Thursday, January 8, 1998, 7:30pm

"Kistler Reusable 2-Stage to Orbit Launcher"
by Neil Adams, Draper Lab

Kistler Corporation is building the first fully reusable launch vehicle. The Kistler K-1 vehicle consists of 2 stages each of which will fly back to the launch site and land on airbags following a parachute descent. It is privately financed. The guidance, navigation, and control system is being developed at Draper Lab, near MIT.

Thursday, February 5, 1998, 7:30pm

"TERRIERS: Hands-on Space Experiments by Students and Young Professionals"
by Supriya Chakrabarti

At Boston University students and young scientists have developed a state-of-the-art satellite mission to answer important scientific questions at less than 10% of the cost. In this talk, the mission and the process that led to its successful development will be described.      Professor Supriya Chakrabarti is the Director of the Center for Space Physics at Boston University and is a member of the TERRIERS development team.

All meetings are held in the 8th floor "playroom" of 545 Main Street (Technology Square), Cambridge. Call 617-258-2828 for more information.

Maglifter is an electromagnetic catapult which can provide the first acceleration for piloted space vehicles or directly insert non-piloted missions into orbit using higher accelerations. Dr. David Cope discussed Foster-Miller's Maglifter program at the December 4 meeting of the Boston Chapter of the National Space Society. NASA recently made a contract award to Foster-Miller under a program for advanced space transportation concepts.
     Maglifter uses both magnetic levitation and electromagnetic propulsion to boost a spacecraft to speeds from Mach 0.8 to Mach 3. A ramjet engine accelerates the vehicle to 45 kilometers and Mach 8. A rocket is used to enter low earth orbit. The maglifter does two things. One is to eliminate the on board propellant required to reach the track speed. The second is to reach a high enough speed to use a ramjet, eliminating the need for a turbojet or rocket to get the spacecraft up to ramjet speed. The maglev propulsion is near horizontal, but could be shifted up to 35-40 degrees.
     Foster-Miller has significant experience in magnetic levitation. The Holloman High Speed Test Track Maglev Upgrade will have a capability of Mach 9+. This uses only magnetic suspension, not electromagnetic propulsion. Foster Miller has also had several projects in intercity maglev (levitation and propulsion) train transport and Navy aircraft catapults, arrestors, and power transfer using linear motors for acceleration or deceleration of aircraft.
     Someone in the audience wondered if Maglifter could share a track with a train. After the 3:02 to New York, here comes the spacecraft on the same maglev track. Cope thought that probably wouldn't be a good idea, particularly if the maglev track was running down a highway. Drivers have a real startle reflex for something whooshing directly overhead at Mach 3!
     The goals of the Maglifter program are to demonstrate the feasibility of the electromagnetic space catapult, design a full scale maglifter systems, and to design, fabricate, assemble, and test a scale model maglifter system. Follow up work would use existing national test track facilities for larger scale tests at modest cost. The Holloman rocket sled track has speeds higher than those planned for maglifter, but lighter masses. NAVAIR tracks are roughly on the order of Maglifter (but less) on both speed and mass, and the Department of Transportation has a track with the full mass of a candidate Maglifter.
     The goals for a full up system are to reduce the cost of access to space from $2000/lb down to $200/lb. The launch mass is reduced by 25%, but more importantly the propulsion system is highly reusable and permits a rapid launch pace. Maglifter is ready for takeoff to improve access to space in the twenty first century.

Bringing the challenges and discoveries of an active space mission to students and the general public is the vision of Space Explorers, Inc., a privately-funded educational company working with the federal government, industry and academia. Their program MOONLINK is a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity for middle and high school students. It allows them to participate in the Lunar Prospector mission and interact with professional scientists, MOONLINK Mission Control, and other students from around the world.
     Lunar Prospector, scheduled for launch in early January, is a one- to three-year mapping mission designed to study the Moon for a low polar orbit. It will improve our understanding of the origin, evolution, and resources for future colonization of the Moon, especially water ice on the poles. Children involved in the MOONLINK program will be receiving data as it happens and doing their own analysis. They will, in effect, be true Lunar explorers.
     You can play your part in advancing our children's education about space by becoming a MOONLINK sponsor. If your local NSS chapter or company wants to sponsor a school in your area you can find information at www.moonlink.com, call (920) 339-4600 or e-mail moonlink@space-explorers.com. If you would like to sponsor a school in the Massachusetts area, please contact Elaine Mullen of the Boston Chapter of NSS at (617) 783-2715. All sponsors will be publicly recognized by area schools, your local NSS chapter, and Space Explorers Inc.
     The National Space Society is enthusiastically supporting MOONLINK, and also encouraging local NSS chapters to provide mentors to schools for the five hour curriculum and the two hour mission scenario. Your contribution to MOONLINK as a sponsor or mentor will encourage a new generation of scientists, engineers, inventors, medical researchers, and doctors. MOONLINK is exactly the sort of program that our nation's schools need!

[Elaine Mullen is the president of the Boston chapter of the NSS.]

Happy New Year from the National Space Society!

We're looking forward to an especially active 1998. Here are just a few of the activities we have on tap:

• Special web coverage (video, images, on-site reports) of Lunar Prospector's launch on January 5 (available at NSS cyberSPACE News, http://www.nss.org/cyberspace)
• Continued grassroots advocacy on the Commercial Space Act
• Continued support through grassroots activities and media statements for the House and Speaker Gingrich's proposal for increased NASA funding
• Participation in the ProSpace March Storm on Capitol Hill
• Distribution of an educational tabloid in support of HBO's April miniseries, "From the Earth to the Moon"
• International Space Development Conference, Milwaukee, May 21-24, including presentation of the bi-annual Robert Heinlein Award
• A "support space" advocacy campaign in conjunction with Space Day on May 21
• An information campaign to inform November election voters of the space and science records of their elected officials and candidates
• Race for Space in Washington, DC, July 19
• Continued reporting on Capitol Hill activities through the NSS Capital Capsule
• Three congressional briefings on space issues

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. I look forward to working with all of you in the months ahead!

*New* Contact:
PO Box 1715, Philadelphia PA 19105
Earl Bennett, michelle_baker@ccgate.com
610/644-8654(H)

New PASA business luncheon and formal meeting from 1-3 pm, the second Saturday, at least for the next couple of months, at Smart Alex Restaurant, Sheraton University City, 35th & Chestnut. 2 hours free parking with validation.
     Scheduled PASA activities: Jan. 10th regular monthly meeting at Smart Alex. Feb.14th regular monthly meeting, location TBA. Mar. 14th regular monthly meeting, location TBA. Call Earl for details.
     Dec. Meeting Report: New PASA officers: President & Technical - Earl Bennett, VP & Public Outreach & NSS - Mitch Gordon, Secretary & SSI - Jay Haines, Treasurer - Michelle Baker, Education - Oscar Harris, Planetary Society - Dottie Kurtz, Science Fiction - Hank Smith. Congratulations to all.
     Membership dues have been raised from $15/year to $16/year so as to be divisible by four. All memberships will now expire in March. Persons whose membership now expires other than in March, and new persons joining PASA, will pay $4/quarter times the number of quarters until the following March. If there is only one quarter left until the following March, the cost is $20 to cover 1 1/4 years.
     The following reports were presented: Jay Haines discussed the Proceedings of the Thirteenth SSI/Princeton Conference on Space Manufacturing, which took place last May. Michelle Baker discussed Inside NSS, including that Kirby Ikin of Australia has replaced Robert Zubrin as Chairperson of NSS, now truely an international space society. Hank Smith discussed the 1997 & 1998 Philcons, Balticon, and the Worldcon. Mitch Gordon discussed the World Future Society.
     Earl Bennett presented the technical report on: an Austrian lab doing experiments on quantum teleportation (shades of "Beam me up, Scotty."); an uncooled radiometric thermal imager; a NASA Goddard Gallium Nitride ultraviolet imaging array; oceanic lifeforms viewed by the Sea-viewing Wide Field of view Sensor (SeaViFS) satellite launched in Aug.; and uncertain results from a test firing of the MIRACL anti-satellite laser.
     Earl also discussed: a Pittsburgh company's use of a laser to analyze the composition of a Mars meterorite; the Mars Surveyer altimeter; a laser sensor that detects methane at room temperatures; a pen that senses neural-muscular disorders and performance degradation, e.g., from Parkinson's Disease; a 35GHz 0.5W transmitter; a high-powered broadband Ku-band transmitter; and solar cells grown on a graphite cloth mat to reduce its weight.

Reminder: The December issue was my last as Editor of "INSIDE NSS." Greg Zsidisin (71055.2110@compuserve.com), an NSS Director, has agreed to edit the newsletter on an interim basis. Once again, thank you all for your encouragement and contributions.
Jeffrey Liss
Editor Emeritus

SUBSCRIPTIONS are:
	$10/year.  $8/year for Chapters using 'Inside NSS' as their Chapter
newsletter.  Credit will be extended to Chapters who sign up before issue is
printed.
	Individual issues are $2.
	Send all payments to HQ.

MAKE 'INSIDE NSS' YOUR CHAPTER NEWSLETTER!

	INDEX

	NSS NEWS

Ikin Assumes ExecComm Chairmanship, NSS Leadership (p.1)

Officer Election Results Announced;
Zubrin Sr. VP; Liss re-Elected VP (p.1)

>From the New Chairman (Kirby Ikin) (p.1)

Liss Resigns as "Inside NSS" Editor (p.1)

Cernan, Schmitt, "Last Humans on Moon,"
At NSS Commemorative Apollo 17 Dinner (p.1)

(Spacecause) Legislative Alert (Mark Hopkins) (p.1)

Report From Headquarters (No report this month)

NSS Endorses A Call
By 200+ House Members
For Stable NASA Budget (p.6)

Executive Committee to Meet December 6-7 (p.6)

Last Chance to Eclipse (p.6)

	EDITOR'S NOTES (Jeffrey Liss)

Farewell and Thank You (p.2)

On NSS and Space (p.2)

Stop the Squander (p.2)

Welcome, Kirby, and Good Luck (p.2)

Zubrin (p.3)

Building Rockets Isn't Always Rocket Science (p.3)

>From the Outside:
	Whose Job Is It? (from Ann Landers) (p.3)
	Stages of a Project (from Western Railway Devices
		Corporation) (p.3)

What's "Inside NSS" For? (p.4)

	LETTERS AND COMMENTARY

O'Neill Cylinders Answer for Energy, Colonization (Marianne Dyson) (p.2)

Mars Launchers: How Open Are NASA Minds? 
	A Report (Ben Muniz) (p.4)
	Reasonable Excuses? (Jeff Root) (p.4)
	No Good Excuses; Question Unanswered (Ben Muniz) (p.4)
	World Needs Power: If Not Nuclear, Then Space Solar (Bryce
		Walden) (p.5)

Space for Kids (Jim Spellman) (p.5)

Extra-Terrestrial Land Grants (a dialogue) (p.14)
	Alan Wasser
	Ken Bullock
	Terry C. Savage
	David Anderman
	Alan Wasser

	CHAPTERS AND ACTIVISM

National Space Society Education Chapter's 1998 Student Competition (p.6)

In New York City: A New Year's (Eve) Challenge(r) (Carolyn Josephs) (p.6)

Chapter Notices (p.15)
	Orange County Space Society
	Clear Lake Area NSS (Dec. 12)
	NSS Atlanta
	Illinois North Shore NSS (Jan. 10)
	DC-L5 (Jan. 4 and 1998)
	Philadelphia Area Space Alliance (Dec. 13)
	New Frontier Society of Greater Rochester
	NY Space Frontier Society
	Education Chapter (Dec. 13 and 1998)

	CONFERENCES

COMING Next May: Peter Kokh's Interplanetary ISDC '98 (p.16)

	SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

On the Road to Space
	Laser Launches First Vehicle (p.7)
	Will Radiation Stop Interplanet Flight (p.7)
	NASA Seeks Relief of Launch Liability (p.7)
	Russian Workers Lose Space Jobs (p.7)
	Nomad Rover Goes 215 Km in Desert (p.7)
	Deep Space 1 Tests Solar Arrays (p.7)
	New Orbit Found Around Earth-Moon (p.8)
	NASA Plans Lab to Simulate Mars (p.8)
	NASA Plans Center for Mars Food (p.8)
	LEO Satellites Hinder Astronomy (p.8)
	Will NASA Build Space Solar Power (p.8)

	What Else Is NASA Doing?  (Amanda Honeycutt)
		Medical Technology:
			NASA Technology For Breast Cancer (p.9)
			Orbit Research Shines Light on Tumors (p.9)
			Sensors Assess Bone Problem Risk (p.9)
		Industrial Technology:
			Composite Resin for Supersonic Airliner (p.9)
			Heat resistant Materials in Pistons (p.9)
		Environmental Technologies:
			Zero G Vibrations and Earthquakes (p.10)
			Ocean Color Images Have Wide Applications (p.10)

	MISCELLANEOUS

A Book for Space Advocates:
	"Halfway to Anywhere:" G. Harry Stine's SSTO Reminder
	(Jeffrey Liss) (p.8)

>From a Supreme Court Justice:
	The Need for a Legal Regime in Space (William J. Brennan,
	Jr.) (p.12)

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