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      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                  
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      ***  N    E    W    S  ***                        <)                    

THE LAST EVER VSOP NEWS

Welcome to the last issue of the VSOP news! It is a little under 12 years since the first VSOP news was distributed to a small mailing list, and over the 163 issues the distribution peaked at over 500. With the formal end of the mission at the end of March, corresponding to the end of the 2005 fiscal year, it is appropriate to make this the final VSOP news. The VSOP news archive (/astro/halca/vsop/obs/Newsletters.html) reveals, not surprisingly, that 1997 was, with 26 issues, the most prolific year for the VSOP news.

THE END OF THE VSOP MISSION

The VSOP mission has formally ended, however, efforts are on-going to place the VSOP data archive on-line, and the preparation of VSOP results for publication will continue for some time. The end of the VSOP mission will be celebrated on June 2nd at ISAS with a short series of presentations reviewing the mission, followed by a social gathering of current and former VSOP team members and related people in the evening.

THE FIRST EVER VSOP-2 NEWS

The VSOP-2 mission was approved by the Board of Councillors of ISAS on April 17th, which was the final stage of the formal approval process within ISAS. The VSOP-2 satellite will be the 25th ISAS Scientific satellite, and has been given the pre-launch name ASTRO-G (just as HALCA was MUSES-B before launch). Hereafter, the request for funding will proceed though JAXA to the government. So with the formal approval of the VSOP-2 mission and the end of the VSOP news, the time is right to start the distribution of the VSOP-2 news. The first issue will be distributed next month, with a change of format and a change of editor. As the distribution list will be based on the VSOP news list, so please forward any requests for address updates, additions or deletions from this list to the VSOP news editors at the addresses below.

PUBLICATIONS of the ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY of JAPAN

The 2nd special issue of PASJ featuring VSOP results will be published this month. A total of seven papers were accepted in time for this issue, with the special issue also providing the incentive for good progress to be made toward several other papers. As noted in the last VSOP news, members of the VSOP team were presented with certificates for the PASJ Excellent Papers award last month at the Astronomical Society of Japan spring meeting in Wakayama.

VSOP MOVIE AWARDED

The VSOP movie (see VSOP News 158) has been selected as one of the recipients of the Science Minister's Prize, and an award will be presented at a ceremony on April 21st!

VSOP TEAM

Coinciding with the change of fiscal (and academic) year, Seiji Kameno has moved from the National Astronomical Observatory at Mitaka to take up an Associate Professorship at Kagoshima University.

This month will see the departure of Phil Edwards from ISAS, just a few weeks shy of twelve years since his arrival in May 1994. Phil will be joining the Australia Telescope National Facility as Officer in Charge at Narrabri. The co-editor wishes to thank Phil for his contributions to the VSOP mission and the VSOP news in particular! Phil kept teaching the humble co-editor English for 12 years, but his English has not grown enough to fully thank Phil's great contribution to VSOP and ISAS.

                Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi