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[The Official Fringe Science Newsletter Of Odyssey!]
Table of Contents
1. CLIPPINGS ................................................ 1
Odyssey NewsWire ......................................... 1
OO 2-01 Page 1 4 Jan 1992
=================================================================
CLIPPINGS
=================================================================
JAPAN'S SCC, ARIANESPACE AGREE ON REPLACEMENT SATELLITE
LAUNCH
TOKYO (NOV. 29) KYODO - SPACE COMMUNICATIONS CORP. (SCC), A
JAPANESE COMMUNICATIONS FIRM IN THE MITSUBISHI BUSINESS
GROUP, ANNOUNCED FRIDAY IT HAS REACHED AN AGREEMENT WITH
THE FRENCH ARIANESPACE COMPANY FOR THE LAUNCHING OF A
SUBSTITUTE FOR ITS ''SUPERBIRD A'' SATELLITE, WHICH WENT
OUT OF OPERATION LAST DECEMBER.
THE NEW SATELLITE ''A'' IS SCHEDULED TO BE LAUNCHED IN
DECEMBER NEXT YEAR AND TO START OPERATING IN FEBRUARY 1993,
SCC OFFICIALS SAID.
SCC, SET BY MITSUBISHI CORP. AND OTHER MITSUBISHI
AFFILIATES IN 1985, ALSO PLANS TO LAUNCH A SECOND ''B''
SATELLITE NEXT FEBRUARY. IT, TOO, WILL BE LAUNCHED FROM
FRENCH GUIANA BY AN ARIANE ROCKET. AN EARLIER ''B''
LAUNCHING FAILED IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR, THE OFFICIALS SAID.
THE NEW SATELLITES WILL BE MANUFACTURED BY SPACE SYSTEMS
LORAL OF THE UNITED STATES, THEY SAID.
THE SATELLITES, BOTH WITH SOLAR CELL WINGS AND 34
TRANSPONDERS EACH, WILL WEIGH 2,550 KILOGRAMS EACH AT
BLAST-OFF AND SHOULD LAST 10 YEARS, THEY SAID.
* Odyssey News Wire
ARIANESPACE SIGNS LAUNCH CONTRACT WITH SPACE COMMUNICATIONS
CORP.
WASHINGTON (NOV. 29) PR NEWSWIRE - Arianespace today
announced the signing of the launch contract of the
SUPERBIRD A satellite with Space Communications
Corporation. This spacecraft will be put into orbit at the
end of 1992 using an ARIANE 4 launcher from the Kourou
Space Center, French Guiana.
Built by the Space Systems/Loral company of Palo Alto,
Calif., its weight at lift-off will be approximately 2550
kg (i.e. 5622 lb). From its orbital position over the
Pacific Ocean, east of Japan, it will provide over 10 years
of telecommunication services: telephone, telex, data and
TV program transmission. SUPERBIRD A will be equipped with
23 Ku-band and 3 Ka-band channels and will cover the
Japanese islands including Okinawa.
After the signing of the ninth contract of the year,
Arianespace's backlog now stands at 34 satellites to be
launched, worth 14.9 billion French francs (US$2.6
OO 2-01 Page 2 4 Jan 1992
billion).
Arianespace, an industrial and commercial company, is a
world leader in the provision of commercial space
transportation services. Arianespace also markets and sells
ARIANE launch services and provides launch operations from
the Guiana space Center in French Guiana. Arianespace
Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arianespace, is
responsible for marketing launch services in the United
States; a liaison office in Tokyo assures an Arianespace
presence in Japan and in the Pacific region.
CONTACT: Michelle Lyle of Arianespace Inc., 202-628-3936,
or Claude Sanchez of Arianespace S.A., (33/1)6087 60 13/14,
or Dieter Brand of Arianespace Tokyo
813-592-2766
* Odyssey News Wire
SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ASTRONAUTS FIND SPYING FROM SPACE
DIFFICULT
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL (NOV. 29) UPI - The ability of
astronauts to spy from orbit is ''marginal'' at present,
but improved equipment and better training could make
future space fliers a definite military asset, one of the
shuttle Atlantis's crewmen said Friday.
Astronaut Mario Runco told reporters during a news
conference from space Friday that his ability to
distinguish aircraft and ships on Earth is better than he
expected, but not necessarily good enough to provide
reliable tactical reconnaissance from orbit.
''I believe the astronaut can serve the military in
space,'' he said. ''The observations I've made ... so far
have been quite remarkable in terms of what we've
accomplished in the past. They still have a long way to go,
however, in terms of the equipment we use.
''As a real-time operational asset to the military, I would
say our capabilities would be marginal. However, that may
not be true in the future with a little investment in some
better equipment and some more training.''
Runco, 39, commander Frederick Gregory, 50, co-pilot
Terence Henricks, 39, Story Musgrave, 56, James Voss, 42,
and Army imagery expert Thomas Hennen, 39, accomplished the
primary goal of the 44th shuttle flight Monday with the
successful launch of an Air Force missile early warning
satellite.
Since then, the shuttle fliers have been carrying out
on-board research, including two military
space-surveillance experiments designed to help Pentagon
planners determine the usefulness of astronauts as
OO 2-01 Page 3 4 Jan 1992
space-based spies.
Wielding special cameras, Runco and Hennen have been
photographing and assessing a variety of ground targets
around the world to determine what they can see and how
they interpret the resulting images.
''I'm surprised at what I can see,'' Runco said. ''I've
been able to see large ships and airplanes. Whether I can
identify those ships ... or airplanes, I haven't been able
to do (because of camera limitations).''
A major problem for the Atlantis's mission has been cloudy
weather, which has prevented observations of various
targets. Gregory and Musgrave, both shuttle veterans,
agreed that the clarity of the atmosphere has diminished in
recent years.
But the weather cooperated Friday afternoon as Atlantis
sailed over Cuba during the crew's 76th orbit, allowing
Runco to photograph the Guantanamo Bay area and to
distinguish the makeshift ''tent city'' set up there in
recent days to house Haitian refugees.
''Calypso, Calypso, this is Atlantis,'' Runco radioed
ground participants. ''Have on (film) on peninsula within
bay several large white structures. This might be tent city
you referred to. Again, at least three larger white
structures or objects on peninsula within bay to the east
of the first two piers. Over.
''Atlantis, this is Calypso,'' an unidentified man replied.
''Roger, solid copy. Believe you have identified tent
city.''
Nearly 5,800 Haitians fleeing their country in the wake of
a military coup have been plucked from homemade rafts and
overcrowded boats in international waters off Haiti since
Oct. 29. Some 1,226 are housed at Guantanamo.
Runco, a former New Jersey Highway Patrol officer, has
primary responsibility for an experiment called M88-1.
Hennen, an Army image analyst, is responsible for a project
known as Terra Scout.
While Terra Scout is devoted to studying how astronauts
observe targets from space, M88-1 is designed to help
military analysts better understand what the human eye can
see from orbit and how astronauts might be of service in a
time of national crisis.
''Occasionally we're going to have people up there and if
there are world crises it would be good to know what our
capabilities can be,'' Runco said before launch. ''It's
kind of information of opportunity; if the asset is there,
why not use it? Let's determine how well we can use that
OO 2-01 Page 4 4 Jan 1992
asset.''
M88-1 is made up of two surveillance experiments -
Battleview and Maritime Observation Experiments in Space,
or MOSES - and one called Night Mist designed to evaluate
the performance of UHF radio gear.
Battleview involves surveillance of targets on land such as
armored formations
truck convoys, dust clouds and other natural phenomena.
MOSES involves observation of ocean targets, such as ship
wakes.
The astronauts had hoped to use the UHF radio encrypt
conversations with ground participants, but the radio's
receiver is broken, forcing Runco and his crewmates to
limit their radio traffic to unclassified material.
Throughout the flight, Hennen has been using a computerized
video camera with special lenses to observe a variety of
ground targets around the world.
''What we're trying to do is document the manner in which a
human observes and more specifically, analyzes data,''
Hennen said before launch. ''What we want to do is
translate that data into computer- assisted sensing
systems. What we want to do is make smart sensors.''
3
Matched keyword: SPACE...
=START= XMT: 13:45 Fri Dec 06 EXP: 14:00 Mon Dec 09
SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL CHOSEN TO PROVIDE N-STAR TWO
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SATELLITES
NEW YORK (DEC. 6) BUSINESS WIRE - Space Systems/Loral
Friday announced that it has been selected as the
successful bidder by Nippon Telegraph & Telephone (NTT) to
provide two N-Star telecommunications satellites to be
delivered in orbit in 1995.
With these two additional satellites, Space Systems/Loral's
backlog reaches $1 billion, with 16 telecommunications and
environmental satellites under contract, and options for an
additional 14.
This new award reinforces Space Systems/Loral's position as
the primary provider of telecommunications satellites to
the Japanese market.
''The selection of Space Systems/Loral is significant not
only because of the value of the contract, but more
importantly because it enables us to continue our
Press <RETURN> or <S>croll?s
OO 2-01 Page 5 4 Jan 1992
longstanding relationships in the Japanese satellite
market,'' said Bernard L. Schwartz, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Loral Corp.
The N-STAR satellites will provide fixed and mobile
communications in Japan and have an expected life of over
10 years. They will draw on state-of-the-art technology
being used on the Intelsat VII bus series of
telecommunications satellites, currently under construction
by Space Systems/Loral.
Space Systems/Loral, based in Palo Alto, Calif. designs and
manufactures satellites for telecommunications and
environmental applications.
CONTACT: Loral Corp.,
Joseph Tedino, 703/685-5540
* Odyssey News Wire
=START= XMT: 13:11 Fri Dec 06 EXP: 13:00 Sat Dec 07
SOVIET COSMONAUTS VOLKOV, KRIKALEV CONTINUE EXPERIMENTS IN
SPACE
MOSCOW (DEC. 6) TASS - SOVIET COSMONAUTS ALEKSANDER VOLKOV
AND SERGEI KRIKALEV COMPLETED ANOTHER SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS
FOCUSING ON HYDRODYNAMIC PROCESSES UNDER CONDITIONS OF
WEIGHTLESSNESS. THE RESEARCH WAS DONE USING HYDROLOGICAL
STAND "VOLNA-2" AND VARIOUS FUEL TANKS FOR SPACECRAFT.
TODAY THE COSMONAUTS WILL BE PREPARING SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT
FOR NEW RESEARCH WORK.
THE NEXT EXPERIMENT ON SPACE MATERIAL STUDY WILL BEGIN
LATER TODAY WITH A SPECIAL DEVICE CALLED A CRYSTALLIZER.
=END=
=START= XMT: 12:44 Wed Dec 11 EXP: 13:00 Sat Dec 14
ALENIA S.P.A. OF ITALY, HONEYWELL INC. TO FORM JOINT SPACE
VENTURE
MINNEAPOLIS (DEC. 11) PR NEWSWIRE - Alenia S.p.A. of Italy
and Honeywell Inc. (NYSE: HON) today announced the creation
of a joint venture to manufacture control subsystems and
equipment for space applications.
The joint venture, Space Controls Alenia Honeywell S.p.A.,
will supply the European space market with reaction wheel
assemblies, inertial measurement units, bearing and power
transfer assemblies and antenna pointing systems. These
products will be marketed to European manufacturers of
spacecraft and systems for national and commercial space
programs and for the European Space Agency.
Honeywell owns 40 percent and Alenia owns 60 percent of the
joint venture company, which is currently constructing
OO 2-01 Page 6 4 Jan 1992
manufacturing facilities in Naples, Italy, where it will be
based. When fully operative, the company will employ 150
people.
Alenia, headquartered in Rome, is Italy's largest aerospace
company. Its subsidiary, Alenia Spazio S.p.A.,
headquartered in Turin, Italy, specializes in the study,
design, development, manufacture, assembly, integration and
testing of satellites and space vehicles.
Honeywell is a leader in control subsystems and equipment
for space applications in the U.S. market. The company's
Space Systems Groups is headquartered in Clearwater, Fla.,
and provides flight control equipment and engine
controllers for the U.S. Space Shuttle program; guidance,
navigation and control systems and data management
electronics for the Space Station Freedom program; and data
processing, attitude controls and antenna pointing systems
for satellites.
Honeywell is a global controls company that provides
products, systems and services for homes and buildings,
industry and aviation and space. The company employs
58,000 people worldwide and had 1990 sales of $6.3 billion.
CONTACT: Kevin Whalen of Honeywell, 612-870-2524
=START= XMT: 14:46 Wed Dec 11 EXP: 15:00 Thu Dec 12
HUBBLE GLITCH CAUSED BY "BUG" IN EARTH-BOUND COMPUTER
PROGRAM, OFFICIALS SAY
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL (DEC. 11) UPI - A ''bug'' in a computer
program used on Earth to help control the Hubble Space
Telescope knocked the satellite out of action Monday, but
officials said Wednesday the costly observatory would be
back in operation Thursday.
''This is one of those cases where the spacecraft once
again protected itself from the humans on the ground who
wrote the software,'' Hubble project scientist Edward
Weiler said by telephone from Washington.
The $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope, the most
sophisticated astronomical satellite ever built, was
launched from the shuttle Discovery on April 25, 1990.
Since then, ground controllers have struggled to overcome a
variety of technical problems, ranging from trouble with
the satellite's stabilizing gyroscopes to instrument
problems and an unexpected jitter caused by solar panel
flexing when the spacecraft passes from Earth's shadow into
sunlight.
The most serious problem, however, involves Hubble's main
mirror. Shortly after launch, engineers discovered the
mirror had been ground into the wrong shape, one that
prevents it from bringing starlight to a sharp focus.
NASA plans a 1993 shuttle repair mission to install
corrective optics, new solar panels and replacement
gyroscopes that should restore the satellite to design
specifications.
In the meantime, astronomers are using Hubble to make
observations that are not severely affected by its flawed
optical system. Science data is transmitted to Earth using
two ''high-gain'' antennas that beam radio signals to a
OO 2-01 Page 7 4 Jan 1992
pair of NASA communications satellites.
At 7:47 a.m. EST Monday, Hubble's on-board computer shut
the telescope down, throwing the spacecraft into a form of
electronic hibernation called a ''safe mode.'' The
telescope is programmed to enter safe mode whenever a major
problem is detected.
Weiler said the problem Monday developed because of a
software glitch on the ground that had gone undetected
since launch.
As Hubble orbits the Earth, its two high-gain antennas
track the NASA communications satellite high above. When
one such satellite disappears behind the limb of the Earth,
computer programs on the ground calculate where the
antennas should move to pick up the next satellite. Those
commands then are radioed to Hubble and executed as
required.
Because of a bug in the ground software, Weiler said, the
antenna was commanded to the wrong position on Monday.
When Hubble's on-board computer checked the antenna's
position later, it discovered the problem, ''found the
antenna in the wrong place ... and it commanded (the
antenna) to go over there and get there fast.''
But safety provisions built into the telescope's on-board
programming will not permit the antenna motors to exert
more than a certain amount of force to prevent any possible
damage.
When Hubble's electronic brain attempted to correct the
antenna problem Monday
it caused the motor to work hard enough to violate the
safety limits.
''We entered what we call a soft safe mode on Monday at
7:47 a.m.,'' Weiler said. ''The reason we entered safe mode
is ... the sensor that senses torque on the antenna motor
said it was up to 10 inch-ounces of torque. That is the
limit where the software will say stop, I'm going into safe
mode.''
He said the ground software is made up of three million
lines of computer programming ''and as usual when humans
build something, they left a few bugs in it. This bug has
been there since launch. This was not a spacecraft
problem.''
He said the problem was identified Tuesday and that Hubble
would be back in full operation Thursday.
=END=
=START= XMT: 16:56 Fri Dec 13 EXP: 17:00 Sat Dec 14
SOVIET COLLAPSE IS DAMAGING SPACE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE,
AVIATION WEEK SAYS
NEW YORK (DEC. 13) BUSINESS WIRE - The chaotic state of the
Soviet economy and accelerating disintegration of the
Soviet military/industrial infrastructure is taking a
serious toll on Soviet aerospace capabilities, according to
the December 16 edition of Aviation Week & Space
Technology.
Soviet space launch operations have dropped to their lowest
levels in 25 years and the evaporation of a stable central
OO 2-01 Page 8 4 Jan 1992
government has begun to affect planning for future U.S.
space cooperation.
Senior space editor Craig Covault describes the difficult
conditions facing top managers of military and civilian
space operations gleaned from exclusive interviews with
high-ranking Soviet aerospace officials. Shortages of raw
materials are affecting spacecraft production, a large
booster program is being terminated and a Soviet rocket
recently exploded during ground tests, Covault reports.
Aviation Week & Space Technology, published weekly by
McGraw-Hill, is the leading journal for the worldwide
aviation, aerospace and defense industries. The current
issue also details the following developments:
Issue of Control Over Soviet Nuclear Arms Worries U.S.:
Central Intelligence Agency Director Robert Gates
underscored grave concerns about the unravelling of central
control of Soviet military forces and nuclear weapons,
calling it a ''dangerously unstable'' situation.
He and U.S. Ambassador Robert Strauss provided a snapshot
of the Bush Administration's concerns about the deepening
political and economic crisis in the former U.S.S.R. during
a Housing Armed Services Committee hearing last week.
Senior editor John Morrocco reports that Gates predicted
continued decay and breakup of the Soviet armed forces,
while Strauss warned the panel that ''there are a lot of
dangerous forces afoot'' in the Soviet Union that could
affect the control and security of the Soviet nuclear
arsenal.
As support for a new confederation poses serious challenges
to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's authority, the
United States faces a period of great uncertainty while
Russia sorts out who owns these weapons and creates a new
framework for their control.
What Doomed Pan Am: The demise of Pan American World
Airways closes a chapter in international aviation history.
A team of Aviation Week & Space Technology editors traced
its history and many achievements in a series of articles
detailing the impact of Delta's announcement that it would
not pump any more money into the ailing Pan Am.
The inability of Pan Am to forge a place for itself in the
changed environment of deregulation resulted in losses of
more than $2 billion in the last decade.
At the same time, United Airlines will probably become the
premier U.S. international carrier if it completes the
acquisition of Pan Am's routes to Latin America. A senior
financial analyst said last week that this acquisition
would make United the ''North American business travelers'
global airline.''
Market Focus: Leading gainers and losers (Thursday, 12/12
close): Continental Airlines down 29.92 percent; GenCorp.
Inc. down 11/76 percent; Racal Electronics Plc. down 9.52
percent.
For additional information and complete text of these news
stories contact Luciana Borbely or Mark Danes, telephone
212/512-3851, fax 212/512-2703.
McGraw-Hill's Aviation Week Group markets a comprehensive
OO 2-01 Page 9 4 Jan 1992
network of publications, electronic and video services for
the multi-billion dollar aviation/aerospace/defense market.
CONTACT: McGraw-Hill's Aviation Week Group, New York
Luciana Borbely or Mark Danes, 212/512-3851
=START= XMT: 19:47 Fri Dec 13 EXP: 20:00 Sat Dec 14
SOVIET MIR ORBITING STATION FILMS EARTH SURFACE, TASS
REPORTS
MISSION CONTROL CENTER (DEC. 13) TASS - THE MIR ORBITING
STATION HAS BEEN FILMING VARIOUS REGIONS OF THE EARTH THIS
WEEK WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF A PROGRAM OF RESEARCH OF THE
EARTH'S NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
ON FRIDAY THE COSMONAUTS FILMED THE SOUTH-EASTERN PART OF
THE ASIAN CONTINENT, THE INDONESIAN ISLANDS AND AUSTRALIA.
=START= XMT: 16:39 Tue Dec 17 EXP: 17:00 Fri Dec 20
BOEING COMPLETES KEY DESIGN MILESTONE FOR SPACE STATION
HUNTSVILLE, AL (DEC. 17) PR NEWSWIRE - Boeing Defense &
Space Group has completed the initial design phase for work
on Space Station Freedom, and received authorization today
to proceed with final hardware design from NASA, NASA's
international partners, and representatives from other
station work packages.
The authorizing certificate was signed as NASA and Boeing
completed a major design review in Huntsville.
The design review is a key milestone because Boeing now
will begin work on final engineering drawings, and will
initiate developmental and qualification tests leading to
launch of the first pressurized module -- a node -- in late
1996.
Tests already are underway at NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center in Huntsville on about 10 major pieces of hardware.
Results of this hardware-test phase will be used to
complete final design for the space station by early 1993.
Boeing is NASA's prime contractor to build the heart of the
space station: its laboratory, living and logistics
modules, connecting node structures and on-board systems.
"Space Station Freedom is closer every day to reality,"
said Richard Grant, Boeing program manager. "The
international orbiting laboratory has turned the corner
from a strictly engineering program to a hardware program
with tests underway."
In Freedom's man-tended phase, which begins in 1996,
astronauts will visit regularly to tend experiments in the
OO 2-01 Page 10 4 Jan 1992
unique microgravity environment of low-Earth orbit. A crew
of four will live there permanently by 1999, and over the
next 30 years scientists will conduct life- and
materials-science experiments.
"Boeing and Marshall have made substantial progress during
1991, also completing facilities and equipment for future
hardware development," said George Hopson, NASA's project
manager for Marshall's work package. "The work has
Press <RETURN> or <S>croll?s
remained on schedule and within budget.
"This progress has been made possible through the close
working relationship of the Marshall, Boeing and
subcontractor team," Hopson said.
The coming year will have an aggressive hardware testing
regimen that verifies the fundamental structural design of
the space station's pressurized modules, nodes, hatches,
windows and racks.
"The thorough design and testing effort we've embarked on
will ensure Space Station Freedom is a safe, highly
operational facility to serve this nation and its
international partners for decades to come," Grant said.
Boeing employs about 2,000 people on the program.
CONTACT: Brian Ames or Peri Widener of Boeing Alabama,
205-461-2805
=END=
=START= XMT: 10:19 Tue Dec 17 EXP: 10:00 Wed Dec 18
SOVIET COSMONAUTS TO BEGIN NEW EXPERIMENTS WITH MONOCRYSTAL
FLIGHT CONTROL CENTRE (DEC. 17) TASS - SOVIET COMSMONAUTS
ALEXANDER VOLKOV AND SERGEI KRIKALEV ARE SCHEDULED TO BEGIN
A NEW EXPERIMENT TO PRODUCE A MONOCRYSTAL OF CADMIUM
TELLURIDE WITH IMPROVED TECHNOLOGICAL QUALITIES IN ZERO
GRAVITY THIS AFTERNOON.
THE FIVE-DAY EXPERIMENT, BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE
PROGRAMME OF SPACE MATERIAL STUDIES, WILL USE THE ZONA 03
WELDING INSTALLATION.
=END=
VIROMEDICS REPORTS METHOD WITH POTENTIAL FOR PROTECTING
BLOOD SUPPLY FROM AIDS
HAUPPAUGE, NY (DEC. 19) BUSINESS WIRE - Future Medical
Products Inc. (NASDAQ:FMPI) through its subsidiary,
Viromedics, which owns joint patent rights with the Albert
OO 2-01 Page 11 4 Jan 1992
Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM) and exclusive
marketing rights to a procedure utilizing an organic
compound, which has been researched and tested at AECOM for
treatment of the AIDS virus, Thursday announced the release
of the following report as it appears in the December issue
of the journal AIDS.
"Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine define
chemical treatment that significantly lowers HIV's capacity
to infect healthy cells.
"Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of
Yeshiva University report that an in vitro treatment of the
AIDS virus (HIV) and of HIV-infected cells with a mild
chemical can significantly interfere with HIV's ability to
further infect other cells.
"The scientists evaluated the capacity of a group of
chemicals, the alkylureas
to inhibit infectivity of free HIV and to kill the virus in
vitro in blood cells taken from AIDS patients. In
particular, one type of alkylurea, butylurea, inhibited HIV
infectivity at concentrations that have no adverse effect
on red blood cell functions. The investigators showed that
butylurea breaks the virus down to small, noninfectious
particles.
"Treatment of blood products with butylurea has the
potential, therefore, to significantly lower the risk of
HIV infection to transfusion recipients from donated blood
carrying the the AIDS virus. The use of of alkylureas in
patients will also be considered, since similar compounds
have already been administered to patients with the blood
disorder sickle cell anemia with only minor side effects.
"This work was started in 1988 by Dr. Arye Rubinstein,
professor of Microbiology and Immunology and of Pediatrics
at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was later
joined by Einstein researchers, Drs. Harris Goldstein,
Massimo Pettcello-Mantovani, Tobias R. Killman and Theresa
Calvelli.
"The researchers demonstrated that infectivity of HIV was
decreased by more than 95 percent following treatment with
butylurea, as measured by the activity of the virus's key
enzyme, reverse transcriptase, and the concentration of the
viral antigen p24. The current work extended preliminary
data presented by Dr. Rubinstein at the Annual Meeting of
the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology in San
Francisco last year."
Future Medical Products subsidiary Viromedics, which owns
worldwide exclusive marketing rights for the patented
procedure, further stated that the potential use for this
compound can have a significant impact toward the reduction
of HIV transmission through blood transfusions.
OO 2-01 Page 12 4 Jan 1992
Future Medical Products Inc., is a biomedical company that
is involved in the research and development of products
that focus on drug detoxification, heart disease treatment,
genetic engineering and AIDS research. Its shares are
listed on the NASDAQ exchange and trade under the symbol
FMPI.
CONTACT: Future Medical Products, Hauppauge
Herb Glicksman, 516/348-0500
or
Martin Janis & Co. Inc., Chicago
Beverly Jedynak, 312/943-1100.
=END=
=START= XMT: 11:35 Thu Dec 19 EXP: 12:00 Sun Dec 22
PHILIPS MEDICAL SYSTEMS HAS NON-INVASIVE WAY TO IMAGE BLOOD
VESSELS OF HEART
SHELTON, CT (DEC. 19) BUSINESS WIRE - A new diagnostic
technique under development by Philips Medical Systems is
providing high resolution images of the heart and great
vessels with less risk and less cost than existing
technology.
The new technique, called Gated Inflow, is an enhancement
to existing magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and
represents the latest advance in heart imaging technology.
Doctors at Emory University in Atlanta have used the
MRA-Gated Inflow technique to obtain images of heart
conditions in infants and adults. MRA-Gated Inflow has
enabled the doctors to avoid using the riskier and costlier
cardiac catheterization technique, known also as X-Ray (or
intra-arterial) angiography.
Philips plans to apply for FDA approval next year and
expects the system to be available for widespread use
within two years. Ultimately, Philips scientists and Emory
doctors predict that Gated Inflow will be used in routine
heart screenings for older adults and those at risk of
heart disease.
MRA has been used with success to image vessels and
diagnose vascular disorders throughout the body. However,
until now, it has been difficult to obtain a clear picture
of the heart and great vessels using MRA because of the
movement caused by the pumping heart. MRA Gated Inflow
solves this problem by reducing the image distortion caused
by the action of the heart cycle.
Heart problems have traditionally been diagnosed by cardiac
catheterization, which is invasive and involves the
injection of a dye, called a contrast agent
into the vessels of the heart. An X-ray of the heart will
OO 2-01 Page 13 4 Jan 1992
detect the contrast agent and distinguish between blood and
surrounding tissue. This method is often repeated to
monitor patients with long-term conditions, subjecting the
patient to several invasive procedures.
Philips Medical Systems North America (PMSNA) is a leading
supplier of diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy
equipment to the medical community. Philips products are
backed by a worldwide network of research and development
sales and service.
Headquartered in Shelton, Conn., PMSNA is a part of North
American Philips Corp. (NAPC), one of the top 100
industrial companies in the United States. Philips makes
consumer products, lighting, electrical and electronics
components and professional equipment marketed under many
well-known brands including Philips, Magnavox, Norelco,
Philco, and Sylvania audio-video.
CONTACT: Philips Medical Systems, Shelton
Lynne Brown, 203/926-7084
or
Clarke & Company, Boston
Steve Brayton or Katherine McGreen, 617/536-3003.
=END=
=START= XMT: 16:41 Fri Dec 20 EXP: 17:00 Mon Dec 23
CHEMEX PHARMACEUTICALS COMPLETES BLOOD ABSORPTION SAFETY
STUDY FOR NEW DRUG
FORT LEE, NJ (DEC. 20) BUSINESS WIRE - Chemex
Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced Friday that the blood
absorption safety study for the new drug ACTINEX has been
completed on schedule and filed with the FDA.
The company has submitted all information and data
requested by FDA and is awaiting final FDA review of this
study and the Actinex NDA filing.
Actinex will be used for the treatment of actinic
keratoses, a pre-malignant skin disorder. Block Drug Co.
Inc. purchased Actinex from Chemex in 1990. The above FDA
filing does not trigger or accelerate any payments provided
for in the Actinex acquisition agreement.
Chemex (NASDAQ:CHMX) is an emerging pharmaceutical company
engaged in the development of ethical drugs for the
treatment of skin diseases and disorders.
CONTACT: Chemex Pharmaceuticals Inc., Fort Lee
Len Stigliano, 201/944-1449
=START= XMT: 16:23 Sat Dec 21 EXP: 16:00 Tue Dec 24
OO 2-01 Page 14 4 Jan 1992
SPACE BIOSPHERES VENTURES CONFIRMS SUPERIORITY OF BIOSPHERE
2 SEAL
ORACLE, AZ (DEC. 20) BUSINESS WIRE - Responding to media
requests for clarification of a news release issued by
Space Biospheres Ventures on Dec. 19
Director of Systems Engineering William Dempster announced
that a successful closure has been accomplished with a leak
rate of 5-6 percent a year.
Dempster explained that an annual 6 percent loss rate,
which equals .0164 percent per day, results in a dilution
of approximately one fourth of one part per million of
carbon dioxide per day in Biosphere 2. Dempster had first
presented his data and methodology at a meeting of the
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air
Conditioning Engineers in Montebello, Calif., on Dec. 3,
1991.
Comparing the seal efficacy of Biosphere 2 with other
closed life systems, Dempster noted that the Russian closed
experiment BIOS3 had a measured yearly loss rate of 50
percent while NASA's breadboard systems measured
approximately 1,000 percent per year, making Biosphere 2 by
far the most highly sealed closed life system ever built.
In addition, these two other experiments were metal
containers whereas Biosphere 2, while employing stainless
steel for regions in contact with the earth, utilizes a
structure comprised largely of glass panes. By thus
excluding the use of artificial light in favor of true
photosynthesis, a total biospheric system response could be
measured as well as effects on individual crops and plants.
To understand the tightness of the Biosphere 2 seal
compared to an ordinary well-designed building, a 12-foot
by nine-foot by eight-foot- high closed office operating at
the EPA minimum standard of 15 cubic feet per minute will
have an annual air exchange of about 100,000 percent, or
about 20,000 times greater.
This environment will build up approximately 1,000 ppm of
CO2, although over 30 percent of new American homes and
offices operate at higher levels, according to the EPA.
The leakage tests conducted inside Biosphere 2 from the
Sept. 26 closure until December resulted in a one-time-only
atmospheric loss of about 10 percent, above and beyond the
small loss due to leakage.
At the completion of these tests on Dec. 9, this amount was
replaced so that Biosphere 2 could operate at its designed
volume of air, an important vector in the operation of the
facility because of its buffering effect.
The extra air lost in the testing during the first few days
OO 2-01 Page 15 4 Jan 1992
following closure averaged about 1,500 ppm of CO2, so that
the 10 percent replacement on Dec. 9 diluted the relative
amount of CO2 in Biosphere 2 by approximately 110-120 ppm
from the amount in the air when taken out. This means that
it will increase the biospheric effort to raise or lower
the CO2 percentage by about 5 percent.
The restoration of the lost air also added an absolute
amount of 9.24 kilograms, or 20.4 pounds, of CO2 to the
atmosphere.
''These tests demonstrate that Biosphere 2 is operating in
a more than satisfactory manner as a sealed apparatus,''
Dempster stated. ''Our impossible target aim was 1 percent,
our management target aim was 10 percent and our scientific
upper limit was 100 percent per year leakage rate,'' said
Dempster.
''We have come in halfway between the impossible and our
management targets. On the scientific side, the safety
factor on the Biosphere 2 sealing is much more than an
order of magnitude.''
All the key factors -- CO2, ocean coral reef, plant growth,
species survival, agricultural production and leak rate
measurements -- show the Biosphere 2 system to be operating
at or better than expected levels, in spite of one of the
cloudiest seasons in the region's history.
Cloud cover affects the amount of light available for
oxygen-producing plants inside the experiment. ''The most
important thing has been the integrated response of the
entire system,'' added Dempster.
''However, to make the exact calculations required, we had
to be able to adjust to even such small amounts as a
quarter of a part per million of carbon dioxide per day,
which our leak rate has turned out to be.''
CONTACT: Baker/Winokur/Ryder Public Relations,
Beverly Hills, Calif.
Larry Winokur, 310/278-1460
=END=
=START= XMT: 14:43 Fri Dec 20 EXP: 15:00 Mon Dec 23
PRATT & WHITNEY HIGH PRESSURE TURBOPUMPS SUCCESSFULLY
TESTED AT NASA CENTER
WEST PALM BEACH, FL (DEC. 20) PR NEWSWIRE - A pair of Pratt
& Whitney designed high pressure turbopumps has been
successfully tested in a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME)
at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
OO 2-01 Page 16 4 Jan 1992
The Dec. 17 test was a 1.5 second ignition test. The
turbopumps are expected to demonstrate full power operation
on additional engine firings early next year. The pumps
deliver liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants to
the main combustion chambers of the Space Shuttle's three
main engines.
Originally, the NASA-sponsored program called for the
development and flight qualification of a set of turbopumps
that would be interchangeable with current pumps and have a
55-mission life, or approximately 7.5 hours of operation.
Declining resources recently forced NASA to defer the fuel
turbopump certification program until after flight
certification of the oxidizer pump.
Additional oxygen turbopumps are being assembled for tests
next year. The program's production phase requires
turbopumps to be delivered between 1993 and 1997. The P&W
oxidizer turbopump is planned to be used on Space Shuttle
engines beginning in 1994.
A P&W SSME oxidizer turbopump weighs the same as a V-8
automobile engine but develops 28,000 horsepower and could
empty a swimming pool in 60 seconds. Its main shaft rotates
at 24,000 rpm, compared to 3,000 rpm for an automobile
engine operating at 60 mph. The maximum equivalent
horsepower developed by the Shuttle's three main engines
combined is over 37 million, and the energy released is the
equivalent to the output of 23 Hoover dams.
Pratt & Whitney's Government Engines & Space Propulsion
(GESP) facility, headquartered near West Palm Beach, Fla.,
designs, develops and supports military jet engines, and
provides a wide variety of propulsion systems and launch
services for the U.S. space program. Other GESP units are
Chemical Systems Division, San Jose, Calif., and USBI, with
facilities in Florida, Alabama and Louisiana. Pratt &
Whitney is a unit of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:
UTX), Hartford, Conn.
CONTACT: Patrick Louden of Pratt & Whitney, 407-796-6793
=END=
=START= XMT: 09:00 Wed Dec 18 EXP: 09:00 Wed Dec 25
ORIGINS OF MANY CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS ARE GENERALLY UNKNOWN
SEATTLE (DEC. 18) UPI - Christmas trees, mistletoe and
gift-giving are well- known holiday traditions, but their
origins are generally unknown to most Americans who go
along because ''that's the way it's always been done.''
But it hasn't ''always been done'' that way and to
investigate the origins of the holiday's traditions is to
discover a fascinating part of American and European
OO 2-01 Page 17 4 Jan 1992
history.
Though most Americans celebrate the holiday to varying
degrees, few are aware that it wasn't until the middle of
the 19th century that Christmas was accepted into American
culture. During the 17th and 18th centuries, large groups
of colonists vehemently objected to the celebration,
calling it ''an abomination.''
The Puritans believed church government should not sanction
anything that couldn't be found in the scriptures. In 1659
in Boston, anyone found observing the holiday was fined.
But, still, the celebration was catching on.
One influence may have been separation of church and state,
established by the U.S. Constitution in 1791. Members of
the Puritan and evangelical churches were less likely to
oppose the celebration when it was no longer a symbol of
the religious and political dominance of the Church of
England.
During the 19th century, secular interest in Christmas
spread rapidly with an influx of German immigrants who
celebrated Christmas as both a religious and folk occasion.
The English colonists in America weren't accustomed to
giving gifts, not even to the children. They did, however,
give to servants and the poor, as part of their duty to
God.
Christmas presents were advertised sporadically in
newspapers in the 1820s, but for the next half century,
gifts were referred to as New Year's gifts or simply
''holiday'' gifts. The custom of gift-giving didn't catch
on until the mid 19th century, when stores were a flurry of
activity.
While firecrackers and noise-making are largely associated
with Independence Day and to a lesser extent New Year's
Eve, the old- fashioned Christmas was a cacophony of guns,
cannons and firecrackers.
The practice of making noise dates back to the notion that
loud sounds would frighten evil spirits thought to be
rampant at the winter solstice - celebrated as the point
when days started getting longer, the coming of spring and
the renewal of life.
In about 320 A.D., Rome decided to convert the pagan
solstice celebration and the Mithraic (Persian) ''Birthday
of the Unconquered Sun'' into something more suited to
their purposes. Christians believed Jesus was born on the
25th day, but couldn't settle on the month. December was
chosen and the observance became ''Birthday of the
Unconquered Son.''
OO 2-01 Page 18 4 Jan 1992
Christmas traditions have deep roots in European folk
customs. The yule log, virtually forgotten in today's
celebrations, came from England. The log was brought home
on Christmas Eve, placed in the fireplace, lit from a piece
of the previous year's log and, to prevent bad luck, kept
burning for 12 hours.
The popularity of the Christmas tree grew out of the yule
log. As legend has it, the first Christmas tree was cut by
Martin Luther, who brought it home and decorated it with
candles to imitate the stars in the sky above Bethlehem.
The first national recognition of the Christmas tree custom
in the United States came in 1856, when President Franklin
Pierce decorated one at the White House.
Originally, the ''tree of life'' was a tabletop model. It
was decorated with apples, the symbol of man's fall, and
sacramental wafers, the symbol of man's salvation.
Eventually, the apples were replaced by glass balls, the
wafers by cookies cut in the shape of stars, angels, or
animals.
The poinsettia is perhaps the most popular of the several
plants widely used in today's Christmas decorating. The
plant with bright red ''bracts'' was brought from Mexico by
botanist and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Joel R. Poinsett.
The ''flower of the Holy Night'' is believed to represent
the flaming Star of Bethlehem.
Holly, ivy and mistletoe are symbols of fertility. Though
ivy is largely overlooked today, in old English carols ivy
represents the female and holly represents the male. Both
were thought to have healing powers.
The legend of Santa Claus rose out of the story of St.
Nicholas.
Nicholas was born about 270 A.D. in what is now Turkey.
Tales of his charitable life and miracle-working were
passed on by word of mouth. He was considered the patron of
children and this is thought to be the reason he became
tied to Christmas.
The written description of the Santa Claus we know today
was created by Clement Moore, the New York scholar who
penned ''The Night Before Christmas.'' The visual image was
developed by illustrator Thomas Nast, a political
cartoonist who created the Democrats' donkey and the
Republicans' elephant.
Nast first drew Santa Claus for a book of poems that
included ''The Night Before Christmas.'' After the success
of the book, he drew Santa each Christmas for ''Harper's
Weekly.'' Children and adults alike eagerly awaited the
drawings, which appeared in the magazine for 23 years.
OO 2-01 Page 19 4 Jan 1992
The appearance of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer is quite
new, having appeared on the scene in 1939. Rudolph was
created for an advertising campaign of Montgomery Ward. The
story was used as a ''giveaway'' item for the Christmas
shopping season and it wasn't used again until 1946. In
1949 the popular song was recorded by Gene Autry and Bing
Crosby and it swept the country.
=END=
=START= XMT: 13:20 Tue Dec 24 EXP: 13:00 Wed Dec 25
SOVIET COSMONAUTS CONTINUE RESEARCH IN SPACE ABOARD MIR
SPACE STATION
MOSCOW (DEC. 24) DPA - Soviet cosmonauts Alexander Volkov
and Sergei Krivalev continued Tuesday their research work
on board the Mir space station, conducting an experiment to
obtain more information about the black hole 60 million
light years from earth, the Soviet news agency TASS
reported.
The two cosmonauts also refuelled the engine of the
orbiting space station, the agency said.
=START= XMT: 17:34 Mon Dec 23 EXP: 18:00 Thu Dec 26
USAIR IS LOOKING FOR 13 WINNERS FROM THE 1991 PSA SPACE AGE
CONTEST
LOS ANGELES (DEC. 23) PR NEWSWIRE - USAir is looking for 13
third prize winners of the PSA 1991 Space Age Contest held
20 years ago by Pacific Southwest Airlines. The
promotional contest required entrants to depict what they
thought PSA's aircraft would look like in the (far off)
year 1991. Third prize winners received a certificate good
for round-trips for two, anywhere PSA flies in the year
1991, including the moon.
R. Brooks Stover, a 23 year old Stanford student, won first
place in the contest by drawing a double-fuselaged aircraft
in which sections of the plane detach and serve as
monorails. He won an all- expense paid trip for four to
Tahiti back in 1971.
One of the 13 winners who has already been identified,
Sonia Manzo recalled, "I remember that in 2nd or 3rd grade
I thought 1991 would never arrive -- and now it's
practically over!" The PSA 1991 Space Age Contest third
prize winners will all receive two round- trips anywhere on
the USAir system.
USAir, America's fifth largest airline, flies to 38 states,
the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto
OO 2-01 Page 20 4 Jan 1992
Rico as well as international destinations such as Bermuda,
Bahamas, Canada, Great Britain and Germany.
Patricia Goldman, senior vice president for corporate
communications, explained, "Honoring these PSA winning
certificates is another way for USAir to demonstrate
corporate commitment to our friends and our passengers over
the years."
Winners are requested to contact USAir's Western Region
Corporate Communications office at 310-417-1294.
CONTACT: Agnes J. Huff of USAir, 310-417-1294
=START= XMT: 10:44 Fri Dec 27 EXP: 11:00 Mon Dec 30
CROP GENETICS AND DU PONT FORM BIOINSECTICIDES ALLIANCE
HANOVER, MD (DEC. 27) PR NEWSWIRE - Crop Genetics
International (NASDAQ: CROP) and the Du Pont Company
announced today the formation of an alliance for the joint
commercialization of Insecticidal Virus Products or IVPs.
These biological insecticides consist of naturally
occurring organisms which infect and destroy targeted
insects. Du Pont and Crop Genetics said that they formed
the alliance to develop, produce, formulate, and market a
broad range of viruses for insect control.
Crop Genetics will become the exclusive producer of virus
products for the alliance and focus its InSTARx(TM)
division on the low-cost production of IVPs. Du Pont will
become the exclusive global distributor and marketer of
IVPs for the alliance. Both companies will jointly develop
new IVPs. Under the alliance agreement, Du Pont agreed to
fund development of IVPs at Crop Genetics for up to $3.75
million over the next two years. The two agricultural
companies said they will share the profits from the
alliance under a series of sale and supply agreements which
will be negotiated as IVPs are developed.
Frank W. Owen, global product manager for insecticides at
Du Pont Agricultural Products said that the safety and
effectiveness of IVPs have been known for years but that
success of IVPs has been limited because of relatively high
manufacturing costs. "The production and purification
methods created by Crop Genetics' InSTARx(TM) scientists
hold the promise of permitting large scale production of a
range of IVPs at competitive prices." Owen said, "The
alliance will broaden Du Pont's product offering of
biological insecticides and demonstrates a commitment by
both companies to provide growers with effective,
environmentally compatible products for integrated pest
management programs."
Crop Genetics International is developing biological
OO 2-01 Page 21 4 Jan 1992
pesticides systems to control insects, diseases, and weeds
in agriculture and forestry. The company's research is
focused on the creation of novel crop protection products
that are effective and compatible with the environment. The
company's InSTARx division is developing low-cost
manufacturing processes for viral insecticides; the
company's X-tend(TM) group is focused on developing weed
control systems that combine biological and synthetic
herbicidal agents; its InCide(TM) technology is designed to
use genetically-engineered plant inoculants to protect
corn, rice, and other row crops from insects and fungi; and
its Kleentek(R) business markets disease-free sugarcane
seed.
Du Pont is a diversified chemicals, energy and specialty
products company. Du Pont markets agricultural products in
125 countries, has production facilities on five continents
and is one of the largest suppliers of crop protection
products in the U.S., offering more than 60 insecticides,
fungicides and herbicides.
CONTACT: Joseph W. Kelly, chief executive officer of Crop
Genetics International, 410-712-7170; Trish Williams of Du
Pont Agricultural Products, 302-992-6810; or Anthony Russo
of Noonan/Russo Communications, 212-979-9180, for Crop
Genetics.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* Animal Mutilation Update
This file was provided to the ParaNet<sm> Information Service by
UFO Magazine. All rights are reserved. You may distribute this file
freely as long as this header remains intact.
Date prepared: 4/18/91
Contributed by: Staff UFO Magazine
=================================================================
UFO Magazine Vol. 5 No. 4 ( Coping With Abduction )
The `Harvest' Continues
ANIMAL MUTILATION UPDATE
by Linda Moulton Howe
In 1989, there were so many cattle mutilations in southern Idaho
that Bear Lake County Sheriff Brent Bunn told me, "We haven't seen
anything like this since the 1970s." Sheriff Bunn sent me 16
neatly-typed "Investigation Reports" about cattle mutilations that
had taken place in his county between May and December. Over half
occurred in a remote valley called Nounan. Only eighty people live
there. Ranching is their main income source, and cattle are
precious. Disease and predators are old and well-understood
enemies.
What descended on Nounan, Idaho in the summer and fall of 1989
was not understood-and it scared people. Bloodless and precise
cuts-that's what bothers people. Officer Gregg Athay wrote in his
mutilation report, "There were no visible signs of the cause of
death. It appeared that only the soft tissues (nose, lips and
tongue) were gone off the head and four nipples off the bag. Again
there was no blood on the hair and ground."
No veterinarian report was made on that cow. But a month earlier,
Dr. Charles Merrell at the Bear Lake Animal Hospital examined a
dead Hereford cow. Dr. Merrell wrote after his examination: "Some
time between approximately 8 p.m. (August 31, 1989) and 7 a.m. 1
September, the anus, vagina to include uterus and ovaries and all
four teats (one teat deeply incised, the others shallow cuts) were
removed by knife cuts around these tissues. There were no signs of
injury and no blood to be found on the ground. " A neighbor,
Bernice Laughter, said she saw lights in that area about 2 a.m. on
September 1.
Disks reported
Throughout the history of animal mutilations, since 1967, there
have been numerous eyewitness accounts of large, glowing disks or
"silent helicopters " over pastures where dead animals are later
found. One Waco, Texas rancher said he encountered two four-foot
tall, light green-colored "creatures " with large, black, slanted
eyes, carrying a calf which was later found dead and mutilated. In
1983, a Missouri couple watched through binoculars as two small
beings in tight-fitting silver suits worked on a cow in a nearby
pasture. The alien heads were large and white in color. Nearby, a
tall, green-skinned "lizard man" stood glaring with eyes slit by
vertical pupils like a crocodiles's. Several hypnosis sessions with
various UFO abductees have produced information suggesting that the
alien intruders are using the tissues and blood fluids for genetic experimentation and sustenance.
One Missouri woman, who has experienced repeated encounters with
small grey beings that have large, black eyes, said the creatures
told her, "We use substances from cows in an essential biochemical
process for our survival." In the 1989 continuing harvest, over
half of the Idaho mutilations were young calves. One mutilated
calf, found December 24, north of Downey, Idaho, was found lying on
its back with the navel, rectum and genitals neatly cut out of the
steer's white belly. No blood was found anywhere. (See photo, p.
18.) This steer calf was taken for an autopsy to Dr. Chris Oats,
D.V.M., at the Hawthorne Animal Hospital. Dr. Oats checked all the
vital organs and was unable to determine the cause of death. During
the autopsy, a sharp cut was found in the right chest area, and Dr.
Oats discovered that a main artery had been severed under the chest
wound.
She was surprised that "the steer had lost a large amount of
blood, but [she] could not understand where it went to. " There was
no blood on the steer or on the ground. Dr. Oats also determined
that the steer had not been dragged by the neck or tied up around
the feet.
Residents of southern Idaho weren't alone in their fear and con-
fusion about the mutilations. William Veenhuizen woke up on July
17, 1989 to find his finest cow mutilated about 100 yards from his
farmhouse in Maple Valley, Washington, southeast of Seattle. The
six-year-old female was due to calve in about three weeks. But
mutilators had cut away a smooth oval section of the cow's mouth,
removed a section of jaw with teeth, excised the tongue and cut out
the entire udder, vagina and rectal area. The calf was still inside
the belly.
Something woke Mr. Veenhuizen up around I a.m. that day, he
remembers. He even put his shoes on and went outside, but he
couldn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary. He was so upset
after the mutilation, he started keeping the rest of his animals
inside the barn. "A neighbor said to me that coyotes did it," he
said, "but I said the coyotes don't have that sharp a knife."
--- XRS! 4.50+
* Origin: Absence of Evidence is not Evidence of Absence (Quick 1:19/19.19) EEN-BY: 10/45 19/19 105/605 123/19 140/10 202/502 238/300 363/29 42 95
EEN-BY: 363/107 373/9 1000/210 3607/20 3800/8
ATH: 19/19 363/29 3607/20
Message number 4692 in "Odyssey UFO Echo"
Date: 12-14-91 00:18
From: John Powell
To: Jerry Woody
Subj: Mutilations 2/2
ID:1013 0130cb90
SGID: 1:19/19.19 2949943e
Other farms hit
Bill Veenhuizen wasn't the only farmer in Maple Valley,
Washington having mutilation problems. On Sunday, November 11, two
female sheep were found with their sexual organs removed. The
Hicks-Raburn King County Police found small holes on the carcasses
that they concluded might be BB gun pellet wounds, but no pellets
were found.
Mystery technology
Another major question: Had the blood been drained from all those
animals without cutting them? If alien life forms are responsible,
and blood is a fluid they need for sustenance, do the aliens have
a technology which can transfer molecules of blood from within a
living system and leave mysteriously dead animals behind having no
cuts at all: The same question might apply to the hundreds of wild
horses which were found dead in Nevada in 1989.
In November, 1989, in Red Cloud, Nebraska, rancher Ron Bartels
found a large, 1,000 lb. Chianina cow dead and mutilated. The
Franklin County Sheriff Department investigated, and veterinarian
Carl Guthrie, D.V.M., was asked to do a necropsy. In his report, he
stated that a four-inch straight incision had been made over the
cervical trachea. Beyond that cut inside the animal, over eight
inches of trachea and esophagus had been surgically removed- "The
skin over the abdomen was removed in a clear, demarcated line-no
musculature disturbed," he noted. And the rectum and vagina were
cored out.
Predators discounted
Dr. Guthrie concluded: "There were definite signs of suspicious
acts to the body of this cow-the nature in which the skin was
severed and removed was not characteristic of a predator strike."
In addition to those cuts described by Dr. Guthrie, the neat
circular patch of skin removed around the cow's eye, along with the
eyeball, has been one of the hallmarks of animal mutilations since
the 1970s. Rancher Ron Bartels told me, ". . . after several days,
there had been no predation, and with the number of coyotes we now
have in this area, they completely strip a carcass very quickly."
But nothing touched the strangely cut cow. How are the cuts made:
In my book An Alien Harvest, published in 1989, I show for the
first time that tissue gathered from mutilator cuts in Arkansas on
March 11, 1989, revealed the following characteristics under
microscopic examination:
1) The line is pinpoint thin;
2) The line was subjected to high heat, probably 300 degrees
Fahrenheit or above, leaving a hard and darkened edge;
3) The cuts were made rapidly, probably in two minutes or less,
because there is no inflammatory cell destruction which typically
begins in a few minutes after any trauma to tissue
(See contrasting photomicrographs).
In addition to the 1989 mutilation reports in Idaho, Washington,
Nebraska and Arkansas, there have been other cases in Colorado,
Oklahoma, Missouri and Florida. Further, over 800 wild horses in
Nevada have died mysteriously, about 70 domestic cats have been
found dead and bloodlessly mutilated in Tustin, California and 30
more cats in the East Bay of San Francisco. A city employee in
Setauket, Long Island, NY, has reported to me that about a dozen
raccoons, opossums, dogs and cats have been found in Percy Rayner
bloodlessly mutilated with cuts similar to cows. I have also
received calls about mutilations in Canada, but have no firm
photographs or reports.
After An Alien Harvest was released in June of 1989, I received
a letter from a security guard in Denver, Colorado. He described a
night in August when he was patrolling the grounds of a large
corporation west of the city. From his truck, he could see a large
circle of lights in the dark sky. The lights remained stationary
over a pasture a few hundred feet from the security guard. He was
afraid to report the unidentified flying objects, because UFOs
meant ridicule and he didn't want to lose his job. But he felt
guilty about not reporting it, because the next morning he watched
a farmer gather up a couple of dead and mutilated cows from the
pasture where the lights had hovered overhead. He asked me, "What
kind of technology are we talking about? I never took my eyes off
those lights. There was no beam, no sound, nothing. How did they do
it?"
That's a question which has haunted ranchers and law enforcement
since the first worldwide reported mutilation of a horse in 1967.
Not only how-but why? If alien life forms are intruding on this
planet and harvesting from animals and humans, is a program of
genetic experimentation and sustenance the answer? Or only part of
a larger alien need? Will the 1990s finally bring humans face to
face with an alien intelligence that has secretly used earth life
for eons? As we become more conscious of its presence, will we
learn that the alien intent is simply to survive without human
help? Or is there some larger and more complex alien scheme which
could challenge the future of human existence?
-Linda Moulton Howe- -+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks, take care.
John.
--- XRS! 4.50+
* Origin: Absence of Evidence is not Evidence of Absence (Quick 1:19/19.19) EEN-BY: 10/45 19/19 105/605 123/19 140/10 202/502 238/300 363/29 42 95
EEN-BY: 363/107 373/9 1000/210 3607/20 3800/8
ATH: 19/19 363/29 3607/20
A
* Earthquake Watch
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Article 1255 of sci.geo.geology:
From:
andy@pangea.Stanford.EDU (Andy Michael USGS Guest)
Newsgroups: sci.geo.geology,ca.earthquakes
Subject: N. CA, USA, and World Quake Report 12/19-25/91
Message-ID: <
1991Dec28.011258.3626@morrow.stanford.edu>
Date: 28 Dec 91 01:12:58 GMT
Sender:
news@morrow.stanford.edu (News Service)
Organization: Stanford Univ. Earth Sciences
Lines: 221
DISCLAIMER -- THIS IS NOT AN EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION OR WARNING!
The commentary provided with these map(s) is for INFORMATIONAL
USE ONLY, and SHOULD NOT be construed as an earthquake prediction,
warning, or advisory. Responsibility for such warnings rests with
the Office of Emergency Services of the State of California.
PLEASE REMEMBER -- THIS IS PRELIMINARY DATA
Releasing these summaries on a timely basis requires that the
data, analysis, and interpretations presented are PRELIMINARY. Of
necessity they can only reflect the views of the seismologists who
prepared them, and DO NOT carry the endorsement of the U.S.G.S.
Thus while every effort is made to ensure that the information is
accurate, nothing contained in this report is to be construed as
and earthquake prediction, warning, advisory, or official policy
statement of any kind, of the U.S. Geological Survey, or the
U.S. Government.
FOR QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS REPORT
Send e-mail to
andy@pangea.stanford.edu
Seismicity Report for Northern California,
the Nation, and the World for the week of
December 12 - 18, 1991
Data and text prepared by
Steve Walter, Barry Hirshorn, and Allan Lindh
U.S. Geological Survey
345 Middlefield Rd. MS-977, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Graphics by Quentin Lindh
San Francisco Bay Area
Seismicity remained low throughout the Bay Area during the past 7
days. Once again, the creeping section of the San Andreas was the most
active with minor activity along the Calaveras fault system in the East
Bay. The most notable earthquake of the past week was a M2.7 event that occurred Tuesday morning on the Hayward fault about 3 miles northwest of Berkeley. It was felt in the immediate area.
During the 7-day period ending at midnight on Wednesday, December 18,
1991 the U.S. Geological Survey office in Menlo Park recorded 23
earthquakes of magnitude one (M1) and greater within the San Francisco
Bay area shown in Figure 1. Four were as large as M2 including one M3.2
event along the San Andreas fault, about 13 miles southeast of Hollister (#1/1). This compares to 21 earthquakes greater than M1 that were
recorded during the previous 7-day period, only one of which was as large
as M2.0.
Northern California
Seismicity also remained at low levels throughout the rest of northern California during the past week. The only exception to this was a pair of
M3 events that occurred early Sunday morning in the central Gorda Plate
about 110 miles offshore of Crescent City (#3/2). Both events occurred in
the same vicinity as an active sequence last August that included two M6 earthquakes and a number of M4 aftershocks. Neither of the recent M3
events was reported felt.
A pair of M2 earthquakes occurred near the Cape Mendocino triple
junction later in the week (#8/2), both in the vicinity of the Petrolia earthquake swarm that shook this area in mid-August. A M2.2 earthquake occurred last Saturday evening in the southern Cascades, 19 miles north of Lassen Peak (#2/2). Two M2 earthquakes occurred in this same location on December 11.
In eastern California, two M2.3 earthquakes occurred beneath the
northwest shore of Mono Lake on Monday (#5/2). Both were probably
aftershocks to a M5.7 earthquake that occurred here on October 23, 1990 and that was felt as far away as San Francisco.
The creeping segment of the San Andreas fault was somewhat more active than it has been in recent weeks with activity seen at both the north and
south ends. Several M2 earthquakes occurred at the north end between
Paicines and Bitterwater, the largest a M2.7 event on Saturday morning
(#1/2). Slack Canyon, at the south end, produced a M2.6 event Monday
evening (#6/2). The next adjacent segment to the south, the Parkfield
segment, was also active, with a M2.6 earthquake occurring beneath the
Middle Mountain area 6 miles northwest of the town of Parkfield (#9/2).
Long Valley Caldera
The only earthquake of note in the Long Valley caldera was a M2.9
event that occurred Sunday evening in the southeast corner of the caldera,
near the northern end of the Hilton Creek fault (#2/3). This was the area
that was most active during the previous week, having produced six M 2 earthquakes and a number of smaller events.
Two M1 earthquakes occurred at the west end of the south moat, about
two miles southeast of Mammoth Lakes. Several M1 earthquakes occurred in
the Sierra Nevada terrane south of the caldera.
USA Seismicity
The National Earthquake Information Center recorded one notable
earthquake within the contiguous United States during the past week, a M2.8 event that occurred last Friday morning in northeastern Arkansas (#1/4).
This is part of the New Madrid Seismic zone that stretches across the
central Mississippi Valley and produced three M7 earthquakes during the
years 1811-1812.
The Planet Earth
The most active zone worldwide during the past week was in the Kuril Island region of the western Pacific (#2/5). After producing several M5 earthquakes during the previous reporting period (see last week's summary),
the Kurils were rocked by four M6 earthquakes during the past week, the
largest a M6.6 event early Thursday morning (UTC). A total of 17
earthquakes of M5.0 or larger have occurred here within the past week.
Elsewhere in the world there was a M5.6 earthquake in the New Britain region (#1/5), a M5.3 on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao (#3/5),
a M5.1 in the northern Argentinean province of Jujuy (#4/5), a M5.6 in
southern Peru just west of Lake Titicaca (#5/5), and a M5.5 along the
spreading ridge offshore of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (#6/5).
Table 1. Central California Seismicity (M>2.0)
--ORIGIN TIME (UT)-- -LAT N-- --LON W-- DEPTH N N RMS ERH ERZ DUR
YR MON DA HRMN SEC DEG MIN DEG MIN KM RD S SEC KM KM REMKS MAG
91 DEC 12 1309 59.22 36 25.89 120 59.70 4.01 29 .12 .4 1.6 BIT 2.2
91 DEC 13 1148 11.55 36 41.10 121 18.32 3.90109 1 .17 .2 .4 STN 3.2
91 DEC 13 2152 49.54 36 53.91 121 37.15 2.99 27 .16 .3 .6 SJB 2.1
91 DEC 14 350 50.73 38 50.90 122 48.85 1.61 29 .12 .2 .9 GEY 2.2
91 DEC 14 812 49.39 37 22.96 121 44.30 6.58 76 .09 .2 .6 ALU 2.1
91 DEC 14 1348 21.55 36 28.09 121 2.20 4.54 87 .15 .2 .4 BIT 2.7
91 DEC 14 1352 34.54 36 28.07 121 2.41 5.24 34 .09 .3 .6 BIT 2.1
91 DEC 15 21 24.69 36 11.90 120 18.81 10.24 21 .18 .8 1.1 COA 2.0
91 DEC 15 656 9.87 40 45.86 121 30.63 6.75 11 .13 1.6 2.0 SHA 2.2
91 DEC 15 949 42.08 41 30.45 126 27.13 2.42 25 .3314.428.4 PON - 3.7
91 DEC 15 950 40.12 41 27.01 126 0.04 4.94 11 .2910.523.1 PON - 3.1
91 DEC 15 1424 15.28 39 13.55 122 42.04 6.55 21 .10 .3 1.8 BAR 2.1
91 DEC 15 1600 55.65 38 44.00 122 43.12 2.14 23 .13 .3 .9 NAP 2.3
91 DEC 16 435 29.48 37 37.20 118 49.72 4.57 38 .13 .3 .5 HCF 2.9
91 DEC 16 659 3.36 37 34.28 118 26.90 8.04 19 1 .08 .4 .6 CHV 2.0
91 DEC 16 839 43.83 36 2.70 121 32.89 0.36 27 .13 .8 5.7 SUR 2.0
91 DEC 16 957 13.66 38 3.34 119 7.02 12.99 21 .11 .7 1.1 MOL 2.3
91 DEC 16 2113 16.61 39 27.30 122 52.94 5.00 14 .09 .311.4 BAR - 2.0
91 DEC 16 2255 22.80 38 1.56 119 7.78 5.35 7 1 .09 2.8 9.2 MOL - 2.3
91 DEC 17 218 50.39 35 37.83 119 16.90 10.90 9 .11 .8 2.2 BAK 2.1
91 DEC 17 356 17.06 36 4.55 120 38.47 1.35 50 .18 .3 1.6 SLA 2.6
91 DEC 17 1555 9.53 35 45.22 118 19.26 6.59 15 .08 .4 1.1 WWF 2.9
91 DEC 17 1813 40.17 37 55.55 122 17.62 5.63 84 .16 .2 .4 HAY 2.7
91 DEC 18 121 7.14 36 21.36 120 33.66 16.37 29 .22 .6 1.2 CRV 2.3
91 DEC 18 139 32.94 38 47.45 122 44.47 1.71 16 .13 .3 .8 GEY 2.0
91 DEC 18 249 41.03 40 12.72 124 7.88 13.63 9 .11 .5 .6 MEN 2.6
91 DEC 18 1442 19.69 35 57.85 120 31.02 10.92 51 .13 .3 .4 MID 2.6
91 DEC 18 1619 20.21 39 2.95 123 4.84 0.88 17 .17 .4 1.3 MAA 2.0
91 DEC 18 2043 10.27 40 22.33 124 19.22 29.18 9 .05 2.3 2.2 MEN 2.2
91 DEC 19 646 17.04 36 36.09 121 12.66 0.52 11 .22 1.3 4.9 CM 2.0
91 DEC 19 646 17.32 36 34.80 121 14.04 0.37 65 .35 .6 .8 CR 2.4
Notes: Origin time in the list is in GMT, in the text and on maps
it is in local time.
N RD: is the number of readings used to locate the event.
N S: is the number of S waves in N RD.
RMS SEC: is the root mean squared residual misfit for the
location is seconds, the lower the better, over 0.3
to 0.5 seconds is getting bad, but this is machine,
not hand timed, data.
ERH: is the estimated horizontal error in kilometers.
ERZ: is the estimated vertical error in kilometers.
N FM: is the number of readings used to compute the magnitude.
REMKS: obtuse region codes that denote the velocity model
used to locate the event.
DUR MAG: is the magnitude as determined from the duration of
the seismograms, not the amplitude. Sort of like
going to echo canyon and measuring how loud your
yell is by counting echos.
FIG: denotes the figure/event number in the maps posted separately.
Table 2. Worldwide Seismicity
Data from the USGS National Earthquake Information Center
UTC TIME LAT LONG DEP GS MAGS SD STA REGION AND COMMENTS
HRMNSEC MB Msz USED --------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEC 12
003536.4* 66.708N 147.649W 33N 1.2 8 ALASKA
022743.7 36.410N 140.923E 54 5.0 1.0 37 NEAR EAST COAST-HONSHU, JAPAN 024253.2* 33.379S 70.007W 10G 0.4 10 CHILE-ARGENTINA BORDER REGION 052458.3* 60.888N 147.581W 33N 0.6 6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
070139.4* 33.378S 70.026W 10G 0.3 9 CHILE-ARGENTINA BORDER REGION 092100.1? 32.63 S 71.72 W 5G 0.7 8 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE 130841.0 63.302N 151.139W 33N 0.9 12 CENTRAL ALASKA
145449.5* 61.822N 150.209W 33N 1.5 8 SOUTHERN ALASKA
154128.5* 4.998S 152.661E 33N 5.6 0.9 33 NEW BRITAIN REGION
215921.0? 10.55 N 63.09 W 33N 3.9 1.5 8 NEAR COAST OF VENEZUELA 223434.2* 12.597N 141.960E 53* 5.0 0.9 16 SOUTH OF MARIANA ISLANDS
DEC 13
001256.6 7.469S 128.743E 173* 5.7 1.1 39 BANDA SEA
023351.4 45.310N 151.583E 33N 6.2 6.5 0.9 121 KURIL ISLANDS
025104.5? 45.46 N 151.60 E 33N 5.0 0.5 20 KURIL ISLANDS
032439.8? 45.56 N 151.90 E 47D 4.9 0.5 18 KURIL ISLANDS
033501.4? 45.35 N 151.83 E 33N 4.9 1.1 12 KURIL ISLANDS
040852.5? 45.32 N 151.80 E 33N 4.9 1.3 17 KURIL ISLANDS
054530.6* 45.664N 151.624E 33N 5.6 5.4 0.7 71 KURIL ISLANDS
070613.4? 45.54 N 150.91 E 33N 5.0 0.6 14 KURIL ISLANDS
080010.1* 45.667N 151.881E 33N 5.4 0.9 50 KURIL ISLANDS
103206.3* 7.445N 124.712E 33N 5.3 1.6 11 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 114145.6 35.828N 90.082W 5G 0.4 6 ARKANSAS. MD 2.8 (GS). 154448.7* 44.878N 151.967E 33N 5.2 1.2 25 KURIL ISLANDS REGION
185908.3 45.498N 151.684E 33N 6.3 6.1 0.8 109 KURIL ISLANDS
192127.8* 45.490N 151.720E 45D 5.4 0.7 42 KURIL ISLANDS
195507.3 45.292N 151.290E 33N 5.5 6.0 0.9 97 KURIL ISLANDS
195823.3* 45.628N 151.592E 49D 6.1 0.7 62 KURIL ISLANDS
203938.2* 44.946N 151.987E 33N 5.0 1.1 23 KURIL ISLANDS REGION
224512.8* 44.840N 152.020E 33N 5.0 1.1 17 KURIL ISLANDS REGION
DEC 14
000752.5? 22.63 S 66.33 W 150G 5.1 0.6 40 JUJUY PROVINCE, ARGENTINA 001439.0? 45.37 N 151.33 E 33N 5.0 0.7 16 KURIL ISLANDS
103011.3* 27.464N 56.464E 33N 4.6 1.0 11 SOUTHERN IRAN
213845.3 41.184N 15.128E 10G 1.0 18 SOUTHERN ITALY. MD 3.4 (ROM). DEC 15
063637.2? 29.72 S 178.13 W 33N 5.4 5.4 0.6 38 KERMADEC ISLANDS
101701.6* 45.307N 151.532E 52D 5.8 0.9 57 KURIL ISLANDS
185611.4? 16.50 S 70.75 W 103D 5.6 0.7 58 SOUTHERN PERU
214700.6* 45.421N 151.882E 46D 5.1 4.3 0.9 40 KURIL ISLANDS
DEC 17
063816.9* 47.334N 151.774E 150D 5.9 0.5 65 KURIL ISLANDS
DEC 19
013341 Q 45.4 N 151.3 E 33N 6.6 1.0 84 KURIL ISLANDS
044407 Q 48.9 N 129.1 W 10G 5.5 1.3 43 VANCOUVER ISLAND REGION
--End of Article--
Don
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