*    *              
                                                      ||   ||             
       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                     |\ \_______/  |         
                                                  |\ \          |         
                                                   \_\        _/          
      ***  N    E    W    S  ***                     \_______/            
                                   
 

ISAS OPEN DAY

The Annual ISAS Open Day was held on Saturday the 3rd of August. The VSOP team set up displays in a room adjacent to the ISAS Clean Room, so that visitors were able to look through the adjoining window and see the real MUSES-B after reading displays about the satellite, the mission and the concept of VLBI. The 1/10 scale model of the satellite after deployment was also on display, and proved a popular object for the many camera-toting visitors. VSOP team members were on hand to answer all questions, which ranged from the fundamental ("What does the satellite do?") to the advanced ("How do you know where the satellite is pointing?") to the predictable ("Do you believe in UFOs?")! The attendance for this year was over 13,000, in keeping with previous years' figures.

MITAKA CORRELATOR

Considerable progress has been made with the Mitaka correlator since the last report in the VSOP news. The correlator is now being routinely used for correlating J-net (domestic, four-station VLBI) observations recorded in K-4 format, and several VSOP format tests have also been correlated. In addition, mixed format -- VSOP and K-4 -- correlation has also been tested successfully. Tape translators for other formats are also coming along: bi-directional copying between VSOP and S2 formats should be available from next month. Copying from VLBA format to VSOP should be available from the end of September (although from thick tape only at first). Copying in the reverse direction, from VSOP to VLBA format, is scheduled for the end of the year. Discussions to determine various methods of cross-comparing the outputs from the Mitaka and Socorro correlators were held during Jon Romney's visit to ISAS for last month's meetings. FITS file generation of visibility data for importation into AIPS has been completed, with work on extension tables continuing.

OLYMPICS

The summer Olympics are over for another four years. Japan finished the Games with 3 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze medals, with over half the medals (including all three gold) coming in the judo. Although the tally was somewhat less than the optimistic predictions made by Japan's Olympic officials, highlights from the Games included Japan's victories over Brazil in the soccer and the USA in the baseball, and a bronze in the women's marathon. The next winter Olympics will be held in Nagano prefecture, north-west of Tokyo, in 1998.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

The VSOP news is two years old with this issue. (Or is it two years young?) The picture above proves that you can have your cake but you can't eat it!

 
 
       Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi