HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: tholen@galileo.ifa.hawaii.edu (Dave Tholen)
Subject: Re: Toutatis impact in 2000 AD? (was Re: Help !)
Organization: Institute for Astronomy, Hawaii
Distribution: sci
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 02:36:04 GMT

Bill Higgins writes:

> I am sure that by the time the Decmber 1992 encounter has happened,
> the uncertainties in Totatis's future position will shrink
> considerably.  Then we will know whether we should start panicking or
> forget about the whole thing.

Why wait?  We already know it isn't going to hit in 2000.  We do know it
will pass 0.011 AU in 2004.
Xref: sparky sci.space:13754 sci.astro:10259 rec.radio.amateur.misc:16195
From: wats@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM (Bruce Watson)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Satellite of the Month
Date: 29 Sep 92 20:25:28 GMT
Followup-To: sci.space
Organization: Alpha Science Computer Network, Denver, Co.


Earth Satellite UARS Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (NORAD #21701,
COSPAR 1991-063B) was launched from Space Shuttle Discovery (mission STS-48) 
on September 15, 1991. It is measuring changes and ozone depletion in the 
stratosphere and mesosphere. This satellite is in an orbit inclined to the 
earth's equator by 57.0 degrees. It makes one revolution every 96.2 minutes 
and comes to within 575 km of the earth's surface and is most distant 
at 581 km.
 
UARS is measuring changes and ozone depletion in the stratosphere and 
mesosphere. It is beginning a sequence of evening passes for North 
American observers.
 
UARS is roughly a sphere 4.6m in diameter and 9.8m long. It has 6 -
1.5m by 3.3m solar panels. I have observed UARS from Denver 4 times 
since its launch once at +3 mag and another time at +1.
 
UARS             9.8  4.6  0.0  4.4
1 21701U 91063  B 92263.22531901  .00002399  00000-0  20993-3 0  1817
2 21701  56.9852 187.4931 0005294  93.7738 266.3903 14.96349665 55730
-- 
Bruce Watson (wats@scicom)  Tumbra, Zorkovick; Sparkula zoom krackadomando.  
Xref: sparky sci.space:14109 alt.sci.planetary:123
From: bafta@cats.ucsc.edu (Shari L Brooks)
Newsgroups: sci.space,alt.sci.planetary
Subject: Re: Pioneer Venus Out of Fuel, Orbit Deteroriating
Date: 6 Oct 1992 23:57:29 GMT
Organization: University of California - Santa Cruz, CA, USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: am.ucsc.edu
Summary: doesn't drag circularize an orbit 1st?


In article <1992Oct6.144746.21347@ucsu.Colorado.EDU> knapp@spot.Colorado.EDU 
(David Knapp) writes:

>Contrary to some beliefs, PVO is not simply on a crash course into the 
>center of the planet. It is in a highly elliptical orbit with a periapsis
>that is slowly decaying.  It has a 24 hour orbit period and literally every
>day, at closest approach, the s/c dips a little deeper into the atmosphere
>and suffers more drag. The next orbit, then, has an even *lower* periapsis.
>Around Wednesday, this effect will become so pronounced that it won't be
>able to continue through the orbit and will have its orbit slowed so much that
>that periapsis encounter will be its last.

I am not sure I understand this.  It seems to me that every time the S/C
encounters atmospheric drag, the orbit should lose energy.  I always thought
that this would circularize the orbit (decrease the apoapsis) before
significantly decreasing the periapsis.  Where did I go wrong?  Don't circular
orbits of a given radius have less energy than an elliptical orbit with
that same value as the periapsis?

-- 
If you blow fire against the wind, take care to not get the smoke in your eyes.
      Big & Growly Dragon-monster        |       bafta@cats.ucsc.edu
     ------> shari brooks <-------       |       bafta@ucscb.ucsc.edu
                             All opinions are my own.
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Mars Observer orbit
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 21:58:11 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

In article <BvGFBz.GwA@well.sf.ca.us> collins@well.sf.ca.us (Steve Collins) writes:
>The orbital elements for MO will probably not make much sense to
>software designed for earth orbiting spacecraft, since MO is moving faster
>than escape velocity. At this point, MO is best thought of as orbiting
>the sun. I will ask the nav guys about computing Ra and Dec from earth...

Some of us actually have software designed for interplanetary trajectories,
believe it or not.  Please give us heliocentric elements, *not* Ra and Dec.
We can compute Ra and Dec ourselves if we know where the thing is.

(I suppose we could always ask you for several sets of Ra/Dec data and
then do an orbit determination, but it seems kind of silly.)
-- 
There is nothing wrong with making      | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
mistakes, but... make *new* ones. -D.Sim|  henry@zoo.toronto.edu  utzoo!henry
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: kentm@aix.rpi.edu (Michael V. Kent)
Subject: Re: Space and Presidential Politics
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Distribution: sci
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 23:23:50 GMT

In article <PGWRES01.92Sep30141946@c52.ucs.usl.edu> pgwres01@ucs.usl.edu (Fraering Philip G) writes:
>
>Allen, I have a question for you:
>
>How do you get "sources?"

Hardware Hank sells them for $19.95  -- they're in the same aisle as the sinks.

:)

Mike

-- 
Michael Kent                                   kentm@rpi.edu
McDonnell Douglas                              Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
All facts in this post are based on publicly available information.  All
opinions expressed are solely those of the author.    Apple II Forever !!
From: nickh@CS.CMU.EDU (Nick Haines)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Self-genociding space colonies
Date: 28 Sep 92 19:55:38 GMT
Article-I.D.: VOILA.NICKH.92Sep28145538
	<1992Sep22.043719.6468@techbook.com> <1646@hsvaic.boeing.com>
	<1992Sep26.221253.18541@techbook.com>
Distribution: na
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Originator: nickh@VOILA.VENARI.CS.CMU.EDU

In article <1992Sep26.221253.18541@techbook.com> szabo@techbook.com (Nick Szabo) writes:

   [...]

   Perhaps, but technology has been decreasing the cost and increasing
   the effectiveness of birth control faster, and our expectations for our
   children rise as fast as the economy.  For example, nowadays many
   middle class couples will delay having children until they can pay
   for their college; an extremely high expectation in historical
   and world-wide terms, but seemingly normal for us and probably
   sub-normal is a space colony; they will want their children to
   get PhD's.

Alternatively maybe whoever ends up in space will have a more
enlightened attitude to the benefits of government-financed education.

Nick Haines nickh@cmu.edu
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: shafer@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer)
Subject: Re: Controversy over V-2 anniversary
Organization: NASA Dryden, Edwards, Cal.
	<3OCT199222334167@judy.uh.edu>
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 15:41:56 GMT

On Sun, 4 Oct 1992 03:33:00 GMT, wingo%cspara.decnet@Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov said:

> If you really want to press the point and be so high and mighty about it
> then why did we use the rocket team to build our rockets? Krafft Erike
> was instrumental in the Atlas design and the Von Braun Team were instrumental
> in the development of the Redstone, Jupiter, Saturn I and Saturn V.  The
> rocket team was a spoil of war that we took from the Germans. In past wars
> the spoils were the wealth of a nation.  The spoils that we took in WWII were
> the most valuable of all, technology. The Ampex tape recorders and our entire
> television industry was taken from the Germans and developed by us after the
> war. The Russians took the manufacturing technology of the Germans, 
> ripping up entire factories and shipping them to Russia, including the 
> Miettlework factory for V2's.

I certainly wouldn't have treated them like mythic heroes, the way we
did.  This is a perfect example of the end being used to justify the
means, with the spectre of the vile godless commies sweeping like a
red tide over the peace-loving peoples of the free world.  (Oops, I
think peace-loving peoples are commies--I may have gotten my propaganda
mixed up.)

That still doesn't make it right.  Not persecuting people for crimes
against humanity because they may be useful to you is wrong.  Period.

> There are many other examples of things that we use and rely on every day
> that came from that sorry episode in history. No ones hands are clean and
> to beat this horse without an understanding of the history is to grossly
> distort reality. 

Are you old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis?  I am.  I was
in high school and I can remember going to bed not knowing if I'd wake
up in the morning to an intact country.  

I figure that if I feel like being a moral absolutist, I have the right.
I don't have to "understand" before I can judge.  Being illegitimate,
being gassed in WWI, etc., don't make Hitler forgivable.  Having savage
reparations inflicted on Germany after WWI doesn't make Kristallnacht
OK.  That's just not how it goes.

Furthermore, I think this attitude of yours that nobody's hands are
clean so people can't be criticized without an understanding of their
history is in large part responsible for the decline of modern
morality.  You have to step up and take responsibility for your actions,
no matter what--you can't wuss out with an unhappy childhood or a mean
mommy or "everybody's doing it".  If it's wrong, it's wrong.

Mary
From: wats@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM (Bruce Watson)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: V-2 anniversary
Date: 2 Oct 92 19:33:45 GMT
Organization: Alpha Science Computer Network, Denver, Co.

Trivia question: Which city was targeted and hit by the most number
of V-2s?

-- 
Bruce Watson (wats@scicom)  Tumbra, Zorkovick; Sparkula zoom krackadomando.  
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: wingo%cspara.decnet@Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov
Subject: Re: Hypersonic test vehicle proposed
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: University of Houston
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 18:00:00 GMT

In article <Bv5tDu.9qH@news.cso.uiuc.edu>, jbh55289@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Josh 'K' Hopkins) writes...
>I saw an interesting article on p 27 of the September 14 AW&ST.
> 
>Apparently Ames has proposed a Mach 10 class manned research aircraft as a 
>more conservative approach to building NASP.  The idea would be to collect data
>on hypersonic flight before trying to build a full orbital vehicle.
> 
>The Hypersonic Air Launch Option (HALO) would be a piloted vehicle that would 
>be launched from an SR-71 at Mach 3 and 70,000 ft.  It would use a LH2/LOX
>rocket to reach Mach 9, then test variations on a scramjet engine at speeds up
>to Mach 10-12.  It would be designed to fly 50-100 flights over a period of
>several years.
> 
>Proponents say it is a more rational approach to building NASP and more 
>fiscally acceptable.  Opponents say that it's an unnecessary sidetrack that 
>will delay NASP and end up costing more money.
> 
>Personal Opinions:
>   I tend to agree with the proponents.  I'm not sure if that's because it      
>sounds like better engineering technique or becuase I like the idea of stapling
>a scramjet to the top of a Blackbird :-)  I don't know enough about the current
>state of the art in NASP technology to know if it's needed though.
> 
>   Followers of "Black" programs should also note that the relative ease with 
>which this could be done says a few things about what may have already been
>done.
> 
>-- 
>Josh Hopkins                 Of course I'm a solipsist - Isn't everybody?
>jbh55289@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu 

It has been done Josh. It was called the X-15. Just go pull one out of a 
museum and add scramjet.  The wing attachments are identical to the ones
that are used for Pegasus or near enough I hear.

Dennis
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Atlas E and F questions ( Actually Pershing missile)
From: wingo%cspara.decnet@Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 22:43:00 GMT
Organization: University of Houston
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <BvCy6r.LDK@zoo.toronto.edu>, henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes...
>In article <1992Sep29.165616.6348@access.digex.com> prb@access.digex.com (Pat) writes:
>>What i was thinking was this.  Every 6 months auction a bunch of pershings...
>>meanwhile  qualify the sounding comapnies to handle these launches, and train
>>them on how they are prepped...
> 
>You're still basically telling them "either use our Pershings or die".
>This is essentially a government-organized sounding-rocket service that
>happens to be implemented by private contractors (who get the choice
>of cooperating or going bankrupt).  What happened to free enterprise
>and innovation?
> 
>Note that the successful companies, under this plan, will be the ones
>who run minimum bare-bones organizations solely for Pershing launches,
>and plan to simply go out of business the moment the Pershings run out.
>Companies that are trying to keep their own launch capabilities alive
>for the long term will have a hard time competing.
> 
>>it's not socialism to have a social policy.
> 
>If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and craps like a duck, I
>call it a duck.  A "social policy" whose side effect is to destroy all
>private competition for government-supplied launchers is socialism.
>-- 

Henry, what about the Space Vector Corporation? They have been flying, selling
and using the Minuteman I platform in various forms since the late 70's. 
Actually Deke Slayton's company (Now EER Systems) started by launching a 
Minuteman I second stage from Matagorda Island in 1980.  Actually the
first commercial launcher for space payloads was the Aries IV as proposed
by Rich Rasmussen, president of Space Vector in 1978.  The Aries IV could
put 3000 lbs into LEO or 150 lbs to GEO. Space vector still flys the 
Aries and they also contract to EER and Deke Slayton for CONSORT launches by
providing the guidance system. The issue is not nearly as black and white as
you suggest.

Also thank you for the correction on the tonnages for coal. I was going on 
information here in alabama from the union coal mines.  The out west production
has far outstripped (pun intended) their eastern rivals. Most of the coal we
use here in Alabama comes from out west now. 

Dennis, University of Alabama in Huntsville

Newsgroups: sci.space
From: gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman)
Newsgroups: sci.space,talk.politics.space
Subject: Colonies  was(Re: Clinton and Space Funding)
Keywords: significant words from a document used as an index to content
Date: 6 Oct 92 14:39:54 GMT
Reply-To: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
Organization: Gannett Technologies Group

In article <Bv8ypJ.CDG@news.cso.uiuc.edu> StarOwl@uiuc.edu writes:
>
>What I'd like to know is why you chose to forget about the settling of
>the Virginia colony in 1607, or the founding of Quebec in 1608.

Jamestown. Must be yankee brainwashing. :-)

Jamestown is an interesting case due to it's near failure in 1610,
salvaged only by the timely arrival of a resupply mission from
Mother England. The Spanish had a mission in 1570, but they all
perished. Between 1584 and 1607 a number of English attempts at
colonization failed due to inadequate planning and supplies. There's
a lesson there for those wanting to colonize on the cheap.

Gary
Xref: sparky sci.space:13823 news.answers:3190
From: eric@ils.nwu.edu (Eric Goldstein)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: HRMS
Date: 6 Oct 92 18:47:15 GMT
Article-I.D.: ils.1992Oct6.184715.20102
Organization: The Institute for the Learning Sciences


Would HRMS be able to detect signals from Earth, if (lets pretend) it
was conducted at Tau Ceti?  In other words, do we generate signals at
the frequencies HRMS will be listening to?

              Thanks!
                 -- Eric     (eric@ils.nwu.edu)


--
From: steinly@topaz.ucsc.edu (Steinn Sigurdsson)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Alleged Benefits of Military $
Date: 2 Oct 92 14:37:59
Organization: Lick Observatory/UCO
NNTP-Posting-Host: topaz.ucsc.edu
In-reply-to: Mark Goodman's message of 01 Oct 92 17:34 PDT

In article <1469100017@igc.apc.org> Mark Goodman <mwgoodman@igc.apc.org> writes:



   > Military and aerospace dollars have a particularly
   >high multiplier, 7x, because the jobs pay well and allow the workers


   I wonder where these numbers come from.  They seem implausible
   to me, and would in any case be very hard to measure.  Everything
   I have read suggests precisely the opposite, that money spent on
   the military and other unproductive high-technology efforts (read
   NASA) is particularly unbeneficial to the economy.

Try Nature _355_ 107, 1992.

So what are your sources? 

|  Steinn Sigurdsson	|I saw two shooting stars last night		|
|  Lick Observatory	|I wished on them but they were only satellites	|
| steinly@lick.ucsc.edu |Is it wrong to wish on space hardware?		|
| "standard disclaimer"	|I wish, I wish, I wish you'd care - B.B. 1983	|


Newsgroups: sci.space
From: umwu0014@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Charles Bo Wu)
Subject: Re: BLACK HOLES
Originator: umwu0014@pollux.cc.umanitoba.ca
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 05:15:49 GMT

In <2523.2ACF3744@catpe.alt.za> Sasha.Degner@f5.n7103.z5.fidonet.org (Sasha Degner) writes:

>Black holes are extremely fascinating seeing that so many theories have
>been developed about them. I have a couple of questions about them and
>if anyone knows anything in answer to my questions please inform me.
> 
>1) What exactly are black holes?
>2) Is there any truth in the theory that they may be created by alien
>life forms?
>3) Is there a black hole close to our galaxy?

	I suggest you to read the book "A Brief History of Time" by
Stephen Hawking. An excellent book that tells you just about anything a
normal person would want to know about black holes and the Universe.
-- 

============================================================================
Charles Bo Wu                   Home #: 204-949-0721    Work #: 204-453-4444
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada      E-Mail: umwu0014@ccu.umanitoba.ca
From: plav@phy.duke.edu (Pat Laverty)
Newsgroups: sci.optics
Subject: Laser safety software?
Date: 2 Oct 92 15:50:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Duke University Physics Dept.; Durham, N.C.


    Does anyone know of any existing public domain
  laser safety software? I'm mostly concerned with
  high-power cw Yag laser systems and their capabilities
  to do eye and skin damage.  Also, does anyone know
  where I can find the latest US government published
  exposure limits for laser light?

     
   Thanks in advance,

   Pat Laverty
   plav@physics.phy.duke.edu  

  
-- 
                       Pat Laverty
                       Physics Dept.     E-MAIL: plav@physics.phy.duke.edu
                       Duke University
                       Durham NC 27706
From: duffey@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Thomas Duffey)
Newsgroups: sci.optics
Subject: Interferometry: fringe localization
Keywords: interferometry
Date: 2 Oct 92 16:15:34 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.BvI561.MFq
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana


	Can anyone direct me to a text explaining the concept of fringe 
localization in interferometry?  I haven't had much luck finding one so far.

Tom Duffey
From: hnr@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Harvey Rutt)
Newsgroups: sci.optics
Subject: Re: Glass grinding
Date: 28 Sep 92 11:21:53 GMT

Glycerol=Glycerine=1,2,3 Propanetriol HOCH2CH(OH)CH2OH
Ethylene glycol=Antifreeze=1,2 Ethanediol=HOCH2CH2OH

Both are sometimes used in polishing; they are closely related. I have
never heard the two confused, at least in the UK! Why do physicists
etc almost never seem to know any chemistry?!

Incidentally Calcium Fluoride = the mineral Fluorite is in fact almost
insoluble in water, and makes good IR optics which do not fog in air
for that reason. I'm not sure if it can actually be polished in a water
based slurry as it does have a *very slight* solubility; anyone know?

Harvey Rutt, Southampton University UK
From: aephraim@physics.Berkeley.EDU (Aephraim M. Steinberg)
Newsgroups: sci.optics
Subject: Re: Interferometry question
Date: 6 Oct 1992 23:46:41 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: physics.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Oct2.140430.24476@cfa203.harvard.edu> mcn@cfa203.HARVARD.EDU (Charley Noecker, Prec Astron) writes:
>One of the rules we all know about Michelson interferometry is that
>the recombined beams are E1+E2 and E1-E2.  It turns out this is a
>consequence of energy conservation at the beamsplitter: for a lossless
>beamsplitter, an increase in the intensity of one emerging beam must
>be compensated by a decrease in the intensity of the other.  This rule
>may be stated instead as a phase rule:
>	theta_r1 + theta_r2 - theta_t1 - theta_t2 = pi
>where the theta_* are the optical phase shifts imparted to the beams
>upon reflection from or transmission through the beamsplitter surface.
>
>That was for a lossless beamsplitter; I have also been able to show
>that this phase rule still holds for a thin beamsplitter (reflecting
>region << wavelength) with arbitrary absorption and glass path on
>either side of this surface, as long as the distribution of glass and
>absorber only depends on z, the normal to the surface.  Thus, although
>|r1| may not be equal to |r2|, the phase rule still holds.  This just
>means the absorption losses must vary in phase with one emerging beam
>or the other.
>
>I believe that this phase rule can be proved generally, without
>requiring thin or lossless beamsplitters.  Can anyone steer me to a
>proof or disproof?
>
>Charley Noecker
>noecker@cfa.harvard.edu


I don't believe the relation holds for beamsplitters with loss.
I did once come up with the following limit for the phase difference (I
treated only the case where the beam splitter is symmetric, so there is
a unique phi_t and a unique phi_r, which must differ by pi/2 if the
beam-splitter is lossless):

cos (phi_r - phi_t) <= alpha / [2 |r| |t|] 

where r and t are the amplitude reflection and transmission coefficients
and alpha is the power loss for a single incident beam.

Furthermore, if you assume that the total power loss is the same for any
combination of incident beams (i.e., doesn't involve any interference
effects), you CAN show that the phase shift is still always pi/2.  I am
told that this is not generally true in complex structures, but I would
imagine if the loss is due to scattering off of randomly distributed
impurities or something like that, this should hold.


-- 
Aephraim M. Steinberg                    | "WHY must I treat the measuring
UCB Physics                              | device classically??  What will
aephraim@physics.berkeley.edu            | happen to me if I don't??"
                                         |       -- Eugene Wigner
Newsgroups: sci.optics
From: howp@skyfox.usask.ca
Subject: Atmospheric Ozone emissions in the 4.8 and 9.6um bands:  Any comments?
Organization: University of Saskatchewan
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 08:41:03 GMT

Hi.

     I was thinking about the observation of atmospheric ozone photoemissions
in the 9.6 um and 4.8 um bands.  I was wondering if anyone here has recently
conducted measurements of these emissions and what success they have had. 
Specifically, I was wondering: 

1.  What are the latest and best detectors for this spectral region?
2.  What other emissions contaminate these spectral emissions?
3.  Can it be performed successfully with a ground based instrument?
4.  Are there any other emissions (emitted directly by ozone molecules) that 
    are worthy of consideration for aeronomic observations of ozone?
5.  Can you recommend any particular literature relevant to this specific 
    topic?

     The ozone I'm interested in observing is mesospheric ozone, but ideas
about tropospheric or stratospheric ozone observations are welcome.

     I would like to hit the literature in the library, but I'm busy with
my thesis right now and I don't have the time to pursue this particular topic.
If enough interest is generated, I will compile a file of all that has been
expounded (and I'll try to learn more about this topic myself in the near
future). 

Thanks.

Peter How, Graduate Student,
ISAS, Physics Dep't 
University of Saskatchewan,
Saskatoon, SK

(306) 966-6452
Internet:  HOW@SKISAS.USASK.CA