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sci.space FAQ - Introduction
Archive-name: space/intro
Last-modified: $Date: 92/09/02 14:48:13 $
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON SCI.SPACE/SCI.ASTRO
INTRODUCTION
This series of linked messages is periodically posted to the Usenet
groups sci.space and sci.astro in an attempt to provide good answers to
frequently asked questions and other reference material which is worth
preserving. 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 FAQ volume is excessive right now and will hopefully be trimmed down
by rewriting and condensing over time. The FAQ postings are available in
the Ames SPACE archive in FAQ/faq<#>.
Good summaries will be accepted 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 information about space?
Try your local public library first. The net is not a good place to ask
for general information. Ask INDIVIDUALS (by email) if you must. There
are other sources, use them, too. The net is a place for open ended
discussion.
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:
keep lines under 80 characters for those using ASCII terminals
(use 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
Suggestions for better netiquette
Index to linked postings
Notes on addresses, phone numbers, etc.
Contributors
2* Network resources
Overview
Mailing lists
Periodically updated information
Warning about non-public networks
3* Online (and some offline) sources of images, data, etc.
Introduction
Viewing Images
Online Archives
NASA Ames
NASA Spacelink
National Space Science Data Center
Space And Planetary Image Facility
Space Telescope Science Institute Electronic Info. Service
Astronomical Databases
Astronomy Programs
Orbital Element Sets
SPACE Digest
Landsat & NASA Photos
Planetary Maps
Cometary Orbits
4* Performing calculations and interpreting data formats
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)
Three-dimensional star/galaxy coordinates
5* References on specific areas
Publishers of space/astronomy material
Careers in the space industry
DC-X single-stage to orbit (SSTO) program
LLNL "great exploration"
Lunar science and activities
Spacecraft models
Rocket propulsion
Spacecraft design
Esoteric propulsion schemes (solar sails, lasers, fusion...)
Spy satellites
Space shuttle computer systems
SETI computation (signal processing)
Amateur satellies & weather satellites
Tides
6* Constants and equations for calculations
7* Astronomical Mnemonics
8 Contacting NASA, ESA, and other space agencies/companies
NASA Centers / Arianespace / ESA / NASDA / Soyuzkarta / Space
Camp / Space Commerce Corporation / Spacehab / SPOT Image
Other commercial space businesses
9 Space shuttle answers, launch schedules, TV coverage
Shuttle launchings and landings; schedules and how to see them
How to receive the NASA TV channel, NASA SELECT
Dial-A-Shuttle and how to use it
Amateur radio frequencies for shuttle missions
Solid Rocket Booster fuel composition
10 Planetary probes - Historical Missions
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
Japanese planetary missions
Planetary mission references
11 Upcoming planetary probes - missions and schedules
Galileo
Mars Observer
CRAF
Cassini
Other space science missions
12 Controversial questions
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
Using the shuttle beyond Low Earth Orbit
The "Face on Mars"
13 Space activist/interest/research groups and space publications
Groups
Publications
Undocumented Groups
14 How to become an astronaut
15 Orbital and Planetary Launch Services
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 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. Contributors I've managed to keep
track of are:
[email protected] (Francis Reddy) - map projections
[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] (Allen W. Sherzer) - Great Exploration
[email protected] (Ron Baalke) - planetary probe schedules
[email protected] (Timothy Banks) - map projections,
variable star analysis archive
[email protected] (Bernie Rosen) - Space Camp
[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] (Gary Morris) - amateur radio info
[email protected] (Terry Gaetz) - N-body calculations,
orbital dynamics
[email protected] (Steve Grandi) - planetary positions
greer%utd201.dnet%[email protected] (Dale M. Greer) - constants
[email protected] (Henry Spencer) - survival in vacuum,
astronaut how-to, publication refs, DC-X
[email protected] (William Higgins) - RTGs, publishers,
shuttle landings, spysats, propulsion, "Face on Mars"
[email protected] (Hal Mueller) - map projections,
orbital dynamics
[email protected] (Jim Bowery) - propulsion, launch services
[email protected] (Jim Scotti) - planetary positions
[email protected] (Kieran A. Carroll)- refs for spacecraft design
[email protected] (Kenneth Ng) - RTGs
[email protected] (Larry Klaes) - planetary probe history
[email protected] (Jon Leech) - crater diameters
lfa@vielle.cray.com (Lou Adornato) - orbital dynamics
maury.markowitz@egsgate.fidonet.org (Maury Markowitz) - propulsion
[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] (Dr. Nick Watkins) - models, spysats
[email protected] (Colby Kraybill) - SPIF data archive
[email protected] (Kenneth W Durham) - cometary orbits, IAU
[email protected] (Paul Blase) - propulsion
[email protected] (Peter Scott) - RTGs
[email protected] (Paul W. Schleck) - AMSAT, ARRL contact info
[email protected] (Rodney Brown) - propulsion refs
[email protected] (Ran Atkinson) - FTPable astro. programs
[email protected] (R. Michael Jungclas)- models
[email protected] (David Seal) - Cassini mission schedule
[email protected] (Mary Shafer) - photos, shuttle landings
[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].edu (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] (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 #2/15 - Network Resources
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