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From: gsh7w@astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg Hennessy)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: ASTRO status at 4/16:00 MET
Message-ID: <1990Dec9.224323.10796@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Date: 9 Dec 90 22:43:23 GMT
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In article <828@idacrd.UUCP> mac@idacrd.UUCP (Robert McGwier) writes:
#Just another example of when you should NOT send a man to do a robot's job.
#From the exercises fouling up the stability to lint from uniforms clogging
#air intakes, to residue from the huge thrusters (which are only necessary
#because it is a huge plane carrying men and the HEAVY life support equipment)
#the evidence is overwhelming that good science in astronomy done from
#orbit and human presence don't mix.  

Perhaps you are unaware that for the last four days the astronauts
were guiding the instruments because the "robot" was broken?

Perhaps you are unaware that this guiding CANNOT be done from the
ground because of the round trip travel time?

The entire astro concept made no sense
#after they spent umpty dumpty million dollars and then refused to fly
#it but once.  If they fly it again, its cost MIGHT come close to being
#justified.

Please, by all means, write your congresscritter about ASTRO and write
NASA about it. If NASA and congress see public interest, ASTRO WILL
fly again. I expect that the images from UIT will be available to the
press in early January, and I will try to post FITS images to the net,
although I'll have to worry about the bandwidth.

#. . . ."  We bellyache constantly in the US about the constant advances
#by the Japanese and Germans and then do not give adequate support to
#doing basic science and basic technology research.  It is pitiful.

If you think it is pitiful, write to your congresscritter. If you are
not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. (Or part of the
precipate.) 


--
-Greg Hennessy, University of Virginia
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