_                    
                                                         |_|                   
      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  ***                        <)                     
 

LAUNCH

The National Space Development Committee officially approved the February 7th launch date at its meeting on Wednesday 20th November. The nominal launch time is 13:50 JST (Japan Standard Time: UT+9 hours). There is a roughly 15 minute window each day in which the launch can take place to meet the constraints for injecting the satellite into an orbit in which there are no eclipses for the first month. The period available for launch ends on February 28th, but earlier dates are preferable due to these eclipse considerations.

FINAL INTEGRATION

The Muses-B main antenna and sub-reflector rejoined the rest of the satellite at ISAS on Monday the 18th. At present the task of refitting the satellite and re-aligning all the components is taking place. Final assembly and system tests of the satellite will finish just before Christmas.

CALIBRATION MEETING

A meeting was held at ISAS on Monday 18th November to discuss various approaches for calibrating the satellite's gain as a function of time and frequency. Unlike ground radio telescopes, the satellite does not have a gain--elevation dependence, but in contrast it does have a gain--sun-angle dependence. There are several sun angles at which shadowing of main antenna booms by the solar panels, the satellite main body, or other antenna booms becomes significant, which may result in some surface deformation. These effects will be studied during the In-Orbit Checkout period, although additions to the long-term scheduling program to preferentially avoid these sun angles, particularly at 22 GHz, are under consideration.

VISC MEETINGS

Following Monday's calibration meeting and a scheduling meeting on Tuesday, the VSOP International Science Council (VISC) met on Wed. 20th and Thurs. 21st. There were many items to be considered over the two days, however the VISC briskly fixed a list of issues from computer disks to Ussurisk, with a mix of fiscal bits and PR flicks, and finished by six on the final day. The next such tongue twister is planned for April 1997 in Socorro.

ELECTIONS

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto regained office in the recent elections in Japan. The election, under a revised representative system, saw a general return of power to the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party). Arguably one of the most interesting results was the election of Kyokudouzan, a sumo wrestler. A lightweight, though successful, `rikishi' in the sumo world, Kyokudouzan has hung up his `mawashi' to concentrate on becoming a heavyweight in the political arena.

 
 
            Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi