_                    
                                                         |_|                   
      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  ***                        <)                     
 

INTEGRATION TESTING

The first integration tests of the VSOP satellite flight module are continuing at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science at Sagamihara. The working name of the VSOP satellite is Muses-B -- as it is the second Mu Space Engineering Satellite. Mu is the name of ISAS's launching rocket. The Muses-A satellite was renamed Hiten (after a Japanese equivalent to the Greek Muses) after launch. This week testing of the interface between the Mitsubishi-built feed assembly and NEC-constructed on-board processing equipment have taken place. The Ku band antenna was added yesterday, and solar paddles are being attached today.

CORRELATOR TESTING

Three station testing of the VSOP correlator hardware is continuing, with no major hitches experienced to date. Correlator software testing started on October 17th. The correlator is expected to be ready by February 1995. The VSOP correlator will use K-4 format as its input, and so two VLBA-to-K4 copiers and one S2-to-K4 copier are being developed for data translation.

MEETINGS AT ISAS

Next week sees a series of meetings taking place at ISAS. The VSOP Science Operations Group meets on Monday and Tuesday, and the VSOP International Science Council meets on Wednesday and Thursday to review VSOP progess. Tracking station developments will then be discussed on Friday and the following Monday.

RADIOASTRON NEWS and JPL SPACE VLBI PROJECT NEWS

RadioAstron is the VSOP spacecraft's sister satellite for space VLBI. The RadioAstron and VSOP teams are in close contact, and efforts are being made to make the user interfaces for both missions as similar as possible. A RadioAstron newsletter is produced monthly: interested subscribers should contact either lgurvits@nfra.nl or gabuzda@sci.fian.msk.su . The JPL Space VLBI project is funded by NASA to provide support for both the VSOP and RadioAstron missions. One of its primary roles is to interface with U.S. tracking stations and radio telescopes involved in both missions. The JPL Space VLBI project has recently produced its first newsletter: to subscribe, send a request by e-mail to spacevlbi@sgra.jpl.nasa.gov .

KYOTO CONFERENCE PAPERS PUBLISHED

Papers from the September 1993 Kyoto Conference have been published in a volume titled `VLBI Technology: Progress and Future Observational Possibilities' by the Terra Scientific Publishing Company, Tokyo. Copies will be mailed to conference participants shortly. Non-participants interested in obtaining a copy should address their enquiries/orders directly to the publisher. The fax number of Terra Scientific is +81-3-3718-4406, and the cost of the volume is 9,000 yen.

 
 
       Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi