Date: Thu, 15 Oct 92 05:00:01 From: Space Digest maintainer Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V15 #316 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Thu, 15 Oct 92 Volume 15 : Issue 316 Today's Topics: Amber (Was: Re: Population) another sad anniversary Climate Data Shutdown? Clinton and Space Funding Cosmic strings Diesen sphere or Strungen Sphere HRMS/SETI Answers (2 msgs) Landsat pictures? Mariner Mark II vs smaller missions Math progs with arbitrary precicion, for UNIX... overpopulation PLANETLIKE OBJECT SPOTTED BEYOND PLUTO Seeking Correlation of Solar Activity to S/C Events South africa tests sat Space and Presidential Politics Too thin for light pressure? (was Re: Diesen sphere or Strungen Sphere) (2 msgs) Toutatis impact in 2000 AD? (was Re: Help !) Two-Line Orbital Element Sets, Part 2 UFO EVIDENCE VS. Carl Sagan (2 msgs) Welcome to the Space Digest!! Please send your messages to "space@isu.isunet.edu", and (un)subscription requests of the form "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: 1 Oct 92 11:35:46 GMT From: Ron Baalke Subject: Amber (Was: Re: Population) Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.geo.geology In article <9210010007.AA08683@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov>, roberts@CMR.NCSL.NIST.GOV (John Roberts) writes... >-From: sysmgr@king.eng.umd.edu (Doug Mohney) >-I suppose we should next try to restore the dinosaurs to the prominance they >-had a couple million years ago? > >That's a *little* beyond our current capability. I believe the current >(and recent) record for DNA extraction is ~25 million years, for a termite >trapped in amber. Reconstructing the entire genetic code from DNA fragments >and using that code to produce a living organism are additional challenges. > >I'd like to see the restoration of the wooly mammoth. With frozen tissue >available, there's a pretty good chance that they could be cloned. The basic premise of the book "Jurassic Park" is that dinosaurs were brought out of extinction by extracting their DNA from mosquitos preserved in amber which had the dinosaur's blood still in them. Real interesting book, and I believe it is being made into a movie. The termite that the DNA was extracted from was Dominican amber, which is dated to be in the Oligocene period. So, this makes the insect to be 25 to 36 million years old. If they can extract DNA from Dominican amber, they'll be able to extract it from even older amber. There are other critters that have been trapped in amber besides insects that potentially can have their DNA extracted. For example, I have a piece of Dominican amber with a lizard tail in it, and an African amber (20 million years old) with about 15 strands of hair of an unidentified mammal. Complete frogs have also been found in amber. While I would very much like to keep this discussion going, I don't think it is appropriate for sci.space, and I have temporarily cross posted this article to sci.geo.geology. ___ _____ ___ /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov | | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab | ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |__ M/S 525-3684 Telos | Quiet people aren't the /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | only ones who don't say |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ | much. ------------------------------ Date: 1 Oct 92 02:19:15 GMT From: Scott Fisher Subject: another sad anniversary Newsgroups: sci.space baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke) writes: >May 15, 1993 may mark another sad anniversary. That's when Magellan is >scheduled to be turned off. It will be the first time that NASA has turned >off a functioning spacecraft. NASA has recently communicated to JPL that >this will still happen. The reason is similiar, to save money. How do you save money by turning off a spacecraft or an instrument on the moon, is someone charging for the bandwith they take up in the electromagnetic spectrum? :-) I can understand that there may nolonger be funding to operate the craft/instruments but who cares if it is sending back a stream of data that nobody is listening to? Why not get some amatures/groups around the world to take on the projects? Regards Scott. _______________________________________________________________________________ Scott Fisher [scott@psy.uwa.oz.au] PH: Aus [61] Perth (09) Local (380 3272). _--_|\ N Department of Psychology / \ W + E University of Western Australia. Perth --> *_.--._/ S Nedlands, 6009. PERTH, W.A. v Joy is a Jaguar XJ-6 with a flat battery, a blown oil seal and an unsympathetic wife, 9km outside of a small remote town, 3:15am on a cold wet winters morning. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 13 Oct 92 19:15 PDT From: Energy and Climate Information Exch Subject: Climate Data Shutdown? Newsgroups: sci.space For those of you who do not follow issues regarding global climate change there has been a major uproar on net lists devoted to these topics due to reports that NASA plans to shut down some or all orbiting instrument platforms which gather climate data. I am writing an article on this issue for publication and would appreciate pointers to any official or unoffical sources of information on the exact nature of the proposed shutdown and, more importantly, what it would mean for climate scientists. * ------------------------------------------------------------- * Dan Yurman | Internet: ecixdy@igc.apc.org * Climate Digest Editor | Bitnet: ecixdy%igc.org@stanford * Econet Energy & Climate | MCI Mail: 364-1277 * Information Exchange | Map: 43N28 112W02 -7 GMT * ------------------------------------------------------------- * Pony Express >>> PO Box 1569, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403 USA ------------------------------ Date: 1 Oct 92 03:30:31 GMT From: Jeff Privette Subject: Clinton and Space Funding Newsgroups: talk.politics.space,sci.space In article <1992Sep30.055424.12501@ke4zv.uucp>, gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman) writes: |> vacuum. The Democrat Congress dominates where, when, and how much is |> spent on various programs. They have a 50 year track record of ignoring |> Presidential budgets and doing as they please. Then vote out your Congress members. Don't use your fear of Congress to justify keeping fresh ideas and leadership out of the White House. Bush is perpetuating this "fear" vote and you seem to have bitten. (check your history by the way. In many of the last 12 years Congress has spent *less* than the President proposed in his budget.) A Democrat in the White |> House has a slightly better chance of getting some of his programs |> enacted, but only at the cost of rubber stamping a lot of other programs |> demanded by Congress. Only slightly better than Bush's chance? You are deceiving yourself (or listening to campaign pitches too much). Even Reagan was more successful with Congress, but that is because he *worked* with Congress to pass his agenda. Most conservative writers that I've read readily admit disappointment in Bush's neglect of pressuring/working/leading/bargaining with Congress to pursue his agenda. No wonder Congress views Bush as weak and goes on as it wishes. As the leading moderate voice in the Democratic Party for the last 10 years, Clinton can expect more success I believe at leading Congress and even enjoy some support from moderate conservatives. Wouldn't that be a nice change: seeing the cogs of government begin turning again (you will pay their salaries whether this happens or not...). In the last 4 years, we have only seen the Federal government get mired down and basically not work for anybody, anywhere (except, arguably, for the richest 1%). That is the biggest tragedy of all. |> Many of the leading economists say that the US would already be well |> into recovery if it weren't for the massive tax hike that Congress |> wrangled out of Bush. Yea, right. ...and an across the board 1% tax reduction will also solve our problems. The problems facing the US are much more complex than that, and such gimmicks -- used by both candidates -- will do nothing. What we need are fresh, comprehensive plans to deal with such things as welfare reform, health care, etc. Clinton has an established record of experimenting with new approaches to such problems. Not all have worked; many have. While trying these pilot programs in Arkansas, he has balanced the budget 12 straight years. Change can happen in a fiscally responsible manner, but you have to be willing to trust that change can happen for the good and not vote on fear. If you simply lack any such trust, then you should move. How much bigger will |> the deficit be in four years? You seem to forget it was Reagan who tripled the national debt, not Carter or even Bush. In this decade of fiscal concern -- heightened by the S&L debacle and the House Bank scandel that spurred a postwar record of incumbant primary losses -- Clinton can kiss '96 goodbye and the Democrats can kiss the next 20 years goodbye if he presides over foolish spending. But this is a party working to redefine itself from the Kennedy style of liberalism and certainly it is led by a more moderate voice (witness, for instance, Clinton's lukewarm reception of the labor union endorsement or his support of capital punishment or his desire for welfare reform). Your arguments against Kennedy, Johnson and Carter are understandable yet show your ignorance of Clinton's idealogy and record. International affairs is the major province |> of the President, and there Bush's record is much better. Sure it is. And Carter had much more international experience than Reagan did in '80. But that did not preclude Reagan from international leadership. Do you |> believe Clinton can do better than an experienced leader like Bush |> with his military and spook experience? I'm not sure what you mean by "spook experience." If you are referring to Clinton's opposition to the Vietnam War, I must say I think the bigger coward was Quayle who *supported* the War but wouldn't subject himself to it. As unethical at it may seem, history shows the US government subjectively preferred sending high school dropouts and minorities to the war before Rhodes Scholars. That is simply the bare truth of the matter. As for future leadership, every President surrounds himself with knowledgeable professionals (incl. the Joint Chiefs of Staff) to help insure military decisions are well thought out. Obviously, armed service experience does not ensure intelligent leadership, and certainly the lack of service does not preclude it. Did Margaret Thatcher serve in the Royal Armed Forces? Was she an international leader? Obviously. Your argument here is weak. For fun, you should read the current issue of Newsweek where Schwartzkopf (sp?). Basically says that the Persian Gulf war would have been easier if Bush had just handed over the task to the professional servicemen (and women) and then stayed out of it. Perhaps a little knowledge is the more dangerous thing! :) -Jeff ------------------------------ Date: 14 Oct 92 14:52:20 GMT From: Richard Ottolini Subject: Cosmic strings Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1992Oct13.210959.25929@mcs.drexel.edu> jsmith@mcs.drexel.edu (Justin Smith) writes: > >Are any cosmic strings known (or believed) to exist? NOW I know where those little strings come from in my dryer after washing clothes. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 15:20:17 GMT From: Greg Hennessy Subject: Diesen sphere or Strungen Sphere Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space In article henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes: #You're not going to get #any useful amount of gravity out of any practical thickness. You're not going to get *ANY* gravity out of it, NO MATTER how thick you make it. The gravitational force on the inside of a sphere is zero. Gauss's law as applied to gravity. -- -Greg Hennessy, University of Virginia USPS Mail: Astronomy Department, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475 USA Internet: gsh7w@virginia.edu UUCP: ...!uunet!virginia!gsh7w ------------------------------ Date: 12 Oct 92 16:41:15 GMT From: David Harwood Subject: HRMS/SETI Answers Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro In article <1992Oct9.145536.19786@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov> eto@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov (Edward T. Olsen) writes: [...] > > >YES or NO, depending upon which mode of NASA HRMS you are considering, >and more importantly, what terrestrial signals you choose to include >in your list of broadcast signals. > >Neither component is capable of detecting the leakage of our >commercial broadcasts at interstellar distances. However, there have >been highly beamed, strong signals emitted from the Earth which both >components are capable of detecting. The strongest signal emitted from >the Earth is the Arecibo planetary radar, EIRP = 10**13 W. The strongest >commercial broadcasts eminate from UHF television stations, and have >EIRP = 10**6 W to 10**7 W. The sky survey could detect Arecibo at >approximately 50 ly, and the targeted search could do so at >approximately 1000 ly. > >The strong military radars which have been used over the last decades >to detect possible bomber attacks and ICBM attacks are another source >of signals which HRMS could detect from nearby stars. Woody Sullivan >published an interesting article some time back in Science which >discussed this (Science, 199, pp377-388, 27 Jan 1978). Tarter and >Billingham also gave a paper at the 40th congress if the International >Astronautical Federation in 1989, whose publication reference escapes >me at this moment. These radars have EIRP levels of approximately >10**11 W. There is a torus around the north pole which has been >illuminated thusly for a few decades. Any advanced civilization within >20 ly within that torus would have been able to determine not only >that our solar system is inhabited by intelligences using the >electromagnetic spectrum, but would also have been able to determine >the parameters of our planetary orbit and rotation, our sun's mass >and infer the temperature of the earth. > \\\\\\\\\\\ Thanks for your reply. I hope NASA will keep the international community of scientists and engineers, many of whom read Usenet, informed of technical developments and findings. For example, as a specialist in computer pattern recognition (image analysis) I'd be interested to hear about algorithms which discriminate signals. Considering your examples, as well probable compression and EC encoding of communications (images, linguistic data), is HRMS restricted to detecting deep-space ranging signals, or perhaps synchronization signals? [I suppose that inhabited planets would track all natural and artificial objects of their solar systems, for which they might employ advanced deep-space radar. For example, we will want to avoid being hit by large meteors or asteriods here or elsewhere.] D.H. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 16:14:18 GMT From: Ian Taylor Subject: HRMS/SETI Answers Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro In article <1992Oct9.145536.19786@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov> eto@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov (Edward T. Olsen) writes: > >Neither component is capable of detecting the leakage of our >commercial broadcasts at interstellar distances. However, there have >been highly beamed, strong signals emitted from the Earth which both >components are capable of detecting. The strongest signal emitted from >the Earth is the Arecibo planetary radar, EIRP = 10**13 W. The strongest >commercial broadcasts eminate from UHF television stations, and have >EIRP = 10**6 W to 10**7 W. The sky survey could detect Arecibo at >approximately 50 ly, and the targeted search could do so at >approximately 1000 ly. > Why can't HRMS detect a current earth-like technology leakage at interstellar distances? Isn't this the most likely case? So is HRMS designed only to detect narrow beams directed our way? +-- I -------- fax +43 1 391452 --------------------- voice +43 1 391621 169 --+ | T a y l o r Alcatel-ELIN Research, 1-7 Ruthnergasse, Vienna A-1210 Austria | +-- n ---- ian@rcvie.co.at --- PSI%023226191002::SE_TAYLOR --- 20731::ian -----+ TBD ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 23:02:04 -0500 From: Keith Stein Subject: Landsat pictures? Newsgroups: sci.space John I work at NASA Headquarters and just the other day was talking with a guy that knows all about getting thoses LANDSAT pictures. If you leave me your address I can send you some information, or you can call me at NASA (202) 358-0164, hope this helps. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 01:21:35 GMT From: Frank Crary Subject: Mariner Mark II vs smaller missions Newsgroups: sci.space In article mikew@kpc.com writes: >To be fair it should be noted that the failure of Galileo's antenna only >jeopardizes part of the mission (the imaging which requires high bandwidth). There are quite a few people here at CU Boulder involved in non-imaging science on Galileo who would disagree. If NASA gave up on imaging entirely, the rest of the mission could get by without problems. However, they are going to record and slowly broadcast back as many images as possible. This will have a substantial impact on non-imaging science. (I'm saying this based on my interpertation of what others have said: I haven't heard any official or public complaints about the lower data rates available for non-imaging science, nor any suggestions that NASA should dump imaging. Those are my own conclusions...) >Also, if you didn't need a big antenna and a powerful battery on each >sattelite for communications (because of the relay sattelite), you >could conceiably make a sattelite much smallar and cheaper than the ones >they are planning on flying by Pluto. The Pluto mission isn't going to use a big antenna or a powerful transmitter: They are planning on recording the flyby and playing the data back slowly over a low-gain minimum-mass/power antenna. Frank Crary CU Boulder ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 09:28:55 -0500 From: pgf@srl01.cacs.usl.edu (Phil G. Fraering) Subject: Math progs with arbitrary precicion, for UNIX... In article seal@leonardo.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (David Seal) writes: > other mac programs or ways of computing pi? >It's no wonder Mathematica is rapidly emerging as the standard, at >least in academia. Not only was I able to redo all the math I had in >all of high school, college, and grad school in an afternoon (my >favorite command is still InverseLaplaceTransform[expr, s, t]), but >it's also frighteningly easy to use. Pricey, but well worth it, and no, >Steven Wolfram didn't pay me to write this. (Perhaps he should...) I'm not saying it's as good as Mathematica, but a somewhat good PD prog for unix is calc.el, which runs under emacs. There are also several other "real" lisp math packages out there... >E-mail me if you're interested in 10,000 or more places, >fred.ringwald@dartmouth.edu You mean you're not going to gratuitously post them? -- Phil Fraering pgf@srl0x.cacs.usl.edu where the x is a number from 1-5. Phone: 318/365-5418 SnailMail: 2408 Blue Haven Dr., New Iberia, La. 70560 --------------------- Disclaimer: Some reasonably forseeable events may exceed this message's capability to protect from severe injury, death, widespread disaster, astronomically significant volumes of space approaching a state of markedly increaced entropy, or taxes. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Oct 92 14:15:54 GMT From: Joe Wang Subject: overpopulation Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1992Oct7.080014.19723@ke4zv.uucp> gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman) writes: >However, population density is not the source of Turkish poverty. The >perfect counterexamples being Singapore and Hong Kong. Population density is not a source of poverty, but high population growth is a factor in poverty. If you have a place with 3%/year population growth then you need 3%/year economic growth to keep things the way they are. The big problem is that without economic growth, people just keep have the same number of kids and this leads to a nasty cycle in which you have more and more people at the same standard of living. In Turkey's case, maladministration and ethnic tensions are a bigger problem than population growth. ------------------------------ Date: 1 Oct 92 02:40:38 GMT From: Dave Tholen Subject: PLANETLIKE OBJECT SPOTTED BEYOND PLUTO Newsgroups: sci.space In article PHARABOD@FRCPN11.IN2P3.FR writes: > From "New Scientist", 26 September 1992: > ICY OBJECT FOUND ORBITING BEYOND PLUTO > A long search for objects on the outer fringes of the Solar System > has finally yielded results. American astronomers have found an object > about 200 kilometres across beyond the most distant part of Pluto's > orbit. The most distant part of Pluto's orbit is about 49 AU. 1992 QB1's orbit is currently computed to be about 41 AU in radius, with the eccentricity indeterminate at this time. I saw it last night, and it was about 1.2 arcsec northwest of the ephemeris. Not too bad. ------------------------------ Date: 1 Oct 92 06:31:52 GMT From: frisbee Subject: Seeking Correlation of Solar Activity to S/C Events Newsgroups: sci.space To Whom it May Concern, I am trying to correlate certain effects observed on an active spacecraft with possible solar proton emissons. The events occured at UTC 1992/274-02:54:31 and UTC 1992/275-03:33:22. Was there a high degree of solar activity at these times? frisbee@devvax.jpl.nasa.gov ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 23:07:19 -0500 From: Keith Stein Subject: South africa tests sat Newsgroups: sci.space I read a article in the Washington Post a few months back about South Africa starting up there own space program. I wrote to CSIR in South Africa but they didnt release anything but information about their AMSAT satellite project. In the Post article they said their getting this missile technology from Isarel. They hope to start launching their own geostationary satellites in late 94-95 I think it said. Interesting stuff, everyone is getting into space now! ------------------------------ Date: 1 Oct 92 03:48:43 GMT From: Jay Denebeim Subject: Space and Presidential Politics Newsgroups: sci.space In article , amon@elegabalus.cs.qub.ac.uk writes: > I also think Dan Goldin is possibly NASA's last hope. It would be the > act of a low grade moron with the mental cabilities of an amoeba to > replace him. Oh no, isn't it Quayle who's the administration's pro-space person? Does this mean Goldin is out? > Which is why my (absentee) vote is for Marrou/Lord. They'll get my vote too. -- |_o_o|\\ |. o.| || The Jay Denebeim | . | || Software | o | || Distillery | |// Address: UUCP: duke!wolves!deepthot!jay ====== Internet: jay@deepthot.cary.nc.us If the above bounces try: uunet.uu.net!oichq!deepthot!jay BBS:(919)-460-7430 VOICE:(919)-460-6934 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 10:52:30 GMT From: Paul Dietz Subject: Too thin for light pressure? (was Re: Diesen sphere or Strungen Sphere) Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space In article <1992Oct14.013809.1@fnalc.fnal.gov> higgins@fnalc.fnal.gov (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) writes: > I doubt whether 3 microns is enough to be reasonably opaque, let alone > a nearly perfect reflector (which you want when building a solar > sail.) I don't have a handbook handy, but I think you need dozens of > microns of aluminum to make a good reflector. I believe the skin depth of aluminum at optical wavelengths is in the tens of nanometers. You can reduce the mass still further by drilling holes << 1 wavelength in diameter. Paul F. Dietz dietz@cs.rochester.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 21:16:14 GMT From: Nick Haines Subject: Too thin for light pressure? (was Re: Diesen sphere or Strungen Sphere) Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space In article <1992Oct14.013809.1@fnalc.fnal.gov> higgins@fnalc.fnal.gov (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) writes: I doubt whether 3 microns is enough to be reasonably opaque, let alone a nearly perfect reflector (which you want when building a solar sail.) What's the solar wind pressure at 1AU? Are those protons slow enough to be stopped by 3 microns of rock? Nick ------------------------------ Date: 1 Oct 92 02:36:04 GMT From: Dave Tholen Subject: Toutatis impact in 2000 AD? (was Re: Help !) Newsgroups: sci.space Bill Higgins writes: > I am sure that by the time the Decmber 1992 encounter has happened, > the uncertainties in Totatis's future position will shrink > considerably. Then we will know whether we should start panicking or > forget about the whole thing. Why wait? We already know it isn't going to hit in 2000. We do know it will pass 0.011 AU in 2004. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Oct 92 14:42:28 GMT From: Mike McCants Subject: Two-Line Orbital Element Sets, Part 2 Newsgroups: sci.space In article TNEDDERH@ESOC.BITNET writes: >Sorry, but we are in mid of october and the last state of EUVE is >for august 19th. Here are the latest elements: EUVE 1 21987U 92 31 A 92285.81753728 .00005089 00000-0 25123-3 0 785 2 21987 28.4334 202.2838 0010989 126.5670 233.5936 15.15501367 19142 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 16:18:00 GMT From: Rich Krum Subject: UFO EVIDENCE VS. Carl Sagan Newsgroups: sci.space Another Quote from Heinlein: The difference between Scinece and the fuzzy subjects is that science requires reasoning while those other subjects merely require scholarship. --R.A.H. Opinion: McElwaine is, in fact, a scholar. See above definition. It's always fun to see what turns up in this world labeled as "Science". Talk about an "intellectual sandbox" -- someone may be a few grains short of a full load--Hmmm? "I have abandoned my search for reality and am now looking for a good fantasy" -- bumper sticker --rich --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "My opinions are my own, and my employer (Boeing Computer Support Services) denies any responsibility for me, all opinions in general, and anything I may say, do, or be otherwise associated with outside of work for them. -- Use at your own risk, your mileage may vary, no news is good news." E-MAIL REPLY TO: rich@troll1.msfc.nasa.gov PLEASE KEEP IT "G" RATED ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 14 Oct 92 15:08:32 GMT From: Patrick Chester Subject: UFO EVIDENCE VS. Carl Sagan Newsgroups: sci.space You ever get the feeling that this is another joke on the scale of that idiot who did the "F*CK You All" posts a few weeks ago? I've emailed this guy to see if he was joking and he ASSURED me that it was NOT a joke. He even was "KIND" enough to GIVE me a COPY of ANOTHER IMPORTANT ARTICLE(tm):). Still, that could be part of the joke. I hope it all turns out to be a joke we can laugh at because it is scary that someone w/McElwaine's education can seriously promote such idiocy. Still, it's fun to flame his posts anyway. Damn the bandwidth! Plasmas... ON! :) -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patrick Chester |"The earth is too fragile a basket in which to keep wolfone@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu | all your eggs." Robert A. Heinlein Politically Incorrect |"The meek shall inherit the earth. The rest of us Future Lunar Colonist | are going to the stars." Anonymous -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 15 : Issue 316 ------------------------------