_                    
                                                         |_|                   
      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  ***                        <)                     
 

PROPOSAL REVIEW

Japan laid out the white carpet for the arrival of the Scientific Review Committee in February: snowfall in the previous two days had transformed the landscape around ISAS! SRC members met at ISAS over four days to review and rank all 150 proposals, and to make recommendations on Key Science Programs (KSPs) and proposal mergers. The review process took the full four days, but ended with all tasks being accomplished. The SRC recommendations will be presented to the VSOP International Science Council (VISC) at its meeting in Ventura next week. Following the VISC meeting the designated contact person for proposals being offered KSP inclusion will be contacted. Contact people for proposals for which a merger has been recommended will also be approached. Finally, the contact person on each proposal will be e-mailed with the outcome of the proposal review and an indication of the likelihood that the proposal will be scheduled in the first (17-month) AO period. SRC members' comments on the individual proposals will also be forwarded.

VSOP TEST RUN

The 1.6 GHz VSOP test run was held on Tuesday, 13th February (not Wednesday, as claimed in the last VSOP news!). Data was recorded in the (2 channel, 16 MHz bandwidth, 2-bit sampled) VSOP mode and in VLBA format at the VLBA, Green Bank, Jodrell Bank and Noto, with the latter two recording with the MkIV field system. In addition Effelsberg and Metsahovi spun tapes, but did not record data beyond time tags. Huib van Langevelde reports from Socorro that correlation of this data proceeded smoothly. Mopra and Hobart recorded S2 format, VSOP mode data, which will be correlated first at the ATNF correlator. Last but not least, Westerbork, Medicina, Simeiz, Urumqi, Kashima and Goldstone recorded MkIIIA format data. MkIIIA does not support any of the VSOP modes, however the test did provide a check of the interfaces which will be used once the MkIV recorders are in place later this year. The only recording format not used in the test was, ironically, the VSOP format! This was because Usuda had other ISAS satellite tracking commitments and Nobeyama does not support 1.6 GHz. A VSOP format test is planned for April.

INTEGRATION TESTS

Final satellite integration tests continue at ISAS. Earlier this week the main antenna arrived at ISAS from the Mitsubishi factory near Kamakura. The satellite and antenna will undergo vibration testing at the end of this month and early next month, and the antenna will then return to Mitsubishi in May.

SPACE VLBI WORK WEEK

As mentioned earlier, the VISC will convene next week in Ventura, California. The annual `Space VLBI Work Week' will be held in the same location the week after. All aspects of the mission will be discussed and reviewed during the week: the last Work Week before launch!

 
 
       Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi