🚀 go-pugleaf

[A correction:  despite the comments in AW&ST, folks from both Fermilab
and CERN have pointed out that Fermilab currently holds the record as
the world's biggest antimatter source.  Not that that's such a massive
distinction, mind you:  if all the antiprotons produced to date were
combined with positrons to make antihydrogen, there would be roughly
enough to fill an anti-ping-pong ball at one atmosphere.  (My thanks to
a friend at CERN for this information.)]

India asks France for technological assistance in launch-vehicle
development, specifically nozzle design, cryogenic propulsion, and
clustering of liquid engines.  [Fat chance.]

First Delta 2 launch successful Feb 14.

NASA is upset about a coming personnel crisis:  70% of its senior
managers are eligible for retirement within two years, and many of
them are expected to leave.  Fletcher says the situation is "desperate".
(AW&ST's editorial this week inquires why this problem took Fletcher
et al by surprise, given that it's been obvious since the hiring freezes
in the 1970s that there would be few middle-aged managers to replace the
old ones.)  NASA is considering ideas ranging up to turning several of
the NASA centers into contractor-run facilities.  The problem is that
NASA cannot afford to pay enough to keep its managers or hire people
with equivalent experience.  There has also been an unusually high
number of resignations among newly-hired managers of late.  [To be
blunt, if NASA forgets silly ideas like privatizing some of the centers
and just tries to muddle through, this could be the best thing that's
happened to it in a long time.  NASA's supervisor:worker ratio today is
much too high, twice what it was during Apollo.  Putting some of the
relatively young and inexperienced people in positions of responsibility
might be just what's needed to get things moving again.]

Florida governor asks state legislature to set up a Spaceport Authority
to establish commercial launch facilities at the Cape (preferably using
some existing mothballed pads) and a sounding-rocket range on property
owned by Eglin AFB.  The Bush Administration supports the idea in general.
Many people doubt that there is enough long-term demand to justify such
a project, though.

Arianespace signs contracts for the production batch of 50 Ariane 4s.
The bulk buy is expected to cut costs by about 20%.

Article on preparations for the first Titan 4 launch, which will carry
an upgraded-version Defense Support Program early-warning satellite.
The infrared telescope is expected to return useful intelligence data
as well; the latest upgraded version is known to be capable of
tracking aircraft if they are using afterburners.  Among other minor
improvements, this DSP version has computer and software improvements to
manage its own systems and station-keeping if cut off from ground command.
The next one, to go up on the shuttle next year, will add a laser
communications system which will link it to other DSP satellites,
allowing "sideways" data relay to circumvent jamming.  There is a faction
which wants to continue upgrading the DSP series rather than replacing
it with the SDI-developed BSTS system.  An interesting set of photos
comparing successive generations of DSP birds, with successively more
elaborate sensors and bigger solar arrays.

Navy begins construction of four Lightsats for launch this fall, pulling
ahead of the USAF (which fought the concept for a while).  The first
three, carrying various experimental packages, will go up together on
a Scout (probably).  The fourth, carrying an experimental system to
locate sources of radio interference, is almost finished but does not
have a definite launcher yet:  Scout and Pegasus are possibilities.
[Smells like they want to use Pegasus but don't want to say so until
it flies successfully.]  These are basically R&D missions, although
they may have some operational utility if they work well.  The official
position right now is that these are "niche" spacecraft that cannot
replace the big expensive ones.  [That may change if they work well.]

NRC report says SDI beam-weapon work implicitly assumes availability
of advanced space power sources, on which little work is being done.
One significant issue, for example, is whether exhaust and vibration
from chemical systems make them unacceptable; only analytical studies
have been done on this, with inconclusive results, and the space
experiments that would settle the question are several years off and
have low priority.

USAF building special single-point suspension facility to study the
control dynamics of large lightweight space structures.

Pratt&Whitney offers various upgrades for the RL10 engine to Centaur
customers; business is booming.  Some of the upgrades are derived
from work done on the late, lamented Shuttle-Centaur program.

Study commissioned by Comsat Corp. shows satellites holding their own
against fiber-optic cables for the near future.
-- 
Welcome to Mars!  Your         |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
passport and visa, comrade?    | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu