Space FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Space
This FAQ about Space
was compiled and written by Jon Leech leech@cs.unc.edu and Mark Bradford tla@surly.org
with numerous contributions by others.
01 Credits (Space FAQ)- Eugene Miya (then under the authority of the Computer Systems Division,...
02 Network resources overview (Space FAQ)- You may be reading this document on many types of computers, so much ...
03 Mailing lists (Space FAQ)- SPACE Digest has been broken up into 5 separate digests to mirror ...
04 Periodically updated information (Space FAQ)- In addition to this FAQ list, a broad variety of topical information ...
05 Warning about non-public networks (Space FAQ)- (Included at the suggestion of Eugene Miya, who wrote the item)...
06 Online and other sources of images, data, etc. introduction (Space FAQ)- A wide variety of images, data, catalogs, information releases, ...
07 World wide web (www) (Space FAQ)- WWW is a global hypermedia network carried on the Internet ...
08 Viewing images (Space FAQ)- Don't ask for images to be posted to the space/astro newsgroups. They'...
09 Online archives (Space FAQ) part1- CENTER FOR ADVANCED SPACE ...
10 Online archives (Space FAQ) part2- NASA JET PROPULSION LAB (MISSION INFORMATION AND IMAGES)...
11 Online archives (Space FAQ) part3- ASTRONOMICAL ...
12 Geosphere project (full earth image)- Tom van Sant's GeoSphere Project has produced a very nice ...
13 Landsat and nasa photos - You can get black-and-white 1:1M prints, negatives, or positives ...
14 Planetary maps - Phil Stooke (stooke@sscl.uwo.ca) maintains a list of maps of all ...
15 Solar system tours - There are several tutorials on the Web describing the planets and ...
16 Cometary / minor planet orbital data - Catalogue of Cometary ...
17 Constants and equations for calculations (Space)- This list was originally compiled by Dale Greer. Additions would ...
18 Computing Spacecraft Orbits And Trajectories- References that have been frequently recommended on the net are:...
19 Computing Planetary Positions- More net references:...
20 Computing Crater Diameters From Earth-Impacting Asteroids- Astrogeologist Gene Shoemaker proposes the following formula, based ...
21 Map Projections And Spherical Trignometry (Space)- Source code for cartographic projections may be found ...
22 Performing N-Body Simulations Efficiently (Space)- Computer Simulation Using ...
23 Interpreting the fits image format (Space)- If you just need to examine FITS images, use the ppm package (see ...
24 Nearby star/galaxy coordinates (Space)- To generate 3D coordinates of astronomical objects, first obtain ...
25 Publishers of space/astronomy material - Astronomical Society of the ...
26 Careers in the space industry - In 1990 the Princeton Planetary Society published the first edition ...
27 Dc-x single-stage to orbit (ssto) program - BMDO SSRT (Single Stage Rocket Technology) project has funded ...
28 How to name a star after a person - Official names are decided by committees of the ...
29 LLNL "great exploration" (Space)- The LLNL Great Exploration, a plan for an on-the-cheap space station,...
30 Lunar prospector - Lunar Exploration Inc. (LEI) is a non-profit corporation working on ...
31 Lunar science and activities - Grant H Heiken, David T Vaniman, and Bevan M French (editors), ...
32 Mars direct / lunar direct (Space)- Robert Zubrin and collaborators have developed several proposals ...
33 Orbiting earth satellite histories (Space)- A list of Earth orbiting satellites (that are still in orbit) is ...
34 Spacecraft models - References to plans, kits, building, and other information can be ...
35 Rocket propulsion (Space)- George P. Sutton, Rocket Propulsion Elements, 5th edn,...
36 Spacecraft design - Brij N. Agrawal, Design of Geosynchronous Spacecraft,...
37 Esoteric propulsion schemes part1 (solar sails, lasers, fusion...) - Dani Eder (eder@hsvaic.hv.boeing.com) maintains a Canonical List ...
38 Esoteric propulsion schemes part2 (solar sails, lasers, fusion...) -
39 Esoteric propulsion schemes part3 (solar sails, lasers, fusion...) - MASS DRIVERS (COILGUNS, RAILGUNS)...
40 Esoteric propulsion schemes part4 (solar sails, lasers, fusion...) -
41 Spy satellites - *Deep Black*, by William Burrows;...
42 Space capsule locations - Ross Finlayson (finlayson@eng.sun.com) has put together a list ...
43 Space shuttle computer systems - A FAQ on the shuttle General Purpose Computers, maintained by Ken ...
44 SETI computation (signal processing) - %A D. K. ...
45 Amateur satellies & weather satellites - A writeup on receiving and interpreting weather satellite photos is ...
46 Tides (Space)- Srinivas Bettadpur contributed a writeup on tides, ...
47 Astronomical mnemonics (space) - A listing of astronomical mnemonics is ...
48 Contacting nasa, esa, and other space agencies/companies - Many space activities center around large Government or ...
49 Nasa centers - Web pages for all NASA centers can be reached ...
50 Other commercial space businesses - The space-investors mailing list has a file with addresses and info ...
51 Astronauts - Specific NASA astronauts can be contacted by forwarding mail through:...
52 Shuttle launchings and landings; schedules and how to see them - Steven S. Pietrobon (steven@spri.levels.unisa.edu.au) posts a ...
53 Why does the shuttle roll just after liftoff? - The following answer and translation are provided by Ken ...
54 How to receive the nasa tv channel, nasa select - NASA SELECT is broadcast by satellite. If you have access to a ...
55 Amateur radio frequencies for shuttle missions - The following are believed to rebroadcast space shuttle mission audio:...
56 Solid rocket booster fuel composition - Reference: Shuttle Flight Operations Manual Volume 8B - Solid ...
57 Planetary probes - historical missions - This section was lightly adapted from an original posting by Larry ...
58 Mariner (venus, mars, & mercury flybys and orbiters) (US planetary missions)- MARINER 1, the first U.S. attempt to send a spacecraft to Venus, ...
59 Pioneer (moon, sun, venus, jupiter, and saturn flybys and orbiters) (US planetary missions)- PIONEER 1 through 3 failed to meet their main objective - to ...
60 Ranger (lunar lander and impact missions) (US planetary missions)- RANGER 1 and 2 were test probes for the RANGER lunar impact series. ...
61 Lunar orbiter (lunar surface photography) (US planetary missions)- LUNAR ORBITER 1 through 5 were designed to orbit the Moon and ...
62 Surveyor (lunar soft landers) (US planetary missions)- The SURVEYOR series were designed primarily to see if an APOLLO ...
63 Viking (mars orbiters and landers) (US planetary missions)- VIKING 1 was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 20, 1975 ...
64 Voyager (outer planet flybys) (US planetary missions)- VOYAGER 1 was launched September 5, 1977, and flew past Jupiter on ...
65 Soviet planetary missions- Since there have been so many Soviet probes to the Moon, Venus, ...
66 European planetary missions - GIOTTO was launched by an Ariane-1 by ESA on July 2 1985, and ...
67 Japanese planetary missions
68 Planetary Mission References part1- I also recommend reading the following works, categorized in ...
69 Planetary Mission References part2- Other works and periodicals:...
70 Upcoming planetary probes - missions and schedules - Information on upcoming or currently active missions not mentioned ...
71 Planetary Mission References part3- CLEMENTINE - Joint mission of the Ballistic Missile Defense ...
72 Planetary Mission References part4- MAGELLAN - Venus radar mapping mission. Mapped almost the entire ...
73 Other space science missions- (various sources; corrections and updates ...
74 Controversial questions (Space)- These issues periodically come up with much argument and few facts ...
75 Space shuttle mission costs - The answer depends heavily on assumptions, some of which are:...
76 What happened to the saturn v plans - Despite a widespread belief to the contrary, the Saturn V ...
77 Why data from space missions isn't immediately available - Investigators associated with NASA missions are allowed exclusive ...
78 Risks of nuclear (rtg) power sources for space probes - There has been extensive discussion on this topic sparked by attempts ...
79 Impact of the space shuttle on the ozone layer - From time to time, claims are made that chemicals released ...
80 How long can a human live unprotected in space - If you *don't* try to hold your breath, exposure to space for half ...
81 How the challenger astronauts died - The Challenger shuttle was not destroyed in an explosion. This is ...
82 Using the shuttle beyond low earth orbit - You can't use the shuttle orbiter for missions beyond low Earth ...
83 The "face on mars" - There really is a big rock on Mars that looks remarkably like a ...
84 Network groups and resources (Space)- ISLAND ONE - Web pages addressing economic, political, and ...
85 Space Groups part1- AAS(1) - American Astronautical Society. Professional association,...
86 Space Groups part2- ARTEMIS SOCIETY - Supports The Artemis Project, a multi-...
87 Space Groups part3- ERPS - Experimental Rocket Propulsion Society. Non-profit liquid ...
88 Space Groups part4- SAS - Space Access Society. Dedicated to promoting affordable, ...
89 Space Groups part5- UK-SEDS - United Kingdom SEDS affiliate (see above). Projects ...
90 Publications (Space)- Ad Astra - bimonthly glossy magazine published by the National ...
91 How To Become an Astronaut - There is a mailing list for those interested in sharing information ...
92 How To Become an Astronaut: Announcement for Mission Specialist andPilot Astronaut Candidates
93 How To Become an Astronaut: Astronaut Candidate Program
94 How To Become an Astronaut: Application Procedures
95 Introduction (Orbital and planetary launch services)- Last update: October 31, ...
96 Current Launch Vehicle Data part1 (Orbital and planetary launch services)
97 Current Launch Vehicle Data part2 (Orbital and planetary launch services)
98 Current Launch Vehicle Data part3 (Orbital and planetary launch services)
99 Current Launch Vehicle Data part4 (Orbital and planetary launch services)
100 Current Launch Vehicle Data part5 (Orbital and planetary launch services)
101 Future launch vehicles (Orbital and planetary launch services)- A large number of new vehicles are on the drawing boards of ...
102 Acronym List For Space And Astronomy - As of 2002 Oct ...