_                   
                                                         |_|                  
      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  ***                        <)                    

HALCA BACK UP... AND DOWN AGAIN

On June 4th, attitude control of HALCA was recovered. Three Reaction Wheels were used to stop the slow tumbling motion of the satellite, and detailed satellite checks, software reloading, and battery reconditioning were commenced. Unfortunately, on June 18th attitude control was lost again. The experience gained in recovery efforts earlier this month will be helpful in recovering attitude control this time, however the timescale for recovery depends on the evolution of the spin axis sun angle and the angular momentum of the satellite. These are being monitored during daily HALCA tracking passes.

NEW AGENCY

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will be born on October 1, 2003 merging the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL), and National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). In the new logo (see http://www.nasda.go.jp/jaxa/index_e.html), the "A" of "Aerospace" is designed as a star to symbolize "hope", and to represent a guidepost pointing to the future. Shuichiro Yamanouchi, current president of NASDA, has been appointed as the first president of JAXA.

The current agencies have operated largely independently: ISAS concentrating on space and planetary research, NAL being concerned with next generation aviation and space research and development, and NASDA dealing with the development of large-size rockets (such as the H-IIA), satellites, and the space station. A greater level of cooperation will be possible in the new merged institution.

ISAS OPEN DAY

The annual ISAS open day will be held this year on Saturday, July 26th. The recently launched Hayabusa satellite will be highlighted, but results from other satellites (including HALCA) and plans for other missions (including VSOP-2) will also be displayed. All VSOP News readers are welcome to attend!

U.S. VLBI REVIEW

The Directors of NRAO and MIT Haystack Observatory have convened a committee to consider the scientific future of VLBI in the USA. The committee will map a science and technology plan for the next decade. The emphasis of the review is on ground-based VLBI, but as many readers will have had some experience with VLBA data, they are well placed to comment on the current capabilities and limitations of the VLBA and to make suggestions for the scientific future of VLBI in the USA. More details, and instructions on how to send comments to the committee, are available from http://www.nrao.edu/VLBIfuture/. On Friday, July 11 an open meeting will be held at Caltech to take input from the astronomical community at large. For more details check the web page or contact Greg Taylor.

                Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi