L5 News, April 1978
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
L-5 NEWS A PUBLICATION OF THE L-5 SOCIETY VOL. 3 NUMBER 4 APRIL 1978 Carolyn Henson, Editor Membership Services: Marc Boone Jolene Aronson In this issue: Janet Tarney 1 Sunsat Energy Council Formed William Weigle Administrative Services 2 Jimmy C. Will Increase NASA’s Budget If Good Friend Jerry B. Will Take Permanent Space Walk. Board of Directors: Isaac Asimov Barry Goldwater, Sr. High Frontier Bill Introduced Robert A. Heinlein Gordon R. Woodcock 3 Convair to Design System For Space Orbit Assembly Barbara Marx Hubbard Konrad K. Dannenberg UN Committee Discusses Space Issues Hon. Edward R. Finch, Jr. James E. Oberg Tethered Satellite to be Studied Leonard David J. Peter Vajk Jack D. Salmon Art Form for Space? Phillip Parker David M. Fradin 4 Shuttle Update Romualdas Sviedrys Keith Henson 5 So You Want to be an Astronaut? Carolyn Henson William Weigle Astronaut Candidates Selected Mark Hopkins Norie Huddle Magoroh Maruyama 6 Be Your Own Astronaut Space entrepreneur Paul Siegler reports on a Harlan Smith daring plan by Robert Truax to lob people into space. Carol Motts 7 Space Mines, Space Law, and the Third World by Eric Drexler 8 Russia’s Bios-3 Mini-Colony by Phill Parker Publication office: the L-5 Society, 9 Compliments and Caveats T.A. Heppenheimer comments on the 1060 E. Elm, Tucson, Arizona Salut-6 space station. 85719. Published monthly. Subscription: $12.00 per year, Salyut-6 Facts & Figures by James E. Oberg included in dues ($20.00 per year, students $15.00 per year). Second class postage paid at Tucson, 12 OTRAG News Arizona and additional offices. Copyright ©1978 by the L-5 14 Bibliography Update Society. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written consent of the L-5 Society. 16 Conferences The opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect 17 Inside the L-5 Society the policy of the L-5 Society. Membership Services: L-5 Society, 1620 N. Park Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85719. Telephone: 602/622-6351. Change of address notices, undeliverable Front Cover: Interior view of a Bernal Sphere space colony one mile in diameter copies, orders for subscriptions, and housing ten thousand people. A detail of this picture is shown in The High other mail items are to be sent to: Frontier, by G.K. O’Neill, paperback, Bantam Books, 1978. (Art work courtesy L-5 Society Don Davis.) Membership Services 1620 N. Park Tucson, AZ 85719 Sunsat Energy Council Formed Peter Glaser, shown standing, at the first organizational meeting of the Sunsat Energy Council Dec. 7, 1977. Glaser, founder of the Council, is the originator of the solar power satellite concept and a Vice President of Arthur D. Little, Inc. Representatives of 42 major American energy and aerospace companies joined in power plants orbiting in space. This studies show that by generating electricity Washington, D.C. April 6 to announce electricity would be sent back to earth for in space, where sunlight is strong and formation of the “Sunsat Energy use in homes and factories. Each of the continuous, enough energy could be Council,” a group promoting production satellite designs now under study by NASA provided to reduce U.S. dependence on of electric power from solar energy as a could supply enough electricity to run a imported oil and allow continued econ- long term solution to U.S. energy city the size of New York. “Solar electric omic growth.” problems. power would be clean and inexpensive,” Studies by Boeing and Arthur D. Little According to the council, electricity says Art Dula, aerospace lawyer and Sunsat suggest that the first commercial satellite would be produced from sunlight by large member, “both industry and government could be in operation as early as 1995. 1 Jimmy C. Will Increase NASA’s Budget If Good Friend Jerry B. Will Take Permanent Space Walk ©1977 New Times magazine Jimmy Carter, who as late as the last presidential election was known as a High Frontier master’ of political symbolism, has not escaped the cosmical message of the man with an even more perfect grasp -- the Bill Introduced 39-year-old perfect master of political symbolism, Jerry Brown. Brown’s most Senator Harrison A. Williams, Jr. (D- recent display came in his flashy support NJ) has introduced a bill which calls for a 2 for American space initiatives -- support year, $1 million study on solar power which could cause a skittish President to satellites by the National Science Found- cripple the federal program. ation. “The two-year investigation I “There seems to be a back-lash from propose,” Williams said, “would be the the White House whenever Brown talks Dear President Carter: necessary first step, and a decision whether about space,” a senior staff scientist at to proceed could be made by 1980. If Dr. NASA headquarters in Washington told I respectfully urge maximum feasible O’Neill and his colleagues are correct, us. “Every time Jerry Brown says funding of the nation’s space program. something about space, the OMB (Office Space is the energy and resources solar satellite power generation, at the very of Management and Budget) comes after frontier of the future--the only genuine least, would supply cheap energy for half our budget,” another high NASA official frontier we have left. Sharp cutbacks in the world’s electricity needs, without the said. NASA’s budget now, just as we are need for major technological break- NASA contractors reportedly have discovering the unexpected, practical throughs.” been “encouraged” to steer clear of payoffs of the space program under The legislation would provide for an Brown. on pain of thinner contracts. presidents Kennedy and Johnson would be analysis of the benefits, costs, and impacts Brown’s fabulously ambitious Califor- to let go fallow the enormous capital of implementing the “High Frontier” nia dreaming goes far beyond little things investment the nation has already made in program in relation to jobs, environment, like the White House: Last August, space and to delay momentous develop- international relations, and national se- Brown and his state hosted a convocation ments in energy, resources, communi- curity. Williams asked that $l,000,000 be of aerospace executives, NASA officials cations, and environmental management authorized for fiscal years 1979 and 1980 to and media and space supporters for the National Science Foundation which something called Space Day. Rockwell systems which are now within our International -- central contractor for the technological grasp and capability. would make recommendations to Con- space shuttle -- paid for the celebration. I received a copy of Majority Leader Jim gress and the President, based on data Introducing his cabinet, Brown chilled Wright’s letter to you of 29 March 1977, obtained during the study to determine White House spines with his unveiled and also of Bert Lance’s reply to Mr. whether the program should be adopted as ecotopian threat: “We have plenty of Wright’s of 16 June 1977. I fully support a national goal, as was the moon program money for space. In fact, I’d like to point Jim Wright’s pleading for the Solar Power in 1961. out that our state surplus is just slightly Satellite project, and was extremely “Congress has been inundated with smaller than the entire NASA budget. I’m disappointed by the tenor of Mr. Lance’s energy legislation to correct the immediate not offering it . (laughter) but I do set reply. I have the sense we are “stalling out” and short-term supply problems,” Will- it as a yardstick of what’s possible.” just at the time we should be making a iams said, “but it is necessary to consider maximum effort in this vital area. long-range solutions and alternatives for Astronaut Jack Swigert (Apollo 13) As a Democrat, a businessman, and one future generations as well. The High recently announced his candidacy as of your strongest supporters, I plead with Frontier program could offer such an Republican nominee for the Senate seat you to reconsider and not shortchange the energy alternative, and I hope that action held by the Democrat incumbent in needs of the U.S. Space Program. will be taken quickly on this legislation.” Colorado. He joins Astronauts John Respectfully yours, The bill will fall under the jurisdiction of Glenn and Harrison Schmidt in turning to Sam E. Dunnam the Senate Committee on Human Re- politics as a career choice. Austin, TX sources, which Williams chairs. 2 L-5 News, April 1978 Convair to Design System TETHERED SATELLITES TO BE STUDIED Orbit Assembly by Phill Parker For Space Two companies, Martin Marietta and Ball Brothers, have been selected by General Dynamics has received a The flight demonstration article will be NASA to look into tethered satellites. contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide used to verify the Shuttle’s capability to Such a satellite, attached to an orbiting a conceptual design of a large space system deploy future Department of Defense Space Shuttle by a cable up to 62 miles that could be assembled in orbit using the spacecraft that might require assembly in long, has several potential applications. Space Shuttle Orbiter. orbit. The primary application would be to gain scientific data from the Earth’s upper Convair division was awarded the Thomas said the on-orbit assembly atmosphere in order to map the Earth’s $750,000 contract by the Air Force’s Space could mature into an operational system in magnetic and gravity fields and to assist 1986 with continuing missions at least 10 and Missile Systems Organization in the studies of atmospheric or plasma (SAMSO) who also awarded a competing years beyond that.