HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Pumpless Liquid Rocket?
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 21:05:46 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

In article <1992Nov23.160859.9657@cs.ucf.edu> clarke@acme.ucf.edu (Thomas Clarke) writes:
>That is connect the tankage to the rocket engine
>with a long pipe.  When accelerating (or at 
>rest in a gravity field) hydrostatic pressure
>at bottom of pipe can be fairly high...

The hydrostatic head in the plumbing, while useful -- it figures into the
design calculations for both pump-fed and pressure-fed rockets -- is not
enough to run a pressure-fed engine particularly well.  Even low-performance
pressure-fed engines need 5-10 atmospheres of pressure.  (One atmosphere is
a 10m column of water, and most fuels and oxidizers are substantially less
dense than water.)

I'd also expect stability problems, given the increase in feed pressure as
thrust increases.
-- 
MS-DOS is the OS/360 of the 1980s.      | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
              -Hal W. Hardenbergh (1985)|  henry@zoo.toronto.edu  utzoo!henry
From: jafoust@cco.caltech.edu (Jeffrey Alan Foust)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Clinton's address (was Re: Feynmann's legacy)
Date: 21 Nov 1992 00:27:44 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NNTP-Posting-Host: punisher.caltech.edu

In article <1992Nov19.112836.1@max.u.washington.edu> games@max.u.washington.edu writes:
>In article <1ee80gINNap@gap.caltech.edu>, jafoust@cco.caltech.edu (Jeffrey Alan Foust) writes:
>>The Clinton/Gore campaign did have an account on CompuServe (I don't remember
>>the account number).  I had heard some talk after the election that they
>>would keep the account, but I haven't heard a final decision yet.
>> 
>> -- 
>Well, I tried to mail to that account, and got the message returned saying
>that the mailbox was full.  It seems that even though the store is there,
>noone is minding it.

I recall now someone on one of the alt.politics.* groups mentioning that the
Clinton campaign, er, transition team would not be reading the mail sent to it
very often, if at all, for the first few weeks after the election, until they
decided whether or not to keep the account.  Of course, I ran into the problem
of mail bouncing during the summer, when I had to resend a mail message to the
campaign several times before it didn't bounce back due to a full mailbox!

-- 
Jeff Foust                        Senior, Geophysics/Planetary Science, Caltech
jafoust@cco.caltech.edu   			   	 jeff@scn1.jpl.nasa.gov
		Tom Seaver: "Hey, Yogi, what time is it?"
		Yogi Berra: "You mean now?"
From: waterman@titan.ksc.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Shuttle Computer Problems
Date: 23 Nov 92 22:59:56 EST
Organization: NASA, Kennedy Space Center


Monday November 23 10:20 EST

I'm looking for some help out here in the net. Any physists or experts
in electron physics out there?
   The problem we're having is with both the General Purpose Computers
(GPCs) onboard the shuttle as well as the Main Engine Controllers (SSMEC).
Both experience single bit upsets while in orbit. The GPCs have one bit
error correction and log these upsets in what we call a soft error counter.
For the SSMEC, it has no error correction. We dump the SSMEC memory after
landing and determine how many upsets have occurred. Well today when the
SSMECs were powered up on Discoveries three Main Engines, the standby
computer on engine 3 had one bit flipped from the last time it was powered
up (about a week ago). The GPCs have also experienced soft errors while at
the pad. The current theory is that high energy particles striking the 
memory cell impart energy which changes the state. My question is if
high energy particles can change the memory on the shuttle sitting on the
pad. Why aren't all the other computers in the world inflicted with the
same problem? Has anyone heard any studies being done on this?

Some info, the SSMEC uses 8K static RAM chips to make up the 64K by 16 bit
main memory. When power is removed the memory is held up by a 3.56V
battery. Todate it is believed that all bit flips have occurred at this
lower battery voltage (power up voltage is 5V). This of course can not
be proved (could have happened at full power in memory that was not being
accessed).

Thanks.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Waterman [Aqua]
waterman@titan.ksc.nasa.gov
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary
From: baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Re: Magellan Update - 11/20/92
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4   
Reply-To: baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 05:06:55 GMT

In article <1ellrpINNh2a@rave.larc.nasa.gov> claudio@nmsb.larc.nasa.gov (Claudio Egalon) writes:
>I have a question about the aerobraking maneuver that the Magellan 
>will perform; Is there any possibility that any of the components of 
>the Magellan be damaged during this maneuver??? ...

There is some risk involved, but the aerobraking maneuvers will be spread
out over a peroid of 100 to 150 days.  Magellan is currently in a elliptical
orbit with a periapsis of 289 km (closest point of the orbit to the planet)
a apoapsis of 8458 km (farthest point), and a peroid of 3.26 hours.  The
aerobraking will be done in three major steps.  The first step is to 
use a relatively large orbit trim manuever to lower the periapsis to about
140 km into the upper atmosphere of Venus.  The spacecraft will be low
enough to experience drag, but still high enough to escape any excessive
heating.  Magellan will also be in a tail-first position so that the
backside of the solar panels will have the maximum surface area exposed for
maximum drag.  The second step requires that Magellan stay in this
position for 100 to 150 days.  Each pass through the atmosphere will lower
the apoapsis, and small thruster maneuvers will be used to keep the
perapsis at a stable distance.  During this time the apoapsis will be
lowered from 8458 km to 250.  Once the apoapsis reaches 250 km, then 
the third step will be executed and a propulsive manuever will be performed 
to raise the periapsis to 250 km, achieving orbit circulization.  The orbit
peroid is estimated to be about 1.5 hours.

Note that funds to support Magellan beyond Cycle 4 has not been allocated
by Congress, and the spacecraft is still scheduled to be turned off in
May 1993, before any aerobraking maneuvers will be performed.

>BTW, I think Magellan will become the first spacecraft to conduct an 
>aerobraking maneuver to change its orbit, right???

Hiten performed some aerobraking experiments through the Earth's atmosphere
in March 1991.  Pioneer Venus in the week preceding its demise last month
passed through the upper atmosphere of Venus a number of times while
its orbit decayed.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Learn to recognize the
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | inconsequential, then 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | ignore it.

Newsgroups: sci.space
From: prb@access.digex.com (Pat)
Subject: Re: Mars Simulation in Antarctica
Organization: UDSI
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1992 18:56:53 GMT

In article <Ef0RlsK00WB24X0JdU@andrew.cmu.edu> Lawrence Curcio <lc2b+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>Is this rover the same robot we at CMU call, AMBLER? Big red sucker?
>Legs arranged like eggbeaters?

NO.  AMBLER and DANTES have entirely different missions.  AMbler was a test bed
to prove a concept in walking and to clear 1 meter ruts and climb
steep slopes.  ambler while impressive is only as impressive as his
power cord.

dante i believe is self powered and designed for the erebus mission.
hes got some on board chemical analyzers and will collect samples
from the volcano.  

i saw both of them recently.  dantes is very finished and ready to go.
i am sure the CMU guys can provide full specs.
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Shuttle computers
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 21:31:33 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

In article <keithley-211192203501@kip2-41.apple.com> keithley@apple.com (Craig Keithley) writes:
>> It's not a cycle-by-cycle lockstep like some redundant systems.  Every
>> couple of milliseconds, the four computers in the main redundant set
>> compare notes...
>
>I seem to recall that this is correct; that the four computers running the
>same code are on something like a 40ms main event loop...

When I said "every couple of milliseconds", I meant it. :-)  It's actually
about 440 cycles per second, which may be what you're remembering.  This
is from the National Space Transportation System Reference manual (not to
be confused with the Shuttle News Reference, which is more readily available
but much thinner).  My copy is a few years old; it's just possible this has
changed with the newer and faster computers, although I'd expect not.
-- 
MS-DOS is the OS/360 of the 1980s.      | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
              -Hal W. Hardenbergh (1985)|  henry@zoo.toronto.edu  utzoo!henry
From: wolfone@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Patrick Chester)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: FREE-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY For Spacecraft
Date: 24 Nov 92 05:43:36 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX

In article <1992Nov18.145248.1221@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> rbw3q@rayleigh.mech.Virginia.EDU (Brad Whitehurst) writes:
]In article <1992Nov17.164440.2394@cnsvax.uwec.edu> mcelwre@cnsvax.uwec.edu writes:
]
]>     The technology described in the article copied below could be used to
]>power spacecraft, space colonies, etc.:
]>          
]>            
]>                            FREE-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
]>                       by Robert E. McElwaine, Physicist
]...
]	I think we just found the REAL "Mr. Ozone"!  Is there anyone
]at U. of W. Eau Claire who can verify if this is a real person?  Does
]he do anything but post these articles?
]-- 

I've emailed queries about his er, theories and have gotten back a few 
paragraphs of tripe in reply. Can you program a computer to send replies
via email? Whatever. I guess I could try emailing him again but I don't
know if that will work. I flamed him to hell last time and never got a 
reply back. Oh well

-- 
Patrick Chester            |----------------------------------------------------
wolfone@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu |"The earth is too fragile a basket in which to keep
Politically Incorrect      |  all your eggs." Robert A. Heinlein
Future Lunar Colonist      |"The meek can *have* the Earth. The rest of us are 
#^%$!! Militarist          |  going to the stars." Robert A. Heinlein
(Of the Sun Tzu mentality) |----------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: prb@access.digex.com (Pat)
Subject: New engines for NLS/ possible for shuttle?
Organization: UDSI
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1992 19:55:25 GMT

 saw something that for the NLS proposal, they want to use something
called the Space transportation Main Engine, which will have 1/10th
the parts count and three times the thrust of SSME's.  

has anyone looked to see if these could replace the SSMEs???
i imagine they would drastically reduce the service costs of
the shuttle and improve reliability.  Are they compatible
or are the design frames way different?
From: Thomas.Enblom@eos.ericsson.se (Thomas Enblom)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Databases
Date: 23 Nov 92 10:34:38 GMT
Organization: Ericsson


Is there anybody that could provide me with a list of databases that
contain information about spaceflight (shuttle, pioneer, astronomy ...anything).

I suppose there are databases at JPL and Goddard etc.

The databases must be able to communicate through email because I don't
have access to anonymous FTP.

If you could suggest a database, please also enclose instructions how to use it.

(I already have access to archive-server@ames.arc.nasa.gov)

Thank you.

================================================================================
Ericsson Telecom, Stockholm, Sweden
      
Thomas Enblom, just another employee.     
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: brody@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Adam R. Brody )
Subject: Re: Space suit research?
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 18:01:02 GMT

henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:

>In article <BxqsoH.MBq@access.digex.com> prb@access.digex.com (Pat) writes:
>>What's the big push for a earth normal type atmosphere?
>>apollo, etc, ran fine on low pressure pure O2,  does better pressure 
>>greatly improve cooling.  or are there long term bio effects????

>The cooling issue is a serious one.  Apollo didn't have that concern --
>since doing an EVA required depressurizing the entire cabin, air-cooled
>equipment could not be used at all.  This was okay, more or less, for
>Apollo, but simply isn't appropriate for a laboratory environment:
>air cooling is by *far* the easiest way to cool electronics, and the
>cost of the hardware goes way up without it.

>And yes, there is some concern about possible long-term biological
>effects, although there is little firm knowledge.
>-- 

Actually, the latest I have heard is that cold plates will be used
for cooling and the sole reason for high pressure is health.  The fact
that people live in high elevations like Denver and Mexico City, where
the atmospheric pressure is lower than sea level does not hold much weight.
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: roelle@uars_mag.jhuapl.edu (Curtis Roelle)
Subject: Re: COSTAR
Organization: Johns Hopkins University
Date: 17 Nov 92 15:07:18 GMT

Optical improvements introduced by COSTAR should satisfy pent-up
expectations of HST.  Although I have seen the COSTAR mockup at the
STScI and viewed Dana Berry's video, the instrument, like HST itself,
appears to be quite complicated.

Has an assessment of potential risks has been prepared and reviewed?
What could go wrong?  Where are the primary risk areas?  e.g. failure
to grapple the telescope, failure to extract the module COSTAR
replaces, engineering uncertainties that might lead to the new optical
path missing the aperture opening, etc.  

My personal wishes for HST are for success.  Just in case I want to be 
prepared for the worst, and hear the bad news now.

Curt
roelle@sigi.jhuapl.edu




Newsgroups: sci.space
From: kentm@aix.rpi.edu (Michael V. Kent)
Subject: Re: Shuttle replacement
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 18:36:19 GMT

In article <1992Nov19.144309.22398@iti.org> aws@iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer) writes:
>
>Shuttle doesn't do anything which can't be done by existing and near term
>systems. 

The Shuttle does many many things that nothing else in the fleet will do.  The
most obvious is serve as a manned spacecraft.  The original article in this
thread listed many more.

>Titan IV can lift any existing or planned payload Shuttle can lift.

The Shuttle has twice the payload capacity of the Titan IV.  It can also
launch cargoes the Titan IV can't touch.  Would _you_ volunteer to fly a
Spacelab mission in a Titan IV payload fairing?

Mike

-- 
Michael Kent                                   kentm@rpi.edu
McDonnell Douglas                              Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tute Screwed Aero Class of '92                              Apple II Forever !!
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: gkm@cc.uow.edu.au (Glen K Moore)
Subject: Re: Skywatch - Nov 15-21 - Meteors Spark up the Night
Keywords: McDonald Observatory, Star Date, Skywatch column
Organization: University Of Wollongong
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 92 07:30:08 GMT

Yes please. I write a similar newsletter in Australia on a local network and
for an interactive science centre. 
The more information/ideas get out to the public then the greater the suport
for astronomy/space science.
I look forward to future editions.
Glen Moore
Science Centre, Wollongong
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: schlegel@cwis.unomaha.edu (Mark Schlegel)
Subject: Re: Pumpless Liquid Rocket?
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 23:52:41 GMT

henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:

>>That is connect the tankage to the rocket engine
>>with a long pipe.  When accelerating (or at 
>>rest in a gravity field) hydrostatic pressure
>>at bottom of pipe can be fairly high...

>The hydrostatic head in the plumbing, while useful -- it figures into the
>design calculations for both pump-fed and pressure-fed rockets -- is not
>enough to run a pressure-fed engine particularly well.  Even low-performance
>pressure-fed engines need 5-10 atmospheres of pressure.  (One atmosphere is
>a 10m column of water, and most fuels and oxidizers are substantially less
>dense than water.)

>I'd also expect stability problems, given the increase in feed pressure as
>thrust increases.

Not really, you could put a valve at the bottom of the pipe that would 
vary the flow rate due to feedback from flow sensors in the pipe and 
accelerometers in the rocket.

Mark
Newsgroups: sci.optics
From: swilson@snidley.eece.unm.edu (Scott R. Wilson)
Subject: Zernike fitting routine (wanted)
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 01:10:43 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Summary: Looking for Zernike fitting routine (with sources!)
Keywords: zernike, curve fitting

Hi Optic'ers -

I am looking for a routine to fit Zernike polynomials to data on a grid,
perferably with sources and *documentation*. Does anyone have such a
critter that they might share with me? Fortran or C are both cool.

In debt in advance....

Scott Wilson
Center for High Technology Materials
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
swilson@chtm.eece.unm.edu

Newsgroups: sci.optics
From: doherty@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu (Kevin Doherty)
Subject: Find article on QM transition inhibition
Organization: Johns Hopkins Continuing Professional Programs
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 22:28:22 GMT

  I'm trying to relocate an article I read sometime in the last
few weeks.  It referred to the use of precisely tuned lasers to
make available to a system a new electronic state transition path.
This new path would interfere with existing paths in such a way
that some of the old transitions were now forbidden.

  Any help will be appreciated.  Thanks!
Newsgroups: sci.optics,alt.sci.physics.new-theories
From: truscott@newton.physics.uq.oz.au (Andrew Truscott)
Subject: Degenerate Four Wave mixing
Keywords: Degenerate Four Wave Mixing 
Organization: Physics Dept. The University of Queensland
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 02:02:12 GMT

I am presently trying to do degenerate Four wave mixing in Rubidium
I am using a diode laser with a wavelength of 780nm. So far I have
been unable to detect a conjugate signal. I am using polarising 
techniques and have a photomultiplier, with a gain of a million,
for detection.  The only thing I can think of is that the power of
my laser is not sufficient to set up the relevant gratings in the Rubidium
vapour. (I am using mW powers).  

		SO, DOES ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT RUBIDIUM VAPOUR, 
		I.E. IF THERE IS ANY TEMPERATURE AT WHICH IT IS HIGHLY
		NON-LINEAR, OR HAS ANY UNUSUAL TRAITS WHICH I SHOULD
		KNOW ABOUT?????????????????????????????????????????
From: hnr@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Harvey Rutt)
Newsgroups: sci.optics
Subject: Re: Laser Quotation
Keywords: Solution wthout a problem...
Date: 17 Nov 92 17:31:17 GMT

I have been told that the quotation ('The laser is a solution without
a problem' or similar) is given in a recent book on the
history of the laser, authored by a woman.

I think the book must be 'The Laser in America, 1950-1970 by Joan L
Bromberg, MIT press, 1991.
Unfortunately I can't get hold of a copy quickly; does anyone have one
who would be prepared to look up the quote for me please?

Two futher possible books are 'The Laser Guidebook 2nd edn, J Hecht, McG
Hill 1992 and Laser Pioneers, J Hecht, Academic Press 1992'.
I don't think either is the book refered to (since J H isn't a woman!)
but they also might give the quote.

I've ordered them all on inter library loan, but it takes at least
7-10 days and I need the answer sooner!
Any kind soul out there with the book and a few spare minutes?
Thanks in advance.
Harvey Rutt Southampton UK
Newsgroups: sci.optics
From: siegman@EE.Stanford.EDU (Anthony E. Siegman)
Subject: Re: Laser Quotation
Keywords: Solution wthout a problem...
Organization: Stanford University
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 18:19:28 GMT

>I may be getting this mixed up, but it seems to me that he almost made
>a point of not using the word "laser." Seems to me he called it an
>"optical MASER" (please don't ask me what an optical microwave was).

   Many of the publications from Townes and from Bell Labs in that era
used the phrase "optical maser", while others mostly used "laser".  It
was said -- I do _not_ know if this is true or not -- that this was
mandated by the Bell Labs management on patent grounds: Townes, in
conjunction with Bell Labs, held various earlier patents on masers,
and therefore wished to make the laser appear as an "optical maser" to
strengthen their patent claims with respect to the laser as well.

>The other thing that comes to mind, and unfortunately I don't have an
>exact quote or reference, is a story by Jack Finney.  The story's been
 
   You might also note the passage from "War of the Worlds" by H. G.
Wells published in 1897 which begins "In some way they (the Martians)
are able to generate an intense (beam of) heat (from) a chamber of
practically absolute nonconductivity..."; this passage goes on to
describe something that sounds almost exactly like a modern CO2 laser.
I quote this in Sect. 1.1 of my LASERS book; but I stole it from some
earlier source, I've frankly forgetten just where.

   --AES
From: 00ewwallin@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu
Newsgroups: sci.optics
Subject: Holography anyone?
Date: 19 Nov 92 15:06:50 GMT
Organization: Ball State University, Muncie, In - Univ. Computing Svc's

So, does anyone do any recreational/artistic holography?  I have been to the
Holography museum in Chicago(a part of their School of Holography) and I saw
some really fantastic work.  I have read articals about the acceptance of
holography in that art world, and it has a growing acceptance.  Does anyone
here work with the medium in an artistic sense?
Newsgroups: sci.optics