From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sat Apr 1 01:13:01 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 22:13:01 -0800 Subject: [lunar-update] Which came first - the orbital chicken or the transportation egg? Message-ID: <001501c65553$5513b800$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good evening, Reading others writings and thinking about my warm house as it rains outside, and I wonder who would like to live on the Moon or Mars or on a Spaceship to the stars. I have lurked on various space oriented groups and see folks talk about how we might move off mother Earth and argue about what NASA is doing wrong or why we are still in LEO just going around this Blue Marble every 92 minutes. I don't read in my little home town, Tracy, newspaper any interest in setting up "human settlements" on the Moon. We list the car crashes on I205, and the possible building of a bio-weapons lab at Lawrence Livermore Labs just down the road from me. (aaah to make sure no one uses them on us) - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=53463 Articles : The Why, What and When of a Permanent Manned Lunar Colony by Maurizio Morabito, on 18-Aug-05 12:11am W.W.W. MOON? The Why, What and When of a Permanent Manned Lunar Colony by Maurizio Morabito Snip Background A few points of note to explain the main assumptions: first of all by "human settlement" it is intended a self-sustaining permanently-manned colony, inhabited not only by scientists and astronauts. In the sense of being opposed to the idea of a "lunar outpost", the structure must be as far as possible from the old concept of "habitable tin cans" ('a la International Space Station). Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ A trip back to the Moon for an outing is not a "human settlement" and neither would a trip to Mars. If you never grew up living in an igloo or a house built on permafrost (now melting into the ocean) why would you want to go live in a lava tube on the Moon or an ice cave on Mars? Why do you want a space elevator to climb to GEO and a tether system to sling shot you to the Moon? ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn8725 Space-elevator tether climbs a mile high * 15:29 15 February 2006 * NewScientist.com news service * Kimm Groshong ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?id=4202 Sling me to the Moon 1/18/2006 11:22:00 AM By: Chris Bergin NASA researchers are working on an alternative form of space travel to the Moon, involving a ride on a giant slingshot that utilises the technology of momentum-exchange tethers. These giant structures - roughly 100 kilometres in length - would rotate end-over-end in space, catch a spacecraft, before "throwing" it on a path to take it to the Moon. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ The ISS is still under construction and we are complaining that it isn't going to assemble rockets to go to the Moon. Not in a good orientation anyway. The shuttle is going to be decommissioned and we haven't provided hotel accommodations or space taxis, and so what, that I can live a year under the protection of our magneto sphere. Where is my high view port at GEO? Are we afraid of getting radiation sickness from a solar flare? Donald Robertson says in an article he wrote back in November 2001, "Which should come first, the orbital chicken, or the transportation egg?" Think about it, was the Intercontinental Railroad built to make it possible for San Francisco to be built or was it built to make it easy to get goods and supplies to San Francisco after the gold rush made it expedient to do so? http://www.speakeasy.org/~donaldfr/sfmodel.pdf What do you do to get all people looking up? Maybe a Lunar Lab of some extended time will be noticeable. Maybe an orbit by the Chinese will perk up some ears. Maybe some college students micro-sat launched to orbit the Moon send back a CQ that some Earth bound Radio Hams will pick up and send the message over the Internet. (working on my Technician Ham license :-) Add to that add an Indian Lunar Satellite. Maybe if we get enough missions to the Moon my home town paper will pick it up off the AP wire and print it. It would help if you find some fossils in those cold traps along with some ice that you could melt to make my coffee. ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.panspermia.org/zhmur2.htm 27 October 2000: Microorganisms from the Moon On 24 September 1970, for the first time, an unmanned spacecraft delivered a lunar "soil" sample to Earth. The Soviet Union's Luna 16 spacecraft returned from the moon's Sea of Fertility with 101 grams of lunar regolith in a hermetically sealed container (1). In February 1972, only 120 kilometers from the Luna 16 site, Luna 20 used a drill with a ten-inch, hollow-core bit to collect another regolith sample that was also hermetically sealed on the moon (2). Back in the USSR, the sealed containers from the Luna missions would be promptly delivered to the laboratory for the contents to be examined and photographed. But even after hundreds of the pictures were published in an atlas in 1979 (3), the biological nature of some of the particles was not noticed. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- You want a sample return from Mars, good, every two years or so. Want some sample return practice, stab the Moon and return in a week. Quit dropping eggs from University Campus bell towers, build micro soil samplers with transmitters to radio back the results. If you really want to go to space, find some ways to transport your egg and get that chicken out of orbit. :-) - LRK - Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://www.spaceagepub.com/Daily.html See image - LRK - Credit: David Schrunk 'Malapert Mountain,' Possible Lunar Observatory And Science Research Center, Lies Situated On Near Side Of Moon Just Above Shackleton Crater And South Pole Snip http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2006/ European Geosciences Union 'General Assembly 2006' in Vienna, Austria on 02 Apr thru 7 Apr; lunar science http://isdc.nss.org/2006/ 'International Space Development Conf' on 4-7 May in Los Angeles CA to focus on tourism, Moon; Buzz Aldrin, Burt Rutan to speak http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=20015 Intl Lunar Conf 2006 / 8th ILEWG Intl Conf on Exploration & Utilization of Moon' on 23-27 Jul in Beijing; abstracts due 20 Apr Snip ============================================================= Maurizio Morabito sent a link to an article he presented about the reasons for a Permanent Manned Lunar Colony - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Larry Let me point out some work on Lunar Bases I have done a couple of years ago, for a presentation at the British Interplanetary Society You can read "The Why, What and When of a Permanent Manned Lunar Colony" at URL http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=53463 There are quite a few references. Of course one of my main sources was 'Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century' By the way it includes my own proposal for a polar base called P.O.L.E. Snip ============================================================= A note from Donald F. Robertson and some discourse with link to one of his earlier writings (Nov 2001) have some thoughts to consider. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- A quick comment, Larry. While I agree with Mr. Zubrin about the short-sightedness of abandoning the Methane-Oxygen engine, I think the current vision is the vision we get. The best way to make certain that nothing happens is to start fighting amongst ourselves. Let's return to Earth's moon and work on Mars as we can. Second, Mr. Zubrin ignores one key resource that the moon can supply, which is oxygen. I think the moon is critical because it can supply low-cost oxygen for use on the moon, then later at the Space Station (which has a huge and growing oxygen requirement) and eventually at other application satellites in LEO. It could also supply the oxidizer, breathing, and (with hydrogen) drinking requirements of future Mars missions. This starts the earliest beginnings of a trading economy. A quick look at terrestrial history shows that trade has driven much of the human expansion across the globe. If we want space exploration to happen relatively soon, our first and highest priority should be to get that trading economy started. Delivering oxygen from the moon to LEO is the easiest and earliest thing we can do to achieve that -- and thus should be our single highest priority in space. NASA's current vision speaks directly to that goal . . . and could more quickly lead to deep space missions to the Martian moons, nearby asteroids, and the Martian surface, and a permanent infrastructure for same, than any amount of front loaded government efforts. My opinion, but based on what has worked in the past. Thanks for listening! -- Donald ============================================================= My reply - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks much for your thoughts Donald. May I pass them to the lunar-update list? My feeling is that a permanent presence in space for humans needs to be justified and sold to the public. A lot of chicken and egg problems. Inkjet printers was a similar problem. Hewlett Packard wanted to make printers. No paper that would work with the early models, and paper manufactures didn't want to make special paper if there were no printers. HP ended up making paper and printers to start out. Someone has to have the belief and vision and perseverance to follow through from invention to innovation to production. Zubrin is pushing for Mars. Some pushing for the Moon. Need some pushing for the whole ball of wax. Could make for some interesting times and a lot of new inventions to solve all the problems (opportunities :-) Larry ============================================================= You certainly may. However, I think we already have our chicken. In addition, you may want to distribute the link to this article, which was published several times and most recently in Spaceflight. It's a bit out-of-date, but I still think it's solution to the "Chicken-and-Egg" problem is the correct one. http://www.speakeasy.org/~donaldfr/sfmodel.pdf -- Donald ============================================================= http://www.speakeasy.org/~donaldfr/sfmodel.pdf (Nov 2001 - 267 KB PDF file) Building a Place to Trade in Space: the San Francisco Model (an Acrobat file) most recently appeared in Spaceflight. Why would anyone invest the hundreds of millions, or billions, of dollars needed to develop routine transportation to space? After all, the only existing market each year is a few dozen communications, scientific, and military satellites. An unfortunate number of would-be entrepreneurial launch companies are finding themselves asking just that question. Humanity has never tackled a frontier as difficult as the Solar System before, so we cannot know the answer to that question with any certainty. But, history does provide some clues, at least to what has worked in the past. ----------------------------------- Snip Which should come first, the orbital chicken, or the transportation egg? These are not new questions, but, in today's climate of slowly improving technology and rapidly decreasing funding, answers to them are more important than ever. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- More of Donald's writings. - LRK - http://www.speakeasy.org/~donaldfr/ ============================================================= Lord Kimberley sent the below links from the NewScientist magazine. If you have a subscription you can read the whole article. The snips at least give you an idea of what is of interest. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Larry, For once the main feature in this week's New Scientist. Sadly only subscribers only for the magazine content. http://www.newscientist.com/contents/issue/2545.html - I do get a print version. It's time to go back * 01 April 2006 * From New Scientist Print Edition. Subscribe and get 4 free issues. In the 34 years since Eugene Cernan left the last footprint on the moon, our knowledge of the nature of the universe and the origins of life has expanded immeasurably, bringing us up against questions that are impossible to answer here on Earth. Now NASA and others are getting serious about harnessing the moon for science, and over the next 10 pages, we find out why. We explore the opportunities available at the prime lunar locations and the challenges of working there. And we examine the apparently bizarre idea that going fossil hunting on the lunar surface is our best chance of discovering our own origins. For science, there's no place quite like the moon... >From issue 2545 of New Scientist magazine, 01 April 2006, page 32 but some more is available at http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/mg19025450.300.html and http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19025450.200.html -- Yours John. ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sat Apr 1 23:58:47 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2006 20:58:47 -0800 Subject: [lunar-update] Forty Years of Space Talk Message-ID: <002c01c65612$20cddc00$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good evening. To communicate or not to communicate that is the question. The article copied is about 40 years of the DSN. The Deep Space Network, here is to looking up. If you ever care to look back at the planning for the Interplanetary Network, the monthly reports are on-line. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm The Interplanetary Network Progress Report, published on activities of the Interplanetary Network Directorate (IND) in planning, research, technology development, implementation, and operations in the areas of network, communications, navigation, information systems, Deep Space Network (DSN) science, mission support, communication standards, protocols, and spectrum engineering. Tasks funded by the JPL Director's Research Discretionary Fund, the Research & Technology Development Fund, and other programs that involve the IND also are included. ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/ipn_progress_report/issues.cfm?force_external=0 PAST ISSUES Past issues of this publication, which has been published under four different titles, can be accessed electronically from this page. From February 1971 through April 1980, the publication was entitled The Deep Space Network Progress Report. Then from June 1980 (issue 42-57) through February 1998 (issue 42-132), it was published as The Telecommunications and Data Acquisition Progress Report. Beginning in May 1998 (issue 42-133) and ending in May 2001 (issue 42-145), the publication was The Telecommunications and Mission Operations Progress Report. The publication was retitled The Interplanetary Network Progress Report in August 2001 (issue 42-146). All past issues published under all of these titles are available here. ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/ipn_progress_report/dsn.cfm DSN PROGRESS REPORT ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/progress_report2/I/Ititle.htm Technical Report 32-1526, Volume I The Deep Space Network Progress Report For November and December 1970 Contents ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/progress_report2/I/IA.PDF DSN Functions and Facilities ------------------------------------------------------------ There is a wealth of information in these PDF files about all the work that went into preparing for the many missions that have gone on. Those early volumes that have Roman Numeral headings cover those early deep space missions. Should you care to look at some of them it will be just like you were there during planning. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/progress_report2/ [DIR] I/ 18-Dec-2000 16:26 2K [DIR] II/ 18-Dec-2000 16:25 2K [DIR] III/ 15-Dec-2000 11:50 2K [DIR] IV/ 20-Nov-2000 09:29 2K [DIR] IX/ 17-Nov-2000 17:30 2K [DIR] V/ 17-Nov-2000 17:35 2K [DIR] VI/ 17-Nov-2000 17:34 2K [DIR] VII/ 17-Nov-2000 17:33 2K [DIR] VIII/ 17-Nov-2000 17:31 2K [DIR] X/ 17-Nov-2000 17:29 2K [DIR] XI/ 17-Nov-2000 17:27 2K [DIR] XII/ 09-Nov-2000 12:01 2K [DIR] XIII/ 09-Nov-2000 10:41 2K [DIR] XIV/ 09-Nov-2000 09:47 2K [DIR] XIX/ 07-Nov-2000 13:38 2K [DIR] XV/ 08-Nov-2000 11:42 2K [DIR] XVI/ 08-Nov-2000 11:41 2K [DIR] XVII/ 07-Nov-2000 14:49 2K [DIR] XVIII/ 07-Nov-2000 14:48 2K ------------------------------------------------------------ When we go back to the Moon, I should think the DSN will be participating. There schedule is full and others may need to have antennas pointing up as well. The SMART-1 mission has already found that time has to be shared with missions going to Mars and to Venus. Maybe you have a 26 meter, 34 meter, or 70 meter antenna in your backyard to help fill in. :-) Radio Hams have done Moon bounce communications. ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/moon.html Snip Communicating over great distances via VHF continues to fascinate many amateurs. EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) communication, also known as "moonbounce", meteor scatter, and VHF cw DX are some of the techniques used. In the case of EME and meteor scatter, the concept is simple: use the moon or the ionized trail of a meteor as a passive reflector for VHF and UHF signals. A simple but effective station is within the reach of most amateur experimenters. With the advent of very sensitive receiving preamplifiers and commercially available high-gain Yagi antennas, many VHF operators are enjoying successful weak signal contacts. With a total path length of about 500,000 miles, EME is the ultimate DX Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ Shall we look more at what will be required to live on the Moon? Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/dsnf-20060328.html Forty Years of Space Talk 03.28.06 "That's one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind." That famous communique from Apollo 11 during the historic first-ever moon walk was brought to you by the 64-meter antenna at NASA's Deep Space Network in Goldstone, Calif. -------------- 70 meter Deep Space Network antenna Image right: Front view of the 70m antenna at Goldstone, California. Image credit: NASA/JPL + Browse version of image -------------- The antenna has accumulated a rich legacy during its 40 years of supporting space exploration. In addition to capturing the words of astronauts on all the Apollo moon missions, the dish has communicated with the computers and equipment on every one of NASA's major robotic solar system explorers. The "Big Dish" enabled the world to see the first-ever close-up images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, their rings and their myriad moons, by the Pioneer, Voyager, Galileo and Cassini missions. The antenna has also communicated with NASA's Mars missions, including the currently-operating fleet of five: Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, the Mars Exploration Rovers and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The antenna's history stretches back to 1963, when the United States and Russia were engaged in a high-stakes space race. Engineers were relying on smaller antennas to keep tabs on NASA's earliest missions, which ventured only as far as orbit around Earth. With the development of the Mariner Mars missions, more powerful communications tools were needed. The plan was to build a 64-meter antenna at Goldstone, one of three sites of the Deep Space Network. In 1963, Rohr Corporation was awarded a $12 million contract to design and build the big dish. After two years of construction, a testing phase began to determine how well the antenna would receive signals. In March 1966, engineers pointed the dish toward Mariner 4, which had been lost by smaller antennas after its historic Mars flyby in 1965. Eureka! Mariner 4 sent a signal, and the Goldstone antenna picked it up. To commemorate this historic event, the 64-meter antenna was named "Mars," or more technically, Deep Space Station 14. After three months of calibrations and personnel training, the Mars antenna became the first operational 64-meter antenna of the Deep Space Network in June 1966. The Network includes communications facilities placed about 120 degrees apart around the world -- at Goldstone; near Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia. As Earth rotates, this strategic placement permits ground controllers to maintain constant observation of robotic spacecraft exploring the solar system and beyond. The pioneering Mars antenna was later to expand its repertoire - and its size. In the late 1960s, the antenna was called on to support all the American lunar missions, including Apollo 11, and the nerve-wracking "Houston, we have a problem" Apollo 13 mission. During the critical re-entry of that space capsule, it was more essential then ever for engineers on the ground to maintain contact with the astronauts. The craft's minimal power was needed for re-entry, with little left over for transmitted communications. The antenna was able to capture the "whispers from space," and helped bring the astronauts home safely. As the years passed, NASA pushed the boundaries of space travel farther and farther. The transmitting capability of the 64-meter antenna was expanded for the Viking Mars landers in the mid-1970s. In 1988, the antenna was enlarged to 70 meters (230 feet) to support the Voyager 2 flyby of the distant planet Neptune. Today's 70-meter antenna can do much more than track spacecraft. It's also used for solar system radar, imaging nearby planets, asteroids and comets. It does this by transmitting a 500,000-watt signal to "bounce" off the object and return the resulting signal to Earth. Radar allows us to figure out the paths of asteroids and comets and determine whether any might be a possible future threat to earth. The antenna is also used for Very Long Baseline Interferometry, in conjunction with a radio telescope at one of the other Deep Space Network Stations, to precisely measure Earth's orientation. This information helps with spacecraft navigation. With a fleet of NASA missions already flying and many more planned for the future, the 70-meter Goldstone antenna and the other dishes of the Deep Space Network have a busy lifetime ahead of them. Carolina Martinez/JPL (818) 354-9382 Find this article at: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/dsnf-20060328.html ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sun Apr 2 23:03:12 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 20:03:12 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Lunar Resource Utilization Message-ID: <003a01c656cb$25ae7d60$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Lunar Resource Utilization, practice here, now. Back in 1957, I suggested in my chemistry class that Porta-Potties should pay you by the pound for their use. I was booed, the idea of finding a profitable use for human excrement didn't seem like something they thought would be useful. Somehow plastics from poop wasn't their thing. I probably would have been sued for patent infringement also. It is now 2006 and we still haven't mastered the technique of recycling what we use on the International Space Station. We also blame farm animals for contributing to global warming by contributing to the generation of methane gas. Land fills leak gases that smell and burn. Some are collecting this gas and burning it to create steam for electric power generation but not enough. Shall we look more at what will be required to live on the Moon? Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/HAS/cirr/em/6/6.cfm ============================================================= ============================================================= ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Mon Apr 3 00:28:28 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 21:28:28 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Lunar Resource Utilization - cont. Message-ID: <004401c656d7$0fb2a0c0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Lunar Resource Utilization, practice here, now. [Well not that quick, sorry hit a send key before finishing the thought.] [Maybe the computer knew I was going to step over the line and just wanted to protect me. :-)] Back in 1957, I suggested in my chemistry class that Porta-Potties should pay you by the pound for their use. I was booed, the idea of finding a profitable use for human excrement didn't seem like something they thought would be useful. Somehow plastics from poop wasn't their thing. I probably would have been sued for patent infringement also. It is now 2006 and we still haven't mastered the technique of recycling what we use on the International Space Station. We also blame farm animals for contributing to global warming by contributing to the generation of methane gas. Land fills leak gases that smell and burn. Some are collecting this gas and burning it to create steam for electric power generation but not enough. Let us hope that there are studies going on in our colleges and don't forget to do your patent search as others have already obtained patents and will probably want their royalties should you decide to make something useful on the Moon or Mars. - LRK - Shall we look more at what will be required to live on the Moon? Maybe we will find some things useful for here on Earth as well. Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/HAS/cirr/em/6/6.cfm "Engineering is the professional art of applying science to the optimum conversion of natural resources to the benefit of man." -Ralph J. Smith (1962) Resource utilization will play an important role in the establishment and support of a permanently manned lunar base. The identification of new and innovative technologies will insure the success, sustainability and growth of a future lunar base. These new technologies will certainly utilize lunar resources. Lunar resources can be used to supply replenishables such as oxygen, fuel, water and construction materials. These materials would otherwise have to be brought from Earth at considerable expense. Lunar resources include oxygen from the lunar soil, water from the poles and a supply of volatile gases. One of the most significant steps towards self-sufficiency and independence from the Earth will be the use of lunar materials for construction. At least seven major potential lunar construction materials have been identified. These include: * concrete * sulfur concrete * cast basalt * sintered basalt * fiberglass * cast glass * metals All of these materials may be used to construct a future lunar base. The basalt materials can be formed out of lunar regolith (soil) by a simple process of heating and cooling, and are the most likely to be used to build the first bases. Snip ============================================================= http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/ http://www.belmont.k12.ca.us/ralston/programs/itech/SpaceSettlement/index.ht ml http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/spaceres/index.html http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/spaceres/toc.html Table of Contents * Preface * List of Participants I RESEARCH NEEDS FOR REGENERATIVE LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEMS http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/spaceres/I-1.html * I-1 Systems Engineering Overview for Regenerative Life-Support Systems Applicable to Space Habitats. Jack Spurlock and Mike Modell * References * I-2 Research Planning Criteria for Regenerative Life-Support Systems Applicable to Space Habitats. Jack Spurlong, William Cooper,Paul Deal, Annita Harlan, Marcus Karel, Michael Modell, Paul Moe, John Phillips, David Putnam, Philip Quattrone, C. David Raper, Jr., Elliot Swan, Frieda Taub, Judith Thomas, Christine Wilson, and Ben Zeitman * References Snip ============================================================= http://www.belmont.k12.ca.us/ralston/programs/itech/SpaceSettlement/spaceres vol3/toc.html NASA SP-509, vol. 3 SPACE RESOURCES Materials http://www.belmont.k12.ca.us/ralston/programs/itech/SpaceSettlement/spaceres vol4/toc.html NASA SP-509, vol. 4 SPACE RESOURCES Social Concerns ============================================================= http://stl.ame.arizona.edu/~jeffb/projects/solidoxide.html Introduction One of the main projects at the Space Technologies Laboratory is oxygen production. Oxygen production is done through an electrochemical cell made from Zirconia. At elevated temperatures (T>1000 C) Zirconia is an excellent oxygen ion conductor. In the prescence of an applied potential the electrolyte will pump oxygen from the cathode to anode. Snip [Back in 1996 - What is going on now? - LRK -] http://stl.ame.arizona.edu/~jeffb/projects/lunarlander.html Background This is a quarter-scale model of a lunar-lander, designed and initially constructed by the spacecraft design class. It features robotic motion controlled by an on-board processor. The purpose of this model is to show how an ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilization) payload can function atop a lunar lander platform. The payload designed here was designed for the Artemis common lunar lander. The mission of the payload is to be a proof-of-concept for oxygen production on the moon. The objective of this payload is to produce oxygen from lunar soil, using techniques developed here at the University of Arizona . The process is as follows: 1. The arm acquires a soil sample from around the lander. 2. The arm raises. As it does, the lunar regolith transverses down through the hollow arm, into the hopper. 3. The soil sample is deposited into a crucible. Ten soil samples are taken in all. 4. Earth-carried carbon is mixed in with each soil sample. 5. The sample (in crucible) is raised into a solar furnace. The solar furnace consists of a primary concentrating mirror, iris, and cpc. 6. As the sample is heated, it releases carbon monoxide. This carbon monoxide is disproportionated into carbon dioxide. From the carbon dioxide, a solid-oxide electrolysis process is used to convert the carbon dioxide into oxygen. 7. The oxygen is detected by an oxygen detector. This model depicts only a proof-of-concept device. A cheap proof-of-concept mission needs to occur to demonstrate the ability of the technolgy to provide for the needs of the mission. After a successful proof-of-concept, the funds for a full oxygen-prod uction facility could be secured and a complete mission planned. A complete mission may be an oxygen production faciliry for a lunar base or Martian outpost. ============================================================= http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/abstracts/05/sbir/phase1/SBIR-05-1-X9.01-8819.html ?solicitationId=SBIR_05_P1 NASA SBIR 2005 Solicitation FORM B - PROPOSAL SUMMARY PROPOSAL NUMBER: 05 X9.01-8819 SUBTOPIC TITLE: In-Situ Resource Utilization & Space Manufacturing PROPOSAL TITLE: In Situ Oxygen Production from Lunar and Martian Regolith SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone) Lynntech, Inc. 7607 Eastmark Drive, Suite 102 College Station ,TX 77840 - 4027 (979) 693 - 0017 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone) Brian Hennings brian.hennings at lynntech.com 7607 Eastmark Drive, Suite 102 College Station, TX 77840 -4027 (979) 693 - 0017 TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS) In situ oxygen production is of immense importance to NASA in the support of the NASA initiative to sustain man's permanent presence in space. The oxygen produced can be used as breathable oxygen, as a source of fuel for Moon or Mars based vehicles (for either return to Earth or as a basis for further space exploration), or as a source of oxygen for fuel cell or other power generating devices. Lynntech proposes to use plasma technology to liberate the oxygen bound in the oxides of regolith to produce oxygen in situ on either the moon or Mars. Lynntech's innovative solid feedstock plasma reformer is simple, robust and unaffected by variations in the composition or particle size of the regolith. Lynntech has previously demonstrated the principle of plasma reformation on a variety of projects and has preliminary results demonstrating the technology proposed here. Lynntech is currently developing plasma reformers for the US Air Force capable of producing several SCFM of hydrogen from JP-8 as well as multi-fuel (gas/liquid) capable reformers. A small (< 10W) plasma reformer has also been demonstrated for the production of hydrogen on Titan for NASA. POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS) With little or no modification, Lynntech's plasma-based oxygen generation system could be used to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. The atmosphere on Mars consists largely of CO2 (~95%) and is saturated with dust. Preliminary experiments with a Lynntech reformer indicate that CO2 can be reformed to solid carbon and gaseous O2. The dust in the atmosphere does not harm our system; rather it contributes to the oxygen content of the product stream, as it is broken down into constituents, similar to the CO2. Another NASA application for a space-bound plasma system is in the production of hydrogen from hydrocarbon rich atmospheres (such as the methane saturated Saturn moon, Titan), either for buoyancy, power or propulsion. Lynntech has already successfully demonstrated a 10-Watt methane reformer that produces hydrogen from 100K to 300K and weighs less than 500g for the production of make-up hydrogen for a balloon operating on Titan. POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS) The plasma-based system can also be used in several ground-based, non-NASA commercial applications as well. One of these is solid waste processing. With only small modifications, the plasma system proposed could be used to reform solid waste into high value components (i.e. hydrogen and carbon for most hydrocarbon chains, such as plastics and organics). The high value constituents are contingent upon the feedstock, and thus are as diverse. Alternatively, the plasma system could be used to process liquid or gaseous waste streams also. One particularly attractive area is the reformation of used and dirty hydrocarbon wastes from automobiles. These wastes include motor oil, greases, transmission and brake fluids, which can be reformed into products such as hydrogen and nano-structured carbon materials. The process is immune to changes in the feedstock, and mixtures of hydrocarbons can be fed directly to produce a 90+% hydrogen stream prior to clean-up. NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA. TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING In-situ Resource Utilization Form Printed on 09-19-05 13:12 ============================================================= http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/tadp/1995/spects/o2.html Lunar Oxygen Production Plant: Specification Sheet Olivier Dubois-Matra polard at mail.utexas.edu August 1995 Foreword The purpose of the Oxygen Production Demonstration Plant (O2 plant) is to test in-situ one or two process(es) of oxygen production from lunar minerals in order to prove the possibility of large-scale production for a manned base (fuel and life support). Several processes are under study, and some of them are currently adapted for lunar environment [Gibson & all]. However, there exists no plan yet for a small, automated demonstration plant which could be the payload of a small lander. Therefore, considerable work remains to be done to design this device. The following figures are only a first rough estimation based on laboratory experiments. Accurate figures would required a complete design. The processes considered here are based on the reduction of ilmenite at high temperature. Ilmenite (FeTiO3) is a common mineral in the lunar soil, and is the most likely source of lunar oxygen [Allen & all]. Other potential feedstocks are volcanic glass and basalt. The ilmenite can be reduced either by hydrogen [Gibson & all] or by carbon [Ramohalli & all]. The respective reactions are : FeTiO3 + H2 ---> Fe + TiO2 + H2O H2O ---> H2 + 1/2 O2 FeTiO3 + C ---> Fe + TiO2 + CO CO ---> C + 1/2 O2 Since we got relatively few information on the carbon process, figures are given only for a H2-type plant. The reasons for the selection of ilmenite reduction can be found in the WORLD-M proposal. Other processes may be contemplate. Objectives Snip ============================================================= http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5536378.html Apparatus for manufacture of oxygen from lunar ilmenite Document: United States Patent 5536378 Abstract: A reactor apparatus for production of Lunar oxygen uses feed stocks comprising a particulate hydrogen-reducible enriched feed in the size range from about 20-200 microns, containing 80-90% Lunar ilmenite (FeTiO.sub.3) and ferrous Lunar agglutinates. The reactor apparatus has three vertically spaced fluidized zones with downcomers from the upper to the central fluidized zone and openings for introducing a hydrogen-containing gas stream through the lower fluidized zone. A solid-to-gas RF-dielectric heater has a ceramic honeycomb with small parallel channels separated by thin, ceramic walls and electrodes surrounding the honeycomb connected to an external RF power source for heating the gas stream to a reducing reaction temperature. A top inlet introduces the enriched feed into the upper fluidized zone for fluidization therein and flow into middle and lower fluidized zones countercurrent to the flow of the gas stream. A solid-state electrolyzer is composed of calcium oxide- or yttrium oxide-stabilized zirconia ceramic fabricated by sintering or slipcasting into a perforated cylindrical shape having platinum electrodes on outer and inner longitudinal surfaces thereof. The electrolyzer cylinder is mounted inside two disk-shaped, impermeable ceramic baffles and centered inside a refractory-lined metal pressure shell. Gaseous effluent containing an equilibrium amount of water from the central fluidized zone passes through the electrolyzer for continuous electrolysis of the water. Apparatus is provided for separating oxygen from the electrolyzer and recycling hydrogen to the gas stream. ============================================================= http://www.fsri.org/Grant%20Process%20Chart/Colorado%20School%20of%20Mines%2 0ISRU%20Design.pdf 58 page PDF file. 2.6 MB Lunar Oxygen Production Detailed Design Review Colorado School of Mines Lunar Exploration Team Colorado School of Mines 1523 Illinois St Golden, CO 80401 ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Mon Apr 3 13:01:57 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 10:01:57 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Radio "amateurs" detect Voyager 1 signal Message-ID: <000001c65740$52473680$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day - Radio "amateurs" detect Voyager 1 signal Thanks for the heads up from Larry Klaes. Speak about being able for Amateur Radio Hams to bounce signals off the Moon and thinking how nice it would be for them to be able to listen to activities there, and today see that they have tracked Voyager 1 on March 31. I suppose if you are going to command and listen to a satellite to go to Mars, AMSAT P5-A, the Moon would be a snap. Have some links below about the AMSAT-DL / IUZ team. Maybe when we go back to the Moon and there is more interest in the daily happenings, we will have an Amateur Radio team listening in and putting the daily news on the Internet for us all to view. - LRK - Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://www.southgatearc.org/news/april2006/voyager1.htm [Reported by the Southgate Amateur Radio Club. - LRK -] VOYAGER 1 received by AMSAT-DL group Space probe VOYAGER 1 successfully received On March 31st, 2006 an AMSAT-DL / IUZ team received the American space probe VOYAGER 1 with the 20m antenna in Bochum. The distance was 14.7 billion km. This is a new record for AMSAT-DL and IUZ Bochum. The received signal was clearly identified through means of doppler shift and position in the sky. The receive frequency was exactly measured and compared with the information provided by NASA. This distance equals approximately 98 times the distance between Earth and Sun. VOYAGER 1 is the most distant object ever built by mankind. This again proves the superior performance of the Bochum antenna. Most probably this is the first time Voyager 1 has been received by radio amateurs. VOYAGER 1 was launched on 5. September 1977 by NASA. It transmitted the first close-up pictures of Jupiter and Saturn. In 2004 VOYAGER 1 passed the Termination Shock Region, where the solar wind mixes with interstellar gas. VOYAGER 1 today is still active, measuring the interstellar magnetic field. The following radio amateurs were involved: Freddy de Guchteneire, ON6UG James Miller, G3RUH Hartmut Paesler, DL1YDD Achim Vollhardt, DH2VA/HB9DUN Special thanks to Thilo Elsner, DJ5YM of the IUZ Bochum, Roger Ludwig of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena USA and the Deep Space Network Tracking Station in Madrid, Spain for their cooperation. For more information please visit http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov http://www.amsat-dl.org/cms , under "News" ============================================================= http://www.amsat-dl.org/cms/ http://www.amsat-dl.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&i d=35&Itemid=97 http://www.amsat-dl.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Ite mid=97 Raumsonde VOYAGER 1 von Funkamateuren empfangen Geschrieben von Hartmut P?sler Freitag, 31 M?rz 2006 Am 31. M?rz 2006 ist es dem AMSAT-DL/IUZ-Team erstmalig gelungen, die amerikanische Raumsonde VOYAGER 1 mit der Anlage in Bochum zu empfangen. Die ?berbr?ckte Entfernung betrug hierbei 14.7 Milliarden km und stellt einen neuen Rekord fuer AMSAT-DL und das IUZ Bochum auf. Das empfangene Signal wurde eindeutig durch die Dopplerverschiebung und durch die Position am Himmel identifiziert. Weiterhin wurde die Empfangsfrequenz mittels eines Rubidium-Frequenznormals vermessen und mit den Angaben der NASA verglichen. ------------------- Google translation - LRK - http://translate.google.com/translate_t Space probe VOYAGER 1 received from radio amateurs written of Hartmut Paesler Friday, 31 March 2006 on 31 March 2006 succeeded it to the AMSAT DL/IUZ team for the first time to receive the American space probe VOYAGER 1 with the plant in Bochum. The bridged distance amounted to here 14,7 billion km and sets up a new record for Amsat DL and the IUZ Bochum. The received signal was identified clearly by the Doppler shift and by the position in the sky. Further the empfangsfrequenz was measured by means of Rubidium-Frequenznormals and compared with the data of NASA. ============================================================= http://www.amsat-dl.org/go-mars/html/bochum1.html P5A-Leitstation in Bochum bestand Feuertaufe An der Sternwarte Bochum (IUZ) steht der unter einem Radom gesch?tzte 20-m-Parabolspiegel der f?r die P5A-Mission als zentrale Bodenstation dienen soll. AMSAT-DL hat die restaurierte Anlage mit der f?r Deep-Space-Missionen n?tigen Steuerungs- und Hochfrequenztechnik ausgestattet. Die Bochumer Antenne war bei der Ankunft von Mars-Express und BEAGLE2-Lander zu Weihnachten 2003 live dabei. Sie konnte bereits ?ber 1 Milliarde km entfernte Signale der Cassini-Saturnsonde empfangen. Snip ------------------- Google translation - LRK - P5A control station in Bochum existed fire baptism at the observatory Bochum (IUZ) stands the 20-m-Parabolspiegel protected under a radome for the P5A mission as central ground station to serve is. Amsat DL equipped the restored plant with the control and high-frequency engineering necessary for Deep space missions. The Bochumer antenna participated 2003 live with the arrival from Mars express and BEAGLE2-Lander to Christmas. It could already receive over 1 billion km distant signals of the Cassini Saturnsonde. Snip ============================================================= The P5A mission. Your German is probably better than mine or Google's. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.amsat-dl.org/go-mars/html/p5a-marsmission.html Snip Nach diesen Vorarbeiten hat der Vorstand der AMSAT-Deutschland das formelle GO im Jahr 2002 f?r die Mission zum Mars gegeben und erste Mittel f?r das Projekt freigegeben. Da diese das erste interplanetare AMSAT-Projekt ist, erhielt es in der so genannten Phase 5 die vorl?ufige Projektbezeichnung AMSAT-Phase 5A oder kurz P5A. In einem der Startfenster 2007 oder 2009 soll P5A seine mehrmonatige Reise antreten. Snip ----------------------- Snip After this pre-working the executive committee gave to that AMSAT Germany the formal GO in the year 2002 for the mission to Mars and released first means for the project. Since this is the first interplanetary AMSAT project, it kept the provisional project designation AMSAT phase 5A or P5A short in the phase in such a way specified 5. In one of the starting windows 2007 or 2009 P5A is to begin its mehrmonatige journey. Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Tue Apr 4 22:34:54 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 19:34:54 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] (no subject) Message-ID: <000601c65859$86a769d0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= ============================================================= ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://news.altair.com/pipermail/lunar-update/attachments/20060404/904d2ff9/attachment.htm From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Wed Apr 5 00:40:48 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 21:40:48 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Lunar Workshops and Conferences Message-ID: <003201c6586b$1ca86220$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Well hit a wrong ctrl key combination and sent you nothing. Sorry. So who is thinking about going to the Moon? Would appear that a number of folks are. Seems to be alright to talk about it also. Listed some references to workshops and conferences coming up. - LRK - A snip from an earlier lunar-update post that I thought cause some discussion. Was wondering why "YOU" would want to go to the Moon or Mars. Only one comment about living in a "lava tube" on the Moon wouldn't be so bad if it was a mile across. - LRK = ------------------------------------------------------------ > Good evening, > > Reading others writings and thinking about my warm house as it rains > outside, and I wonder who would like to live on the Moon or Mars or on > a Spaceship to the stars. [...] > neither would a trip to Mars. If you never grew up living in an igloo > or a house built on permafrost (now melting into the ocean) why would > you want to go live in a lava tube on the Moon or an ice cave on Mars? > ------------------------------------------------------------ So I think we need some better maps of the Moon and locate some lava tubes that might be in a location suitable for a Lunar Base. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.asi.org/adb/m/04/02/01/02/ Sinuous Rilles and Lava Tubes Vallis Schroteri Lava tubes are caves on the moon, formed when molten rock flowed over the surface after a major meteor strike or a volcanic event early in Luna's history. They are geological interesting, but their greatest treasure lies in the promise of protection they offer for human lunar settlements. Sinuous rilles appear to be lava tubes that formed on surface of the moon, and then collapsed. Some may be frozen lava channels that never formed into a tube. No intact lava tube has been found on the lunar surface, though many sinuous rilles appear to be partially collapsed lava tubes. Geological theory protects that we will find intact lava tubes beneath the lunar surface, perhaps as deep as a mile and perhaps as large as half a mile in diameter and hundreds of miles long. The photograph at the left is the largest known sinuous rille on the moon, Vallis Schroteri, located near 26?N 208?E on the plateau of Aristarchus crater. Vallis Schroeteri si about 160 km long, up to 11 km wide, and 1 km deep. North is toward the top of the photo. Because they could be so important to lunar settlement, lava tubes are addressed in several sections of the Artemis Data Book. In this section, we are concerned with the known geology and scientific parameters of lava tubes. In other sections we discuss how to find them, how to use them, and their importance to the lunar community. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ If you have read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy you see the Martian settlers doing quite well in large ice caves and large underground caves. Now that is fiction, but, what if? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553560735/002-9652347-4764821 If you go to any of the lunar conferences, would be interested in hearing about what sites are being considered for our Lunar bases. - LRK - Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ? ============================================================= http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar_resources/ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar_resources/workshops.shtml Gateway To The Moon WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES 2006 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference March 13?17, 2006, League City, Texas Workshop on Surface Ages and Histories: Issues in Planetary Chronology May 21?23, 2006, Houston, Texas Snip http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2006/ ============================================================= http://www.space-frontier.org/Projects/Moon/ RETURN TO THE MOON Stated Objective: To establish a large scale, economically viable, permanent human settlement on the Moon within the next 25 years. The Return to the Moon (RTM) Project is a self explanatory, long term goal of the Space Frontier Foundation. The project encompasses all of the Foundation's efforts geared to achieving this goal. In keeping with the Space Frontier Foundation's stated mission of "opening space exploration for all humanity within our lifetime" there are three crucial aspects to the RTM project goal of a lunar settlement: 1. It must be large scale so that it is accessible to the greatest possible number of people from every cross section of the population. 2. It must be economically viable (i.e. profitable). Profitability is key to ensuring permanence. "If it pays, we will stay." 3. It must be done within our lifetime: we want to see an operational settlement within the next 25 years. If our efforts are successful, then normal everyday people may have a real shot at visiting the Moon in our lifetimes. If you are a little older than 40, the chance still exists that you could have the opportunity to take that trip of a lifetime. Snip ============================================================= http://www.eclipticenterprises.com/newsinfo_conferences.php Ecliptic Conference Activity and Events 2006 Snip Jul 20-22 Return to the Moon VII Conference Las Vegas, NV Organized by the Space Frontier Foundation Jul 9-12 42nd Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit Sacramento, CA Organized by AIAA, ASME, SAE and ASEE; Sponsored by Aerojet May 4-7 25th International Space Development Conference Los Angeles, CA Co-hosted by the National Space Society and The Planetary Society Apr 27-29 CubeSat Workshop San Luis Obispo, CA Hosted by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Apr 24-27 4th Responsive Space Conference Los Angeles, CA Organized by AIAA Apr 3-6 22nd National Space Symposium Colorado Springs, CO Organized by The Space Foundation; Multiple co-sponsors Snip ============================================================= http://www.moonsociety.org/conference/conference-list-2006.html Calendar of U.S. Moon conferences and meetings - 2006 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPI) March 13-17, 2006 League City, Texas International Space Development Conference 2006 (NSS) May 4-7, 2006 Los Angeles, CA Return to the Moon Conference 2006 (SFF) July 20-22, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Mars Society Convention (Mars Society) August 3-6, 2006 Washington, DC Space Frontier Foundation Conference 2006 (SFF) October 7-9, 2006 Los Angeles, CA Stanford on the Moon Conf. 2006 October, 2006 Stanford, CA Snip ============================================================= http://www.asce.org/conferences/space06/ March 5 - 8, 2006 Earth & Space Welcome Final Program Brochure(PDF) The Aerospace Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers invites you to make plans to participate in our TENTH BIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION, and OPERATIONS IN CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS. At this Conference, you will be among experts from a variety of disciplines and have ample, enjoyable opportunities to discuss exploration, engineering, construction, and operations in challenging environments on Planet Earth, in Space, and on other planetary bodies such as the Moon and Mars. Technology transfer is a key goal of this Conference. This year a special attraction is being added to the Earth & Space 2006 Conference. The 2nd NASA/ARO/ASCE Workshop on Granular Materials in Lunar and Martian Exploration will be held as an integral part of the Conference. Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ?? ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Thu Apr 6 15:06:17 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2006 12:06:17 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Reiner Gamma swirl: magnetic effect of a cometary impact? Message-ID: <000c01c659ad$2fa20780$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, SMART-1 news item today is showing what the Advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) is seeing. - LRK - This feature is over on the western edge of the Moon just above the equator. Hope we see more of the polar regions too. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ >From: "ESA" >Subject: Reiner Gamma swirl: magnetic effect of a cometary impact? >Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2006 15:49:59 +0200 > >This animation, made from images taken by the Advanced Moon Imaging >Experiment (AMIE) on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, shows a feature >characterized by bright albedo, and called Reiner Gamma Formation. > >Read more: > http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM05FNFGLE_index_0.html ------------------------------------------------------------ The Virtual Moon Atlas has some information on it also and sites an image at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon - Photo Number IV-157-H1. Links below. More information about the Virtual Moon Atlas" by Christian Legrand and Patrick Chevalley is available at http://astrosurf.com/avl/UK_index.html It features a 3D real time display of the moon (including lighting conditions), but you can also set an arbitrary date to display. It contains an extensive database of features including all landing sites (Apollo, Surveyor, etc.). It also contains >1000 pictures of formations from the "Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon". It supports OpenGL for graphics performance (but doesn't require it). About a dozen languages (apart from English) are supported via language packs. All those features take up some space, so it's a rather big download of 362 meg for the VMA Pro version. Lighter versions also available. - LRK - Sorry, the program runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP only. Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ? ============================================================= [Some of the SMART-1 news items - LRK -] http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/index.html Snip This animation, made from images taken by the Advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, shows a feature characterized by bright albedo, and called Reiner Gamma Formation. Snip http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEM05FNFGLE_0.html ============================================================= http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEML9HXO4HD_0.html What will all the instruments do? Multinational teams of scientists and engineers will conduct ten different investigations coordinated by a Science and Technology Operations Centre. The instrument teams are led by Principal Investigators from Finland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. All ESA member countries are taking part, providing Co-Investigators for various experiments. Snip AMIE, SIR and D-CIXS Different kinds of visible and invisible light coming from the lunar surface will provide clues about its chemical composition and geological history. The ultra-compact electronic camera, AMIE, will survey the terrain in visible and near-infrared light. An infrared spectrometer, SIR, will chart the Moon's minerals. An X-ray telescope, D-CIXS, will identify key chemical elements in the lunar surface. The major scientific goals are described in the following pages. Snip ============================================================= Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon Search by Photo Number http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/bin/srch_phn.shtml?IV-157-H1 %7C0 http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/bin/info.shtml?446 Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon Photo Number IV-157-H1 http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/ ============================================================= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiner_Gamma Reiner Gamma >From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Reiner Gamma (?) is an albedo feature that is located on the Oceanus Procellarum, to the west of the Reiner crater on the Moon. The center of the formation is located at selenographic coordinates: 7.5? North, 59.0? West. It has an overall dimension of about 70 kilometers. The feature has a higher albedo than the relatively dark mare surface, with a diffuse appreance and a distinctive swirling, concentric oval shape. Related albedo features continue across the surface to the east and southwest, forming loop-like patterns over the maria. The Reiner Gamma feature is not associated with any particular irregularities in the surface, and so the cause was a mystery until similar features were discovered in Mare Ingenii and Mare Marginis on photographs taken by orbiting spacecraft. The feature on Mare Ingenii is located at the lunar opposite point from the center of Mare Imbrium. Likewise the feature on Mare Marginis is opposite the mid-point of Mare Orientale. Thus it is believed that the feature resulted from seismic energies generated by the impacts that created these maria. Unfortunately there is no such lunar mare formation located precisely on the opposite surface of the Moon, although the large Tsiolkovskiy crater lies within one crater diameter. The central feature of the Reiner Gamma does bear a resemblance to the dipolar formation created by iron filings on a surface with a bar magnet on the underside. Low-orbiting spacecraft have observed a relatively strong magnetic field associated with each of these albedo markings. Some have speculated that this magnetic field and the patterns were created by cometary impacts. However the true cause remains uncertain. In early lunar maps by Francesco Grimaldi, this feature was incorrectly identified as a crater. His colleague Giovanni Riccioli then named it Galilaeus, after Galileo Galilei. The name was later transferred northwest to the current Galilaei crater. Snip ============================================================= http://www.geocities.com/kc5lei/SWIRL2001.htm LUNAR SWIRLS, MAGNETIC ANOMALIES, AND THE REINER GAMMA FORMATION by Marvin W. Huddleston ABSTRACT Reiner Gamma is the only near side example of the elusive Lunar Swirl features. There exist only three other known examples, two on the moons far side, and another on Mercury. The origin of these surface deposits and their related magnetic anomalies are a matter of debate, which most likely will not be settled until future lunar missions. We shall here consider their nature and possible origins. Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ?? ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sat Apr 8 14:57:49 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2006 11:57:49 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Remarks by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin at the National Space Symposium Message-ID: <000001c65b3e$55c8f0d0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Remarks by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin at the National Space Symposium Reading Robert A. Heinlein's "THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS" and thinking about the politics of going to the Moon and what it will be like when we get there. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_is_a_Harsh_Mistress The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress >From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein about a lunar penal colony's revolt against rule from Earth. It received the Hugo Award for best novel. Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ My thanks to Joe Sanders for suggesting that if I hadn't read the book I might be interested in doing so, and seeing how the Moon was developed economically. I had not, and ordered four of Heinlein's books from Amazon.com. Three have arrived and now the days go even faster. :-) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312863551/102-6440331-3584910 - LRK - Google is watching for references to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and picks up items for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as well. In this case the item was found in Mike Griffin's talk to the U.S. Space Foundation last week. Need all the press we can get about exploring space. More books, movies, 6 o'clock reports, and the like. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ Google Alert for: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Remarks by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin at the National ... Space Ref - USA ... We've established an architecture for lunar return. ... of icy geysers on Enceladus, the successful orbital insertion of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the ... http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=20189 ------------------------------------------------------------ 04.06.06 - Administrator's April 6 Remarks to the U.S. Space Foundation When I became NASA?s 11th Administrator a year ago, I had several goals that I wanted to accomplish by the end my term of service. + View Transcript (33 Kb PDF) http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/146291main_NationalSpaceSymposium_new.pdf ------------------------------------------------------------ See snip below or links above. - LRK - Jeroen Lapre' is still working on his short movie about Maelstrom II. An independent short science fiction movie project, based on the short story by Arthur C. Clarke. http://www.maelstrom2themovie.com/ Remember some of you having ideas for TV as well. Well here is to a Martian Day, every second counts, and a lot more politics. ------------------------------------------------------------ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy Mars trilogy >From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cover of Red Mars The Mars trilogy is a series of three science fiction novels by Kim Stanley Robinson, chronicling the settlement and terraforming of the planet Mars. The novels are Red Mars (1992), Green Mars (1993) and Blue Mars (1996). An additional collection of short stories was published as The Martians (1999). Snip Plot Red Mars starts in 2026 with the first colonial voyage to Mars. Later, "the First Hundred" colonists (composed ? for the most part ? of Russians and Americans) establish the first settlement on Mars (called "Underhill") and lay the groundwork for more scientists and engineers to follow. However, due to the greed of the transnational corporations, which dominate and control the nation states of Earth, the new Martian towns become overcrowded and undermaintained. Several cases of sabotage of terraformation infrastructure occur, blamed on anti-terraforming forces. The situation results in a violent revolution in 2061, in which many of the First Hundred are killed, and much of Mars' infrastructure, notably the space elevator, is destroyed. Most of the surviving members of the First Hundred are forced into hiding in the "underground". Green Mars takes its title from the stage of terraforming that has taken place allowing plants to grow. It picks up the story from Red Mars, following the lives of the remaining First Hundred (and their children and grandchildren). The "underground" starts to develop ideas of a new type of society, an anti-thesis of the metanational order at that time. This culminates into the Dorsa Brevia agreement, in which nearly all the "underground" factions take part. Preparations are made for second revolution begins in the 2120s. Blue Mars takes its title from the stage of terraforming that has taken place allowing atmospheric pressure and temperature to increase so that liquid water can exist on the planet's surface, forming rivers and seas. It follows on from the end of Green Mars and has a much wider scope than the previous two books, covering an entire century after the second revolution and showing the spread of human settlements across the solar system?a process Robinson terms the Accelerando. One major event is a sudden, catastrophic rise in global sea levels caused not by any greenhouse effect, but by the eruption of a chain of volcanoes underneath the ice of west Antarctica, melting it all away. Snip http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553560735/102-6440331-3584910 ------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ? ============================================================= http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=20189 Remarks by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin at the National Space Symposium STATUS REPORT Date Released: Thursday, April 6, 2006 Source: NASA HQ 6 April 2006 When I became NASA's 11th Administrator a year ago, I had several goals that I wanted to accomplish by the end my term of service. As I stated at my Senate confirmation hearing, my priorities in executing the duties of my office, consistent with the President's Vision for Space Exploration, are: 1. Flying the Shuttle as safely as possible until its retirement, not later than 2010. 2. Bringing a new Crew Exploration Vehicle into service as soon as possible after Shuttle retirement. 3. Developing a balanced overall program of science, exploration, and aeronautics at NASA, consistent with the redirection of the human spaceflight program to focus on exploration. 4. Completing the International Space Station in a manner consistent with our International partner commitments and the needs of human exploration. 5. Encouraging the pursuit of appropriate partnerships with the emerging commercial space sector. 6. Establishing a lunar return program having the maximum possible utility for later missions to Mars and other destinations. Thanks to the hard work and technical excellence demonstrated by so many of you in this audience, we are well on the way to meeting these objectives. We've established an architecture for lunar return. We have a solid plan for completing ISS. We've received proposals from contractors in response to our request for proposals for the new Crew Exploration Vehicle. And with such achievements as the Cassini's discovery of icy geysers on Enceladus, the successful orbital insertion of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the launch of our 13th expeditionary crew to the International Space Station, 2006 is shaping up to be an eventful year. But there are enormous challenges ahead, and a lot left to do to meet them. So, today, I'd like to talk with you about the larger rationale for our collective efforts. In short, why are we doing all this? How does space exploration serve the nation's essential interests? When President Bush set a new course for America's space program two years ago, the White House issued a supporting document explaining why. Quoting from that policy, "The fundamental goal of this vision is to advance U.S. scientific, economic, and security interests through a robust space exploration program." I believe that this is exactly right, and that the benefits to be derived in these respects from such a program will extend well beyond our current imagination. This last statement is out of character for an engineer, mathematician, or scientist, because it is neither provable nor refutable. But because a conjecture is scientifically unverifiable does not mean that it is not important. Snip ============================================================= http://www.space.com/news/060405_nss_griffin.html NASA Chief Michael Griffin Invited to China By Lon Rains Editor, Space News posted: 05 April 2006 02:26 pm ET COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Chinese space officials have invited NASA Administrator Michael Griffin to visit their country in the fall, possibly as early as September. During an informal visit to NASA headquarters in Washington, April 3, Luo Ge, vice administrator of the China National Space Administration, met with Michael F. O?Brien, NASA associate administrator for external relations, to discuss a potential trip by Griffin to meet with Chinese space officials and visit their facilities, possibly as early as September. ?I made a joke with Mr. O?Brien that if we need to get married some day, we have to meet; otherwise we cannot get married,? Luo said in an interview here following his morning keynote speech April 5 at the 22nd National Space Symposium. Luo described the visit with O?Brien as ?only a drop in? with two purposes:? to see an old friend? and to discuss Griffin visiting China. ?When I return to Beijing I will draft an itinerary for his visit,? Luo said. He added that a visit by Griffin would be an important first step toward future space cooperation between the two countries. NASA spokesman Dean Acosta confirmed that China had extended an invitation to Griffin for a visit this fall and that the trip is under consideration, reiterating that there are no firm dates yet. Chinese space officials met with former NASA Administrator Sean O?Keefe and other agency officials in Washington in 2004 for informal discussions, but Luo said no agreements resulted from those meetings. In his keynote speech Luo said China is open to international cooperation in all types of space activites, including human spaceflight. He also stressed in the interview following his speech that China does have its own independent systems now for sending astronauts to space, but still welcomes cooperative efforts. A U.S. congressional delegation?Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) visited China in January. Feeny said in an interview that the most immediate area of cooperation ought to be a joint docking device that would permit Chinese spacecraft to dock with the future U.S. Crew Exploration Vehicle, the planned replacement for the shuttle, either for cooperative visits or rescue missions. Feeney also said future U.S. spacecraft should be able to dock at the space station China is planning. Mentioning the congressional visit Luo said he too would favor a joint docking system. * China Unveils Ambitious Space Plans at National Space Symposium * Space Community Mourns Loss of DeLay?s Budget Influence * Panel: NASA Needs Both Robotic and Human Missions, But Equity Missing * Hybrid Air-Rocket Concept Touted For Rapid Launch * 22nd National Space Symposium Begins Today ============================================================= ?? ESA's Venus Express to reach final destination [Friday, April 7, 2006] Now, after having traveled 400 million kilometres in only about five months, the Venus Express spacecraft is about to reach its final destination. The rendezvous is due to take place on 11 April. ? Full Story http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=19511 ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ?? ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Mon Apr 10 18:53:11 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 15:53:11 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] New NASA Ames Spacecraft to Look for Ice at Lunar South Pole Message-ID: <003a01c65cf1$8befa550$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day. I see that NASA Ames has been approved to ride along with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and stab the Moon in its polar regions and see if it voids itself while being watched with the LCROSS satellite. Have you been told to look up too? http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2006/06_21AR.html ------------------------------------------------------------- John Bluck NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Phone: (650) 604-5026 / 9000 E-mail: jbluck at mail.arc.nasa.gov April 10, 2006 RELEASE: 06_21AR New NASA Ames Spacecraft to Look for Ice at Lunar South Pole NASA today announced that a small, 'secondary payload' spacecraft, to be developed by a team at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., has been selected to travel to the moon to look for precious water ice at the lunar south pole in October 2008. Snip As the spacecraft approaches the moon's south pole, the upper stage will separate, and then will impact a crater in the south pole area. A plume from the upper stage crash will develop as the Shepherding Spacecraft heads in toward the moon. The Shepherding Spacecraft will fly through the plume, and instruments on the spacecraft will analyze the cloud to look for signs of water and other compounds. Additional space and Earth-based instruments also will study the 2.2-million-pound (1000-metric-ton) plume. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19514 If it IS WATER in that impact plume seems like you would be wasting 2.2 million lbs of water that took 4.6 billion years to accumulate. If you ever want to check for pre-cursor biological agents in the lunar ice you will have just contaminated it with the impact. Then again, maybe already contaminated. http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/news82.html Wonder if the American Indians will complain about contaminating a sacred Moon? Maybe some less destructive ways to check for water. Besides, I might want to use that water for coffee or rocket fuel. And if the Loonies decide to send an impactor back to Mother Earth, a dent it would probably make here too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_is_a_Harsh_Mistress Sent John Bluck an e-mail wishing to express my concerns to Chris McKay. He forwarded it to Chris. Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ? ============================================================= http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19514 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2006/06_21AR.html John Bluck NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Phone: (650) 604-5026 / 9000 E-mail: jbluck at mail.arc.nasa.gov April 10, 2006 RELEASE: 06_21AR New NASA Ames Spacecraft to Look for Ice at Lunar South Pole NASA today announced that a small, 'secondary payload' spacecraft, to be developed by a team at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., has been selected to travel to the moon to look for precious water ice at the lunar south pole in October 2008. The smaller secondary payload spacecraft will travel with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) satellite to the moon on the same rocket, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), to be launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The NASA Ames team proposed the secondary payload mission, which will be carried out by the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). "The LCROSS mission gives the agency an excellent opportunity to answer the question about water ice on the moon," said Daniel Andrews of NASA Ames, whose team proposed the LCROSS mission. "We think we have assembled a very creative, highly innovative mission, turning the upper stage of the rocket that brought us to the moon into a substantial impactor on the moon." After launch, the secondary payload LCROSS spacecraft will arrive in the lunar vicinity independent of the LRO satellite. On the way to the moon, the LCROSS spacecraft's two main parts, the Shepherding Spacecraft (S-S/C) and the Earth Departure Upper Stage (EDUS), will remain coupled. As the spacecraft approaches the moon's south pole, the upper stage will separate, and then will impact a crater in the south pole area. A plume from the upper stage crash will develop as the Shepherding Spacecraft heads in toward the moon. The Shepherding Spacecraft will fly through the plume, and instruments on the spacecraft will analyze the cloud to look for signs of water and other compounds. Additional space and Earth-based instruments also will study the 2.2-million-pound (1000-metric-ton) plume. "The LCROSS mission will help us determine if there is water hidden in the permanently dark craters of the moon's south pole," said Marvin (Chris) Christensen, Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP) manager, and acting director of NASA Ames. "If we find substantial amounts of water ice there, it could be used by astronauts who later visit the moon to make rocket fuel," Christensen added. Earlier, NASA had requested proposals internally from its NASA field centers for existing or reasonably matured concepts for secondary payloads that would offer cost-effective contributions to RLEP. To prepare for the return of astronauts to the moon, NASA will conduct various RLEP robotic missions from 2008 to potentially 2016 to study, to map and to learn about the lunar surface. These early missions will help determine lunar landing sites and whether resources, such as oxygen, hydrogen and metals, are available for use in NASA's long-term lunar exploration objectives. "Establishing research stations on the moon will give us the experience and capabilities to extend to Mars and beyond," noted robotics deputy program manager Butler Hine of Ames. "An exploration science program with a sustained human presence on the moon gives us the opportunity to conduct fundamental science in lunar geology, history of the solar system, physics and the biological response to partial (Earth) gravity," said Christopher McKay, lunar exploration program scientist at Ames. The space agency specified that the winning proposal must demonstrate an affordable concept beneficial to RLEP, according to the document that asked NASA centers to submit suggestions for the secondary payload. NASA noted that the secondary payload mission should cost no more than $80 million. NASA also required that the payload mass not exceed 2,205 pounds (1,000 kilograms). NASA encouraged its field centers to team with industry to develop proposals. On Jan. 10, NASA issued a request for information to industry to allow businesses to provide secondary payload concepts to NASA. Each NASA center reviewed ideas from industry as well as secondary payload concepts developed internally. NASA asked that the concepts advance the Vision for Space Exploration to include missions that evolve lunar science, characterize the lunar environment and support identification sites for future human missions as well as the utility of those sites. The space agency said that it was looking for missions that demonstrate technology that could enhance future exploration, that show operational schemes to support exploration, that develop or emplace infrastructure in support of exploration, that advance commercial opportunities and those missions that would collect engineering data to support the Constellation program. That program is developing NASA's new spaceship, the Crew Exploration Vehicle. For images related to the LCROSS mission, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/multimedia/images/2006/lunarorbiter.html For additional high-resolution images of the and historic information, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2004/moon/moon.html http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunarprosp.html http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast31jul99_1.htm Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ?? ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Tue Apr 11 20:43:57 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:43:57 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION OF THE MOON AND BEYOND Message-ID: <000401c65dca$2f7595d0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Why do you want to go to the Moon? Good day, just read the post by Space Age Publishing Company - Lunar Enterprise Daily, http://www.spaceagepub.com/ and noticed in the Highlights section that NASA has issued an (RFI) for Developing a Strategy for future Exploration of the Moon and beyond. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/apr/HQ_06134_moon_exploration.html ------------------------------------------------------------ http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=119739 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION OF THE MOON AND BEYOND Synopsis - Apr 11, 2006 General Information Solicitation Number: N/A Reference Number: NNT06DSFEMBL Posted Date: Apr 11, 2006 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Apr 11, 2006 Original Response Date: May 12, 2006 Current Response Date: May 12, 2006 Classification Code: B -- Special studies and analysis - not R and D Contracting Office Address NASA - Headquarters, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001 Description NASA is initiating a long-term activity to develop a global space exploration strategy. A series of activities are planned in 2006 to gain a better understanding of the role that human and robotic exploration and development of a sustained human presence on the moon plays in supporting a broad exploration strategy that includes Mars and other destinations. As part of this process, NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) is seeking through this Request For Information (RFI), ideas on activities that could be pursued on the moon as part of an integrated global exploration strategy. The goal is to collect a wide variety of ideas and perspectives for the lunar exploration component of the exploration strategy. Eventually a robust, worldwide strategy for exploration of the moon will be developed using information from many sources, including inputs provided through this solicitation. Guidelines Snip This RFI is being used to obtain information for planning purposes only and the U.S. Government does not presently intend to award a contract at this time. As stipulated in FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is subject to FAR 52.215-3. Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the U.S. Government on a non-attribution basis for development of a strategy for lunar exploration. ------------------------------------------------------------ I don't know what to say. Didn't any of you tell them already that you wanted to permanently occupy the Moon and develop the resources there? .... Eventually a robust, worldwide strategy for exploration of the moon will be developed using information from many sources, including inputs provided through this solicitation..... Eventually, EVENTUALLY, EVENTUALLY !!! Oh well, you have a month to get your thoughts together and throw another wad of paper at them. Someone point them to the "Romance to Reality: moon & Mars plans" web site by David S. F. Portree. I am sure there have been many ideas for doing things on the Moon. Just need to get there before there is a land grab. - LRK - http://www.marsinstitute.info/rd/faculty/dportree/rtr/ And while they are looking over your missives, maybe the folks at the 8TH ILEWG conference will make some plans too. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=38863 8th ILEWG International Conference on Exploration and Utilization of the Moon First Call for Papers 23-27 July 2006, Beijing, China You are welcome to participate in the 8th ILEWG Conference on Exploration and Utilization of the Moon which will be held in Beijing, China on 23-27 July 2006 and jointly sponsored by China National Space Administration (CNSA), the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) and European Space Agency (ESA). The local organizer is the Lunar Exploration Program Center (LEPC) of CNSA with the assistance of Center for Space Science and Applied Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CSSAR), Chinese Society for Astronautics and China Aerospace Engineering Consultation Center (CAECC). Conveners Mr. Zhang Wei, Director General of Foreign Affairs Department of CNSA Mr. Hao Xifan, Vice Director General of LEPC Mr. Bernard H. Foing (ILEWG) Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ Best stop and let you look at some info on lava tubes and a reply from Jim Ickes below. - LRK - Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtual_tube/virtube.html Welcome to the lava tube portion of the Virtual Cave. Lava tube caves are found throughout the world in places where fluid lava has flown over the surface. The largest and most vertically extensive lava tubes known are on the Big Island of Hawaii. Our idealized lava tube cross-section and feature are based on the tubes there, and most of the photos are from there. Lava tubes are found in the western U.S.A. (Washington, California, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona), the Canary Islands, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kenya, and other volcanic hot spots. Most tubes form when fluid lava flows down the sides of volcanoes, the upper layer begins to cool, and the lava beneath continues to flow in tubular conduits beneath the surface. Due to the insulating effects of the hardened lava above, molten lava is able to travel considerable distance underground with very little cooling. In Hawaii, lava tubes have carried fluid lavas 50 or more miles from their source. Tubes may also form when lava follows trenches or gulleys on the surface, which then roof over as lava accumulates along the top edges. Lava tubes contain many features similar to those in limestone cave, such as stalactites and stalagmites, helictites, and a sort of flowstone. Most of the features in the diagram were made when the cave was active and during the early cooling stage. Secondary minerals may be deposited in the tubes later, such as gypsum or calcite crystals, but these tend to be on a much smaller scale than you can find in limestone caves. To take a tour of the wondrous world of lava tubes, choose from the list below. You can see all the features in context on our very cool Virtual Lava Tube Image Map (drawn by master lava tube cartographer Carlene Allred). Snip ============================================================= Note from Jim Ickes. - Thanks Jim - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Larry, I would agree that a lava tube could offer some valuable support and protection to the first lunar settlers. It would be an ideal place to set up your housing for several reasons. First and foremost, you would be better able to protect yourself from radiation and all of its nastiness as well as to protect yourself from the overall vacuum environment that you're facing. You're underground, safe from the micrometeors that are constantly raining down on you, you have a place that is much more temperate than being on the surface and you might actually get pretty lucky in having space that is very large in volume without having to build anything on the surface. It sounds like a win-win to me. I suppose that the biggest risks that you would have to face would be the lunar moonquakes and what they could do to your facilities in the lava tube. Or ever worst case, what would you do if the lava tube suddenly became active again? That seems pretty remote given the lack of confirmed lunar volcanism in recent times. But I suppose that there could be a chance that you might find the one active lava tube and that would pretty much ruin your day. The best case would be to find such a place at one of the lunar poles that would have immediate access to water ice. That way, you would be able to have the best of all situations. Water, oxygen, the potential to make rocket fuel with the hydrogen and still have the protection that the lava tube would offer. The only way to find all of this out is to go there and see what we find. As you've said before, the time is now! Thanks, Jim ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.asi.org/adb/m/04/02/01/02/ Sinuous Rilles and Lava Tubes Vallis Schroteri Lava tubes are caves on the moon, formed when molten rock flowed over the surface after a major meteor strike or a volcanic event early in Luna's history. They are geological interesting, but their greatest treasure lies in the promise of protection they offer for human lunar settlements. Sinuous rilles appear to be lava tubes that formed on surface of the moon, and then collapsed. Some may be frozen lava channels that never formed into a tube. No intact lava tube has been found on the lunar surface, though many sinuous rilles appear to be partially collapsed lava tubes. Geological theory protects that we will find intact lava tubes beneath the lunar surface, perhaps as deep as a mile and perhaps as large as half a mile in diameter and hundreds of miles long. Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Wed Apr 12 16:21:52 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:21:52 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] What do you want to do on the Moon? Message-ID: <001901c65e6e$bcdb25d0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> What do you want to do on the Moon? Good day, maybe I am too easily disturbed. I suppose that we should be glad that we are being asked what we would like to be doing on the Moon. http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/36003/ESMD%20RFI. pdf Some would have us go to the poles, some to the equator. Some to the far side for radio silence, some to the east or west edges for access to Earth view or around to radio silence. Maybe you have some ideas. There are some on the P.E.R.M.A.N.E.N.T. web site. http://www.permanent.com/ http://www.permanent.com/intro.htm More ideas from the Artemis Project. http://www.asi.org/adb/outline.html http://www.asi.org/adb/index.html http://www.asi.org/adb/04/03/10/04/oxygen-extraction.html Harrison H. Schmitt has ideas in his book Return to the Moon. http://www.thespacereview.com/article/522/1 Review: Return to the Moon by Anthony Young Tuesday, January 3, 2006 Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space By Harrison H. Schmitt Copernicus Books, 2006 Hardcover, 335 pp. ISBN 0-387-24285-6 More from the UW-Madison, Fusion Technology Institute http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/publist?which=wcsar http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/courses And now I need to spend more time looking at what has already been proposed. http://www.marsinstitute.info/rd/faculty/dportree/rtr/rtr-90.html Then to your ideas. It would appear that if you wish to propose some ideas you have to already be registered to make proposals. - LRK - http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&sol Id={A371A17D-DDDB-129B-71F0-425105CAA166}&path=open ----------------------------------------------------------- Developing a Strategy for Future Exploration of the Moon and Beyond Request for Information (RFI) Submission Instructions All proposals submitted in response to this Request for Information (RFI) must be submitted in electronic form. For this submission, proposals take the form of a Notice of Intent (NOI). Please note that no full proposals are being requested through this RFI. NOIs should be submitted electronically by the proposer. Proposers must submit their NOI via NSPIRES, the NASA proposal data system, located at http://nspires.nasaprs.com. To submit a NOI, the following steps must be taken: 1. Every proposer that intends to submit an NOI to NASA in response to this RFI, must be registered in the NSPIRES proposal data system. Potential applicants are urged to access this site well in advance of the NOI due date to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested identifier information. For proposers without an NSPIRES account, one can be requested at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/aboutRegistration.do . For this submission, no affiliations or associations are necessary during account setup. 2. After receiving an account and logging in, proposers should select the "create NOI" from the NSPIRES Proposals link. Select this RFI from the list of open solicitations and then complete the NOI Cover Page and Program Specific Data sections for submission. Please note that NOI Cover Page summary, business data, and budget information are NOT required for this RFI. If prompted to provide summary, business data, or budget information, the proposer can ignore these fields. Proposers should reply as completely as possible to the Program Specific Data questions, however, no fields are mandatory for submission. A separate NOI should be submitted for each proposed lunar exploration objective. Tutorials and other NSPIRES help topics may be accessed through the NSPIRES on-line help site at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/help.do . For any questions that cannot be resolved with the available on-line help menus, requests for assistance may be directed by E-mail to nspires-help at nasaprs.com or by telephone to (202) 479-9376, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. ----------------------------------------------------------- It would be nice if the general public were able to see others thoughts on how to use the Moon to help in brain storming. I copied the RFI below as well as some thoughts on recycling from Jim Ickes. - LRK - Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/apr/HQ_06134_moon_exploration.html ------------------------------------------------------------ http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=119739 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION OF THE MOON AND BEYOND Synopsis - Apr 11, 2006 General Information Solicitation Number: N/A Reference Number: NNT06DSFEMBL Posted Date: Apr 11, 2006 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Apr 11, 2006 Original Response Date: May 12, 2006 Current Response Date: May 12, 2006 Classification Code: B -- Special studies and analysis - not R and D Contracting Office Address NASA - Headquarters, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001 Description NASA is initiating a long-term activity to develop a global space exploration strategy. A series of activities are planned in 2006 to gain a better understanding of the role that human and robotic exploration and development of a sustained human presence on the moon plays in supporting a broad exploration strategy that includes Mars and other destinations. As part of this process, NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) is seeking through this Request For Information (RFI), ideas on activities that could be pursued on the moon as part of an integrated global exploration strategy. The goal is to collect a wide variety of ideas and perspectives for the lunar exploration component of the exploration strategy. Eventually a robust, worldwide strategy for exploration of the moon will be developed using information from many sources, including inputs provided through this solicitation. Guidelines 1. Ideas should be expressed in English as achievable lunar exploration objectives, over a 25 year horizon, which address one or more of the following key elements of the exploration strategy: . Lunar exploration activities that are an integral part of a broader exploration strategy that encompasses Mars and other destinations; . Lunar robotic activities that collect key strategic information and develop key capabilities to enable and enhance human exploration; . Lunar activities that enable humans to live and work productively on the moon, including developing and using lunar resources; . Activities that enable opportunities for international collaboration through merging of common interests in respective strategic plans for exploration; . Characterization of opportunities for science investigations on the moon; . Activities that can enable lunar commerce; . Activities that can engage the general public in lunar exploration. 2. Each objective should be documented by providing the information requested in the Exploration Strategy Product document posted on the RFI web site, see Paragraph 4 for URL. The type of information requested includes summary information defining the objective, any dependencies it has on other objectives, architecture and operations assumptions associated with meeting the objective, intermediate milestones, and associated key decision points. In cases where the submission identifies multiple objectives, additional information regarding the relative time phasing of these various objectives and the general strategic themes that they represent, can also be provided. Additionally, submissions may provide some indication of issues/constraints/enablers in areas such as technology, policy, legal, or programmatics. 3. Viable responses should be consistent with generally accepted laws of physics. Innovative objectives including novel systems concepts are welcome, but should be consistent with advances that are reasonably achievable within a 25 year horizon. 4. All responses should be delivered electronically by completing and submitting the Exploration Strategy Product form located on the RFI web site: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/solicitations.do?method=op en&stack=push . Each submission will receive an electronic notification of a successful upload. All submissions must be received by May 12, 2006 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. 5. Responses will be collected and screened by the NASA Research & Education Support Services before being reviewed by evaluation teams. The screening process will focus on responsiveness to RFI requirements and will group the responses into common theme areas for evaluation. 6. Do not include in responses any information that is limited or restricted for use by the U.S. Government. By submitting information in response to this RFI, submitters of such information thereby consent to the release and dissemination of submitted information to any U.S. Government or non-U.S. Government entity to which NASA releases and disseminates the information for review. Review teams may be comprised of U.S. Government personnel from NASA ESMD, other NASA Missions Directorates, NASA Centers, and/or other U.S. Government agencies. Moreover, review teams may include third parties, such as contractor personnel who support NASA. As such, to the extent that any information submitted in response to this RFI is marked as or construed to be proprietary or business-sensitive, submitters are hereby notified (a) that such information may be disclosed to third parties and (b) that submission of information in response to this RFI constitutes consent to such handling and disclosure of submitted information. This RFI is being used to obtain information for planning purposes only and the U.S. Government does not presently intend to award a contract at this time. As stipulated in FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is subject to FAR 52.215-3. Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the U.S. Government on a non-attribution basis for development of a strategy for lunar exploration. Point of Contact Name: Austin Evans Title: Integration Manager Phone: (202) 358-3662 Fax: (202) 358-2815 Email: Austin.L.Evans-1 at nasa.gov ------------------------------------------------------------ Snip ============================================================= Another post from Jim Ickes with some thoughts on recycling which will be needed on the Moon. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Larry, Recycling is barely taking hold here on Earth. We need to become more efficient in this activity if we think that we can do the same thing, either on the ISS or on the lunar surface. The early Apollo astronauts just left there junk up there, food cans, human waste, used equipment, etc. They didn't pack the stuff up and return it with them. If we go to stay, we really need to understand that this is the ultimate primitive campsite and we need to not dirty the landscape with our leftovers. We're going to have to make sure that they get the maximum opportunity to be reused in order to save on the expense of shipping new materials to the lunar base as well as to find a way to make the most of what we do have delivered to them and whatever is leftover must be reused. It only makes economic sense. I think that one reason that recycling is limited in scope and success, is the fact that it is still far cheaper (by design I'm afraid) to simply get 'new things' when we need them, rather than reuse or recycle 'old things'. We recycle all of our newspapers, magazines and some of the metals that we have here every week. It is a start and to be honest, it has made a difference. The biggest disappointment that I see is that more folks don't do that because of any number of reasons. Of course, if you're on the Moon, many of those reasons should go by the wayside and recycling should be highly encouraged. It is definitely something that we need to do to be successful. The question is will we do it successfully to be able to stay on the Moon as cheaply as possible? Later, Jim ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Fri Apr 14 20:12:21 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 17:12:21 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Google Alert for: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - but what content? Message-ID: <000601c66021$449831d0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day - Google Alert for: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter But what was the trigger? I have asked that Google send me alerts when there are news releases that talk about the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and today seven alerts, but what triggered them was not talk about the LRO but the recent addition of a hitch hiker craft that is going to monitor the impact of the Earth Departure Upper Stage as it smashes into the Moon. Take a look at where the reports came from and if you care, check out the way they are reported. Seems that crashes make the news. Remember, the LRO is going to orbit the Moon and provide us with much needed information about the Moon to find the best places for setting down our next human explorers. I wonder if this isn't being upstaged by another attempt to melt some suspected ice. If no water vapor what then, will we then stop our plans to go to the Moon or we realize we can get oxygen out of rocks most anywhere? Maybe we should be extracting water out of our rocks just to show it can be done. http://www.asi.org/adb/04/03/10/04/oxygen-extraction.html ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/lnews/lnmar97/oxygen.htm Snip Volcanic Glass - The optimum feedstock for a lunar oxygen production process may be volcanic glass. At least 25 distinct glass compositions have been identified in the Apollo sample collection. The iron-rich species promise particularly high oxygen yields. The deposit sampled by the Apollo 17 astronauts (sample 74220) is uniformly fine-grained and friable, offering a feedstock which reacts rapidly and can be used with little or no processing prior to oxygen extraction. Complete reduction of the total FeO content of this iron-rich glass is equivalent to an oxygen yield of 5 wt%. Over 80% of this yield was achieved after 3 hours at a temperature of 1050?C (Figure 1). The production of oxygen from lunar materials is now a reality. Oxygen release by means of hydrogen reduction has been demonstrated in the laboratory with samples of lunar basalt, soil, and volcanic glass. Yields from soils are predictable, based solely on each sample's iron abundance. The reactions are rapid, with most of the release occurring in a few tens of minutes. All of the major iron-bearing phases in lunar soil release oxygen, though with differing degrees of efficiency. These data can support the design of an oxygen production plant at a future lunar base. For more details see: Allen, C. C., R. V. Morris, and D. S. McKay 1996. Oxygen Extraction from Lunar Soils and Pyroclastic Glass. J. Geophys. Res. 101. 26,085-26,095. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- Here on Earth we are concerned about using resources that are not renewable. Finding new sources of coal, oil, and gas depend on knowing geology and the lay of the land. Mapping the resources on the Moon will also be needed, and not just at the polar regions. We will need metals as well and so setting up our base camps will need to be positioned based on an in depth knowledge of what is available. ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceExp/Slides/tsld001.htm LUNAR PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceExp/Slides/tsld002.htm LUNAR RESOURCE UTILIZATION http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceExp/Slides/tsld003.htm SELF-REPLICATING LUNAR FACTORY [1980] http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceExp/Slides/tsld004.htm LUNAR POWER & THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEMS http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceExp/Slides/sld001.htm Graphic Version of Above - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Hope we don't just focus on the poles but look at the Moon as a whole. Comes back to knowing what you want to do on the Moon for more than a weekend. Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================= Google Alert for: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter The impact will stir up lunar dust needed to search for signs of ... http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3785197.html Houston Chronicle - United States ... The crash vehicle, called an impactor, and observational instruments will be added to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Already ... NASA to launch moon-impact probe http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/11/content_4410284.htm Xinhua - China ... The spacecraft is scheduled to be launched in the Kennedy Space Center, together with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on top a rocket. ... NASA to blast moon for water http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/apr/11nasa.htm Rediff - India ... Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite -- will hitch a ride to the moon onboard the same rocket as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite due for ... NASA plans to slam craft into moon http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/266205_moon11.html Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA ... since NASA's Lunar Prospector in 1999 -- will be part of a previously announced mission in which a larger craft, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, will fly ... NASA plots a bingle on the moon http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18787747%255E663,0 0.html Melbourne Herald Sun - Australia ... million. The mission will be launched in October 2008, with a rocket that carries the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and impactor. The ... Spacecraft will drill into moon http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060411/NEWS02/60411 0330 Florida Today - Melbourne,FL,USA ... NASA aims to launch its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter aboard either a Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 or a Boeing Delta 4 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. ... NASA Chooses New Spacecraft To Search For Water On Moon http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7003140380 All Headline News - USA ... AHN)?NASA announces it will send a second spacecraft to search for water ice on the moon with the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scheduled for ... ------------------------------------------------------------- This once a day Google Alert is brought to you by Google. Remove this alert. Create another alert. Manage your alerts. ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sat Apr 15 18:55:09 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 15:55:09 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Russia's Next Spaceship: Alternative to NASA's CEV - maybe - if you pay for it. Message-ID: <001e01c660df$a5cdcfa0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Russia's Next Spaceship: Alternative to NASA's CEV - ummmm - o.k. Bob MacBird sent me two links about Russia considering building a spaceship and I posted them below. Both are from Space.com, one being back in December 2005. The catch is that they would like a buyer. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- snip The program presented by Nikolai Sevastyanov, the head of state-controlled RKK Energiya, relies on hopes of attracting private investment, but the lack of government support calls its feasibility into question. Snip http://www.space.com/news/ap_060412_russia_moon.html ------------------------------------------------------------- Like so many of the past proposals for lifting off, supporters come and go. In the USA, one administration will have and idea and then there is the politics that go along - or against - the ideas. An example might be the spacecraft Triana. - LRK - -------------------------------------------------------------http://www.spac etoday.net/Summary/671 NASA considers foreign launch options for Triana Posted: Fri, Feb 8, 2002, 8:06 AM ET (1306 GMT) Triana illustration (NASA/GSFC) NASA is evaluating two proposals to launch the Triana spacecraft on foreign boosters, Space News reported Thursday. One proposal would launch Triana as a secondary payload on an Ariane 5; such a launch would be paid by a European national space agency in exchange in a scientific role on the mission. A second possibility is to launch it on a Ukrainian Tsiklon launch vehicle, arranged by an unnamed company trying to market the Tsiklon commercially. Triana is a mission that would observe the fully-illuminated disk of the Earth from the Earth-Sun L1 point, 1.5 million kilometers away. The Triana spacecraft has been built but is sitting in storage since there are no foreseeable launch opportunities on the shuttle, which was the original launch vehicle for the spacecraft. Triana was proposed in 1998 by then-Vice President Al Gore, but faced strong Congressional scrutiny, including an order to stop work on the mission until an independent panel confirmed the mission's scientific validity. ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2001/010715-sat.htm THE ORLANDO SENTINEL July 15, 2001 POLITICS PUTS $100 MILLION SATELLITE ON ICE Melissa Harris, Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- NASA has spent almost $100 million in taxpayer money to build a satellite that is headed for a storage bin in Maryland. Triana was scheduled for a November flight into space, where it would measure ozone in the Earth's atmosphere while also beaming round-the-clock photos of Earth to the Internet. But now, some fear it may never fly. The cause of the costly hibernation: presidential politics and conflicting views -- many of them partisan -- about Triana's scientific worth. The National Academy of Sciences addressed the last concern when it concluded in March 2000 that the controversial satellite would provide unprecedented insight into the amount of dangerous ozone and ultraviolet radiation in Earth's atmosphere. The project also would monitor the sun to provide early warnings of solar flares, which could disrupt satellites and the electrical grid. Weather forecasters were hoping it would create better climate models, improving the accuracy of forecasts. To Triana's project team, the academy's conclusion was the best ammunition yet against detractors in Congress who had dubbed it "Gore-sat" after the man who inspired it -- then-Vice President Al Gore. Triana project manager Jim Watzin said last week that the satellite would be ready to go by Oct. 1. But it's not going where Watzin wants. ------------------------------------------------------------- The Russians have offered to build something new to launch to the ISS and possibly further. The USA is going to build something new to launch to the ISS and further. To the Moon and/or Mars. To the Lunar Poles, and/or the equator. Maybe just a couple more tin cans, forget risking human life and all that money. The last administration spent it all. (Vietnam, Iraq, or the next global war) I hope there are enough folks around this world that realize we live on a Blue Marble that could be turned black and blue from sources from outer space or inner space. An asteroid, a volcano, a nuke, take your pick. Might be nice to have your eggs in more than one basket and eyes from different vantage points. I shot an arrow into the air, I know not where it landed. Oops, my dad was not happy that it was on our shingle roof. I shot an arrow into a rock pile. It bounced back and hit me in the wrist. But then I was a kid. I hope we have some in seats of authority that look further ahead than I did. I hope there are enough of you out there that will point out the errors of just shooting things into the air without considering where they land, but don't be afraid to launch either. :-) Thanks for looking up. (good idea when I am around) Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= Bob MacBird sent these links. Thanks - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/051207_tech_wednesday.html Russia's Next Spaceship: Alternative to NASA's CEV By Tariq Malik Staff Writer posted: 07 December 2005 12:00 am ET As NASA prepares to once again send humans to the surface of the Moon, Russia is also developing its own plans for future manned spaceflight. The country's Clipper project to develop a six-person spacecraft to deliver astronauts into Earth orbit, and potentially beyond, appears in some ways to be the Russian Federal Space Agency's answer to NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). "We're starting to design this new transportation system to support the International Space Station (ISS) once it's complete," said Nikolay Sevastiyanov, president of the Russian aerospace contractor RSC-Energia, during a recent space conference where the program was discussed. The winged crew vehicle, Clipper, would launch atop a Russian Soyuz 2-3 booster and could form the heart of potential Moon- or Mars-bound craft, according to RSC-Energia designs. Separate cargo pods could also launch atop a separate Soyuz rocket. Both the Clipper vehicle and cargo pods would be towed to the ISS. Outside participation in the project by the European Space Agency (ESA) appears on hold after ESA ministers decided this week not to fund a two-year, $59.8-million (51-million euro) trial to study Clipper with the Federal Space. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.space.com/news/ap_060412_russia_moon.html Russian Aerospace Firm Aims for Moon Exploration By Vladimir Isachenkov Associated Press Writer posted: 12 April 2006 11:30 a.m. ET = MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's leading space company on Tuesday laid out an ambitious plan to send manned missions to the moon by 2015, build a permanent base to tap its energy resources and dispatch a crew to Mars between 2020-2030. The program presented by Nikolai Sevastyanov, the head of state-controlled RKK Energiya, relies on hopes of attracting private investment, but the lack of government support calls its feasibility into question. "We believe that we can fly a manned mission landing on the moon before 2015 funded by sources outside the state budget,'' Sevastyanov said at a news conference. Russian government officials have spoken vaguely in support of future moon and Mars missions, but have made no specific commitments. In January 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush outlined a plan for NASA to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020 and then on to Mars and beyond. Sevastyanov said that Energiya, the manufacturer of Soyuz and Progress spacecraft that ferry crew and supplies to the International Space Station, would rely on those ships during the first phase of its moon exploration program. The company will first offer a commercial trip around the moon in a Soyuz that could be made around 2009, Sevastyanov said. He added that his company already has talked to foreign investors interested in the project, but refused to give any names or specifics. "The use of the existing rockets will help reduce the program's costs and lower risks,'' Sevastyanov said. During the next stage, Energiya plans to employ a reusable now under development, the Clipper. Snip ============================================================= Richard Perry sent this link and comments that the idea has been around since the Lunar Prospector crash in 1999. Thanks Richard. - LRK - I asked Ames PAO John Bluck and Chris McKay if they had any more information about the orbit plans as was curious as to where the orbit for 90 days before impact information came from. Chris supplied some other information but I don't know anything more about orbit plans. A couple of years off, so maybe a bit early. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/266205_moon11.html Tuesday, April 11, 2006 NASA plans to slam craft into moon By WARREN E. LEARY THE NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON -- A NASA spacecraft will deliberately crash into the moon in January 2009, in a kind of two-way bank shot that will help scientists search for water that might be lurking in deep, dark craters, the space agency said Monday. Snip If shadowed areas on the moon contain ice, NASA officials said, they would be prime landing sites for humans. Water can be broken apart to produce hydrogen for rocket fuel and oxygen for fuel and breathing, helping astronauts live off the land while exploring. The spacecraft -- the first to strike the moon since NASA's Lunar Prospector in 1999 -- will be part of a previously announced mission in which a larger craft, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, will fly around the moon to map its surface. Both craft will be launched on the same rocket on October 2008, but the smaller, impact craft will circle the Earth and moon for 90 days before slamming into the moon's south pole. The project is called LCROSS, for Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. Its manager, Daniel Andrews of NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., said the upper stage of the rocket that sends the orbiter to the moon would be used as an impact vehicle. When the 4,400-pound used rocket slams into a crater at about 5,600 miles per hour, Andrews said, it should send up a plume of vapor and debris, perhaps 1,000 metric tons of it, rising 30 to 40 miles above the surface. About 15 minutes later, the trailing "shepherding spacecraft," loaded with infrared cameras and spectroscopes to determine chemical composition, is to fly through the plume, taking and relaying data before hitting the moon itself. "We're going to see the impact," Andrews said, "and then fly through the plume while looking into the crater and also looking sideways 90 degrees out into space to see the plume material against the darkness." Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sun Apr 16 22:29:29 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 19:29:29 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] What will be will be - is that the way you see it? Message-ID: <000f01c661c6$c16e2d80$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, What will be will be - is that the way you see it? I don't know if this post will have any meaning for you or not but here goes. I mentioned the spacecraft Triana as an example of missions that can get derailed. Having mentioned Triana, fate would mention it again in relation to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The LRO will need inertial measurement units, so order a couple from Honeywell. (and only Honeywell) Since they made the one for Triana, refurbish that one too. Probably not going anywhere sitting in the GSFC clean room. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=19234 http://www.moontoday.net/news/viewsr.html?pid=19234 NASA GSFC Solicitation: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Intertial (LRO) Reference Unit (IRU) Snip NASA/GSFC has a requirement for two (2) new Miniature Inertial Measurement Units (MIMUs), and the refurbishment of a previously purchased MIMU under the Triana program. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- Now the notice I posted about Triana said there was a search going on back in 2002 for another way to launch it as going by way of the shuttle was now not acceptable. You see there was this earlier NEED to use the shuttle for launching things as it was declared this was the way to go. Don't launch on rockets. Then a shuttle accident and launching satellites from the shuttle was now a no, no, also. Even though there were offers to launch Triana from other countries, that was not authorized. I sat in an interesting presentation from one of the scientists that was trying to get Triana launched. Time passes. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.spacetoday.net/Summary/671 NASA considers foreign launch options for Triana Posted: Fri, Feb 8, 2002, 8:06 AM ET (1306 GMT) Triana illustration (NASA/GSFC) NASA is evaluating two proposals to launch the Triana spacecraft on foreign boosters, Space News reported Thursday. One proposal would launch Triana as a secondary payload on an Ariane 5; such a launch would be paid by a European national space agency in exchange in a scientific role on the mission. A second possibility is to launch it on a Ukrainian Tsiklon launch vehicle, arranged by an unnamed company trying to market the Tsiklon commercially. Triana is a mission that would observe the fully-illuminated disk of the Earth from the Earth-Sun L1 point, 1.5 million kilometers away. The Triana spacecraft has been built but is sitting in storage since there are no foreseeable launch opportunities on the shuttle, which was the original launch vehicle for the spacecraft. Triana was proposed in 1998 by then-Vice President Al Gore, but faced strong Congressional scrutiny, including an order to stop work on the mission until an independent panel confirmed the mission's scientific validity. ------------------------------------------------------------- Now we have had 9/11 and even more restrictions on what can launch on other countries rockets. http://ogc.yale.edu/legal_reference/export_controls.html - LRK - In my mail are requests to save other missions because going to the Moon without enough money for all the other things NASA was doing is putting a bite on the purse strings. Even though NASA is supposed to carry out the Presidents vision, it is also supposed to honor requests from congress for other desirable projects. When there is not enough for all, something gets cut. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/feb/HQ_06056_Budget_Statement.html Snip We must seek innovative ways to leverage, to the maximum extent practicable, the investments being made by commercial industry and through international partnerships. We must plan executable programs with priority given to the required timing and affordability of needed capabilities. As I have testified previously to the Congress, we will go as we can afford to pay, and we will set priorities for our time, resources, and energy. For example, NASA's exploration architecture cannot afford the robust space nuclear R&D program that was previously planned. Thus, rather than engaging in them halfway, we have cut back those efforts. But because it is important in the long run, we will seek to leverage the work of other nations which have developed small nuclear reactors that could be applied to space. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- What this means to me is that whatever the plans are now for going to the Moon, I will not be surprised if the plans get changed, modified, stalled, or canceled altogether. - LRK - What does it mean for you? Do you add your voice to large organized groups that advocate going to space? Do you start your own campaign and hope others will join you? Maybe just accept, what will be, will be. How do you "make it so"? Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= ============================================================= http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=19234 http://www.moontoday.net/news/viewsr.html?pid=19234 STATUS REPORT Date Released: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 Source: Goddard Space Flight Center NASA GSFC Solicitation: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Intertial (LRO) Reference Unit (IRU) Synopsis - Jan 10, 2006 General Information Solicitation Number: RLEP-LRO-IRU--12-23-05 Posted Date: Jan 10, 2006 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jan 10, 2006 Original Response Date: Jan 25, 2006 Current Response Date: Jan 25, 2006 Classification Code: A -- Research and Development NAICS Code: 927110 - Space Research and Technology Contracting Office Address NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 210.S, Greenbelt, MD 20771 Description NASA/GSFC has a requirement for two (2) new Miniature Inertial Measurement Units (MIMUs), and the refurbishment of a previously purchased MIMU under the Triana program. NASA/GSFC intends to issue a sole-source Request for Proposal (RFP) to Honeywell Incorporated, Space Systems Group. Honeywell shall deliver two (2) new MIMUs and refurbish a previously purchased Honeywell MIMU, which was purchased under the Triana program. Honeywell shall provide spacecraft attitude rate measurements to the Attitude Control System, for science grade, fine guidance and emergency Sun Acquisition mode support. The LRO is required to possess redundant MIMUs and the MIMU Flight Spare units must have identical form, fit and function as the new MIMU flight unit. Honeywell, as the original vendor of the Triana MIMU, is the only source that can upgrade the existing unit, and build identical Flight Units. The refurbishment of the MIMU requires the detailed knowledge of Honeywell's specific proprietary design. Further, Honeywell is uniquely qualified for this contract because of their extensive expertise and experience with the prior Triana MIMU effort. This combined with the adherence to the existing project schedule is paramount for us to meet our launch schedule as requested in the President's Vision for U.S. Space Exploration. To ensure we meet our October 2008 launch date with acceptable technical and schedule risk, the MIMU procurement must be awarded by early 2006. The estimated period of performance of this firm-fixed-price (FFP) effort is approximately 14 months. The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. An Ombudsman has been appointed. See Notes 22, 26, and B. Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Tue Apr 18 23:51:12 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 20:51:12 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Space Elevator Message-ID: <001501c66364$8112a500$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good evening, Good evening. Will be driving up to Washington State tomorrow to see my folks and will probably be off line for a couple of days. Give you time to think about what you would like to look up and see. - LRK - John Reed sent a link about the NASA Challenge Competitions, which includes a Teather Challenge. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/apr/HQ_06189_Centennial.html Michael Braukus/Dolores Beasley Headquarters, Washington (202) 358-1979/1753 April 18, 2006 RELEASE: 06-189 Five NASA Centennial Challenges Competitions Open For Registration NASA announced Tuesday the opening of team registration for five Centennial Challenges prize competitions with cash prizes totaling more than $1 million. Teams from industry, academia, and the public may formally begin their participation by contacting NASA's collaborator, or allied organization, responsible for administering each competition. The prize competitions and allied organizations that are accepting team registrations are: - Astronaut Glove Challenge, administered by Volanz Aerospace/Spaceflight America with a total prize value of $250,000. - Beam Power Challenge, administered by the Spaceward Foundation as part of the annual Space Elevator Games with a total prize value of $200,000. - Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge, administered by the California Space Education & Workforce Institute with a total prize value of $250,000. - MoonROx (Moon Regolith Oxygen) Challenge, administered by the Florida Space Research Institute with a total prize value of $250,000. - Tether Challenge, administered by the Spaceward Foundation as part of the annual Space Elevator Games with a total prize value of $200,000. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- If a space elevator is developed you will have something to look at. In the mean time, thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= John Reed sent this link about NASA?s challenge grants. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- You probably already know about these challenge grants, but I thought it was interesting that 2 of them went to the space elevator folks--not long ago, that was considered seriously "out there" science fiction... ? http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/apr/HQ_06189_Centennial.html ? ? Also, kudos to the folks at the Cassini web site, I sent them a question regarding parking the probe in orbit around Titan or Enceladus once the primary mission was over...I asked about delta-v and slingshot maneuvers around other moons to help...their reply was prompt and informative--their P/R has been exceptional throughout the mission, and should be used as a model for getting the public involved in future missions--they even won a Webby! ? J ? ...in deepest, darkest, SE GA ============================================================= http://www.spaceelevator.com/ The Space Elevator Reference brought to you by SpaceRef Scientific, engineering, economic and policy challenges inherent in constructing the solar systems first space elevator. www.spaceelevator.com/ - 21k - Cached - Similar pages The Space Elevator Reference Fiction or reality? With recent advancements in technology many people now believe it is possible to build a space elevator. This site will serve as a reference tool for those interested in exchanging ideas on the scientific, engineering, economic and policy challenges inherent in constructing the solar system's first space elevator. Marc Boucher, editor. What is a Space Elevator? A space elevator is a physical connection from the surface of the Earth, or another planetary body such as Mars, to a geostationary Earth orbit (GEO - In the case of Earth) above the Earth at roughly 35,786 km in altitude. It is hoped that someday a space elevator would be utilized as a transportation and utility system for moving people, payloads, power, and gases between the surface of the Earth and space. It makes the physical connection from Earth to space in the same way a bridge connects two cities across a body of water. (Source: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Advanced Space Infrastructure Workshop on Geostationary Orbiting Tether Space Elevator Concepts, slightly modified) Snip ============================================================= http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_elevator_020327-1.h tml The Space Elevator Comes Closer to Reality By Leonard David Senior Space Writer posted: 07:00 am ET 27 March 2002 SPACE.com -- The Space Elevator Comes Closer to Reality Forget the roar of rocketry and those bone jarring liftoffs, the elevator would be a smooth 62000-mile (100000-kilometer) ride up a long cable. www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_elevator_020327-1.html - 37k - Cached - Similar pages Snip ============================================================= http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast07sep_1.htm The Audacious Space Elevator NASA Science News: Two orbiting NASA satellites are giving scientists an unprecented view of what goes on beneath the obscuring cloudtops of great swirling ... science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast07sep_1.htm - 21k - Cached - Similar pages Snip ============================================================= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator Space elevator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A space elevator is a hypothetical structure designed to transport material from a planet's surface into space. Many different types of space elevator structures have been proposed. They all share the goal of replacing rocket propulsion with the traversal of a fixed structure via a mechanism not unlike an elevator, hence its name, in order to move material into or beyond orbit. Space elevators have also sometimes been referred to as beanstalks, space bridges, space lifts, space ladders or orbital towers. The most common proposal is a tether, usually in the form of a cable or ribbon, that spans from the surface to a point beyond geosynchronous orbit. As the planet rotates, the inertia at the end of the tether counteracts gravity and keeps the tether taut. Vehicles can then climb the tether and escape the planet's gravity without the use of rockets. Such a structure could eventually permit delivery of great quantities of cargo and people to orbit, and at costs only a fraction of those associated with current means. Snip ============================================================= http://www.liftport.com/ LiftPort - The Space Elevator Company The LiftPort Group (LPG) is dedicated to building a mass transportation system to open up access to the inner solar system (LEO, GEO, the Moon, Mars, and asteroids). The Space Elevator will be at the heart of this revolutionary transportation service. By opening up broad-based access to Earth orbits and the inner solar system, LPG will help bring about the creation of entire new markets. Based in space commerce, these new markets can only become viable through safe, inexpensive, routine access to the inner solar system. In short, we at LiftPort Group believe that development of the space elevator is a crucial step in the future of Earth and space. Snip ============================================================= http://www.elevator2010.org/site/index.html The Space Elevator - Elevator:2010 November 15: Spaceward announces details for 2006 Space Elevator Games. (rulebooks); October 21-23: First annual Space Elevator games held by Spaceward at ... www.elevator2010.org/ - 16k - Cached - Similar pages Climbing The Sky The dream of a Space Elevator is a monumental one. A vision that will not only further space exploration and knowledge, but has the potential to shape the existential future of the human race for centuries to come. For the first time since it was initially conceived, this dream is now within our reach. Elevator 2010 has joined the massive construction effort, adding energy, resources and new initiatives to the ever-growing number of organizations, companies, websites and enthusiasts focused on the technical, political and economic development of the Space Elevator. We firmly believe that the set of technologies that underlie the infinite promise of the Space Elevator can be demonstrated, or proven infeasible, within a 5 year time-frame. And hence our name. Elevator:2010. we promise to get an answer for you by then. Snip ============================================================= http://www.isr.us/SEHome.asp Institute for Scientific Research, Inc. - Space Elevator Technical details, meetings, images, and FAQs about building a space elevator. www.isr.us/SEHome.asp - 27k - Cached - Similar pages The Space Elevator: 3rd Annual International Conference The-Space-Elevator at isr.us. http://www.isr.us/Spaceelevatorconference/ A space elevator is a revolutionary concept of getting from Earth into space, a ribbon with one end attached to Earth on a floating platform located at the equator and the other end in space beyond geosynchronous orbit (35,800 km altitude). The space elevator would ferry satellites, spaceships, and pieces of space stations into space using electric lifts clamped to the ribbon, serving as a means for commerce, scientific advancement, and exploration. The discovery of carbon nanotubes and the ongoing development to implement them into a composite is the key to space elevator viability being achieved in the coming years. ISR is researching a space elevator capable of lifting 5-ton payloads every day to all Earth orbits, the Moon, Mars, Venus or the asteroids. The first space elevator would reduce lift costs immediately. Additional and larger elevators, built utilizing the first one, would allow large-scale manned and commercial activities in space and reduce lift costs even further. Snip ============================================================= http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htm When the Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off on April 12, 1981, from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to begin the first space shuttle mission, the dream of a reusable spacecraft was realized. Since then, NASA has launched more than 100 missions, but the price tag of space missions has changed little. Whether it is the space shuttle or the non-reusable Russian spacecraft, the cost of a launch is approximately $10,000 per pound ($22,000 per kg). While the space shuttle is reusable, missions are still very infrequent and expensive, with each launch costing an estimated half a billion dollars. A new space transportation system being developed could make travel to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) a daily event and transform the global economy. science.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htm - 36k - Cached - Similar pages Snip ============================================================= http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57536,00.html Wired News: To the Moon in a Space Elevator? By Steve Kettmann Steve Kettmann | Also by this reporter 02:00 AM Feb, 04, 2003 EST The Columbia disaster could spur faster development of a radically different approach to reaching outer space: the space elevator. Long imagined by science-fiction writers but seen by others as hopelessly far-fetched, the space-elevator concept has advanced dramatically in recent years along with leaps forward in the design of carbon nanotubes. Using the lightweight, strong carbon material, it's feasible to talk of building a meter-wide "ribbon" that would start on a mobile ocean platform at the equator, west of Ecuador, and extend 62,000 miles up into space. www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57536,00.html - 27k - Cached - Similar pages Snip ============================================================= http://liftwatch.org/tiki-view_articles.php Space Elevator News Research news on launching by cables extending into space. Frequently updated. liftwatch.org/ - 1k - Apr 17, 2006 - Cached - Similar pages Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sun Apr 23 01:39:13 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 22:39:13 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] NASA appoints retired Air Force brigadier general to Ames Message-ID: <001601c66698$41e9c7a0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Back from visit with folks in Washington State. (94 & 95) Hope I do as well, might even see us get back to the Moon. :-) Google Alert for the LRO found it mentioned in the notice that NASA Ames at Moffett Field, CA has been told their new director will be retired Air Force brigadier general, Simon P. "Pete" Worden. ------------------------------------------------------------- Google Alert for: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter NASA appoints retired Air Force brigadier general to Ames http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/nort hern_california/14400670.htm San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA ... pole to search for ice. The project will launch in 2008, along with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which will circle the moon. ... ------------------------------------------------------------- Will watch and see if this fits in with the Ames tasks for managing some robotic missions to the Moon. There certainly has been enough press about stabbing the Moon in a search for water. Hope the whole Moon is considered for potential lunar habitation. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1985lbsa.conf..405H Lava tubes - Potential shelters for habitats Journal: IN: Lunar bases and space activities of the 21st century (A86-30113 13-14). Houston, TX, Lunar and Planetary Institute, 1985, p. 405-412. Publication Date: 00/1985 Category: Lunar and Planetary Exploration Origin: STI NASA/STI Keywords: LUNAR BASES, SITE SELECTION, SPACE HABITATS, UNDERGROUND STRUCTURES, CAVES, LAVA, RADIATION SHIELDING Bibliographic Code: 1985lbsa.conf..405H Abstract Natural caverns occur on the moon in the form of 'lava tubes', which are the drained conduits of underground lava rivers. The inside dimensions of these tubes measure tens to hundreds of meters, and their roofs are expected to be thicker than 10 meters. Consequently, lava tube interiors offer an environment that is naturally protected from the hazards of radiation and meteorite impact. Further, constant, relatively benign temperatures of -20 C prevail. These are extremely favorable environmental conditions for human activities and industrial operations. Significant operational, technological, and economical benefits might result if a lunar base were constructed inside a lava tube. [8 page pdf file - LRK -] http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?db_key=AST&bib code=1985lbsa.conf..405H&letter=.&classic=YES&defaultprint=YES&whole_paper=Y ES&page=405&epage=405&send=Send+PDF&filetype=.pdf ------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for looking up with me. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= NASA appoints retired Air Force brigadier general to Ames http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/nort hern_california/14400670.htm San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA Posted on Fri, Apr. 21, 2006 NASA appoints retired Air Force brigadier general to Ames Associated Press MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - NASA on Friday appointed retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Simon Worden to head the Ames Research Center, which has played an increasingly visible role in President Bush's plan to return astronauts to the moon. Worden replaces Scott Hubbard, who resigned earlier this year to take a position at the SETI Institute, a nonprofit that studies the possibility of life beyond Earth. Hubbard, who investigated the space shuttle Columbia accident, led Ames since 2002. During his Air Force service, Worden commanded the 50th Space Wing, which is responsible for more than 60 Pentagon satellites. The shakeup comes at a time when Ames is taking a more active role to fulfill Bush's space exploration vision for a manned mission to the moon by 2018. Last year, the NASA center was tapped to direct at least four unmanned missions to the moon ahead of human landings. The missions will map the lunar surface, probe for evidence of water and scout for future landing spots. Earlier this month, Ames was selected to launch a mission that would crash a space probe into the moon's south pole to search for ice. The project will launch in 2008, along with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which will circle the moon. Ames, based in Silicon Valley, has an annual budget of $600 million and employs about 2,500 researchers. Snip ============================================================= NASA Ames Research Center: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames Snip 04.21.06 - NASA Names Worden New Ames Center Director NASA Administrator Michael Griffin announced Friday that Simon P. "Pete" Worden will be the next director of NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Worden, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, is a research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Read More+ http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2006/06_24AR.html Michael Mewhinney Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Phone: (650) 604-3937/9000 April 21, 2006 RELEASE: 06_24AR NASA Names Worden New Ames Center Director NASA Administrator Michael Griffin announced Friday that Simon P. "Pete" Worden will be the next director of NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Worden, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, is a research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Ames Research Center is located in California's Silicon Valley at the core of the research cluster of high-tech companies, universities and laboratories that define the region's character. With more than $3 billion in capital equipment, 2,500 research personnel and an approximately $600 million annual budget, Ames has a significant economic impact in the region. During his Air Force service, Worden held director and deputy director level positions with the Air Force Space Command, where he was responsible for developing new programs, including next generation launch concepts. He also was commander of the 50th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force Space Command. He also served as 2nd deputy for technology with the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, where he received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for directing the 1994 Clementine lunar probe mission. Worden holds a bachelor's degree in astronomy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a doctorate in astronomy from the University of Arizona. For an official United States Airforce biography, please visit: United States Airforce Brig. Gen. Simon P. Worden Biography http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7661 Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Mon Apr 24 18:15:43 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:15:43 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Space trailblazer Eberhardt Rechtin passed away at the age of 80 on Friday, 14 April 2006. Message-ID: <000601c667ec$a1ce9150$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Once again, my thanks to Larry Klaes for keeping me informed. He passed a notification of the death of Eberhardt Rechtin who passed away at the age of 80 on Friday, 14 April 2006. (See below) You can read the notices below but what I want, is for you to take the time to read and digest and ponder the Oral History Interview with Eberhardt Rechtin that is posted on the IEEE web site. ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories/transcripts/ rechtin.html Interviewee: Eberhardt Rechtin Interviewer: Frederick Nebeker Date: February 23, 1995 Copyright Statement This manuscript is being made available for research purposes only. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to the IEEE History Center. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of IEEE History Center. Request for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the IEEE History Center Oral History Program, Rutgers - the State University, 39 Union Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8538 USA. It should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Eberhardt Rechtin, Electrical Engineer, an oral history conducted in 1995 by Frederik Nebeker, IEEE History Center, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. ------------------------------------------------------------- After reading the above copyright notice I will probably get in trouble for including these few paragraphs but I really want you to read the interview. Then go remind those that are organizing our "To the Moon, Mars, and Beyond" quest to do some "architecting". - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Snip Nebeker: I remember Bill Baker telling me that I don't know this story well, but at some point Bell Labs was recognizing that what you are dealing with is a large system and that engineers have to be trained in taking in the big picture. Rechtin: That came about easily in World War II and maybe before because Boda could not have written his book on feedback systems unless they had a system concept, because it was not just an idea of "Put it in the front it comes out the other end." That was a new idea of feedback and the difference between positive and negative feedback. They had already run into problems of stability, because when they put in the wrong kind of feedback, the damn thing oscillated and blew up. So they had clearly seen that when you connected all these parts together, you could produce something. You could get rid of a lot of the problems on the forward link, particularly on the linearities, if you had a feedback loop. That led to control theory, which tended to branch away from the Bell System. It also led to switching theory, which is the core of the Bell System. That became obvious when they found out that there weren't enough telephone operators in the world to pick up all the number of connections they were going to have to make. In terms of where all of this came from, I made no claims at all that either systems or architecture were my inventions. When you put them together you then define the function of building architectures as architecting. I don't know if I would even call it that word but I was one of the first to use it consistently. I use "architecting" so that people focus on the process that an architect does. If I just use "architecture" it means too many different things, so I invented another word. Some people want to call it "architecturing" but that could be more complicated than we want. I wanted to focus on system architecting as a process. That also avoids another process as to who does it, because there is nothing that says a system engineer can't do architecting, and nothing says a system architect can't do systems engineering. If you are missing that function, then you have a problem. The Bell System didn't confront the problem too seriously because their whole basic architecture from the beginning was essentially the same. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- Because I am afraid you won't go read the whole interview, let me include a few more paragraphs and really get me in trouble. What do you do when you flunk a required course for your degree? What do you do when you are told you cannot communicate with a space probe that is going to go outside the Solar system? - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Nebeker: This is a graduate course. Rechtin: This is a graduate barrier course to a Ph.D. I flunked it, absolutely cold out, and it was as I recall a three quarter course--you had three parts to it. Well, that meant no Ph.D., but Cal Tech always said one can have a second try at it and if one can get your average above the necessary C or whatever it was, well all right. Very few people ever made it the second time if they couldn't figure it out the first time. So I spent the summer going through every problem in Symthe's book. It got awfully tedious after a while and suddenly the light hit; I saw the key to the lock. I hadn't seen it before and nobody would tell you, least of all Smythe. For every one of his problems, and later I learned for a lot of the world's problems, there is a simple way of getting the answer and the standard way of getting the answer. The standard way takes a lot of time and a lot of grinding, and a lot of work. The simple way you get by sitting back and thinking, "Are there whole chunks of this problem that have already been solved?" For example, did some famous mathematician solve a certain kind of equation? Absolutely, and it is expressed in terms of Bessel functions. I didn't know that; I didn't know a Bessel function from a rock on the ground when I began this thing. Anyway, they are solutions to boundary conditions and if you express them in Bessel functions, they essentially work out what all the mathematical answers are. It suddenly occurred to me that all of these problems were all of the same type. Nebeker: So he designed these all to have a simpler way? Rechtin: There was always a simple way. His course consisted of a set of problems in an exam session where they were always four problems. If you solved them in the simple clear way that Smythe was aiming for, which he never told you, naturally, you could do the whole thing in maybe half or three quarters of an hour, well within the one hour time limit, with absolutely no problem. If you didn't you were lucky to get past two of them. Well, I had been struggling the hard way, not understanding what the message was. So I then went back and said, "I want to take the first semester over again and at the end of the first semester, I want to take the whole course by exam." Smythe thought, "This guy is a lunatic," because he told me so. Well, I took the semester and cracked it with a straight A. Then I went in to take the whole course by exam, and he looked a bit pitying me in the end, I guess. I sat down for as I recall, a four hour exam, a whole slew of problems. In about an hour and a half I finished them all and I walked into his office and said, "This is what I can do." He looked up thinking, "This guy has flunked." Well, he said he would look at it and looked at it and saw that they were all done. All of them were clean, perfect, straightforward, so I got an A for the course as a whole on top of that. That taught me a number of things. One of the things that I found out was that there are was that there are what I call the three line solutions. In many problems you can show what the proof is in just very few lines or a few points in logic worked carefully through. There is a clean, clear way of doing it. That had a profound influence on the rest of my life, which is the reason I told the story in detail. When I first went to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, I went there before I got my Ph.D. I was at JPL for the final year and that was because I was wiped out on my Ph.D. exam by Bell Labs solving my problem before I could solve it so I had to start all over again but that's a different story. Anyway, I went to JPL to work on problems of jamming, and anti-jamming of signals because the defense department was still very active. Even after the second world war, the Korean War started up. Nebeker: What sort of signals? Rechtin: These were primarily guide missile signals because JPL was working on guided missiles at the time. They were using radio guidance and they were concerned about these things being jammed. A group of us, including Saul Galan, who is now a professor at USC and a member of the National Academy. Eva Turby, a professor who went on to found a lot of companies, which have done very well, also worked in my group and went on to become a member of the National Academy. Dante Yula went to Brooklyn Poly Tech became a professor, member of the National Academy; Walt Victor who was essentially the chief engineer on the architectural things that we came up with, and the principal reason the deep space network and communications actually worked went on to become a member of the National Academy. Of the seven-person group I had at the time, six were members of the National Academy because of what we did. How did we start? We started out by thinking, "Well, we ought to do some self-learning here." One of the things that we had to learn about was Wiener's famous "yellow peril." That was a thesis-like thing which Norbert Wiener put together; it was called the "yellow peril" because it came out in a yellow-covered book. It was a proof of how you could extract the signal from noise essentially using spectral techniques. By spectral I mean you look at the spectrum of the signal that you anticipate and you look at the spectrum of the noise. You look at the two and you run through all the mathematics and integral equations and lots of complicated things. It will then show you what the transfer function of your box ought to be in order to get the most signal for the least noise. At least on statistical average. This "yellow peril" started out with the statement of the problem and started to go through forming an analysis. It went on and on. In the middle there was this elaborate integral equation. It kept going on and on and then at the end of the book it said QED. Well, what was it saying? The equation didn't look familiar to anybody; it was a strange-looking thing. Well, it turned out that in Pickering's course the one I mentioned on Gardener and Barnes, we had to learn the Laplace transforms. It suddenly occurred to me that all this stuff that Wiener had been going through was because of a property of the Fourier transforms which is very difficult to take into account. That is, the Fourier transform assumes that the signal has started at minus infinity and is going to plus infinity. All of the difficulties that Wiener had gone into were because of that characteristic. It occurred to me that maybe I could prove it in three lines with the Laplace transform. The Laplace has an interesting characteristic, a built-in damping function, so the assumption is by the time you get to infinity it will be negligibly small--complex variables will show you the same sort of thing. Well in three lines I showed not only how to get that integral equation but also how to state it in Fourier terms. I transformed it by complex algebra into a very simple algebraic thing that you could do. Then I realized it was true not only for a simple sine wave going through noise, which is what he had analyzed, but for any signal form in a closed loop control system. I could design control systems confronted with heavy noise, and no one knew how to do that when we started. We had to study Cromaire's book on statistics; we had to study all kinds of things just to make sure that we'd end up on some [unintelligible passage] But it led in turn to what people now call the phase locked loop. I showed the underlying theory of what a phase locked loop would be confronted with noise, and most importantly that was the best you could do. You could not do any better, there's a remarkable proof that we had but you had to state it in engineering terms that people could use and apply to any desired application. Why did that turn out to be important? Because later on in the career of JPL, we were confronted with the problem of communicating to the edge of the solar system. I was told by Nobel Prize winners that it would not be possible really to communicate to the edge of the solar system. If you could, you couldn't send back enough interesting information. You would have to have band widths of your receiving system wide enough to account for the Doppler shifts. If you did that you had to send megawatts of power back from enormous antennas at the edge of the solar system. Nobody knew how to do that with any finite wait; any worthwhile wait anyway. Well, I sat down and figured out, "Wait a minute. We could track the Doppler. There is no reason we have to have a band width equivalent to the maximum spread that you hear on the train going by." All you had to know was more or less where it started. The rest of it was controlled completely by simple mechanics because Newton's Laws were going to tell you what you were going to do and you could compute what the Doppler was going to be. The filter band width you needed was only enough to find out that single parameter. The amount of information in that single parameter as to what's the Doppler frequency is very small. The only way it can change in the gravitational field is through acceleration, which is another simple parameter to find. If you could find the position and the velocity and the acceleration, the total number of bits that you were looking for in finding the carrier signal was very small. So we built phase lock receiving systems which had the equivalent band width at ten gigahertz of ten cycles. That meant we had what was then called a Q of 108, unheard of at the ratio of bandwidth to the total signal. There is so such thing; there is no mechanical thick filter that you could build in a Q of that sort. That meant we could detect very small signals. As you know, it is about ten watts with a ten foot antenna at roughly ten billion miles that is picked up routinely. Given that, when the problems came up that NASA had, we came up first with the system called Microlock. I don't remember the military equivalent system, which was called Codorac. It included ranging, velocity, command and everything else. We found that you could determine where you were in the solar system relevant to the planets with extraordinary accuracy by using radio systems far better than you could with anything else. The precision with which you could near an outer planet was going to be within about a hundred miles at roughly ten billion and that was not going to be all that difficult to do. Now, nobody believed all this when we started but I knew what to do; I was the architect. I figured out that it was possible to do, and we began to demonstrate it. In due course, JPL wound up building the deep space network and we wound up determining all of the velocity position angular stuff for navigation in the solar system. We had worked out what kinds of commands you could send. We collaborated with MIT-Lincoln, my good friend Bill Davenport, working out how you treat different kinds of systems which are coded, using essentially some of Shannon's ideas, and with all of that we came up with a completely integrated coded phase lock system. It was a completely different architecture from anything I have ever seen before. Nebeker: When was this? Rechtin: That was 1957. We made proposals on how to do all this in the early part of 1958, and everything came up to the surface. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- Phase locked loops, solving in three lines, thinking the problem through, taking the time to do the "architecting", hope that makes sense. Enjoyed the read. - LRK - Thanks for looking up with me. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= LARRY KLAES passed this information on the death of Eberhardt Rechtin. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- >From: "Craig B. Waff" >Reply-To: History of Astronomy Discussion Group > >To: HASTRO-L at LISTSERV.WVU.EDU >Subject: [HASTRO-L] Eberhardt Rechtin >Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 17:09:02 +0000 > >Members of this list may be interested in learning of the sad news that >Eberhardt Rechtin, who in the late 1950s and early 1960s led the team >at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory that developed NASA's Deep Space >Network communications system for communicating with space probes, >passed away at the age of 80 on Friday, 14 April 2006. Rechtin was >also a director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, an >Assistant Secretary of Defense for telecommunications, chief engineer >at Hewlett Packard, chief executive officer of the Aerospace >Corporation, and a professor at the University of Southern California. >While conducting research for a history of the Deep Space Network, I >had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Rechtin several times. > >Obituaries written for the Los Angeles Times and the Pasadena Star-News >can be found online at > > http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-rechtin18apr18,1,1635196.story? coll=la-news-obituaries > > http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3725423 > > >Craig B. Waff >Historian, 89th Airlift Wing >Andrews AFB, Maryland ============================================================= http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2006/04/eberhardt_recht.html Eberhardt Rechtin Has Died Space trailblazer Rechtin dies, Pasadena Star News "Eberhardt Rechtin, a pioneer in deep space research and former assistant director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died Friday after a long illness. He was 80." http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3725423 ============================================================= http://www.legacy.com/Obituaries.asp?Page=APStory&Id=11040 >From the Associated Press Eberhardt Rechtin TORRANCE, California (AP) - Eberhardt Rechtin, an engineer who played a key role in the development of space technology during the Cold War, has died. He was 80. Rechtin died Friday at Torrance Memorial Hospital after lengthy battles with several illnesses, his family said in a statement. His technical accomplishments included the creation of the Deep Space Network, a system developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California that captures communications from distant planetary spacecraft. Although it may seem routine now to see photos from the surface of Mars, the network required the solution of huge technical problems in the 1960s. Not only were signals extraordinarily weak after traveling millions of miles (kilometers) through space, but they also had to be captured by a series of receiving stations as the Earth rotated. Ultimately, the network became a critical part of U.S. breakthroughs in planetary science. Rechtin also helped develop electronics systems for the nation's first space probe, Explorer, said Albert Wheelon, a close friend and fellow aerospace industry leader. "He felt his time in public service had been a privilege," Wheelon said. "There was never a careerist view of his work. He was a selfless person." Rechtin studied engineering at the California Institute of Technology during World War II and received a Ph.D. there in 1950. He worked at Jet Propulsion Laboratory until 1967, when he was named director of the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. One of his first decisions was to cancel a program to develop a mechanical elephant intended to fight in the jungles during the Vietnam War. He later was named an assistant secretary of Defense, helping to oversee defense intelligence operations. Copyright ? 2006 The Associated Press ============================================================= http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3725423 Article Launched: 4/19/2006 12:00 AM Space trailblazer Rechtin dies Pasadena Star-News LA CA?ADA FLINTRIDGE - Eberhardt Rechtin, a pioneer in deep space research and former assistant director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died Friday after a long illness. He was 80. In the early years of the United States space race with the Soviet Union, Rechtin was a key player in putting together JPL's Deep Space Network, which tracks objects in Earth's orbit and beyond. Rechtin helped create the Goldstone tracking dishes in the Mojave Desert, as well as similar projects in Australia and South Africa, responsible for providing the tracking, telemetry, and command for all space flight from the Ranger program onward. In 1967, Rechtin was named director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Department of Defense's laboratory for new technology. While at the DoD, Rechtin was also named principal deputy director of research and engineering, then assistant secretary of defense for telecommunications. In 1973, Rechtin left the DoD to become chief engineer of Hewlett-Packard Corp. After four years in the private sector, Rechtin became CEO of The Aerospace Corp., the El Segundo-based nonprofit corporation that provides engineering and architectural services for the Air Force's space program. During Rechtin's tenure, Aerospace placed the first GPS satellites in orbit, was involved in the Strategic Defense Initiative and was instrumental in testing the first anti-satellite weaponry. In that era, Aerospace sales nearly tripled, rising to $323 million in 1986 from $126 million in 1977. Under Rechtin, Aerospace also made major strides in advancing the roles of minority and women engineers. After he retired from Aerospace, Rechtin focused on engineering theory. He became a professor at USC, teaching graduate students the concept of systems involved in large-scale engineering projects. Rechtin's vision of systems architecting is now taught worldwide. He retired from USC in 1994 as professor emeritus. Rechtin authored several books: "Looking Ahead 1977-1987"; "Systems Architecting: The Creating and Building of Complex Systems"; "The Art of Systems Architecting" and "The Architecting of Organizations: Why Eagles Can't Swim." During his career, Rechtin was the recipient of numerous awards from professional organizations, including the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Radio Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (von Karman lectureship and Robert H. Goddard Award), the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Council on Systems Engineering, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (the Alexander Graham Bell Award), Department of Defense, the NASA medal for exceptional scientific achievement and a Caltech distinguished alumni award. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from USC in 2005. Rechtin received his B.S. with honors and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Caltech in 1946 and 1950, respectively. Born in Orange, N.J., Rechtin grew up in Palos Verdes and attended Redondo Union High School. Rechtin was an accomplished violinist, pianist and classical guitarist. An avid hiker, Rechtin enjoyed exploring the backcountry around Mammoth Lakes with his family. Rechtin is survived by his wife of 55 years, Deedee; their five children, Andrea Rechtin, Nina Meierding, Julie Rechtin, Erica Bauermeister and Mark Rechtin; four grandchildren; and his sister, Joan Lincoln. A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Sunday at The Neighborhood Church in Palos Verdes Estates. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made to the scholarship fund for graduate students at Caltech in honor of Eberhardt Rechtin. ============================================================= http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories/transcripts/ rechtin.html Interviewee: Eberhardt Rechtin Interviewer: Frederick Nebeker Date: February 23, 1995 Copyright Statement This manuscript is being made available for research purposes only. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to the IEEE History Center. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of IEEE History Center. Request for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the IEEE History Center Oral History Program, Rutgers - the State University, 39 Union Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8538 USA. It should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Eberhardt Rechtin, Electrical Engineer, an oral history conducted in 1995 by Frederik Nebeker, IEEE History Center, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. Snip [Please do read the above interview. - LRK -] ============================================================= http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/ IEEE History Center Preserving, Researching and Promoting the Legacy of Electrical Engineering and Computing ------------------------------------------------------------- Monday, 24 April, 2006. "MIT achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal, between Camps Parks, CA and Westford, MA, on this day in 1962." Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Tue Apr 25 13:39:23 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:39:23 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Former Test Pilot Scott Crossfield Killed in Plane Crash Message-ID: <004501c6688f$315c1c50$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Former Test Pilot Scott Crossfield Killed in Plane Crash Good day, Earlier this week there was on some of the space groups, talk about former test pilot Scott Crossfield being killed in a plane crash. He was 84 years young. David Baker in the UK sent me his thoughts about Scott and I have copied his note. (see later). - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.space.com/news/cs_060420_crossfield_obit.html Former Test Pilot Scott Crossfield Killed in Plane Crash By Robert Z. Pearlman posted: 20 April 2006 4:50 p.m. ET The first man to fly twice the speed of sound, Scott Crossfield was found dead today inside the wreckage of a single-engine plane he had been flying on Wednesday morning from Alabama to Virginia, authorities told the Associated Press. Crossfield's Cessna 210A was found by search crews in the mountains northwest of Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday after radio and radar contact was lost at 11:15 a.m. EDT (1515 GMT) the day before. There were thunderstorms reported in the area, though the cause of the crash was not immediately released. "Scott Crossfield was a pioneer and a legend in the world of test flight and space flight," said Mike Coats, Johnson Space Center Director. "The astronaut corps and all of NASA are deeply saddened by his death, but his legacy will be with us through the centuries." Crossfield, 84, made aeronautical history in 1953 when he reached a speed of more than 1,320 mph, or Mach 2, in a Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket research aircraft. Taken aloft by a Boeing P2B Superfortress (the Navy's designation of the B-29), Crossfield climbed to 72,000 feet before diving to 62,000 feet, becoming the first person to travel at more than twice the speed of sound, according to his NASA biography. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- Sometimes you wonder how individuals in our space program got there start. Often there is something early in their lives that helps to set one on a life path. One of the articles about Scott's life mentions that his first airplane flight was at the age of 6 and hooked him on aviation. Maybe you can look back in your life and remember someone or an event that helped shape your carrier. My dad, who will be 95 June 9th, taught Jr. High Industrial Arts classes for 41 years and I remember some of the summer arts and crafts classes he gave for kids. Some of his students are now teachers or working in cabinet shops, or architects. It is a nice warm feeling when you hear someone call out, "Hi Russ". When asked, "Who was that?" Oh I had him in class back in ... Then there was my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Peavy, that had us build crystal radio sets by wrapping wire on an oat meal carton and finding a hot spot on a galena crystal (lead sulfide) with a "cat's whisker" wire contact. http://www.techlib.com/electronics/crystal.html That extra 2% effort will often make a difference. One doesn't need to be a genius, just attack life with gusto. You know the look, when you see someone say, "Boy are we excited!" Reach out, and "Make It So." Thanks for looking up with me. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= I think we forget that individuals do make a difference and showing what some have done may help us find the same spirit in ourselves. Thanks David. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- >Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:09 AM >To: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net >Subject: Memorium Larry: I greatly enjoy your notes and read them avidly whenever I can. The good work in bringing to our notice the great contributions of Eberhardt Rechtin will, I am sure, absolve you of retribution from the great sword of copyright (far more terrifying than Damoclese)! I write to share thoughts about the life of the pioneering test pilot Scott Crossfield, a gentleman in every sense of the word who was a great influence in my early life just before I came from England to school in the US. Being a teenage lad in the 1950s with a great desire to fly and to "push the envelope" Scotty's activities, among many of that era, transformed these pilots into heroes - they WERE a very great stimulation to so many of us and role models which, dare I say it, were a breed non-existent today. Everything was so different then, anything seemed possible and achievable through exciting adventures on the new frontier of high speed, high altitude flight - all the way to space. But a diversion prevented wings making it to orbit for another 20 years or more, yet when the Shuttle took off in 1981, great machine as it was, it had the role more of a Mack truck than a thoroughbred high performer. Crossfield gave us lads that can-do spirit and when a persistent ear problem kept me from the hot seat I seized an opportunity to begin a ground career in the US at NASA that gave me great oppotunities for which I shall for ever be grateful. I remember Scotty saying that he was reluctant to "fly" the X-15 simulator because it would give him only theoretical feedback based on predictions about how this aircraft would fly - it was his job, he said, to write the formula for the simulator by flying the real thing first! What a difference to the approach today where experimental test flights occupy the centre, not the corner, of the envelope. Scotty was very aware of the need for us to embrace the young and not distance ourselves from them - they are, after all, the next generation to whose shoulders the mantle will pass. He was highly supportive of the aerospace teachers' program which resonates deeply with me after a lifetime in aerospace - I spend much time in that role for universities and colleges. Perhaps a quote direct from Scotty himself sys it all: "Each of us who strives toward the unattainable contributes to man's ever-growing reservoir of knowledge and fact. Each drop, however small, is vital for those who follow behind us. Without it man must inevitably atrophy. Thus, as Emerson says, Men walk as prophecies of the next Age." Let all of us keep looking up and drawing more to our line of sight. David Baker Cambridge, UK ============================================================= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Crossfield Snip On April 19, 2006, a Cessna 210 piloted by Crossfield was reported missing while flying from Prattville, Alabama to Herndon, Virginia. On April 20, authorities confirmed his body was found in the wreckage of his plane in a remote area of Gordon County, Georgia. There were severe thunderstorms in the area when air traffic monitors lost radio and radar contact with Crossfield's plane. While lightning itself poses a relatively minor risk to all-metal aircraft like Crossfield's, thunderstorms often contain turbulence severe enough to break an aircraft into pieces, as well as strong downdrafts, heavy rain, severe icing, and heavy hail. The Gordon County Sheriff's department reported that debris from Crossfield's aircraft was found in three different locations within a quarter mile, suggesting that the plane broke up while it was still in the air. Scott was returning from Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, where he had given a talk. He was survived by his wife of sixty years, Alice Crossfield; six children; and two grandchildren. Snip ============================================================= http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/Biographies/Pilots/bd-dfrc-p021.html Scott Crossfield A. Scott Crossfield former NASA Dryden Pilot Scott Crossfield joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA--the predecessor of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA) at its High Speed Flight Research Station, Edwards, Calif., as a research pilot in June, 1950. During the next five years, he flew the X-1, X-4, X-5, XF-92A, and D-558-I and -II aircraft, accumulating 87 rocket flights in the X-1 and D-558-II aircraft, plus 12 flights in the latter aircraft employing only jet power. He made aeronautical history on November 20, 1953, when he reached the aviation milestone of Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound) or more than 1,320 miles per hour in the D-558-II Skyrocket. Taken aloft in the supersonic, swept-wing research aircraft by a Boeing P2B Superfortress "mother ship" (the Navy designation of the B-29), he dropped clear of the bomber at 32,000 feet and climbed to 72,000 feet before diving to 62,000 feet where he became the first pilot to fly more than twice the speed of sound. His flight was part of a carefully planned program of flight research with the Skyrocket that featured incremental increases in speed while NACA instrumentation recorded the flight data at each increment. Snip ============================================================= http://www.sierrafoot.org/x-15/bios/crossfield.html A. Scott Crossfield First X-15 test pilot (for NAA) and major contributor to design and development in an engineering role. Prior to the X-15 program Scott Crossfield had substantial test flight experience in the Bell X-1 and the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket. It is possible that no other test pilot in aviation history has test flown as many aircraft that are now displayed in flight museums -- The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Milestones of Flight Gallery includes the #1 X-15 and the #2 Skyrocket, in which Crossfield became the first pilot to fly faster than Mach 2. He also flew the #2 Bell X-1, the sister ship of the #1 ("Glamorous Glennis"), which also hangs in the same gallery. Scott Crossfield's X-15 experience included 14 free flights, 2 captive carries, 14 aborts, and numerous ground tests. Ground tests included the ammonia tank explosion that blew apart the #3 X-15 during an XLR-99 test run prior to first flight of this engine. All of his flight test work was part of North American Aviation's initial test phase, which brought the X-15 to readiness for its official delivery to NASA and the Air Force. This provided more than an average share of high adventure as early problems with aircraft systems were ironed out. Although his role with North American Aviation precluded flying missions in the research program, Crossfield has said that he was very pleased to have been able to spend 9 years of his life with the X-15, from its conception to his last flight. His distinguished career in test flight and aeronautical engineering has been widely recognized. He was one of 6 test pilots who were the founding members of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), and his participation in that organization still continues. At his 80'th birthday, in 2001, Scott Crossfield was still flying 200 hours per year as a private pilot. His autobiography is the book Always Another Dawn, and the following references are but three of more than 1,000 citations on the web: Biography, at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/Biographies/Pilots/bd-dfrc-p021.html Biography, at Edwards AFB, Air Force Flight Test Center http://www.edwards.af.mil/history/docs_html/people/pilot_crossfield.html Awards -- AVweb's summary of Scott Crossfield's awards and recognitions http://www.avweb.com/news/profiles/182925-1.html Snip ============================================================= http://www.avweb.com/news/profiles/182924-1.html March 21, 2001 Scott Crossfield Scott Crossfield was the first pilot to fly the X-15. He was the first pilot to fly at Mach 2 and (unofficially) the first to fly at Mach 3 successfully. That was the ascent phase of a 60-year career that took him from general aviation through the Navy, Ike's military-industrial complex at NACA, the airline business at Eastern, manufacturing and research at North American and Hawker-Siddley, politics on the House Transportation committee, and back to general aviation as a Cessna 210 owner. With a list of awards and recognitions longer than a dry lake bed, Scott has been a lifelong advocate for aviation education, and just last week presented the 16th annual A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Teacher of the Year Award. In this month's Profile AVweb's Joe Godfrey talks with Scott about aeronautics, space, and general aviation: where we are, where we're going, and where we should be. By Joe Godfrey Scott CrossfieldA. Scott Crossfield was born October 2, 1921, in Berkeley, Calif. He took his first flight at age six in an oil company airplane, a flight that hooked him on aviation for life. During World War II he was a fighter pilot and fighter gunnery instructor in the U.S. Navy. In 1950, he joined NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and was a research pilot for the next five years at the High Speed Flight Research Station at Edwards, Calif. There he was the test pilot for numerous research aircraft, including the X-1, X-4, X-5, XF-92, the D-558-I, D-558-II, and on November 20, 1953 he became the first pilot to fly faster than Mach 2. He was also the first pilot to fly the X-15 and in 1960 became the first man to fly that aircraft (unofficially) at Mach 3. Author's note: Here's the story on the adjective: Exceeding Mach 3 was Joe Walker's assignment, but Scott admits to bumping Mach 3 while flying his own assignment a few days before Walker did it. Technically that violated Scott's contract, and, although the statute of limitations for that transgression is long passed, he believes the official record properly belongs to Walker, which is why he adds "unofficially." -JG Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Thu Apr 27 17:54:13 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 14:54:13 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Moon, Mars, and Beyond - real or simulated - choices Message-ID: <001801c66a45$204ddfe0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Too many links, not enough time. Have mentioned the Orbiter Spaceflight Simulator before and haven't had the time to learn how to navigate a spaceship but maybe some of you or your potential astronauts would like to. A wealth of information is available. See some links below. Maybe you just want to be able to look down at the Moon and see what the terrain is like. There are thousands of images. Some links to some below. What is happening today and being pushed for tomorrow are some of the topics in the links from [Spaceref-daily] SpaceRef Newsletter - 27 April 2006. Included some of those links below as well. - LRK - Ross Tierney put two new images of the latest variants of the proposed launchers for the new program in the files section of the group of the "Inside_KSC" Yahoo group. Provided a link but may need to be a member to view. Larry Klaes provided a link to a fellow from Canada that has actually filmed Suitsat as it passed overhead! O.K., need to go study some Thai language as we are going there in June to see Sangad's relatives and where my money has been going. :-) Sawasdee.[sa wat dee] Hello - Goodbye http://www.sawasdee.com/ http://www.thai-language.com/ http://www.thai-language.com/id/196817 http://www.thai-language.com/id/589845 Thanks for looking up with me. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/orbit.html Orbiter Spaceflight Simulator http://www.orbitersim.com ............................................................. http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/download/orbiter.pdf Orbiter User Manual 3.3 MB PDF file MFD = Multifunctional Display - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- https://sourceforge.net/projects/mscorbaddon/ Meadville Space Center (Orbiter Add-ons) ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.orbitersim.com/Forum/default.aspx Orbiter Spacelight Simulator Forums ............................................................. http://www.orbitersim.com/Forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=3064 Beginners guide to Orbiter - Tutorials ............................................................. http://www.orbitermars.co.uk/stdorbit.htm 'Standard Orbit, Mr Sulu' It's a pretty good bet that you've seen the Enterprise orbiting a planet in the Star Trek standard orbit. Of course, we can only really speculate why such an orbit was standard in Star Trek. Perhaps it's a good orbit for scanning planets, or avoiding being attacked by things on the surface. What we can be sure of is that Captain Kirk's standard orbit isn't actually a very good orbit from a navigation point of view. It's circular, but it's neither close to the planet nor far away. It's actually not the best orbit for doing anything. So what are the standard orbits for Orbiter? I'd say there were five standards. Why five? The reason is that different orbits are good for different things. Things that are easy in one orbit can be incredibly expensive in fuel in another. So doing the right thing in the right orbit can make the all the difference. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=219 Meadville Space Center Know the future through the past ............................................................. http://www.orbithangar.com/ http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2132 http://www.orbithangar.com/orbiter.php Orbit Hanger Mods Orbiter Downloads Orbiter is a free space flight simulator created by Martin Schweiger. You can find the official web site is at http://www.orbitersim.com . Listed below is a collection of old orbiter versions I am currently hosting. Only the base package and texture package is required. When upgrading a version, make sure you apply the patches in order! ............................................................. http://www.orbithangar.com/searchresults.php?category=Spacecraft&subcat=nasa Concepts&Submit=Search&OrbVer=default Search Results ============================================================= Go to the Slideshows - Mapping - and do a quick flight over the Moon. Then take your time with the Panoramic views. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/ Apollo Image Atlas Moon Rise Foreword Scanning and Processing Information Credits The Apollo Image Atlas can be accessed in the following ways: * Browse Image Catalog o 70mm Hasselblad o Mapping (Metric) o Panoramic http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/catalog/pan/ o Apollo Lunar Surface Closeup Camera (ALSCC) * Search o Search by Feature Name o Search by Coordinate * Slideshows o 70mm Hasselblad o Mapping (Metric) http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/slideshow/metric/ The Apollo Image Atlas is a comprehensive collection of Apollo-Saturn mission photography. Inluded are almost 25,000 lunar images, both from orbit and from the moon's surface, as well as photographs of the earth, astronauts and mission hardware. For questions or comments about this dataset please contact rpif at lpi.usra.edu. Please also visit the Lunar and Planetary Institute's companion lunar atlases: Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/ Consolidated Lunar Atlas of the Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/cla/ Ranger Photographs of the Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/ranger/ Snip ============================================================= Some links from [Spaceref-daily] SpaceRef Newsletter - 27 April 2006 - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- THE DAY IN SPACE __________________ In today's space news from SpaceRef: -- NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 26 April 2006 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=20425 -- NASA Space Station Status Report 26 April 2006 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=20431 "New supplies arrived at the International Space Station today as an unpiloted Russian cargo spacecraft linked up to the Zvezda Service Module. The ISS Progress 21 is filled with 2.5 tons of food, fuel and personal items for the station's Expedition 13 crew. Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams will open the hatch to the supply ship once leak checks are completed later today. The crew will begin unloading items Thursday." -- Mikulski Calls for Balanced Space Program, Increased Support for NASA http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19687 "NASA's role in promoting science has been ignored by this administration. NASA is absolutely crucial to the innovation economy and the innovation society. It is time for the administration to recognize both the cost and the benefits of a balanced space program," said Senator Mikulski. "A balanced space program is what made our nation the leader in space - it pushed the envelope of science and discovery, while spurring innovation." -- ESA SMART-1 maps Humorum edge - where Highlands and Mare mix http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=20424 "This sequence of images, taken by the advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, shows on area on the near side of the Moon, on the edge of the Mare Humorum basin. AMIE obtained these raw images on 13 January 2006 from a distance ranging between 1031 and 1107 kilometres from the surface, with a ground resolution between 93 and 100 metres per pixel." --IFPTE Urges Congress to Save NASA Science and Aeronautics http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19686 "IFPTE President Gregory Junemann outlined the union's requests to restore funding to these two programs back to the levels approved by Congress last year. Junemann also raised objections to NASA's new Workforce Strategy and the proposal to spend tens of millions of dollars implementing a RIF of up to 1,000 NASA civil servant scientists, engineers, and other staff. The brewing plan to support some of NASA's aeronautics expertise by farming it out to European interests was also addressed." -- Mini satellites rocketing to space station http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19700 "A Russian rocket launched Monday, April 24, is carrying the first of three small, spherical satellites developed at MIT to the International Space Station -- a major step toward building space-based robotic telescopes and other systems." -- Galaxies Don Mask of Stars in New NASA Spitzer Image http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19704 "A pair of dancing galaxies appears dressed for a cosmic masquerade in a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The infrared picture shows what looks like two icy blue eyes staring through an elaborate, swirling red mask. These "eyes" are actually the cores of two merging galaxies, called NGC 2207 and IC 2163, which recently met and began to twirl around each other." -- Pieces of NASA'S Next Mars Mission are Coming Together http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19702 "NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, the next mission to the surface of Mars, is beginning a new phase in preparation for a launch in August 2007. As part of this "assembly, test and launch operations" phase, Phoenix team members are beginning to add complex subsystems such as the flight computer, power systems and science instruments to the main structure of the spacecraft." Snip ============================================================= If you are not on the "inside_ksc" yahoo groups you might not be able to see this. That being the case, maybe you should be. :-) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inside_ksc/ - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- "R Tierney" I've put two new images of the latest variants of the proposed launchers for the new program in the files section of the group here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inside_ksc/files/ They are called CLV.jpg and CaLV.jpg In brief, NASA's current alterations are:- Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) AKA "The Stick" AKA "Ares-I": * 5-segment SRB with PBAN propellant * Interstage no longer to be lattice-structure, but closed * Interstage structure includes latteral thrusters for the roll program portion of the launch * 5.5m wide, much shorter Upper Stage * Upper Stage now powered by J-2X, a more powerful variant of the J-2 used during Apollo which is being put back into production * Fairing above the Upper Stage tapers to 5.0m to mount the CEV. * 5.0m diameter CEV Command and Service Modules * Total Lift Capacity to LEO (30x160nm, 28.5deg) ~ 24 tons. Cargo Launch Vehicle (CaLV) AKA "Ares-V": * 5-segment SRB with PBAN propellant * Core Vehicle diameter increased from 8.7m (External Tank diameter) to 10.0m (Saturn-V diameter) * Main Core Stage powered by 5 x RS-68 engines instead of SSME. * Main Core Stage capacity increased by ~40% over original CaLV spec * Upper/Earth Departure Stage (EDS) also 10m diameter * Upper/EDS to be powered by single J-2X engine * Payload fairing also 10m diameter (external) * Total Lift Capacity to LEO (30x160nm, 28.5deg) ~ 146.5 tons. Enjoy. Ross. Make sure to visit the Flagship website: http://www.insideksc.com Snip ============================================================= Thanks to Larry Klaes for info here. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- A fellow from Canada has actually filmed Suitsat as it passed overhead! The quote from Spaceweather.com: REMEMBER SUITSAT? Three months ago, ISS astronauts hurled an old Russian spacesuit overboard. Amazingly, it is still orbiting Earth. On April 18th, Kevin Fetter videotaped "SuitSat" passing over his home in Brockville, Ontario, Canada: 1 MB movie. (The bright star in the movie is Vega.) Eventually, SuitSat will sink into Earth's atmosphere and disintegrate in spectacular style--a fireball--but not yet! The film is here: http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/swpod2006/27apr06/fetter.wmv Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sat Apr 1 01:13:01 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 22:13:01 -0800 Subject: [lunar-update] Which came first - the orbital chicken or the transportation egg? Message-ID: <001501c65553$5513b800$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good evening, Reading others writings and thinking about my warm house as it rains outside, and I wonder who would like to live on the Moon or Mars or on a Spaceship to the stars. I have lurked on various space oriented groups and see folks talk about how we might move off mother Earth and argue about what NASA is doing wrong or why we are still in LEO just going around this Blue Marble every 92 minutes. I don't read in my little home town, Tracy, newspaper any interest in setting up "human settlements" on the Moon. We list the car crashes on I205, and the possible building of a bio-weapons lab at Lawrence Livermore Labs just down the road from me. (aaah to make sure no one uses them on us) - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=53463 Articles : The Why, What and When of a Permanent Manned Lunar Colony by Maurizio Morabito, on 18-Aug-05 12:11am W.W.W. MOON? The Why, What and When of a Permanent Manned Lunar Colony by Maurizio Morabito Snip Background A few points of note to explain the main assumptions: first of all by "human settlement" it is intended a self-sustaining permanently-manned colony, inhabited not only by scientists and astronauts. In the sense of being opposed to the idea of a "lunar outpost", the structure must be as far as possible from the old concept of "habitable tin cans" ('a la International Space Station). Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ A trip back to the Moon for an outing is not a "human settlement" and neither would a trip to Mars. If you never grew up living in an igloo or a house built on permafrost (now melting into the ocean) why would you want to go live in a lava tube on the Moon or an ice cave on Mars? Why do you want a space elevator to climb to GEO and a tether system to sling shot you to the Moon? ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn8725 Space-elevator tether climbs a mile high * 15:29 15 February 2006 * NewScientist.com news service * Kimm Groshong ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?id=4202 Sling me to the Moon 1/18/2006 11:22:00 AM By: Chris Bergin NASA researchers are working on an alternative form of space travel to the Moon, involving a ride on a giant slingshot that utilises the technology of momentum-exchange tethers. These giant structures - roughly 100 kilometres in length - would rotate end-over-end in space, catch a spacecraft, before "throwing" it on a path to take it to the Moon. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ The ISS is still under construction and we are complaining that it isn't going to assemble rockets to go to the Moon. Not in a good orientation anyway. The shuttle is going to be decommissioned and we haven't provided hotel accommodations or space taxis, and so what, that I can live a year under the protection of our magneto sphere. Where is my high view port at GEO? Are we afraid of getting radiation sickness from a solar flare? Donald Robertson says in an article he wrote back in November 2001, "Which should come first, the orbital chicken, or the transportation egg?" Think about it, was the Intercontinental Railroad built to make it possible for San Francisco to be built or was it built to make it easy to get goods and supplies to San Francisco after the gold rush made it expedient to do so? http://www.speakeasy.org/~donaldfr/sfmodel.pdf What do you do to get all people looking up? Maybe a Lunar Lab of some extended time will be noticeable. Maybe an orbit by the Chinese will perk up some ears. Maybe some college students micro-sat launched to orbit the Moon send back a CQ that some Earth bound Radio Hams will pick up and send the message over the Internet. (working on my Technician Ham license :-) Add to that add an Indian Lunar Satellite. Maybe if we get enough missions to the Moon my home town paper will pick it up off the AP wire and print it. It would help if you find some fossils in those cold traps along with some ice that you could melt to make my coffee. ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.panspermia.org/zhmur2.htm 27 October 2000: Microorganisms from the Moon On 24 September 1970, for the first time, an unmanned spacecraft delivered a lunar "soil" sample to Earth. The Soviet Union's Luna 16 spacecraft returned from the moon's Sea of Fertility with 101 grams of lunar regolith in a hermetically sealed container (1). In February 1972, only 120 kilometers from the Luna 16 site, Luna 20 used a drill with a ten-inch, hollow-core bit to collect another regolith sample that was also hermetically sealed on the moon (2). Back in the USSR, the sealed containers from the Luna missions would be promptly delivered to the laboratory for the contents to be examined and photographed. But even after hundreds of the pictures were published in an atlas in 1979 (3), the biological nature of some of the particles was not noticed. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- You want a sample return from Mars, good, every two years or so. Want some sample return practice, stab the Moon and return in a week. Quit dropping eggs from University Campus bell towers, build micro soil samplers with transmitters to radio back the results. If you really want to go to space, find some ways to transport your egg and get that chicken out of orbit. :-) - LRK - Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://www.spaceagepub.com/Daily.html See image - LRK - Credit: David Schrunk 'Malapert Mountain,' Possible Lunar Observatory And Science Research Center, Lies Situated On Near Side Of Moon Just Above Shackleton Crater And South Pole Snip http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2006/ European Geosciences Union 'General Assembly 2006' in Vienna, Austria on 02 Apr thru 7 Apr; lunar science http://isdc.nss.org/2006/ 'International Space Development Conf' on 4-7 May in Los Angeles CA to focus on tourism, Moon; Buzz Aldrin, Burt Rutan to speak http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=20015 Intl Lunar Conf 2006 / 8th ILEWG Intl Conf on Exploration & Utilization of Moon' on 23-27 Jul in Beijing; abstracts due 20 Apr Snip ============================================================= Maurizio Morabito sent a link to an article he presented about the reasons for a Permanent Manned Lunar Colony - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Larry Let me point out some work on Lunar Bases I have done a couple of years ago, for a presentation at the British Interplanetary Society You can read "The Why, What and When of a Permanent Manned Lunar Colony" at URL http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=53463 There are quite a few references. Of course one of my main sources was 'Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century' By the way it includes my own proposal for a polar base called P.O.L.E. Snip ============================================================= A note from Donald F. Robertson and some discourse with link to one of his earlier writings (Nov 2001) have some thoughts to consider. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- A quick comment, Larry. While I agree with Mr. Zubrin about the short-sightedness of abandoning the Methane-Oxygen engine, I think the current vision is the vision we get. The best way to make certain that nothing happens is to start fighting amongst ourselves. Let's return to Earth's moon and work on Mars as we can. Second, Mr. Zubrin ignores one key resource that the moon can supply, which is oxygen. I think the moon is critical because it can supply low-cost oxygen for use on the moon, then later at the Space Station (which has a huge and growing oxygen requirement) and eventually at other application satellites in LEO. It could also supply the oxidizer, breathing, and (with hydrogen) drinking requirements of future Mars missions. This starts the earliest beginnings of a trading economy. A quick look at terrestrial history shows that trade has driven much of the human expansion across the globe. If we want space exploration to happen relatively soon, our first and highest priority should be to get that trading economy started. Delivering oxygen from the moon to LEO is the easiest and earliest thing we can do to achieve that -- and thus should be our single highest priority in space. NASA's current vision speaks directly to that goal . . . and could more quickly lead to deep space missions to the Martian moons, nearby asteroids, and the Martian surface, and a permanent infrastructure for same, than any amount of front loaded government efforts. My opinion, but based on what has worked in the past. Thanks for listening! -- Donald ============================================================= My reply - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks much for your thoughts Donald. May I pass them to the lunar-update list? My feeling is that a permanent presence in space for humans needs to be justified and sold to the public. A lot of chicken and egg problems. Inkjet printers was a similar problem. Hewlett Packard wanted to make printers. No paper that would work with the early models, and paper manufactures didn't want to make special paper if there were no printers. HP ended up making paper and printers to start out. Someone has to have the belief and vision and perseverance to follow through from invention to innovation to production. Zubrin is pushing for Mars. Some pushing for the Moon. Need some pushing for the whole ball of wax. Could make for some interesting times and a lot of new inventions to solve all the problems (opportunities :-) Larry ============================================================= You certainly may. However, I think we already have our chicken. In addition, you may want to distribute the link to this article, which was published several times and most recently in Spaceflight. It's a bit out-of-date, but I still think it's solution to the "Chicken-and-Egg" problem is the correct one. http://www.speakeasy.org/~donaldfr/sfmodel.pdf -- Donald ============================================================= http://www.speakeasy.org/~donaldfr/sfmodel.pdf (Nov 2001 - 267 KB PDF file) Building a Place to Trade in Space: the San Francisco Model (an Acrobat file) most recently appeared in Spaceflight. Why would anyone invest the hundreds of millions, or billions, of dollars needed to develop routine transportation to space? After all, the only existing market each year is a few dozen communications, scientific, and military satellites. An unfortunate number of would-be entrepreneurial launch companies are finding themselves asking just that question. Humanity has never tackled a frontier as difficult as the Solar System before, so we cannot know the answer to that question with any certainty. But, history does provide some clues, at least to what has worked in the past. ----------------------------------- Snip Which should come first, the orbital chicken, or the transportation egg? These are not new questions, but, in today's climate of slowly improving technology and rapidly decreasing funding, answers to them are more important than ever. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- More of Donald's writings. - LRK - http://www.speakeasy.org/~donaldfr/ ============================================================= Lord Kimberley sent the below links from the NewScientist magazine. If you have a subscription you can read the whole article. The snips at least give you an idea of what is of interest. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Larry, For once the main feature in this week's New Scientist. Sadly only subscribers only for the magazine content. http://www.newscientist.com/contents/issue/2545.html - I do get a print version. It's time to go back * 01 April 2006 * From New Scientist Print Edition. Subscribe and get 4 free issues. In the 34 years since Eugene Cernan left the last footprint on the moon, our knowledge of the nature of the universe and the origins of life has expanded immeasurably, bringing us up against questions that are impossible to answer here on Earth. Now NASA and others are getting serious about harnessing the moon for science, and over the next 10 pages, we find out why. We explore the opportunities available at the prime lunar locations and the challenges of working there. And we examine the apparently bizarre idea that going fossil hunting on the lunar surface is our best chance of discovering our own origins. For science, there's no place quite like the moon... >From issue 2545 of New Scientist magazine, 01 April 2006, page 32 but some more is available at http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/mg19025450.300.html and http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19025450.200.html -- Yours John. ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sat Apr 1 23:58:47 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2006 20:58:47 -0800 Subject: [lunar-update] Forty Years of Space Talk Message-ID: <002c01c65612$20cddc00$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good evening. To communicate or not to communicate that is the question. The article copied is about 40 years of the DSN. The Deep Space Network, here is to looking up. If you ever care to look back at the planning for the Interplanetary Network, the monthly reports are on-line. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm The Interplanetary Network Progress Report, published on activities of the Interplanetary Network Directorate (IND) in planning, research, technology development, implementation, and operations in the areas of network, communications, navigation, information systems, Deep Space Network (DSN) science, mission support, communication standards, protocols, and spectrum engineering. Tasks funded by the JPL Director's Research Discretionary Fund, the Research & Technology Development Fund, and other programs that involve the IND also are included. ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/ipn_progress_report/issues.cfm?force_external=0 PAST ISSUES Past issues of this publication, which has been published under four different titles, can be accessed electronically from this page. From February 1971 through April 1980, the publication was entitled The Deep Space Network Progress Report. Then from June 1980 (issue 42-57) through February 1998 (issue 42-132), it was published as The Telecommunications and Data Acquisition Progress Report. Beginning in May 1998 (issue 42-133) and ending in May 2001 (issue 42-145), the publication was The Telecommunications and Mission Operations Progress Report. The publication was retitled The Interplanetary Network Progress Report in August 2001 (issue 42-146). All past issues published under all of these titles are available here. ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/ipn_progress_report/dsn.cfm DSN PROGRESS REPORT ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/progress_report2/I/Ititle.htm Technical Report 32-1526, Volume I The Deep Space Network Progress Report For November and December 1970 Contents ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/progress_report2/I/IA.PDF DSN Functions and Facilities ------------------------------------------------------------ There is a wealth of information in these PDF files about all the work that went into preparing for the many missions that have gone on. Those early volumes that have Roman Numeral headings cover those early deep space missions. Should you care to look at some of them it will be just like you were there during planning. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://tmo.jpl.nasa.gov/progress_report2/ [DIR] I/ 18-Dec-2000 16:26 2K [DIR] II/ 18-Dec-2000 16:25 2K [DIR] III/ 15-Dec-2000 11:50 2K [DIR] IV/ 20-Nov-2000 09:29 2K [DIR] IX/ 17-Nov-2000 17:30 2K [DIR] V/ 17-Nov-2000 17:35 2K [DIR] VI/ 17-Nov-2000 17:34 2K [DIR] VII/ 17-Nov-2000 17:33 2K [DIR] VIII/ 17-Nov-2000 17:31 2K [DIR] X/ 17-Nov-2000 17:29 2K [DIR] XI/ 17-Nov-2000 17:27 2K [DIR] XII/ 09-Nov-2000 12:01 2K [DIR] XIII/ 09-Nov-2000 10:41 2K [DIR] XIV/ 09-Nov-2000 09:47 2K [DIR] XIX/ 07-Nov-2000 13:38 2K [DIR] XV/ 08-Nov-2000 11:42 2K [DIR] XVI/ 08-Nov-2000 11:41 2K [DIR] XVII/ 07-Nov-2000 14:49 2K [DIR] XVIII/ 07-Nov-2000 14:48 2K ------------------------------------------------------------ When we go back to the Moon, I should think the DSN will be participating. There schedule is full and others may need to have antennas pointing up as well. The SMART-1 mission has already found that time has to be shared with missions going to Mars and to Venus. Maybe you have a 26 meter, 34 meter, or 70 meter antenna in your backyard to help fill in. :-) Radio Hams have done Moon bounce communications. ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/moon.html Snip Communicating over great distances via VHF continues to fascinate many amateurs. EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) communication, also known as "moonbounce", meteor scatter, and VHF cw DX are some of the techniques used. In the case of EME and meteor scatter, the concept is simple: use the moon or the ionized trail of a meteor as a passive reflector for VHF and UHF signals. A simple but effective station is within the reach of most amateur experimenters. With the advent of very sensitive receiving preamplifiers and commercially available high-gain Yagi antennas, many VHF operators are enjoying successful weak signal contacts. With a total path length of about 500,000 miles, EME is the ultimate DX Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ Shall we look more at what will be required to live on the Moon? Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/dsnf-20060328.html Forty Years of Space Talk 03.28.06 "That's one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind." That famous communique from Apollo 11 during the historic first-ever moon walk was brought to you by the 64-meter antenna at NASA's Deep Space Network in Goldstone, Calif. -------------- 70 meter Deep Space Network antenna Image right: Front view of the 70m antenna at Goldstone, California. Image credit: NASA/JPL + Browse version of image -------------- The antenna has accumulated a rich legacy during its 40 years of supporting space exploration. In addition to capturing the words of astronauts on all the Apollo moon missions, the dish has communicated with the computers and equipment on every one of NASA's major robotic solar system explorers. The "Big Dish" enabled the world to see the first-ever close-up images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, their rings and their myriad moons, by the Pioneer, Voyager, Galileo and Cassini missions. The antenna has also communicated with NASA's Mars missions, including the currently-operating fleet of five: Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, the Mars Exploration Rovers and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The antenna's history stretches back to 1963, when the United States and Russia were engaged in a high-stakes space race. Engineers were relying on smaller antennas to keep tabs on NASA's earliest missions, which ventured only as far as orbit around Earth. With the development of the Mariner Mars missions, more powerful communications tools were needed. The plan was to build a 64-meter antenna at Goldstone, one of three sites of the Deep Space Network. In 1963, Rohr Corporation was awarded a $12 million contract to design and build the big dish. After two years of construction, a testing phase began to determine how well the antenna would receive signals. In March 1966, engineers pointed the dish toward Mariner 4, which had been lost by smaller antennas after its historic Mars flyby in 1965. Eureka! Mariner 4 sent a signal, and the Goldstone antenna picked it up. To commemorate this historic event, the 64-meter antenna was named "Mars," or more technically, Deep Space Station 14. After three months of calibrations and personnel training, the Mars antenna became the first operational 64-meter antenna of the Deep Space Network in June 1966. The Network includes communications facilities placed about 120 degrees apart around the world -- at Goldstone; near Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia. As Earth rotates, this strategic placement permits ground controllers to maintain constant observation of robotic spacecraft exploring the solar system and beyond. The pioneering Mars antenna was later to expand its repertoire - and its size. In the late 1960s, the antenna was called on to support all the American lunar missions, including Apollo 11, and the nerve-wracking "Houston, we have a problem" Apollo 13 mission. During the critical re-entry of that space capsule, it was more essential then ever for engineers on the ground to maintain contact with the astronauts. The craft's minimal power was needed for re-entry, with little left over for transmitted communications. The antenna was able to capture the "whispers from space," and helped bring the astronauts home safely. As the years passed, NASA pushed the boundaries of space travel farther and farther. The transmitting capability of the 64-meter antenna was expanded for the Viking Mars landers in the mid-1970s. In 1988, the antenna was enlarged to 70 meters (230 feet) to support the Voyager 2 flyby of the distant planet Neptune. Today's 70-meter antenna can do much more than track spacecraft. It's also used for solar system radar, imaging nearby planets, asteroids and comets. It does this by transmitting a 500,000-watt signal to "bounce" off the object and return the resulting signal to Earth. Radar allows us to figure out the paths of asteroids and comets and determine whether any might be a possible future threat to earth. The antenna is also used for Very Long Baseline Interferometry, in conjunction with a radio telescope at one of the other Deep Space Network Stations, to precisely measure Earth's orientation. This information helps with spacecraft navigation. With a fleet of NASA missions already flying and many more planned for the future, the 70-meter Goldstone antenna and the other dishes of the Deep Space Network have a busy lifetime ahead of them. Carolina Martinez/JPL (818) 354-9382 Find this article at: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/dsnf-20060328.html ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sun Apr 2 23:03:12 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 20:03:12 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Lunar Resource Utilization Message-ID: <003a01c656cb$25ae7d60$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Lunar Resource Utilization, practice here, now. Back in 1957, I suggested in my chemistry class that Porta-Potties should pay you by the pound for their use. I was booed, the idea of finding a profitable use for human excrement didn't seem like something they thought would be useful. Somehow plastics from poop wasn't their thing. I probably would have been sued for patent infringement also. It is now 2006 and we still haven't mastered the technique of recycling what we use on the International Space Station. We also blame farm animals for contributing to global warming by contributing to the generation of methane gas. Land fills leak gases that smell and burn. Some are collecting this gas and burning it to create steam for electric power generation but not enough. Shall we look more at what will be required to live on the Moon? Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/HAS/cirr/em/6/6.cfm ============================================================= ============================================================= ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Mon Apr 3 00:28:28 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 21:28:28 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Lunar Resource Utilization - cont. Message-ID: <004401c656d7$0fb2a0c0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Lunar Resource Utilization, practice here, now. [Well not that quick, sorry hit a send key before finishing the thought.] [Maybe the computer knew I was going to step over the line and just wanted to protect me. :-)] Back in 1957, I suggested in my chemistry class that Porta-Potties should pay you by the pound for their use. I was booed, the idea of finding a profitable use for human excrement didn't seem like something they thought would be useful. Somehow plastics from poop wasn't their thing. I probably would have been sued for patent infringement also. It is now 2006 and we still haven't mastered the technique of recycling what we use on the International Space Station. We also blame farm animals for contributing to global warming by contributing to the generation of methane gas. Land fills leak gases that smell and burn. Some are collecting this gas and burning it to create steam for electric power generation but not enough. Let us hope that there are studies going on in our colleges and don't forget to do your patent search as others have already obtained patents and will probably want their royalties should you decide to make something useful on the Moon or Mars. - LRK - Shall we look more at what will be required to live on the Moon? Maybe we will find some things useful for here on Earth as well. Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/HAS/cirr/em/6/6.cfm "Engineering is the professional art of applying science to the optimum conversion of natural resources to the benefit of man." -Ralph J. Smith (1962) Resource utilization will play an important role in the establishment and support of a permanently manned lunar base. The identification of new and innovative technologies will insure the success, sustainability and growth of a future lunar base. These new technologies will certainly utilize lunar resources. Lunar resources can be used to supply replenishables such as oxygen, fuel, water and construction materials. These materials would otherwise have to be brought from Earth at considerable expense. Lunar resources include oxygen from the lunar soil, water from the poles and a supply of volatile gases. One of the most significant steps towards self-sufficiency and independence from the Earth will be the use of lunar materials for construction. At least seven major potential lunar construction materials have been identified. These include: * concrete * sulfur concrete * cast basalt * sintered basalt * fiberglass * cast glass * metals All of these materials may be used to construct a future lunar base. The basalt materials can be formed out of lunar regolith (soil) by a simple process of heating and cooling, and are the most likely to be used to build the first bases. Snip ============================================================= http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/ http://www.belmont.k12.ca.us/ralston/programs/itech/SpaceSettlement/index.ht ml http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/spaceres/index.html http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/spaceres/toc.html Table of Contents * Preface * List of Participants I RESEARCH NEEDS FOR REGENERATIVE LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEMS http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/spaceres/I-1.html * I-1 Systems Engineering Overview for Regenerative Life-Support Systems Applicable to Space Habitats. Jack Spurlock and Mike Modell * References * I-2 Research Planning Criteria for Regenerative Life-Support Systems Applicable to Space Habitats. Jack Spurlong, William Cooper,Paul Deal, Annita Harlan, Marcus Karel, Michael Modell, Paul Moe, John Phillips, David Putnam, Philip Quattrone, C. David Raper, Jr., Elliot Swan, Frieda Taub, Judith Thomas, Christine Wilson, and Ben Zeitman * References Snip ============================================================= http://www.belmont.k12.ca.us/ralston/programs/itech/SpaceSettlement/spaceres vol3/toc.html NASA SP-509, vol. 3 SPACE RESOURCES Materials http://www.belmont.k12.ca.us/ralston/programs/itech/SpaceSettlement/spaceres vol4/toc.html NASA SP-509, vol. 4 SPACE RESOURCES Social Concerns ============================================================= http://stl.ame.arizona.edu/~jeffb/projects/solidoxide.html Introduction One of the main projects at the Space Technologies Laboratory is oxygen production. Oxygen production is done through an electrochemical cell made from Zirconia. At elevated temperatures (T>1000 C) Zirconia is an excellent oxygen ion conductor. In the prescence of an applied potential the electrolyte will pump oxygen from the cathode to anode. Snip [Back in 1996 - What is going on now? - LRK -] http://stl.ame.arizona.edu/~jeffb/projects/lunarlander.html Background This is a quarter-scale model of a lunar-lander, designed and initially constructed by the spacecraft design class. It features robotic motion controlled by an on-board processor. The purpose of this model is to show how an ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilization) payload can function atop a lunar lander platform. The payload designed here was designed for the Artemis common lunar lander. The mission of the payload is to be a proof-of-concept for oxygen production on the moon. The objective of this payload is to produce oxygen from lunar soil, using techniques developed here at the University of Arizona . The process is as follows: 1. The arm acquires a soil sample from around the lander. 2. The arm raises. As it does, the lunar regolith transverses down through the hollow arm, into the hopper. 3. The soil sample is deposited into a crucible. Ten soil samples are taken in all. 4. Earth-carried carbon is mixed in with each soil sample. 5. The sample (in crucible) is raised into a solar furnace. The solar furnace consists of a primary concentrating mirror, iris, and cpc. 6. As the sample is heated, it releases carbon monoxide. This carbon monoxide is disproportionated into carbon dioxide. From the carbon dioxide, a solid-oxide electrolysis process is used to convert the carbon dioxide into oxygen. 7. The oxygen is detected by an oxygen detector. This model depicts only a proof-of-concept device. A cheap proof-of-concept mission needs to occur to demonstrate the ability of the technolgy to provide for the needs of the mission. After a successful proof-of-concept, the funds for a full oxygen-prod uction facility could be secured and a complete mission planned. A complete mission may be an oxygen production faciliry for a lunar base or Martian outpost. ============================================================= http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/abstracts/05/sbir/phase1/SBIR-05-1-X9.01-8819.html ?solicitationId=SBIR_05_P1 NASA SBIR 2005 Solicitation FORM B - PROPOSAL SUMMARY PROPOSAL NUMBER: 05 X9.01-8819 SUBTOPIC TITLE: In-Situ Resource Utilization & Space Manufacturing PROPOSAL TITLE: In Situ Oxygen Production from Lunar and Martian Regolith SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone) Lynntech, Inc. 7607 Eastmark Drive, Suite 102 College Station ,TX 77840 - 4027 (979) 693 - 0017 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone) Brian Hennings brian.hennings at lynntech.com 7607 Eastmark Drive, Suite 102 College Station, TX 77840 -4027 (979) 693 - 0017 TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS) In situ oxygen production is of immense importance to NASA in the support of the NASA initiative to sustain man's permanent presence in space. The oxygen produced can be used as breathable oxygen, as a source of fuel for Moon or Mars based vehicles (for either return to Earth or as a basis for further space exploration), or as a source of oxygen for fuel cell or other power generating devices. Lynntech proposes to use plasma technology to liberate the oxygen bound in the oxides of regolith to produce oxygen in situ on either the moon or Mars. Lynntech's innovative solid feedstock plasma reformer is simple, robust and unaffected by variations in the composition or particle size of the regolith. Lynntech has previously demonstrated the principle of plasma reformation on a variety of projects and has preliminary results demonstrating the technology proposed here. Lynntech is currently developing plasma reformers for the US Air Force capable of producing several SCFM of hydrogen from JP-8 as well as multi-fuel (gas/liquid) capable reformers. A small (< 10W) plasma reformer has also been demonstrated for the production of hydrogen on Titan for NASA. POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS) With little or no modification, Lynntech's plasma-based oxygen generation system could be used to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. The atmosphere on Mars consists largely of CO2 (~95%) and is saturated with dust. Preliminary experiments with a Lynntech reformer indicate that CO2 can be reformed to solid carbon and gaseous O2. The dust in the atmosphere does not harm our system; rather it contributes to the oxygen content of the product stream, as it is broken down into constituents, similar to the CO2. Another NASA application for a space-bound plasma system is in the production of hydrogen from hydrocarbon rich atmospheres (such as the methane saturated Saturn moon, Titan), either for buoyancy, power or propulsion. Lynntech has already successfully demonstrated a 10-Watt methane reformer that produces hydrogen from 100K to 300K and weighs less than 500g for the production of make-up hydrogen for a balloon operating on Titan. POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS) The plasma-based system can also be used in several ground-based, non-NASA commercial applications as well. One of these is solid waste processing. With only small modifications, the plasma system proposed could be used to reform solid waste into high value components (i.e. hydrogen and carbon for most hydrocarbon chains, such as plastics and organics). The high value constituents are contingent upon the feedstock, and thus are as diverse. Alternatively, the plasma system could be used to process liquid or gaseous waste streams also. One particularly attractive area is the reformation of used and dirty hydrocarbon wastes from automobiles. These wastes include motor oil, greases, transmission and brake fluids, which can be reformed into products such as hydrogen and nano-structured carbon materials. The process is immune to changes in the feedstock, and mixtures of hydrocarbons can be fed directly to produce a 90+% hydrogen stream prior to clean-up. NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA. TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING In-situ Resource Utilization Form Printed on 09-19-05 13:12 ============================================================= http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/tadp/1995/spects/o2.html Lunar Oxygen Production Plant: Specification Sheet Olivier Dubois-Matra polard at mail.utexas.edu August 1995 Foreword The purpose of the Oxygen Production Demonstration Plant (O2 plant) is to test in-situ one or two process(es) of oxygen production from lunar minerals in order to prove the possibility of large-scale production for a manned base (fuel and life support). Several processes are under study, and some of them are currently adapted for lunar environment [Gibson & all]. However, there exists no plan yet for a small, automated demonstration plant which could be the payload of a small lander. Therefore, considerable work remains to be done to design this device. The following figures are only a first rough estimation based on laboratory experiments. Accurate figures would required a complete design. The processes considered here are based on the reduction of ilmenite at high temperature. Ilmenite (FeTiO3) is a common mineral in the lunar soil, and is the most likely source of lunar oxygen [Allen & all]. Other potential feedstocks are volcanic glass and basalt. The ilmenite can be reduced either by hydrogen [Gibson & all] or by carbon [Ramohalli & all]. The respective reactions are : FeTiO3 + H2 ---> Fe + TiO2 + H2O H2O ---> H2 + 1/2 O2 FeTiO3 + C ---> Fe + TiO2 + CO CO ---> C + 1/2 O2 Since we got relatively few information on the carbon process, figures are given only for a H2-type plant. The reasons for the selection of ilmenite reduction can be found in the WORLD-M proposal. Other processes may be contemplate. Objectives Snip ============================================================= http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5536378.html Apparatus for manufacture of oxygen from lunar ilmenite Document: United States Patent 5536378 Abstract: A reactor apparatus for production of Lunar oxygen uses feed stocks comprising a particulate hydrogen-reducible enriched feed in the size range from about 20-200 microns, containing 80-90% Lunar ilmenite (FeTiO.sub.3) and ferrous Lunar agglutinates. The reactor apparatus has three vertically spaced fluidized zones with downcomers from the upper to the central fluidized zone and openings for introducing a hydrogen-containing gas stream through the lower fluidized zone. A solid-to-gas RF-dielectric heater has a ceramic honeycomb with small parallel channels separated by thin, ceramic walls and electrodes surrounding the honeycomb connected to an external RF power source for heating the gas stream to a reducing reaction temperature. A top inlet introduces the enriched feed into the upper fluidized zone for fluidization therein and flow into middle and lower fluidized zones countercurrent to the flow of the gas stream. A solid-state electrolyzer is composed of calcium oxide- or yttrium oxide-stabilized zirconia ceramic fabricated by sintering or slipcasting into a perforated cylindrical shape having platinum electrodes on outer and inner longitudinal surfaces thereof. The electrolyzer cylinder is mounted inside two disk-shaped, impermeable ceramic baffles and centered inside a refractory-lined metal pressure shell. Gaseous effluent containing an equilibrium amount of water from the central fluidized zone passes through the electrolyzer for continuous electrolysis of the water. Apparatus is provided for separating oxygen from the electrolyzer and recycling hydrogen to the gas stream. ============================================================= http://www.fsri.org/Grant%20Process%20Chart/Colorado%20School%20of%20Mines%2 0ISRU%20Design.pdf 58 page PDF file. 2.6 MB Lunar Oxygen Production Detailed Design Review Colorado School of Mines Lunar Exploration Team Colorado School of Mines 1523 Illinois St Golden, CO 80401 ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Mon Apr 3 13:01:57 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 10:01:57 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Radio "amateurs" detect Voyager 1 signal Message-ID: <000001c65740$52473680$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day - Radio "amateurs" detect Voyager 1 signal Thanks for the heads up from Larry Klaes. Speak about being able for Amateur Radio Hams to bounce signals off the Moon and thinking how nice it would be for them to be able to listen to activities there, and today see that they have tracked Voyager 1 on March 31. I suppose if you are going to command and listen to a satellite to go to Mars, AMSAT P5-A, the Moon would be a snap. Have some links below about the AMSAT-DL / IUZ team. Maybe when we go back to the Moon and there is more interest in the daily happenings, we will have an Amateur Radio team listening in and putting the daily news on the Internet for us all to view. - LRK - Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://www.southgatearc.org/news/april2006/voyager1.htm [Reported by the Southgate Amateur Radio Club. - LRK -] VOYAGER 1 received by AMSAT-DL group Space probe VOYAGER 1 successfully received On March 31st, 2006 an AMSAT-DL / IUZ team received the American space probe VOYAGER 1 with the 20m antenna in Bochum. The distance was 14.7 billion km. This is a new record for AMSAT-DL and IUZ Bochum. The received signal was clearly identified through means of doppler shift and position in the sky. The receive frequency was exactly measured and compared with the information provided by NASA. This distance equals approximately 98 times the distance between Earth and Sun. VOYAGER 1 is the most distant object ever built by mankind. This again proves the superior performance of the Bochum antenna. Most probably this is the first time Voyager 1 has been received by radio amateurs. VOYAGER 1 was launched on 5. September 1977 by NASA. It transmitted the first close-up pictures of Jupiter and Saturn. In 2004 VOYAGER 1 passed the Termination Shock Region, where the solar wind mixes with interstellar gas. VOYAGER 1 today is still active, measuring the interstellar magnetic field. The following radio amateurs were involved: Freddy de Guchteneire, ON6UG James Miller, G3RUH Hartmut Paesler, DL1YDD Achim Vollhardt, DH2VA/HB9DUN Special thanks to Thilo Elsner, DJ5YM of the IUZ Bochum, Roger Ludwig of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena USA and the Deep Space Network Tracking Station in Madrid, Spain for their cooperation. For more information please visit http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov http://www.amsat-dl.org/cms , under "News" ============================================================= http://www.amsat-dl.org/cms/ http://www.amsat-dl.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&i d=35&Itemid=97 http://www.amsat-dl.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Ite mid=97 Raumsonde VOYAGER 1 von Funkamateuren empfangen Geschrieben von Hartmut P?sler Freitag, 31 M?rz 2006 Am 31. M?rz 2006 ist es dem AMSAT-DL/IUZ-Team erstmalig gelungen, die amerikanische Raumsonde VOYAGER 1 mit der Anlage in Bochum zu empfangen. Die ?berbr?ckte Entfernung betrug hierbei 14.7 Milliarden km und stellt einen neuen Rekord fuer AMSAT-DL und das IUZ Bochum auf. Das empfangene Signal wurde eindeutig durch die Dopplerverschiebung und durch die Position am Himmel identifiziert. Weiterhin wurde die Empfangsfrequenz mittels eines Rubidium-Frequenznormals vermessen und mit den Angaben der NASA verglichen. ------------------- Google translation - LRK - http://translate.google.com/translate_t Space probe VOYAGER 1 received from radio amateurs written of Hartmut Paesler Friday, 31 March 2006 on 31 March 2006 succeeded it to the AMSAT DL/IUZ team for the first time to receive the American space probe VOYAGER 1 with the plant in Bochum. The bridged distance amounted to here 14,7 billion km and sets up a new record for Amsat DL and the IUZ Bochum. The received signal was identified clearly by the Doppler shift and by the position in the sky. Further the empfangsfrequenz was measured by means of Rubidium-Frequenznormals and compared with the data of NASA. ============================================================= http://www.amsat-dl.org/go-mars/html/bochum1.html P5A-Leitstation in Bochum bestand Feuertaufe An der Sternwarte Bochum (IUZ) steht der unter einem Radom gesch?tzte 20-m-Parabolspiegel der f?r die P5A-Mission als zentrale Bodenstation dienen soll. AMSAT-DL hat die restaurierte Anlage mit der f?r Deep-Space-Missionen n?tigen Steuerungs- und Hochfrequenztechnik ausgestattet. Die Bochumer Antenne war bei der Ankunft von Mars-Express und BEAGLE2-Lander zu Weihnachten 2003 live dabei. Sie konnte bereits ?ber 1 Milliarde km entfernte Signale der Cassini-Saturnsonde empfangen. Snip ------------------- Google translation - LRK - P5A control station in Bochum existed fire baptism at the observatory Bochum (IUZ) stands the 20-m-Parabolspiegel protected under a radome for the P5A mission as central ground station to serve is. Amsat DL equipped the restored plant with the control and high-frequency engineering necessary for Deep space missions. The Bochumer antenna participated 2003 live with the arrival from Mars express and BEAGLE2-Lander to Christmas. It could already receive over 1 billion km distant signals of the Cassini Saturnsonde. Snip ============================================================= The P5A mission. Your German is probably better than mine or Google's. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.amsat-dl.org/go-mars/html/p5a-marsmission.html Snip Nach diesen Vorarbeiten hat der Vorstand der AMSAT-Deutschland das formelle GO im Jahr 2002 f?r die Mission zum Mars gegeben und erste Mittel f?r das Projekt freigegeben. Da diese das erste interplanetare AMSAT-Projekt ist, erhielt es in der so genannten Phase 5 die vorl?ufige Projektbezeichnung AMSAT-Phase 5A oder kurz P5A. In einem der Startfenster 2007 oder 2009 soll P5A seine mehrmonatige Reise antreten. Snip ----------------------- Snip After this pre-working the executive committee gave to that AMSAT Germany the formal GO in the year 2002 for the mission to Mars and released first means for the project. Since this is the first interplanetary AMSAT project, it kept the provisional project designation AMSAT phase 5A or P5A short in the phase in such a way specified 5. In one of the starting windows 2007 or 2009 P5A is to begin its mehrmonatige journey. Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Tue Apr 4 22:34:54 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 19:34:54 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] (no subject) Message-ID: <000601c65859$86a769d0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= ============================================================= ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ============================================================= -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://news.altair.com/pipermail/lunar-update/attachments/20060404/904d2ff9/attachment-0002.htm From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Wed Apr 5 00:40:48 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 21:40:48 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Lunar Workshops and Conferences Message-ID: <003201c6586b$1ca86220$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Well hit a wrong ctrl key combination and sent you nothing. Sorry. So who is thinking about going to the Moon? Would appear that a number of folks are. Seems to be alright to talk about it also. Listed some references to workshops and conferences coming up. - LRK - A snip from an earlier lunar-update post that I thought cause some discussion. Was wondering why "YOU" would want to go to the Moon or Mars. Only one comment about living in a "lava tube" on the Moon wouldn't be so bad if it was a mile across. - LRK = ------------------------------------------------------------ > Good evening, > > Reading others writings and thinking about my warm house as it rains > outside, and I wonder who would like to live on the Moon or Mars or on > a Spaceship to the stars. [...] > neither would a trip to Mars. If you never grew up living in an igloo > or a house built on permafrost (now melting into the ocean) why would > you want to go live in a lava tube on the Moon or an ice cave on Mars? > ------------------------------------------------------------ So I think we need some better maps of the Moon and locate some lava tubes that might be in a location suitable for a Lunar Base. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.asi.org/adb/m/04/02/01/02/ Sinuous Rilles and Lava Tubes Vallis Schroteri Lava tubes are caves on the moon, formed when molten rock flowed over the surface after a major meteor strike or a volcanic event early in Luna's history. They are geological interesting, but their greatest treasure lies in the promise of protection they offer for human lunar settlements. Sinuous rilles appear to be lava tubes that formed on surface of the moon, and then collapsed. Some may be frozen lava channels that never formed into a tube. No intact lava tube has been found on the lunar surface, though many sinuous rilles appear to be partially collapsed lava tubes. Geological theory protects that we will find intact lava tubes beneath the lunar surface, perhaps as deep as a mile and perhaps as large as half a mile in diameter and hundreds of miles long. The photograph at the left is the largest known sinuous rille on the moon, Vallis Schroteri, located near 26?N 208?E on the plateau of Aristarchus crater. Vallis Schroeteri si about 160 km long, up to 11 km wide, and 1 km deep. North is toward the top of the photo. Because they could be so important to lunar settlement, lava tubes are addressed in several sections of the Artemis Data Book. In this section, we are concerned with the known geology and scientific parameters of lava tubes. In other sections we discuss how to find them, how to use them, and their importance to the lunar community. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ If you have read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy you see the Martian settlers doing quite well in large ice caves and large underground caves. Now that is fiction, but, what if? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553560735/002-9652347-4764821 If you go to any of the lunar conferences, would be interested in hearing about what sites are being considered for our Lunar bases. - LRK - Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ? ============================================================= http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar_resources/ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar_resources/workshops.shtml Gateway To The Moon WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES 2006 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference March 13?17, 2006, League City, Texas Workshop on Surface Ages and Histories: Issues in Planetary Chronology May 21?23, 2006, Houston, Texas Snip http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2006/ ============================================================= http://www.space-frontier.org/Projects/Moon/ RETURN TO THE MOON Stated Objective: To establish a large scale, economically viable, permanent human settlement on the Moon within the next 25 years. The Return to the Moon (RTM) Project is a self explanatory, long term goal of the Space Frontier Foundation. The project encompasses all of the Foundation's efforts geared to achieving this goal. In keeping with the Space Frontier Foundation's stated mission of "opening space exploration for all humanity within our lifetime" there are three crucial aspects to the RTM project goal of a lunar settlement: 1. It must be large scale so that it is accessible to the greatest possible number of people from every cross section of the population. 2. It must be economically viable (i.e. profitable). Profitability is key to ensuring permanence. "If it pays, we will stay." 3. It must be done within our lifetime: we want to see an operational settlement within the next 25 years. If our efforts are successful, then normal everyday people may have a real shot at visiting the Moon in our lifetimes. If you are a little older than 40, the chance still exists that you could have the opportunity to take that trip of a lifetime. Snip ============================================================= http://www.eclipticenterprises.com/newsinfo_conferences.php Ecliptic Conference Activity and Events 2006 Snip Jul 20-22 Return to the Moon VII Conference Las Vegas, NV Organized by the Space Frontier Foundation Jul 9-12 42nd Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit Sacramento, CA Organized by AIAA, ASME, SAE and ASEE; Sponsored by Aerojet May 4-7 25th International Space Development Conference Los Angeles, CA Co-hosted by the National Space Society and The Planetary Society Apr 27-29 CubeSat Workshop San Luis Obispo, CA Hosted by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Apr 24-27 4th Responsive Space Conference Los Angeles, CA Organized by AIAA Apr 3-6 22nd National Space Symposium Colorado Springs, CO Organized by The Space Foundation; Multiple co-sponsors Snip ============================================================= http://www.moonsociety.org/conference/conference-list-2006.html Calendar of U.S. Moon conferences and meetings - 2006 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPI) March 13-17, 2006 League City, Texas International Space Development Conference 2006 (NSS) May 4-7, 2006 Los Angeles, CA Return to the Moon Conference 2006 (SFF) July 20-22, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Mars Society Convention (Mars Society) August 3-6, 2006 Washington, DC Space Frontier Foundation Conference 2006 (SFF) October 7-9, 2006 Los Angeles, CA Stanford on the Moon Conf. 2006 October, 2006 Stanford, CA Snip ============================================================= http://www.asce.org/conferences/space06/ March 5 - 8, 2006 Earth & Space Welcome Final Program Brochure(PDF) The Aerospace Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers invites you to make plans to participate in our TENTH BIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION, and OPERATIONS IN CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS. At this Conference, you will be among experts from a variety of disciplines and have ample, enjoyable opportunities to discuss exploration, engineering, construction, and operations in challenging environments on Planet Earth, in Space, and on other planetary bodies such as the Moon and Mars. Technology transfer is a key goal of this Conference. This year a special attraction is being added to the Earth & Space 2006 Conference. The 2nd NASA/ARO/ASCE Workshop on Granular Materials in Lunar and Martian Exploration will be held as an integral part of the Conference. Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ?? ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Thu Apr 6 15:06:17 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2006 12:06:17 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Reiner Gamma swirl: magnetic effect of a cometary impact? Message-ID: <000c01c659ad$2fa20780$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, SMART-1 news item today is showing what the Advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) is seeing. - LRK - This feature is over on the western edge of the Moon just above the equator. Hope we see more of the polar regions too. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ >From: "ESA" >Subject: Reiner Gamma swirl: magnetic effect of a cometary impact? >Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2006 15:49:59 +0200 > >This animation, made from images taken by the Advanced Moon Imaging >Experiment (AMIE) on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, shows a feature >characterized by bright albedo, and called Reiner Gamma Formation. > >Read more: > http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM05FNFGLE_index_0.html ------------------------------------------------------------ The Virtual Moon Atlas has some information on it also and sites an image at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon - Photo Number IV-157-H1. Links below. More information about the Virtual Moon Atlas" by Christian Legrand and Patrick Chevalley is available at http://astrosurf.com/avl/UK_index.html It features a 3D real time display of the moon (including lighting conditions), but you can also set an arbitrary date to display. It contains an extensive database of features including all landing sites (Apollo, Surveyor, etc.). It also contains >1000 pictures of formations from the "Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon". It supports OpenGL for graphics performance (but doesn't require it). About a dozen languages (apart from English) are supported via language packs. All those features take up some space, so it's a rather big download of 362 meg for the VMA Pro version. Lighter versions also available. - LRK - Sorry, the program runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP only. Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ? ============================================================= [Some of the SMART-1 news items - LRK -] http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/index.html Snip This animation, made from images taken by the Advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, shows a feature characterized by bright albedo, and called Reiner Gamma Formation. Snip http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEM05FNFGLE_0.html ============================================================= http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEML9HXO4HD_0.html What will all the instruments do? Multinational teams of scientists and engineers will conduct ten different investigations coordinated by a Science and Technology Operations Centre. The instrument teams are led by Principal Investigators from Finland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. All ESA member countries are taking part, providing Co-Investigators for various experiments. Snip AMIE, SIR and D-CIXS Different kinds of visible and invisible light coming from the lunar surface will provide clues about its chemical composition and geological history. The ultra-compact electronic camera, AMIE, will survey the terrain in visible and near-infrared light. An infrared spectrometer, SIR, will chart the Moon's minerals. An X-ray telescope, D-CIXS, will identify key chemical elements in the lunar surface. The major scientific goals are described in the following pages. Snip ============================================================= Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon Search by Photo Number http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/bin/srch_phn.shtml?IV-157-H1 %7C0 http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/bin/info.shtml?446 Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon Photo Number IV-157-H1 http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/ ============================================================= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiner_Gamma Reiner Gamma >From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Reiner Gamma (?) is an albedo feature that is located on the Oceanus Procellarum, to the west of the Reiner crater on the Moon. The center of the formation is located at selenographic coordinates: 7.5? North, 59.0? West. It has an overall dimension of about 70 kilometers. The feature has a higher albedo than the relatively dark mare surface, with a diffuse appreance and a distinctive swirling, concentric oval shape. Related albedo features continue across the surface to the east and southwest, forming loop-like patterns over the maria. The Reiner Gamma feature is not associated with any particular irregularities in the surface, and so the cause was a mystery until similar features were discovered in Mare Ingenii and Mare Marginis on photographs taken by orbiting spacecraft. The feature on Mare Ingenii is located at the lunar opposite point from the center of Mare Imbrium. Likewise the feature on Mare Marginis is opposite the mid-point of Mare Orientale. Thus it is believed that the feature resulted from seismic energies generated by the impacts that created these maria. Unfortunately there is no such lunar mare formation located precisely on the opposite surface of the Moon, although the large Tsiolkovskiy crater lies within one crater diameter. The central feature of the Reiner Gamma does bear a resemblance to the dipolar formation created by iron filings on a surface with a bar magnet on the underside. Low-orbiting spacecraft have observed a relatively strong magnetic field associated with each of these albedo markings. Some have speculated that this magnetic field and the patterns were created by cometary impacts. However the true cause remains uncertain. In early lunar maps by Francesco Grimaldi, this feature was incorrectly identified as a crater. His colleague Giovanni Riccioli then named it Galilaeus, after Galileo Galilei. The name was later transferred northwest to the current Galilaei crater. Snip ============================================================= http://www.geocities.com/kc5lei/SWIRL2001.htm LUNAR SWIRLS, MAGNETIC ANOMALIES, AND THE REINER GAMMA FORMATION by Marvin W. Huddleston ABSTRACT Reiner Gamma is the only near side example of the elusive Lunar Swirl features. There exist only three other known examples, two on the moons far side, and another on Mercury. The origin of these surface deposits and their related magnetic anomalies are a matter of debate, which most likely will not be settled until future lunar missions. We shall here consider their nature and possible origins. Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ?? ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sat Apr 8 14:57:49 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2006 11:57:49 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Remarks by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin at the National Space Symposium Message-ID: <000001c65b3e$55c8f0d0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Remarks by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin at the National Space Symposium Reading Robert A. Heinlein's "THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS" and thinking about the politics of going to the Moon and what it will be like when we get there. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_is_a_Harsh_Mistress The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress >From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein about a lunar penal colony's revolt against rule from Earth. It received the Hugo Award for best novel. Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ My thanks to Joe Sanders for suggesting that if I hadn't read the book I might be interested in doing so, and seeing how the Moon was developed economically. I had not, and ordered four of Heinlein's books from Amazon.com. Three have arrived and now the days go even faster. :-) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312863551/102-6440331-3584910 - LRK - Google is watching for references to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and picks up items for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as well. In this case the item was found in Mike Griffin's talk to the U.S. Space Foundation last week. Need all the press we can get about exploring space. More books, movies, 6 o'clock reports, and the like. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ Google Alert for: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Remarks by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin at the National ... Space Ref - USA ... We've established an architecture for lunar return. ... of icy geysers on Enceladus, the successful orbital insertion of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the ... http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=20189 ------------------------------------------------------------ 04.06.06 - Administrator's April 6 Remarks to the U.S. Space Foundation When I became NASA?s 11th Administrator a year ago, I had several goals that I wanted to accomplish by the end my term of service. + View Transcript (33 Kb PDF) http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/146291main_NationalSpaceSymposium_new.pdf ------------------------------------------------------------ See snip below or links above. - LRK - Jeroen Lapre' is still working on his short movie about Maelstrom II. An independent short science fiction movie project, based on the short story by Arthur C. Clarke. http://www.maelstrom2themovie.com/ Remember some of you having ideas for TV as well. Well here is to a Martian Day, every second counts, and a lot more politics. ------------------------------------------------------------ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy Mars trilogy >From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cover of Red Mars The Mars trilogy is a series of three science fiction novels by Kim Stanley Robinson, chronicling the settlement and terraforming of the planet Mars. The novels are Red Mars (1992), Green Mars (1993) and Blue Mars (1996). An additional collection of short stories was published as The Martians (1999). Snip Plot Red Mars starts in 2026 with the first colonial voyage to Mars. Later, "the First Hundred" colonists (composed ? for the most part ? of Russians and Americans) establish the first settlement on Mars (called "Underhill") and lay the groundwork for more scientists and engineers to follow. However, due to the greed of the transnational corporations, which dominate and control the nation states of Earth, the new Martian towns become overcrowded and undermaintained. Several cases of sabotage of terraformation infrastructure occur, blamed on anti-terraforming forces. The situation results in a violent revolution in 2061, in which many of the First Hundred are killed, and much of Mars' infrastructure, notably the space elevator, is destroyed. Most of the surviving members of the First Hundred are forced into hiding in the "underground". Green Mars takes its title from the stage of terraforming that has taken place allowing plants to grow. It picks up the story from Red Mars, following the lives of the remaining First Hundred (and their children and grandchildren). The "underground" starts to develop ideas of a new type of society, an anti-thesis of the metanational order at that time. This culminates into the Dorsa Brevia agreement, in which nearly all the "underground" factions take part. Preparations are made for second revolution begins in the 2120s. Blue Mars takes its title from the stage of terraforming that has taken place allowing atmospheric pressure and temperature to increase so that liquid water can exist on the planet's surface, forming rivers and seas. It follows on from the end of Green Mars and has a much wider scope than the previous two books, covering an entire century after the second revolution and showing the spread of human settlements across the solar system?a process Robinson terms the Accelerando. One major event is a sudden, catastrophic rise in global sea levels caused not by any greenhouse effect, but by the eruption of a chain of volcanoes underneath the ice of west Antarctica, melting it all away. Snip http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553560735/102-6440331-3584910 ------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ? ============================================================= http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=20189 Remarks by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin at the National Space Symposium STATUS REPORT Date Released: Thursday, April 6, 2006 Source: NASA HQ 6 April 2006 When I became NASA's 11th Administrator a year ago, I had several goals that I wanted to accomplish by the end my term of service. As I stated at my Senate confirmation hearing, my priorities in executing the duties of my office, consistent with the President's Vision for Space Exploration, are: 1. Flying the Shuttle as safely as possible until its retirement, not later than 2010. 2. Bringing a new Crew Exploration Vehicle into service as soon as possible after Shuttle retirement. 3. Developing a balanced overall program of science, exploration, and aeronautics at NASA, consistent with the redirection of the human spaceflight program to focus on exploration. 4. Completing the International Space Station in a manner consistent with our International partner commitments and the needs of human exploration. 5. Encouraging the pursuit of appropriate partnerships with the emerging commercial space sector. 6. Establishing a lunar return program having the maximum possible utility for later missions to Mars and other destinations. Thanks to the hard work and technical excellence demonstrated by so many of you in this audience, we are well on the way to meeting these objectives. We've established an architecture for lunar return. We have a solid plan for completing ISS. We've received proposals from contractors in response to our request for proposals for the new Crew Exploration Vehicle. And with such achievements as the Cassini's discovery of icy geysers on Enceladus, the successful orbital insertion of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the launch of our 13th expeditionary crew to the International Space Station, 2006 is shaping up to be an eventful year. But there are enormous challenges ahead, and a lot left to do to meet them. So, today, I'd like to talk with you about the larger rationale for our collective efforts. In short, why are we doing all this? How does space exploration serve the nation's essential interests? When President Bush set a new course for America's space program two years ago, the White House issued a supporting document explaining why. Quoting from that policy, "The fundamental goal of this vision is to advance U.S. scientific, economic, and security interests through a robust space exploration program." I believe that this is exactly right, and that the benefits to be derived in these respects from such a program will extend well beyond our current imagination. This last statement is out of character for an engineer, mathematician, or scientist, because it is neither provable nor refutable. But because a conjecture is scientifically unverifiable does not mean that it is not important. Snip ============================================================= http://www.space.com/news/060405_nss_griffin.html NASA Chief Michael Griffin Invited to China By Lon Rains Editor, Space News posted: 05 April 2006 02:26 pm ET COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Chinese space officials have invited NASA Administrator Michael Griffin to visit their country in the fall, possibly as early as September. During an informal visit to NASA headquarters in Washington, April 3, Luo Ge, vice administrator of the China National Space Administration, met with Michael F. O?Brien, NASA associate administrator for external relations, to discuss a potential trip by Griffin to meet with Chinese space officials and visit their facilities, possibly as early as September. ?I made a joke with Mr. O?Brien that if we need to get married some day, we have to meet; otherwise we cannot get married,? Luo said in an interview here following his morning keynote speech April 5 at the 22nd National Space Symposium. Luo described the visit with O?Brien as ?only a drop in? with two purposes:? to see an old friend? and to discuss Griffin visiting China. ?When I return to Beijing I will draft an itinerary for his visit,? Luo said. He added that a visit by Griffin would be an important first step toward future space cooperation between the two countries. NASA spokesman Dean Acosta confirmed that China had extended an invitation to Griffin for a visit this fall and that the trip is under consideration, reiterating that there are no firm dates yet. Chinese space officials met with former NASA Administrator Sean O?Keefe and other agency officials in Washington in 2004 for informal discussions, but Luo said no agreements resulted from those meetings. In his keynote speech Luo said China is open to international cooperation in all types of space activites, including human spaceflight. He also stressed in the interview following his speech that China does have its own independent systems now for sending astronauts to space, but still welcomes cooperative efforts. A U.S. congressional delegation?Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) visited China in January. Feeny said in an interview that the most immediate area of cooperation ought to be a joint docking device that would permit Chinese spacecraft to dock with the future U.S. Crew Exploration Vehicle, the planned replacement for the shuttle, either for cooperative visits or rescue missions. Feeney also said future U.S. spacecraft should be able to dock at the space station China is planning. Mentioning the congressional visit Luo said he too would favor a joint docking system. * China Unveils Ambitious Space Plans at National Space Symposium * Space Community Mourns Loss of DeLay?s Budget Influence * Panel: NASA Needs Both Robotic and Human Missions, But Equity Missing * Hybrid Air-Rocket Concept Touted For Rapid Launch * 22nd National Space Symposium Begins Today ============================================================= ?? ESA's Venus Express to reach final destination [Friday, April 7, 2006] Now, after having traveled 400 million kilometres in only about five months, the Venus Express spacecraft is about to reach its final destination. The rendezvous is due to take place on 11 April. ? Full Story http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=19511 ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ?? ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Mon Apr 10 18:53:11 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 15:53:11 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] New NASA Ames Spacecraft to Look for Ice at Lunar South Pole Message-ID: <003a01c65cf1$8befa550$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day. I see that NASA Ames has been approved to ride along with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and stab the Moon in its polar regions and see if it voids itself while being watched with the LCROSS satellite. Have you been told to look up too? http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2006/06_21AR.html ------------------------------------------------------------- John Bluck NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Phone: (650) 604-5026 / 9000 E-mail: jbluck at mail.arc.nasa.gov April 10, 2006 RELEASE: 06_21AR New NASA Ames Spacecraft to Look for Ice at Lunar South Pole NASA today announced that a small, 'secondary payload' spacecraft, to be developed by a team at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., has been selected to travel to the moon to look for precious water ice at the lunar south pole in October 2008. Snip As the spacecraft approaches the moon's south pole, the upper stage will separate, and then will impact a crater in the south pole area. A plume from the upper stage crash will develop as the Shepherding Spacecraft heads in toward the moon. The Shepherding Spacecraft will fly through the plume, and instruments on the spacecraft will analyze the cloud to look for signs of water and other compounds. Additional space and Earth-based instruments also will study the 2.2-million-pound (1000-metric-ton) plume. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19514 If it IS WATER in that impact plume seems like you would be wasting 2.2 million lbs of water that took 4.6 billion years to accumulate. If you ever want to check for pre-cursor biological agents in the lunar ice you will have just contaminated it with the impact. Then again, maybe already contaminated. http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/news82.html Wonder if the American Indians will complain about contaminating a sacred Moon? Maybe some less destructive ways to check for water. Besides, I might want to use that water for coffee or rocket fuel. And if the Loonies decide to send an impactor back to Mother Earth, a dent it would probably make here too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_is_a_Harsh_Mistress Sent John Bluck an e-mail wishing to express my concerns to Chris McKay. He forwarded it to Chris. Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ? ============================================================= http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19514 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2006/06_21AR.html John Bluck NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Phone: (650) 604-5026 / 9000 E-mail: jbluck at mail.arc.nasa.gov April 10, 2006 RELEASE: 06_21AR New NASA Ames Spacecraft to Look for Ice at Lunar South Pole NASA today announced that a small, 'secondary payload' spacecraft, to be developed by a team at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., has been selected to travel to the moon to look for precious water ice at the lunar south pole in October 2008. The smaller secondary payload spacecraft will travel with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) satellite to the moon on the same rocket, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), to be launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The NASA Ames team proposed the secondary payload mission, which will be carried out by the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). "The LCROSS mission gives the agency an excellent opportunity to answer the question about water ice on the moon," said Daniel Andrews of NASA Ames, whose team proposed the LCROSS mission. "We think we have assembled a very creative, highly innovative mission, turning the upper stage of the rocket that brought us to the moon into a substantial impactor on the moon." After launch, the secondary payload LCROSS spacecraft will arrive in the lunar vicinity independent of the LRO satellite. On the way to the moon, the LCROSS spacecraft's two main parts, the Shepherding Spacecraft (S-S/C) and the Earth Departure Upper Stage (EDUS), will remain coupled. As the spacecraft approaches the moon's south pole, the upper stage will separate, and then will impact a crater in the south pole area. A plume from the upper stage crash will develop as the Shepherding Spacecraft heads in toward the moon. The Shepherding Spacecraft will fly through the plume, and instruments on the spacecraft will analyze the cloud to look for signs of water and other compounds. Additional space and Earth-based instruments also will study the 2.2-million-pound (1000-metric-ton) plume. "The LCROSS mission will help us determine if there is water hidden in the permanently dark craters of the moon's south pole," said Marvin (Chris) Christensen, Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP) manager, and acting director of NASA Ames. "If we find substantial amounts of water ice there, it could be used by astronauts who later visit the moon to make rocket fuel," Christensen added. Earlier, NASA had requested proposals internally from its NASA field centers for existing or reasonably matured concepts for secondary payloads that would offer cost-effective contributions to RLEP. To prepare for the return of astronauts to the moon, NASA will conduct various RLEP robotic missions from 2008 to potentially 2016 to study, to map and to learn about the lunar surface. These early missions will help determine lunar landing sites and whether resources, such as oxygen, hydrogen and metals, are available for use in NASA's long-term lunar exploration objectives. "Establishing research stations on the moon will give us the experience and capabilities to extend to Mars and beyond," noted robotics deputy program manager Butler Hine of Ames. "An exploration science program with a sustained human presence on the moon gives us the opportunity to conduct fundamental science in lunar geology, history of the solar system, physics and the biological response to partial (Earth) gravity," said Christopher McKay, lunar exploration program scientist at Ames. The space agency specified that the winning proposal must demonstrate an affordable concept beneficial to RLEP, according to the document that asked NASA centers to submit suggestions for the secondary payload. NASA noted that the secondary payload mission should cost no more than $80 million. NASA also required that the payload mass not exceed 2,205 pounds (1,000 kilograms). NASA encouraged its field centers to team with industry to develop proposals. On Jan. 10, NASA issued a request for information to industry to allow businesses to provide secondary payload concepts to NASA. Each NASA center reviewed ideas from industry as well as secondary payload concepts developed internally. NASA asked that the concepts advance the Vision for Space Exploration to include missions that evolve lunar science, characterize the lunar environment and support identification sites for future human missions as well as the utility of those sites. The space agency said that it was looking for missions that demonstrate technology that could enhance future exploration, that show operational schemes to support exploration, that develop or emplace infrastructure in support of exploration, that advance commercial opportunities and those missions that would collect engineering data to support the Constellation program. That program is developing NASA's new spaceship, the Crew Exploration Vehicle. For images related to the LCROSS mission, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/multimedia/images/2006/lunarorbiter.html For additional high-resolution images of the and historic information, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2004/moon/moon.html http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunarprosp.html http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast31jul99_1.htm Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. Larry's blog site, is: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ ?? ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Tue Apr 11 20:43:57 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:43:57 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION OF THE MOON AND BEYOND Message-ID: <000401c65dca$2f7595d0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Why do you want to go to the Moon? Good day, just read the post by Space Age Publishing Company - Lunar Enterprise Daily, http://www.spaceagepub.com/ and noticed in the Highlights section that NASA has issued an (RFI) for Developing a Strategy for future Exploration of the Moon and beyond. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/apr/HQ_06134_moon_exploration.html ------------------------------------------------------------ http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=119739 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION OF THE MOON AND BEYOND Synopsis - Apr 11, 2006 General Information Solicitation Number: N/A Reference Number: NNT06DSFEMBL Posted Date: Apr 11, 2006 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Apr 11, 2006 Original Response Date: May 12, 2006 Current Response Date: May 12, 2006 Classification Code: B -- Special studies and analysis - not R and D Contracting Office Address NASA - Headquarters, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001 Description NASA is initiating a long-term activity to develop a global space exploration strategy. A series of activities are planned in 2006 to gain a better understanding of the role that human and robotic exploration and development of a sustained human presence on the moon plays in supporting a broad exploration strategy that includes Mars and other destinations. As part of this process, NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) is seeking through this Request For Information (RFI), ideas on activities that could be pursued on the moon as part of an integrated global exploration strategy. The goal is to collect a wide variety of ideas and perspectives for the lunar exploration component of the exploration strategy. Eventually a robust, worldwide strategy for exploration of the moon will be developed using information from many sources, including inputs provided through this solicitation. Guidelines Snip This RFI is being used to obtain information for planning purposes only and the U.S. Government does not presently intend to award a contract at this time. As stipulated in FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is subject to FAR 52.215-3. Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the U.S. Government on a non-attribution basis for development of a strategy for lunar exploration. ------------------------------------------------------------ I don't know what to say. Didn't any of you tell them already that you wanted to permanently occupy the Moon and develop the resources there? .... Eventually a robust, worldwide strategy for exploration of the moon will be developed using information from many sources, including inputs provided through this solicitation..... Eventually, EVENTUALLY, EVENTUALLY !!! Oh well, you have a month to get your thoughts together and throw another wad of paper at them. Someone point them to the "Romance to Reality: moon & Mars plans" web site by David S. F. Portree. I am sure there have been many ideas for doing things on the Moon. Just need to get there before there is a land grab. - LRK - http://www.marsinstitute.info/rd/faculty/dportree/rtr/ And while they are looking over your missives, maybe the folks at the 8TH ILEWG conference will make some plans too. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------ http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=38863 8th ILEWG International Conference on Exploration and Utilization of the Moon First Call for Papers 23-27 July 2006, Beijing, China You are welcome to participate in the 8th ILEWG Conference on Exploration and Utilization of the Moon which will be held in Beijing, China on 23-27 July 2006 and jointly sponsored by China National Space Administration (CNSA), the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) and European Space Agency (ESA). The local organizer is the Lunar Exploration Program Center (LEPC) of CNSA with the assistance of Center for Space Science and Applied Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CSSAR), Chinese Society for Astronautics and China Aerospace Engineering Consultation Center (CAECC). Conveners Mr. Zhang Wei, Director General of Foreign Affairs Department of CNSA Mr. Hao Xifan, Vice Director General of LEPC Mr. Bernard H. Foing (ILEWG) Snip ------------------------------------------------------------ Best stop and let you look at some info on lava tubes and a reply from Jim Ickes below. - LRK - Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtual_tube/virtube.html Welcome to the lava tube portion of the Virtual Cave. Lava tube caves are found throughout the world in places where fluid lava has flown over the surface. The largest and most vertically extensive lava tubes known are on the Big Island of Hawaii. Our idealized lava tube cross-section and feature are based on the tubes there, and most of the photos are from there. Lava tubes are found in the western U.S.A. (Washington, California, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona), the Canary Islands, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kenya, and other volcanic hot spots. Most tubes form when fluid lava flows down the sides of volcanoes, the upper layer begins to cool, and the lava beneath continues to flow in tubular conduits beneath the surface. Due to the insulating effects of the hardened lava above, molten lava is able to travel considerable distance underground with very little cooling. In Hawaii, lava tubes have carried fluid lavas 50 or more miles from their source. Tubes may also form when lava follows trenches or gulleys on the surface, which then roof over as lava accumulates along the top edges. Lava tubes contain many features similar to those in limestone cave, such as stalactites and stalagmites, helictites, and a sort of flowstone. Most of the features in the diagram were made when the cave was active and during the early cooling stage. Secondary minerals may be deposited in the tubes later, such as gypsum or calcite crystals, but these tend to be on a much smaller scale than you can find in limestone caves. To take a tour of the wondrous world of lava tubes, choose from the list below. You can see all the features in context on our very cool Virtual Lava Tube Image Map (drawn by master lava tube cartographer Carlene Allred). Snip ============================================================= Note from Jim Ickes. - Thanks Jim - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Larry, I would agree that a lava tube could offer some valuable support and protection to the first lunar settlers. It would be an ideal place to set up your housing for several reasons. First and foremost, you would be better able to protect yourself from radiation and all of its nastiness as well as to protect yourself from the overall vacuum environment that you're facing. You're underground, safe from the micrometeors that are constantly raining down on you, you have a place that is much more temperate than being on the surface and you might actually get pretty lucky in having space that is very large in volume without having to build anything on the surface. It sounds like a win-win to me. I suppose that the biggest risks that you would have to face would be the lunar moonquakes and what they could do to your facilities in the lava tube. Or ever worst case, what would you do if the lava tube suddenly became active again? That seems pretty remote given the lack of confirmed lunar volcanism in recent times. But I suppose that there could be a chance that you might find the one active lava tube and that would pretty much ruin your day. The best case would be to find such a place at one of the lunar poles that would have immediate access to water ice. That way, you would be able to have the best of all situations. Water, oxygen, the potential to make rocket fuel with the hydrogen and still have the protection that the lava tube would offer. The only way to find all of this out is to go there and see what we find. As you've said before, the time is now! Thanks, Jim ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.asi.org/adb/m/04/02/01/02/ Sinuous Rilles and Lava Tubes Vallis Schroteri Lava tubes are caves on the moon, formed when molten rock flowed over the surface after a major meteor strike or a volcanic event early in Luna's history. They are geological interesting, but their greatest treasure lies in the promise of protection they offer for human lunar settlements. Sinuous rilles appear to be lava tubes that formed on surface of the moon, and then collapsed. Some may be frozen lava channels that never formed into a tube. No intact lava tube has been found on the lunar surface, though many sinuous rilles appear to be partially collapsed lava tubes. Geological theory protects that we will find intact lava tubes beneath the lunar surface, perhaps as deep as a mile and perhaps as large as half a mile in diameter and hundreds of miles long. Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Wed Apr 12 16:21:52 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:21:52 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] What do you want to do on the Moon? Message-ID: <001901c65e6e$bcdb25d0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> What do you want to do on the Moon? Good day, maybe I am too easily disturbed. I suppose that we should be glad that we are being asked what we would like to be doing on the Moon. http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/36003/ESMD%20RFI. pdf Some would have us go to the poles, some to the equator. Some to the far side for radio silence, some to the east or west edges for access to Earth view or around to radio silence. Maybe you have some ideas. There are some on the P.E.R.M.A.N.E.N.T. web site. http://www.permanent.com/ http://www.permanent.com/intro.htm More ideas from the Artemis Project. http://www.asi.org/adb/outline.html http://www.asi.org/adb/index.html http://www.asi.org/adb/04/03/10/04/oxygen-extraction.html Harrison H. Schmitt has ideas in his book Return to the Moon. http://www.thespacereview.com/article/522/1 Review: Return to the Moon by Anthony Young Tuesday, January 3, 2006 Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space By Harrison H. Schmitt Copernicus Books, 2006 Hardcover, 335 pp. ISBN 0-387-24285-6 More from the UW-Madison, Fusion Technology Institute http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/publist?which=wcsar http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/courses And now I need to spend more time looking at what has already been proposed. http://www.marsinstitute.info/rd/faculty/dportree/rtr/rtr-90.html Then to your ideas. It would appear that if you wish to propose some ideas you have to already be registered to make proposals. - LRK - http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&sol Id={A371A17D-DDDB-129B-71F0-425105CAA166}&path=open ----------------------------------------------------------- Developing a Strategy for Future Exploration of the Moon and Beyond Request for Information (RFI) Submission Instructions All proposals submitted in response to this Request for Information (RFI) must be submitted in electronic form. For this submission, proposals take the form of a Notice of Intent (NOI). Please note that no full proposals are being requested through this RFI. NOIs should be submitted electronically by the proposer. Proposers must submit their NOI via NSPIRES, the NASA proposal data system, located at http://nspires.nasaprs.com. To submit a NOI, the following steps must be taken: 1. Every proposer that intends to submit an NOI to NASA in response to this RFI, must be registered in the NSPIRES proposal data system. Potential applicants are urged to access this site well in advance of the NOI due date to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested identifier information. For proposers without an NSPIRES account, one can be requested at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/aboutRegistration.do . For this submission, no affiliations or associations are necessary during account setup. 2. After receiving an account and logging in, proposers should select the "create NOI" from the NSPIRES Proposals link. Select this RFI from the list of open solicitations and then complete the NOI Cover Page and Program Specific Data sections for submission. Please note that NOI Cover Page summary, business data, and budget information are NOT required for this RFI. If prompted to provide summary, business data, or budget information, the proposer can ignore these fields. Proposers should reply as completely as possible to the Program Specific Data questions, however, no fields are mandatory for submission. A separate NOI should be submitted for each proposed lunar exploration objective. Tutorials and other NSPIRES help topics may be accessed through the NSPIRES on-line help site at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/help.do . For any questions that cannot be resolved with the available on-line help menus, requests for assistance may be directed by E-mail to nspires-help at nasaprs.com or by telephone to (202) 479-9376, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. ----------------------------------------------------------- It would be nice if the general public were able to see others thoughts on how to use the Moon to help in brain storming. I copied the RFI below as well as some thoughts on recycling from Jim Ickes. - LRK - Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/apr/HQ_06134_moon_exploration.html ------------------------------------------------------------ http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=119739 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION OF THE MOON AND BEYOND Synopsis - Apr 11, 2006 General Information Solicitation Number: N/A Reference Number: NNT06DSFEMBL Posted Date: Apr 11, 2006 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Apr 11, 2006 Original Response Date: May 12, 2006 Current Response Date: May 12, 2006 Classification Code: B -- Special studies and analysis - not R and D Contracting Office Address NASA - Headquarters, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001 Description NASA is initiating a long-term activity to develop a global space exploration strategy. A series of activities are planned in 2006 to gain a better understanding of the role that human and robotic exploration and development of a sustained human presence on the moon plays in supporting a broad exploration strategy that includes Mars and other destinations. As part of this process, NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) is seeking through this Request For Information (RFI), ideas on activities that could be pursued on the moon as part of an integrated global exploration strategy. The goal is to collect a wide variety of ideas and perspectives for the lunar exploration component of the exploration strategy. Eventually a robust, worldwide strategy for exploration of the moon will be developed using information from many sources, including inputs provided through this solicitation. Guidelines 1. Ideas should be expressed in English as achievable lunar exploration objectives, over a 25 year horizon, which address one or more of the following key elements of the exploration strategy: . Lunar exploration activities that are an integral part of a broader exploration strategy that encompasses Mars and other destinations; . Lunar robotic activities that collect key strategic information and develop key capabilities to enable and enhance human exploration; . Lunar activities that enable humans to live and work productively on the moon, including developing and using lunar resources; . Activities that enable opportunities for international collaboration through merging of common interests in respective strategic plans for exploration; . Characterization of opportunities for science investigations on the moon; . Activities that can enable lunar commerce; . Activities that can engage the general public in lunar exploration. 2. Each objective should be documented by providing the information requested in the Exploration Strategy Product document posted on the RFI web site, see Paragraph 4 for URL. The type of information requested includes summary information defining the objective, any dependencies it has on other objectives, architecture and operations assumptions associated with meeting the objective, intermediate milestones, and associated key decision points. In cases where the submission identifies multiple objectives, additional information regarding the relative time phasing of these various objectives and the general strategic themes that they represent, can also be provided. Additionally, submissions may provide some indication of issues/constraints/enablers in areas such as technology, policy, legal, or programmatics. 3. Viable responses should be consistent with generally accepted laws of physics. Innovative objectives including novel systems concepts are welcome, but should be consistent with advances that are reasonably achievable within a 25 year horizon. 4. All responses should be delivered electronically by completing and submitting the Exploration Strategy Product form located on the RFI web site: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/solicitations.do?method=op en&stack=push . Each submission will receive an electronic notification of a successful upload. All submissions must be received by May 12, 2006 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. 5. Responses will be collected and screened by the NASA Research & Education Support Services before being reviewed by evaluation teams. The screening process will focus on responsiveness to RFI requirements and will group the responses into common theme areas for evaluation. 6. Do not include in responses any information that is limited or restricted for use by the U.S. Government. By submitting information in response to this RFI, submitters of such information thereby consent to the release and dissemination of submitted information to any U.S. Government or non-U.S. Government entity to which NASA releases and disseminates the information for review. Review teams may be comprised of U.S. Government personnel from NASA ESMD, other NASA Missions Directorates, NASA Centers, and/or other U.S. Government agencies. Moreover, review teams may include third parties, such as contractor personnel who support NASA. As such, to the extent that any information submitted in response to this RFI is marked as or construed to be proprietary or business-sensitive, submitters are hereby notified (a) that such information may be disclosed to third parties and (b) that submission of information in response to this RFI constitutes consent to such handling and disclosure of submitted information. This RFI is being used to obtain information for planning purposes only and the U.S. Government does not presently intend to award a contract at this time. As stipulated in FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is subject to FAR 52.215-3. Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the U.S. Government on a non-attribution basis for development of a strategy for lunar exploration. Point of Contact Name: Austin Evans Title: Integration Manager Phone: (202) 358-3662 Fax: (202) 358-2815 Email: Austin.L.Evans-1 at nasa.gov ------------------------------------------------------------ Snip ============================================================= Another post from Jim Ickes with some thoughts on recycling which will be needed on the Moon. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Larry, Recycling is barely taking hold here on Earth. We need to become more efficient in this activity if we think that we can do the same thing, either on the ISS or on the lunar surface. The early Apollo astronauts just left there junk up there, food cans, human waste, used equipment, etc. They didn't pack the stuff up and return it with them. If we go to stay, we really need to understand that this is the ultimate primitive campsite and we need to not dirty the landscape with our leftovers. We're going to have to make sure that they get the maximum opportunity to be reused in order to save on the expense of shipping new materials to the lunar base as well as to find a way to make the most of what we do have delivered to them and whatever is leftover must be reused. It only makes economic sense. I think that one reason that recycling is limited in scope and success, is the fact that it is still far cheaper (by design I'm afraid) to simply get 'new things' when we need them, rather than reuse or recycle 'old things'. We recycle all of our newspapers, magazines and some of the metals that we have here every week. It is a start and to be honest, it has made a difference. The biggest disappointment that I see is that more folks don't do that because of any number of reasons. Of course, if you're on the Moon, many of those reasons should go by the wayside and recycling should be highly encouraged. It is definitely something that we need to do to be successful. The question is will we do it successfully to be able to stay on the Moon as cheaply as possible? Later, Jim ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Fri Apr 14 20:12:21 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 17:12:21 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Google Alert for: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - but what content? Message-ID: <000601c66021$449831d0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day - Google Alert for: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter But what was the trigger? I have asked that Google send me alerts when there are news releases that talk about the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and today seven alerts, but what triggered them was not talk about the LRO but the recent addition of a hitch hiker craft that is going to monitor the impact of the Earth Departure Upper Stage as it smashes into the Moon. Take a look at where the reports came from and if you care, check out the way they are reported. Seems that crashes make the news. Remember, the LRO is going to orbit the Moon and provide us with much needed information about the Moon to find the best places for setting down our next human explorers. I wonder if this isn't being upstaged by another attempt to melt some suspected ice. If no water vapor what then, will we then stop our plans to go to the Moon or we realize we can get oxygen out of rocks most anywhere? Maybe we should be extracting water out of our rocks just to show it can be done. http://www.asi.org/adb/04/03/10/04/oxygen-extraction.html ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/lnews/lnmar97/oxygen.htm Snip Volcanic Glass - The optimum feedstock for a lunar oxygen production process may be volcanic glass. At least 25 distinct glass compositions have been identified in the Apollo sample collection. The iron-rich species promise particularly high oxygen yields. The deposit sampled by the Apollo 17 astronauts (sample 74220) is uniformly fine-grained and friable, offering a feedstock which reacts rapidly and can be used with little or no processing prior to oxygen extraction. Complete reduction of the total FeO content of this iron-rich glass is equivalent to an oxygen yield of 5 wt%. Over 80% of this yield was achieved after 3 hours at a temperature of 1050?C (Figure 1). The production of oxygen from lunar materials is now a reality. Oxygen release by means of hydrogen reduction has been demonstrated in the laboratory with samples of lunar basalt, soil, and volcanic glass. Yields from soils are predictable, based solely on each sample's iron abundance. The reactions are rapid, with most of the release occurring in a few tens of minutes. All of the major iron-bearing phases in lunar soil release oxygen, though with differing degrees of efficiency. These data can support the design of an oxygen production plant at a future lunar base. For more details see: Allen, C. C., R. V. Morris, and D. S. McKay 1996. Oxygen Extraction from Lunar Soils and Pyroclastic Glass. J. Geophys. Res. 101. 26,085-26,095. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- Here on Earth we are concerned about using resources that are not renewable. Finding new sources of coal, oil, and gas depend on knowing geology and the lay of the land. Mapping the resources on the Moon will also be needed, and not just at the polar regions. We will need metals as well and so setting up our base camps will need to be positioned based on an in depth knowledge of what is available. ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceExp/Slides/tsld001.htm LUNAR PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceExp/Slides/tsld002.htm LUNAR RESOURCE UTILIZATION http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceExp/Slides/tsld003.htm SELF-REPLICATING LUNAR FACTORY [1980] http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceExp/Slides/tsld004.htm LUNAR POWER & THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEMS http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/SpaceExp/Slides/sld001.htm Graphic Version of Above - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Hope we don't just focus on the poles but look at the Moon as a whole. Comes back to knowing what you want to do on the Moon for more than a weekend. Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================= Google Alert for: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter The impact will stir up lunar dust needed to search for signs of ... http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3785197.html Houston Chronicle - United States ... The crash vehicle, called an impactor, and observational instruments will be added to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Already ... NASA to launch moon-impact probe http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/11/content_4410284.htm Xinhua - China ... The spacecraft is scheduled to be launched in the Kennedy Space Center, together with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on top a rocket. ... NASA to blast moon for water http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/apr/11nasa.htm Rediff - India ... Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite -- will hitch a ride to the moon onboard the same rocket as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite due for ... NASA plans to slam craft into moon http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/266205_moon11.html Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA ... since NASA's Lunar Prospector in 1999 -- will be part of a previously announced mission in which a larger craft, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, will fly ... NASA plots a bingle on the moon http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18787747%255E663,0 0.html Melbourne Herald Sun - Australia ... million. The mission will be launched in October 2008, with a rocket that carries the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and impactor. The ... Spacecraft will drill into moon http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060411/NEWS02/60411 0330 Florida Today - Melbourne,FL,USA ... NASA aims to launch its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter aboard either a Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 or a Boeing Delta 4 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. ... NASA Chooses New Spacecraft To Search For Water On Moon http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7003140380 All Headline News - USA ... AHN)?NASA announces it will send a second spacecraft to search for water ice on the moon with the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scheduled for ... ------------------------------------------------------------- This once a day Google Alert is brought to you by Google. Remove this alert. Create another alert. Manage your alerts. ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sat Apr 15 18:55:09 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 15:55:09 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Russia's Next Spaceship: Alternative to NASA's CEV - maybe - if you pay for it. Message-ID: <001e01c660df$a5cdcfa0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Russia's Next Spaceship: Alternative to NASA's CEV - ummmm - o.k. Bob MacBird sent me two links about Russia considering building a spaceship and I posted them below. Both are from Space.com, one being back in December 2005. The catch is that they would like a buyer. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- snip The program presented by Nikolai Sevastyanov, the head of state-controlled RKK Energiya, relies on hopes of attracting private investment, but the lack of government support calls its feasibility into question. Snip http://www.space.com/news/ap_060412_russia_moon.html ------------------------------------------------------------- Like so many of the past proposals for lifting off, supporters come and go. In the USA, one administration will have and idea and then there is the politics that go along - or against - the ideas. An example might be the spacecraft Triana. - LRK - -------------------------------------------------------------http://www.spac etoday.net/Summary/671 NASA considers foreign launch options for Triana Posted: Fri, Feb 8, 2002, 8:06 AM ET (1306 GMT) Triana illustration (NASA/GSFC) NASA is evaluating two proposals to launch the Triana spacecraft on foreign boosters, Space News reported Thursday. One proposal would launch Triana as a secondary payload on an Ariane 5; such a launch would be paid by a European national space agency in exchange in a scientific role on the mission. A second possibility is to launch it on a Ukrainian Tsiklon launch vehicle, arranged by an unnamed company trying to market the Tsiklon commercially. Triana is a mission that would observe the fully-illuminated disk of the Earth from the Earth-Sun L1 point, 1.5 million kilometers away. The Triana spacecraft has been built but is sitting in storage since there are no foreseeable launch opportunities on the shuttle, which was the original launch vehicle for the spacecraft. Triana was proposed in 1998 by then-Vice President Al Gore, but faced strong Congressional scrutiny, including an order to stop work on the mission until an independent panel confirmed the mission's scientific validity. ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2001/010715-sat.htm THE ORLANDO SENTINEL July 15, 2001 POLITICS PUTS $100 MILLION SATELLITE ON ICE Melissa Harris, Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- NASA has spent almost $100 million in taxpayer money to build a satellite that is headed for a storage bin in Maryland. Triana was scheduled for a November flight into space, where it would measure ozone in the Earth's atmosphere while also beaming round-the-clock photos of Earth to the Internet. But now, some fear it may never fly. The cause of the costly hibernation: presidential politics and conflicting views -- many of them partisan -- about Triana's scientific worth. The National Academy of Sciences addressed the last concern when it concluded in March 2000 that the controversial satellite would provide unprecedented insight into the amount of dangerous ozone and ultraviolet radiation in Earth's atmosphere. The project also would monitor the sun to provide early warnings of solar flares, which could disrupt satellites and the electrical grid. Weather forecasters were hoping it would create better climate models, improving the accuracy of forecasts. To Triana's project team, the academy's conclusion was the best ammunition yet against detractors in Congress who had dubbed it "Gore-sat" after the man who inspired it -- then-Vice President Al Gore. Triana project manager Jim Watzin said last week that the satellite would be ready to go by Oct. 1. But it's not going where Watzin wants. ------------------------------------------------------------- The Russians have offered to build something new to launch to the ISS and possibly further. The USA is going to build something new to launch to the ISS and further. To the Moon and/or Mars. To the Lunar Poles, and/or the equator. Maybe just a couple more tin cans, forget risking human life and all that money. The last administration spent it all. (Vietnam, Iraq, or the next global war) I hope there are enough folks around this world that realize we live on a Blue Marble that could be turned black and blue from sources from outer space or inner space. An asteroid, a volcano, a nuke, take your pick. Might be nice to have your eggs in more than one basket and eyes from different vantage points. I shot an arrow into the air, I know not where it landed. Oops, my dad was not happy that it was on our shingle roof. I shot an arrow into a rock pile. It bounced back and hit me in the wrist. But then I was a kid. I hope we have some in seats of authority that look further ahead than I did. I hope there are enough of you out there that will point out the errors of just shooting things into the air without considering where they land, but don't be afraid to launch either. :-) Thanks for looking up. (good idea when I am around) Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= Bob MacBird sent these links. Thanks - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/051207_tech_wednesday.html Russia's Next Spaceship: Alternative to NASA's CEV By Tariq Malik Staff Writer posted: 07 December 2005 12:00 am ET As NASA prepares to once again send humans to the surface of the Moon, Russia is also developing its own plans for future manned spaceflight. The country's Clipper project to develop a six-person spacecraft to deliver astronauts into Earth orbit, and potentially beyond, appears in some ways to be the Russian Federal Space Agency's answer to NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). "We're starting to design this new transportation system to support the International Space Station (ISS) once it's complete," said Nikolay Sevastiyanov, president of the Russian aerospace contractor RSC-Energia, during a recent space conference where the program was discussed. The winged crew vehicle, Clipper, would launch atop a Russian Soyuz 2-3 booster and could form the heart of potential Moon- or Mars-bound craft, according to RSC-Energia designs. Separate cargo pods could also launch atop a separate Soyuz rocket. Both the Clipper vehicle and cargo pods would be towed to the ISS. Outside participation in the project by the European Space Agency (ESA) appears on hold after ESA ministers decided this week not to fund a two-year, $59.8-million (51-million euro) trial to study Clipper with the Federal Space. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.space.com/news/ap_060412_russia_moon.html Russian Aerospace Firm Aims for Moon Exploration By Vladimir Isachenkov Associated Press Writer posted: 12 April 2006 11:30 a.m. ET = MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's leading space company on Tuesday laid out an ambitious plan to send manned missions to the moon by 2015, build a permanent base to tap its energy resources and dispatch a crew to Mars between 2020-2030. The program presented by Nikolai Sevastyanov, the head of state-controlled RKK Energiya, relies on hopes of attracting private investment, but the lack of government support calls its feasibility into question. "We believe that we can fly a manned mission landing on the moon before 2015 funded by sources outside the state budget,'' Sevastyanov said at a news conference. Russian government officials have spoken vaguely in support of future moon and Mars missions, but have made no specific commitments. In January 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush outlined a plan for NASA to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020 and then on to Mars and beyond. Sevastyanov said that Energiya, the manufacturer of Soyuz and Progress spacecraft that ferry crew and supplies to the International Space Station, would rely on those ships during the first phase of its moon exploration program. The company will first offer a commercial trip around the moon in a Soyuz that could be made around 2009, Sevastyanov said. He added that his company already has talked to foreign investors interested in the project, but refused to give any names or specifics. "The use of the existing rockets will help reduce the program's costs and lower risks,'' Sevastyanov said. During the next stage, Energiya plans to employ a reusable now under development, the Clipper. Snip ============================================================= Richard Perry sent this link and comments that the idea has been around since the Lunar Prospector crash in 1999. Thanks Richard. - LRK - I asked Ames PAO John Bluck and Chris McKay if they had any more information about the orbit plans as was curious as to where the orbit for 90 days before impact information came from. Chris supplied some other information but I don't know anything more about orbit plans. A couple of years off, so maybe a bit early. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/266205_moon11.html Tuesday, April 11, 2006 NASA plans to slam craft into moon By WARREN E. LEARY THE NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON -- A NASA spacecraft will deliberately crash into the moon in January 2009, in a kind of two-way bank shot that will help scientists search for water that might be lurking in deep, dark craters, the space agency said Monday. Snip If shadowed areas on the moon contain ice, NASA officials said, they would be prime landing sites for humans. Water can be broken apart to produce hydrogen for rocket fuel and oxygen for fuel and breathing, helping astronauts live off the land while exploring. The spacecraft -- the first to strike the moon since NASA's Lunar Prospector in 1999 -- will be part of a previously announced mission in which a larger craft, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, will fly around the moon to map its surface. Both craft will be launched on the same rocket on October 2008, but the smaller, impact craft will circle the Earth and moon for 90 days before slamming into the moon's south pole. The project is called LCROSS, for Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. Its manager, Daniel Andrews of NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., said the upper stage of the rocket that sends the orbiter to the moon would be used as an impact vehicle. When the 4,400-pound used rocket slams into a crater at about 5,600 miles per hour, Andrews said, it should send up a plume of vapor and debris, perhaps 1,000 metric tons of it, rising 30 to 40 miles above the surface. About 15 minutes later, the trailing "shepherding spacecraft," loaded with infrared cameras and spectroscopes to determine chemical composition, is to fly through the plume, taking and relaying data before hitting the moon itself. "We're going to see the impact," Andrews said, "and then fly through the plume while looking into the crater and also looking sideways 90 degrees out into space to see the plume material against the darkness." Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sun Apr 16 22:29:29 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 19:29:29 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] What will be will be - is that the way you see it? Message-ID: <000f01c661c6$c16e2d80$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, What will be will be - is that the way you see it? I don't know if this post will have any meaning for you or not but here goes. I mentioned the spacecraft Triana as an example of missions that can get derailed. Having mentioned Triana, fate would mention it again in relation to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The LRO will need inertial measurement units, so order a couple from Honeywell. (and only Honeywell) Since they made the one for Triana, refurbish that one too. Probably not going anywhere sitting in the GSFC clean room. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=19234 http://www.moontoday.net/news/viewsr.html?pid=19234 NASA GSFC Solicitation: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Intertial (LRO) Reference Unit (IRU) Snip NASA/GSFC has a requirement for two (2) new Miniature Inertial Measurement Units (MIMUs), and the refurbishment of a previously purchased MIMU under the Triana program. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- Now the notice I posted about Triana said there was a search going on back in 2002 for another way to launch it as going by way of the shuttle was now not acceptable. You see there was this earlier NEED to use the shuttle for launching things as it was declared this was the way to go. Don't launch on rockets. Then a shuttle accident and launching satellites from the shuttle was now a no, no, also. Even though there were offers to launch Triana from other countries, that was not authorized. I sat in an interesting presentation from one of the scientists that was trying to get Triana launched. Time passes. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.spacetoday.net/Summary/671 NASA considers foreign launch options for Triana Posted: Fri, Feb 8, 2002, 8:06 AM ET (1306 GMT) Triana illustration (NASA/GSFC) NASA is evaluating two proposals to launch the Triana spacecraft on foreign boosters, Space News reported Thursday. One proposal would launch Triana as a secondary payload on an Ariane 5; such a launch would be paid by a European national space agency in exchange in a scientific role on the mission. A second possibility is to launch it on a Ukrainian Tsiklon launch vehicle, arranged by an unnamed company trying to market the Tsiklon commercially. Triana is a mission that would observe the fully-illuminated disk of the Earth from the Earth-Sun L1 point, 1.5 million kilometers away. The Triana spacecraft has been built but is sitting in storage since there are no foreseeable launch opportunities on the shuttle, which was the original launch vehicle for the spacecraft. Triana was proposed in 1998 by then-Vice President Al Gore, but faced strong Congressional scrutiny, including an order to stop work on the mission until an independent panel confirmed the mission's scientific validity. ------------------------------------------------------------- Now we have had 9/11 and even more restrictions on what can launch on other countries rockets. http://ogc.yale.edu/legal_reference/export_controls.html - LRK - In my mail are requests to save other missions because going to the Moon without enough money for all the other things NASA was doing is putting a bite on the purse strings. Even though NASA is supposed to carry out the Presidents vision, it is also supposed to honor requests from congress for other desirable projects. When there is not enough for all, something gets cut. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/feb/HQ_06056_Budget_Statement.html Snip We must seek innovative ways to leverage, to the maximum extent practicable, the investments being made by commercial industry and through international partnerships. We must plan executable programs with priority given to the required timing and affordability of needed capabilities. As I have testified previously to the Congress, we will go as we can afford to pay, and we will set priorities for our time, resources, and energy. For example, NASA's exploration architecture cannot afford the robust space nuclear R&D program that was previously planned. Thus, rather than engaging in them halfway, we have cut back those efforts. But because it is important in the long run, we will seek to leverage the work of other nations which have developed small nuclear reactors that could be applied to space. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- What this means to me is that whatever the plans are now for going to the Moon, I will not be surprised if the plans get changed, modified, stalled, or canceled altogether. - LRK - What does it mean for you? Do you add your voice to large organized groups that advocate going to space? Do you start your own campaign and hope others will join you? Maybe just accept, what will be, will be. How do you "make it so"? Thanks for looking up. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= ============================================================= http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=19234 http://www.moontoday.net/news/viewsr.html?pid=19234 STATUS REPORT Date Released: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 Source: Goddard Space Flight Center NASA GSFC Solicitation: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Intertial (LRO) Reference Unit (IRU) Synopsis - Jan 10, 2006 General Information Solicitation Number: RLEP-LRO-IRU--12-23-05 Posted Date: Jan 10, 2006 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jan 10, 2006 Original Response Date: Jan 25, 2006 Current Response Date: Jan 25, 2006 Classification Code: A -- Research and Development NAICS Code: 927110 - Space Research and Technology Contracting Office Address NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 210.S, Greenbelt, MD 20771 Description NASA/GSFC has a requirement for two (2) new Miniature Inertial Measurement Units (MIMUs), and the refurbishment of a previously purchased MIMU under the Triana program. NASA/GSFC intends to issue a sole-source Request for Proposal (RFP) to Honeywell Incorporated, Space Systems Group. Honeywell shall deliver two (2) new MIMUs and refurbish a previously purchased Honeywell MIMU, which was purchased under the Triana program. Honeywell shall provide spacecraft attitude rate measurements to the Attitude Control System, for science grade, fine guidance and emergency Sun Acquisition mode support. The LRO is required to possess redundant MIMUs and the MIMU Flight Spare units must have identical form, fit and function as the new MIMU flight unit. Honeywell, as the original vendor of the Triana MIMU, is the only source that can upgrade the existing unit, and build identical Flight Units. The refurbishment of the MIMU requires the detailed knowledge of Honeywell's specific proprietary design. Further, Honeywell is uniquely qualified for this contract because of their extensive expertise and experience with the prior Triana MIMU effort. This combined with the adherence to the existing project schedule is paramount for us to meet our launch schedule as requested in the President's Vision for U.S. Space Exploration. To ensure we meet our October 2008 launch date with acceptable technical and schedule risk, the MIMU procurement must be awarded by early 2006. The estimated period of performance of this firm-fixed-price (FFP) effort is approximately 14 months. The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. An Ombudsman has been appointed. See Notes 22, 26, and B. Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Tue Apr 18 23:51:12 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 20:51:12 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Space Elevator Message-ID: <001501c66364$8112a500$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good evening, Good evening. Will be driving up to Washington State tomorrow to see my folks and will probably be off line for a couple of days. Give you time to think about what you would like to look up and see. - LRK - John Reed sent a link about the NASA Challenge Competitions, which includes a Teather Challenge. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/apr/HQ_06189_Centennial.html Michael Braukus/Dolores Beasley Headquarters, Washington (202) 358-1979/1753 April 18, 2006 RELEASE: 06-189 Five NASA Centennial Challenges Competitions Open For Registration NASA announced Tuesday the opening of team registration for five Centennial Challenges prize competitions with cash prizes totaling more than $1 million. Teams from industry, academia, and the public may formally begin their participation by contacting NASA's collaborator, or allied organization, responsible for administering each competition. The prize competitions and allied organizations that are accepting team registrations are: - Astronaut Glove Challenge, administered by Volanz Aerospace/Spaceflight America with a total prize value of $250,000. - Beam Power Challenge, administered by the Spaceward Foundation as part of the annual Space Elevator Games with a total prize value of $200,000. - Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge, administered by the California Space Education & Workforce Institute with a total prize value of $250,000. - MoonROx (Moon Regolith Oxygen) Challenge, administered by the Florida Space Research Institute with a total prize value of $250,000. - Tether Challenge, administered by the Spaceward Foundation as part of the annual Space Elevator Games with a total prize value of $200,000. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- If a space elevator is developed you will have something to look at. In the mean time, thanks for looking up with me. - LRK - Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= John Reed sent this link about NASA?s challenge grants. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- You probably already know about these challenge grants, but I thought it was interesting that 2 of them went to the space elevator folks--not long ago, that was considered seriously "out there" science fiction... ? http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/apr/HQ_06189_Centennial.html ? ? Also, kudos to the folks at the Cassini web site, I sent them a question regarding parking the probe in orbit around Titan or Enceladus once the primary mission was over...I asked about delta-v and slingshot maneuvers around other moons to help...their reply was prompt and informative--their P/R has been exceptional throughout the mission, and should be used as a model for getting the public involved in future missions--they even won a Webby! ? J ? ...in deepest, darkest, SE GA ============================================================= http://www.spaceelevator.com/ The Space Elevator Reference brought to you by SpaceRef Scientific, engineering, economic and policy challenges inherent in constructing the solar systems first space elevator. www.spaceelevator.com/ - 21k - Cached - Similar pages The Space Elevator Reference Fiction or reality? With recent advancements in technology many people now believe it is possible to build a space elevator. This site will serve as a reference tool for those interested in exchanging ideas on the scientific, engineering, economic and policy challenges inherent in constructing the solar system's first space elevator. Marc Boucher, editor. What is a Space Elevator? A space elevator is a physical connection from the surface of the Earth, or another planetary body such as Mars, to a geostationary Earth orbit (GEO - In the case of Earth) above the Earth at roughly 35,786 km in altitude. It is hoped that someday a space elevator would be utilized as a transportation and utility system for moving people, payloads, power, and gases between the surface of the Earth and space. It makes the physical connection from Earth to space in the same way a bridge connects two cities across a body of water. (Source: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Advanced Space Infrastructure Workshop on Geostationary Orbiting Tether Space Elevator Concepts, slightly modified) Snip ============================================================= http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_elevator_020327-1.h tml The Space Elevator Comes Closer to Reality By Leonard David Senior Space Writer posted: 07:00 am ET 27 March 2002 SPACE.com -- The Space Elevator Comes Closer to Reality Forget the roar of rocketry and those bone jarring liftoffs, the elevator would be a smooth 62000-mile (100000-kilometer) ride up a long cable. www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_elevator_020327-1.html - 37k - Cached - Similar pages Snip ============================================================= http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast07sep_1.htm The Audacious Space Elevator NASA Science News: Two orbiting NASA satellites are giving scientists an unprecented view of what goes on beneath the obscuring cloudtops of great swirling ... science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast07sep_1.htm - 21k - Cached - Similar pages Snip ============================================================= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator Space elevator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A space elevator is a hypothetical structure designed to transport material from a planet's surface into space. Many different types of space elevator structures have been proposed. They all share the goal of replacing rocket propulsion with the traversal of a fixed structure via a mechanism not unlike an elevator, hence its name, in order to move material into or beyond orbit. Space elevators have also sometimes been referred to as beanstalks, space bridges, space lifts, space ladders or orbital towers. The most common proposal is a tether, usually in the form of a cable or ribbon, that spans from the surface to a point beyond geosynchronous orbit. As the planet rotates, the inertia at the end of the tether counteracts gravity and keeps the tether taut. Vehicles can then climb the tether and escape the planet's gravity without the use of rockets. Such a structure could eventually permit delivery of great quantities of cargo and people to orbit, and at costs only a fraction of those associated with current means. Snip ============================================================= http://www.liftport.com/ LiftPort - The Space Elevator Company The LiftPort Group (LPG) is dedicated to building a mass transportation system to open up access to the inner solar system (LEO, GEO, the Moon, Mars, and asteroids). The Space Elevator will be at the heart of this revolutionary transportation service. By opening up broad-based access to Earth orbits and the inner solar system, LPG will help bring about the creation of entire new markets. Based in space commerce, these new markets can only become viable through safe, inexpensive, routine access to the inner solar system. In short, we at LiftPort Group believe that development of the space elevator is a crucial step in the future of Earth and space. Snip ============================================================= http://www.elevator2010.org/site/index.html The Space Elevator - Elevator:2010 November 15: Spaceward announces details for 2006 Space Elevator Games. (rulebooks); October 21-23: First annual Space Elevator games held by Spaceward at ... www.elevator2010.org/ - 16k - Cached - Similar pages Climbing The Sky The dream of a Space Elevator is a monumental one. A vision that will not only further space exploration and knowledge, but has the potential to shape the existential future of the human race for centuries to come. For the first time since it was initially conceived, this dream is now within our reach. Elevator 2010 has joined the massive construction effort, adding energy, resources and new initiatives to the ever-growing number of organizations, companies, websites and enthusiasts focused on the technical, political and economic development of the Space Elevator. We firmly believe that the set of technologies that underlie the infinite promise of the Space Elevator can be demonstrated, or proven infeasible, within a 5 year time-frame. And hence our name. Elevator:2010. we promise to get an answer for you by then. Snip ============================================================= http://www.isr.us/SEHome.asp Institute for Scientific Research, Inc. - Space Elevator Technical details, meetings, images, and FAQs about building a space elevator. www.isr.us/SEHome.asp - 27k - Cached - Similar pages The Space Elevator: 3rd Annual International Conference The-Space-Elevator at isr.us. http://www.isr.us/Spaceelevatorconference/ A space elevator is a revolutionary concept of getting from Earth into space, a ribbon with one end attached to Earth on a floating platform located at the equator and the other end in space beyond geosynchronous orbit (35,800 km altitude). The space elevator would ferry satellites, spaceships, and pieces of space stations into space using electric lifts clamped to the ribbon, serving as a means for commerce, scientific advancement, and exploration. The discovery of carbon nanotubes and the ongoing development to implement them into a composite is the key to space elevator viability being achieved in the coming years. ISR is researching a space elevator capable of lifting 5-ton payloads every day to all Earth orbits, the Moon, Mars, Venus or the asteroids. The first space elevator would reduce lift costs immediately. Additional and larger elevators, built utilizing the first one, would allow large-scale manned and commercial activities in space and reduce lift costs even further. Snip ============================================================= http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htm When the Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off on April 12, 1981, from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to begin the first space shuttle mission, the dream of a reusable spacecraft was realized. Since then, NASA has launched more than 100 missions, but the price tag of space missions has changed little. Whether it is the space shuttle or the non-reusable Russian spacecraft, the cost of a launch is approximately $10,000 per pound ($22,000 per kg). While the space shuttle is reusable, missions are still very infrequent and expensive, with each launch costing an estimated half a billion dollars. A new space transportation system being developed could make travel to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) a daily event and transform the global economy. science.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htm - 36k - Cached - Similar pages Snip ============================================================= http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57536,00.html Wired News: To the Moon in a Space Elevator? By Steve Kettmann Steve Kettmann | Also by this reporter 02:00 AM Feb, 04, 2003 EST The Columbia disaster could spur faster development of a radically different approach to reaching outer space: the space elevator. Long imagined by science-fiction writers but seen by others as hopelessly far-fetched, the space-elevator concept has advanced dramatically in recent years along with leaps forward in the design of carbon nanotubes. Using the lightweight, strong carbon material, it's feasible to talk of building a meter-wide "ribbon" that would start on a mobile ocean platform at the equator, west of Ecuador, and extend 62,000 miles up into space. www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57536,00.html - 27k - Cached - Similar pages Snip ============================================================= http://liftwatch.org/tiki-view_articles.php Space Elevator News Research news on launching by cables extending into space. Frequently updated. liftwatch.org/ - 1k - Apr 17, 2006 - Cached - Similar pages Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Sun Apr 23 01:39:13 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 22:39:13 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] NASA appoints retired Air Force brigadier general to Ames Message-ID: <001601c66698$41e9c7a0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Back from visit with folks in Washington State. (94 & 95) Hope I do as well, might even see us get back to the Moon. :-) Google Alert for the LRO found it mentioned in the notice that NASA Ames at Moffett Field, CA has been told their new director will be retired Air Force brigadier general, Simon P. "Pete" Worden. ------------------------------------------------------------- Google Alert for: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter NASA appoints retired Air Force brigadier general to Ames http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/nort hern_california/14400670.htm San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA ... pole to search for ice. The project will launch in 2008, along with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which will circle the moon. ... ------------------------------------------------------------- Will watch and see if this fits in with the Ames tasks for managing some robotic missions to the Moon. There certainly has been enough press about stabbing the Moon in a search for water. Hope the whole Moon is considered for potential lunar habitation. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1985lbsa.conf..405H Lava tubes - Potential shelters for habitats Journal: IN: Lunar bases and space activities of the 21st century (A86-30113 13-14). Houston, TX, Lunar and Planetary Institute, 1985, p. 405-412. Publication Date: 00/1985 Category: Lunar and Planetary Exploration Origin: STI NASA/STI Keywords: LUNAR BASES, SITE SELECTION, SPACE HABITATS, UNDERGROUND STRUCTURES, CAVES, LAVA, RADIATION SHIELDING Bibliographic Code: 1985lbsa.conf..405H Abstract Natural caverns occur on the moon in the form of 'lava tubes', which are the drained conduits of underground lava rivers. The inside dimensions of these tubes measure tens to hundreds of meters, and their roofs are expected to be thicker than 10 meters. Consequently, lava tube interiors offer an environment that is naturally protected from the hazards of radiation and meteorite impact. Further, constant, relatively benign temperatures of -20 C prevail. These are extremely favorable environmental conditions for human activities and industrial operations. Significant operational, technological, and economical benefits might result if a lunar base were constructed inside a lava tube. [8 page pdf file - LRK -] http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?db_key=AST&bib code=1985lbsa.conf..405H&letter=.&classic=YES&defaultprint=YES&whole_paper=Y ES&page=405&epage=405&send=Send+PDF&filetype=.pdf ------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for looking up with me. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= NASA appoints retired Air Force brigadier general to Ames http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/nort hern_california/14400670.htm San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA Posted on Fri, Apr. 21, 2006 NASA appoints retired Air Force brigadier general to Ames Associated Press MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - NASA on Friday appointed retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Simon Worden to head the Ames Research Center, which has played an increasingly visible role in President Bush's plan to return astronauts to the moon. Worden replaces Scott Hubbard, who resigned earlier this year to take a position at the SETI Institute, a nonprofit that studies the possibility of life beyond Earth. Hubbard, who investigated the space shuttle Columbia accident, led Ames since 2002. During his Air Force service, Worden commanded the 50th Space Wing, which is responsible for more than 60 Pentagon satellites. The shakeup comes at a time when Ames is taking a more active role to fulfill Bush's space exploration vision for a manned mission to the moon by 2018. Last year, the NASA center was tapped to direct at least four unmanned missions to the moon ahead of human landings. The missions will map the lunar surface, probe for evidence of water and scout for future landing spots. Earlier this month, Ames was selected to launch a mission that would crash a space probe into the moon's south pole to search for ice. The project will launch in 2008, along with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which will circle the moon. Ames, based in Silicon Valley, has an annual budget of $600 million and employs about 2,500 researchers. Snip ============================================================= NASA Ames Research Center: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames Snip 04.21.06 - NASA Names Worden New Ames Center Director NASA Administrator Michael Griffin announced Friday that Simon P. "Pete" Worden will be the next director of NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Worden, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, is a research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Read More+ http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2006/06_24AR.html Michael Mewhinney Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Phone: (650) 604-3937/9000 April 21, 2006 RELEASE: 06_24AR NASA Names Worden New Ames Center Director NASA Administrator Michael Griffin announced Friday that Simon P. "Pete" Worden will be the next director of NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Worden, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, is a research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Ames Research Center is located in California's Silicon Valley at the core of the research cluster of high-tech companies, universities and laboratories that define the region's character. With more than $3 billion in capital equipment, 2,500 research personnel and an approximately $600 million annual budget, Ames has a significant economic impact in the region. During his Air Force service, Worden held director and deputy director level positions with the Air Force Space Command, where he was responsible for developing new programs, including next generation launch concepts. He also was commander of the 50th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force Space Command. He also served as 2nd deputy for technology with the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, where he received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for directing the 1994 Clementine lunar probe mission. Worden holds a bachelor's degree in astronomy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a doctorate in astronomy from the University of Arizona. For an official United States Airforce biography, please visit: United States Airforce Brig. Gen. Simon P. Worden Biography http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7661 Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Mon Apr 24 18:15:43 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:15:43 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Space trailblazer Eberhardt Rechtin passed away at the age of 80 on Friday, 14 April 2006. Message-ID: <000601c667ec$a1ce9150$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Once again, my thanks to Larry Klaes for keeping me informed. He passed a notification of the death of Eberhardt Rechtin who passed away at the age of 80 on Friday, 14 April 2006. (See below) You can read the notices below but what I want, is for you to take the time to read and digest and ponder the Oral History Interview with Eberhardt Rechtin that is posted on the IEEE web site. ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories/transcripts/ rechtin.html Interviewee: Eberhardt Rechtin Interviewer: Frederick Nebeker Date: February 23, 1995 Copyright Statement This manuscript is being made available for research purposes only. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to the IEEE History Center. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of IEEE History Center. Request for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the IEEE History Center Oral History Program, Rutgers - the State University, 39 Union Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8538 USA. It should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Eberhardt Rechtin, Electrical Engineer, an oral history conducted in 1995 by Frederik Nebeker, IEEE History Center, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. ------------------------------------------------------------- After reading the above copyright notice I will probably get in trouble for including these few paragraphs but I really want you to read the interview. Then go remind those that are organizing our "To the Moon, Mars, and Beyond" quest to do some "architecting". - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Snip Nebeker: I remember Bill Baker telling me that I don't know this story well, but at some point Bell Labs was recognizing that what you are dealing with is a large system and that engineers have to be trained in taking in the big picture. Rechtin: That came about easily in World War II and maybe before because Boda could not have written his book on feedback systems unless they had a system concept, because it was not just an idea of "Put it in the front it comes out the other end." That was a new idea of feedback and the difference between positive and negative feedback. They had already run into problems of stability, because when they put in the wrong kind of feedback, the damn thing oscillated and blew up. So they had clearly seen that when you connected all these parts together, you could produce something. You could get rid of a lot of the problems on the forward link, particularly on the linearities, if you had a feedback loop. That led to control theory, which tended to branch away from the Bell System. It also led to switching theory, which is the core of the Bell System. That became obvious when they found out that there weren't enough telephone operators in the world to pick up all the number of connections they were going to have to make. In terms of where all of this came from, I made no claims at all that either systems or architecture were my inventions. When you put them together you then define the function of building architectures as architecting. I don't know if I would even call it that word but I was one of the first to use it consistently. I use "architecting" so that people focus on the process that an architect does. If I just use "architecture" it means too many different things, so I invented another word. Some people want to call it "architecturing" but that could be more complicated than we want. I wanted to focus on system architecting as a process. That also avoids another process as to who does it, because there is nothing that says a system engineer can't do architecting, and nothing says a system architect can't do systems engineering. If you are missing that function, then you have a problem. The Bell System didn't confront the problem too seriously because their whole basic architecture from the beginning was essentially the same. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- Because I am afraid you won't go read the whole interview, let me include a few more paragraphs and really get me in trouble. What do you do when you flunk a required course for your degree? What do you do when you are told you cannot communicate with a space probe that is going to go outside the Solar system? - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- Nebeker: This is a graduate course. Rechtin: This is a graduate barrier course to a Ph.D. I flunked it, absolutely cold out, and it was as I recall a three quarter course--you had three parts to it. Well, that meant no Ph.D., but Cal Tech always said one can have a second try at it and if one can get your average above the necessary C or whatever it was, well all right. Very few people ever made it the second time if they couldn't figure it out the first time. So I spent the summer going through every problem in Symthe's book. It got awfully tedious after a while and suddenly the light hit; I saw the key to the lock. I hadn't seen it before and nobody would tell you, least of all Smythe. For every one of his problems, and later I learned for a lot of the world's problems, there is a simple way of getting the answer and the standard way of getting the answer. The standard way takes a lot of time and a lot of grinding, and a lot of work. The simple way you get by sitting back and thinking, "Are there whole chunks of this problem that have already been solved?" For example, did some famous mathematician solve a certain kind of equation? Absolutely, and it is expressed in terms of Bessel functions. I didn't know that; I didn't know a Bessel function from a rock on the ground when I began this thing. Anyway, they are solutions to boundary conditions and if you express them in Bessel functions, they essentially work out what all the mathematical answers are. It suddenly occurred to me that all of these problems were all of the same type. Nebeker: So he designed these all to have a simpler way? Rechtin: There was always a simple way. His course consisted of a set of problems in an exam session where they were always four problems. If you solved them in the simple clear way that Smythe was aiming for, which he never told you, naturally, you could do the whole thing in maybe half or three quarters of an hour, well within the one hour time limit, with absolutely no problem. If you didn't you were lucky to get past two of them. Well, I had been struggling the hard way, not understanding what the message was. So I then went back and said, "I want to take the first semester over again and at the end of the first semester, I want to take the whole course by exam." Smythe thought, "This guy is a lunatic," because he told me so. Well, I took the semester and cracked it with a straight A. Then I went in to take the whole course by exam, and he looked a bit pitying me in the end, I guess. I sat down for as I recall, a four hour exam, a whole slew of problems. In about an hour and a half I finished them all and I walked into his office and said, "This is what I can do." He looked up thinking, "This guy has flunked." Well, he said he would look at it and looked at it and saw that they were all done. All of them were clean, perfect, straightforward, so I got an A for the course as a whole on top of that. That taught me a number of things. One of the things that I found out was that there are was that there are what I call the three line solutions. In many problems you can show what the proof is in just very few lines or a few points in logic worked carefully through. There is a clean, clear way of doing it. That had a profound influence on the rest of my life, which is the reason I told the story in detail. When I first went to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, I went there before I got my Ph.D. I was at JPL for the final year and that was because I was wiped out on my Ph.D. exam by Bell Labs solving my problem before I could solve it so I had to start all over again but that's a different story. Anyway, I went to JPL to work on problems of jamming, and anti-jamming of signals because the defense department was still very active. Even after the second world war, the Korean War started up. Nebeker: What sort of signals? Rechtin: These were primarily guide missile signals because JPL was working on guided missiles at the time. They were using radio guidance and they were concerned about these things being jammed. A group of us, including Saul Galan, who is now a professor at USC and a member of the National Academy. Eva Turby, a professor who went on to found a lot of companies, which have done very well, also worked in my group and went on to become a member of the National Academy. Dante Yula went to Brooklyn Poly Tech became a professor, member of the National Academy; Walt Victor who was essentially the chief engineer on the architectural things that we came up with, and the principal reason the deep space network and communications actually worked went on to become a member of the National Academy. Of the seven-person group I had at the time, six were members of the National Academy because of what we did. How did we start? We started out by thinking, "Well, we ought to do some self-learning here." One of the things that we had to learn about was Wiener's famous "yellow peril." That was a thesis-like thing which Norbert Wiener put together; it was called the "yellow peril" because it came out in a yellow-covered book. It was a proof of how you could extract the signal from noise essentially using spectral techniques. By spectral I mean you look at the spectrum of the signal that you anticipate and you look at the spectrum of the noise. You look at the two and you run through all the mathematics and integral equations and lots of complicated things. It will then show you what the transfer function of your box ought to be in order to get the most signal for the least noise. At least on statistical average. This "yellow peril" started out with the statement of the problem and started to go through forming an analysis. It went on and on. In the middle there was this elaborate integral equation. It kept going on and on and then at the end of the book it said QED. Well, what was it saying? The equation didn't look familiar to anybody; it was a strange-looking thing. Well, it turned out that in Pickering's course the one I mentioned on Gardener and Barnes, we had to learn the Laplace transforms. It suddenly occurred to me that all this stuff that Wiener had been going through was because of a property of the Fourier transforms which is very difficult to take into account. That is, the Fourier transform assumes that the signal has started at minus infinity and is going to plus infinity. All of the difficulties that Wiener had gone into were because of that characteristic. It occurred to me that maybe I could prove it in three lines with the Laplace transform. The Laplace has an interesting characteristic, a built-in damping function, so the assumption is by the time you get to infinity it will be negligibly small--complex variables will show you the same sort of thing. Well in three lines I showed not only how to get that integral equation but also how to state it in Fourier terms. I transformed it by complex algebra into a very simple algebraic thing that you could do. Then I realized it was true not only for a simple sine wave going through noise, which is what he had analyzed, but for any signal form in a closed loop control system. I could design control systems confronted with heavy noise, and no one knew how to do that when we started. We had to study Cromaire's book on statistics; we had to study all kinds of things just to make sure that we'd end up on some [unintelligible passage] But it led in turn to what people now call the phase locked loop. I showed the underlying theory of what a phase locked loop would be confronted with noise, and most importantly that was the best you could do. You could not do any better, there's a remarkable proof that we had but you had to state it in engineering terms that people could use and apply to any desired application. Why did that turn out to be important? Because later on in the career of JPL, we were confronted with the problem of communicating to the edge of the solar system. I was told by Nobel Prize winners that it would not be possible really to communicate to the edge of the solar system. If you could, you couldn't send back enough interesting information. You would have to have band widths of your receiving system wide enough to account for the Doppler shifts. If you did that you had to send megawatts of power back from enormous antennas at the edge of the solar system. Nobody knew how to do that with any finite wait; any worthwhile wait anyway. Well, I sat down and figured out, "Wait a minute. We could track the Doppler. There is no reason we have to have a band width equivalent to the maximum spread that you hear on the train going by." All you had to know was more or less where it started. The rest of it was controlled completely by simple mechanics because Newton's Laws were going to tell you what you were going to do and you could compute what the Doppler was going to be. The filter band width you needed was only enough to find out that single parameter. The amount of information in that single parameter as to what's the Doppler frequency is very small. The only way it can change in the gravitational field is through acceleration, which is another simple parameter to find. If you could find the position and the velocity and the acceleration, the total number of bits that you were looking for in finding the carrier signal was very small. So we built phase lock receiving systems which had the equivalent band width at ten gigahertz of ten cycles. That meant we had what was then called a Q of 108, unheard of at the ratio of bandwidth to the total signal. There is so such thing; there is no mechanical thick filter that you could build in a Q of that sort. That meant we could detect very small signals. As you know, it is about ten watts with a ten foot antenna at roughly ten billion miles that is picked up routinely. Given that, when the problems came up that NASA had, we came up first with the system called Microlock. I don't remember the military equivalent system, which was called Codorac. It included ranging, velocity, command and everything else. We found that you could determine where you were in the solar system relevant to the planets with extraordinary accuracy by using radio systems far better than you could with anything else. The precision with which you could near an outer planet was going to be within about a hundred miles at roughly ten billion and that was not going to be all that difficult to do. Now, nobody believed all this when we started but I knew what to do; I was the architect. I figured out that it was possible to do, and we began to demonstrate it. In due course, JPL wound up building the deep space network and we wound up determining all of the velocity position angular stuff for navigation in the solar system. We had worked out what kinds of commands you could send. We collaborated with MIT-Lincoln, my good friend Bill Davenport, working out how you treat different kinds of systems which are coded, using essentially some of Shannon's ideas, and with all of that we came up with a completely integrated coded phase lock system. It was a completely different architecture from anything I have ever seen before. Nebeker: When was this? Rechtin: That was 1957. We made proposals on how to do all this in the early part of 1958, and everything came up to the surface. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- Phase locked loops, solving in three lines, thinking the problem through, taking the time to do the "architecting", hope that makes sense. Enjoyed the read. - LRK - Thanks for looking up with me. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= LARRY KLAES passed this information on the death of Eberhardt Rechtin. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- >From: "Craig B. Waff" >Reply-To: History of Astronomy Discussion Group > >To: HASTRO-L at LISTSERV.WVU.EDU >Subject: [HASTRO-L] Eberhardt Rechtin >Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 17:09:02 +0000 > >Members of this list may be interested in learning of the sad news that >Eberhardt Rechtin, who in the late 1950s and early 1960s led the team >at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory that developed NASA's Deep Space >Network communications system for communicating with space probes, >passed away at the age of 80 on Friday, 14 April 2006. Rechtin was >also a director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, an >Assistant Secretary of Defense for telecommunications, chief engineer >at Hewlett Packard, chief executive officer of the Aerospace >Corporation, and a professor at the University of Southern California. >While conducting research for a history of the Deep Space Network, I >had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Rechtin several times. > >Obituaries written for the Los Angeles Times and the Pasadena Star-News >can be found online at > > http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-rechtin18apr18,1,1635196.story? coll=la-news-obituaries > > http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3725423 > > >Craig B. Waff >Historian, 89th Airlift Wing >Andrews AFB, Maryland ============================================================= http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2006/04/eberhardt_recht.html Eberhardt Rechtin Has Died Space trailblazer Rechtin dies, Pasadena Star News "Eberhardt Rechtin, a pioneer in deep space research and former assistant director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died Friday after a long illness. He was 80." http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3725423 ============================================================= http://www.legacy.com/Obituaries.asp?Page=APStory&Id=11040 >From the Associated Press Eberhardt Rechtin TORRANCE, California (AP) - Eberhardt Rechtin, an engineer who played a key role in the development of space technology during the Cold War, has died. He was 80. Rechtin died Friday at Torrance Memorial Hospital after lengthy battles with several illnesses, his family said in a statement. His technical accomplishments included the creation of the Deep Space Network, a system developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California that captures communications from distant planetary spacecraft. Although it may seem routine now to see photos from the surface of Mars, the network required the solution of huge technical problems in the 1960s. Not only were signals extraordinarily weak after traveling millions of miles (kilometers) through space, but they also had to be captured by a series of receiving stations as the Earth rotated. Ultimately, the network became a critical part of U.S. breakthroughs in planetary science. Rechtin also helped develop electronics systems for the nation's first space probe, Explorer, said Albert Wheelon, a close friend and fellow aerospace industry leader. "He felt his time in public service had been a privilege," Wheelon said. "There was never a careerist view of his work. He was a selfless person." Rechtin studied engineering at the California Institute of Technology during World War II and received a Ph.D. there in 1950. He worked at Jet Propulsion Laboratory until 1967, when he was named director of the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. One of his first decisions was to cancel a program to develop a mechanical elephant intended to fight in the jungles during the Vietnam War. He later was named an assistant secretary of Defense, helping to oversee defense intelligence operations. Copyright ? 2006 The Associated Press ============================================================= http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3725423 Article Launched: 4/19/2006 12:00 AM Space trailblazer Rechtin dies Pasadena Star-News LA CA?ADA FLINTRIDGE - Eberhardt Rechtin, a pioneer in deep space research and former assistant director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died Friday after a long illness. He was 80. In the early years of the United States space race with the Soviet Union, Rechtin was a key player in putting together JPL's Deep Space Network, which tracks objects in Earth's orbit and beyond. Rechtin helped create the Goldstone tracking dishes in the Mojave Desert, as well as similar projects in Australia and South Africa, responsible for providing the tracking, telemetry, and command for all space flight from the Ranger program onward. In 1967, Rechtin was named director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Department of Defense's laboratory for new technology. While at the DoD, Rechtin was also named principal deputy director of research and engineering, then assistant secretary of defense for telecommunications. In 1973, Rechtin left the DoD to become chief engineer of Hewlett-Packard Corp. After four years in the private sector, Rechtin became CEO of The Aerospace Corp., the El Segundo-based nonprofit corporation that provides engineering and architectural services for the Air Force's space program. During Rechtin's tenure, Aerospace placed the first GPS satellites in orbit, was involved in the Strategic Defense Initiative and was instrumental in testing the first anti-satellite weaponry. In that era, Aerospace sales nearly tripled, rising to $323 million in 1986 from $126 million in 1977. Under Rechtin, Aerospace also made major strides in advancing the roles of minority and women engineers. After he retired from Aerospace, Rechtin focused on engineering theory. He became a professor at USC, teaching graduate students the concept of systems involved in large-scale engineering projects. Rechtin's vision of systems architecting is now taught worldwide. He retired from USC in 1994 as professor emeritus. Rechtin authored several books: "Looking Ahead 1977-1987"; "Systems Architecting: The Creating and Building of Complex Systems"; "The Art of Systems Architecting" and "The Architecting of Organizations: Why Eagles Can't Swim." During his career, Rechtin was the recipient of numerous awards from professional organizations, including the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Radio Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (von Karman lectureship and Robert H. Goddard Award), the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Council on Systems Engineering, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (the Alexander Graham Bell Award), Department of Defense, the NASA medal for exceptional scientific achievement and a Caltech distinguished alumni award. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from USC in 2005. Rechtin received his B.S. with honors and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Caltech in 1946 and 1950, respectively. Born in Orange, N.J., Rechtin grew up in Palos Verdes and attended Redondo Union High School. Rechtin was an accomplished violinist, pianist and classical guitarist. An avid hiker, Rechtin enjoyed exploring the backcountry around Mammoth Lakes with his family. Rechtin is survived by his wife of 55 years, Deedee; their five children, Andrea Rechtin, Nina Meierding, Julie Rechtin, Erica Bauermeister and Mark Rechtin; four grandchildren; and his sister, Joan Lincoln. A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Sunday at The Neighborhood Church in Palos Verdes Estates. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made to the scholarship fund for graduate students at Caltech in honor of Eberhardt Rechtin. ============================================================= http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories/transcripts/ rechtin.html Interviewee: Eberhardt Rechtin Interviewer: Frederick Nebeker Date: February 23, 1995 Copyright Statement This manuscript is being made available for research purposes only. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to the IEEE History Center. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of IEEE History Center. Request for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the IEEE History Center Oral History Program, Rutgers - the State University, 39 Union Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8538 USA. It should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Eberhardt Rechtin, Electrical Engineer, an oral history conducted in 1995 by Frederik Nebeker, IEEE History Center, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. Snip [Please do read the above interview. - LRK -] ============================================================= http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/ IEEE History Center Preserving, Researching and Promoting the Legacy of Electrical Engineering and Computing ------------------------------------------------------------- Monday, 24 April, 2006. "MIT achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal, between Camps Parks, CA and Westford, MA, on this day in 1962." Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Tue Apr 25 13:39:23 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 10:39:23 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Former Test Pilot Scott Crossfield Killed in Plane Crash Message-ID: <004501c6688f$315c1c50$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Former Test Pilot Scott Crossfield Killed in Plane Crash Good day, Earlier this week there was on some of the space groups, talk about former test pilot Scott Crossfield being killed in a plane crash. He was 84 years young. David Baker in the UK sent me his thoughts about Scott and I have copied his note. (see later). - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.space.com/news/cs_060420_crossfield_obit.html Former Test Pilot Scott Crossfield Killed in Plane Crash By Robert Z. Pearlman posted: 20 April 2006 4:50 p.m. ET The first man to fly twice the speed of sound, Scott Crossfield was found dead today inside the wreckage of a single-engine plane he had been flying on Wednesday morning from Alabama to Virginia, authorities told the Associated Press. Crossfield's Cessna 210A was found by search crews in the mountains northwest of Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday after radio and radar contact was lost at 11:15 a.m. EDT (1515 GMT) the day before. There were thunderstorms reported in the area, though the cause of the crash was not immediately released. "Scott Crossfield was a pioneer and a legend in the world of test flight and space flight," said Mike Coats, Johnson Space Center Director. "The astronaut corps and all of NASA are deeply saddened by his death, but his legacy will be with us through the centuries." Crossfield, 84, made aeronautical history in 1953 when he reached a speed of more than 1,320 mph, or Mach 2, in a Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket research aircraft. Taken aloft by a Boeing P2B Superfortress (the Navy's designation of the B-29), Crossfield climbed to 72,000 feet before diving to 62,000 feet, becoming the first person to travel at more than twice the speed of sound, according to his NASA biography. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- Sometimes you wonder how individuals in our space program got there start. Often there is something early in their lives that helps to set one on a life path. One of the articles about Scott's life mentions that his first airplane flight was at the age of 6 and hooked him on aviation. Maybe you can look back in your life and remember someone or an event that helped shape your carrier. My dad, who will be 95 June 9th, taught Jr. High Industrial Arts classes for 41 years and I remember some of the summer arts and crafts classes he gave for kids. Some of his students are now teachers or working in cabinet shops, or architects. It is a nice warm feeling when you hear someone call out, "Hi Russ". When asked, "Who was that?" Oh I had him in class back in ... Then there was my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Peavy, that had us build crystal radio sets by wrapping wire on an oat meal carton and finding a hot spot on a galena crystal (lead sulfide) with a "cat's whisker" wire contact. http://www.techlib.com/electronics/crystal.html That extra 2% effort will often make a difference. One doesn't need to be a genius, just attack life with gusto. You know the look, when you see someone say, "Boy are we excited!" Reach out, and "Make It So." Thanks for looking up with me. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= I think we forget that individuals do make a difference and showing what some have done may help us find the same spirit in ourselves. Thanks David. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- >Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 2:09 AM >To: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net >Subject: Memorium Larry: I greatly enjoy your notes and read them avidly whenever I can. The good work in bringing to our notice the great contributions of Eberhardt Rechtin will, I am sure, absolve you of retribution from the great sword of copyright (far more terrifying than Damoclese)! I write to share thoughts about the life of the pioneering test pilot Scott Crossfield, a gentleman in every sense of the word who was a great influence in my early life just before I came from England to school in the US. Being a teenage lad in the 1950s with a great desire to fly and to "push the envelope" Scotty's activities, among many of that era, transformed these pilots into heroes - they WERE a very great stimulation to so many of us and role models which, dare I say it, were a breed non-existent today. Everything was so different then, anything seemed possible and achievable through exciting adventures on the new frontier of high speed, high altitude flight - all the way to space. But a diversion prevented wings making it to orbit for another 20 years or more, yet when the Shuttle took off in 1981, great machine as it was, it had the role more of a Mack truck than a thoroughbred high performer. Crossfield gave us lads that can-do spirit and when a persistent ear problem kept me from the hot seat I seized an opportunity to begin a ground career in the US at NASA that gave me great oppotunities for which I shall for ever be grateful. I remember Scotty saying that he was reluctant to "fly" the X-15 simulator because it would give him only theoretical feedback based on predictions about how this aircraft would fly - it was his job, he said, to write the formula for the simulator by flying the real thing first! What a difference to the approach today where experimental test flights occupy the centre, not the corner, of the envelope. Scotty was very aware of the need for us to embrace the young and not distance ourselves from them - they are, after all, the next generation to whose shoulders the mantle will pass. He was highly supportive of the aerospace teachers' program which resonates deeply with me after a lifetime in aerospace - I spend much time in that role for universities and colleges. Perhaps a quote direct from Scotty himself sys it all: "Each of us who strives toward the unattainable contributes to man's ever-growing reservoir of knowledge and fact. Each drop, however small, is vital for those who follow behind us. Without it man must inevitably atrophy. Thus, as Emerson says, Men walk as prophecies of the next Age." Let all of us keep looking up and drawing more to our line of sight. David Baker Cambridge, UK ============================================================= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Crossfield Snip On April 19, 2006, a Cessna 210 piloted by Crossfield was reported missing while flying from Prattville, Alabama to Herndon, Virginia. On April 20, authorities confirmed his body was found in the wreckage of his plane in a remote area of Gordon County, Georgia. There were severe thunderstorms in the area when air traffic monitors lost radio and radar contact with Crossfield's plane. While lightning itself poses a relatively minor risk to all-metal aircraft like Crossfield's, thunderstorms often contain turbulence severe enough to break an aircraft into pieces, as well as strong downdrafts, heavy rain, severe icing, and heavy hail. The Gordon County Sheriff's department reported that debris from Crossfield's aircraft was found in three different locations within a quarter mile, suggesting that the plane broke up while it was still in the air. Scott was returning from Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, where he had given a talk. He was survived by his wife of sixty years, Alice Crossfield; six children; and two grandchildren. Snip ============================================================= http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/Biographies/Pilots/bd-dfrc-p021.html Scott Crossfield A. Scott Crossfield former NASA Dryden Pilot Scott Crossfield joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA--the predecessor of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA) at its High Speed Flight Research Station, Edwards, Calif., as a research pilot in June, 1950. During the next five years, he flew the X-1, X-4, X-5, XF-92A, and D-558-I and -II aircraft, accumulating 87 rocket flights in the X-1 and D-558-II aircraft, plus 12 flights in the latter aircraft employing only jet power. He made aeronautical history on November 20, 1953, when he reached the aviation milestone of Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound) or more than 1,320 miles per hour in the D-558-II Skyrocket. Taken aloft in the supersonic, swept-wing research aircraft by a Boeing P2B Superfortress "mother ship" (the Navy designation of the B-29), he dropped clear of the bomber at 32,000 feet and climbed to 72,000 feet before diving to 62,000 feet where he became the first pilot to fly more than twice the speed of sound. His flight was part of a carefully planned program of flight research with the Skyrocket that featured incremental increases in speed while NACA instrumentation recorded the flight data at each increment. Snip ============================================================= http://www.sierrafoot.org/x-15/bios/crossfield.html A. Scott Crossfield First X-15 test pilot (for NAA) and major contributor to design and development in an engineering role. Prior to the X-15 program Scott Crossfield had substantial test flight experience in the Bell X-1 and the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket. It is possible that no other test pilot in aviation history has test flown as many aircraft that are now displayed in flight museums -- The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Milestones of Flight Gallery includes the #1 X-15 and the #2 Skyrocket, in which Crossfield became the first pilot to fly faster than Mach 2. He also flew the #2 Bell X-1, the sister ship of the #1 ("Glamorous Glennis"), which also hangs in the same gallery. Scott Crossfield's X-15 experience included 14 free flights, 2 captive carries, 14 aborts, and numerous ground tests. Ground tests included the ammonia tank explosion that blew apart the #3 X-15 during an XLR-99 test run prior to first flight of this engine. All of his flight test work was part of North American Aviation's initial test phase, which brought the X-15 to readiness for its official delivery to NASA and the Air Force. This provided more than an average share of high adventure as early problems with aircraft systems were ironed out. Although his role with North American Aviation precluded flying missions in the research program, Crossfield has said that he was very pleased to have been able to spend 9 years of his life with the X-15, from its conception to his last flight. His distinguished career in test flight and aeronautical engineering has been widely recognized. He was one of 6 test pilots who were the founding members of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), and his participation in that organization still continues. At his 80'th birthday, in 2001, Scott Crossfield was still flying 200 hours per year as a private pilot. His autobiography is the book Always Another Dawn, and the following references are but three of more than 1,000 citations on the web: Biography, at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/Biographies/Pilots/bd-dfrc-p021.html Biography, at Edwards AFB, Air Force Flight Test Center http://www.edwards.af.mil/history/docs_html/people/pilot_crossfield.html Awards -- AVweb's summary of Scott Crossfield's awards and recognitions http://www.avweb.com/news/profiles/182925-1.html Snip ============================================================= http://www.avweb.com/news/profiles/182924-1.html March 21, 2001 Scott Crossfield Scott Crossfield was the first pilot to fly the X-15. He was the first pilot to fly at Mach 2 and (unofficially) the first to fly at Mach 3 successfully. That was the ascent phase of a 60-year career that took him from general aviation through the Navy, Ike's military-industrial complex at NACA, the airline business at Eastern, manufacturing and research at North American and Hawker-Siddley, politics on the House Transportation committee, and back to general aviation as a Cessna 210 owner. With a list of awards and recognitions longer than a dry lake bed, Scott has been a lifelong advocate for aviation education, and just last week presented the 16th annual A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Teacher of the Year Award. In this month's Profile AVweb's Joe Godfrey talks with Scott about aeronautics, space, and general aviation: where we are, where we're going, and where we should be. By Joe Godfrey Scott CrossfieldA. Scott Crossfield was born October 2, 1921, in Berkeley, Calif. He took his first flight at age six in an oil company airplane, a flight that hooked him on aviation for life. During World War II he was a fighter pilot and fighter gunnery instructor in the U.S. Navy. In 1950, he joined NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and was a research pilot for the next five years at the High Speed Flight Research Station at Edwards, Calif. There he was the test pilot for numerous research aircraft, including the X-1, X-4, X-5, XF-92, the D-558-I, D-558-II, and on November 20, 1953 he became the first pilot to fly faster than Mach 2. He was also the first pilot to fly the X-15 and in 1960 became the first man to fly that aircraft (unofficially) at Mach 3. Author's note: Here's the story on the adjective: Exceeding Mach 3 was Joe Walker's assignment, but Scott admits to bumping Mach 3 while flying his own assignment a few days before Walker did it. Technically that violated Scott's contract, and, although the statute of limitations for that transgression is long passed, he believes the official record properly belongs to Walker, which is why he adds "unofficially." -JG Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. ============================================================= From larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net Thu Apr 27 17:54:13 2006 From: larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net (Larry Kellogg) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 14:54:13 -0700 Subject: [lunar-update] Moon, Mars, and Beyond - real or simulated - choices Message-ID: <001801c66a45$204ddfe0$6401a8c0@LRKLUNARUPDATE> Good day, Too many links, not enough time. Have mentioned the Orbiter Spaceflight Simulator before and haven't had the time to learn how to navigate a spaceship but maybe some of you or your potential astronauts would like to. A wealth of information is available. See some links below. Maybe you just want to be able to look down at the Moon and see what the terrain is like. There are thousands of images. Some links to some below. What is happening today and being pushed for tomorrow are some of the topics in the links from [Spaceref-daily] SpaceRef Newsletter - 27 April 2006. Included some of those links below as well. - LRK - Ross Tierney put two new images of the latest variants of the proposed launchers for the new program in the files section of the group of the "Inside_KSC" Yahoo group. Provided a link but may need to be a member to view. Larry Klaes provided a link to a fellow from Canada that has actually filmed Suitsat as it passed overhead! O.K., need to go study some Thai language as we are going there in June to see Sangad's relatives and where my money has been going. :-) Sawasdee.[sa wat dee] Hello - Goodbye http://www.sawasdee.com/ http://www.thai-language.com/ http://www.thai-language.com/id/196817 http://www.thai-language.com/id/589845 Thanks for looking up with me. Larry Kellogg Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/ BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/ RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml Newsltr.: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update ============================================================= http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/orbit.html Orbiter Spaceflight Simulator http://www.orbitersim.com ............................................................. http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/download/orbiter.pdf Orbiter User Manual 3.3 MB PDF file MFD = Multifunctional Display - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- https://sourceforge.net/projects/mscorbaddon/ Meadville Space Center (Orbiter Add-ons) ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.orbitersim.com/Forum/default.aspx Orbiter Spacelight Simulator Forums ............................................................. http://www.orbitersim.com/Forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=3064 Beginners guide to Orbiter - Tutorials ............................................................. http://www.orbitermars.co.uk/stdorbit.htm 'Standard Orbit, Mr Sulu' It's a pretty good bet that you've seen the Enterprise orbiting a planet in the Star Trek standard orbit. Of course, we can only really speculate why such an orbit was standard in Star Trek. Perhaps it's a good orbit for scanning planets, or avoiding being attacked by things on the surface. What we can be sure of is that Captain Kirk's standard orbit isn't actually a very good orbit from a navigation point of view. It's circular, but it's neither close to the planet nor far away. It's actually not the best orbit for doing anything. So what are the standard orbits for Orbiter? I'd say there were five standards. Why five? The reason is that different orbits are good for different things. Things that are easy in one orbit can be incredibly expensive in fuel in another. So doing the right thing in the right orbit can make the all the difference. Snip ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=219 Meadville Space Center Know the future through the past ............................................................. http://www.orbithangar.com/ http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2132 http://www.orbithangar.com/orbiter.php Orbit Hanger Mods Orbiter Downloads Orbiter is a free space flight simulator created by Martin Schweiger. You can find the official web site is at http://www.orbitersim.com . Listed below is a collection of old orbiter versions I am currently hosting. Only the base package and texture package is required. When upgrading a version, make sure you apply the patches in order! ............................................................. http://www.orbithangar.com/searchresults.php?category=Spacecraft&subcat=nasa Concepts&Submit=Search&OrbVer=default Search Results ============================================================= Go to the Slideshows - Mapping - and do a quick flight over the Moon. Then take your time with the Panoramic views. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/ Apollo Image Atlas Moon Rise Foreword Scanning and Processing Information Credits The Apollo Image Atlas can be accessed in the following ways: * Browse Image Catalog o 70mm Hasselblad o Mapping (Metric) o Panoramic http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/catalog/pan/ o Apollo Lunar Surface Closeup Camera (ALSCC) * Search o Search by Feature Name o Search by Coordinate * Slideshows o 70mm Hasselblad o Mapping (Metric) http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/slideshow/metric/ The Apollo Image Atlas is a comprehensive collection of Apollo-Saturn mission photography. Inluded are almost 25,000 lunar images, both from orbit and from the moon's surface, as well as photographs of the earth, astronauts and mission hardware. For questions or comments about this dataset please contact rpif at lpi.usra.edu. Please also visit the Lunar and Planetary Institute's companion lunar atlases: Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/ Consolidated Lunar Atlas of the Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/cla/ Ranger Photographs of the Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/ranger/ Snip ============================================================= Some links from [Spaceref-daily] SpaceRef Newsletter - 27 April 2006 - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- THE DAY IN SPACE __________________ In today's space news from SpaceRef: -- NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 26 April 2006 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=20425 -- NASA Space Station Status Report 26 April 2006 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=20431 "New supplies arrived at the International Space Station today as an unpiloted Russian cargo spacecraft linked up to the Zvezda Service Module. The ISS Progress 21 is filled with 2.5 tons of food, fuel and personal items for the station's Expedition 13 crew. Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams will open the hatch to the supply ship once leak checks are completed later today. The crew will begin unloading items Thursday." -- Mikulski Calls for Balanced Space Program, Increased Support for NASA http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19687 "NASA's role in promoting science has been ignored by this administration. NASA is absolutely crucial to the innovation economy and the innovation society. It is time for the administration to recognize both the cost and the benefits of a balanced space program," said Senator Mikulski. "A balanced space program is what made our nation the leader in space - it pushed the envelope of science and discovery, while spurring innovation." -- ESA SMART-1 maps Humorum edge - where Highlands and Mare mix http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=20424 "This sequence of images, taken by the advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, shows on area on the near side of the Moon, on the edge of the Mare Humorum basin. AMIE obtained these raw images on 13 January 2006 from a distance ranging between 1031 and 1107 kilometres from the surface, with a ground resolution between 93 and 100 metres per pixel." --IFPTE Urges Congress to Save NASA Science and Aeronautics http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19686 "IFPTE President Gregory Junemann outlined the union's requests to restore funding to these two programs back to the levels approved by Congress last year. Junemann also raised objections to NASA's new Workforce Strategy and the proposal to spend tens of millions of dollars implementing a RIF of up to 1,000 NASA civil servant scientists, engineers, and other staff. The brewing plan to support some of NASA's aeronautics expertise by farming it out to European interests was also addressed." -- Mini satellites rocketing to space station http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19700 "A Russian rocket launched Monday, April 24, is carrying the first of three small, spherical satellites developed at MIT to the International Space Station -- a major step toward building space-based robotic telescopes and other systems." -- Galaxies Don Mask of Stars in New NASA Spitzer Image http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19704 "A pair of dancing galaxies appears dressed for a cosmic masquerade in a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The infrared picture shows what looks like two icy blue eyes staring through an elaborate, swirling red mask. These "eyes" are actually the cores of two merging galaxies, called NGC 2207 and IC 2163, which recently met and began to twirl around each other." -- Pieces of NASA'S Next Mars Mission are Coming Together http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19702 "NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, the next mission to the surface of Mars, is beginning a new phase in preparation for a launch in August 2007. As part of this "assembly, test and launch operations" phase, Phoenix team members are beginning to add complex subsystems such as the flight computer, power systems and science instruments to the main structure of the spacecraft." Snip ============================================================= If you are not on the "inside_ksc" yahoo groups you might not be able to see this. That being the case, maybe you should be. :-) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inside_ksc/ - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- "R Tierney" I've put two new images of the latest variants of the proposed launchers for the new program in the files section of the group here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inside_ksc/files/ They are called CLV.jpg and CaLV.jpg In brief, NASA's current alterations are:- Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) AKA "The Stick" AKA "Ares-I": * 5-segment SRB with PBAN propellant * Interstage no longer to be lattice-structure, but closed * Interstage structure includes latteral thrusters for the roll program portion of the launch * 5.5m wide, much shorter Upper Stage * Upper Stage now powered by J-2X, a more powerful variant of the J-2 used during Apollo which is being put back into production * Fairing above the Upper Stage tapers to 5.0m to mount the CEV. * 5.0m diameter CEV Command and Service Modules * Total Lift Capacity to LEO (30x160nm, 28.5deg) ~ 24 tons. Cargo Launch Vehicle (CaLV) AKA "Ares-V": * 5-segment SRB with PBAN propellant * Core Vehicle diameter increased from 8.7m (External Tank diameter) to 10.0m (Saturn-V diameter) * Main Core Stage powered by 5 x RS-68 engines instead of SSME. * Main Core Stage capacity increased by ~40% over original CaLV spec * Upper/Earth Departure Stage (EDS) also 10m diameter * Upper/EDS to be powered by single J-2X engine * Payload fairing also 10m diameter (external) * Total Lift Capacity to LEO (30x160nm, 28.5deg) ~ 146.5 tons. Enjoy. Ross. Make sure to visit the Flagship website: http://www.insideksc.com Snip ============================================================= Thanks to Larry Klaes for info here. - LRK - ------------------------------------------------------------- A fellow from Canada has actually filmed Suitsat as it passed overhead! The quote from Spaceweather.com: REMEMBER SUITSAT? Three months ago, ISS astronauts hurled an old Russian spacesuit overboard. Amazingly, it is still orbiting Earth. On April 18th, Kevin Fetter videotaped "SuitSat" passing over his home in Brockville, Ontario, Canada: 1 MB movie. (The bright star in the movie is Vega.) Eventually, SuitSat will sink into Earth's atmosphere and disintegrate in spectacular style--a fireball--but not yet! The film is here: http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/swpod2006/27apr06/fetter.wmv Snip ============================================================= WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK ============================================================= This is the lunar-update at news.altair.com https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update This list is a moderated list. The moderator is Larry Kellogg (larry.kellogg at sbcglobal.net) Please send suggestions for postings directly to Larry. =============================================================