystem will be able to detect the presence of fixed frequency or drifting continuous wave (CW) signals or sequences of regularly spaced pulses. The increased number of targets, the greater frequency range, and the wider variety of detectable signals will give the SETI Project capabilities far beyond anything that has been possible in previous searches. The transportable Targeted Search System (TSS) includes a Radio Frequency Subsystem (RFS), the Multi Channel Spectrum Analyzer (MCSA), a Signal Detection Subsystem (SDS), a System Control Subsystem (SCS), and a Data Collection and Archive Subsystem (DCAS). The RFS amplifies the radio waves at the observing frequency and converts them to a lower frequency for further processing. The design pushes state of the art with wide instantaneous bandwidth (320 MHz) and continuous coverage from 1,000 to 3,000 MHz. A portion of the RFS has been developed to interface to Arecibo Observatory in 1992. The MCSA spectrometer divides a dual polarization 10 MHz segment of the data from the RFS into 14.3 million channels at a resolution of 1 Hertz. Simultaneous resolutions of 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, and 28 Hertz provide sensitivity to pulse durations in the range from 0.025 to 1.5 seconds. The MCSA relies on a new custom integrated circuit that was designed and fabricated during the past year. Every 1.4 seconds for each resolution and polarization, approximately one thousand channels with power higher than a threshold value are sent to the Pulse Detector for analysis. At the same time, the measured power in all channels at one resolution for both left and right circular polarizations, about 28.6 million numbers, are sent to the Continuous Wave Detector. The SDS Pulse Detector searches the MCSA's thresholded data for groups of three pulses with a common spacing that may be part of a regularly spaced pulse train. In the CW Detector, data are stored on arrays of disks with a capacity of twenty billion bytes of information. A custom circuit module using commercially available parts will implement an efficient detection algorithm that sums the energy along a representative set of potential signals within the range of possible frequency drift rates. This implementation achieves a sensitivity within 1 dB of optimum. The SCS schedules observations, configures the TSS, points the telescope, and evaluates potential signals reported by the SDS. Powerful HP9000 workstations have been acquired and code developed to implement the basic functions required for observations on Columbus Day. The All-Sky Survey, conducted by JPL, will search the entire celestial sphere over the 1,000 to 10,000 MHz frequency range, including spot bands up to 25,000 MHz. This strategy is designed to cover the possibility that technologically advanced communities are emitting strong signals, possibly as interstellar beacons. A two-million channel digital wide-band spectrum analyzer (WBSA) and a signal processor system, designed and built at JPL, will serve as a prototype for the SETI Sky Survey processor. The WBSA features a pipelined Fast Fourier Transform architecture that transforms up to 40 MHz of input bandwidth into 20 Hz bins in the frequency domain. To accommodate the wide bandwidth in real time, the WBSA performs 4.5 billion operations per second, which exceeds the speed of the fastest supercomputers. The spectrum analyzer is equipped to process two simultaneous input channels each with maximum bandwidth of 20 MHz. This design allows future expansion to meet the SETI requirement of simultaneous search for right and left circularly polarized signals. The output data from the WBSA is passed to a signal detection module that performs baseline estimation, filtering and threshold functions. The signal detection algorithms are designed to: (1) accommodate variable baselines that are anticipated, e.g., when the Sky Survey antenna beam sweeps across background radio sources; (2) minimize the effect of radio frequency interference (RFI); (3) apply a convolutional filter to increase sensitivity and to provide input to a subsequent test that is designed to discriminate candidate signals from bursts of RFI; (4) identify candidate signals that exceed a selectable threshold. According to the Sky Survey scan strategy, the sky will be divided into "sky frames" (small areas of the order of fifty square degrees) and each sky frame will be scanned at a rate of 0.2 degrees per second. The scan pattern was designed to enable candidate signals to be detected on adjacent scan lines. Candidate signals from astronomical distances will be found at the same location on adjacent scan lines (after compensating for Earth's rotation). Most sources of RFI will not match up in this manner. The output of the Sky Survey WBSA is passed to the signal detection software in a condensed format as candidate signal reports. Each report consists of fourteen bytes that describe the frequency, the bandwidth, and the accumulated power before and after the application of the convolutional filter. The signal detection subsystem also provides display and data recording outputs. Screen displays are provided to visualize the frequency characteristics and the spatial location of detected signals in a sky frame. After extensive field testing of the prototype design and search strategy, a fully operational Sky Survey System with sixteen times the capability of the prototype, and featuring a thirty-two-million channel spectrum analyzer, will be deployed in 1996. The Sky Survey observations will be initiated using the new high-efficiency 34-meter antenna at the research and development station of NASA's Deep Space Communication Complex at Goldstone, California. A major feature of this antenna is an assembly of shaped reflectors (radio frequency "mirrors") and waveguides that translate the focus of the antenna down to a spacious laboratory below ground. With this capability, the antenna can be switched from one experiment to another to support a variety of research activities, including the test and use of the SETI prototype signal processing subsystem. The Sky Survey will be three hundred times more sensitive than previous sky surveys and will also mark the most detailed systematic examination ever conducted of the entire sky. Field tests are presently underway on the Sky Survey Prototype System at Goldstone. The unmanned MAGELLAN and ULYSSES spacecraft currently exploring the solar system have been successfully detected during these tests. Meanwhile, integration testing of the Targeted Search MCSA is continuing at Ames. As has been noted, the purpose of SETI is to test the hypothesis that the technologies of other intelligent organisms are detectable in the radio spectrum. If a signal is found and confirmed, we will know that evolutionary biology is an inherent characteristic of some loca- tions in the Universe. Information gathered from other civilizations may provide important practical as well as social and philosophical benefits. Even if the NASA Microwave Observing Project does not detect an ETI signal, it will provide benefits to our society. The technology developed to search for faint signals from civilizations in other solar systems can be applied to solving problems in medical diagnostic imaging, resource exploration, electronics, and aircraft safety. In the course of the search, the NASA MOP will collect a uniquely detailed and complete set of astronomical data. A significant spin-off from the NASA SETI Project will be in education. SETI provides a highly stimulating magnet for attracting young people to learn about science and mathematics. The cost for the ten-year life of the Project averages ten million dollars per year - or less than one-tenth of one percent of NASA's budget per year - less than one nickel per American each year. Related EJASA Articles - "Does Extraterrestrial Life Exist?", by Angie Feazel - November 1989 "Suggestions for an Intragalactic Information Exchange System", by Lars W. Holm - November 1989 "Radio Astronomy: A Historical Perspective", by David J. Babulski - February 1990 "Getting Started in Amateur Radio Astronomy", by Jeffrey M. Lichtman - February 1990 "A Comparison of Optical and Radio Astronomy", by David J. Babulski - June 1990 "The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) in the Optical Spectrum, Parts A-E", by Dr. Stuart A. Kingsley - January 1992 "History of the Ohio SETI Program", by Robert S. Dixon - June 1992 WINTER STAR PARTY 1992 REPORT by Eric Greene The annual Winter Star Party was held again at Camp Wesumkee Girl Scouts Camp on Summerland Key, fifty-three kilometers (thirty-three miles) north of Key West, Florida. I am certain that longer Party reports will follow this one. I hope some of the other travelers will take the time to type up their impressions for both the ASA BBS and Journals. Society attendance at this year's Winter Star Party was great, with sixteen members and spouses at the event. These members included Don Barry, Nils Turner, Bill Bagnuolo, Richard Jakiel, Harry Taylor, Harry Gelblat, Becky Long, Jim Brant, Eric Greene, Jeff Elledge, Alan Peel and his family, David Sanders and his wife, and Jim Rouse and his wife. We were the largest out-of-state contingent attending. I hope even more Society members will come for next year's event! This year's WSP extended over a full five-day period. The gates opened on Tuesday, January 28, 1992, at nine in the morning and finally closed after Sun "rise" on Sunday, February 2. The extra couple of days were very welcome, since they allowed those arriving early a less hurried feeling normal with last year's shorter event. It *is* a long drive down to the Florida Keys - about 1,264 kilometers (790 miles) from my home in Lilburn, Georgia - and it is tough to arrive on a Thursday or Friday and have to leave again on Sunday. Once again, Harry Gelblat and I made the drive down together in the venerable old 1977 Dodge van, fondly referred to as Fang. Becky Long decided, in the interest of comfort, I am sure, to ride down with another vehicle and missed out on all our fun. We pulled out of Harry's driveway Monday evening at 19:40, and, after a relatively uneventful drive, arrived at Summerland Key about 10:30 Tuesday morning. Travel was a bit slow due to the rain which accompanied us for most of the drive, but we were heartened by the sights of the planet Venus and the waning Moon peeking through the clouds as we passed Miami at dawn. The camping at this year's party was a bit more cramped than last year because of the insistence on people not to set up tents and vehicles on the southern (ocean) side of the campground road. The only parking/camping allowed on that side was in the shade of the mangrove thickets to prevent vehicles/tents from blocking the southern view for those parking on the northern side of the road. This worked out pretty well, except for the fact that several hundred vehicles, tents, and campers were packed into a fairly small area. Most people seem to like setting up telescopes near their vehicle, and most of the telescopes were also sited on the northern side of the campground. Having experienced last year's event, we had some idea of the layout of the campground and pulled Fang into a spot close to both the showers and the vendors' selling areas. Not having to hike ninety meters (one hundred yards) to the men's facilities is a nice touch, especially late at night! This year's weather was magnificent - at least during the day. In fact, the twenty-seven-plus degrees Celsius (eighty-plus degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures were a bit warm for most of us. We spent hours underneath a tarp strung out from the side of Fang. Tuesday night was partly cloudy and most people took advantage of this fact to catch up on sleep lost during the long drive. Wednesday and Thursday nights were both clear and steady - the prime observing nights of the event. Both Friday and Saturday nights were great disappointments since both days were crystal clear, but clouds moved in immediately after the Sun had "set". Observing was possible between the bands of clouds and most people made the most of the situation. We were catching a bit of a northeaster that had covered most of Florida to the north with clouds and rain. One hundred-sixty kilometers (One hundred miles) north of us the cloud cover was complete, so the situation could have been much worse. Temperatures during the day on Saturday were dropping and that evening was downright chilly. Not as bad as last year, but still not quite as comfortable as on previous nights. Since Harry Gelblat and I had both made the rounds of the deep southern sky objects last year, we were not pressed to hunt them down this year, making observing a bit more casual. I spent hours wandering through the Fornax galaxy cluster and positively identified fifteen of its members. I also "gunned down" several faint galaxies in Canis Major as well as seeing my first globular cluster in another galaxy, NGC 1049 in the Fornax dwarf galaxy. Of course we all spent long periods at the eyepiece when Eta Carina and Omega Centauri popped above the horizon. Omega is fantastic from 24.5 degrees north latitude, appearing as strands of pearls strung across the whole field of view! The incredible steady air in the Keys allowed using 500x on the planet Jupiter with my Celestron 8 and David Sanders took his 37.5-centimeter (fifteen-inch) Tectron to 750x with great results on the Jovian world. A friend from last year, Steve Biondo of Harbor Beach, Michigan, was notching 0.5 arc second doubles and elongated a 0.3 arc second pair with his fifteen-centimeter (six-inch) Quantum Maksutov! Such atmospheric stability is hard to believe from sea level, but it is the rule rather than the exception in the Keys. Sunday morning brought an early wake up and final packing of our camping and telescope gear. Harry and I had packed as much as possible on Saturday evening to allow a quick getaway on Sunday. With everything stowed, we pulled out of the campsite at 08:00 exactly and headed into Marathon for a bite of breakfast. An uneventful drive back to Atlanta put us in Harry's driveway at 21:15. When you are taking Fang on long drives, uneventful trips are something to be celebrated! Our final impressions? It was a *great* time! Speaking to others, we learned that camping in the Florida Keys can run thirty-five to forty dollars each night for setting up a tent in commercial campgrounds. Getting a five-dollar per night rate at the WSP allows for what must be the cheapest winter Florida Key vacation possible. By splitting gasoline costs and careful menu planning before leaving, Harry and I both spent about two hundred dollars for the whole event from the time we left until our return. Fang gets around nineteen to twenty-two kilometers (twelve to fourteen miles) per gallon of gasoline, depending upon how heavy a foot is on the accelerator: Our gas cost was about 160 dollars. Most of the rest of the money was spent on T-shirts, caps, astronomical odds and ends, miscellaneous supplies in town like ice and other perishables, and eating while on the road. My big purchases were some copies of the OBSERVER GUIDE magazines (about fifteen issues) and a pair of 20x80 Unitron binoculars. Harry bought a few issues of the same magazine as well as several motors for a drive he has planned and a new diagonal mirror (a new telescope, Harry?). Do *not* count on finding cheap eyepieces at the various vendor sales tables; there is no such thing as Star Party Special pricing! You are better off just ordering from an inexpensive mail order place since the prices are almost identical. Offerings at the swap table can be either very good or very bad, depending on whether they have what you are looking for or not. The point is that this is not a good place to make planned equipment purchases, though an occasional bargain can be found. We both found this year's event to be much better than last year because we knew what to expect. Some of the hassles from last year were not a problem because we had already dealt with and knew how to work around them. I expect the same situation is true no matter what sort of big event you are attending, but it made this year's experience much more pleasant. As mentioned earlier, the additional two days made the Star Party a much more relaxed event. The longer time span also gives better odds of clear weather for at least a couple of nights. It also allows people to get one good night's rest after the long drive without feeling valuable observing time is being lost. Are we going to try it again next year? Well, let us just say Harry and I have already started on a list of things to bring that we forgot this year! The Winter Star Party is a first-class observing event in a tropical paradise. It is well planned, well run, and well attended. The WSP should not be missed if at all possible. For those working people among us, one week's vacation spent attending this event is a week well spent. It provides an ideal location from which to center a whole Florida Key vacation with access to Key West, Marathon, Islamorada, and other prime Key locations. Great dining, some of the world's finest fishing and diving, and just general relaxing under palm trees are all easily available from the WSP site. However, they did sell out early this year and have instituted an early pre-registration for attendees at this year's event. If you plan on attending next year, send in your registration early! Editor's Note: Refer to Eric Greene's article "Winter Star Party 1991: One Traveler's Tale" in the February, 1992 issue of the EJASA for his impressions on that Star Party. About the Author - Eric Greene, ASA Observing Coordinator, is an active and avid amateur with a talent for astronomical education and an interest in presenting astronomy comprehensively to all levels of interest in the field. Eric is the recipient of the ASA's 1990 Meritorious Service Award for his work as the Society's observing coordinator and for founding and maintaining the ASA electronic bulletin board service (BBS). Eric is the author of the following EJASA articles: "The Cosmic Distance Scale" - April 1990 "Aperture Arrogance" - March 1991 "In Search of the Horsehead Nebula" - April 1991 "Winter Star Party 1991: One Traveler's Tale" - February 1992 THE ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF THE ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE ATLANTIC July 1992 - Vol. 3, No. 12 Copyright (c) 1992 - ASA ------------------------------ Date: 16 Jul 92 09:35:10 GMT From: Mike Zeiner Subject: Help in astro-physics needed! Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space Hello! My brother is an (already finished) physic-student and, as he is having his final exams in about a fortnight, he want's to clear some problems he is not able to solve by himself without external help. In the moment he is preparing himself in astro-physics and in this case especially in the life-cycle of stars. While reading about the above theme he found some remarks about a "local thermic balance" "lokales thermisches Gleichgewicht" in German (I translated it word by word) which is explained nowhere in his books. The only information he found was, that it's not quility in the corona of stars. Could anybody help please? Any suggestions, names of books, ideas, etc. are welcome. As I'm not subscribed to the newsgroups this messages is posted to answer via e-mail please! Thanks in advance (Think I have to apologise for my english -- Sorry!!!) /\__ /\__ /\__ /\__ /\__ /\__\__\__ \__ \__\__ \__ \__ \__ \__ \__ / \__ \__ \__ \__ \__\__ \__\__ \__ / \__ \__ \__ \__ \__ / \__ \__ \__ \__ \__ \__\__\__ / / / / / / / -- -----------------------------------------| Mike Zeiner | | E-mail: mike@datmuc.dat.de | DAT Informationssysteme GmbH | | Phone: +49 - (0)89 67901-119 | Gustav-Heinemann-Ring 212 | -----------------------------------------| D-8000 Muenchen 83 | ------------------------------ Date: 16 Jul 92 13:44:26 GMT From: George William Herbert Subject: Mars Direct: Any Independent Evaluation? Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1992Jul15.103430.21273@techbook.com> szabo@techbook.com (Nick Szabo) writes: >[random chaos deleted in interests of sci.* status 8-) ] >When _you_ read the paper, you will find that Ares indeed depends on the >Shuttle infrastructure, and they do indeed propose an artificial-gravity >habitat (without provding a design). Yes and yes (and no, sort of). I've seen the habitat/crew module design somewhere. It does exist at moderate levels (I could work out the concept to further than Zubrin did in what I saw, but it seemed viable as far as it went). The module gets its artificial gravity by staying tethered to its upper stage (expended for TMI) and spinning with it as the counterweight. It seemed pretty straightforward to me, though I'll readily agree it's a concept in need of a flight test before committing to it. -george william herbert gwh@soda.berkeley.edu gwh@lurnix.com gwh@uchu.isu92.ac.jp until 28 aug ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1992 12:56:08 GMT From: "Allen W. Sherzer" Subject: Space Transportation Infrastructure Costs (Was Re: Interstates) Newsgroups: sci.space In article <14JUL199218084223@judy.uh.edu> seds%cspar.dnet@Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov writes: >instead of fighting about manned vs unmanned we could jointly promote the >development of a transportation infrastructure that will greatly lower >the cost of manned space for their purposes and unmanned space for ever grander >tours of ever farther places. I make a suggestion that those on here with >expertise begin to post your ideas for lowering transportation costs. Instead of more talk, let's *DO* something. A big push will be needed to keep the SSRT program alive. It is a moderately risky program but offers the best chance yet to make significant reductions in launch costs. Let's quit talking and do something. Allen -- +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Allen W. Sherzer | "If they can put a man on the Moon, why can't they | | aws@iti.org | put a man on the Moon? | +----------------------281 DAYS TO FIRST FLIGHT OF DCX----------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: 16 Jul 1992 13:39:27 GMT From: George William Herbert Subject: Space Transportation Infrastructure Costs (Was Re: Interstates) Newsgroups: sci.space In article henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes: >[...] >I think the demand is going to have to come from the manned programs. >Most of the unmanned people are very thoroughly locked into the mindset >of never depending on new technology if they can avoid it. (As witness >Cassini being shrunk to fit on a Titan IV without the new SRBs... which >have now been successfully tested.) An unmanned program that seriously >proposes things like the MarinerMk2 Neptune/Pluto concept is not going >to bang fists on tables and demand better propulsion technology -- they've >forgotten it's possible. If NASA were willing to look past the Shuttle, it would realize that it could redesign the station in 15klb chunks (ugh), develop the DC SSTO concept, and fly Freedom in it for less than it'll cost to fly it on Shuttle as is. Anyone for shooting the Shuttle program office people in the name of progress? 8-) -george william herbert gwh@soda.berkeley.edu gwh@lurnix.com gwh@uchu.isu92.ac.jp until 28 aug ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1992 19:12:52 GMT From: "Michael K. Heney" Subject: Theoretical problem Newsgroups: sci.space In article willg@cix.compulink.co.uk (William Gallagher) writes: >.. >For some writing I'm doing, I need to know whether it >is possible with current technology to take a manned >craft to anywhere interesting in space within a >maximum outward journey time of two months. > The answer is "YES", if you discount launch from earth, as you specified in your question. Basically, what you'd need to do is assemble a LOT of fuel and engines in orbit, launch from LEO as a multi-stage vehicle, build up an incredible speed, and brake at the destination. It's not PRACTICAL; a ridiculous fraction of your LEO launch mass would be fuel; but with enough fuel (ie, no mass constraints), you could reach Mars, Venus, or Mercury in a matter of weeks. Use a Mir or Spacelab module, hook up HUGE O2 and H2 tanks for air/water/power (plus some solar panels); strap on the boosters, and GO. All well within current technology. Can we actually DO it, by January? No. Not enough boosters in the pipe to lift the mass needed to LEO. Not enough money or will to actually go and try it anyway. It would also be risky - you'd lose people during the LEO assembly phase. If you were a bit more specific about what you were really trying to do, someone might be able to give you a more useful answer. The answer "Yes, it's possible" really doesn't say much, unless you're solely concerned with the physics of the problem. Mike Heney | Looking for Senior level technical | Reach for the mheney@access.digex.com | and administrative positions world | Stars!!! Kensington, MD (near DC) | wide. Call me. | ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 15 : Issue 007 ------------------------------