VSOP newsletter number 81

 
                                                                              
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Previous Issue

Number 81

10th April 1998

Following Issue

... STOP PRESS ...... STOP PRESS ...... STOP PRESS ...... STOP PRESS ...

The first 22 GHz fringes to HALCA have been found at the Socorro correlator! Following a number of single-dish checks of the Orion KL maser, which is currently bursting, to determine HALCA's pointing at 22 GHz, the successful observation was made with HALCA and the VLBA on 21/22 March. Fringes have been found in an 11 minute segment of data taken via the Goldstone tracking station just before perigee, when projected baselines to a few VLBA stations became very short. More details next issue, and also at the NRAO Space VLBI WWW site

FOUR WEEKS TO GO...

As of today there are four weeks till the deadline for AO2 proposals. The Announcement of Opportunity, Proposer's Guide and Cover Sheets are all available from the VSOP WWW site /astro/halca/vsop/obs/AO.html . The Regional Help Desks (described in the AO and PG) report business has been quiet to date: beat the rush and ask your questions now!

MEETINGS AT ISAS

A small workshop on reduction of VSOP Survey Program data was held at ISAS from March 23rd -- 27th. Participants divided into a number of small groups and spent much of the week in `hands-on' analysis, meeting occasionally to compare notes and discuss the problems inherent in reducing data with small numbers of participating telescopes. Many of the conclusions reached also apply to some degree to General Observing Time observations, and the VSOP WWW pages are being updated to reflect this.

The following week the Polarization Study Team met at ISAS. Again, most of the time was spent analyzing two polarization test observations made recording LCP on HALCA and LCP and RCP with ground radio telescopes. A report from the study team will be made available in the near future.

COSPAR

The deadline for registration for the COSPAR meeting in Nagoya in July is May 1st. Details regarding registration and accommodation can be found at http://cospar.isas.ac.jp/ and http://www.copernicus.org/COSPAR/COSPAR.html .

HONOR

Project Scientist Prof `Hirax' Hirabayashi had the honor last month of dining at the Imperial Palace. Hirax and Prof A. Nishida (current Director of ISAS) accompanied eminent scientist Prof M. Oda (a former Director of ISAS) to the Palace for dinner, and the three enjoyed dinner with the Emperor, Empress and Princess. Conversation during their three hour visit ranged over a wide variety of topics, including, of course, the VSOP mission!

 
                Editors: Phil Edwards and Hirax Hirabayashi