Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: WDC-A R&S Launch Announcement 12918: Global Stars
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COSPAR/ISES
WORLD WARNING AGENCY FOR SATELLITES
WORLD DATA CENTER-A FOR R & S, NASA/GSFC
CODE 633, GREENBELT, MARYLAND, 20771. USA
SPACEWARN 12918
COSPAR/WWAS USSPACECOM NUMBER
SPACECRAFT INTERNATIONAL ID (CATALOG NUMBER) LAUNCH DATE,UT
GLOBAL STAR U-1 1998-008A 25162 14 FEBRUARY 1998
GLOBAL STAR U-2 1998-008B 25163 14 FEBRUARY 1998
GLOBAL STAR L-1 1998-008C 25164 14 FEBRUARY 1998
GLOBAL STAR L-2 1998-008D 25165 14 FEBRUARY 1998
DR. JIM THIEMAN
for
DR.JOSEPH H. KING, DIRECTOR, WDC-A-R&S.
[PH: (301) 286 7355.
E-MAIL: KING@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV
18 FEBRUARY 1998, 19:30 UT]
Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II
_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ Mail Code 633
_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ NASA/Goddard Space
_/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ Flight Center
_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Greenbelt, MD 20771
_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ +1-301-286-1187
ed.bell@gsfc.nasa.gov
NSSDC home page: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: WDC-A R&S Launch Announcement 12919: Cosmos 2349 and Iridiums 50-54
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COSPAR/ISES
WORLD WARNING AGENCY FOR SATELLITES
WORLD DATA CENTER-A FOR R & S, NASA/GSFC
CODE 633, GREENBELT, MARYLAND, 20771. USA
SPACEWARN 12919
COSPAR/WWAS USSPACECOM NUMBER
SPACECRAFT INTERNATIONAL ID (CATALOG NUMBER) LAUNCH DATE,UT
COSMOS 2349 1998-009A 25167 17 FEBRUARY 1998
IRIDIUM 50 1998-010A 25169 18 FEBRUARY 1998
IRIDIUM 51 1998-010B 25170 18 FEBRUARY 1998
IRIDIUM 52 1998-010C 25171 18 FEBRUARY 1998
IRIDIUM 53 1998-010D 25172 18 FEBRUARY 1998
IRIDIUM 54 1998-010E 25173 18 FEBRUARY 1998
R. PARTHASARATHY
for
DR.JOSEPH H. KING, DIRECTOR, WDC-A-R&S.
[PH: (301) 286 7355.
E-MAIL: KING@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV
20 FEBRUARY 1998, 14:00 UT]
Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II
_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ Mail Code 633
_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ NASA/Goddard Space
_/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ Flight Center
_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Greenbelt, MD 20771
_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ +1-301-286-1187
ed.bell@gsfc.nasa.gov
NSSDC home page: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Glenn spins in Air Force centrifuge... [1/2]
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Air Force News Service
Released: Feb 19, 1998
Glenn spins in Air Force centrifuge
By Staff Sgt. Jason Tudor
BROOKS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Senator John Glenn, who took his
first trip into space almost 36 years ago, took a spin in an Air Force
centrifuge here Feb. 19, bringing him one step closer to returning to space
in October.
Glenn, 76, completed two 9-minute missions simulating liftoff in the space
shuttle. During each ride, he experienced gravitational forces about three
times stronger than his own body weight.
A team of more than 12 Air Force doctors, specialists and technicians
ensured the Ohio senator and former Marine fighter pilot's ride would be
uneventful.
"It went great," Glenn said to a crowd of reporters gathered outside the
Brooks facility. "I got a good drill. I was glad to do that."
During the 18-minute span of the test, Glenn remarked several times that
he felt "fine." He waved his arms several times as the G forces shifted him
in the capsule.
"It's like lifting dumbbells without anything in your hands," he said during
the first 9-minute test session.
Glenn was one of seven astronauts and one cosmonaut who received
the centrifuge training during the day. The Air Force has performed these
duties since 1991. Since then, more than 100 astronauts have filed
through to take their spin in the device.
Lt. Col. (Dr.) Jim Dooley, project officer for Glenn's visit, former Marine A-6
Intruder pilot and exercise physiologist, said he knew Glenn's experience
would be uneventful.
"It's not a difficult profile," Dooley said. "The experience is like having a
225-pound gorilla sit on your chest."
Tech. Sgt. Mac Baker II controlled every aspect of Glenn's ride in the
centrifuge. Baker said this ride was akin to a day at an amusement park,
calling the profile benign. Baker's first job is to train fighter pilots in
this
centrifuge where pilots can experience up to nine Gs of force.
"We call it training but it's really an orientation," Baker said. "Most roller
coasters will reach 3 Gs, so this really isn't that tough.
And, as for the issue of Glenn's age, doctors were on hand to monitor the
senator's heart rate and rhythm. Col. (Dr.) John Marshall said Glenn's
health has never been an issue to him reaching space again.
"He's had a complete cardiopulmonary work-up," Marshall said, referring
to the extensive tests done on Glenn's heart. "He's in excellent physical
condition."
Astronaut Pam Melroy, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, finished the
same profile earlier in the day. She said she is excited about Glenn's
return to the astronautical fraternity. She also was very enthusiastic about
the Air Force's role in space exploration.
"I'm incredibly proud of the Air Force," Melroy said. "The Air Force has
always had a role in space exploration. It's something we should always
stay with."
Glenn is slated to go on the STS-95 space shuttle mission in October,
which will support a variety of research payloads including investigating
the effects of space flight on the aging process. His first trip into space
came Feb. 20, 1962, when he became the first person to orbit the Earth
aboard "Friendship 7," a Mercury spacecraft.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
[http://www.af.mil:80/news/Feb1998/n19980219_980207.html]
Senator John Glenn is strapped in by NASA's Carlous Gillis, left, and
Technical Sgt. Mac Baker, a centrifuge mission controller, at Brooks Air
Force Base, Texas, on Feb. 19, 1998. Glenn completed two 9-minute
missions in the centrifuge reaching a threshold of three G-forces, or three
times his own body weight. Glenn was one of seven astronauts who
performed the training today at Brooks. Glenn's training lasted about 30
minutes. (Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Steve Thurow)
Senator John Glenn is strapped into the Brooks Air Force Base centrifuge
by NASA's Carlous Gillis. Glenn was at the Texas base as part of his
preparation for hisOctober space flight. (Air Force photo by Staff Sgt.
Steve Thurow)
Airman Miguel Vargas, an aerospace physiologist at Brooks Air Force
Base, Texas, monitors Senator John Glenn during strap-in prior to Glenn's
centrifuge "G" qualification ride. (Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Steve
Thurow)
Tech. Sgt. Mac Baker, an aerospace physiologist at Brooks Air Force
Base, Texas, monitors centrifuge operations during Senator John Glenn's
"G" check ride. (Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Steve Thurow)
*****
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=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: New El Nino Images Shows Warm Water Pool Is Thinning
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MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Mary Hardin (818) 354-0344
INTERNET ADVISORY February 19, 1998
NEW EL NINO IMAGE SHOWS WARM WATER POOL IS THINNING
The most recent image from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite
shows the large, warm water pool, commonly referred to as El
Nino, has thinned in volume along the central tropical Pacific,
indicating that sea level is slowly beginning to return to a more
normal state along the equator.
The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean
conditions on Feb. 5, 1998 and sea surface height is an indicator
of the heat content of the ocean. The area and volume of the El
Nino warm water pool that is affecting global weather patterns
remains extremely large, but the pool has thinned along the
equator and near the coast of South America. This 'thinning'
means that the warm water is not as deep as it was a few months
ago. Oceanographers indicate this is a classic pattern, typical
of a mature El Nino condition that they would expect to see
during the ocean's gradual transition back to normal sea level.
Sea surface temperatures, as measured by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA), are still well
above normal throughout the tropical Pacific Ocean and are
expected to remain that way into April and May.
Using satellite imagery, buoy and ship data, and a
forecasting model of the ocean-atmosphere system, NOAA has
continued to issue an advisory indicating the so-called El Nino
weather conditions that have impacted much of the United States
and the world are expected to continue through the spring.
The Feb. 5 image is now available online at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/elnino
The U.S./French TOPEX/Poseidon mission is managed by NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute
of Technology.
#####
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=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: New Logo Selected For NASA's Next Mission To Mars
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MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www. jpl. nasa.gov
Contact: Diane Ainsworth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 19, 1998
NEW LOGO SELECTED FOR NASA'S NEXT MISSION TO MARS
Space artist David Seal's colorful depiction of Mars and the
next pair of spacecraft to explore its atmosphere and icy
southern pole has been selected as the project insignia for
NASA's 1998 Mars Polar Lander and Mars Climate Orbiter mission.
The logo carries the inscription, "Unlocking Mars' history,"
in a bold gothic font, highlighting the scientific theme of the
1998 mission. On opposite sides of this triangular decal are the
polar lander and next-generation Mars orbiter, which are set to
launch from Cape Canaveral, FL, in late December 1998 and early
January 1999.
"The central idea of this insignia is shown in the globe of
Mars, which is split down the middle to depict what Mars may have
looked like in the past (on the left) and what it looks like
today (on the right)," said Seal, a systems engineer in the
Mission Design Group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, CA. "This illustrates the science objectives of the
mission, which are to study the history of Mars' climate and the
behavior of related volatiles, such as water vapor and ground
ice."
Seal, who holds a master's degree in aerospace engineering
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has designed many
of NASA's spaceflight mission insignias, including the Mars
Pathfinder, Mars Global Surveyor and Cassini mission logos. His
computer-generated graphics have also appeared in numerous
magazines, including Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, Science, Space
News and Newsweek.
Since joining JPL in 1991, Seal, 29, has worked on projects
such as the Cassini mission to Saturn and the Shuttle Radar
Topography mission. A resident of La Crescenta, CA, he
specializes in orbital design, systems engineering and computer
programming.
The Mars Polar Lander and Mars Climate Orbiter are the
second set of launches in a long-term program of Mars exploration
known as the Mars Surveyor Program. The mission is managed by JPL
for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. Lockheed
Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO, is NASA's industry partner in
the mission.
#####
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=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: SJI's Sky And Space Update - February 15, 1998
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SAN JUAN INSTITUTE'S SKY AND SPACE UPDATE
Summary information about the night sky and recent findings and events
in solar system exploration and science. Updated every 2 weeks.
LAST UPDATED: SUN. FEB. 15, 1998
Prepared by: Dr. Bruce Betts and Andre Bormanis
OBJECTS TO LOOK FOR IN THE NIGHT SKY (MID-NORTHERN LATITUDES)
VENUS is visible in the east-southeast in the early morning, looking
like an extremely bright star. It is at its greatest brilliancy in the
pre-dawn sky on the morning of Feb. 20.
MERCURY is too close to the Sun to be seen. It will reappear in the
early evening sky next month.
MARS is very low in the southwest in the early evening. It looks like
a yellowish-orange star.
JUPITER enters conjunction with the Sun on Feb. 23. It will become
visible again in the early morning sky next month.
SATURN is moderately low in the southwest shortly after sunset. It is
the brightest object in this part of the sky, looking like a yellowish star.
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE OBSERVERS: Planets located in the southern part of
the sky for northern hemisphere observers will appear higher in southern
hemisphere skies; those in the north will appear lower.
THE MOON
Last Quarter Moon occurs Feb. 19 at 7:27 a.m. PST (UT - 8 hours).
New Moon occurs Feb. 26 at 9:26 a.m. PST, and passes directly in front
of the Sun for a Total Solar Eclipse visible from parts of South America and
the Caribbean. Unfortunately, observers in Southern California will only
glimpse a slight partial eclipse (about 2% of the Sun will be covered)
beginning at 8:31 a.m. PST, and ending 7 minutes later. NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY
AT THE SUN! A solar filter is required to view a partial eclipse.
Alternatively, a pinhole in a sheet of aluminum foil can be used to project
the image of the Sun onto a piece of paper for safe viewing. For more
information on this eclipse, see http://www.skypub.com/eclipses.
PLANETARY SPACEFLIGHT UPDATE
NEAR: On January 22, 1998, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR)
satellite used Earth's gravity to change its orbital plane in preparation
for an encounter with the asteroid 433 Eros. NEAR will rendezvous with 433
Eros early next year.
A few lucky people were actually able to see NEAR as it passed the
Earth: the spacecraft's nearly 100 square feet of solar panels reflected
sunlight to several parts of the U.S. Although the reflection was not as
bright as mission planners had expected, a few observers in California and
Arizona reported seeing the spacecraft as it traveled across the
constellation Perseus some 9000 miles above the Pacific. NEAR made its
closest approach to Earth about an hour later, passing about 300 miles above
Iran.
NEXT DISCOVERY MISSIONS: NASA has chosen two new missions for its
Discovery series of inexpensive planetary spacecraft.
The GENESIS mission will send a spacecraft to a gravitationally stable
point between the Earth and Sun for the purpose of collecting solar wind
particles for a period of two years. The solar wind samples will eventually
be returned to Earth for laboratory analysis.
The CONTOUR (Comet Nucleus Tour) mission will launch a spacecraft for a
series of three cometary close encounters. Contour will visit comet
2P/Encke in the year 2003, 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 in 2006, and
6P/d'Arrest in 2008. Contour will carefully inspect the nuclei of each
comet, analyzing their dusty comas and taking spectra.
THESE WEEKS IN SPACE HISTORY
FEB. 15, 1564: Galileo Galilei, arguably the greatest scientist of the
Renaissance, and the first person to point a telescope at the stars and
record his observations, was born. Galileo discovered mountains and craters
on the Moon, sunspots, and the four largest satellites of Jupiter, which are
collectively known as the Galilean satellites.
FEB. 18, 1930: The planet Pluto was discovered by American astronomer
Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Pluto is
generally the most distant planet in the solar system, but its highly
elliptical orbit brings it slightly closer to the Sun than Neptune for a few
years every 250 years. Pluto is presently closer to the Sun than Neptune.
FEB. 20, 1962: Astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit
the Earth. Glenn, now a U.S. Senator from the state of Ohio, will return to
space aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle sometime in October.
RANDOM SPACE FACT
For the first 100 million years or so after the formation of the solar
system, a bright, naked-eye comet was visible in the skies of Earth roughly
once a week.
**********************************************************************
The San Juan Institute (SJI) is a non-profit corporation headquartered
in San Juan Capistrano, CA with divisions there and in Tucson, AZ. SJI
carries out research and education in planetary and Earth sciences and
astronomy, with funding provided by government grants and private donations,
which are always needed. Partial funding for the SSU has been provided by
NASA's Solar System Exploration Division.
**********************************************************************
San Juan Capistrano Research Institute Ph: 714-240-2010, Fax: 714-240-0482
31882 Camino Capistrano, Suite 107 Email: educate@sji.org
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 Web site: http://www.sji.org
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=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Sky & Telescope News Bulletin - February 20, 1998
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SKY & TELESCOPE'S NEWS BULLETIN
FEBRUARY 20, 1998
ONWARD VOYAGER
After traveling through space for more than two decades, the Voyager 1
spacecraft is now the most distant human-made object. At about 6:10
Universal Time (11:10 EST) on February 17th, Voyager 1 surpassed the
distance of long-time record holder Pioneer 10. Since being launched in
1977, Voyager has journeyed 10.4 billion kilometers from the Sun. It is
racing out of the solar system at 17.4 km per second (39,000 mph). Despite
its age and distance, the spacecraft is still functioning and sending back
data. Researchers expect that it will reach the heliopause -- the boundary
of solar influence -- and officially enter interstellar space in three to
five years. As Project Manager Ed B. Massey points out, by the time
Voyager's 20-watt signal reaches Earth, it is "so faint that the amount of
power reaching our antennas is 20 billion times smaller than the power of a
digital watch battery." The spacecraft should have enough electrical power
to operate for another 20 years. At that point, the spacecraft will be more
than 20 billion km away.
TOTALITY IN THE CARIBBEAN
On Thursday, February 26th, the Moon will not only be new, but positioned
in a direct line between the Sun and Earth, and thus eclipsing the Sun. The
lunar shadow will sweep across the Earth in just a few hours. The eclipse
will be total in parts of northern South America and the Caribbean, where
over the next several days, thousands of eclipse chasers will gather to
witness one of nature's greatest spectacles. If you can't be there for
totality, you have a couple of options. Observers in much of the United
States and eastern Canada can view the partially eclipsed Sun. Visibility
is south and east of a line from Southern California through Kansas,
Michigan, Quebec, and Labrador. See the map and other information in the
February SKY & TELESCOPE, page 82 (it's also on SKY Online at
http://www.skypub.com/eclipses/eclipses.html). Another option is to watch
the eclipse online -- more than a dozen individuals and organizations are
gearing up to broadcast the event over the Internet. You can catch the
action at SKY Online (http://www.skypub.com/eclipses/s980226c.html) where
we'll post (or link to) live or nearly live images of the eclipse from
throughout the Americas, including views from the Caribbean transmitted
from one or more of the five SKY & TELESCOPE/Scientific Expeditions tour
groups.
There's more to the eclipse activities than people gazing upward and
snapping a few souvenir photographs. NASA has outlined what some of its
scientists will doing. Researchers from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
will study the magnetic activity of the solar corona. And there will be
simultaneous observations made using the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
(SOHO) and Ulysses spacecraft.
TEMPEL-TUTTLE IN THE EVENING SKY
With the eclipse-week Moon out of the way, the situation is somewhat
improved for viewing Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which is also slipping closer
to the horizon. The comet, the parent of the Leonid meteor stream,
continues to move south through Pisces -- seemingly making a beeline toward
Saturn. Observers report it is 8th magnitude and about 4 arcminutes in
diameter. Here are positions for Tempel-Tuttle at 0 hours Universal Time in
2000.0 coordinates:
R.A. Dec.
February 21 01h 14m +12.2 deg.
23 01 14 +11.3
25 01 14 +10.5
THIS WEEK'S "SKY AT A GLANCE"
Some daily events in the changing sky, from the editors of SKY & TELESCOPE.
FEB. 22 -- SUNDAY
* Mercury is in superior conjunction, behind the Sun.
* As dawn begins to brighten on Monday morning, look low in the southeast
for Venus just to the left of the waning crescent Moon.
FEB. 23 -- MONDAY
* The eclipsing variable star Algol should be at its minimum brightness,
magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for a couple hours centered on 10:19
p.m. EST. For a complete schedule of Algol's eclipses for the rest of this
observing season, go to http://www.skypub.com/whatsup/algol.html.
* Jupiter is in conjunction behind the Sun.
FEB. 24 -- TUESDAY
* The red long-period variable stars T Hydrae and V Canum Venaticorum should
be at maximum brightness (7th or 8th magnitude) around this date.
FEB. 25 -- WEDNESDAY
* As winter winds down, three carnivorous constellations of early spring
climb the eastern evening sky in parallel. In the northeast is Ursa Major,
the Great Bear, which includes the Big Dipper. In the east is Leo the Lion.
And in the southeast is the head and front half of long, dim Hydra, the Sea
Serpent.
FEB. 26 -- THURSDAY
* New Moon, and ECLIPSE OF THE SUN! The eclipse will be total in parts of
northern South America and the Caribbean. It's partial for much of the United
States and eastern Canada (south and east of a line from Southern California
through Kansas, Michigan, Quebec, and Labrador). See the map and other
information in the February Sky & Telescope, page 82 (it's also on SKY Online
at http://www.skypub.com/eclipses/eclipses.html). The article has tips for
viewing the Sun safely and projecting its image for classroom viewing.
* Algol is at minimum light for a couple hours centered on 7:08 p.m. EST.
FEB. 27 -- FRIDAY
* A hairline waxing crescent Moon is close to dim Mars very low in the west
at dusk. Try using binoculars; look far to the lower right of Saturn. This
might be your final goodbye to Mars for the year.
* Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is three or four ring-lengths east of the
planet this evening through Monday evening.
FEB. 28 -- SATURDAY
* The crescent Moon shines below Saturn during and after dusk.
============================
THIS WEEK'S PLANET ROUNDUP
============================
MERCURY, JUPITER, URANUS, and NEPTUNE are hidden in the glare of the Sun.
VENUS shines brightly in the southeast during dawn.
MARS is disappearing into the sunset. It's very far to the lower right of
Saturn.
SATURN, in Pisces, shines at magnitude +0.6 in the west-southwest during and
after dusk.
PLUTO, magnitude 13.8, is at the Ophiuchus-Scorpius border in the
south-southeast before dawn.
(All descriptions that relate to the horizon or zenith are written for the
world's midnorthern latitudes. Descriptions that also depend on longitude
are for North America. Eastern Standard Time, EST, equals Universal Time
minus 5 hours.)
More details, sky maps, and news of other celestial events appear each month
in SKY & TELESCOPE, the essential magazine of astronomy. See our incredibly
rich Web site at http://www.skypub.com/. Clear skies!
SKY & TELESCOPE, P.O. Box 9111, Belmont, MA 02178 * 617-864-7360 (voice)
Copyright 1998 Sky Publishing Corporation. S&T's Weekly News Bulletin and
Sky at a Glance stargazing calendar are provided as a service to the
astronomical community by the editors of SKY & TELESCOPE magazine.
Widespread electronic distribution is encouraged as long as these paragraphs
are included. But the text of the bulletin and calendar may not be
published in any other form without permission from Sky Publishing (contact
permissions@skypub.com or phone 617-864-7360). Illustrated versions,
including active links to related Internet resources, are available via SKY
Online on the World Wide Web at http://www.skypub.com/.
In response to numerous requests, and in cooperation with the Astronomical
League (http://www.mcs.net/~bstevens/al/) and the American Association of
Amateur Astronomers (http://www.corvus.com/), S&T's Weekly News Bulletin and
Sky at a Glance are available via electronic mailing list too. For a free
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SKY & TELESCOPE, the Essential Magazine of Astronomy, is read by more than
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For subscription information, or for a free copy of our catalog of fine
astronomy books and products, please contact Sky Publishing Corp., P.O. Box
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custserv@skypub.com. SKY Online: http://www.skypub.com/. Clear skies!
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=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Cassini Update - February 13, 1998
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Cassini Significant Event Report
For Week Ending 02/13/98
MSO Significant Events input for week of Friday, 02/06 through Thursday,
02/12:
Spacecraft Status:
The Cassini spacecraft is presently traveling at a speed relative to the sun
of approximately 127,000 kilometers/hour (~80,000 mph) and has traveled
approximately 302 million kilometers (~188 million miles) since launch last
October 15.
The most recent Spacecraft status is from the DSN tracking pass on Thursday,
02/12, over Goldstone. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of
health and is operating nominally, with the C6 sequence executing onboard.
Inertial attitude control is being maintained using the spacecraft's
hydrazine thrusters (RCS system). The spacecraft continues to fly in a High
Gain Antenna-to-Sun attitude. It will maintain the HGA-to-Sun attitude,
except for planned trajectory correction maneuvers, for the first 14 months
of flight.
Communication with Earth during early cruise is via one of the spacecraft's
two low-gain antennas; the antenna selected depends on the relative geometry
of the Sun, Earth and the spacecraft. The downlink telemetry rate is
presently 40 bps.
The spacecraft passed through Inferior Conjunction on February 9, with a
minimum Sun-Earth-Spacecraft angle of 4.2 degrees. Because the spacecraft is
held in a HGA-to-Sun attitude while in the inner solar system, the angle
from the Earth to the spacecraft's LGA falls farther off the LGA boresight
for the several weeks surrounding this geometric condition. During this
period, the Deep Space Net transmitters and the spacecraft telecom subsystem
are configured as necessary to direct signal strength either into Ranging
for Navigation or telemetry for spacecraft health monitoring. The need for
this additional management of spacecraft configuration will end on February
18.
Spacecraft Activity Summary:
On Friday, 02/06, and Saturday, 02/07, the spacecraft was in the
ranging-only (i.e. telemetry off) configuration.
On Sunday, 02/08, telemetry was turned on to acquire a track of data to
monitor spacecraft health. Telemetry was turned off again prior to the end
of the DSN track. This configuration change is being scheduled approximately
twice per week during the ranging-only period surrounding Inferior
Conjunction.
On Monday, 02/09, the Solid State Recorder (SSR) record and playback
pointers were reset, according to plan. This housekeeping activity, done
approximately weekly, maximizes the amount of time that recorded engineering
data is available for playback to the ground should an anomaly occur on the
spacecraft.
On Tuesday, 02/10, and Wednesday, 02/11, there were no changes in spacecraft
configuration.
On Thursday, 02/12, a Read-out was conducted of Propulsion Module Subsystem
(PMS) Mass Properties. This activity was performed as part of standard
preparations for Trajectory Correction Maneuver #2, scheduled for February
25th.
Upcoming spacecraft events:
Events for the week of 02/13 through 02/19 include: a reset of the SSR
pointers (02/15), and SSR Flight Software Partition Maintenance (02/18).
DSN Coverage:
Over the past week Cassini had 7 DSN track periods (02/06, 02/08, 02/09, and
4 periods occurring 02/10 - 01/12). Two of the track periods were for
telemetry; the others for ranging (Navigation). In the coming week there
will be 11 DSN passes occurring daily from Friday (02/13), through Thursday
(02/19). One of these will be for telemetry-only and eight will be for
ranging-only. The final two passes of the coming week will have both ranging
and telemetry, as the geometry of the Inferior Conjunction period will be
behind us.
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Cassini Update - February 20, 1998
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Cassini Significant Event Report
For Week Ending 02/20/98
MSO Significant Events input for week of Friday, 02/13 through Thursday,
02/19:
Spacecraft Status:
The Cassini spacecraft is presently traveling at a speed relative to the sun
of approximately 131,000 kilometers/hour (~82,000 mph) and has traveled
approximately 324 million kilometers (~202 million miles) since launch last
October 15.
The most recent Spacecraft status is from the DSN tracking pass on Thursday,
02/19, over Madrid. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of
health and is operating nominally, with the C6 sequence executing onboard.
Inertial attitude control is being maintained using the spacecraft's
hydrazine thrusters (RCS system). The spacecraft continues to fly in a High
Gain Antenna-to-Sun attitude. It will maintain the HGA-to-Sun attitude,
except for planned trajectory correction maneuvers, for the first 14 months
of flight.
Communication with Earth during early cruise is via one of the spacecraft's
two low-gain antennas; the antenna selected depends on the relative geometry
of the Sun, Earth and the spacecraft. The downlink telemetry rate is
presently 40 bps.
The spacecraft passed through Inferior Conjunction on February 9, with a
minimum Sun-Earth-Spacecraft angle of 4.2 degrees. Because the spacecraft is
held in a HGA-to-Sun attitude while in the inner solar system, the angle
from the Earth to the spacecraft's LGA falls farther off the LGA boresight
for the several weeks surrounding this geometric condition. During this
period, the Deep Space Net transmitters and the spacecraft telecom subsystem
are configured as necessary to direct signal strength either into Ranging
for Navigation or telemetry for spacecraft health monitoring. The need for
this additional management of spacecraft configuration ended on February 18.
Spacecraft Activity Summary:
From Friday, 02/13 through Tuesday, 02/17, the spacecraft was in the
ranging- only (i.e. telemetry off) configuration with the exception of
Saturday, 02/14, when telemetry was turned on for several hours to acquire a
track of data to monitor spacecraft health.
On Sunday, 02/15, the Solid State Recorder (SSR) record and playback
pointers were reset, according to plan. This housekeeping activity, done
approximately weekly, maximizes the amount of time that recorded engineering
data is available for playback to the ground should an anomaly occur on the
spacecraft.
On Wednesday, updates to spacecraft mass value and RCS thruster parameters
were sent to the spacecraft. These activities were performed as part of
standard preparations for Trajectory Correction Maneuver #2, scheduled for
February 25th.
On Thursday, 02/19, there were no changes in spacecraft configuration.
Upcoming spacecraft events:
Events for the week of 02/20 through 02/26 include: a reset of the SSR
pointers (02/20), uplink of the TCM #2 mini-sequence and a reset of the SSR
pointers (02/24), execution and playback of the TCM #2 mini-sequence
(02/25).
DSN Coverage:
Over the past week Cassini had 11 DSN tracks occurring daily from Friday
(02/13), through Thursday (02/19). One of these was for telemetry-only and
eight were for ranging-only. The final two passes of the past week had both
ranging and telemetry, as the geometry of the Inferior Conjunction period is
now behind us. In the coming week, in support of TCM-2, there will be 14 DSN
passes.
Letters of Agreement:
Agreements on funding levels and major tasks for each of the 24 scientific
investigations, including Program support for those investigations, have
been or are being prepared. Agreement has now been reached and Letters of
Agreement signed for 19 of the 24 investigations. The newest three include
the Cosmic Dust Analyzer, the Cassini RADAR, and the Huygens Surface Science
Package investigations.
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Mars Surveyor 98 Update - February 13, 1998
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Mars Surveyor 98 Project Status Report
February 13, 1998
John McNamee
Mars Surveyor 98 Project Manager
Orbiter and lander integration and test activities are proceeding on
schedule with no significant problems. The flight Mars Descent Imager
(MARDI) instrument was installed on the lander on Feb 9 and the camera
achieved excellent performance in functional testing. Tests at Lockheed
Martin indicate that MARDI is capable of imaging the surface after landing
at millimeter level resolution. In addition, the MARDI field of view
provides images of the surface which extend approximately 4 meters from the
surface location of the lander. The MARDI installation and checkout
completes the lander payload integration activities until the flight TEGA
(Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer) is installed in June 1998. The Mars
Color Imager (MARCI) will be integrated on the orbiter on Feb 18 and acoustic
testing of the orbiter spacecraft begins on Feb 19.
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=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: WDC-A R&S Launch Announcement 12920: COMETS
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COSPAR/ISES
WORLD WARNING AGENCY FOR SATELLITES
WORLD DATA CENTER-A FOR R & S, NASA/GSFC
CODE 633, GREENBELT, MARYLAND, 20771. USA
SPACEWARN 12920
COSPAR/WWAS USSPACECOM NUMBER
SPACECRAFT INTERNATIONAL ID (CATALOG NUMBER) LAUNCH DATE,UT
COMETS 1998-011A 25175 21 FEBRUARY 1998
JOSEPH H. KING, DIRECTOR, WDC-A-R&S.
[PH: (301) 286 7355.
E-MAIL: KING@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV
23 FEBRUARY 1998, 17:20 UT]
Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II
_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ Mail Code 633
_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ NASA/Goddard Space
_/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ Flight Center
_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Greenbelt, MD 20771
_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ +1-301-286-1187
ed.bell@gsfc.nasa.gov
NSSDC home page: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: NASA Celebrates The Achievements Of Minority University Students and P
Subject: NASA Celebrates The Achievements Of Minority University Students and P
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Sonja Alexander February 23, 1998
Headquarters, Washington, DC
(Phone: 202/358-1761)
Steve Roy
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
(Phone: 205/544-6535)
RELEASE: 98-34
NASA CELEBRATES THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF
MINORITY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS
As part of a continuing effort to partner with minority
universities to expand their involvement in the Nation's
science and technology challenges, NASA is sponsoring the
second annual University Research Center Technical Conference
this week at the Von Braun Center, 700 Monroe Street,
Huntsville, AL. The conference is hosted by Alabama A&M
University and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, both
located in Huntsville.
To achieve its goal to increase research opportunities for
both disadvantaged and disabled students, NASA has established
University Research Centers at minority institutions-including
11 historically black colleges and three Hispanic-Serving
Institutions. These centers provide students and faculty a
NASA focus for research in various branches of aerospace sciences.
The program highlights the significant inroads NASA is
making to address the historical imbalances among U.S. science
and engineering advanced degree recipients. Last year, 262
faculty members conducted NASA research with 549 participating
students. This resulted in 451 peer-reviewed research papers
accepted for publication, 11 new patents and 10 new commercial
products in development. The program also resulted in students
attaining 106 bachelor's degrees, 76 master's degrees and eight
doctorates in science and technology fields.
The University Research Center program was started in
1991, and has grown from an initial seven universities to the
fourteen current participating institutions. Working as a
partner with the research centers, NASA involves students and
faculty from minority institutions in producing technical
innovations through opportunities in aerospace research.
Funding for the NASA University Research Center program is
provided jointly by the NASA Office of Equal Opportunity
Programs and the NASA Strategic Enterprises, including Earth
Science, Space Science, Human Exploration and Development of
Space, and Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology.
More information about the NASA University Research Center
Program can be found at:
http://mured.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/WWW/AWARDS/URC/awards.html
- end -
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=SANA=
Дата: 24 февраля 1998 (1998-02-24)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Mars Global Surveyor Update - February 20, 1998
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Mars Global Surveyor
Flight Status Report
Friday, 20 February 1998
For the second consecutive month, conditions in the Martian
atmosphere have remained calm, and aerobraking progress continues to
proceed at a slightly faster than normal pace. As of today, Surveyor is
completing one revolution around Mars every 15.7 hours. This orbit period
is 93 minutes shorter than that predicted for this time prior to the
winter holidays last year.
The ability of the flight team to maintain the current level of
aerobraking progress will depend on continued cooperation from the
Martian atmosphere. Dr. Richard Zurek of the atmospheric advisory group
reports that data from Surveyor's instruments indicates a slowly
increasing amount of dust in the Martian air over the last month.
Consequently, the flight team will continue to remain cautious because
dust storms have a great potential to slow aerobraking progress.
Historically, most global dust storms tend to occur during summer
in the southern hemisphere on Mars. Although summer on the red planet
began on February 7th, there is no indication at this time of the onset of
another major dust storm similar to the one experienced over the
Thanksgiving weekend in 1997.
In other news this week, the flight team sent commands to the
spacecraft on Wednesday to power off the Mars Orbiter Camera and Thermal
Emission Spectrometer science instruments. The reason for this decision
is that aerobraking operations and associated activities consume the
majority of time during a single orbit. With the time of revolution
around Mars shrinking orbit by orbit, there is no longer enough time to
conduct both aerobraking and science operations.
Despite the power off of the science instruments, the radio science
team continues to collect data. This collection is made possible by the
fact that the spacecraft currently passes behind Mars on every orbit as
seen from the Earth. During this time, communications with the Earth is
lost because Mars blocks the radio signal from the spacecraft. However,
just before Surveyor enters this occultation zone, the radio signal
passes through the thin Martian atmosphere on its way to Earth. An
analysis of the distortion of the signal's strength and tone as it fades
enables the radio science team to determine the atmospheric properties at
specific locations on Mars.
Science data collection by all of the instruments will resume in
late March when the period of revolution around Mars has shrunk to 11.6
hours. At that time, aerobraking will be temporarily suspended by raising
the low point of the orbit out of the atmosphere. This plan will allow
for a concentrated period of science data collection during the spring
and summer months of this year. Aerobraking will resume in September, and
Surveyor will reach its Mars mapping orbit in late March or early April
1999.
After a mission elapsed time of 470 days from launch, Surveyor is
213.04 million miles (342.86 million kilometers) from the Earth and in an
orbit around Mars with a high point of 14,566 miles (23,442 km), a low
point of 73.8 miles (118.8 km), and a period of 15.7 hours. The
spacecraft is currently executing the P140 command sequence, and all
systems continue to perform as expected. The next status report will be
released on Friday, March 13th.
Status report prepared by:
Office of the Flight Operations Manager
Mars Surveyor Operations Project
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA 91109
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=SANA=
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