Space Forum / Space Flight / August 2004

I'm designing an O'Neill habitat for use in a game scenario, where I'm
trying to keep the science as plausible as possible. It's going to be
the classic "spinning tin can" design, surrounded by an array of solar
panels, mirrors and radiators (and directly in orbit around a star,

Can someone explain what a bieliptic transfer orbit is more
efficient than a Hoffman transfer orbit when the ratio of
initial to final orbits is large and there is no inclination
change to make?

Nuclear fission converts about 1 part in 200 of the nucleon rest mass
to energy.
Nuclear fusion converts about 1 part in 20 of the nucleon rest mass to
energy.

Here's an interesting article:
http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/8/9
A new method for making alumina-based glass in bulk.
Better windows for aircraft and spacecraft perhaps?

Here is an article on the subject.
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/physics-04w.html
Almost sounds too good to be possible.
Any comments ?

Does anyone have any references to Cassini's main engine technology?
I read a report on the SOI burn recently; 600m/s dV, with a continuous
attitude change throughout, after having sat idle in poor storage
conditions for seven years.

ISAS Deloyed Solar Sail Film in Space
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/snews/2004/0809.shtml
Beyond the first press release, I am unable to find any more
information on the Internet about the Japanese Solar Sail experiment

Assume there is no plane change.  Simply it is required to put a
satellite from its LEO orbit with inclination angle of zero into the
final GEO orbit using a bielliptic transfer.  The satellite must go
through the following orbits:

A major objection raised time-and-time-again (like a struck record really)
about humans going either up or down a space elevator is the radiation of
the Van Allen belts.
How much shielding do you need? Is the Mars Direct scheme of using your food

Some plastic tethers are very strong but they
may be vulnerable to space radiation and thermal
fatigue. Perhaps the best material for the space
tethers is a rope made of strong (6.5 GPa) carbon

Can anyone direct me to technical details of the Orlan spacesuit
external heat exchange system -- the 'sublimator' which dumps
water into space, where it evaporates from the side of the unit,
taking heat away with it into the vacuum?

I've looked moderately hard, so don't prang me please if the source is
too obvious:  does anyone know where I can get images of a 50's
ion-propelled spacecraft that looked like a parasol?  I'm pretty sure
it was a Stuhlinger concept for a mars mission, but I may be mistaken;