_                    
                                                         |_|                   
      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  ***                        <)                     
 

FINAL INTEGRATION

Integration testing of the Muses-B satellite is nearing completion. Last week dynamical balance tests were conducted, with, amongst other tests, the satellite being spun at the same 1 Hz rate that it will experience during the third and fourth booster rocket stages of the launch.

VSOG MISSION OPERATIONS MEETING

A two day meeting was held at ISAS on the 13th and 14th of December to review VSOP Operations plans, procedures and practices. Representatives from all participating correlators and tracking stations, leavened by the addition of some ground radio telescope representatives, went over the files, formats, and flow required for the numerous mission interfaces. Larry d'Addario stayed on at ISAS after the meeting to participate in a series of hardware compatibility tests, which he kindly described for us...

TRACKING STATION COMPATIBILITY

During the week of December 16-20, compatibility tests were conducted between the Usuda tracking station electronics and a VSOP Data Generator from JPL. The idea was to establish that the DSN tracking stations will be compatible with the VSOP spacecraft. This is being done somewhat indirectly, since the spacecraft itself cannot be brought to the foreign stations. Whereas the Usuda equipment is already known to be compatible, this test establishes that the JPL Data Generator produces valid VSOP data. The JPL device can then be used to verify each of the DSN stations -- indeed, this has already been done at Goldstone and Tidbinbilla. The tests at ISAS were completely successful; detailed checks of both the header and data parts of the bit-streams, under a variety of conditions, showed no deviation from the expected behavior.

*K*ASHIMA *S*CIENTIFIC *P*ROCEEDINGS

The technical workshop for the Asia-Pacific Telescope and Asia-Pacific Space Geodynamics groups was hosted by the Communications Research Laboratory at Kashima last week. Presentations by VSOP team members included an overview of the VSOP project, and talks on the VSOP correlator, tape translators, and scheduling of VSOP experiments. These will appear in the workshop proceedings (which will be available early next year) along with descriptions of the CRL's KSP (Key Stone Project) and VSOP's KSP (Key Science Programs). The two can be distinguished by recalling that the Kashima KSP involves the catfish!

SEASON'S GREETINGS

This is the last issue for 1996. The first issue for next year is planned for Friday, January 17th. In the meantime, we wish all readers of the VSOP news a Merry Christmas, Frohe Weihnachten, Joyeux Noel, Buon Natale, Felices Navidades, Feliz Natal, Merii Kurisumasu and a Prosperous New Year!

 
 
           Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi