Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [1/14]
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This is the March 1998 "SpaceViews" (tm) newsletter, published by the
Boston chapter of the National Space Society.
For a description of related e-mail lists maintained by the Boston NSS, or
to stop receiving this SpaceViews newsletter, see the instructions at the
end of this message.
The next Boston meeting is Thursday, March 5, 1998, 7:30pm
8th floor, 545 Main Street (Tech Square), Cambridge; see "Upcoming Boston
NSS Events"
Speaker: Robert G. Hohlfeld, Boston Univ. and HyperKinetics
"Supersonic Projectiles Producing Thrust by External Combustion:
A Potential System for Low-Cost Access to Space"
Future meetings are on the first Thursdays of each month:
April 5 [Sunday], May 7, June 4
SpaceViews is available on the WWW at http://www.spaceviews.com (NEW!)
and by FTP from ftp.seds.org in directory /pub/info/newsletters/spaceviews
See the very end for information on membership, reprinting, copyright, etc.
Copyright (C) 1997 by Boston Chapter of National Space Society,
a non-profit educational 501(c)3 organization.
All articles in SpaceViews represent the opinions of the authors and do not
necessarily represent the views of the Editor, the National Space Society
(NSS), or the Boston chapter of the NSS.
S P A C E V I E W S
Volume Year 1998, Issue 3
March 1998
http://www.spaceviews.com/1998/03/
*** News ***
Station Module Likely to Be Delayed Again
Japanese Experimental Comsat Fails
Acceleration of Universe Puzzles Astronomers
Glenn Begins Flight Preparations
NASA Cancels Clark Mission
Soyuz Capsule Returns to Earth
Space Junk May Have Hit Minuteman Missile
Launchers Overcome Weather Delays
Millions Witness Solar Eclipse
SpaceViews Event Horizon
Other News
*** Articles ***
Vanguard 1: The Little Satellite That Could
[continued in part 2]
Commercial Space in the 21st Century: Revolutionary or Evolutionary?
*** Book Reviews ***
A New Space Policy Paradigm
Exploring the Ninth Planet
Quick Looks at Three Books
*** NSS News ***
Upcoming Boston NSS Events
Boston NSS February Lecture Summary
Philadelphia Area Space Alliance News
*** Regular Features ***
Jonathan's Space Report No. 350
Space Calendar
Editor's Note: Thanks to everyone who has commented on uor new Web site.
Traditionally each March we send out a reader survey to get feedback from
you about the publication. Because of the work the new site has taken
up, we're planning to send the survey out with the April issue instead.
Thanks!
-- Jeff Foust, Editor
Correction: In the February 15 issue of SpaceViews Update an article
reported that NASA was asking for $750 million in additional funding for
the X-33. This is incorrect: NASA is asking for the funding for additional
RLV research, including possible follow-on vehicles to the X-33, but the
funds are not for the X-33 proper. We regret the error.
*** News ***
Station Module Likely to Be Delayed Again
NASA believes the Russian-built Service Module, a key element of
the International Space Station, will be delayed by several more months,
a top official said at a Congressional hearing February 25.
Joseph Rothenberg, the new associate administrator for space
flight, told members of the House Science Committee's space subcommittee
that schedule delays and a missing payment by the Russian government to
a contractor may delay the launch of the module to March 1999.
Russian Space Agency head Yuri Koptev reportedly gave NASA a
plan that would allow the module to be finished and launched as
scheduled late this year, but Rothenberg said he was skeptical of the
plan. "Even if they [the module contractors] do get the money, we
believe the schedule may slip to February or March," he said.
The module was to be completed and launched early this year,
according to the original schedule, but was pushed back due to delays in
the assembly of the module. That pushed back the launch of the first
station elements, the Russian-built Control Module and a U.S.-built
docking node, from late 1997 to this summer.
Earlier in February NASA Administrator Dan Goldin told Congress
the agency was considering delaying the launches of the first station
elements until this fall to balance the shuttle schedule, caused by a
delay in the launch of the AXAF satellite from August to December. The
docking node would be launched on the shuttle Endeavour while the
Control Module would be carried into orbit atop a Russian Proton rocket.
Rothenberg said the delay would not result in any extra cost to
the program. However, plans to redirect $173 million in the 1998 budget
from science and aeronautics programs to the station, and reports that
the total cost of the station may exceed the original budget by nearly
$4 billion drew fire from some members of Congress.
"I'm leaning toward listening to Rep. Roemer more than I ever
have before," said Rep. Ralph Hall (D-TX), referring to Rep. Tim
Roemer's annual efforts to cut funding for the station. Noting the
total funds redirected to the station from science programs over the
last three years, Hall added, "When $462 million gets transferred out of
science into station, that's a sorry situation."
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Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [2/14]
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Japanese Experimental Comsat Fails
The launch of Japanese rocket early Saturday carrying an
experimental communications satellite designed to test technologies for
use in a new generation of comsats failed when an upper stage failed to
fire as planned.
An H-II rocket launched the Communications and Broadcasting Test
Satellite (COMETS) satellite at 2:55am EST (0755 UT, 1655 JST) from the
Tanegashima launch center on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. The
rocket reached orbit successfully, according to initial Japanese
reports.
However, a second firing of the upper stage of the booster was
much shorter than planned, stranding the satellite in an orbit much
lower than its planned geosynchronous destination. The second stage was
to burn for over three minutes to raise COMETS to its final orbit, but
burned for only 44 seconds.
Officials with the Japanese space agency NASDA said they will
try to raise the orbit of COMETS with the satellite's own thrusters, but
it was unclear into what orbit those thrusters could put the satellite.
An investigation into the cause of the booster failure is underway.
The spacecraft was to enter geostationary orbit over Japan for a
three-year mission to test new technologies. Included in those tests is
the use of Ka-band frequencies to transmit high-bandwidth data, such as
HDTV signals; inter-satellite communications; and advanced mobile
satellite communications.
The launch of COMETS was originally scheduled for August of last
year but was delayed when a similar Japanese satellite, the Advanced
Earth Orbiting Satellite (ADEOS), failed. That failure was traced to
problems with the satellite's solar panels.
Acceleration of Universe Puzzles Astronomers
Astronomers have discovered, to their great surprise, that the
expansion of the universe is speeding up, and now slowing down as once
thought, implying the possible existence of a fifth "antigravity" force.
In a paper published in the February 27 issue of the journal
Science, the High-Redshift Supernova Search Team, an international team
of 15 astronomers, reported on measurements of distant supernovae,
observed with the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observatories.
The redshift caused by the supernovae's motion away from the Earth was
measured and compared to nearby supernovae.
The astronomers expected to find that the rate of expansion of
the universe, provided by the redshift measurements, would slow down as
the universe aged. Instead, the team found that the universe was
expanding faster now than it was 5-7 billion years ago.
"People thought... the universe was just coasting," Robert
Kirshner of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics told CNN.
"Instead, we found it is actually speeding up."
Astronomers had believed the universe would slow down as its
collective gravity pulled against the explosive force of the Big Bang,
estimated to take place 10-15 billion years ago. The fact that the
universe appears to be speeding up implies that a new, unknown force is
it work.
"We are scratching our heads to think if there could be an
alternative explanation for it -- something more mundane than a
repulsive force," said Adam Reiss of the University of California at
Berkeley.
A fifth force that works against gravity could be related to the
cosmological constant, a factor in relativity equations added by
Einstein when he realized, to his horror, that general relativity
allowed the universe to expand. He later retracted the constant,
calling it his "greatest blunder." Reiss said the constant "is the only
explanation we have" for the acceleration.
The news comes just a few months after the same team found that
the mass of the universe was far too small to bring its expansion to a
halt. Both findings could have serious implications for cosmology,
which has wrestled with issues such as the mass and age of the universe
for decades.
Team leader Brian Schmidt of Australia's Mount Stromlo and
Siding Spring Observatories described his reaction to the findings as
"somewhere between amazement and horror," he told the Washington Post.
"Amazement, because I just did not expect this result," he said, "and
horror in knowing that [it] will likely be disbelieved by a majority of
astronomers who, like myself, are extremely skeptical of the
unexpected."
Glenn Begins Flight Preparations
U.S. Senator John Glenn completed his first week of flight
training earlier this month in preparation for his space shuttle flight
this October, defending his role in the mission as a test subject for
geriatrics research.
"The basic purpose of why I'm going is not just to go
sight-seeing," Glenn said at a February 20 press conference, 36 years to
the day after his Mercury flight. "It's to do basic research, and I'm
going to do the very best job I can do because I think it's important
for millions of people into the future."
Glenn spent the week ending February 20 in Houston, beginning
training for the STS-95 mission scheduled for launch October 29. Glenn
took advantage of a one-week recess in Congress to train.
Glenn's training included a spin in a centrifuge at Brooks Air
Force Base in San Antonio. With doctors watching and an ambulance
standing by, Glenn completed an 18-minute test in the centrifuge,
handling accelerations up to three G's without any complaint.
Glenn dismissed reports that two astronauts on the mission who
are doctors, Scott Parazynski and Chiaki Mukai, were assigned to monitor
Glenn. "There were no doctors assigned to this just because I was on
the flight," he said. "You don't need two doctors just for me, that's
for sure!"
Those comments were echoed by Air Force Col. John Marshall, a
doctor who monitored Glenn's centrifuge test. "He's had a complete
cardiopulmonary work-up," Marshall said. "He's in excellent physical
condition."
Glenn expressed the hope the research related to his flight
would be followed up in the future. "You have to start somewhere," he
said. "I think this is a starting point, and I look forward to it
expanding from here on. I don't look at this as a one-shot deal."
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Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [3/14]
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NASA Cancels Clark Mission
A NASA mission intended to take high-resolution images of the
Earth was canceled by the space agency Wednesday, February 25, citing
delays and cost overruns.
The Clark spacecraft, named after famous explorer William Clark,
was "partially terminated" by NASA, which cited schedule delays, cost
overruns, and concerns about the spacecraft to meet the goals of the
mission. Clark, intended to be an early example of NASA's "faster better
cheaper" philosophy, was at least 15 percent over its budget and two
years behind schedule.
NASA awarded the $55 million Clark contract to CTA, a small
Maryland satellite company which since has been purchased by Orbital
Sciences Corporation, in June of 1994. Martin Marietta (now part of
Lockheed Martin) was to provide the launch vehicle. The mission was to
be launched in mid-1996.
NASA said it expects to recover some of the money spent on the
mission through the acquisition of some spacecraft components and
payloads, and will retain its launch contract with Lockheed Martin.
The Clark spacecraft was to provide high resolution stereo
images of the Earth with a resolution of as high as 3 meters (10 feet).
The data would have been used by NASA for earth sciences studies and
also made available commercially.
Clark was one of two spacecraft in NASA's Small Spacecraft
Technology Initiative. The other, Lewis, was launched in August but
failed shortly after entering orbit when the spacecraft apparently went
into an uncontrolled spin.
Soyuz Capsule Returns to Earth
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russian and one French
cosmonaut safely landed early Thursday, February 19 in Kazakhstan
despite a blizzard at the landing site.
The Soyuz TM-26 spacecraft landed at 4:10am EST (0910 UT) near
the city of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan. Heavy snow and winds were reported
at the landing site, delaying efforts to retrieve the crew.
The Soyuz carried Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyov and Pavel
Vinogradov, who spent over six months on Mir, and French guest cosmonaut
Leopold Eyharts, who spent three weeks on Mir performing European
experiments.
Solovyov and Vinogradov spent much of their time on Mir
repairing the station, which suffered from a number of problems, from
faulty computer and life support systems to reduced power and a
depressurized Spektr module. By the end of their stay most station
systems were back to normal, although the Spektr module remained
depressurized.
Remaining on Mir is the new crew of Talgat Musabayev, the
station commander; flight engineer Nikolai Budarin; and NASA astronaut
Andy Thomas. Musabayev and Budarin are expected to stay on Mir for six
months, while Thomas will remain on Mir until the final Mir-shuttle
docking mission at the end of May.
The station is in good health, with the exception of an
overheated valve in an air purification system which created a small
amount of smoke and carbon monoxide on the station February 26. The
problem was quickly corrected, NASA officials said.
Space Junk May Have Hit Minuteman Missile
A piece of orbital debris may have collided with and destroyed
the upper stage of a Minuteman missile during a test flight in January,
the Boston Globe reported Thursday, February 19.
In an article in the February 19 issue, the Globe cited
unofficial reports that the third stage of a Minuteman ICBM was
destroyed in a collision with an unidentified piece of space debris
during a January 15 flight.
The third stage was on a ballistic trajectory about 385 km (240
mi.) above the Pacific when it disappeared on the radar screens of
ground controllers. A small, unidentified object was reportedly spotted
on radar and in tracking telescopes moving on a trajectory that would
have collided with the stage.
Space News reported that the radar track of the unidentified
object then disappeared, while the radar profile of the third stage
changed from that of a single large object into a "cloud of targets".
Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Rick Lehner told the Globe that
while there was no proof a piece of space junk destroyed the stage, "the
consensus is that it looks like it may have been struck by some space
debris."
Analysts believe that if debris destroyed the stage, it probably
came from a Pegasus rocket that exploded after launch in June of 1996.
The debris would have been about 12 to 15 cm (5 to 6 in.) in diameter,
too small to be tracked by ground radars that keep track of larger
pieces of debris.
The Minuteman was launched on January 15 as part of a flight to
test ballistic missile tracking systems and was targeted for Kwajalein
in the Marshall Islands. The collision took place about 30 minutes after
launch, after the rocket had deployed its payload.
If confirmed, the January collision would mark the first time
that a rocket was disabled by a collision with orbital debris.
Spacecraft in orbit have been damaged by collisions in the past, such as
the French-built Cerise satellite, which collided with a piece of an
Ariane rocket in 1996. The shuttle has been dinged a number of times by
tiny pieces of debris, requiring the replacement of cockpit windows on
several occasions.
A recent study by the National Research Council reported that up
to 95 percent of the debris capable of seriously damaging the shuttle
cannot be tracked by ground based systems.
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Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [4/14]
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Launchers Overcome Weather Delays
Weather conditions improved enough in late February to launch
long-delayed Delta and Pegasus boosters and permit the on-time launch of
an Ariane and an Atlas on the same day.
A Delta booster lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
California, February 18 at 8:58am EST (1358 UT), after six previous
launch attempts dating back to January 31 were scrubbed by weather. The
booster successfully placed five Iridium satellites into orbit.
A Pegasus XL rocket launched two small satellites into orbit off
the coast from Vandenberg February 26 at 2:07am EST (0707 UT) after
being delayed for three weeks by weather. The rocket carried the
Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE), a student-built satellite from the
University of Colorado designed to measure nitric oxide levels in the
Earth's atmosphere.
The Pegasus also carried Teledesic T1, the first satellite to be
launched by the communications firm. The experimental satellite, known
as the Broadband Advanced Technology Satellite (BATSAT) before launch,
was built by Boeing and Orbital Sciences for Teledesic. Teledesic plans
to use the satellite to test on-orbit operations before launching its
nearly 300-satellite constellation in 2001.
An Ariane 4 booster successfully launched on its first try
February 27 at 5:38pm EST (2238 UT) from Kourou, French Guiana. The
rocket carried Hot Bird 4, a communications satellite for Eutelsat, the
European Telecommunications Satellite Organization. The satellite has a
special computer processor named Skyplex designed to better handle
multimedia communications.
Less than two hours later, an Atlas IIAS rocket lifted off from
Cape Canaveral, Florida at 7:21pm EST (0021 UT Feb. 28). The Atlas
carried the Intelsat 806 communications satellite into orbit. The
satellite will provide direct broadcast television services for the
Americas and Europe.
Millions Witness Solar Eclipse
Millions of people in the Caribbean and northern South America
observed a total solar eclipse February 26, the last visible in the
Western Hemisphere this millennium.
The path of totality of the eclipse, the region where the moon
completely blocks the disk of the Sun, followed a narrow path less than
160 km (100 mi.) wide from the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific, across
portions of extreme southern Panama, extreme northern Colombia and
northwestern Venezuela and into the Caribbean. Caribbean islands in the
path of totality included Aruba, Curacao, Montserrat, Antigua, and
Guadelupe.
Weather, as forecast, was cloud-free for most areas, giving
scientists and the general public a clear view of the event. Many
regions in the path of the eclipse are in their dry seasons, with many
areas sunny up to 80 percent of the time during this season.
The path of totality did not cross any portion of the United
States, but many Americans, particularly in the southern and eastern
U.S., were still able to see a partial eclipse. Viewers in Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands saw up to 90% of the sun eclipsed.
The eclipse was be the last total solar eclipse visible in the
Western Hemisphere until 2017. That, combined with the excellent
viewing opportunities in the Caribbean, drew thousands of spectators to
the region. Several cruise companies chartered special eclipse cruises
to help people witness the event.
Scientists also took advantage of the eclipse. One team, led by
Jay Pascacoff of Williams College in Massachusetts, observed the eclipse
from Aruba to look for temperature variations in the solar corona. They
planned to coordinate their observations with the SOHO spacecraft, which
will observe the Sun at the same time.
Another team from Harvard University planned to listen for
signals from the Galileo spacecraft orbiting Jupiter, which is presently
located on the opposite side of the Sun from the Earth. The observers,
based in Guadeloupe, hoped to detect variations in the solar corona as
the radio signals pass through it on their way to Earth.
While many people traveled from around the world to view the
eclipse, many in or near the path of the eclipse feared its effects.
Superstitions in Nicaragua and Venezuela kept pregnant women from
looking at the eclipse, fearing the effects it might have on their
unborn children. Shops closed and children were sent home from school
in at least one Haitian town.
"There's a lot of people who fear this eclipse," said Zaira
Busby, a member of Curacao's Solar Eclipse Committee, told CNN. "But to
me this is great. It's a once in a lifetime experience."
SpaceViews Event Horizon
March 1-7 Spaceweek
March 1-6 ProSpace "March Storm" Congressional lobbying effort,
Washington, DC
March 12 Astrobiology Symposium, George Washington University,
Washington, DC
March 15 Progress M-38 launch, Baikonur, Kazakhstan
March 16 Atlas II launch of Navy UHF satellite, Cape Canaveral, FL
March 18 Long March launch of Iridium satellites, Taiyuan, China
April 17-19 Space Access '98 conference, Scottsdale, AZ
May 21-25 1998 International Space Development Conference,
Milwaukee, WI
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Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [5/14]
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Other News
NASA Departures: A leading NASA administrator and three veteran
astronauts announced their retirements in late February. On February 18
Wes Huntress, NASA's associate administrator for space science,
announced his plans to leave the space agency "in the near future." "I
have served in this position for more than five years now," Huntress, a
planetary scientist at JPL before going to NASA HQ, said, "and it is
simply time to move on." On February 23 astronauts Jerry Linenger, Rhea
Seddon, and Blaine Hammond announced their retirements from the
astronaut corps. Linenger is best known for his four-month stay on Mir
in early 1997, while Seddon, one of NASA's first female astronauts, flew
on three shuttle missions. Hammond, a two-time shuttle pilot, was
retiring to join an unnamed aerospace firm in California.
Solar Orbit Transfer Vehicle: The Air Force has awarded a $48 million
contract to Boeing to develop a vehicle that will use solar power to
transfer satellites from one orbit to another, saving fuel. Solar
energy would be used to heat hydrogen, a process for efficient that
chemical thrusters, allowing the system to send payloads into
geostationary orbit 50 to 100 percent heavier than current satellites.
The same system would also be able to provide electrical power to the
satellite once in its final orbit. Boeing and the Air Force plan to fly
the SOTV for the first time in October 2001.
Mars Surveyor 98 Logo: JPL has selected a logo for its 1998 Mars
missions, the Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander. Designed by
JPL engineer and space artist David Seal, the logo depicts a two-faced
Mars: one half shows how Mars looks today; the other, how it might have
looked in the ancient past, with clouds and water. "This illustrates
the science objectives of the mission, which are to study the history of
Mars' climate and the behavior of related volatiles, such as water vapor
and ground ice," Seal said. The logo also includes the Earth and images
of the two spacecraft. The selection came after the Mars Surveyor 1998
project ran a contest to solicit logo designs.
Alternative Space Computing: A recent Wired News article on the wild
success of 3Com's PalmPilot, a handheld computer, provided another
interesting use for the PalmPilot. "...one PalmPilot user employed a
PalmPilot [terminal] emulator to communicate with the Mars Pathfinder
spacecraft," the article reported. 'He was actually logging into to some
computer at NASA,' said [PalmPilot retailer Kenny] West. 'Whenever he
was updating things he was updating it with his Pilot.'" Meanwhile, a
small group is advocating the adoption of Linux, a freeware version of
Unix, for computers used on the International Space Station. "Reports
indicate that these laptop computers [issued to station crew members]
will have MS Windows95 installed. We see this as a problem," said
Nathan Myers, head of the Linux-Equipped Astronauts Project (LEAP). The
group plans to port required software to Linux to give astronauts the
freedom of choice in computer operating system.
In Brief: As rumors of the discovery of water ice on the Moon by Lunar
Prospector come and go, expect a press conference March 5 that may -- or
may not -- make a definitive announcement on the issue... The February
issue of The Atlantic Monthly featured a detailed article debating
whether or not Pluto was a planet. The article, while going into depth
on both sides of the issue, ignores the fact that most astronomers don't
care, since there's no widely-accepted definition of a "planet"... Be
sure to pick up the March issue of Wired, and check out the letters
section. There are two letters rebutting some of the claims of the
"Lost in Space" article Wired published in its December issue, an
article that had been very critical of any human presence in space. One
of the letters is by Jeff Foust, your fearless SpaceViews editor...
*** Articles ***
Vanguard 1: The Little Satellite That Could
by Andrew J. LePage
[For more background on the Vanguard program, see "Vanguard: America's
Answer to Sputnik" in the December 1997 issue of SpaceViews]
Recovering from Disaster
After the disastrous failure of the Vanguard TV-3 launch attempt
on December 6, 1957, Vanguard's NRL (Naval Research Laboratory) team had
to pick up the pieces and get ready for the launch of TV-3BU (Test
Vehicle-3 Back Up). The contractor for the first stage, the Martin
Company (now part of the aerospace giant Lockheed-Martin), and the
builder of the engine, General Electric, were able to track down the
cause of the TV-3 failure to a loose fuel line connection. This loose
connection caused a pressure drop in the GE X-405 engine's fuel injector
assembly which allowed combustion products to travel up the fuel lines
resulting in a catastrophic failure. Modifications were immediately made
to TV-3BU and its processing procedures to avoid a repeat of this
incident.
Work to repair the damage caused by the TV-3 explosion at launch
complex 18A proceeded quickly and was completed ahead of schedule. This
allowed TV-3BU to be erected on the launch pad before the end of
December of 1957 for the start of its long prelaunch checkout. Like TV-3
before it, this launch vehicle would not carry an operational Vanguard
satellite. Instead it would loft a simple test satellite. This satellite
was a 16 centimeter (6.4 inch) in diameter polished aluminum alloy
sphere weighing only 1.47 kilograms (3.25 pounds). It was equipped with
a pair of transmitters operating at a frequency of about 108 MHz that
used six short aerials sticking out of the tiny sphere. One of these
transmitters was powered by batteries and would last just a few months.
The other transmitter made use of solar cells mounted on the exterior
for power as part of a test to determine their usefulness on future
spacecraft. These solar cells were divided among six banks set
equidistant around the satellite's spherical exterior so that they could
provide power regardless of the satellite's orientation.
The only actual instrument carried by the satellite was a pair
of thermistors to measure the tiny satellite's temperature. These
measurements would help assess the sphere's thermal protection measures.
The primary purpose of this payload, in addition to verifying that it
went into orbit, was to provide an opportunity to exercise the Vanguard
tracking network. As a by product, data on the evolution of the
satellite's orbit would provide some scientifically useful information.
The first attempt to launch the rocket on January 23, 1958 was
called off when heavy rains shorted out some of the cables used by
ground instrumentation. The next three days saw three more scrubs caused
by a variety of problems. When it was discovered on January 26 that the
second stage AJ-10 engine was damaged, the launch of TV-3BU was pushed
back to February 3 so that a replacement engine could be ordered and
installed. Since the Cape Canaveral test range could only support one
launch at a time, this delay gave the ABMA team led by Wernher von Braun
a brief three-day window to squeeze in a launch attempt with their Juno
1 launch vehicle. The ABMA attempt succeeded in placing the United
States' first satellite into orbit on the night of January 31, 1958 as
envious Vanguard personnel watched on (see "Explorer: America's First
Satellite" in the February 1998 issue of Space Views for more
information on this mission). The team that was suppose to orbit
America's IGY (International Geophysical Year) satellite would have to
be content to take second place to their Army colleagues.
As it turned out, the new February 3, 1958 launch date was
overly optimistic and it was not until February 5 before TV-3BU was
finally ready to fly. When TV-3BU lifted off, all seemed to be going
well at first. But at an altitude of 460 meters (1,500 feet) the rapidly
accelerating rocket's control system malfunctioned. Spurious electrical
signals from the balky system caused the ascending rocket to rapidly
pitch down. The structural loads this maneuver caused were more than the
pencil-thin TV-3BU could take and it broke in two at the aft end of the
second stage after 57 seconds of flight. Vanguard's second attempt to
launch a satellite had ended in failure. This set back, along with the
launch failure of ABMA's Explorer 2 one month later, was quite
disheartening to the Vanguard team. They felt that if the tried and true
Jupiter C/Juno 1 could succumb to failure, how could the far more
complex Vanguard succeed?
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Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [6/14]
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Success at Last
After the TV-3BU failure, TV-4 was subsequently modified and
prepared for another attempt to launch a grapefruit-sized test
satellite. All during early March of 1958 the launch team had to wrestle
with repeated electrical and mechanical problems as well as intermittent
bad weather. After three scrubbed launch attempts, the Vanguard team
started yet another two-day long countdown on March 16, 1958 in the hope
of getting their bird off the ground. As before, there were a series of
minor delays in the countdown. At the last second there was yet another
delay this time to allow the passage of Explorer 1 overhead. Engineers
wanted to avoid the Space Age's first "traffic jam" because the ABMA
satellite's transmissions might interfere with the reception of
Vanguard's signal. Finally at 7:15:41 am EST on March 17, 1958, TV-4
lifted off and climbed into the sunny Florida sky. Telemetry streaming
back to the Vanguard tracking stations showed that the first stage
operated as intended. A near perfect performance by the second then the
third stage followed. There was now every reason to believe that the
test satellite had succeeded in reaching orbit.
Confirmation that Vanguard had achieved orbit finally came
around 9:30 am EST when the minitrack station in San Diego, California
picked up signals from both transmitters. Vanguard 1 had made it into a
650 by 3,968 kilometer (404 by 2,466 mile) orbit with a period of 107.9
minutes inclined 34.25 degrees to the equator. Initial calculations
estimated that the satellite would remain in orbit until around the year
4000 AD. Vanguard had finally succeeded in meeting its commitment of
launching one satellite during the IGY two years, six months and eight
days after receiving authorization. Any successes after this would be a
welcomed bonus. Even though they were not the first in orbit, the
Vanguard team's success was nonetheless an impressive engineering
achievement. While the Soviet Sputnik and ABMA Explorer satellites had
made use of military rockets adapted to the task of launching a
satellite, the launch of Vanguard 1 marked the first time where a
satellite was launched into orbit with a high performance rocket
specifically designed for the task.
As Soviet authorities and even some in the West scoffed at the
diminutive size of Vanguard 1 and its lack of sophisticated
instrumentation, it was proving to be a very useful tool. The
battery-powered transmitter continued to operate until the mercury cells
were exhausted in June of 1958. But the tiny satellite's solar
cell-powered transmitter continued to operate until 1965. After this
optical tracking allowed scientist to track the changes in its orbit.
These changes and their causes provided much valuable data.
First it was noticed how the minute force caused by sunlight
reflecting off the little satellite perturbed its orbit. This combined
with atmospheric drag whose magnitude waxed and waned noticeably with
the level solar activity decreased estimates of Vanguard's orbital life
from 2,000 to only 240 years. Other perturbations in the orbit lead to a
more refined estimate of the Earth's oblateness. It was also discovered
that the Earth's geoid was distorted by a few meters into a pear shape
with the pointed end at the north pole and the flattened end in the
south. These measurements indicated that there was large scale
convection taking place inside the Earth which supported the then-new
theories of continental drift and seafloor spreading. Although they had
earlier avoided involvement in orbiting satellites, the Department of
Defense, whose military branches were quickly becoming interested in
accurately lobbing nuclear warheads over intercontinental distances,
took note of these discoveries.
Moving Towards Operational Launches
With the successful launch of Vanguard 1, its backup launch
vehicle, TV-4BU was returned to the Martin Company's Maryland facility
for removal of test instrumentation and upgrades to critical systems so
that the rocket could be used later in the program. The final test
flight, TV-5, would attempt to launch the first "operational" Vanguard
satellite. This payload was a 51 centimeter (20 inch) in diameter
lightweight magnesium alloy sphere weighing 9.8 kilograms (21.5 pounds).
Unlike the simple Vanguard 1, this new satellite would carry scientific
instruments to measure the intensity of solar X-ray emissions in the 1
to 8 Angstrom band as well as make space environment measurements.
The first stage of TV-5 was erected on the launch pad during the
first week of April 1958. The attachment of the upper stages had to wait
for some time as problems with hydraulic disconnects identified in the
film footage of the Vanguard 1 were solved. These problems were quickly
resolved and the last Vanguard test vehicle smoothly lifted off at 9:53
am EST on April 28, 1958. While the first stage operated perfectly, the
second stage firing sequence failed to complete itself electrically. As
a result, the third stage was never armed and subsequently did not fire
to place the payload in orbit.
With the completion of Vanguard's test flight, flights with
production rockets could commenced. First up was SLV-1 (Satellite Launch
Vehicle-1). The satellite carried on this mission was identical to that
on TV-5 except that the solar X-ray instrument was replaced with one to
measure solar Lyman-alpha emissions in the 1,100 to 1,300 Angstrom band
of the ultraviolet. Launched on May 27, 1958, SLV-1 operated perfectly
until the second stage shutdown. At that time some sort of disturbance
caused a loss of the attitude data from the control system's pitch gyro.
As a result of the malfunction, the third stage was pointing 63 degrees
off course when it fired and the payload failed to reach orbit.
On June 26, 1958 SLV-2 lifted off with a satellite payload
identical to that carried by the ill-fated TV-5 launch vehicle. But this
flight would fare no better than the last two. A restriction in the
second stage's oxidizer feed system caused its engine to cease firing
after a burn of only 8 seconds. This premature shut down in turn caused
the stage's propellant tanks to overpressurize. While the payload never
made it into orbit, the fact that the second stage withstood the excess
pressure verified the structural integrity of the tank design under
adverse flight conditions.
The flight of SLV-3, launched on September 26, 1958, was to
carry a 10.6 kilogram (23.3 pound) satellite into orbit. This orbital
payload was equipped with a set of simple infrared photocells that would
use the spinning motion of the spherical satellite to produce crude
images of the Earth's cloud cover. A tape recorder was also carried so
that data could be stored for later transmission to the ground.
Unfortunately this flight also proved to be unsuccessful. This time the
problem was traced to contamination in the second stage fuel system
which reduced its performance. By the time the third stage had burned
out, the payload was traveling only 76 meters per second (170 miles per
hour) too slow to achieve orbit. The would-be satellite reached a peak
altitude of 426 kilometers (265 miles) before it arced back towards the
Earth and burned up on reentry about 15,000 kilometers (9,200 miles)
downrange.
With these latest failures, Martin Company's Corrective Action
Team had their work cut out for them. While these flights failed to
place their payloads into orbit, they were successful from the
engineering point of view. Without exception, every flight returned
plenty of good telemetry which in addition to other data, such as
tracking photography, allowed the engineers to pin down the source of
the problem and correct it on subsequent flights. But while Vanguard
launches were suspended for a few months to allow modifications to be
made to the last of the Vanguard launch vehicles, changes in the
political climate were overtaking the Vanguard program and the rest of
the United States' space programs. With the formation of NASA on October
1, 1958 as the sole civilian space agency, most space science programs
run by the military as well as the Vanguard project were passed to the
new agency. While the NRL was still responsible for the management of
the Vanguard program, NASA was now running the show.
Bibliography
Richard Lewis, Appointment on the Moon, The Viking Press, 1968
Constance McLaughlin Green and Milton Lomask, Vanguard, A History, NASA
SP-4202, 1970
J.A. O'Keefe, "Determination of the Earth's Gravitational Field", in
Space Research: Proceedings of the First International Space Science
Symposium, edited by Hilde Kallmann Bijl, Interscience Publishers, 1960
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Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [7/14]
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You Say You Want An Evolution
Not all panelists shared the enthusiasm and rosy outlook of
those promoting the impending fall in launch costs and opening of new
markets. Representatives of some of the current industry heavyweights
saw incremental change, linked with international cooperation, as a way
to slowly reduce launch costs.
Greg Gilmore, a vice president for International Launch
Services, saw international cooperation between Lockheed Martin in the
U.S. and Khrunichev and Energia in Russia as one way to meet market
demand. Gilmore said ILS could launch as many as 30 Atlas and Proton
boosters a year from Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg, and Baikonur. ILS also
plans to add Lockheed Martin's Athena launch vehicle to serve small
payloads, an area of increasing demand.
Sea Launch, an international consortium led by Boeing, plans to
offer 6 to 7 launches a year from the mid-Pacific starting late this
year, according to Boeing's Marc Nance. Minor technical problems have
pushed back the launch date from the summer, according to Nance. While
Sea Launch's Zenit rockets are targeted at traditional comsats in
geostationary orbit, the venture is also considering looking at the
low-earth orbit market.
Ray Johnson of the Aerospace Corporation discussed a recent
report which provides a somewhat grimmer view of the launch industry in
the near future. The growth in size and increase in lifetimes of
geostationary communication satellites translates in to a "probable
oversupply" of medium to heavy launch vehicles over the next ten years,
as the focus switches to low-Earth orbit systems. He also sees "no
compelling innovative application" of space that would be strong enough
to support the large expenditure needed to develop launch vehicles
capable of reducing the cost of space access by a factor of 100.
Johnson also expressed concerns about VentureStar, the proposed
full-scale reusable launch vehicle for which the X-33 is a subscale test
vehicle. Johnson said it was unlikely private capital of more than $1
billion would be invested in RLV development. With VentureStar
development costs estimated on the order of $5 billion, it means
Lockheed Martin will be unlikely to develop the vehicle on its own, as
had been initially assumed, and may turn to NASA for help.
If launch costs remain high, innovative space applications won't
be tried because they will be too expensive to risk, noted Shubber Ali,
a consultant with KPMG Peat Marwick. If current launch costs of
$1,000-10,000 a pound remain, he theorized that commercial space
applications will remain limited to communications and remote sensing,
and NASA will be unable to afford human exploration beyond low-Earth
orbit. However, "highly reduced" launch costs would allow additional
commercial applications in space and could also allow NASA to consider a
return to the Moon or human missions to Mars.
Don't expect change in near future in the commercial launch
market, predicted Brenda Forman, director of academic liaison and
federal technology policy at Lockheed Martin. "Barring some
technological breakthrough, the commercial space industry will not
change in the next decade or so," she said. She did, however, discuss
several scenarios which showed what might happen if certain events
occurred. A breakthrough in spacecraft propulsion could lead to a
shakeout in the launch industry and the rise of space tourism, while a
fusion power breakthrough on the Earth would raise interest in the Moon
and its deposits of helium-3 in its regolith.
Government Struggles to Keep Up
The federal government is trying to keep up with the rapid pace
of change in the commercial space industry, particularly in regulatory
issues. "Ten years ago there was no commercial space industry in the
U.S.," said Patricia Smith, acting associate administrator for
commercial space at the FAA. By 1996, though, commercial space revenue
surpassed government space expenditures for the first time, "and that
trend seems irreversible."
The FAA currently has 16 pages of regulations relevant to
commercial space on the books, according to Manuel Vega, with more in
the works. Financial responsibility and licensing regulations are the
farthest along, with launch site licensing, commercial launch
operations, and reentry regulations in various planning stages.
However, the relatively slow pace of regulatory reform may mean
new commercial launch systems, particularly those that use reusable
vehicles that must reenter, may be ready to go before the regulations
are ready. Would that mean the vehicles would be grounded until the
regulators catch up, since the FAA only has the authority to license
launches, not reentries? "We'd have to look at the entire mission as a
launch," should that occur, one official said.
Although panelists may have disagreed on the pace of change, all
thought that commercial space will become more important than ever as
the next century dawns. The barriers will lie more with the economics of
space access than with the technology needed to get there. In the words
of Gregg Maryniak, "ROI [return on investment] is much more important
that Isp [specific impulse]."
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Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [8/14]
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*** Book Reviews ***
by Jeff Foust
A New Space Policy Paradigm
Space, the Dormant Frontier: Changing the Paradigm for the 21st Century
by Joan Johnson-Freese and Roger Handberg
Praeger Publishers, 1997
hardcover, 288pp.
ISBN 0-275-95887-6
US$59.95
American space policy was founded on the Cold War some forty
years ago. Since then, particularly in recent years, events have made
that foundation irrelevant, and perhaps even damaging, to America's
civilian and military space efforts. The world view upon which space
policy is based, its paradigm, must be changed to revitalize the space
program, Joan Johnson-Freese and Roger Handberg argue in "Space, the
Dormant Frontier".
A key problem, the authors argue, is that while both civilian
and military programs have been shaped by the Cold War-based paradigm,
there has been little interaction between the two. They suggest that
more interaction and cooperation between the two to enhance their
relative strengths. Any new paradigm, they also note, must also take
into account the commercialization of space, and allow the continued
growth of private space operations.
The authors provide a compelling argument on how broken current
space policy is, although few would disagree with that in any event.
They don't focus as much on the government's role as an enabler of
commercial space (though such items as launch regulations, a current
industry concern), but do take a close look on the interaction between
the civilian and military sides of government space. Although an
academic treatise, the book is quite readable. Overall, "Space, the
Dormant Frontier" provides a compelling look at what's wrong with
current space policy and how it can be fixed.
Exploring the Ninth Planet
Pluto and Charon: Ice Worlds on the Ragged Edge of the Solar System
by Alan Stern and Jacqueline Mitton
John Wiley and Sons, 1998
hardcover, 216pp., illus.
ISBN 0-471-15297-8
US$27.95
Poor planet Pluto. Lurking in the outer solar system unnoticed
until 1930, it was then largely forgotten in the astronomical community
for decades. While Pluto is now the subject of much greater interest,
and plans for an eventual spacecraft mission there, a few people want to
strip the world of its planet status and consign it to a belt of small
planetoids. Nonetheless, Pluto and its large moon, Charon, are
fascinating worlds that are just now beginning to reveal their secrets.
The history of our study of these two worlds is the subject of an
excellent new book, "Pluto and Charon"
The authors, one of whom (Stern) is a leading Pluto scientist,
look at the history of Pluto studies, dating back to the early searches
for a hypothesized "Planet X" that was perturbing the orbits of Uranus
and Neptune. By chance and circumstance, and no lack of hard work, this
search led to Pluto's discovery in 1930 by the young Clyde Tombaugh. In
the following decades the distant, dim world frustrated astronomers who
tried to learn more. The advent of larger telescopes, better detectors,
and spacecraft, however, gave astronomers crucial new tools with which
learn more Pluto, including finding its moon, Charon; its
almost-disappointingly small size; its tenuous atmosphere; and its
surface of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane ices.
Stern and Mitton do a wonderful job of communicating both the
history of Pluto studies and the science behind it. There is also a
detailed look at the proposed Pluto Express mission (including how a
postage stamp helped start the project!) and what we can expect to find
out about Pluto in the future. The writing style of the book makes it
entertaining and informative for both Pluto neophytes and long-time
Pluto experts. Until we send a spacecraft to explore Pluto up close,
"Pluto and Charon" will likely be the best general Pluto book available.
Quick Looks at Three Books
Sharing the Sky: A Parent's and Teacher's Guide to Astronomy
by David Levy and Larry and Nancy Lebofsky
Plenum Publishing, 1997
softcover, 308pp., illus.
ISBN 0-306-45639-7
US$18.95
Astronomy can be one of the most fascinating subjects to study,
but without the ability to effectively communicate the wonders of the
night sky, the solar system, and the galaxy to children, it can become
one of the more difficult, frustrating subjects. The authors (the
co-discoverer of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, a professional astronomer and
an educator) have been working for several years to help teach astronomy
to students, and to help teachers teach astronomy. Their book is a
guide for anyone interested in teaching astronomy -- sharing the sky --
with children. A lengthy, detailed list of exercises show how to
explain astronomical concepts, and the book includes star charts and
other information on objects in the night sky. "Sharing the Sky" is a
great resource for anyone interested in helping communicate the wonders
of astronomy.
Alternate Realities: How Science Shapes Our Vision of the World
by Joel Davis
Plenum Publishing, 1997
hardcover, 309pp., illus.
ISBN 0-306-45629-X
US$27.95
A book with a title like "Alternate Realities" sounds like it
would be a book on other universes or perhaps even parapsychology.
Rather, this work by Joel Davis look at how science, particularly
astronomy and physics, have shaped our view of "reality" over time. New
discoveries have changed our view of the universe and our place in it.
Davis combines history and science with a little psychology and
philosophy to show how our perception of what is real has changed, and
might change in the future.
...The Heavens and the Earth: A Political History of the Space Age
by Walter A. McDougall
Basic Books, 1985 (reissued by Johns Hopkins Press, 1997)
softcover, 555pp., illus.
ISBN 0-8018-5748-1
US$19.95
Johns Hopkins Press has recently reissued Walter McDougall's
landmark work "...The Heavens and the Earth", which won the 1986
Pulitzer for history. The recent 40th anniversaries of Sputnik,
Vanguard, and Explorer provide a good opportunity to go back to this
classic and look at the political forces at work early in the Space Age
in the United States and the Soviet Union. Reading, or rereading, this
classic work will help anyone better understand the political forces at
work that shaped the Space Age. McDougall has included a brief note to
the Johns Hopkins edition where he argues that the way to "restart the
Space Age" is to find new technologies that make spaceflight "genuinely
cheap, safe, and routine," something few will disagree with.
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Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [9/14]
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*** NSS News ***
Boston NSS Upcoming Events
Thursday, March 5, 7:30pm
Supersonic Projectiles Producing Thrust by External Combustion: A
Potential
System for Low-Cost Access to Space
by Robert G. Hohlfeld, Research Associate Professor, Center for
Computational Science, Boston University, and Vice President for R & D,
HyperKinetics, Inc.
Air-breathing hypersonic propulsion systems have received renewed
interest in recent years for use in systems for economical access to low
earth orbit and in other aerospace systems. Such systems are expected to
have significantly enhanced performance due to their use of atmospheric
oxygen over all or part of their mission profile. We have produced and
successfully tested projectiles which generate thrust by the combustion
of a metallic fuel on the external, trailing surfaces of the projectile.
Proposals for thrust production by external combustion date from the
1950s, but to our knowledge, this is the first tractable experimental
system exhibiting thrust production by external combustion, and almost
certainly the first such system for a free-flying projectile. Plans for
further experimental testing and computational fluid dynamics studies to
produce new projectile designs operating at higher Mach numbers will be
discussed.
Sunday, April 5, 7 pm
Special Event: "From the Earth to the Moon" Viewing Party
Join Boston NSS members and the general public to watch the
premiere of the new Tom Hanks/HBO movie series, "From the Earth to the
Moon" about the race to the Moon. The meeting will be held in the usual
location, but at a special date and time. More details about the event
will be announced in the near future -- stay tuned!
Boston NSS Feburary Lecture Summary
by Lynn Olson
TERRIERS is one of the first two missions to be funded under the
Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI). Sixty-six proposals
were submitted; Boston University with TERRIERS and Colorado were the
winners.
The STEDI program seeks to answer important scientific
questions, develop new technologies, and train new space scientists, all
at very low cost. Supriya Chakrabarti, Director of the Center for Space
Physics at BU and member of the TERRIERS development team detailed the
Boston University approach to this program at the February meeting of
the Boston chapter of the National Space Society.
Some cost comparisons:
Hubble $2,000 million
Explorer $200-500 million
MIDEX (medium explorer) $70 million
SMEX (small explorer) $35 million
STEDI $4.3 million
STEDI is almost ten times cheaper than the next cheapest
mission. How is this possible? At the beginning of the program some
"old line" people commented that all you can get for $4.3 million are
toys, but TERRIER mission capabilities are similar and in some cases
exceed those of more expensive missions. Two things aiding lower cost
goals are less paperwork and the electronics revolution. The old order
uses highly screened parts which track the materials in the parts back
to the mine they came from. This leads to an immense amount of
paperwork. Reduction of the paperwork leads directly to lower costs.
The electronics revolution allows the use of much smaller and less power
hungry components. As an example, one of the big old satellites may
have used a timer similar to a washing machine timer which can be
replaced today by an electronic device which is orders of magnitude
lighter and draws infinitesimal electric power.
One thing Boston University did not do was to use hordes of grad
students as "slave labor." Instead, fewer students were used, but each
one was given a great deal of responsibility. Of, course, the
willingness of grad students to pull all nighters was important in
keeping the program on track.
The BU philosophy was to develop a process which could be
repeated, i.e. to prove that the STEDI program is a good idea as well as
this particular project. To this end, no "voodoo economics" was
allowed. No freebies were allowed, since these could not be counted on
for future missions. No special overhead rates were negotiated with the
university. Whatever worked for this mission could also work in the
future. BU also sought to maintain the good things of the past, such as
external reviews and essential documentation. Lessons learned during the
project are the importance of continuity of key personnel and
contingency planning. It is also important to be aware of the
differences between universities and commercial contractors, especially
in money matters.
TERRIERS' primary mission goal is to, for the first time,
demonstrate meridional 2-D (latitude-altitude)and global 3D imaging of
the ionospheric electron density and thermospheric photo-emission
profiles using EUV (extreme ultraviolet) emissions and tomographic
techniques. Secondary goals of TERRIERS focus on the study of several
ionospheric and thermospheric phenomena through the use of this novel
combination of techniques and observations. The computing revolution is
what makes tomography (similar to a CAT scan of the upper atmosphere)
possible now. The obvious acronym for this experiment is Tomographic
Experiment using Radiative Recombinative Ionospheric EUV and Radio
Sources (TERRIERS), which by a strange coincidence happens to match the
BU mascot. More information on the mission and satellite can be found
at http://net.bu.edu/terriers/
Part of the Student Explorer program is outreach, especially to
precollege students. There is a high school experiment on the
spacecraft. BU would be interested in teaming with NSS or other
organizations in its outreach program.
TERRIERS is paving the way to producing first class science in
space at a much lower cost while training a new generation of space
scientists.
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Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [10/14]
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Philadelphia Area Space Alliance News
by Jay Haines
Contact: PO Box 1715, Philadelphia PA 19105
Earl Bennett, michelle_baker@ccgate.ueci.com 610/644-8654(H)
PASA business luncheon and formal meeting from 1-3 pm, the
second or third Saturday of each month. Locations vary.
Scheduled PASA activities: Mar. 14th regular monthly meeting at
Liberty One food court (2nd level), 16th & Market. Go toward the
windows, then to the right. Public parking in Liberty on 17th St., or at
16th & Spring. Apr. 18th (N.B., 3rd Sat.) regular monthly meeting,
location TBA. May 16th regular monthly meeting, location TBA. Call Earl
for details.
Feb. Meeting Report: The following reports were presented: Mitch
Gordo n discussed plans for the PASA/World Future Society presentation
at Borders; and our 1998 theme "The Solar System: Our Extended Home."
Michelle Baker discussed the 1998 March Storm
Congressional-contact initiative, which starts Mar. 1st; and the Apr.
5th HBO unscrambled broadcast of "Americans to the Moon" to show from
8-10 pm. PASA apparently did not get selected to participate in the
April 1st kickoff event.
Oscar Harris discussed the International Space Station Launch
Countdown. The event will be received in Phila. at St. Joseph's College,
Community College of Phila., and Temple. We have received a license to
tape the event.
Don Cox discussed his planned presentation at the Mar. 13th
Satellites a nd Education Conference XI at West Chester Univ.; and his
upcoming book Together to Mars from Prometheus books.
Earl Bennett presented the technical report on: the Feb. 98
Analog magazine story "Planet of the Geezers" by John Cramer on human
aging; the Jan./Feb. 98 Planetary Report magazine articles on the
Galileo mission, and the Shiva Hypothesis on extinctions; and the
Jan./Feb. 98 Ad Astra magazine article on Solar Power Satellites by Seth
Potter, et al.
Earl also reported on the 26 Jan. 98 Electronic Design magazine
articl es on pin-head sized micro-mechanical gear assemblies from Sandia
Labs with a 3-million-to-one gear ratio capable of moving a 1 lb.
object; and the Feb. 98 Laser Focus World magazine article on Gallium
Nitride lasers.
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Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [11/14]
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*** Regular Features ***
Jonathan's Space Report No. 350
by Jonathan McDowell
[Ed. Note: Go to http://hea-www.harvard.edu/QEDT/jcm/space/jsr/jsr.html for
back issues and other information about Jonathan's Space Report.]
Shuttle and Mir
Anatoliy Solov'yov and Pavel Vinogradov of the Mir EO-24 crew
and Leopold Eyharts of the CNES Pegase mission undocked from the -X
port on Mir at 0552 UTC on Feb 19 aboard the Soyuz TM-26 ship.
Soyuz TM-26 fired its deorbit engines at 0816 UTC and the craft
landed in Kazakstan at 50 11N, 67 31E at 0910 UTC.
Solov'yov handed over command of Mir to the EO-25 commander, Talgat
Musabaev on Feb 18 or Feb 19 (can anyone tell me when the official
transfer occurred?) On Feb 20, the Mir EO-25 crew, Talgat Musabaev and
Nikolai Budarin, together with Andy Thomas of the NASA-7 mission,
boarded their Soyuz TM-27 transport and undocked from the Kvant +X port
at 0848 UTC. They redocked with the -X port on Mir at 0932 UTC. This
frees up the Kvant port for a test redocking of the Progress M-37 cargo
ship, currently parked in orbit.
Recent Launches
Boeing/Huntington Beach (former McDonnell Douglas) carried out two Delta
launches within a week in mid-Feb, placing a total of 9 payloads in
orbit. The first four Globalstar satellites, built by Space
Systems/Loral, were launched on Feb 14. The Boeing Delta 7420 placed
them in a 1400 km orbit. Most sources are naming them Globalstar U1,
U2, L1 and L2; as far as I can tell these just denote that on this
particular launch they were the upper and lower pairs on the Delta
dispenser, so there will be a U1,U2,L1,L2 on every Delta Globalstar
launch and they don't really reflect unique names for the satellites.
If anyone has the actual production or post-launch names for these
satellites, please let me know.
The Globalstar launch was the first Delta 7420-10 variant, one of a
number of new cheaper Delta variants. The first digit in the Delta
indicates the first stage variety; 7 means the Delta II first stage with
Alliant GEM solid motors. The second digit indicates the number of solid
motors; the third digit gives the type of second stage; and the fourth
digit gives the type of third stage ( 0 means no third stage ). The
fairing designation is then given after a hyphen; -10 means the 10-foot
(3.1m) diameter fairing. Versions in use in 1998-99 are:
Delta 7320 Delta II Lite with 3 strapons
Delta 7326 Delta II Lite with 3 strapons and Star 37FM third stage
Delta 7420 Delta II Lite with 4 strapons
Delta 7425 Delta II Lite with 4 strapons and PAM-D (Star 48) stage
Delta 7426 Delta II Lite with 4 strapons and Star 37FM
Delta 7920 Delta II standard, LEO missions
Delta 7925 Delta II with PAM-D third stage for GEO and escape missions
- Delta III with GEM LDXL strapons and LH2/LOX second stage
Boeing hasn't announced a corresponding designation for the Delta III
yet. For consistency with the existing 28-year-old tradition, I suggest
it should be the Delta 8930, with the 8 indicating the change to the
LDXL strapons, 9 indicating the number of strapons, and 3 indicating a
new type of second stage. They'll need some designation like this as
soon as someone orders a slightly different kind of Delta 3, say one
with fewer strapons, and they could then denote the planned Delta 4
variants as 9020/9025, 9030, and 9240 in the same system. However, since
consistency of nomenclature has never been the space program's strong
point, I expect they'll ignore my suggestion and introduce an entirely
different scheme.
Five more Motorola/Lockheed Iridium satellites were launched on Feb 18
by a Boeing Delta 7920-10C from Vandenberg. The five satellites will
use their own on-board propulsion systems to reach their final orbits.
The two recently launched Orbcomm satellites are Orbcomm G1 and G2,
production numbers FM3 and FM4. With Iridium, Globalstar and Orbcomm
launches now underway, the expected shift of commercial emphasis from
geostationary to low orbit constellations is now a fact.
Kosmos-2349, launched on Feb 17, is an imaging satellite for the Russian
Defense Ministry. On Feb 19, Kosmos-2349 was in a 212 x 276 km x 70.4
deg orbit. The satellite is built by TsSKB-Progress of Samara and is
based on the Yantar' bus. It is probably a Kometa mapping satellite,
using the 11F660 Yantar'-1KFT spacecraft. The last Kometa launch in May 1996
was a failure.
Japan's largest launch vehicle, the H-II, suffered its first failure
this week during launch of the Kakehashi satellite. The Japanese
applications space agency NASDA carried out the launch of H-II No. 5F
on 1998 Feb 21. This was actually the 6th H-II launch, as H-II No. 6F
was launched last November with the TRMM and ETS-7 satellites. The
payload for the new flight was COMETS, or Communuications and
Broadcasting Experimental Test Satellite. COMETS, based on the ETS-6
bus, carries an experimental Ka-band communications payload and a
payload for inter-satellite data relay. The H-II was meant to deliver
COMETS and its attached LAPS transfer engine into geostationary transfer
orbit with 35000 km apogee, but orbital tracking data indicate a
much lower 250 x 1883 km x 30.0 deg orbit. This was reportedly due to
premature shutdown 44s into the H-II second stage's second burn.
COMETS, renamed Kakehashi now it is in orbit, has successfully deployed
its solar arrays and checked out its on-board systems. It may still be
possible to use the LAPS-derived UPS (Unified Propulsion System) apogee
engine to raise COMETS to some kind of useful orbit. This engine itself
failed the last time it was used, on the ETS-6 flight in 1994.
Meanwhile, troubles with control of the ETS-7 satellite continue, and
it is not clear when the rendezvous/docking experiments will take place.
NASDA have run into a lot of trouble recently, also suffering the
failure of ADEOS and problems in their engine development program.
However, their previous record of success, and the fact that all 6 H-II
flights have at least reached orbit, suggests they have the expertise to
eventually overcome their current difficulties.
I now understand that the informal name change of the USAF operated pads
at Cape Canaveral from LC (Launch Complex) to SLC (Space Launch Complex)
was made official at some point during 1997, so I am adopting the change
in my launch listings. I'm guessing, however, that NASA KSC retains the
honorable name of LC39 for their Shuttle pads. Vandenberg introduced
the SLC abbreviation for their orbital pads in July 1966.
Erratum: Apogee motor for Inmarsat is Star 37FM, not Star 30.
Table of Recent Launches
Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL.
DES.
Jan 7 0228 Lunar Prospector Athena-2 Canaveral SLC46 Probe 01A
Jan 10 0032 Skynet 4D Delta 7925 Canaveral SLC17B Comsat 02A
Jan 22 1256 'Ofeq-4 Shaviyt Palmachim Imaging F01
Jan 23 0248 Endeavour Shuttle Kennedy LC39A Spaceship 03A
Jan 29 1633 Soyuz TM-27 Soyuz-U Baykonur LC1 Spaceship 04A
Jan 29 1837 CAPRICORN Atlas IIA Canaveral SLC36A Comsat? 05A
Feb 4 2329 Brasilsat B3 ) Ariane 44LP Kourou ELA2 Comsat 06A
Inmarsat 3 F5 ) Comsat 06B
Feb 10 1320 GFO ) Taurus Vandenberg 576E Altimeter 07A
Orbcomm G1 ) Comsat 07B
Orbcomm G2 ) Comsat 07C
Celestis-02 ) Burial 07D
Feb 14 1434 Globalstar 1 ) Comsat 08A
Globalstar 2 ) Delta 7420 Canaveral SLC17A Comsat 08B
Globalstar 3 ) Comsat 08C
Globalstar 4 ) Comsat 08D
Feb 17 1030? Kosmos-2349 Soyuz-U Baykonur LC31? Recon 09A
Feb 18 1358 Iridium 50 ) Delta 7920 Vandenberg SLC2 Comsat 10A
Iridium 51 ) Comsat 10B
Iridium 52 ) Comsat 10C
Iridium 53 ) Comsat 10D
Iridium 54 ) Comsat 10E
Feb 21 0755 Kakehashi H-II Tanegashima Y Comsat 11A
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [12/14]
Привет всем!
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Current Shuttle Processing Status
__________________________________
Orbiters Location Mission Launch Due
OV-102 Columbia OPF Bay 3 STS-90 Apr 2
OV-103 Discovery OPF Bay 2 STS-91 May 28
OV-104 Atlantis Palmdale OMDP
OV-105 Endeavour OPF Bay 1 STS-88 Sep 17?
MLP/SRB/ET/OV stacks
MLP1/
MLP2/RSRM65 VAB Bay 3 STS-90
MLP3/
Space Calendar
by Ron Baalke
[Ed. Note: visit http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/ for the complete
calendar]
March 1998
Mar 01-07 - Spaceweek
Mar 02 - Comet Kowal 2 Perihelion (1.397 AU)
Mar 02 - Asteroid 1998 BP26 Near-Earth Flyby (0.353 AU)
Mar 02-04 - Workshop on Climate Variability and Water Resource
Management in the Southwest, El Paso, Texas
Mar 03-04 - JPL 10th Annual High-Tech Small Business Development
Procurement Conference, City of Industry, California
Mar 04 - NEAR, Thruster Calibration (CAL-1)
Mar 04 - Galileo Exits Solar Conjunction
Mar 04 - Moon Occults Aldebaran
Mar 04 - Comet Shoemaker-Levy 3 Perihelion (2.817 AU)
Mar 04 - Mercury Occults 146752 (6.5 Magnitude Star)
Mar 05 - Asteroid 111 Ate at Opposition (11.0 Magnitude)
Mar 05 - Comet P/1997 C1 (Gehrels) Closest Approach to Earth (4.582 AU)
Mar 05 - Comet C/1997 BA6 (Spacewatch) Closest Approach to Earth (5.575
AU)
Mar 05 - Kuiper Belt Object 1994 ES2 at Opposition (44.414 AU - 24.0
Magnitude)
Mar 06 - Asteroid 115 Thyra at Opposition (11.0 Magnitude)
Mar 06 - Asteroid 1998 BZ7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.113 AU)
Mar 07 - Venus Passes 3.8 Degrees From Neptune
Mar 07 - Wagman Winterfest VI, Russellton, Pennsylvania
Mar 09 - Asteroid 1993 JE Closest Approach to Earth (1.798 AU)
Mar 09-13 - International Conference on Substorms, Lake Hamana, Japan
Mar 10 - Galileo, Orbital Trim Maneuver #43 (OTM-43)
Mar 10 - Mercury Passes 1.0 Degree From Mars
Mar 10 - Comet C/1997 J2 Meunier-Dupouy Perihelion (3.058 AU)
Mar 10 - Asteroid 3648 Raffinetti Closest Approach to Earth (1.347 AU)
Mar 10-13 - Numerical Astrophysics 1998, Tokyo, Japan
Mar 11 - Asteroid 7822 (1991 CS) Closest Approach To Earth (0.901 AU)
Mar 11 - Asteroid 5189 (1990 UQ) Closest Approach To Earth (1.113 AU)
Mar 11-13 - 9th Annual Advanced Propulsion Research Conference,
Pasadena, California
Mar 12 - Astrobiology Symposium, Washington DC
Mar 14 - Mercury at Perihelion
Mar 14-21 - Meeting on Dwarf Galaxies and Cosmology, Savoie, France
Mar 15 - 25th Anniversary (1973), San Juan Capistrano Meteorite Fall
Mar 16 - Intelsat 806 Atlas IIAS Launch
Mar 16 - UHF-F8 Atlas 2 Launch
Mar 16 - Asteroid 511 Davida at Opposition (10.7 Magnitude)
Mar 16-20 - 29th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), Houston,
Texas
Mar 17 - Asteroid 116 Sirona at Opposition (10.7 Magnitude)
Mar 17 - 40th Anniversary (1958), Vanguard 1 Launch (2nd Successful US
Launch)
Mar 17 - 10th Anniversary (1988), IRS-1A (1st Soviet Commerical Launch)
Mar 18 - Venus Passes 3.3 Degrees From Uranus
Mar 18 - Comet P/1997 T3 (Lagerkvist-Carsenty) Perihelion (4.161 AU)
Mar 18 - Asteroid 1991 EE Closest Approach to Earth (0.932 AU)
Mar 18 - Asteroid 6456 Golombek Closest Approach to Earth (1.572 AU)
Mar 19 - TRACE Pegasus XL Launch
Mar 19 - Mercury At Its Greatest Eastern Elongation (18 Degrees)
Mar 19 - Asteroid 275 Sapientia Occults PPM 94539 (8.9 Magnitude Star)
Mar 19 - Synthetic Aperture Radar Lecture, Pasadena, California
Mar 20 - Spot-4 Ariane 4 Launch
Mar 20 - Vernal Equinox (19:54 UT)
Mar 20 - Asteroid 3 Juno at Opposition (9.1 Magnitude)
Mar 20 - Kuiper Belt Object 1994 GV9 at Opposition (41.180 AU)
Mar 20-28 - SPIE Symposium on Astronomical Telescopes and
Instrumentation, Kona, Hawaii
Mar 21 - Mercury Passes 5.0 Degrees From Saturn
Mar 21 - Gathering At The Equinox, Rock Hill, South Carolina
Mar 21-22 - Telescope Optics Workshop, Bellingham, Washington
Mar 21-28 - 1998 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Aspen, Colorado
Mar 23 - Cassini, Perihelion (0.68 AU)
Mar 23 - Asteroid 1995 BL2 Closest Approach to Earth (0.496 AU)
Mar 23-28 - Meeting on Structure and Kinematics of Quasar Broad Line
Regions, Lincoln, Nebraska
Mar 23-29 - FIDAE '98 International Air and Space Fair, Santiago, Chile
Mar 24 - Moon Occults Venus
Mar 24 - 5th Anniversary (1993), Discovery of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Mar 24 - Walter Baade's 105th Birthday (1893)
Mar 25 - Clark Athena 1 Launch
Mar 25 - Asteroid 1995 OO Closest Approach to Earth (0.517 AU)
Mar 26 - Galileo, Orbital Trim Maneuver #44 (OTM-44)
Mar 26 - Moon Occults Jupiter
Mar 26 - Asteroid 1996 EN Closest Approach to Earth (0.490 AU)
Mar 26-27 - 1st Annual Supplier Conference, Mesa, Arizona
Mar 27 - Venus, Greatest Western Elongation (46 Degrees)
Mar 27 - Asteroid 22 Kalliope at Opposition (10.9 Magnitude)
Mar 27-28 - ICECUBE Neutrino Detector Workshop, Irvine, California
Mar 27-30 - 1st Australian CCD Workshop, Trunkey Creek, Australia
Mar 29 - Galileo, Europa 14 Flyby
Mar 29 - Moon Occults Saturn
Mar 30 - Asteroid 1997 WT22 Near-Earth Flyby (0.277 AU)
Mar 31 - IKONOS-1 Athena Launch
Mar 31 - Mercury Passes 3.8 Degrees From Mars
Mar 31 - Asteroid 5145 Pholus at Opposition (12.128 AU - 18.2 Magnitude)
Mar 31 - 20th Anniversary (1978), Cosmos 1000 Launch (Soviet Union)
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [13/14]
Привет всем!
Вот, свалилось из Internet...
April 1998
Apr ?? - Insat 2E/Nilesat-1 Ariane 4 Launch
Apr ?? - Chinastar-1 Long March 3B Launch (China)
Apr 01 - Asteroid 1993 BX3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.377 AU)
Apr 01-03 - Laboratory Space Science Workshop, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Apr 01-03 - 29th Meeting of the Division of Dynamical Astronomy (AAS),
Charlottesville, Virginia
Apr 02 - Galileo, Orbital Trim Maneuver #45 (OTM-45)
Apr 02 - Mars Passes 1.9 Degrees From Saturn
Apr 03 - 25th Anniversary (1973), Salyut 2 Space Station Launch (USSR)
Apr 04 - 15th Anniversary (1983), STS-6 Launch (Challenger), TDRS-1, 1st
Launch of Challenger
Apr 04 - 30th Anniversary (1968), Apollo 6 Launch
Apr 04-09 - 7th Workshop on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas, Boulder,
Colorado
Apr 05 - Daylight Savings - Set Clock Ahead 1 Hour (North America)
Apr 05 - Asteroid 23 Thalia Occults TAC +311855 (10.4 Magnitude Star)
Apr 05 - Kuiper Belt Object 1993 FW at Opposition (41.002 AU - 23.2
Magnitude)
Apr 05 - Kuiper Belt Object 1995 HM5 at Opposition (31.271 AU - 23.1
Magntude)
Apr 06 - 25th Anniversary (1973), Pioneer 11 Launch (Jupiter/ Saturn
Flyby Mission)
Apr 07 - 30th Anniversary (1968), Luna 14 Launch (Soviet Moon Orbiter)
Apr 07-10 - 1998 National Space Symposium, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Apr 08 - Asteroid 1995 DW2 at Opposition (17.973 AU - 21.7 Magnitude)
Apr 08 - 5th Anniversary (1993), STS-56 Launch (Discovery), Atlas-2
Spacelab
Apr 08-09 - ISTP Workshop, Greenbelt, Maryland
Apr 10 - Asteroid 7413 (1990 SH28) Occults Regulus (1.3 Magnitude Star)
Apr 10-13 - 18th National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers,
Sydney, Australia
Apr 11 - Comet Harrington-Wilson Perihelion (1.889 AU)
Apr 12 - Easter Sunday
Apr 14 - Kuiper Belt Object 1994 EV3 at Opposition (43.692 AU - 23.5
Magnitude)
Apr 14 - 10th Anniversary (1988), Foton 1 Launch (USSR - Material
Processing Satellite)
Apr 15-16 - 2nd Workshop on Galactic Sources With Relativistic Jets,
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Apr 15-17 - Faraday Discussion #109: Chemistry and Physics of Molecules
and Grains in Space, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Apr 16 - STS-90 Launch, Columbia, Neurolab
Apr 16 - Comet 1997 G2 (Montani) Perihelion (3.084 AU)
Apr 16 - EOS Lecture, Pasadena, California
Apr 17 - Ulysses At Jupiter's Orbit
Apr 17 - Comet Peters-Hartley Closest Approach to Earth (1.390 AU)
Apr 17 - EOS Lecture, Pasadena, California
Apr 18 - Iridium 8 Delta 2 Launch
Apr 19 - Comet Tsuchinshan 1 Perihelion (1.496 AU)
Apr 19-26 - 1998 Texas Star Party, Fort Davis, Texas
Apr 20 - Lyrids Meteor Shower Peak
Apr 20 - Asteroid 2941 Alden Closest Approach to Earth (1.276 AU)
Apr 20 - Asteroid 887 Alinda Closest Approach to Earth (1.567 AU)
Apr 20-24 - 23rd General Assembly of the European Geophysical Society,
Nice, France
Apr 21-24 - 3rd International Conference on Library and Information
Services in Astronomy (LISA III), Puetro de la Cruz, Tenerife,
Spain
Apr 22 - Venus Passes 0.3 Degrees From Jupiter
Apr 22 - Asteroid 1991 CB1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.299 AU)
Apr 23 - Moon Occults Venus
Apr 23 - Moon Occults Jupiter
Apr 23 - Asteroid 433 Eros Closest Approach To Earth (0.502 AU)
Apr 24 - Globalstar-2 Delta 2 Launch
Apr 24 - Moon Occults Mercury
Apr 24 - Asteroid 25 Phocaea at Opposition (10.1 Magnitude)
Apr 24 - Asteroid 5653 (1992 WD5) Closest Approach to Earth (0.682 AU)
Apr 24 - Asteroid 2368 Beltrovata Closest Approach to Earth (1.372 AU)
Apr 26 - Cassini, 1st Venus Flyby
Apr 26 - Kuiper Belt Object 1994 JQ1 at Opposition (41.980 AU - 23.3
Magnitude)
Apr 26 - 5th Anniversary (1993), Discovery of Asteroid 7066 Nessus by
Spacewatch
Apr 26 - 5th Anniversary (1993), STS-55 Launch (Columbia), Spacelab D2
Apr 26 - 150th Anniversary (1848), Graham's Discovery of Asteroid 9
Metis
Apr 26-30 - Space 98 & Robotics 98 Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Apr 27-28 - Leonid Meteorid Storm and Satellite Threat Conference,
Manhattan Beach, California
Apr 27-30 - AIAA 8th International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems
and Technologies Conference, Norfolk, Virginia
Apr 27-May 01 - 3rd IAA Low Cost Planetary Missions Conference,
Pasadena, California
Apr 27-May 01 - Euroconference on Extrasolar Planets: Formation,
Detection and Modeling, Lisbon, Portugal
Apr 27-May 03 - Astronomy Week
Apr 28 - Islamic New Year
Apr 28 - Asteroid 1243 Pamela Occults SAO 162175 (8.2 Magnitude Star)
Apr 28 - Eugene Shoemaker's 70th Birthday (1928)
Apr 28-May 01 - 35th Space Congress: Horizons Unlimited, Cocoa Beach,
Florida
Apr 29 - Asteroid 191 Kolga Occults SAO 95322 (8.0 Magnitude Star)
Apr 30 - Eutelsat W1 Atlas IIAS Launch
Apr 30 - Galileo, Orbital Trim Maneuver #46 (OTM-46)
Apr 30 - Asteroid 32 Pomona at Opposition (10.2 Magnitude)
Apr 30 - Asteroid 216 Kleopatra Occults GSC 56961723 (10.8 Magnitude
Star))
Apr 30-May 01 - Workshop on In Situ Resources for Construction of
Planetary Outposts, Albuqueque, New Mexico
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SpaceViews -- March 1998 by Boston NSS [14/14]
Привет всем!
Вот, свалилось из Internet...
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Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Lunar Prospector Update - February 18, 1998
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Lunar Prospector Status Report #20
Feburary 18, 1998 - 7:00 p.m. EST (4:00 p.m. PST)
The Lunar Prospector spacecraft continues to
perform very well, and all instruments continue to
collect good data, according to Mission Control at
NASA's Ames Research Center. The current state of
the vehicle (as of 4:00 p.m. (PST) on Wed., Feb.
18, 1998), according to Mission Operations Manager
Marcie Smith, is as follow:
Orbit Number: 455
Data Downlink Rate: 3600 bps
Spacecraft Spin Rate: 11.94 rpm
Spin Axis Attitude: Longitude: 350 deg
Latitude: 88.6 deg
Trajectory: Periselene: 85km Aposelene:
115 km
Period: 118 minutes duration
Occultations: 43 minutes duration
Inclination: 90.3 deg
Eclipses: 42 minutes duration
Last week, a small re-orientation maneuver was
performed in order to reposition the spacecraft so
that the sun shines slightly atop the vehicle.
Mission controllers performed the maneuver on
Tues., Feb. 10, 1998 according to the following
schedule: Thruster heaters turned on: 2:29 p.m.
(PST) A1/A4 thrusters fired (12 0.2 second pulses):
2:55 p.m. (PST) Thruster parameters reset: 2:57
p.m. (PST) A total of 13 commands were executed to
perform this maneuver, which was expected to shift
the spacecraft's spin axis by 1.7 degrees. This
would have placed the sun equatorial angle at 1.0
degrees. Actual performance was slightly higher
than expected, shifting the vehicle's spin axis
approximately 1.84 degrees and putting the sun
equatorial angle at 1.25 degrees.
Alison Davis
Lunar Prospector Mission Office
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, Calif. 94035
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: NASA Sponsors Space Station Business Videoconference
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Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington, DC February 25, 1998
(Phone: 202/358-1979)
NOTE TO EDITORS: N98-21
NASA SPONSORS SPACE STATION BUSINESS VIDEOCONFERENCE
NASA's International Space Station Program is sponsoring a live,
interactive, 2-hour telecast on Thursday, Feb. 26, 1998, from 1 - 3 p.m. EST.
The program, called "Open for Business," will give research and
business professionals an inside look at the areas of scientific
and commercial research being pursued on the station.
The International Space Station, scheduled to begin assembly
this year, will be a world-class research laboratory enabling
long-term research in the nearly gravity-free environment of space.
The program will feature briefings on how space station
research can advance the fields of biotechnology, materials
processing and agriculture. Participants also will learn more
about space-based research plans, benefits and opportunities.
Viewers will be placed in touch with a panel of NASA experts,
university and commercial researchers, and investors, who will
take questions regarding the commercial possibilities aboard the
space station.
"Open for Business" will be viewed by a national audience via
satellite downlink at more than 600 sites. To find a downlink
site near you, go to the PBS Web site at:
http://www.pbs.org/als/programs/live
- end -
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: NASA Terminates Clark Earth Science Mission
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David E. Steitz
Headquarters, Washington, DC February 25, 1998
(Phone: 202/358-1730)
RELEASE: 98-35
NASA TERMINATES CLARK EARTH SCIENCE MISSION
After an extensive review, NASA has partially terminated the
Clark Earth science mission due to mission costs, launch schedule
delays, and concerns over the on-orbit capabilities the mission
might provide. NASA will retain launch vehicle services.
The Clark mission was part of NASA's Small Satellite
Technology Initiative (SSTI) program, originally scheduled for
launch in mid-1996. Named after the famous American explorer
William Clark, the Clark spacecraft was to provide a very high
resolution optical element with stereo imaging capabilities that
would provide NASA's former Office of Mission to Planet Earth (the
current Earth Sciences enterprise) with useful environmental data.
Imagery provided from Clark also would have been available
commercially with applications such as helping city planners
assess community growth from the unique perspective of space and
providing space surveys of construction sites.
The Clark mission's prime contractor was originally a company
named CTA, with a launch vehicle to be provided by Martin Marietta
Astronautics. Since the start of the program, CTA has been
purchased by Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, VA, and Martin
Marietta Astronautics was merged with the Lockheed Corporation
which formed a new company, Lockheed Martin Aerospace, Bethesda, MD.
In June 1994, there was an industry-led competition to build,
launch and operate Clark, based on a March 1996 launch. To date,
NASA has invested approximately $55 million in Clark. The Agency
expects to recover some assets of the mission, such as some spacecraft
payloads, components and subsystems which may be used on other NASA projects.
-end-
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Spaceweek - March 1-7
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Spaceweek International Association
1110 NASA Road One, Suite 100
Houston, TX 77058
Toll-Free: 800-20-SPACE
www.spaceweek.org
Contact: Lynda Wright
Phone: 281-333-3627
Fax: 281-335-0229
Email: admin@spaceweek.org
For Immediate Release
Spaceweek -- March 1-7
Spaceweek, March 1-7, will feature former President George Bush, a
world convention of students, and thousands of teachers using space in
the classroom. Numerous activities are planned.
Major events during Spaceweek this year will include:
* World convention of Young Astronauts March 7 in Tampa's Museum of
Science & Industry
* Rotary National Space Award presented to Bush at Space Center
Houston on March 6
* Members of ProSpace lobbying Congress throughout Spaceweek in
Washington, D.C.
* K-12 teachers in Silicon Valley, Houston, and elsewhere using space
to teach math and science
"Spaceweek is an annual event that involves the public in space in a
variety of ways," said Dennis Stone, President of Spaceweek International
Association. Participants include science museums, NASA centers,
aerospace companies, and schools across the U.S. Events are also
planned in other countries.
The Association, which recently moved Spaceweek into the school year,
placed 4,000 Spaceweek Teacher Kits into schools with assistance from
Space Systems/Loral, Lockheed Martin, Hughes Space and
Communications, AlliedSignal Technical Services, and other corporations.
Spaceweek International Association is a non-profit organization founded
in 1981 to strengthen the relationship between government and the public
on space. In 1997, it expanded its program to include direct support to
schools, including teacher grants and student scholarships.
Teachers this year are competing for grants and OMEGA Speedmaster
Original Moon Watches by creatively using Spaceweek in the classroom.
Students are competing for scholarships by doing projects during
Spaceweek, such as designing a new sport that can only be played in
space.
"We invite everyone to participate in Spaceweek, the first week of March
each year," Stone said. For more information, call 800-20-SPACE or visit
www.spaceweek.org.
"Space: For All Mankind" is the theme for Spaceweek 1998. "In 1969, Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left a plaque with these words on the Moon. In
1998, this vision unfolds with the first planned launch of the International
Space Station," Stone said. "As we remember Apollo, the International
Space Station heralds a new era of global cooperation in space," he
added.
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=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: WDC-A R&S Launch Announcement 12921: SNOE and BATSAT
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COSPAR/ISES
WORLD WARNING AGENCY FOR SATELLITES
WORLD DATA CENTER-A FOR R & S, NASA/GSFC
CODE 633, GREENBELT, MARYLAND, 20771. USA
SPACEWARN 12921
COSPAR/WWAS USSPACECOM NUMBER
SPACECRAFT INTERNATIONAL ID (CATALOG NUMBER) LAUNCH DATE,UT
SNOE 1998-012A 25233 26 FEBRUARY 1998
BATSAT 1998-012B 25234 26 FEBRUARY 1998
..JOSEPH H. KING, DIRECTOR, WDC-A-R&S.
[PH: (301) 286 7355.
E-MAIL: KING@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV
26 FEBRUARY 1998, 13:50 UT]
Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II
_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ Mail Code 633
_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ NASA Goddard Space
_/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ Flight Center
_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Greenbelt, MD 20771
_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ +1-301-286-1187
ed.bell@gsfc.nasa.gov
NSSDC home page: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Cambridge Conference Digest - February 27, 1998 [1/2]
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CAMBRIDGE-CONFERENCE DIGEST, 27 February 1998
(1) SORRY PEOPLE, BUT I MADE A BIT OF A BOO-BOO
Charles Darwin <C.R.Darwin@Westminster.Abbey.uk>
(2) A MODEL OF MASS EXTINCTION
M.E.J. Newman, CORNELL UNIVERSITY
(3) EJECTA LAYER AT THE K/T BOUNDARY IN NEW JERSEY
R.K. Olsson et al., RUTGERS STATE UNIVERSITY
(4) ROADBLOCKS ON THE KILL CURVE: TESTING THE RAUP HYPOTHESIS
C.W. Poag, US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
(5) MASS EXTINCTIONS AND THE SUN'S ENCOUNTERS WITH SPIRAL ARMS
E.M. Leitch and G. Vasisht, CALTECH
(6) LOOKING AT THE K/T BOUNDARY IN THE WESTERN PYRENEES
E. Apellaniz et al., EUSKAL HERRIKO UNIBERTSITATEA
(7) EVALUATING THE FLUCTUATION OF MASS EXTINCTIONS AND RECOVERY
M.L. Droser et al., UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
(8) THE CRETACEOUS-TERTIARY BIOTIC TRANSITION
N. Macleod et al., NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
(9) NONLINEAR DYNAMICS AND MASS EXTINCTIONS
R.V. Sole et al., UNIVERSITY POLITECHNIC OF CATALUNYA
(1) SORRY PEOPLE, BUT I MADE A BIT OF A BOO-BOO
From: Charles Darwin <C.R.Darwin@Westminster.Abbey>
Hi folks,
Having followed your research and debates for some while, I think it's
about time to confess that I no longer adhere to the main
conclusions (attached below) of my controversial book published
some 140 years ago. I am sure you will be lenient with me; after
all, I used to be a fellow catastrophist in my early days. I've
come to realise that I got it terribly wrong when I converted to
Lyell's uniformitarian creed. After more than 90 years of sessions
with my psycho-analyst, I now believe that the crisis which
triggered this sudden conversion was not so much due to my
relationship to my mother but rather caused by post-traumatic
stress syndrom from which I suffered under the impact of the
Chilean earthquake. So leave Oedipus out of the deabte.
Cheers, Charly
P.S. I have attached the main paragraph of my flawed theory which
has now become merely of historical interest:
"As all living forms of life are the lineal descendants of
those which lived long before the Silurian epoch, we may feel
certain that the ordinary succession by generation has never
been broken, and that no cataclysm has desolated the whole
world. Hence we may look with some confidence to a secure
future of equally inappreciable length. And as natural
selection works solely by and for the good of each being, all
corporeal and mental environments will tend to progress towards
perfection" (On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural
Selection: or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the
Struggle for Life, 1859)
(2) A MODEL OF MASS EXTINCTION
M.E.J. Newman: A model of mass extinction. JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL
BIOLOGY, 1997, Vol.189, No.3, pp.235-252
CORNELL UNIVERSITY, CTR THEORY, RHODES HALL, ITHACA, NY, 14853, USA
In the last few years a number of authors have suggested that evolution
may be a so-called self-organized critical phenomenon, and that
critical processes might have a significant effect on the dynamics of
ecosystems. In particular it has been suggested that mass extinction
may arise through a purely biotic mechanism as the result of
'coevolutionary avalanches'. In this paper we first explore the
empirical evidence which has been put forward in favor of this
conclusion. The data center principally around the existence of
power-law functional forms in the distribution of the sizes of
extinction events and other quantities. We then propose a new
mathematical model of mass extinction which does not rely on
coevolutionary effects and in which extinction is caused entirely by
the action of environmental stress on species. In combination with a
simple model of species adaption we show that this process can account
for all the observed data without the need to invoke coevolution and
critical processes. The model also makes some independent predictions,
such as the existence of 'aftershock' extinctions in the aftermath of
large mass extinction events, which should in theory be testable
against the fossil record. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.
(3) EJECTA LAYER AT THE K/T BOUNDARY IN NEW JERSEY
R.K. Olsson*), K.G. Miller, J.V. Browning, D. Habib, P.J. Sugarman:
Ejecta layer at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, Bass River, New
Jersey (Ocean Drilling Program Leg 174AX). GEOLOGY, 1997, Vol.25, No.8,
pp.759-762
*) RUTGERS STATE UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCE,
PISCATAWAY, NJ, 08855
A continuously cored borehole drilled at Bass River, New Jersey,
recovered a Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) succession with a dcm-thick
spherule layer immediately above the boundary. Below the spherule
layer, the Cretaceous glauconitic clay is extensively burrowed and
contains the uppermost Maastrichtian Micula prinsii calcareous
nannofossil zone. Spherical impressions of spherules at the top of the
Cretaceous indicate nearly instantaneous deposition of ejecta from the
Chicxulub impact. The thickest ejecta layer shows clearly that a single
impact occurred precisely at K-T boundary time. Above the spherule
layer, the glauconitic clay contains the planktonic foraminiferal PO
and Pa Zones, indicating (1) a complete K-T succession and (2)
continuous deposition interrupted only by fallout of the ejecta layer.
Clay clasts within a 6 cm interval above the spherule layer contain
Cretaceous microfossils and may be rip-up clasts from a tsunami or
possibly a megastorm event. Extinction of the Cretaceous planktonic
foraminifers and burrowing organisms occurs abruptly at the K-T
boundary. Thus, the Bass River K-T succession unequivocally links the
Chicxulub bolide impact to the mass extinctions at the end of the
Mesozoic. Copyright 1998, Institute for Scientific Information Inc.
(4) ROADBLOCKS ON THE KILL CURVE: TESTING THE RAUP HYPOTHESIS
C.W. Poag: Roadblocks on the kill curve: Testing the Raup hypothesis.
PALAIOS, 1997, Vol.12, No.6, pp.582-590
US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 384 WOODS HOLE RD, WOODS HOLE, MA, 02543
The documented presence of two large (similar to 100-km diameter),
possibly coeval impact craters of late Eocene age, requires
modification of the impact-kill curve proposed by David M. Raup. Though
the estimated meteorite size for each crater alone is large enough to
have produced considerable global environmental stress, no horizons of
mass mortality or pulsed extinction are known to be associated with
either crater or their ejecta deposits. Thus, either there is no fixed
relationship between extinction magnitude and crater diameter, or a
meteorite that would produce a crater of > 100-km diameter is required
to raise extinction rates significantly above a similar to 5%
background level. Both impacts took place similar to 1 - 2 m.y. before
the ''Terminal Eocene Event'' (= early Oligocene pulsed extinction).
Their collective long-term environmental effects, however, may have
either delayed that extinction pulse or produced threshold conditions
necessary for it to take place. Copyright 1998, Institute for
Scientific Information Inc.
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=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Cambridge Conference Digest - February 27, 1998 [2/2]
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(5) MASS EXTINCTIONS AND THE SUN'S ENCOUNTERS WITH SPIRAL ARMS
E.M. Leitch and G. Vasisht: Mass extinctions and the sun's encounters
with spiral arms. NEW ASTRONOMY, 1997, Vol.3, No.1, pp.51-56
CALTECH,PASADENA,CA,91125
The terrestrial fossil record shows that the exponential rise
in biodiversity since the Precambrian period has been punctuated by
large extinctions, at intervals of 40 to 140 Myr. These mass
extinctions represent extremes over a background of smaller events and
the natural process of species extinction. We point out that the
non-terrestrial phenomena proposed to explain these events, such as
boloidal impacts (a candidate for the end-Cretaceous extinction) and
nearby supernovae, are collectively far more effective during the solar
system's traversal of spiral arms. Using the best available data on the
location and kinematics of the Galactic spiral structure (including
distance scale and kinematic uncertainties), we present evidence that
arm crossings provide a viable explanation for the timing of the large
extinctions. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.
(6) LOOKING AT THE K/T BOUNDARY IN THE WESTERN PYRENEES
E. Apellaniz*), J.I. Baceta, G. Bernaola Bilbao, K. Nunez Betelu,
X. Orue Etxebarria, A. Payros, V. Pujalte, E. Robin, and R. Rocchia:
Analysis of uppermost Cretaceous lowermost Tertiary hemipelagic
successions in the Basque Country (western Pyrenees): evidence for a
sudden extinction of more than half planktic foraminifer species at the
K/T boundary. BULLETIN DE LA SOCIETE GEOLOGIQUE DE FRANCE, 1997,
Vol.168, No.6, pp.783-793
*) EUSKAL HERRIKO UNIBERTSITATEA,ZIENTZI FAK,ESTRATIG & PALEONTOL
SAILA, 644 POSTAKUTXA, BILBAO, BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN
This paper summarises our current knowledge about 21 sections across
the K/T boundary from the Basque Country (western Pyrenees), all of
them comprising intermediate-deep basinal facies. This study allowed us
to establish that Sopelana III and Bidart are the best sections for
analysing the extinction of the planktic foraminifers at the K/T
boundary. Detailed analyses of planktic foraminifers from four new
sections allow us to differentiate four biozones, one at the end of the
Cretaceous and three at the beginning of the Tertiary. These analyses
further show that 63 Upper Maastrichtian planktic foraminifers species
reached the boundary where 33 species became extinct. The study also
shows that some species decrease markedly in abundance in the last few
metres of the Cretaceous prior to the extinction event which could be
related to environmental changes at the end of the Maastrichtian. More
than 50 % of the planktic foraminifers, that is 33 species, became
extinct at the end of the Cretaceous. However, most of the extinct
species were rare and only about 20 % of the total Cretaceous
assemblages are involved in the extinction event. The 30 surviving
species, that is less than 50 % of the Cretaceous species, later
disappear through the Pr. longiapertura and P. pseudobulloides biozones
of the beginning of the Tertiary. Above the K/T boundary, samples are
far poorer in planktic foraminifer specimens than those from the
uppermost Maastrichtian and include 16 Tertiary species. Moreover,
together with this extinction event there are impact markers (iridium
and Ni-rich spinels), as well as a high concentration of soot at the
beginning of the Danian at the Sopelana III section. This strengthens
the hypothesis of a causal link between the impact and WT extinctions.
Copyright 1998, Institute for Scientific Information Inc.
(7) EVALUATING THE FLUCTUATION OF MASS EXTINCTIONS AND RECOVERY
M.L. Droser*), D.J. Bottjer, and P.M. Sheehan: Evaluating the
ecological architecture of major events in the Phanerozoic history of
marine invertebrate life. GEOLOGY, 1997, Vol.25, No.2, pp.167-170
*) UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE, DEPARTMENT OF EARTH
SCIENCE, RIVERSIDE,CA,92521
Paleoecological changes associated with Phanerozoic mass extinctions
and radiations can be categorized into four nonhierarchical,
nonadditive levels. First-level changes include colonization of a new
ecosystem. Structural changes within an established ecosystem represent
the second level, changes within an already established ecological
structure are the third level, and taxonomic changes within a community
represent the fourth level. Applying these levels to the Ordovician
radiation, end-Ordovician extinction and Silurian recovery, as well as
the end-Permian extinction and Triassic recovery, demonstrate that
paleoecological changes associated with these major events can be
evaluated and compared in a more rigorous manner than previously done.
Results of this analysis demonstrate that use of these levels indicates
that the relative magnitude of an event as measured by taxonomic
criteria may be decoupled from its paleoecological significance.
Copyright 1998, Institute for Scientific Information Inc.
(8) THE CRETACEOUS-TERTIARY BIOTIC TRANSITION
N. Macleod*), P.F. Rawson, P.L. Forey, F.T. Banner, M.K. Boudagher
Fadel, P.R. Brown, J.A. Burnett, P. Chambers, S. Culver, S.E. Evans, C.
Jeffery, M.A. Kaminski, A.R. Lord, A.C. Milner, A.R. Milner, N. Morris,
E. Owen, B.R. Rosen, A.B. Smith, P.D. Taylor, E. Urquhart, J.R. Young:
The Cretaceous-Tertiary biotic transition. JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL
SOCIETY, 1997, Vol.154, No.Pt2, pp.265-292
*) NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, DEPT PALAEONTOLOGY, CROMWELL RD, LONDON SW7
5BD, ENGLAND
Mass extinctions are recognized through the study of fossil groups
across event horizons, and from analyses of long-term trends in
taxonomic richness and diversify. Both approaches have inherent flaws:
and data that once seemed reliable can be readily superseded by the
discovery of new fossils and/or the application of new analytical
techniques. Herein the current state of the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T)
biostratigraphical record is reviewed for most major fossil clades,
including: calcareous nannoplankton, dinoflagellates, diatoms,
radiolaria, foraminifera, ostracodes, scleractinian corals, bryozoans,
brachiopods, molluscs, echinoderms, fish, amphibians, reptiles and
terrestrial plants (macrofossils and palynomorphs). These reviews take
account of possible biasing factors in the fossil record in order to
extract the most comprehensive picture of the K-T biotic crisis
available. Results suggest that many faunal and floral groups
(ostracodes, bryozoa, ammonite cephalopods, bivalves, archosaurs) were
in decline throughout the latest Maastrichtian while others (diatoms,
radiolaria, benthic foraminifera, brachiopods, gastropods, fish,
amphibians, lepidosaurs, terrestrial plants) passed through the K-T
event horizon with only minor taxonomic richness and/or diversity
changes. A few microfossil groups (calcareous nannoplankton,
dinoflagellates, planktonic foraminifera) did experience a turnover of
varying magnitudes in the latest Maastrichtian-earliest Danian.
However, many of these turnovers, along with changes in ecological
dominance patterns among benthic foraminifera, began in the latest
Maastrichtian. Improved taxonomic estimates of the overall pattern and
magnitude of the K-T extinction event must await the development of
more reliable systematic and phylogenetic data for all Upper Cretaceous
clades. Copyright 1998, Institute for Scientific Information Inc.
(9) NONLINEAR DYNAMICS AND MASS EXTINCTIONS
R.V. Sole*), S.C. Manrubia, M. Benton, P. Bak: Self-similarity of
extinction statistics in the fossil record. NATURE, 1997, Vol.388,
No.6644, pp.764-767
*) UNIVERSITY POLITECHNIC OF CATALUNYA, DEPT PHYS FEN, CAMPUS NORD,
MODUL B4,ES-08034 BARCELONA,SPAIN
The dynamical processes underlying evolution over geological timescales
remain unclear. Analyses of time series of the fossil record have
highlighted the possible signature of periodicity in mass extinctions,
perhaps owing to external influences such as meteorite impacts. More
recently the fluctuations in the evolutionary record have been proposed
to result from intrinsic nonlinear dynamics for which self-organized
criticality provides an appropriate theoretical framework. A
consequence of this controversial conjecture is that the fluctuations
should be self-similar, exhibiting scaling behaviour like that seen in
other biological and socioeconomic systems. The self-similar character
is described by a 1/f power spectrum P(f), which measures the
contributions of each frequency f to the overall time series. If
self-similarity is present, then P(f) approximate to f(-beta) with 0 <
beta < 2, This idea has not been sufficiently tested, however, owing to
a lack of adequate data. Here we explore the statistical fluctuation
structure of several time series obtained from available
palaeontological data bases, particularly the new 'Fossil Record 2'. We
find that these data indeed show self-similar fluctuations
characterized by a 1/f spectrum. These findings support the idea that a
nonlinear response of the biosphere to perturbations provides the main
mechanism for the distribution of extinction events. Copyright 1998,
Institute for Scientific Information Inc.
THE CAMBRIDGE-CONFERENCE NETWORK
The Cambridge-Conference List is a scholarly electronic network
moderated by Dr Benny J Peiser at Liverpool John Moores University,
United Kingdom. It is the aim of this network to disseminate
information and research findings related to i) geological and
historical neo-catastrophism, ii) NEO research and the hazards to
civilisation due to comets, asteroids and meteor streams, and iii) the
development of a planetary civilisation capable of protecting itself
against cosmic disasters. To subscribe, please contact Benny J Peiser
<b.j.peiser@livjm.ac.uk>. Information circulated on this network is
for scholarly and educational use only. The attached information may
not be copied or reproduced for any other purposes without prior
permission of the copyright holders.
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=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Mars Surveyor 98 Update - February 27, 1998
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Mars Surveyor 98 Project Status Report
February 27, 1998
John McNamee
Mars Surveyor 98 Project Manager
Orbiter and lander integration and test activities are proceeding on
schedule with no significant problems. Acoustic testing of the orbiter was
completed successfully on Feb 25. Orbiter electromagnetic compatibility
testing will be conducted next week. Mechanical integration of the lander
to the cruise configuration is in process. Installation of the landing
legs, medium gain antenna, and solar arrays on the lander is complete and
the vehicle will be encapsulated within the aeroshell next week. The
lander spacecraft in full cruise configuration will be transported to the
acoustics lab at Lockheed Martin on March 9.
For more information on the Mars Surveyor 98 mission, please visit
the following web site:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/
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=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Sky & Telescope News Bulletin - February 27, 1998
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SKY & TELESCOPE'S NEWS BULLETIN
FEBRUARY 27, 1998
CARIBBEAN ECLIPSE PARTY
On Thursday, February 26th, thousands, if not millions, of people witnessed the
total solar eclipse, either in person or virtually. Millions more viewed the
partial phases, which were visible from much of North and South America. The
lucky were able to journey to northern South America and Caribbean islands such
as Aruba and Guadeloupe to gaze at about 3 minutes of totality. According to
SKY
& TELESCOPE's Leif Robinson, who witnessed the eclipse aboard Holland America's
Statendam, the Caribbean was littered with floating eclipse enthusiasts. At
least nine large cruise ships and countless smaller vessels huddled along the
centerline. Robinson estimated that 12,000 people experienced the spectacle of
the eclipse coupled with the luxury of a cruise. Meanwhile, thousands of others
hid from the eclipse. Superstitions led people in Venezuela and Haiti to shield
themselves from the presumed ill effects of the celestial event.
For those who couldn't travel to the tropics, more than a dozen individuals and
organizations attempted to serve up the eclipse as an Internet broadcast.
Traffic on these Web sites was heavy, and dragged activity to a crawl in some
cases. You'll be able to see the resulting images in coming weeks by checking
the links to the "Webcasts" on SKY Online
(http://www.skypub.com/eclipses/s980226c.html). More serious eclipse research
was also performed during the eclipse. Scientists from NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center studied the magnetic activity of the solar corona, and
simultaneous observations were made using the Solar and Heliospheric
Observatory
(SOHO) and Ulysses spacecraft.
"RECYCLING" MMT
On March 1st, the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) atop Mount Hopkins, Arizona,
will close -- but not permanently. Over the next month and a half, the
telescope
will be disassembled so that MMT's current array of six 72-inch-diameter
mirrors
will be replaced by a single 6.5-meter mirror. The telescope's new mirror cell,
telescope structure, mirror-aluminizing chamber and steel "dummy" mirror, will
be moved to the top of Mount Hopkins in April. The dummy mirror will be
installed in the reconfigured telescope for tests throughout the summer. First
light for the 6.5-meter MMT will be mid- to late fall 1998. Astronomers will
start using the telescope for science by early 1999. The facility is operated
by
the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution. And while the
telescope will no longer be "multiple," the old acronym will remain.
AN EVENING OCCULTATION OF ALDEBARAN
If you're in the Northeast or surrounding regions or in the eastern Caribbean,
don't miss the gorgeous occultation of the bright star Aldebaran by the
first-quarter Moon early in the evening of March 4th. This should be a great
naked-eye event if the sky is clear! Skywatchers farther west will need a
telescope to watch the occultation through bright twilight or daylight. For
full
details see the March SKY & TELESCOPE, page 98, or
http://www.skypub.com/occults/aldebaran/980304a.html.
THIS WEEK'S "SKY AT A GLANCE"
Some daily events in the changing sky, from the editors of SKY & TELESCOPE.
MARCH 1 -- SUNDAY
* Look for Saturn to the lower right of the Moon early this evening.
MARCH 2 -- MONDAY
* The red long-period variable stars S Canis Minoris and R Aurigae should
be at their maximum brightness (7th or 8th magnitude) around this date.
MARCH 3 -- TUESDAY
* Some twilight star watching: Lie on your back and look overhead as dusk
fades this week. How early can you see the bright star Capella glimmering
into view?
MARCH 4 -- WEDNESDAY
* Don't miss the gorgeous occultation of the bright star Aldebaran by the
first-quarter Moon early this evening, if you're in the Northeast or
surrounding regions or in the eastern Caribbean. This should be a great
naked-eye event if the sky is clear! Skywatchers farther west will need a
telescope to watch the occultation through bright twilight or daylight. Try
timing it with a camcorder! For full details see the March Sky & Telescope,
page 98, or http://www.skypub.com/occults/aldebaran/980304a.html.
MARCH 5 -- THURSDAY
* Can you spot Mercury yet, low in the western twilight? Look very low due
west 30 or 40 minutes after sunset. Mercury is about 5 or 6 degrees to the
lower right of Mars, which is only a tenth as bright. Watch them close in on
each other for the next five days.
MARCH 6 -- FRIDAY
* This evening the Moon stands in the feet of Gemini, about midway between
Pollux and Castor (to its upper left in early evening) and Orion (to its
lower right).
MARCH 7 -- SATURDAY
* As twilight fades, how early can you first see Sirius, the brightest star
in the night sky? Look for it in the south-southeast, far to the lower right
of the Moon this evening. How early can you see fainter Procyon, about a third
as far from the Moon in more or less the same direction?
============================
THIS WEEK'S PLANET ROUNDUP
============================
MERCURY should be detectable in the glow of evening twilight late this week,
just above the western horizon. Don't confuse it with fainter Mars to its
upper left. They're both located very far to the lower right of Saturn.
VENUS shines brightly in the southeast during dawn.
MARS, magnitude +1.2, is disappearing into the sunset. It's to the upper left
of brighter Mercury.
JUPITER is hidden behind the glare of the Sun.
SATURN shines rather low in the western sky (at magnitude +0.6) during and
after dusk.
URANUS and NEPTUNE are barely emerging from the glow of sunrise.
PLUTO, magnitude 13.8, is near the Ophiuchus-Scorpius border in the
south-southeast before dawn.
(All descriptions that relate to the horizon or zenith are written for the
world's midnorthern latitudes. Descriptions that also depend on longitude
are for North America. Eastern Standard Time, EST, equals Universal Time
minus 5 hours.)
More details, sky maps, and news of other celestial events appear each month
in SKY & TELESCOPE, the essential magazine of astronomy. See our Web site at
http://www.skypub.com/. Clear skies!
SKY & TELESCOPE, P.O. Box 9111, Belmont, MA 02178 * 617-864-7360 (voice)
Copyright 1998 Sky Publishing Corporation. S&T's Weekly News Bulletin and
Sky at a Glance stargazing calendar are provided as a service to the
astronomical community by the editors of SKY & TELESCOPE magazine.
Widespread electronic distribution is encouraged as long as these paragraphs
are included. But the text of the bulletin and calendar may not be
published in any other form without permission from Sky Publishing (contact
permissions@skypub.com or phone 617-864-7360). Illustrated versions,
including active links to related Internet resources, are available via SKY
Online on the World Wide Web at http://www.skypub.com/.
In response to numerous requests, and in cooperation with the Astronomical
League (http://www.mcs.net/~bstevens/al/) and the American Association of
Amateur Astronomers (http://www.corvus.com/), S&T's Weekly News Bulletin and
Sky at a Glance are available via electronic mailing list too. For a free
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SKY & TELESCOPE, the Essential Magazine of Astronomy, is read by more than
200,000 enthusiasts each month. It is available on newsstands worldwide.
For subscription information, or for a free copy of our catalog of fine
astronomy books and products, please contact Sky Publishing Corp., P.O. Box
9111, Belmont, MA 02178-9111, U.S.A. Phone: 800-253-0245 (U.S. and
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custserv@skypub.com. SKY Online: http://www.skypub.com/. Clear skies!
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=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Cassini Update - February 27, 1998
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Cassini Significant Event Report
For Week Ending 02/27/98
MSO Significant Events input for week of Friday, 02/20 through Thursday,
02/26:
Spacecraft Status:
The Cassini spacecraft is presently traveling at a speed relative to the
sun of approximately 135,000 kilometers/hour (~83,000 mph) and has
traveled approximately 343 million kilometers (~213 million miles) since
launch on October 15, 1997.
The most recent Spacecraft status is from the DSN tracking pass on
Thursday, 02/26, over Canberra. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent
state of health and is operating nominally, with the C6 sequence executing
onboard.
Inertial attitude control is being maintained using the spacecraft's
hydrazine thrusters (RCS system). The spacecraft continues to fly in a
High Gain Antenna-to-Sun attitude. It will maintain the HGA-to-Sun
attitude, except for planned trajectory correction maneuvers, for the
first 14 months of flight.
Communication with Earth during early cruise is via one of the
spacecraft's two low-gain antennas; the antenna selected depends on the
relative geometry of the Sun, Earth and the spacecraft. The downlink
telemetry rate is presently 40 bps.
Spacecraft Activity Summary:
On Friday, 02/20, the Solid State Recorder (SSR) record and playback
pointers were reset, according to plan. This housekeeping activity, done
approximately weekly, maximizes the amount of time that recorded
engineering data is available for playback to the ground should an anomaly
occur on the spacecraft.
On Saturday, 02/21, Sunday, 02/22, and Monday, 02/23, there were no
changes in spacecraft configuration.
On Monday, 02/23, the mini-sequence containing Cassini's second Trajectory
Correction Maneuver was approved for uplink to the spacecraft.
On Tuesday, 02/24, the TCM2 mini-sequence was uplinked to the spacecraft.
Also on Tuesday, the SSR record and playback pointers were reset, per
plan, in preparation for the TCM.
On Wednesday, 02/25, Cassini's second Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM)
was performed at approximately Noon, PST. Because the magnitude of the
needed trajectory correction was very small, the TCM2 maneuver was
conducted using the spacecraft's hydrazine thrusters, rather than one of
its main engines. Realtime data gave preliminary indications of a good
burn; this result was confirmed later Wednesday afternoon using
high-resolution telemetry played back from the SSR. The total change in
spacecraft velocity (delta-V magnitude) was approximately 0.18 meters/sec,
as planned. All spacecraft and ground components performed superbly. The
TCM2 maneuver puts the spacecraft on target for its final adjustment
(TCM3, scheduled for early April) prior to the 26 April flyby of Venus.
On Thursday, 02/26, there were no changes to spacecraft configuration.
Upcoming spacecraft events:
Events for the week of 02/27 through 03/05 include: a reset of the SSR
pointers (03/03), SSR Flight Software Partition Maintenance (03/04), and
an adjustment of the PCA Panel HTR thresholds and unmasking of the 158bps
telemetry mode (03/05).
DSN Coverage:
Over the past week Cassini had 14 DSN tracks occurring daily from Friday
(02/20), through Thursday (02/26). In the coming week there will be 8 DSN
passes.
Nicole Rappaport has left the Science Office to take up duties on the
Genesis Project at JPL. She will remain, however, as a Team Member on RSS.
Two new people have been hired to work in the area of "science system
engineering." Both have PhDs in the fields related to planetary science.
Kevin Grazier received his PhD from UCLA, and Stuart Stephens received his PhD
degree at Caltech.
A presentation about the Cassini Mission (including the safety of the
Earth swingby) was made by Reed Wilcox at the annual meeting of the United
Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Scientific and
Technical Subcommittee (UNCOPUOS/STSC) in Vienna, Austria. During the
meeting the STSC adopted a joint US/UK/Russia work plan that provides for
a five year effort to develop a technical foundation for future UNCOPUOS
deliberations on space nuclear power sources. The French delegation stated
that within the scope of the work plan, consideration should be given to
NPS safety issues (e.g., the possibility of releases) on surfaces of the
moon and other planets. This concern could lead to public discussions of
the controlled disposal of the Cassini RTGs later in the mission.
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 01 марта 1998 (1998-03-01)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: * SpaceNews 02-Mar-98 *
Привет всем!
Вот, свалилось из Internet...
SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0302
* SpaceNews 02-Mar-98 *
BID: $SPC0302
=========
SpaceNews
=========
MONDAY MARCH 2, 1998
SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It
is published every week and is made available for non-commercial use.
* SCHOOL CONTACTS WITH MIR *
It has been nearly a year since the last SAREX school group talked to
an astronaut on Mir. Since that time, the amateur radio community has
witnessed (through the Mir ham radio link) the collision between the 12
year old Mir space station and the Progress resupply ship in June and
recovery operations by the various Mir crewmembers. Until recently, the
Mir crew's full attention has been focused on recovery from the collision
and restarting the scientific investigations that were abruptly stopped
after the accident.
Monday, 23-Feb-98 marked a new era for the Mir Space Station: The return
of SAREX school group contacts. On the morning of the 23rd at about
7:30 AM PST (15:30 UTC), six youngsters from the Shell Beach Elementary
School in Pismo Beach, CA, made a successful contact with Astronaut Andy
Thomas on the Mir space station. The students were in grades 1 through 6
and were able to ask Andy a total of 10 questions during the approximately
ten minute contact.
The Shell Beach School has been on the contact list for some time and they
were originally scheduled to talk to astronaut Jerry Linenger last April,
but due to technical difficulties on Mir, the contact was postponed until
now. The school had about a weeks notice of the impending contact. During
the week, the children scrambled and practiced several times, getting their
performance just right. After the session with Andy, the kids were very
excited and appreciative of all the effort that the SAREX Work Group, their
school and their teachers put forth to make the contact possible. A group
"Thank You" from the children echoed over the teleconference after contact
with astronaut Thomas was lost.
The contact was made using the Houston Telebridge station (W5RRR) with
Matt Bordelon, KC5BTL, at the controls.
About 150 people attended the SAREX contact including about 75 students.
When the contact was over, one of the students commented, "This was really
cool...a once in a lifetime experience".
The following day, a second SAREX school also completed a successful
interview with astronaut Andy Thomas, KD5CHF. The Prairie Hills Elementary
School in Colorado Springs, Colorado completed a successful direct contact
with Andy on Tuesday 24-Feb-98.
After hearing that the second school group contact was successful, Frank
Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT's Vice President for Manned Space Programs said, "It
gives me great pleasure to know that the school group logjam is finally
starting to clear. It was exciting to hear the student's reactions to the
contacts and rewarding to know that we have provided an experience to the
communities of Shell Beach and to Prairie Hills that they will never
forget".
Rob Roller, N7LV, submitted the following comments following the Praire
Hills Elementary SAREX school group contact with Andy Thomas on Mir:
"What a thrill! About 300-400 kids in the gym, all three networks with a
video crew there, 10 excited kids waiting to ask their questions, and a
great crew of radio operators and video camera operators. All of this
came together at slightly after 9:07 this morning when we finally made
the contact with Andy Thomas on Mir.
All the people in the gym watched closely as the overhead display showed Mir
on its track to Colorado Springs while they listened to the static over the
gym's PA speakers. When Andy Thomas' voice broke through, I'm sure I could
hear plenty of suppressed "Yea!" expressions. Andy talked for several
seconds, describing what he's doing on the Mir. Then the kids asked their
questions and Andy answered all that he could hear. By the seventh question,
Mir was dropping rapidly toward the horizon and we were losing the signal
quickly. Unfortunately only six questions were answered by Andy, but the
rest were answered by our two speakers.
Following the contact, two speakers answered yet more questions for about
another half an hour from excited kids. Major Mike Caylor from the USAFA
and Eric Joern, with about 10 years experience training the astronauts,
answered many more questions for the next 30 or 40 minutes."
Rob extends his sincere thanks to all who helped make this contact a reality.
SAREX currently has a backlog of 60 to 80 schools that have been waiting
patiently for a schedule to speak to an astronaut in space for the past
several years. SAREX is not currently accepting any new applications for
contacts. Further information on SAREX/MAREX school schedules can be found
on the American Radio Relay League's Web Page at: http://www.arrl.org.
[Info via Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and Miles Mann, WF1F]
* HONOR FOR G3AAJ *
Ron Broadbent, G3AAJ, was honored by the Radio Society of Great Britain
(RSGB) last Sunday, 22 February, when he was presented with their Louis
Varney Cup; Louis' callsign, G5RV, may be familiar to some.
The cup is in the gift of the RSGB's VHF Committee; it is presented
annually for "advances in space communication".
Ron's 20 years of service as Secretary of AMSAT-UK, before his retirement
last December, make him well fitted for this honor. Many advances could
not have happened without his tireless work for the good of amateur
satellites and the amateur radio fraternity worldwide.
[Info via Richard W. L. Limebear, G3RWL, Communications Officer, AMSAT-UK]
* FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED *
Comments and input for SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John,
KD2BD) via any of the paths listed below:
WWW : http://www.njin.net/~magliaco/
PACKET : KD2BD @ KS4HR.NJ.USA.NA
INTERNET : kd2bd@amsat.org, magliaco@email.njin.net
SATELLITE : AMSAT-OSCAR-16, LUSAT-OSCAR-19, KITSAT-OSCAR-25
<<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>>
<<=- Serving the planet for 10 years -=>>
/EX
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- John A. Magliacane, KD2BD -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Internet : kd2bd@amsat.org | Voice : +1.732.224.2948
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