PLEASE NOTE:
*
CCNet, 26/2000 - 1 March 2000
-----------------------------
POEM OF THE DAY
- In memory of the victims of the
Inquisition and the Holocaust
CAMPO DEI FIORI
In Rome on the Campo dei Fiori
baskets of olives and lemons,
cobbles spattered with wine
and the wreckage of flowers.
Vendors cover the trestles
with rose-pink fish;
armfuls of dark grapes
heaped on peach-down.
On this same square
they burned Giordano Bruno.
Henchmen killed the pyre
close-pressed by the mob.
Before the flames had died
the taverns were full again,
baskets of olives and lemons
again on the vendors' shoulders.
I thought of the Campo dei Fiori
in Warsaw by the sky-carousel
one clear spring evening
to the strains of a carnaval tune.
The bright melody drowned
the salvos from the ghetto wall,
and couples were flying
high in the cloudless sky.
At times wind from the burning
would drift dark kites along
and riders on the carousel
caught pedals in midair.
That same hot wind
blew open the skirts of the girls
and the crowds were laughing
on that beautiful Warsaw Sunday.
Someone will read as moral
that the people of Rome or Warsaw
haggle, laugh, make love
as they pass by martyrs' pyres.
Someone else will read
of the passing of things human,
of the oblivion
born before the flames have died.
But that day I thought only
of the loneliness of the dying,
of how, when Giordano
climbed to his burning
he could not find
in any human tongue
words for mankind,
mankind who live on.
Already they were back at their wine
or peddled their white starfish,
baskets of lives and lemons
they had shouldered to the fair,
and already distanced
as if centuries had passed
while they paused just a moment
for his flying in the fire.
Those dying here, the lonely
forgotten by the world,
our tongue becomes for them
the language of an ancient planet.
Until, when all is legend
and many years have passed,
on a new Campo dei Fiori
rage will kindle at a poet's word.
Czeslaw Milosz
Warsaw, 1943
(1) EROS IN FULL COLOUR
Ron Baalke <baalke@jpl.nasa.gov>
(2) GOING COMET WILD
Ron Baalke <BAALKE@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov>
(3) A FOREST FROM THE PAST: GETTING CLOSER TO A SMOKING GUN
Bob Kobres <bkobres@uga.edu>
(4) GLOBAL WARMING: THE CONTRARIAN VIEW
THE NEW YORK TIMES, 29 February 2000
(5) ABRUPT END TO LITTLE ICE AGE
Explorzezone, 29 February 2000
(6) THE FATE OF GREENLAND'S VIKINGS
ARCHAEOLOGY, 28 February 2000
(7) ENVIRONMENTS OF THE ROSETTA TARGET ASTEROIDS
A. Rossi & M. Fulchignoni, CNR,CNUCE
(8) VIRTIS: IMAGING SPECTROMETER OF THE ROSETTA MISSION
A. Coradini et la., IST ASTROFIS
SPAZIALE,CNR,
(9) ASTEROID 4979 OTAWARA: FLYBY TARGET OF ROSETTA
A. Doressoundiram et al., CALTECH,JET PROP
LAB,
(10) WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SATURN V PLANS ?
Paul Shawcross <pshawcro@hq.nasa.gov>
(11) FORGET ABOUT SATURN V
Geoffrey V. Hughes <ghughes@rotaryrocket.com>
(12) ALU FOIL & SOLAR SAILING
Michael Paine <mpaine@tpgi.com.au>
(13) SOLAR SAIL SPACECRAFT & SMALL BODIES EXPLORATIONS
M.V. Pomazanov*) & V.A. Yegorov,
MOSCOW MV LOMONOSOV STATE UNIV.
(14) MOON
Malcolm Miller <stellar2@actonline.com.au>
(15) AND FINALLY, PLANETARY DEFENSE Á LA WOODY ALLEN:
GIANT BREAST CAN SAVE THE WORLD
Christian Gritzner <Christian.Gritzner@cargolifter.com>
===================
(1) EROS IN FULL COLOUR
From Ron Baalke <baalke@jpl.nasa.gov>
NEAR image of the day for 2000 Feb 28
http://near.jhuapl.edu/iod/20000228/index.html
Eros' bland butterscotch colors
These color images of Eros was acquired by NEAR on February 12,
2000,
at a range of 1800 kilometers (1100 miles) during the final
approach
imaging sequence prior to orbit insertion. A five and one-half
hour
long sequence of images covering visible and infrared wavelengths
was
taken at that time, to provide a global overview of the color and
spectral properties of the asteroid. The images show
approximately the
color that Eros would appear to the unaided human eye.
Eros' subtle butterscotch hue at visible wavelengths is nearly
uniform
across the surface. Two days after these images were taken,
mapping by
NEAR's infrared spectrometer showed that Eros exhibits a great
deal
more variety at longer wavelengths. These variations could be due
to
differences in texture or composition of the surface. Both NEAR's
multispectral imager and infrared spectrometer will be used
extensively
during the month of March to map Eros' color and spectral
properties
from an altitude of 200 kilometers (120 miles). The images to be
returned will show details as small as 20 meters (68 feet)
across,
providing a new perspective on the asteroid's many fascinating
landforms discovered so far by NEAR.
--------------------------------------------------------
Built and managed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, NEAR was the first spacecraft
launched in
NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost, small-scale planetary
missions.
See the NEAR web page at http://near.jhuapl.edu
for more details.
=================
(2) GOING COMET WILD
From Ron Baalke <BAALKE@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov>
http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast27feb_2.htm
Going Comet Wild
Space Science News
NASA's STARDUST spacecraft, bound for comet Wild-2, celebrated
its
first year in space this month.
February 28, 2000: In February 1999, NASA's STARDUST spacecraft
blasted
off from the Kennedy Space Center for a daring encounter with
periodic
comet Wild-2. Its ambitious goal is to intercept Wild-2 in 2004,
to
capture tiny bits of comet dust and debris, and then return them
to
Earth for analysis in 2006. On the way, STARDUST will also sample
a
stream of dust particles from outside the solar system.
STARDUST is the first comet rendezvous mission since the European
Giotto spacecraft's fly-by of Comet Halley (1986) and Comet
26P/Grigg-Skjellerup (1992), and the first ever to attempt to
return a
comet sample to Earth. It's a long 7-year mission, but one most
scientists feel is worth the wait.
"I'm Here! I'm OK!"
After one year in space STARDUST is doing well, say project
officials.
The spacecraft has executed several flawless course adjustments,
and
last week it deployed its aerogel collector for a first-ever
sampling
of interstellar dust particles. Still, STARDUST has given mission
controllers their share of sleepless nights.
"There have been storms to sail through," recounts
STARDUST project
manager Dr. Kenneth Atkins in a recent commemorative essay.
"The first
attempt to move from gyro-stabilized control to pure
star-referencing
found a software bug that caused the spacecraft [to go into safe
mode].
When the ship invokes this routine, it shuts down all unnecessary
activities, including communications with Earth, and turns to the
Sun
to ensure the lifeblood of solar energy floods its batteries and
electronics with electricity. When it deems all is well, it sets
up a
plan to contact us on Earth, tell us what happened, and let us
tell it
what to do next. This routine, while carefully designed to
protect the
spacecraft, is still an 'anxiety event' for the crew back on
Earth.
It's a bit like the feeling when your teenager is late coming
home, and
you get no phone call. The anxiety builds fear until the dutiful
signal comes through. 'I'm here!' 'I'm O.K.!'"
STARDUST and its crew have successfully navigated three more safe
mode
events, all involving data handling by on-board software.
What's all the fuss about Wild-2?
Scientists are curious about comets because they are thought to
be the
oldest, most primitive bodies in the solar system. Comets are
made up
of the same stuff as the early Solar Nebula that collapsed to
form the
sun and planets. It is now known that comets contain significant
amounts of water ice, dust, and carbon based compounds. They may
have
been an important source of water and organic molecules for Earth
when
many comets collided with our planet during a period of heavy
bombardment over 4 billion years ago. Modern-day comets are like
a time
machine. They offer a window into the past when the Solar System
was
young and life on Earth was just beginning.
History is filled with famous comets. Halley's comet, Hale-Bopp,
Hyakutake and others have dazzled observers with their brilliant
nuclei
and dramatic tails. Recent comets like Hale-Bopp have been viewed
by
hundreds of millions of people, and Halley's comet has had a real
impact on history, as in 1066 when it was so bright that it
terrified
millions of Europeans and was widely credited with the Norman
victory
at the Battle of Hastings.
Unlike its famous cousins, comet Wild-2 is a relatively dim, new
arrival to the inner solar system. Before September 1974, when it
passed within 0.006 AU of Jupiter, Wild-2 circled the Sun in an
orbit
between Jupiter and Uranus. That encounter with the giant planet,
at
only 10 times the distance which fragmented P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 in
1994,
altered Wild-2's orbit so that its closest approach to the Sun
now lies
just inside the orbit of Mars.
During its first passage by Earth (1.21 AU) on January 6, 1978,
the
comet was discovered by Paul Wild. Since then, the best
apparition of
Wild-2 was in March 1997 when it passed within 0.85 AU of our
planet,
brightening to an unimpressive 10th magnitude. That's too faint
to be
seen with the naked eye, but bright enough for modest amateur
telescopes.
So, why visit an obscure, hard-to-see object like Wild-2, when
there
are so many more notorious comets to choose from? There are two
important reasons:
#1 It's fresh. Before its near miss with Jupiter in 1974 comet
Wild-2
was well-preserved in the frigid outer solar system. With its new
orbit, Wild-2 now comes much closer to the Sun. When a comet
passes
close enough to the Sun, some of its material is boiled off into
interplanetary space. After about a thousand trips past the Sun,
it
loses most of its volatile materials and no longer generates a
coma or
tail. Since Wild-2 has passed the Sun only a few times, it still
has
most of its dust and gases - it is "pristine." By the
time STARDUST
encounters the comet, Wild-2 will have made only five trips
around the
Sun. By contrast, Comet Halley has passed the Sun more than 100
times.
#2 It's in the right place at the right time. Wild-2 presents a
unique
opportunity -- it is in the right place at the right time.
Scientists
have found a flight path that allows the spacecraft to fly by the
comet
at a relatively low speed, only 13,600 mph. Because of this
"low
velocity" flyby, comet dust can be captured by collectors on
the
spacecraft, rather than blowing right through the collectors and
out
the back side! This comet dust can then be brought back to the
Earth to
be analyzed.
If comet Wild-2 had passed much closer to Jupiter in 1974, it
might
have ended up like comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. Comet SL-9 was often
referred to as the "string of pearls" comet. It is
famous for its
suggestive appearance as well as its collision with the planet
Jupiter!
The comet's original single nucleus was torn to pieces by
Jupiter's
strong gravity during a close encounter with the solar system's
largest
planet in 1992.
After the flyby is done, STARDUST will return to Earth. In 2006
the
craft's aerogel sample collectors will descend by parachute
toward the
U.S. Air Force Test and Training range in Utah, about 100 miles
southwest of Salt Lake City in the desert. By the time the
mission is
over, comet Wild-2 -- dim, obscure, and little-known -- will take
its
rightful place in the pantheon of historic comets.
=================
(3) A FOREST FROM THE PAST: GETTING CLOSER TO A SMOKING GUN
From Bob Kobres <bkobres@uga.edu>
An amazing find of five acres of ancient [~10,000+ years old]
forest,
still standing and nearly perfectly preserved, down to the moss
on the
limbs of the trees.
From:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DyeHard/dyehard.html
"If you look at the tree rings you can look at the
microclimate (which
determines growth) in this area right before it warmed up,”
Bornhorst
says. “One of the really fascinating things is we don’t
see any
indicators that the climate was going to warm up.
"That has some practical significance. If nature didn’t
give any
warning then, what about today?
"All of a sudden it warmed up, the glaciers poured the water
down and
buried them, and boom, they’re gone,” Bornhorst says.
"Researchers examined the tree rings, expecting to find some
sign that
the climate was changing so rapidly.
Lessons for Today?
"Is there an indicator 50 years before that something’s
going to
happen?” Bornhorst says. “It doesn’t seem like it
in the tree rings.”
The results at this point are far from conclusive, but Bornhorst
and
others think the ancient forest may be telling us that major
climatic
changes may occur without warning.
The trees in the ancient forest, he suggests, should have sensed
that
it was getting warmer and that should have been reflected in
their rate
of growth. But apparently they didn’t.
Now, all these years later, those ancient trees seem to be
raising the
same question today that they did 10,000 years ago: Does anybody
really
know what’s going on?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Might be getting closer to a smoking gun! ;^)
bobk
====================
(4) GLOBAL WARMING: THE CONTRARIAN VIEW
From THE NEW YORK TIMES, 29 February 2000
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/022900sci-environ-climate.html
Global Warming: The Contrarian View
By WILLIAM K. STEVENS
Over the years, skeptics have tried to cast doubt on the idea of
global
warming by noting that measurements taken by earth satellites
since
1979 have found little or no temperature rise in large parts of
the
upper atmosphere.
The satellites' all-encompassing coverage yields more reliable
results
than temperature samplings showing a century-long warming trend
at the
earth's surface, they argued.
In January, a special study by the National Research Council,
the
research arm of the National Academy of Sciences, declared that
the
"apparent disparity" between the two sets of
measurements over the
20-year history of the satellite measurements "in no way
invalidates
the conclusion that surface temperature has been rising."
The surface
warming "is undoubtedly real," the study panel said.
But the dissenters are a long way from conceding the debate, and
they
have seized on other aspects of the panel's report in an effort
to
bolster their case.
To be sure, according to interviews with some prominent skeptics,
there
is now wide agreement among them that the average surface
temperature
of the earth has indeed risen.
"I don't think we're arguing over whether there's any global
warming,"
said Dr. William M. Gray, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado
State
University, known for his annual predictions of Atlantic
hurricane
activities as well as his staunch, longtime dissent on global
climate
change.
"The question is, 'What is the cause of it?' "
On that issue, and on the remaining big question of how the
climate might
change in the future, skeptics continue to differ sharply with
the dominant
view among climate experts.
The dominant view is that the surface warming is at least partly
attributable to emissions of heat-trapping waste industrial gases
like carbon dioxide, a product of the burning of fossil fuels
like
coal, oil and natural gas.
A United Nations scientific panel has predicted that unless these
greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, the earth's average surface
temperature will rise by some 2 to 6 degrees Fahrenheit over the
next
century, with a best estimate of about 3.5 degrees, compared with
a rise
of 5 to 9 degrees since the depths of the last ice age 18,000 to
20,000
years ago. This warming, the panel said, would touch off
widespread
disruptions in climate and weather and cause the global sea level
to rise
and flood many places.
Dr. Gray and others challenge all of this. To them, the observed
surface warming of about 1 degree over the last century -- with
an
especially sharp rise in the last quarter century -- is mostly or
wholly natural, and there is no significant human influence on
global climate.
They also adhere firmly to their long-held opinion that any
future
warming will be inconsequential or modest at most, and that its
effects will largely be beneficial.
FULL STORY at
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/022900sci-environ-climate.html
Copyright 2000, The New York Times Newpapers Ltd.
=====================
(5) ABRUPT END TO LITTLE ICE AGE
From Explorzezone, 29 February 2000
http://explorezone.com/archives/00_02/29_volcano_evidence.htm
Wyoming ice hints at abrupt end to Little Ice Age
Samples of ice retrieved from a Wyoming glacier show evidence of
ancient
volcanic eruptions and indicate the the Little Ice Age ended
abruptly, a
new study shows.
Two of the largest volcanic eruptions in human history occurred
in the
Indonesia Islands in the year 1815 and again in 1883. Although
these
catastrophes claimed thousands of lives and affected the climate
on a
global scale, they also created a unique opportunity for future
scientists.
For up to two years following each eruption, the Earth's weather
washed
out the dust and aerosols in the form of sulfuric and nitric
acids,
leaving behind a chemical "fingerprint" in the rain and
snow.
FULL STORY at
http://explorezone.com/archives/00_02/29_volcano_evidence.htm
=====================
(6) THE FATE OF GREENLAND'S VIKINGS
From ARCHAEOLOGY, 28 February 2000
http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/index.html
By D. M. Brown
Some people call it the Farm under the Sand, others Greenland's
Pompeii. Dating to the mid-fourteenth century, it was once the
site of
a Viking colony founded along the island's grassy southwestern
coast
that stretches in a fjord-indented ribbon between the glaciers
and the
sea. Archaeologists Jette Arneborg of the Danish National Museum,
Joel
Berglund of the Greenland National Museum, and Claus Andreasen of
Greenland University could not have guessed what would be
revealed when
they excavated the ruins of the five-room, stone-and-turf house
in the
early 1990s.
As the archaeologists dug through the permafrost and removed the
windblown glacial sand that filled the rooms, they were startled
to
find a large wooden loom with a length of unfinished woolen cloth
still
attached. Scattered about were other household belongings,
including an
iron knife, whetstones, soapstone vessels, and a double-edged
comb.
Whoever lived here departed so hurriedly that they left behind
iron and
caribou antler arrows, weapons needed for survival in this harsh
country, medieval Europe's farthest frontier. What drove the
occupants
away? Where did they go?
FULL STORY at
http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/index.html
====================
(7) ENVIRONMENTS OF THE ROSETTA TARGET ASTEROIDS
A. Rossi*) & M. Fulchignoni: Environments of the ROSETTA
target
asteroids. ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH, 1999, Vol.24, No.9,
pp.1087-1093
*) CNR,CNUCE,VIA S MARIA 36,I-56126 PISA,ITALY
The ROSETTA spacecraft will fly-by a few asteroids during its
course to
the final cometary target. The candidate asteroids presently are
140
Siwa (C-type) and 4979 Otawara. An alternative interesting
trajectory
reaching four asteroids (5331 Erimomisaki, 905 Universitas, 1515
Perrotin and 4247 Grahamsmith) has also been found by ESA. With
the
limited data presently available on these bodies we calculated
some
approximate quantities which may be useful to select the fly-by
trajectories of the ROSETTA probe. Some first information are
provided by the classical quantities such as the radius of the
Hill sphere. Then, exploiting the results of Hamilton and Burns
(1991),
we determined the orbital stability zone, i.e. the union of all
the
numerically integrated orbits showing long-term stability, for
each of
the above asteroids. As was suggested by Hamilton and Burns
(1991) the
particular shape of these zones would suggest to have the
spacecraft's
close approach out of the orbital plane of the asteroids. The
results
of a large set of numerical integrations are then presented,
strengthening and broadening the conclusions of the analytical
calculations. The stability zone appears to be severely limited
by the
effect of the solar radiation pressure which sweeps away small
particles from the asteroid vicinity. In the case of 140 Siwa the
borders of the zone (for mm-sized particles) stretch to about 420
R-A
in the X - Y plane and 162 R-A in the Z direction, mainly due to
the
apocenter distance reached by particles placed on initial highly
eccentric orbits. (C) 1999 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science
Ltd.
=============
(8) VIRTIS: IMAGING SPECTROMETER OF THE ROSETTA MISSION
A. Coradini*), F. Capaccioni, P. Drossart, A. Semery, G. Arnold,
U. Schade: VIRTIS: The imaging spectrometer of the ROSETTA
mission.
ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH, 1999, Vol.24, No.9, pp.1095-1104
*) IST ASTROFIS SPAZIALE,CNR,REPARTO PLANETOL,VIA FOSSO
CAVALIERE,I-00133 ROME,ITALY
The study of minor bodies of the Solar System is acquiring an
increasing importance in recent years thanks to new space
missions,
such as NEAR, and to new ground based observations. However none
of the
presently planned missions will be able to study targets, such as
asteroids and comets with such a complete and state-of-the-art-
payload, as will Rosetta mission. Rosetta will study in detail a
comet
nucleus, the prime target of the mission following it from large
distances (more than 3 AU) inbound up to almost 1 AU from the
Sun. This
will permit the detection of the beginning of the cometary
activity, as
well as determining the composition of emitted gases. At the same
time,
modification of the cometary surface will be observed and
analysed.
Detailed in situ analysis will be performed by the Surface
Science
Package (SSP), thus allowing not only a detailed analysis of the
selected landing site, but also establishing ground truth for the
remote sensing experiment. VIRTIS (Visible Infra Red Thermal
Imaging
Spectrometer) is fundamental to the detection and study of the
evolution of the typical spectral bands of minerals and molecules
characterising the comet surface as well as those of gases and
dust
dispersed in the coma. Their identification is a primary goal of
the
Rosetta mission; this will allow the identification the nature of
the
main constituent of the comets. Moreover, the surface thermal
evolution
during comet approach to sun will be monitored. In this paper the
VIRTIS design and its detailed science goals are reported. (C)
1999
COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
==============
(9) ASTEROID 4979 OTAWARA: FLYBY TARGET OF ROSETTA
A. Doressoundiram*), P.R. Weissman, M. Fulchignoni, M.A. Barucci,
A.
LeBras, F. Colas, J. Lecacheux, M. Birlan, M. Lazzarin, S.
Fornasier,
E. Dotto, C. Barbieri, M.V. Sykes, S. Larson, C. Hergenrother:
4979
Otawara: flyby target of the Rosetta mission. ASTRONOMY AND
ASTROPHYSICS, 1999, Vol.352, No.2, pp.697-702
*) CALTECH,JET PROP LAB,4800 OAK GROVE DR,PASADENA,CA,91109
An international observing campaign was organized to determine
the
physical and chemical characteristics of asteroid 4979 Otawara,
which
is the first target of the Rosetta mission (flyby on July 10,
2006).
Knowledge of the physical parameters of the flyby targets is
required
for both refinement of the design of the spacecraft and the
instrument
payload, and optimization of the mission trajectory and
scenarios. We
present the results of observations obtained from December, 1998
through March, 1999. The spectral classification of 4979 Otawara
could
be either a pyroxene and/or olivine-rich S-type asteroid or a
V-type
asteroid, a member of the Vesta dynamical family. Further
observations
are needed in order to discriminate between the two spectral
types. The
synodic rotation period of Otawara is P-syn = 2.107 +/- 0.005 hr.
The
lower limit for the axial ratio of the enveloping ellipsoid is
a/b
greater than or equal to 1.3. The circular effective radius is
2.0 or
1.3 km in the case of an S-type or a V-type asteroid,
respectively. A
lower limit on its density is obtained: rho(min) greater than or
equal
to 1.9 g cm(-3) if we assume that Otawara is an aggregate or
rubble
pile object. However, if Otawara is a single solid body, no
constraint
can be set on its density. 4979 Otawara is a small, fast rotating
asteroid (FRA) and hence, will be a particularly interesting
target to
be studied from a spacecraft, since no fast rotator has been
visited
yet. Copyright 2000, Institute for Scientific Information Inc.
=============================
* LETTERS TO THE MODERATOR *
=============================
(10) WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SATURN V PLANS ?
From Paul Shawcross <pshawcro@hq.nasa.gov>
The recurring legend of the destruction of the Saturn V
blueprints is
discussed in the sci.space FAQ:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/space/controversy/
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SATURN V PLANS
Despite a widespread belief to the contrary, the Saturn V
blueprints
have not been lost. They are kept at Marshall Space Flight Center
on
microfilm. The Federal Archives in East Point, GA also has 2900
cubic
feet of Saturn documents. Rocketdyne has in its archives dozens
of
volumes from its Knowledge Retention Program. This effort was
initiated
in the late '60s to document every facet of F-1 and J-2
engine
production to assist in any future re-start.
The problem in re-creating the Saturn V is not finding the
drawings, it
is finding vendors who can supply mid-1960's vintage hardware
(like
guidance system components), and the fact that the launch pads
and
VAB have been converted to Space Shuttle use, so you have
no place to
launch from.
By the time you redesign to accommodate available hardware and
re-modify the launch pads, you may as well have started from
scratch
with a clean sheet design.
Other references:
Several AIAA papers delivered in recent years discuss reviving
the
Saturn V. For example, AIAA paper 92-1546, "Launch Vehicles
for the
Space Exploration Initiative". This paper concluded that a
revived
Saturn V was actually cheaper than the NLS vehicle.
An overview of the infrastructure still available to support
production
of a 1990s Saturn V and how that vehicle might be used to support
First Lunar Outpost missions can be found in the December 1993
issue of
*Spaceflight*, published by the British Interplanetary Society.
Paul Shawcross
NASA Office of Inspector General
Mail Code W
Room 8Z61
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC 20546-0001
paul.shawcross@hq.nasa.gov
Voice: (202) 358-2558
Fax: (202) 358-2990
=================
(11) FORGET ABOUT SATURN V
From Geoffrey V. Hughes <ghughes@rotaryrocket.com>
Benny,
Trust that this is the correct place to respond.
There is no point in even contemplating trying to rebuild the
Saturn V.
Having a complete set of Saturn V blueprints would do us no good
whatsoever. True, we would still be able to bend the big pieces
of
metal etc fairly easily. But they are not the problem. The real
problem
is the hundreds of thousands of other parts, some as apparently
insignificant as a bolt or a washer, that are simply not
manufactured
any more. Replacements would have to be found and requalifed but
to
what standard? Everything would have to be redone. So a simple
rebuild
would be impossible. Yes, impossible is the correct term. Sorry.
Attempting to replicate what was done forty years ago by a
now-disbanded group of retired or deceased people based on a
forty-year
old industrial base, would be an enormous challenge. Not only
don't the
design teams exist, but the parts don't exist and the companies
that
manufactured the parts don't exist. To attempt to resurrect them
would
be pure folly.
Given this situation, what would happen of course, is that a
simple
rebuild would then turn into a new and improved version which
would
turn into a runaway money sink.
The only real answer would be to start from scratch and build
anew
using modern parts and processes. Yet another immense challenge!!
Geoffrey V. Hughes
VP Sales & Marketing
Rotary Rocket Company
Voice: 650.298.3305
Fax: 650.298.3301
Cell: 415.307.7495
WWWeb:rotaryrocket.com
=================
(12) ALU FOIL & SOLAR SAILING
From Michael Paine <mpaine@tpgi.com.au>
Dear Benny,
Re: Konrad Ebisch's comments about wrapping planetoids in
aluminum
foil.
To be fair to Jay Melosh this was not his 'proposal' - I actually
asked him whether the idea might work when researching my
Space.com
article. He responded:
*A change in reflectivity was suggested to me by several russians
(they said, "all you have to do it paint it!"), but if
you evaluate
the amount of deflection possible it is a poor bet--and gets
worse as
the object gets bigger, since the surface area does as diameter
squared, but the mass as diameter cubed....[furthermore, it and a
reflective balloon]...can only apply a force radial to the sun,
which
is the least helpful vector*
As I point out in my article, the non-nuclear method that Jay
favours
most is the solar collector (to concentrate sunlight and vaporise
material on the surface of the asteroid). It seems to me that we
ought
to be experimenting with this technique - it would make a good
'exercise for students' and perhaps a getaway special on the
Shuttle
or ISS.
regards
Michael Paine
P.S. I found something to add
Russians May Hoist Europe's Solar Sail
http://space.com/space/technology/russian_solar_sail_000229.html
'ESA is currently considering using the Russian Dnepr booster to
launch
and deploy a solar sail measuring over 65 by 65 feet (20 by 20
meters)...'
-----------------------
MODERATOR’S NOTE: I have attached a related abstract below.
(13) SOLAR SAIL SPACECRAFT & SMALL BODIES EXPLORATIONS
M.V. Pomazanov*) & V.A. Yegorov: On attainability of small
bodies by
use of the solar sail spacecraft. ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH,
1999,
Vol.24, No.9, pp.1175-1183
*) MOSCOW MV LOMONOSOV STATE UNIV,FAC PHYS,DEPT MATH,MOSCOW
119899,RUSSIA
The unrotating self-opening solar sail spacecraft with the design
briefly explained here have been assume to use for the
multitarget
programs of small bodies exploration. The calculations of the
sail mass
taking into account the sail stability show, that the modern
technology
permits to reduce the sail mass to 15-30 % of the complete
spacecraft
mass which is supposed to be about 100 kg. The spacecraft with a
solar
sail can make the survey of asteroids by flying close to its
surface
and can make the distant capture of the small body ground sample
at
close contact. The technique and results of the calculations of
the
minimal flyby time transfer trajectories of the spacecraft with
solar
sail to the asteroids or comets are presented. The calculations
are
proceed for the period 1998-2001 and for the starts of a solar
sail
vehicle from the circular heliocentric orbits of the Earth, Mars
or
small planet Vesta. It is shown that for any arrival date always
exist
the a-steroid (or comet) that can be achieved during 5-10 months
flyby
time. The solar sail lightness number (the ratio of the maximal
thrust
to the solar attraction) alpha = 0.083 was chosen and more 6300
well
known asteroids were examined, The influence of this parameter
alpha to
the transfer duration is considered also. (C) 1999 COSPAR.
Published by
Elsevier Science Ltd.
=====================
(14) MOON
From Malcolm Miller < stellar2@actonline.com.au
>
Dear Benny,
I had to chuckle at the confusion - including my own - about the
inclination of the Moon's orbit. I've been fortunate to live
where the
sky can be seen most of the year and to work all night with
pre-computer-age telescopes, and I can visualise the Moon's
wandering
path among the stars, clearly adding or subtracting its own 5
degrees
of inclination to the ecliptic to the 23.5 degrees tilt of
Earth's
axis, which puts the celestial equator at an angle to the
ecliptic. So
while the celestial equator is close to the Orion Nebula, the
ecliptic
is not, and the Moon doesn't occult the Nebula.
Maybe there's a lesson in this - what we say is not always what
we
know!
Malcolm Miller
======================
(15) AND FINALLY, PLANETARY DEFENSE Á LA WOODY ALLEN:
GIANT BREAST CAN SAVE THE WORLD
From Christian Gritzner < Christian.Gritzner@cargolifter.com
>
Hi Benny,
have a look at this :-)
Best wishes,
Christian
PROPOSED ASTEROID DEFENSE UTILIZES SILICON IMPLANTS
From Bogus News Network
http://www.acclaimedmedia.com/voafa/bnn/bestof/68b.htm
In the wake of last week's announcement that a nuclear warhead is
not
capable of destroying an Earth-threatening asteroid, Sow Borning
Medical Industries, today, announced plans for an asteroid
defense
system that would utilize silicon breast implants.
Said a spokesman for Sow Borning, "Sales of silicon breast
implants have
been sagging since it was discovered they cause cancer. We have
hundreds of thousands of these things that we have been trying to
get
rid of."
Sow Borning's plan is to take their present stock of silicon
implants and
create a 'breast' the size of a house. The Space Shuttle would
then
send it on a collision course with the asteroid. When they
collide, the
asteroid would be 'bounced' into deep space away from the earth.
NASA scientists say they need some time to feel the idea out.
© 1999 BNN (Bogus News Network - The Nation's Second Leading
Source
for Misinformation) http://www.bogusnews.com
- You may Freely
Distribute this story for non-commercial use IF You Include All
Copyright Info, the Website Address and the Disclaimer.
Disclaimer: This story is totally false not one shred of it is
true! It
was created for entertainment purposes ONLY. Any resemblance to
the
truth is purely coincidental.
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