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From: dietz%usc-cse%USC-ECL%SRI-NIC@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Mass Driver Simulator Program
Message-ID: <16127@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 29-Jan-84 14:13:00 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.16127
Posted: Sun Jan 29 14:13:00 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 31-Jan-84 03:40:55 EST
Lines: 39

The following appeared in the Jan./Feb. 1984 SSI Update:

----------------

Mass Driver News

Yes, Virginia, there is further mass-driver research being done here at
SSI.  Its local standard-bearer has been indisposed over the last few
months [PFD -- working on Geostar] which has hindered the pace of work
getting done.  But that block has been removed and enw results will
appear soon.

Our request for help with moving the MD III computer simulation from
the Apple to a faster machine and language was answered by a number of
very qualified SSI Members and Senior Associates.  From those
respondents we have asked Mark Senn, a computer consultant in the
Chicago area, to have a try at getting the program to run in FORTRAN or
Pascal on the Purdue University VAX 11/780s, CDC 6000s, and possibly
even their Cyber 205.  We have estimated that we will be able to
increase the program execution speed by about 10,000 times if we were
to use the Cyber 205.  After we have a good version of the code running
we will send copies of the source code to other volunteers for their
comments and suggestions.

As for the experimental lab work on the prototype, I hope to get back
into the lab for a couple of weeks in January to turn up the power.
With the rush and deadline of the Conference last May, we were not able
to safely investigate and test the system at full power.  When we get
results from that work, I'll report them to you here.

					-- Les Snively
----------------

They were running the simulation on an APPLE?  Good grief.

Once the program is available it can probably be distributed over the
net(s).  Who is interested in a copy?