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Archive-name: space/intro
Last-modified: $Date: 96/09/17 15:40:26 $ See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
Compilation copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by Jonathan P. Leech. This
document may be redistributed in its complete and unmodified form. Other
use requires written permission of the author.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON SCI.SPACE.*/SCI.ASTRO
INTRODUCTION
This is the long FAQ for the sci.space hierarchy. It will soon be split
across the newly created sci.space.{tech,science,policy} groups, but for
now, it's being posted to all of them. The sci.space.tech moderator posts a
more frequent short FAQ with concise answers; this is the place to go for
more detail and references.
If you have corrections or answers to other frequently asked questions
that you would like included in this posting, send email to [email protected]
(Jon Leech).
If you don't want to see the FAQ, add 'Frequently Asked Questions' to
your KILL file for this group (if you're not reading this with a newsreader
that can kill articles by subject, you're out of luck).
The current hypertext version of the FAQ is at
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/space/top.html
The current FTP version is at
ftp://ftp.cs.unc.edu/pub/users/leech/FAQ/
Corrections and good summaries are welcome in place of the answers given
here. The point of this is to circulate existing information, and avoid
rehashing old answers. Better to build on top than start again. Nothing more
depressing than rehashing old topics for the 100th time. References are
provided because they give more complete information than any short
generalization.
Questions fall into three basic types:
1) Where do I find some general information about space?
Try your local public library first - and try browsing the Web, starting
with some of the many pages referred to in this FAQ. Enormous amounts of
information are online, and there's more being added constantly. If you
can't find an answer to your query after putting in some research time
of your own, post a question - but make it clear that you've done your
homework first. Usenet provides a forum for discussion, not a reference
library.
2) I have an idea which would improve space flight?
Hope you aren't surprised, but 9,999 out of 10,000 have usually been
thought of before. Again, contact a direct individual source for
evaluation. NASA fields thousands of these each day.
3) Miscellanous queries.
These are addressed on a case-by-case basis in the following series of
FAQ postings.
SUGGESTIONS FOR BETTER NETIQUETTE
Read news.announce.newusers if you're on Usenet.
Minimize cross references, [Do you REALLY NEED to?]
Edit "Subject:" lines, especially if you're taking a tangent.
Send mail instead, avoid posting follow ups. (1 mail message worth
100 posts).
Internet mail readers: send requests to add/drop to SPACE-REQUEST
not SPACE.
Read all available articles before posting a follow-up. (Check all
references.)
Cut down attributed articles (leave only the points you're
responding to; remove signatures and headers). Summarize!
Put a return address in the body (signature) of your message (mail
or article), state your institution, etc. Don't assume the
'reply' function of mailers will work.
Use absolute dates. Post in a timely way. Don't post what everyone
will get on TV anyway.
Some editors and window systems do character count line wrapping and
some do not. Keep lines under 70 characters for those using ASCII
terminals, to allow quoting of responses, and end lines with hard
carriage returns.
INDEX TO LINKED POSTINGS
I've attempted to break the postings up into related areas. There isn't
a keyword index yet; the following lists the major subject areas in each
posting. Only those containing astronomy-related material are posted to
sci.astro (indicated by '*' following the posting number).
# Contents
1* Introduction
(See "space/intro")
Suggestions for better netiquette
Index to linked postings
Notes on addresses, phone numbers, etc.
Contributors
2* Network resources
(See "space/net")
Overview
Mailing lists
Periodically updated information
Warning about non-public networks
3* Online (and some offline) sources of images, data, etc.
(See "space/data")
Introduction
Viewing Images
Online Archives
Center for Advanced Space Studies
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)
Infrared Processing & Analysis Center
NASA Ames
NASA Astrophysics Data System
NASA Directory of WAIS Servers
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (Mission Information and Images)
NASA Johnson Space Center (Manned Space Images)
NASA Langley (Technical Reports)
NASA Spacelink
National Space Science Data Center
Space Telescope Science Institute Electronic Info. Service
Starcat
Astronomical Databases
Astronomy Programs
Orbital Element Sets
SPACE Digest Archives
World-Wide-Web (WWW)
GeoSphere Project (full Earth image)
Landsat & NASA Photos
Planetary Maps
Solar System Tours
Cometary / Minor Planet Orbital Data
4* Performing calculations and interpreting data formats
(See "space/math")
Constants and equations for calculations
Computing spacecraft orbits and trajectories
Computing planetary positions
Computing crater diameters from Earth-impacting asteroids
Map projections and spherical trignometry
Performing N-body simulations efficiently
Interpreting the FITS image format
Sky (Unix ephemeris program)
Nearby star/galaxy coordinates
5* References on specific areas
(See "space/references")
Publishers of space/astronomy material
Careers in the space industry
SL-9 Comet/Jupiter Impact
DC-X single-stage to orbit (SSTO) program
How to name a star after a person
LLNL "great exploration"
Lunar Prospector
Lunar science and activities
Mars Direct / Lunar Direct
Orbiting Earth satellite histories
Spacecraft models
Rocket propulsion
Spacecraft design
Esoteric propulsion schemes (solar sails, lasers, fusion...)
Spy satellites
Space capsule locations
Space shuttle computer systems
SETI computation (signal processing)
Amateur satellies & weather satellites
Tides
Astronomical Mnemonics
6 Contacting NASA, ESA, space agencies/companies, and individual
astronauts
(See "space/addresses")
NASA Centers / Arianespace / CSA / CNES / DARA / ESA / ISAS /
NASDA / NPO Energia / RSA / Soyuzkarta / Space Camp / Space
Commerce Corporation / Spacehab / SPOT Image
Other commercial space businesses
Astronauts
7 Space shuttle answers, launch schedules, TV coverage
(See "space/schedule")
Shuttle launchings and landings; schedules and how to see them
Why does the shuttle roll just after liftoff?
How to receive the NASA TV channel, NASA SELECT
Amateur radio frequencies for shuttle missions
Solid Rocket Booster fuel composition
8 Planetary probes - Historical Missions
(See "space/probe")
US planetary missions
Mariner (Venus, Mars, & Mercury flybys and orbiters)
Pioneer (Moon, Sun, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn flybys and orbiters)
Ranger (Lunar lander and impact missions)
Lunar Orbiter (Lunar surface photography)
Surveyor (Lunar soft landers)
Viking (Mars orbiters and landers)
Voyager (Outer planet flybys)
Soviet planetary missions
Soviet Lunar probes
Soviet Venus probes
Soviet Mars probes
European planetary missions
Japanese planetary missions
Planetary mission references
9 Upcoming planetary probes - missions and schedules
(See "space/new_probes")
ASCA
Cassini
Clementine
Galileo
Hiten
Magellan
Mars Observer
TOPEX/Poseidon
Ulysses
Other space science missions
Proposed missions
10 Controversial questions
(See "space/controversy")
Space shuttle mission costs
What happened to the Saturn V plans
Why data from space missions isn't immediately available
Risks of nuclear (RTG) power sources for space probes
Impact of the space shuttle on the ozone layer
How long can a human live unprotected in space
How the Challenger astronauts died
Using the shuttle beyond Low Earth Orbit
The "Face on Mars"
11 Space activist/interest/research groups and space publications
(See "space/groups")
Network Groups and Resources
Groups
Publications
Undocumented Groups
12 How to become an astronaut
(See "space/astronaut")
13 Orbital and Planetary Launch Services
(See "space/launchers")
NOTES ON ADDRESSES, PHONE NUMBERS, ETC.
Unless otherwise specified, telephone numbers, addresses, and so on are
for the United States of America. Non-US readers should remember to add
the country code for telephone calls, etc.
CREDITS
Eugene Miya (then under the authority of the Computer Systems Division,
NASA Ames Research Center) started a series of linked FAQ postings some
years ago which inspired (and was largely absorbed into) this set.
Peter Yee and Ron Baalke have and continue to spend a lot of their own
time setting up the SPACE archives at NASA Ames and forwarding official
NASA announcements.
Many other people have contributed material to this list in the form of
old postings to sci.space and sci.astro which I've edited. Please let me
know if corrections need to be made. Major contributors I've managed to
keep track of are:
[email protected] (Steven Fisk) - publication refs.
[email protected] (Richard Akerman) - crater diameters
[email protected] (Lisa Weigel) - SEDS info
[email protected] (Srinivas Bettadpur) - tides
[email protected] (Alan Wm Paeth) - map projections
[email protected] (Ron Baalke) - planetary probe schedules
[email protected] (Timothy Banks) - map projections,
variable star analysis archive
[email protected] (Ben Huset) - AAS info
[email protected] (Bill Arnett) - solar system tour URLs
[email protected] (Bobby Weaver) - commercial space resources
periodic posting, miscellaneous info on space publishers,
publications, and other refs.
[email protected] (Bernie Rosen) - Space Camp
[email protected] (Bruce Dunn) - propulsion refs.
[email protected] (Barry Schlesinger) - FITS format
[email protected] (Craig E. Ward) - space group contact info
[email protected] (Tom Chapin) - planetary positions
[email protected] (D. Alan Cunningham) - NASA Spacelink
[email protected] (Cliff Yamamoto) - orbital elements
[email protected] (Anthony Datri) - PDS/VICAR viewing software
[email protected] (Dave Rickel) - orbit formulae
[email protected] (Phil Fraering) - propulsion
[email protected] (Dani Eder) - Saturn V plans, SRBs
[email protected] (Eugene N. Miya) - introduction,
NASA contact info, started FAQ postings
[email protected] (Francis Reddy) - map projections
[email protected] (Patrick M. French) - space group contact info
[email protected] (Gary Morris) - amateur radio info
[email protected] (Terry Gaetz) - N-body calculations,
orbital dynamics
[email protected] (Geoffrey A. Landis) - survival in vacuum, AAS &
Artemis Society info
[email protected] (George F. McQuary) - nearby star refs
[email protected] (Steve Grandi) - planetary positions
greer%utd201.dnet%[email protected] (Dale M. Greer) - constants
[email protected] (Greg Bollendonk) - space model catalog
[email protected] (Henry Spencer) - survival in vacuum,
astronaut how-to, Challenger disaster, publication refs, DC-X
[email protected] (William Higgins) - RTGs, publishers, shuttle
landings, spysats, propulsion, "Face on Mars", and general
assistance with FAQ upkeep.
[email protected] (Andrew Higgins) - gun launcher refs.
[email protected] (Hal Mueller) - map projections,
orbital dynamics
[email protected] (Josh Hopkins) - launch services
[email protected] (Jim Bowery) - propulsion, launch services
[email protected] (James N. Head) - atmospheric scale heights
[email protected] (Jim Scotti) - planetary positions
[email protected] (Kieran A. Carroll)- refs for spacecraft design
[email protected] (Kenneth Ng) - RTGs
[email protected] (Ken Jenks) - shuttle roll manuever
[email protected] (Larry Klaes) - planetary probe history
[email protected] (Jon Leech) - crater diameters
[email protected] (Lou Adornato) - orbital dynamics
[email protected] (Maury Markowitz) - propulsion
[email protected] (Erik Max Francis) - equations
[email protected] (Joe Mazzarella) - IPAC
[email protected] - N-body calculations
[email protected] (Marc Wayne Mcconley) - space careers
[email protected] (Mark Brader) - Mariner 1 info.
[email protected] (Mark Maimone) - SPACE Digest
[email protected] (Nick Watkins) - models, spysat refs
[email protected] (Olivier R. Hainaut) - publishers, STARCAT
[email protected] (Graham O'Neil) - Lunar Prospector
[email protected] (Kenneth W Durham) - cometary orbits, IAU
[email protected] (Paul Blase) - propulsion
[email protected] (Pete Banholzer) - Clementine
[email protected] (Peter Scott) - RTGs
[email protected] (Paul W. Schleck) - AMSAT, ARRL contact info
[email protected] (Paul Tarr) - Shuttle computer refs
[email protected] (Rodney Brown) - propulsion refs
[email protected] (Ran Atkinson) - FTPable astro. programs
[email protected] (R. Michael Jungclas)- models
[email protected] (Richard Osborne) - UK-SEDS
[email protected] (David Seal) - Cassini mission schedule
[email protected] (Mary Shafer) - photos, shuttle landings
[email protected] (Allen W. Sherzer) - Great Exploration
[email protected] (Willie Smith) - photos
[email protected] (Stephen Dixon) - shuttle audio frequencies
[email protected] (Ray Sterner) - planetary positions
[email protected] (Phil Stooke) - planetary maps
[email protected] (Ted Anderson) - propulsion
[email protected] (Terry Hancock) - NASA center info
[email protected] (Bill Thorson) - FITS info
[email protected] (Todd L. Masco) - SPACE Digest
[email protected] (Tom Horsley) - refs for algorithms
[email protected] (Veikko Makela) - orbital element sets
[email protected] (Wales Larrison) - groups & publications
[email protected] (Wayne Hayes) - constants
[email protected] (Matthew P Wiener) - Voyager history
[email protected] (Yoshiro Yamada) - ISAS/NASDA missions
[email protected] (Peter Yee) - AMES archive server,
propulsion
In Net memoriam:
Ted Flinn
NEXT: FAQ #2/13 - Network Resources
User Contributions:
[ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ]
Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: [email protected] (Jon Leech)
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:12 PM
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