_                   
                                                         |_|                  
      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  ***                        <)                    

AO2 PROPOSALS

Full versions of all AO2 proposals have been received and acknowledged. There was considerable speculation before the deadline regarding the number of AO2 proposals: the AO2 observing period was shorter than the AO1 period and proposals were only being accepted at 1.6 GHz and 5 GHz, yet on the other hand HALCA had been launched and VSOP observations were being routinely, successfully, made. The final number of proposals received was 95, slightly higher than most estimates. Proposals will be sent to the Scientific Review Committee members this week, and the SRC will meet at ISAS in July to rank the proposals.

22 GHz TESTS

As part of the on-going tests of HALCA's 22 GHz system, an observations of the strong continuum sources, 1921-293, was made with VLBA and VLA. Scans at 5 GHz were included to locate fringes to HALCA in delay/delay-rate space, however only the barest hint of a signal was seen, when the projected baselines were shortest. No further 22 GHz tests of continuum sources are planned at present. If it is still bursting, the Orion KL water maser will be used for additional test observations in September, when it becomes once again becomes visible for HALCA (at present it has moved into the region of the sky too close to the Sun for HALCA to observe).

1.6 GHz BEAM PATTERN

Last week HALCA undertook a cross scan observation of a Japanese geostationary satellite which emits a tone in the 1.6 GHz band. The observation was made in order to determine the beam pattern at 1.6 GHz, and the results will be reported in a future edition of the VSOP news.

COSPAR

Participants in COSPAR session E1.3 will shortly receive -- if they haven't already -- details from COSPAR of their allocated time (although the letter states that E1.3 is all Friday and Saturday morning, whereas it has in fact been moved to Friday afternoon and Saturday). The revised E1.3 agenda is available from /astro/halca/vsop/general/cospar.html.en .

NEW ISAS PHONE NUMBERS

Having been given a new postal code (229-8510) in April, ISAS underwent another reformation over the weekend, when the Sagamihara campus switchboard was replaced to give all offices direct dial-in numbers.

 
                Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi