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Found at: gopher.quux.org:70/Archives/usenet-a-news/FA.space/82.02.18_ucbvax.6208_fa.space.txt

Aucbvax.6208
fa.space
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!space
Thu Feb 18 03:58:17 1982
SPACE Digest V2 #108
>From OTA@S1-A Thu Feb 18 03:27:49 1982
SPACE Digest                                      Volume 2 : Issue 108
Today's Topics:
		      Twisting of orbital platforms
			Lunar colony and SPS plan
		      Long article on isolation    
			     life from comets
		       Hauling cargo into orbit    
			    How 'bout a RING!
				Isolation
			 Delivering the goods... 
				 Re-Ring
		     More on upcoming L-5 conference
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: CARLF@MIT-AI
Date: 02/14/82 16:46:35
Subject: Twisting of orbital platforms
CARLF@MIT-AI 02/14/82 16:46:35 Re: Twisting of orbital platforms
To: Space-Enthusiasts at MIT-MC
	The idea of putting a weight out on a long boom
to stabilize a thing in orbit is correct. Fortunately,
it is not neccesary to have the counterweight be of comparable
mass to the thing you want to stabilize. What is neccesary 
is that it have a greater moment of inertia about the center of
gravity of the aggregate object. Thus the weight can be arbitrarily
small if placed far enough away. Indeed, a long thin rope 
might be the ideal thing to use as a counterweight.
				-- Carl
------------------------------
Date: 15 February 1982 03:59-EST
From: Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE MIT-MC AT>
Subject: Lunar colony and SPS plan
To: REM at MIT-MC
cc: SPACE at MIT-MC
The L-5 Society, using member talent including Dr. David
Criswell and other lunar experts, plus SUNSAT people, plus some
architects, plus human fctors types, will begin a "Project
Deadalus"-like design of a Lunar colony as part of the L-5 Space
Citizens conference at teh Hyatt Los Angeles Airport over weeken
of 2-4 April.
	We hope to get a practical and technically defensible
Lunar colony design we can do real cost analyses on.  Once we
have a design we can try to sell it; but unti you have a horse,
you have no horse race...
------------------------------
Date: 16 February 1982 03:48-EST
From: Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE MIT-MC AT>
Subject: Long article on isolation    
To: TAW at SU-AI
cc: SPACE at MIT-MC
	1. Although Antarctic experience has many points of
similarity to space colonizatin, and can profitably be studied,
there ARE differences.
	1.1 - A COLONY is not going to be so concerned with
"life back home."  Colonists are there to stay.
	1.2 Colonies are more likely tohave a nearly equal ratio
of sexes.
	1.3 Space colonies (and bases for that matter) wil have
excellent communications; not just radio, but access to
commercial tv, telephone lines, etc.  They will be able to get
the latest TV shows and such like.
	1.4 Colonists always have something to do: expanding the
base, digging new tunnels (on the Moon) etc.
	2. Space is not so actively hostile as Anarctica.
Hostile, certainly, in the sense that it is passively hostile
and you need special equipment to survive outside the domes; but
it doesn't come after you malevolently, which is the impression
many get of the big antarctic white...
INcidentlaly, Phil Chapman, President of L-5 Society, was an
Antarctic observer left alone or with one or two others for long
periods; this was for Australia before he became a naturalized
US citizen and went into the astronaut program.
------------------------------
Date: 16 February 1982 03:58-EST
From: Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE MIT-MC AT>
Subject: life from comets
To: mclure at SRI-UNIX
cc: SPACE at MIT-MC
Strange.  If the waters came from the comets, and the crust of
the earth, and leter life... then the waters and the firmament
were all mixed up in 100 billion comets until they got
themselves straightened out..
	Ye heavenly days, sound like the book of Genesis
(divided the waters which were under the firmament from the
waters which were above the firmament...)
	It also lets us SF writers have a good reason for
similar biochemistries on different planets, which is very convenient...
------------------------------
Date: 16 February 1982 04:04-EST
From: Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE MIT-MC AT>
Subject: Hauling cargo into orbit    
To: TAW at S1-A
cc: SPACE at MIT-MC
Just getting to some of my back mail.  Th eidea of using Shuttle
parts to come up with a new expendable kep tcropping up last
spring in the first Council meeting, and Hugh Davis (now of
Eagle Engineering, formerly of NASA Transportation Office)
worked up a strong briefing on it.  I am glad to see Boeing is
now seriously studying it.
	The Shuttle technologies are very advanced; the one
thing I have against Bruce Murray's notins of buying Titans is
why bother with 30-year-old propulsoin technology when you have
something a little more modern?
------------------------------
Date: 16 February 1982 04:10-EST
From: Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE MIT-MC AT>
Subject: How 'bout a RING!
To: HAGERTY at RUTGERS
cc: SPACE at MIT-MC
As iot happens, Bob Salkeld has a patent on a ring!  Tether SPS
or communications satellites in a full ring and overspin it; the
result is more stable than if it were simply orbiting, and makes
station keeping easier. Or so he and a couple of other Space
Council people tell me.
------------------------------
Date: 16 Feb 1982 1029-PST
From: Tom Wadlow <TAW AT S1-A>
Subject: Isolation
To:   space at MIT-MC  
One can imagine that while the home colony will suffer few of the
isolation problems of Antarctica, there will be smaller outposts
(mining stations in the Belt or on the moon) where the Antarctic
analogy will be applicable.  In addition, it is (unfortunately) 
likely that colonists will not be amongst the first to go.  The
first few outposts will probably be inhabited by people who signed
up with every intention of coming home at the end of their tours.
(where home will be, after a long tour in Luna City is an interesting
question.  Heinlein wrote a marvelous story about precisely that,
whose name I can't recall)
Communications are a very important point.  Space colonists will
be the first colonists in history that can leave home without ever
losing touch with the folks.  This could be very important in terms
of enticing new colonists.  (''You'd love free-fall, Mom.  We just 
saw this little place up by the spin axis that you and Dad could 
have for a song...'')
But all of these points aside, if you can show a few years in
an Artic/Antarctic research station on your resume, I certainly
don't think it would disqualify you for a job in space.  Rather
the opposite...
------------------------------
Date: 16 Feb 1982 1049-PST
From: Tom Wadlow <TAW AT S1-A>
Subject: Delivering the goods... 
To:   space at MIT-MC  
	Date: 16 February 1982 04:04-EST
	From: Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE MIT-MC AT>
	Subject: Hauling cargo into orbit    
	
		The Shuttle technologies are very advanced; the one
	thing I have against Bruce Murray's notins of buying Titans is
	why bother with 30-year-old propulsoin technology when you have
	something a little more modern?
	
Who was it that said ''Better is the enemy of Good Enough''???
Sorry, just couldn't resist that.  I agree with your comments above
entirely.  The problem with using Titans *to the exclusion of the 
SRB-X concepts* is that thirty year technology gap.  If, however,
we could develop SRB-X *and* turn some of the Titan boosters
into cargo ships (presumably as DOD decides to replace the siloed
ICBMs with fresh Titans, or new technology) then we would be winning
all around.  The more launch capacity we have, the better.  
The nice thing about SRB class ships is that you are using the same
technology all up and down the line.  No more of this custom rocket
jazz.  Replaceable, reusable and mass produceable want to be the
design philosophy of spacecraft.  But I would hate to see all those
lovely Titans go the way of the Saturn 5 sitting on the Kennedy Space
Center lawn (When you think of all the millions of man-hours that 
went into producing a flyable bird, only to have it become the world's
most expensive lawn ornament..... weep for Congress, they know not
what they have done.)
------------------------------
Date: 16 Feb 1982 2146-EST
From: HAGERTY at RUTGERS
Subject: Re-Ring
To: space at MIT-MC
Well, at last, for a change, someone agrees with me.  I originally
applied the ring idea when someone mentioned crowding around the
equator with sattelites.  Since then, REM and I have exchanged a
couple of thoughts on the matter (COSMOS Ringed Planet...)- he feels
that it would not be practical around a star for energy capturing
reasons.  Ok, so there is some risk that a RING of people on earth
would be smashed...but as a port/repair/production 'center' it would
be most practical. Then again, I am no expert-just a dreamer.
/Greg:
-------
------------------------------
Date: 17 Feb 82 1:33-PDT
From: mclure at SRI-UNIX
To: space at mc, sf-lovers at ai
CC: geoff at csl
Subject: More on upcoming L-5 conference
>From Pournelle:
L-5 CONFERENCE   2-4 april 1982  Los Angeles AIRPORT HYATT
THEME: Citizens in space; space development.
GUESTS OF HONOR: Robert A. Heinlein, author
		 Fred Haise, VP Grumman (Apollo 13 Commander)
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:  Hans Mark, Deputy Director NASA
Honored Guest: Representative Newt Gingrich
Workshop to design lunar colony; space suit design; strategy and
tactics of space politics; propulsion; asteroid mines.  Most
members of Citizens Advisory Council an Natonal Space Policy
will attend.
Membership: General, $35 ($25 L-5 or AAS members); Banquet $25
Professoinal Membership (includes banquet) $75
	Professional membership includes reception for guests of
honor etc. Friday evening.  There will be an open party for all
members Saturday night (poolside,  weather permitting).
	Intention is to mix enthusiasts and professionals and
politicians and citizens and everyone try to learn from the
others. 
------------------------------
End of SPACE Digest
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