_                    
                                                         |_|                   
      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  ***                        <)                     
 

VSOP LAUNCH

This Sunday was the nominal launch date for the MUSES-B satellite. A problem with the M-V rocket's Attitude Control System was the cause for the delay, but it's probably fair to say that a number of mission elements have benefited from the additional time to prepare for the launch! The bug which caused the ACS problem has been identified, and is now being fixed -- the conventional gyro being assembled as a back-up will not be required. The dates of the launch window are still the subject of negotiation, but it now appears the window will start on the 31st of January and run through to the end of February.

URSI MEETING

The General Assembly of the Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale was held recently in Lille. `Hirax' Hirabayashi attended and presented a review of the VSOP mission. Among the many issues discussed during the Assembly was the problem of radio-interference to ground- and space-based telescopes. Also of note was the succession of Roy Booth to the Chairmanship of URSI commission J. Roy will step down as Chairman of the Global VLBI Working Group (GVWG), with Richard Schilizzi phasing in as new GVWG Chairman over the next few months.

AIPS WORKSHOP

A two day AIPS workshop was held at the National Astronomical Observatory in Mitaka earlier this week. Lectures were given in the mornings by Ed Fomalont, Victor Migenes and Yasuhiro Murata, with the afternoons being used to gain experience with running AIPS on real data. Particular mention should be made of Vic's moving description of spectral line analysis... (which also confirmed the observation that those firmly seated are more sensitive to tremors than those on their feet! The quake, which measured 6.6 on the Richter scale, was centred off the east coast of Japan.)

`COSMIC COGNAC'

Tokyo Journal is a monthly English language magazine containing articles about people and events in Japan, and regular listings of exhibitions, restaurants, movies etc. September's `Buzz' column contains a light-hearted comparison of Tokyo and Rome (to mark the two becoming sister cities), a report of the return of the Ultraman series to television, a precis of a Japanese research group's paper on the mating habits of butterflies, and small piece titled `Cosmic Cognac' on none other than the VSOP project! It claims that the project was named after a lengthy imbibing session by two of ISAS's professors, and ends by expressing the hope that the telescope will keep its focus, though it's not clear whether this is an allusion to the Hubble Space Telescope, or to the effects of over-imbibing...

 
 
       Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi