DOWNRANGE Logo

October 1996

HTML Internet Edition via www.skypoint.com/~benhuset/

Welcome to the 116th issue of DOWNRANGE, a calendar of events in the Twin Cities area concerning Space Exploration and Development. Unless otherwise noted all times before October 27 are CDT, all times thereafter are CST, and all phone numbers are area code 612.

* = join MN SFS at this event!

In this Issue...

Previous ON-line Issues


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

AMERICA'S SMITHSONIAN TOUR

SI HOME

The Smithsonian Institution's 150th anniversary road show, America's Smithsonian will be at the St. Paul Civic Center October 16th through November 14th

Space artifacts on display will include a moon rock sample, a Lunar Rover, the Apollo 14 capsule "Kitty Hawk", lunar maps, and meteors.

The exhibition will be open daily 9:00 am - 8:00 pm (last entry time is 6:00 pm).

Passes are required for entry. Each pass is good for a given date and time. Advance passes may be charged to VISA, Discover, or MasterCard and must be purchased 5 days to 6 weeks ahead of time by calling 1-800-913-8687 (913-TOUR). Passes ordered 2 weeks ahead of time will be mailed to you, after that they will be held at the door. Each pass costs $3.50 plus tax.

A limited number of free passes are available each day at 9:00 am. If you try to see the show this way, expect to be in line at the Civic Center at 9:00 am, pick up 1 to 4 passes, and return later in the day to get in.

Additional information on the tour is available by calling 1-800-913-TOUR or on the World Wide Web at http://www.si.edu/activity/evchron/150tour.htm


Tuesday, 1 October, 1996

MN Astro Soc Logo
Minnesota Astronomical Society general meeting
7:30 pm, Science Museum of Minnesota
30 East 10th St.
St. Paul, MN 55101
Call the MAS answering machine - 649-4861 - for MAS meeting details and directions to star parties.

Friday, 4 October, 1996

(Saturday, 5 October in case of rain/clouds)
Star Party at the MAS Baylor Park site.

Friday, 11 October, 1996

(Saturday, 12 October in case of rain/clouds)
Star Party at the MAS Cherry Grove site.

Saturday, 12 October, 1996

Netday Minnesota Kickoff:
A few Minnesota schools will be wired with Internet connections. Volunteers are needed for Netday Minnesota (Saturday, 16 November). To volunteer or for more information call 362-5809 or visit http://www.netday.gen.mn.us/

Sunday, 13 October, 1996

* 7:00 pm MN SFS Executive Council meeting
Major discussion topic: November MN SFS elections Dave Buth residence
2400 NE 4th St., Apt 1
Minneapolis, MN 55418
789-6347

Friday - Sunday, 18 - 20 October, 1996

[Conf 5 icon] The 5th Space Frontier Foundation conference
Space: YOUR TICKET TO RIDE Focusing on space tourism and commercialization Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood, CA. Conference registration is $90 or $75 for students. The speakers list includes a long list of space luminaries including Charles "Pete" Conrad and Tom Mattingly. For more information on the conference, check out the Space Frontier Foundation's web site: http://www.space-frontier.org

Wednesday - Saturday, 23 - 26 Oct., 1996

Great Lakes Planetarium Association conference hosted by the Minneapolis Planetarium Events include:
10/23 (Wed night) Dessert reception at Planetarium ($8)
7:00 pm - Planetarium show Amazing Stargazing,
8:00 pm - Planetarium show: Honey I Shrunk the Universe
8:45 pm - Larry Rudnick of UMN, Cassiopeia A: The Movie

10/24 (Thursday) Lunch at the Planetarium ($13)
11:30 am lunch
12:30 pm Deborah Byrd (co-founder of the radio program Earth and Sky), Eye on Earth & Sky

10/24 (Thursday night) Star party (free or $20)
6:00 pm - (The $20 part, includes pizza & refreshments) bus ride leaves Regency Hotel, Downtown Minneapolis
7 - 9:30 pm - (The free part) Stargazing and tour of the UMN's O'Brien Observatory at Marine on St. Croix

10/25 (Friday) Breakfast at the Planetarium ($8)
7:15 am - Continental breakfast
8:15 am - Dr. James Kaler of U of Illinois, 1996 Astronomy Update
10/25 (Friday eve) Banquet at the IDS Tower 50th floor ($35)
7:00 pm - Cash bar
8:00 pm - Dinner
9:00 pm - John Hare of Ash Enterprises, Three Decades, Two Eyes, One Mind & Lots of Opinions

10/26 (Saturday) Lunch at the IDS Tower 50th floor ($25)
12:45 pm- Lunch
1:45 pm - Dr. Alan Hale (Co-disciverer of comet Hale-Bopp) Comet Hale-Bopp: A New Beginning

All events: rsvp. Additional information is available from Bob Bonadurer or Rod Nerdahl at 372-6543.

Saturday, 26 October, 1996

Hamfest Minnesota & Computer Expo
(Not space related, but a great place to buy used computer equipment) 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
U of MN Field House
1800 University Ave. S.E., Mpls.

Admission is $5.50 if purchased in advance (P.O. Box 5598, Hopkins, MN 55343) or $7.00 day of show

Sunday, 27 October, 1996

MN SFS Logo
* MN Space Frontier Society Discussion meeting:
5:00 pm - Pot luck picnic.
Depending on the weather a stove and/or grill will be available. Bring something to cook and something to pass around.

7:00 pm - Discussion: The 'X' rockets For years, NASA has relied on the Shuttle to get astronauts and material into space. Now, ships like DC-X and X-33 are renewing the promise of cheap access to space.

8:30 pm - Party.

Centre Village Residences,
Party room, 15th floor
433 7th Street South,
Downtown Minneapolis 55403.
Entrance is in from the street - near the residence parking ramp. Check with the guard for directions to the party room. On street parking in this area is free on Sundays.

Friday, 1 November, 1996

Post-Halloween costume party. Check next month's Downrange for details.

ASTRONOMY CLASSES FOR ADULTS

7:00 - 9:00 pm Wednesday evenings at the
Science Museum of Minnesota
30 East 10th St.
St. Paul, MN 55101

Each class costs $10 (or $8 for SMM members) Advance registration required, call 221-4511

9 October: Astronomy Beyond the Solar System

Quasars, black holes, neutron stars, supernovae and their relationship to our solar system and oursleves.

16 October: The Life and Death of Stars

Relax; our sun isn't due to run out of fuel for a long time. The life cycle of typical and atypical stars.

23 October: Birth and Evolution of the Universe

How did we decide the Universe started with a big bang 15 billion years ago? What's happened since then?

SPACE CLASS FOR KIDS AGES 6 - 8

"Space Station" Thursday & Friday, 17 & 18 October.
1 - 4 pm $35 or $30 for SMM members
Take a trip to Mars on a space station you make. Find out how people eat, sleep, and live in space. Advance registration required: Science Museum of Minnesota call 221-4511

PLANETARIUM SHOWS

Minneapolis Planetarium
300 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Information: 372-6644

Amazing Stargazing
Saturdays & Sundays 1:00 pm

Far Side of Halloween
Runs October 5 - 31
Saturdays & Sundays at 3:30 pm
Thursdays at 7:00 pm

Honey, I Shrunk the Universe
Monday - Saturday - 11:00 am
Daily - 2:15 pm

Skywatch
Monthly stargazing program for adults.
"Life on Mars" Wednesday, 2 October, 7:00 pm & Monday, 7 October., noon

All shows are $4:00 adults, $2.50 children, free for Planetarium & Mpls Library Friends members.


October '96 Radio & TV

Babylon 5 Logo
http://www.babylon5.com
KMSP TV Ch 9 944-9999
KMSP-TV UPN-9
e-mail: upn9@tccn.com
Thursdays 8pm
Saturdays 11:05 pm
10/03/96   62   318    Walkabout
10/10/96   63   319    Grey 17 Is Missing
10/17/96   64   320    And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place
10/24/96   65   321    Shadow Dancing
10/31/96   66   322    Z'ha'dum (Season 3 Finale)
11/07/96   67   401    The Hour of the Wolf (Season 4 Opener)

??/??/98  110   522    Sleeping in Light (Grand Finale)

Babylonia Productions
8615 Tamarack Ave.
Sun Valley CA, 91352

or

Babylonia Productions
14431 Ventura Blvd. Suite 260
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

or

BABYLON 5
WARNER BROTHERS TELEVISION
4000 WARNER BOULEVARD
BURBANK, CA 91522

email: JM Straczynski :B5 Producer
www: Babylon 5 Hyperion!
FTP:FTP.HYPERION.COM
FTP:FTP.UML.EDU Hyperion Mirror site

Bill Nye the Science Guy
KTCA-TV Ch 2 222-1717
Weekdays 4:30 pm
PTV, The Ready to Learn Service

The Cape
KMSP TV Ch 9 944-9999
Sundays 8:00 pm

Earth and Sky Daily Radio Script by Deborah Byrd @ Austin TX
Weekdays, 5:58 am & 5:58 pm
WCAL 89.3 FM
Two-minute features on astronomy and earth science.

Sci Fi Channel Logo
Inside Space
SCI-FI Channel
Fridays at 9:30pm & 1:30am
Sundays at 11am & 4:30am
Monday - Thursday at 7:30am (re-runs)

USA Network / Sci-Fi Channel
(212) 408-9100
email: inspace@usanetworks.com

NASA Presents
Wednesdays 7:00 pm
Thursdays 8:30 pm (repeat)
Paragon Cable TV SW Ch 35

NASA Meatball
NASA TV
Live NASA news and programs from NASA's archives.
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 11am to 2am in 3hr repeating blocks
1st Hr: NASA News Video Clips
2nd Hr: NASA Education Videos
3rd Hr: NASA History Videos
NASA TV Schd

NASA on cable:
Continental Cablevision:
Ch 34 24hr
King Video Cable TV:
Ch 38 3-6 pm
Paragon SW Cable: Ch 35 11 pm-2 am
Paragon Metro: Ch 46B 24 hr
801 Plymouth Ave N,
Minneapolis, MN 331-8575
Meredith CTV:
Ch 60 24 hr
950 Woodhill Drive
Roseville, MN 55113
Contact: Pat Cook 481-9554

NASA Select by satellite:
11 am repeated 2 pm, 5pm, 8pm & 11pm
Spacenet 2, Transponder 5H (Ch 9)
69º West Longitude, H Polarization
Audio 6.8 Mhz
Director NASA Select TV
NASA HQ / Code P-2
Washington, DC 20546

NOVA Logo
Nova

KTCA-TV Ch 2 222-1717
Tuesdays 8 pm

sci/tech week logo
Science & Technology Week

Saturdays 10:00 am CT
Sunday 3:00 pm CT(repeat)
Mondays 3:00 am CT (repeat)
CNN-TV (404) 827-1500
e-mail: sci-tech@cnn.com or
e-mail:miles.obrien@turner.com

StarDate
3-5 min. on Astronomy and Science
Mon - Fri 11:45 pm
KNOW 1330 AM
5:40 am & 7:40 pm on Minnesota Public Radio stations.

Star Trek - 30 Years And Beyond  (2 hour special) 
KMSP-TV Ch 9  944-9999
Sunday, 6 October  7:00 pm
Star Trek: Deep Space 9
KMSP-TV Ch 9 944-9999
Star Trek: Deep Space 9 @ Paramount
KMSP-TV UPN-9
Star Trek DS-9 Vidiot
Thursdays 7:00 pm Saturdays 7:00 pm (repeat of prev week)

10/3 - Apocalypse Rising [Season 5 Opener]  499
10/10 - The Ship  500
10/17 - Looking for Par'mach in All the Wrong Places  501
10/24 - Nor the Battle to the Strong  502
10/31 - The Assignment  504
11/7 - Trials and Tribble-ations  503
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: TNG Logo
Mon - Sat 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm
WFTC-TV Ch 29
Minneapolis, MN 55428
Star Trek: Voyager
ST:Voyager Logo
KMSP TV Ch 9 944-9999
KMSP-TV UPN-9
ST Voyager @ (Paramount)
Wednesdays 8:00 pm
Repeats Saturdays 8:00 pm
http://www.cdsnet.net/vidiot/st-voy/
10/2 - False Profits  144
10/9 - Remember  
10/16 - Dreadnought  134R
10/23 - Death Wish  130R
10/30(?) - Sacred Ground
11/6(?) - Remember

Talk of the Nation - Science Friday® with Ira Flatow
National Public Radio Logo
KNOW 91.1 FM
Fridays 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
e-mail: SciFri@npr.org
gopher://gopher.npr.org:Science Friday

3rd Rock from the Sun
KARE-TV Ch 11
Tuesdays at 7:00 pm


Much of the material in these listings comes from the excellent resource: SFTV Page

October Space History

compiled by Jeff Root

Space Calendar@ JPL


MN Astro Soc Logo
The MINNESOTA ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY invites you to join us and explore the universe. Let us help you enjoy the fascination of astronomy no matter what your level of knowledge or experience may be.

Meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month, usually in the auditorium of the Science Museum of Minnesota. Meetings start at 7:30pm and last about two hours. If you plan to attend the next meeting, call the Society's recording at 649-4861 for time, place and featured subject.

The society also holds star parties April through November at one of four observatory sites near the twin cities. Star parties are normally held on the Friday night nearest the new moon, or if poor observing conditions are encountered, on the following night. Members of the society bring their telescopes to star parties and invite the interested public to view astronomical objects of interest. The owners are always willing to share their knowledge of the heavens. Those amateurs who have built their instruments freely explain their successes and sometimes even their failures.

Members receive the society's bi-monthly newsletter Gemini. It contains information about the organization and its activities as well as articles by MAS members. Subscriptions to Sky and Telescope and The Reflector, the newsletter of the Astronomical League, a national organization of groups like MAS, are included in the Society's membership fee.

The society librarian maintains an extensive collection of astronomical books, star atlases, brochures, ephemeris, and slides. The librarian also can guide members to information in metropolitan area libraries.

If you are interested in joining MAS, you may do so at any regular meeting, by leaving a voice message on our information line at 649-4861, or write to:

Minnesota Astronomical Society
c/o Science Museum of Minnesota
30 East 10th Street
St. Paul, MN 55101


RECENT SPACE NEWS

Shannon Lucid's 188 days in space set a new American space endurance record and a new world record for women in space. John Blaha will continue the US presence on Mir for the next four months.

Years after President Bush set sending humans to Mars as a long-term US space program goal, and weeks after the announcement of possible Martian fossils, the National Space and Technology Council released a policy statement calling for no human presence beyond Space Station Alpha.

The Directors of the NSS unanimously voted to push for a Mars exploration program based on a permanent human presence on Mars. They pointed out that even an expensive version of the mission should cost slightly less per year than the US spent during the Apollo program.


MN SFS MEMBERSHIP FORM

MN SFS Logo

Help Us Create The Future Now

Support the Exploration and Development of Space

Name:__________________________________

Address:_______________________________

City:__________________State:__________

Zip + 4 (save us postage!):____________

Phone #:(______)_________-_____________

e-mail addr:___________________________

___ Student $12.00
_______________________(name of school)

___ Individual (BBS only) $12.00
___ Individual (Basic) $15.00
includes Downrange and MMM
___Individual (Basic + BBS) $21.00
___ Family(Basic) $24.00
___ Family (Basic + BBS) $30.00
___ (number in family)
Total: $______

Please return this form with payment to:

MN Space Frontier Society
Membership Department
c/o David Buth
2400 NE 4th St., Apt 1
Minneapolis, MN 55418
789-6347


MASTHEAD

DOWNRANGE is published 12 times per year by the MN SFS and Harmony SFS. Materials may be reproduced by chapters of NSS by giving credit and sending a copy to MN SFS.

Editor: Rich Brown
Staff: Ben Huset, Jeff Root


Materials sent to DOWNRANGE become the property of DOWNRANGE unless otherwise specified.

DOWNRANGE
c/o Rich Brown
1258 Van Buren Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55104
Answering machine: (612) 375-1539
Fax: (612) 638-9964
Computer BBS: (612) 642-5906
Fidonet: MN SFS at 1:282/2006
Internet: mn.sfs@mnspace.mn.org


Phone Numbers/Internet Addresses:

National Space Society       202-543-1900 
e-mail:nsshq@nss.org
http://www.nss.org
NSS US Chap Coord 708-758-3557 e-mail:JerryS3971@aol.com MSDC Annete Woods e-mail:Annettesw@aol.com NSS Region 4 Coordinator Paul Hardersen 515-232-9475 Lunar Reclamation Society 414-342-0705 Moon Miners Manifesto Editor: Peter Kokh e-mail:KOKHMMM@AOL.COM or e-mail:KokhMMM@execpc.com

MN SFS People MN SFS Dir Dave Buth 612-788-4329 e-mail:dlb@MNSpace.MN.Org MN SFS Asst Dir Ben 612-639-9109 e-mail:benhuset@skypoint.com MN SFS Secretary Jeff 612-375-1539 e-mail:Jeff.Root@MNSpace.MN.Org MN SFS Treas Jim Cran 612-459-5668 e-mail:Jim.Cran@hamlink.MN.Org MN SFS Councilor Ben Hoppe 612-636-7779 e-mail:Hopp0014@gold.TC.UMN.EDU MN SFS Councilor Mike Kwilinski 612-854-4116 e-mail:mkwilins@visi.com MN SFS Councilor Rich Brown 612-646-2159 e-mail:rab@lydia.mn.org MN SFS Harmony Pam Hoppe 507-886-8941 e-mail:phoppe@cantones.mrnet.fred.org@ Harmony MN
MN SFS Ann Shjefte 612-639-9109 e-mail:greyowl@skypoint.com

These people need to hear from you to make informed and rational decisions.


INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ALPHA

The13th ISS Alpha assembly flight (Flight 6R) adds the second 'tower' segment (SPP-2) to the Science Power Platform. The completed platform will ultimately support solar arrays, a heat-dumping radiator, thrusters for attitude control, and antenna mounts on the Russian side of ISS Alpha.

The launch will also send up the ESA-designed "European Robotic Arm" (ERA). ERA features one 'elbow', two 'wirsts' and two grapples. It will be used from this mission on to aid in assembly and maintenance of Alpha. ERA is designed to be operated from both inside Alpha and while on EVA.

Six EVAs are required to complete this stage of assembly, but the launch schedule calls for another launch within 17 days, so five of the EVAs are to occur after flight UF-1. Liquid connections for the radiator and high-amperage cables from the solar connectors can't be connected automatically on docking, so they will be done by hand later. The robot arm requires human setup, and there are many miscellaneous antennas and brackets to install by hand.

Space Station Alpha survived another Congressional session and is fully funded for the next year. Alpha's first element - FGB - remains on schedule for a November 1997 launch.


--- HOW TO FIND US ---


MN SFS Logo
Minnesota Space Frontier Society
1258 Van Buren Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55104
(612) 375-1539 (ans. machine) (612) 638-9964 (fax)
(612) 642-5906 (computer BBS) Fido node 1:282/2006
by Internet e-mail:MN.SFS@MNSPACE.mn.org
http://www.skypoint.com/~benhuset/


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Last Updated: Oct 10, 1996