Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site utastro.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hao!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!nather
From: nather@utastro.UUCP (Ed Nather)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Alternate Energy & Microwaves
Message-ID: <396@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 15-Aug-84 15:25:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.396
Posted: Wed Aug 15 15:25:54 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Aug-84 02:14:35 EDT
References: <3082@ut-sally.UUCP>
Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 39

[]
    >On putting astronomers in the space station:
    >
    >Actually, the planned space station will be in low earth orbit,
    >quite a ways below geosynchronous orbit, which is the most likely
    >place for power satellites.  The astronomers would at least not
    >have to contend with Earth's atmosphere, but they'd still have
    >the power satellites in plain view.  The space station is mostly
    >for industrial research, anyway.

You are so right.  Note that SPACE TELESCOPE is to be in the *same* dumb
orbit.  Why? Because it has to be carried aloft by the shuttle.  But ...
couldn't we use another booster, and get it into synchronous orbit where
it would be *much* more useful, Sir?  Go away, kid.  You bother me.

    >A useful place for astronomers would be the L2 Terra-Luna libration
    >point, which is a (more or less) stable point above the far side of the
    >moon:  no atmosphere, no interference from most light sources on earth
    >or in most likely earth orbits.  This is preferable to an observatory
    >on the lunar far side itself because of ease of access.  Or at least
    >I'd think so.

Another nifty location is at the lunar poles -- down in a crater, where the
sun *never* shines!  That way, it's dark 24 hours a day (at L2 it's *light*
all the time, unless you provide your own shadowing) and you can see half the
Universe all the time.  It goes around once every 28 days or so.  What about
the other half?  Well, another telescope at the other pole will do the job.
Hey! Is NASA interested in this?  ...I said, go *away*, kid!

    >  Doubtless some opinions from astronomers will follow up....
    >-- 
    >John Quarterman, CS Dept., University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712 USA

*sigh*  -- you know us too well, John.
-- 

                                 Ed Nather
                                 {allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!nather
                                 Astronomy Dept., U. of Texas, Austin