shuttle re-entry
Philip Chien (kc4yer@amsat.org)
Fri, 26 Jan 1996 04:45:56 -0400
>I am also puzzled by NASA's failure to publicize this. I've
>been told the reason is federal law. NASA cannot self-promote.
Yup, that's the law. NASA's charter specifically says that is to _inform_
the public about the space program's activities. It chose to do so through
its public affairs and educational offices, and more recently through
Internet.
The few times where NASA has stepped over the line (either consiously or
unconsiously) it has been soundly slapped on the hand by Congress.
Apparently it's unseemingly for a Federal Agency to advertise itself.
>But what it can do is respond enthusiastically to inquiries.
well, how enthusiastic depends on who you talk to in NASA. I'm nos so sure
I would call certain people in NASA 'enthusiastic'
>It is up to the media
>and space/astronomical societies to make their info needs clear. Most
>media don't have even the educational background to recognize such an
>opportunity for what it is (outside of journalism and law, it's not clear
>what these people study, if anything; if you had a perverse sense of
>humor, you would find it wildly amusing to hear the likes of Phil Chien
I think I resemble that remark ... ;-)
>and the reporters from Av Leak and Science Mag ask questions at NASA press
>conferences interspersed among the mostly toy questions from the mainstream
>metro dailies and networks).
All I can say about shuttle reentries is that the night ones aren't too
impressive here (at the landing site) - you hear a boom boom - and then see
the shuttle just seconds before it lands when the floodlights hit it.
*almost* makes me wish that I could see the reentry trail from an earlier
place on the flight path!
The information for the exact trajectory for a reentry path does not become
available until about two days before landing. Up to that point there are
just too many uncertainties in the shuttle's orbit (a little difference
half a world away makes a big difference in the crossrange and exact flight
path chosen).
The JSC public affairs announcers are pretty good about repeating - ad
infinitum - the particulars of the flight path on the landing day before
the reentry burn. There are several ways space enthusiasts can receive
NASA TV audio - local ham rebroadcasts, HF from Goddard's WA3AN (when they
aren't snowed in), or for the ultimate space fanatics a C-Band satellite
dish.
Occasionally the information does appear electronically via web sites, and
through mailservers. (Didn't Dan Adamo post a list for this particular
landing?)
But yeah, most of the media in a city without a heavy local space interest
(e.g. Houston, Orlando, Huntsville) - actulaly and even most of the media
in those cities too, wouldn't consider a shuttle reentry newsworthy -
especially since it's always couched in 'maybe' the shuttle will land.
As far as what causes the trail as the shuttle goes through the atmosphere,
I'd guess that it actually raises particles in the air to blackbody
temperatures which are visible, combined with an ion trail.
Philip Chien, Earth News - space writer and consultant PCHIEN@IDS.NET
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