_                   
                                                         |_|                  
      V   V   SSSS   OOO   PPPP                 \__      |_|      __/         
      V   V  S      O   O  P   P                   --____/ \____--            
      V   V   SSS   O   O  PPPP                    _ _ _ --- _ _ _            
       V V       S  O   O  P                      |_|_|_|  @|_|_|_|           
        V    SSSS    OOO   P                             o-o                  
                                                          /                   
      ***  N    E    W    S  ***                        <)                    

HALCA STATUS

HALCA has spent most of this year pointing in the anti-solar region while experience has been gained with the three reaction-wheel mode of operating the satellite, however this pointing limitation has meant that VSOP observing has been carried out at a lower level of efficiency. It is planned to undertake the maneuver to the 90 degree sun-angle region next week, which will open up much more of the sky for observing. The decision to make this maneuver was not taken lightly as there is an element of risk associated with the slew. The reaction wheels have to be completely stopped so that the rotation direction of one of the wheels can be reversed. While the wheels are stopped some hydrazine thruster fuel must be used to maintain the satellite's attitude, and only a limited amount of fuel remains. It is planned to complete the maneuver during the Kagoshima tracking station pass on July 12th, and if all goes well, observing will resume the following week.

EUROPEAN VLBI NETWORK SYMPOSIUM

The 5th EVN Symposium was held last week at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. The first presentation of the meeting was an invited talk by VSOP Project Scientist, Prof. "Hirax" Hirabayashi, who gave an entertaining pictorial overview of the VSOP mission to date and future plans. A number of other presentations during the meeting included results from VSOP observations. The second day of the meeting ended with a tour of, and barbecue at, the Onsala Space Observatory. The rainy weather cleared on cue, and the barbecue was followed by spontaneous bursts of song (karaoke?) from some participants, and a dip in the ocean for several other hardy souls!

NASA SENIOR REVIEW

At the same time as the EVN symposium, the oral portion of NASA's biennial Senior Review was being held. As NASA funding is used to support the DSN and Green Bank tracking stations, VSOP-related activities at the Socorro correlator, and the JPL Space VLBI Project, continued funding is essential for the VSOP mission to continue at any reasonable sort of efficiency. With the costs required for continued support being a reduction from previous levels, and a wide range of VSOP results now in press, the chances for continued funding would appear to be reasonable, but as there are many other missions competing for the same limited amount of funding, we will have to wait for the final Review results to be announced in the next month or so.

VSOP STAFF

Eric Zhi-Qiang Shen completed his Center of Excellence fellowship last month at the National Astronomical Observatory in Mitaka, and has now moved to ISAS to take up a similar position and continue his contributions to the VSOP project.

                Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi