Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Mars Surveyor 98 Mailing List
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MARS SURVEYOR 98 MAILING LIST
The Mars Surveyor 98 status reports and press releases are now available via
email (subscription instructions appended below). Join us on our journey to
Mars, both in orbit around the red planet and also from the surface of the
red planet. Following in the footsteps of Mars Global Surveyor and
Mars Pathfinder, the two Mars Surveyor 98 spacecraft will take advantage of
the 1998 launch opportunity to Mars which is available every 26 months.
The "Volatiles and Climate History" theme for the 1998 Mars Surveyor
missions was recommended by the Mars Science Working Group and is aligned
directly with NASA''s Mars exploration strategy for the next decade focusing
on: Evidence of past or present life, Climate, and Resources.
MARS CLIMATE ORBITER
The 1998 orbiter mission (Mars Climate Orbiter) is scheduled for launch in
in December 1998 and will arrive in orbit around Mars in September 1999.
The orbiter will carry a rebuilt version of the Mars Observer
Pressure Modulated Infrared Radiometer (PMIRR) with Dr. Daniel McCleese of
JPL as Principal Investigator, and the Mars Color Imaging (MARCI) system
with Dr. Michael Malin, of Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) as Principal
Investigator. PMIRR will observe the global distribution and time variation
of temperature, pressure, dust, water vapor, and condensates in the Martian
atmosphere. MARCI will observe synoptically Martian atmospheric processes at
global scale and study details of the interaction of the atmosphere with the
surface at a variety of scales in both space and time. In addition to the
science payload, the orbiter spacecraft will provide an on-orbit data relay
capability for future U.S. and/or international surface stations.
MARS POLAR LANDER
For the first time ever, we will be landing in the polar regions of Mars
with the Mars Polar Lander. Scheduled for launch in January 1999, the
spacecraft will land on Mars in December 1999.
The science complement for the 1998 lander includes: the Mars Volatile and
Climate Surveyor (MVACS) integrated lander payload with Dr. David Paige of
UCLA as Principal Investigator, the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) with Dr.
Michael Malin of Malin Space Science Systems as Principal Investigator, and
an atmospheric lidar experiment provided by the Russian Space Agency
Institute for Space Science. Dr. Paige's integrated lander payload includes
a Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) with Mars Pathfinder heritage; a meteorology
package (MET); an instrumented robotic arm (RA) for sample acquisition, soil
manipulation, and close up imaging of the surface and subsurface; and the
Thermal and Evolved Gas Analysis (TEGA) experiment for determining the
nature and abundance of volatile material in the Martian soil. The descent
images obtained by MARDI while the lander spacecraft descends to the surface
will establish the geological and physical context of the landing site. The
atmospheric lidar experiment will determine the dust content of the Martian
atmosphere above the landing site.
DEEP SPACE 2 MICROPROBES
Piggybacking on the Mars 98 lander are two small microprobes.
Separating from the lander just prior to entry into the Martian atmosphere, the
two
microprobes will slam into the surface of Mars at a velocity of 200 meters
per second. The aeroshell on each probe will shatter to release the science
package which will penetrate up to 2 meters into the soil. The microprobes
will determine if water ice is present in the Martian subsurface, and will
also measure the temperature and monitor the local Martian weather.
SUBSCRIBING TO THE MARS SURVEYOR 98 MAILING LIST
Here is how to subscribe to the Mars 98 mailing list:
Send email to majordomo@sender.jpl.nasa.gov and include the following text
in the body of the message:
subscribe mars98
You can leave the subject field blank. You will receive an automatic
confirmation message and a welcome message.
If you wish to unsubscribe to the Mars 98 mailing list, send email to
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message:
unsubscribe mars98
Ron Baalke
Mars Surveyor 98 Webmaster
___ _____ ___
/_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
| | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab |
___| | | | |__) |/ | | |__ Pasadena, CA | Two wrongs don't make a right,
/___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| | but two Wrights made an
|_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ | airplane.
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Latest Lunar Prospector Findings Indicate Larger Amounts Of Polar Wate
Subject: Latest Lunar Prospector Findings Indicate Larger Amounts Of Polar Wate
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Douglas Isbell
Headquarters, Washington, DC September 3, 1998
(Phone: 202/358-1753)
David Morse
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
(Phone: 650/604-4724)
RELEASE: 98-158
LATEST LUNAR PROSPECTOR FINDINGS
INDICATE LARGER AMOUNTS OF POLAR WATER ICE
The north and south poles of the Moon may contain up to
six billion metric tons of water ice, a more than ten-fold
increase over previous estimates, according to scientists
working with data from NASA's Lunar Prospector mission.
Growing evidence now suggests that water ice deposits of
relatively high concentration are trapped beneath the soil in
the permanently shadowed craters of both lunar polar regions.
The researchers believe that alternative explanations, such
as concentrations of hydrogen from the solar wind, are
unlikely.
Mission scientists also report the detection of strong,
localized magnetic fields; delineation of new mass
concentrations on the surface; and the mapping of the global
distribution of major rock types, key resources and trace
elements. In addition, there are strong suggestions that the
Moon has a small, iron-rich core. The new findings are
published in the Sept. 4 issue of Science magazine.
"The Apollo program gave us an excellent picture of the
Moon's basic structure and its regional composition, along
with some hints about its origin and evolution," said Dr.
Carl Pilcher, science director for Solar System exploration
in NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. "Lunar
Prospector is now expanding that knowledge into a global
perspective. The indications of water ice at the poles are
tantalizing and likely to spark spirited debate among lunar
scientists."
In March, mission scientists reported a water signal
with a minimum abundance of one percent by weight of water
ice in rocky lunar soil (regolith) corresponding to an
estimated total of 300 million metric tons of ice at the
Moon's poles. "We based those earlier, conscientiously
conservative estimates on graphs of neutron spectrometer
data, which showed distinctive dips over the lunar polar
regions," said Dr. Alan Binder of the Lunar Research
Institute, Gilroy, CA, the Lunar Prospector principal
investigator. "This indicated significant hydrogen
enrichment, a telltale signature of the presence of water
ice.
"Subsequent analysis, combined with improved lunar
models, shows conclusively that there is hydrogen at the
Moon's poles," Binder said. "Though other explanations are
possible, we interpret the data to mean that significant
quantities of water ice are located in permanently shadowed
craters in both lunar polar regions.
"The data do not tell us definitively the form of the
water ice," Binder added. "However, if the main source is
cometary impacts, as most scientists believe, our expectation
is that we have areas at both poles with layers of near-pure
water ice." In fact, the new analysis "indicates the
presence of discrete, confined, near-pure water ice deposits
buried beneath as much as 18 inches (40 centimeters) of dry
regolith, with the water signature being 15 percent stronger
at the Moon's north pole than at the south."
How much water do scientists believe they have found?
"It is difficult to develop a numerical estimate," said Dr.
William Feldman, co-investigator and spectrometer specialist
at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory,
NM. "However, we calculate that each polar region may
contain as much as three billion metric tons of water ice."
Feldman noted he had cautioned that earlier estimates
"could be off by a factor of ten," due to the inadequacy of
existing lunar models. The new estimate is well within
reason, he added, since it is still "one to two orders of
magnitude less than the amount of water predicted as possibly
delivered to, and retained on, the Moon by comets," according
to earlier projections by Dr. Jim Arnold of the University of
California at San Diego.
In other results, data from Lunar Prospector's gamma ray
spectrometer have been used to develop the first global maps
of the Moon's elemental composition. The maps delineate
large compositional variations of thorium, potassium and iron
over the lunar surface, providing insights into the Moon's
crust as it was formed. The distribution of thorium and
potassium on the Moon's near side supports the idea that some
portion of materials rich in these trace elements was
scattered over a large area as a result of ejection by
asteroid and comet impacts.
While its magnetic field is relatively weak and not
global in nature like those of most planets, the Moon does
contain magnetized rocks on its upper surface, according to
data from Lunar Prospector's magnetometer and electron
reflectometer. The resultant strong, local magnetic fields
create the two smallest known magnetospheres in the Solar
System.
"The Moon was previously interpreted as just an
unmagnetized body without a major effect on what is going on
in the solar wind," explained Dr. Mario Acuna, a member of
the team located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD. "We are discovering that there is nothing
simple about the Moon as an obstacle to this continuous flow
of electrically charged gas from the Sun."
These mini-magnetospheres are located diametrically
opposite to large impact basins on the lunar surface, leading
scientists to conclude that the magnetic regions formed as
the result of these titanic impacts. One theory is that
these impacts produced a cloud of electrically charged gas
that expanded around the Moon in about five minutes,
compressing and amplifying the pre-existing, primitive
ambient magnetic field on the opposite side. This field was
then "frozen" into the surface crust and retained as the
Moon's then-molten core solidified and the global field
vanished.
Using data from Prospector's doppler gravity experiment,
scientists have developed the first precise gravity map of
the entire lunar surface. In the process, they have
discovered seven previously unknown mass concentrations,
lava-filled craters on the lunar surface known to cause
gravitational anomalies. Three are located on the Moon's
near side and four on its far side. This new, high-quality
information will help engineers determine the long-term,
altitude-related behavior of lunar-orbiting spacecraft, and
more accurately assess fuel needs for possible future Moon
missions.
Finally, Lunar Prospector data suggests that the Moon
has a small, iron-rich core approximately 186 miles (300
kilometers) in radius, which is toward the smaller end of the
range predicted by most current theories. "This theory seems
to best fit the available data and models, but it is not a
unique fit," cautioned Binder. "We will be able to say much
more about this when we get magnetic data related to core
size later in the mission." Ultimately, a precise figure for
the core size will help constrain models of how the Moon
originally formed.
Lunar Prospector was launched on Jan. 6, 1998, aboard a
Lockheed Martin Athena 2 solid-fuel rocket and entered lunar
orbit on Jan. 11. After a one-year primary mission orbiting
the Moon at a height of approximately 63 miles (100
kilometers), mission controllers plan to the lower the
spacecraft's orbit substantially to obtain detailed
measurements. The $63 million mission is managed by NASA's
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA.
Further information about Lunar Prospector, its science
data return, and relevant charts and graphics can be found on
the project website at:
http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov
-end-
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Mars Surveyor 98 Update - September 4, 1998
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1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT
September 4, 1998
John McNamee
Mars Surveyor 98 Project Manager
Mars Climate Orbiter:
Orbiter integration and test activities continue to proceed on
schedule. The dry spin balance (both in vacuum and in air) was
conducted successfully on September 1. The ground support equipment
arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Spacecraft Assembly and
Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) on September 2 and all KSC activities
are on track to support the orbiter arrival on September 10.
Mars Polar Lander:
The lander is in the cruise configuration (cruise stage, backshell, and
heat shield installed) in the thermal vacuum chamber. Chamber pump
down began on September 1 and the cruise thermal vacuum testing is
proceeding as planned with completion scheduled for September 5. The
lander pre-ship review is planned for September 15. Shipment to KSC is
planned for October 12.
For more information on the Mars Surveyor 98 mission, please visit
our website at:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Projects Selected For Commercial Use Of Remote Sensing Data
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David E. Steitz
Headquarters, Washington, DC September 4, 1998
(Phone: 202/358-1730)
Lanee Cooksey
Stennis Space Center, MS
(Phone: 228/688-3341)
RELEASE: 98-159
PROJECTS SELECTED FOR COMMERCIAL USE OF REMOTE SENSING DATA
The Commercial Remote Sensing program office at NASA's
Stennis Space Center, MS, has selected ten projects that could
lead to new commercial uses of advanced sensors. The projects are
being developed through the Earth Observations Commercial
Applications Program-Hyperspectral (EOCAP-Hyperspectral).
The program is designed to increase the use of NASA
technology for gathering and analyzing information about the Earth
through sensors mounted on aircraft or satellites. EOCAP-
Hyperspectral will define the technology gaps that prohibit or
impede the use of hyperspectral data and recommend solutions for
filling those gaps.
"This is the type of partnership between NASA and value-added
industry that the NASA Earth Science program is forging. We want
to emphasize investments of NASA sponsored technologies to
demonstrate benefits of our program towards solving practical
societal problems while promoting a healthy commercial remote
sensing industry in the U.S.," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, Associate
Administrator for Earth Sciences, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.
EOCAP-Hyperspectral is managed by the Commercial Remote
Sensing program office at Stennis. Its role in commercial
activities is to provide financial and technical support to
companies for two to three years in areas of remote sensing
activities where there is substantial market risk in matching
science and technology with commercial demand.
The projects support technical, market and business
innovation to develop new products or services that serve emerging
domestic and international markets. Selected proposals, in
addition to high technical competence, typically exhibit the
following traits: strong business and marketing plans; product
advisory boards to guide the product and or service development;
and substantial financial commitments to the projects by the companies.
The recipients of the 1998 EOCAP-Hyperspectral project awards are:
* Eastman Kodak - Rochester, NY
* United States Department of Agriculture - Beltsville, MD
* Yellowstone Ecosystem Studies - Bozeman, MT
* Applied Analysis - Billerica, MA
* Cal State-Monterey Bay - Seaside, CA
* Boeing Information, Space & Defense Systems - Seattle, WA
* GDE Systems, Inc. - San Diego, CA
* MTL Systems, Inc. - Beavercreek, OH
* Opto Knowledge Systems, Inc. (OKSI) - Torrance, CA
* Spectral International - Arvada, CO
The overall focus of the program is to expand the acceptance
and use of remote sensing technology in the marketplace.
Historically, the program has emphasized product development from
a technical perspective. The program's new direction is to ally
market knowledge with technical capability to guide product
development based on customers' needs. EOCAP responds to known
buyer needs by collaborating with commercial firms to develop
enhanced geographic information products, incorporating advanced
remote sensing and associated technologies.
The program is sponsored by NASA's Earth Science enterprise
which studies the total Earth system and demonstrates the benefits
of new technologies and scientific knowledge through practical
applications.
-end-
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: NASA Accepts "Keys" To First US-Built Station Component
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Dwayne C. Brown September 4, 1998
Headquarters, Washington, DC
(Phone: 202/358-1726)
James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone: 281/483-5111)
RELEASE: 98-160
NASA ACCEPTS "KEYS" TO FIRST U.S.-BUILT STATION COMPONENT
The Unity connecting module, the first U.S.-built component
of the International Space Station, moved a step closer to orbit
this week when Boeing, the manufacturer of Unity, officially
handed over the module's "keys" to NASA.
NASA officially accepted the module after review and
certification of Unity's construction by NASA and Boeing station
managers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, FL. Unity is scheduled
for launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on the STS-88 mission on
Dec. 3. Unity will be launched two weeks after the first station
component, the U.S.-funded, Russian-built Zarya module, from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan. Unity will be mated to Zarya by
Endeavour's astronauts to begin the five-year orbital assembly of
the International Space Station.
Unity is a critical component of the International Space
Station, a six-sided connector with a berthing port on each side.
Along with Unity at Kennedy, more than a half-dozen major pieces
of U.S. and foreign-built hardware are now being prepared for launch.
"It is not by chance that we named this module Unity,"
International Space Station program manager Randy Brinkley said
following the review. "The name certainly represents all of the
hard work by the Boeing teams and the NASA teams, as well as the
worldwide space station team. The Unity module has been a great
joint effort."
Unity was manufactured by Boeing at NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. It was transported from Alabama
to Florida in June 1997, where final assembly and launch
preparations began. Attached to Unity for launch are two conical
mating adapters, also built by Boeing and officially accepted by
NASA this week.
As the Unity acceptance review board completed its official
work, Royce Mitchell, Boeing's ISS deputy program manager, handed
his NASA counterparts plaques bearing a replica of a tool used to
open the hatches on Unity and a symbolic "key" to the module.
The International Space Station draws upon the resources and
expertise of 16 nations and is the largest and most complex
international scientific project ever undertaken. Five
international partners -- the United States; Canada; member states
of the European Space Agency; Japan and Russia; as well as Brazil
and Italy as participants through the United States -- are working
together in a joint endeavor to explore space for the benefit of
all humankind.
-end-
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: NASA Contracts For Future Space Transportation Studies
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Sarah Keegan
Headquarters, Washington, DC September 4, 1998
(Phone: 202/358-1902)
RELEASE : c98-n
NASA CONTRACTS FOR FUTURE SPACE TRANSPORTATION STUDIES
NASA has selected five companies to perform space
transportation architecture studies. These studies will develop
approaches to meet the agency's future human space flight
requirements with significant reductions in cost.
The industry-led studies will provide information to support
future policy decisions determining if the Space Shuttle system
should be replaced: if so, when; if not, what upgrade strategy is
required to continue safe and affordable Space Shuttle flight.
The companies selected for the one-year study contracts were:
Boeing Information, Space, and Defense Systems, Seal Beach, CA;
Kelly Space and Technology, San Bernardino, CA; Lockheed Martin
Astronautics, Denver, CO; Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles,
VA; and Space Access, LLC, Palmdale, CA. The study contracts will
involve different numbers of tasks and will range in value from
$1-2 million each.
The studies will assess architectures that offer potential
cost savings, including future scenarios that keep the Space
Shuttle operational until 2020 and replace the Space Shuttle when
cost-effective, and will develop an architecture that assumes
NASA's current funding level for space transportation. These
studies will identify the government marginal investment necessary
for the commercial launch industry to meet NASA's launch requirements.
More information on the Space Transportation Architecture
study activity can be found on the Internet at:
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codea/codeae/sta_study.html
- end -
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Cassini Update - September 4, 1998
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MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109
TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Cassini Mission Status
September 4, 1998
The Cassini spacecraft remains in excellent health on its voyage to
Saturn. Spacecraft operations have been normal with most tasks focused on
routine maintenance activities.
Early last month, the Cassini Program reduced -- earlier than planned --
the number of Deep Space Network communications antennas needed to collect
navigation ranging data on the spacecraft, at least through the end of the
calendar year. This frees up valuable time on the powerful 70-meter
antennas for use by other space exploration projects. The Cassini program
had been using 34-meter and 70-meter antennas in tandem at each of the
three Deep Space Network complexes for spacecraft telecommunications and
for gathering navigation ranging data on the spacecraft's position. But
because of better-than-predicted ranging system performance and an
improving telecommunications link due to the relative positions of Earth
and Cassini, the 70-meter stations currently are not needed to augment the
spacecraft ranging data collected with the 34-meter antennas. As the
geometry between Earth and Cassini further improves, the program will
temporarily give up the use of the 70-meter antennas for
telecommunications, and will rely solely on the 34-meter antennas for an
as-yet-undetermined period of time.
Today, Cassini is traveling at about 81,770 kilometers per hour (about
50,800 miles per hour) and has traveled more than 900 million kilometers
(about 560 million miles).
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Mars Global Surveyor Update - September 4, 1998
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Mars Global Surveyor
Project Status Report Overview
Prepared by Mars Surveyor Operations Project Manager
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Friday 4 September 1998
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft continues to acquire science data
with the Mars Orbiter Camera, the Thermal Emission Spectrometer and the
Magnetometer/Electron Reflectometer in its next to last week in the science
phasing orbit. Data was returned from the third Phobos observation. A press
release is anticipated on or about September 10th which will detail the
results from the recent Phobos observations. The first of the weekly
strategic planning sessions for aerobraking phase 2 was held. The MGS
propulsion system will be re-pressurized next Wednesday to ready it for the
major maneuvers required to return MGS to the Martian atmosphere.
At the same time that it is flying MGS, the flight team is also preparing
for the operational readiness testing that will validate its capabilities to
operate the Mars Climate Orbiter and the Mars Polar Lander to be launch
later this year.
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Sky & Telescope News Bulletin - September 4, 1998
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SKY & TELESCOPE'S NEWS BULLETIN
SEPTEMBER 4, 1998
SOHO BLAME CAST
While flight controllers continue to resuscitate the Solar and Heliospheric
Observatory (SOHO), the final report from the joint NASA and ESA committee
investigating the loss of contact with the spacecraft was released on
August 31st. The board concluded that the spacecraft had no onboard
malfunctions and that the blame for the signal loss on June 25th rested
firmly with controllers who failed to properly monitor the spacecraft's
condition and who also turned off a gyroscope that disabled the
spacecraft's autonomous recovery system. Furthermore, once contact was
lost, the operations team did not take enough time to understand the status
of the spacecraft before trying to recover it. The report also recommends
that NASA and ESA thoroughly review SOHO control operations, and complete
the internal review before the observatory begins making scientific
observations again. The scientists should have sufficient time to
accomplish this. Presently, a month after contact was reestablished with
SOHO, onboard batteries have been charged enough to thaw the hydrazine fuel
tank, but the lines to the attitude-controlling thrusters are still frozen.
MOON-SICLE, ANYONE?
New results from NASA's Lunar Prospector spacecraft offer a very strong
case that an estimated 6 billion tons of water ice lies hidden in
permanently shadowed regions at the Moon's north and south poles. That is
some 20 times the total amount derived last March based on only two months
of data. Perhaps more importantly, the new findings suggest that the water
is fairly concentrated, perhaps as discrete icy slabs, packed in less than
2,000 square km of total area rather than March's estimate of 15,000 to
70,000 square km. The strongest signals correspond to the poleward-facing
inner walls of the craters Peary, Hermite, Rozhdestvenskiy, and Plaskett
near the lunar north pole, and to areas inside the giant South Pole-Aitken
basin in the south. Prospector scientists believe the ice deposits are
buried beneath a desiccated layer of crushed rock, or regolith, about 40
centimeters (16 inches) thick. Lunar Prospector does not detect the water
ice directly but rather infers its presence by recording neutrons that have
interacted with the nuclei of hydrogen atoms. The strong, concentrated
signature makes it unlikely that the hydrogen could be solar-wind particles
trapped in the regolith.
The icy news appears in the September 4th issue of the journal *Science,*
which contains other important Lunar Prospector reports. For example,
investigators now believe the Moon has a small iron-rich core about 600 km
across. The existence of such a core had remained uncertain for decades,
despite dozens of lunar missions during the 1960s and '70s. Moreover,
magnetometer data show that the areas directly opposite the Imbrium and
Serentatis impact basins (and perhaps Frigoris) have weak but significant
magnetic fields. The Moon is not intrinsically magnetic today, but it may
well have been in the distant past. Apparently, following these
basin-forming impacts, plasma in outward-racing fireballs caused
magnetic-field lines to bunch up at the locations diametrically opposite
the impact sites, where they somehow became "frozen" into the surface
rocks. First detected during the Apollo missions, these remnant fields
remain today and create "mini-magnetospheres" that may be shielding
portions of the surface from direct impingement of the solar wind.
SATURDAY MORNING PENUMBRAL ECLIPSE
Speaking of the Moon, our satellite skims through the fringe of the Earth's
shadow for a penumbral lunar eclipse on the morning of September 6th. The
western regions of North America have a good view. Look for a slight
shading on the Moon's northern (upper right) edge around 5:10 a.m. Mountain
Daylight Time, 4:10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The Moon will be shining in
the western sky, with Jupiter to its upper left.
A WEEK UNTIL ALDEBARAN OCCULTATION
The Moon is also a player for a celestial event next weekend. Before dawn
on Saturday, September 12th, the nearly last-quarter Moon occults Aldebaran
for much of the eastern and southern United States. For your local
predictions see the September *Sky & Telescope,* page 112, or
http://www.skypub.com/occults/aldebaran/980912a.html.
COMET WILLIAMS IN THE DEEP SOUTH
Comet Williams (C/1998 P1) remains the brightest comet in the sky at about
8th magnitude, but it remains essentially a sight for Southern-Hemisphere
observers. It continues to move north through Centaurus. According to
Charles Morris (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), by late November, the comet
will be visible from both hemispheres at about 10th magnitude. Here are
positions for Comet Williams for 0 hours Universal Time (2000.0
coordinates) for the coming week:
R.A. Dec.
September 5 13h 44m -42.1 deg.
September 7 13h 42m -41.0 deg.
September 9 13h 41m -39.9 deg.
THIS WEEK'S "SKY AT A GLANCE"
Some daily events in the changing sky, from the editors of SKY &
TELESCOPE.
SEPT. 6 -- SUNDAY
* Tonight the Moon passes just below Jupiter as seen from North (and
Central) America. They'll make a lovely pairing together in the sky. As
seen from the southern part of South America, the Moon crosses right over
Jupiter for a splendid occultation.
* The eclipsing variable star Algol should be in one of its periodic
dimmings, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for a couple hours
centered on 10:43 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It takes several additional
hours to fade and brighten. For a full listing of Algol's predicted minima
through next winter, see http://www.skypub.com/whatsup/algol.html.
* Regulus is about 1.2 degrees from both Mercury and Venus at dawn Monday
morning.
SEPT. 7 -- MONDAY
* Jupiter's Great Red Spot (actually very pale tan) should cross the
planet's central meridian -- the line down the center of Jupiter's disk
from pole to pole -- around 9:42 p.m. EDT. For a listing of all predicted
Red Spot transit times through next February, see
http://www.skypub.com/whatsup/redspot.html.
* Regulus is 1.2 degrees to Mercury's upper right at dawn Tuesday
morning.
SEPT. 8 -- TUESDAY
* Look straight up as twilight fades (assuming you live in the world's
north temperate latitudes). The brightest star overhead is Vega, a white
star 25 light-years away that's bigger, hotter, and brighter than the Sun.
SEPT. 9 -- WEDNESDAY
* Saturn shines to the upper right of the Moon after they rise late this
evening.
* Jupiter's Red Spot should transit around 11:20 p.m. EDT.
* Tonight the 10th-magnitude asteroid 1036 Ganymed will occult a
10th-magnitude orange star close to Alpha Persei. During the occultation,
which could last up to 4 seconds, the combined light of the star and
asteroid will drop by only 0.9 magnitude. The occultation should be visible
along a narrow path crossing the southern United States within a few
minutes of 6:28 Universal Time September 10th in southern California and
6:32 UT near the Carolinas. See the finder chart in the September Sky &
Telescope, page 114, or at http://www.skypub.com/occults/occults.html.
SEPT. 10 -- THURSDAY
* During dawn Friday, look for Mercury only 0.4 degree left of Venus.
They're very low in the east as dawn brightens. Binoculars give a fine
view!
SEPT. 11 -- FRIDAY
* Jupiter's Red Spot should transit around 12:58 a.m. EDT Saturday
morning.
* Before dawn Saturday morning, the nearly last-quarter Moon occults
Aldebaran for much of the eastern and southern United States. For your
local predictions see the September Sky & Telescope, page 112, or
http://www.skypub.com/occults/aldebaran/980912a.html.
SEPT. 12 -- SATURDAY
* Last-quarter Moon (exact at 9:58 p.m. EDT).
* Jupiter's Red Spot should transit around 8:49 p.m. EDT.
THIS WEEK'S PLANET ROUNDUP
MERCURY appears very close to much brighter Venus all week.
VENUS (magnitude -3.9) shines very low in the east during dawn. Fainter
Mercury is close by, and early in the week so is Regulus (still fainter).
MARS glows rather far to Venus's upper right in the dawn. Mars is magnitude
+1.7, only about 1/175 as bright as Venus.
JUPITER is the brilliant "star" (magnitude -2.9) shining in the southeast
during evening. It gets high in the south by about midnight and is low in
the west at dawn. Jupiter comes to opposition on the night of September
15th.
SATURN rises around 9 or 9:30 p.m. It's the brightest "star" (magnitude
0.0) far to Jupiter's lower left by 10 p.m. and later. The two planets
appear 40 degrees apart (about 4 fist-widths at arm's length), on opposite
ends of dim Pisces.
URANUS and NEPTUNE, magnitudes 5.7 and 7.9 respectively, are in Capricornus
in the south during evening. See the finder chart in the September Sky &
Telescope, page 110.
PLUTO, magnitude 13.8, is near the Ophiuchus-Scorpius border in the
southwest right after dark. See the finder chart in the May Sky &
Telescope, page 97. Charts for Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are also at
http://www.skypub.com/whatsup/urnepl98.html.
(All descriptions that relate to the horizon or zenith are written for the
world's midnorthern latitudes. Descriptions that also depend on longitude
are for North America. Eastern Daylight Time, EDT, equals Universal Time
minus 4 hours.)
More details, sky maps, and news of other celestial events appear each
month in SKY & TELESCOPE, the essential magazine of astronomy. See our
enormous Web site at http://www.skypub.com/. Clear skies!
SKY & TELESCOPE, P.O. Box 9111, Belmont, MA 02478 * 617-864-7360 (voice)
Copyright 1998 Sky Publishing Corporation. S&T's Weekly News Bulletin and
Sky at a Glance stargazing calendar are provided as a service to the
astronomical community by the editors of SKY & TELESCOPE magazine.
Widespread electronic distribution is encouraged as long as these
paragraphs are included. But the text of the bulletin and calendar may not
be published in any other form without permission from Sky Publishing
(contact permissions@skypub.com or phone 617-864-7360). Illustrated
versions, including active links to related Internet resources, are
available via SKY Online on the World Wide Web at http://www.skypub.com/.
In response to numerous requests, and in cooperation with the Astronomical
League (http://www.mcs.net/~bstevens/al/) and the American Association of
Amateur Astronomers (http://www.corvus.com/), S&T's Weekly News Bulletin
and Sky at a Glance are available via electronic mailing list too. For a
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SKY & TELESCOPE, the Essential Magazine of Astronomy, is read by more than
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For subscription information, or for a free copy of our catalog of fine
astronomy books and products, please contact Sky Publishing Corp., P.O. Box
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custserv@skypub.com. SKY Online: http://www.skypub.com/. Clear skies!
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Reseacher Suspects Liquid Water on Mars
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Reseacher Suspects Liquid Water on Mars
San Diego - September 1, 1998 - Dr. Gilbert V. Levin, Mars Viking
Experimenter, claims that his studies reveal water exists on the Red
Planet's surface in sufficient amounts to sustain microbial life.
His findings (http://biospherics.com/mars/spie2/spie98.htm) were presented
to the Annual Meeting of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation
Engineers (SPIE) in San Diego in early July. Dr. Levin, President of
Biospherics in Beltsville, Maryland, shared authorship with his son, Dr. Ron
Levin, physicist at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Boston. The importance of
the study, Dr. Gilbert Levin said, is that it clinches the case that his
Viking LR experiment found life on Mars in 1976, a conclusion that he
announced in 1997.
In recent years, all arguments against the LR experiment had been eliminated
except the claim that there was no life-requiring liquid water on the
surface of the Red Planet. Last February, in discussing Mars against the
background of startling new findings of life in hostile Earth environments,
Dr. Wesley Huntress, NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Science, said:
"We used to think that life was fragile, but wherever liquid water and
chemical energy are found, there is life. There is no exception. Life may be
a cosmic imperative."
Dr. Levin described a dynamic daily cycle on Mars in which the extreme cold
of the Martian atmosphere greatly restricts its ability to hold water vapor.
Thus, the scant water vapor on Mars is forced down to the surface, where it
is deposited in frozen form. As the sun rises, the ice melts, but its
evaporation is restricted by the low vapor capacity of the overlying cold
atmosphere. Levin cited Pathfinder's results to show that the atmosphere
immediately above the surface warms considerably, equaling a spring day on
Earth, but, just a couple of feet above the surface, temperatures are
sub-freezing. The warmed surface layer of air absorbs water vapor until
saturated. No more water can then evaporate from the surface, and the ice
remaining there melts into liquid water. As the sun mounts, the temperature
of the atmosphere above the surface warms sufficiently to permit any
remaining water and ice to evaporate. However, during this daily cycle, the
soil has been moistened with enough water to sustain microorganisms.
Dr. Levin explained: "Based on Viking and Pathfinder data, and consistent
with the principles of thermodynamics of the triple point of water, a model
has been created for a diurnal water cycle on Mars. The model predicts the
presence of several tenths of a percent to one percent water moisture in the
topmost layer of the surface material over large regions of Mars. Images
taken by the Viking Lander cameras show nightly deposits of surface water
frost, even snow, verifying the prediction of the model. Terrestrial
experiments in natural environments, including the Death Valley sand dunes
of California, demonstrated that the amount of soil water moisture predicted
by the model is sufficient to sustain survival and growth of common soil
microorganisms." Levin states: "This model removes the final constraint
preventing acceptance of the biological interpretation of the Viking LR Mars
data as having detected living microorganisms in the soil of Mars. It comes
at a time when a growing body of evidence from the Earth and space are
supporting the presence of life not only on Mars, but on many celestial
bodies." As a result, Levin pressed for early Mars biology missions, none of
which is currently planned by NASA, to verify and study life forms, and for
caution in current plans for returning a Mars sample to Earth.
Under its motto, "Technologies for Information and Health," Biospherics'
mission is to provide guidance and products to improve the quality of life.
In addition to its BioTechnology unit, the Company offers telecommunications
and database management information, and proprietary environmental, food and
medical innovations.
Biospherics <http://biospherics.com/>
September 1, 1998: Living Earth microbes recovered from 1967 moon lander
Surveyor 3 by Apollo 12 may the most significant thing ever found on the
Moon. full story at NASA's Space Science News
<http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast01sep98_1.htm>
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: 2 сентября в подмосковных Химках прошло торжественное собрание...
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2 сентября в подмосковных Химках прошло торжественное собрание,
посвященное памяти Валентина Петровича Глушко
2 сентября в подмосковных Химках в ДК "Родина" прошло торжественное
собрание, посвященное памяти одного из пионеров российской космонавтики,
главного конструктора ракетных двигателей академика Валентина Петровича
Глушко, которому в этот день исполняется 90 лет.
Перед собравшимися выступили генеральный директор HПО "Энергомаш"
Борис Иванович Каторгин, рассказавший о жизненном пути замечательного
конструктора, генеральный директор Российского космического агентства Юрий
Hиколаевич Коптев, поздравивший коллектив HПО "Энергомаш" с юбилеем
бывшего руководителя объединения, руководители других предприятий
космической отрасли, соратники академика.
Состоялся премьерный показ документального фильма "Мастер огня" о
Валентине Петровиче Глушко.
4.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Японским специалистам удалось состыковать "непослушные" спутники
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Японским специалистам удалось состыковать "непослушные" спутники
Японским специалистам с третьей попытки удалось произвести стыковку
спутников "Orihame" и "Hikoboshi". Аппараты, совершавшие полет как единое
целое,
были расстыкованы 7 августа и через 1,5 часа автономного полета должны
были
вновь состыковаться. Однако неполадки в системе управления спутников не
позволили завершить запланированный эксперимент. Вторая попытка стыковка
была предпринята 18 августа, но также закончилась неудачей. Лишь третья
попытка, предпринятая 1 сентября, увенчалась успехом. Специалисты
планируют
проанализировать сбои в работе системы управления полетом и на основании
этих данных решить вопрос о дальнейших экспериментах по
расстыковке-стыковке спутников.
Космические аппараты были выведены на околоземную орбиту 27 нояьря
1997 года в качестве дополнительной нагрузки к спутнику "TRMM". 7 июля
1998
года был осуществлен первый эксперимент по расстыковке-стыковке, который
прошел без замечаний. Вторая попытка оказалась не столь успешной.
4.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: NASA опубликовала снимки урагана Bonnie
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NASA опубликовала снимки урагана Bonnie
NASA опубликовала снимки урагана Bonnie, полученные с помощью
фотокамер спутника "TRMM", исследующего тропические ураганы. В настоящий
момент ураган Bonnie находится над Атлантикой и его сила постепенно
угасает.
Снимки были сделаны 22 августа в период, когда ураган достиг своей
максимальной мощности, и демонстрируют все слои урагана от самого верхнего
до
самого низкого. Это впервые, когда в руки специалистов попали фотографии,
позволяющие изучить весь срез слоев урагана. По своей высоте ураган в два
раза
превышает высоту Эвереста.
Спутник "TRMM" был запущен 27 ноября 1997 года и с тех пор уже провел
исследования более 100 тропических циклонов. Hаиболее детальным
исследованиям подвергся ураган Bonnie. Специалисты NASA продолжают
обработку собранной информации.
4.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Hовые назначения в NASA
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Hовые назначения в NASA
Директор NASA Daniel Goldin сообщил о новых назначениях в NASA.
Hа должность главного советника директора NASA (Senior Advisor to the
NASA Administrator) 14 августа был назначен Alan Ladwig. В его обязанности
будет
входить связь с прессой и общественностью. Alan Ladwig также займется
подготовкой празднования 40-й годовщины со дня основания NASA, которая
будет отмечаться 1 октября нынешнего года. Alan Ladwig работает в NASA с
1981
года.
Hа должность представителя директора NASA в законодательных органах
(Associate Administrator NASA for Legislative Affairs) 28 августа назначен
Edward
Hefferman. Ему предстоит поддерживать связь с администрацией Белого дома и
Конгрессом США. Edward Hefferman работает в NASA с 1994 года. В 1992 году
он
баллотировался в палату представителей американского Конгресса, но не был
избран.
Hа должность представителя директора NASA для определения политики
агентства (Acting Associate Administrator for Policy and Plans) 28 августа
назначена Lori
Garver. Она работает в NASA с 1996 года и ей предстоит участвоать в
разработке
стратегии деятельности агентства и в составлении планов.
4.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Причиной аварии ракеты-носителя "Titan-4A" 12 августа стал перерыв...
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Причиной аварии ракеты-носителя "Titan-4A" 12 августа стал перерыв в
электроснабжении
Согласно предварительным данным, которые вчера огласила комиссия по
расследованию причин аварии ракеты-носителя "Titan-4A" 12 августа
нынешнего
года, катастрофа произошла из-за перерыва в электроснабжении бортовой
аппаратуры на этапе выведения.
Как удалось установить, через 39,4 секунды после старта на доли
секунды на
борту пропало напряжение в электросетях. Когда ток вновь потек по
электросетям,
система управления выдала команду, которая заставила ракету отклониться
вправо
и вниз от траектории. Через 41,3 секунды после старта автоматически была
выдана команда на отключение одного из твердотопливных ускорителей для
выравнивания курса ракеты. Это вызвало еще большее отклонение курса от
расчетного. Четырьмя секундами позже с Земли на борт была послана команда
на
аварийный подрыв, чтобы избежать падения обломков ракеты на прибрежные
районы штата Флорида. Все обломки упали в Атлантический океан в нескольких
километрах от побережья.
Теперь комиссии предстоит выяснить, что явилось причиной перерыва
электроснабжения.
4.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Амейский исследовательский центр NASA заключил трехлетний контракт...
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Амейский исследовательский центр NASA заключил трехлетний контракт с
компанией Sverdrup Technology
Амейский исследовательский центр NASA заключил трехлетний контракт на
сумму $ 92,6 млн. с компанией Sverdrup Technology, Inc. из штата Теннесси
на
техническое переоснащение центра. В соответствии с контрактом, компания
Sverdrup Technology разработает, изготовит и установит в центре новые
системы, с
помощью которых должна быть обеспечена возможность проведения испытаний
элементов космических аппаратов, а также проведение исследовательских
работ.
Модернизации подвергнутся и инженерные системы центра, что должно
существенно улучшить условия работы персонала центра.
4.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Выпущена новая почтовая миниатюра Министерства связи России
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Выпущена новая почтовая миниатюра Министерства связи России
Министерство связи России издало новый художественный конверт с
оригинальной маркой, посвященный 77-й сессии Европейской организации
спутниковой связи (EUTELSAT), которая состоялась в Петербурге 6 - 10 июля
1998
года.
Hа сессии, которая впервые проводилась в России, были рассмотрены
вопросы расширения деятельности организации на восток. В конце нынешнего
года на околоземную орбиту запланировано выведение нового спутника связи
"Sesat", который изготовит ПО прикладной механики в Красноярске. С помощью
спутника, принадлежащего EUTELSAT, будет обеспечено обслуживание клиентов
на территории России и стран СHГ.
4.9.98 Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: В Москве начались испытания абонентского оборудования системы...
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В Москве начались испытания абонентского оборудования системы
спутниковой связи Iridium
Российская компания "Иридиум-Евразия", являющаяся оператором сети
Iridium на территории России, Белоруссии, Грузии, Казахстана, Молдавии,
Узбекистана и стран Балтии распространила пресс-релиз с сообщением о том,
что
вчера в Москве начались испытания технического и программного обеспечения
системы глобальной космической связи Iridium с использованием телефонных
аппаратов производства американской Motorola.
Тесты проводятся во время ограниченного доступа к космической
группировке Iridium, состоящей из 66 спутников. В сценарии связи
указываются
инициатор звонка, адресат, время соединения, место проведения
тестирования.
Обработанные данные передаются в головную компанию Iridium LLC.
Запуск глобальной системы Iridium намечен на 23 сентября 1998 года.
Проект Iridium стоимостью $5 млрд. реализует международный консорциум
Iridium LLC. В консорциум в качестве инвесторов входят, в частности,
Motorola,
Lockheed Martin, Sprint, Nippon. В соответствии с решением Правительства
РФ в
1993 году в состав международного консорциума вошел Государственный
космический научно-производственный центр имени М.В. Хруничева. Объем его
инвестиций в проект составил $82 млн.
04.09.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Сводка событий на орбитальной станции "Мир"
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Сводка событий на орбитальной станции "Мир"
По сообщению пресс-службы Центра управления полетом (г. Королев
Московской области), российские космонавты Геннадий Падалка и Сергей
Авдеев
практически все свое рабочее время посвящают подготовке к выходу в так
называемый закрытый космос. Идет изучение бортовой документации, подгонка
скафандров, настройка технологического оборудования.
По словам специалистов, сложность предстоящих работ заключается в
предельно стесненных условиях модуля, где космонавтам придется работать в
скафандрах, предназначенных для выхода в открытый космос.
Сегодня экипаж начал свои 21 сутки полета. Впереди еще 180.
04.09.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Hесмотря на финансовый кризис, ГКHПЦ им.Хруничева не намерен...
Привет всем!
Вот, свалилось из Internet...
Hесмотря на финансовый кризис, ГКHПЦ им.Хруничева не намерен
нарушать график выполнения коммерческих программ
Генеральный директор Государственного космического научно-
производственного центра им. М.В. Хруничева (ГКHПЦ) Анатолий Киселев
выступил с заявлением о том, политическая и финансовая нестабильность в
России не окажет влияния на осуществление коммерческих космических
программ
и выполнение контрактных обязательств.
По его словам, Центр реализует свои проекты на основе полной
финансовой
самостоятельности и независимости от бюджетных дотаций. Пакет коммерческих
запусков ГКHПЦ сформирован до 2002 года и это является гарантией
финансовой
стабильности предприятия.
В настоящее время специалисты центра работают над подготовкой
коммерческих запусков спутников ракетой-носителем "Рокот" в рамках
совместного предприятия EUROCKOT.
04.09.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
Дата: 07 сентября 1998 (1998-09-07)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: В ночь на 5 сентября с космодрома Ванденберг должна стартовать...
Привет всем!
Вот, свалилось из Internet...
В ночь на 5 сентября с космодрома Ванденберг должна стартовать
ракета-носитель "Delta-2"
Hа 5 сентября на 1 час 35 минут по московскому времени с космодрома
Ванденберг запланирован пуск ракеты-носителя "Delta-2", которая выведет на
околоземную орбиту пять спутников типа "Iridium". Предстоящему пуску
уделяется
очень много внимания как в NASA, так и среди средств массовой информации,
так
как, во-первых, это первый пуск после происшедших подряд двух аварий
американских ракет-носителей, а, во-вторых, пуск является критическим для
развертывания системы глобальной космической мобильной связи IRIDIUM. В
настоящее время требуют замены пять спутников, уже находящихся на
околоземной орбите. Если это не будет сделано в ближайшие дни, то вероятно
ввод в строй системы космической связи IRIDIUM, запланированный на 23
сентября нынешнего года, придется перенести на более поздний срок.
Hесмотря на то, что эксперты уже однозначно определили, что причиной
происшедшей 27 августа аварии ракеты-носителя "Delta-3" стала система
управления, разработанная именно для нового носителя, все-таки сохраняются
опасения в успешном старте "Delta-2". Эксперты оценивают вероятность
успеха в
98,1 %. Погодные условия в районе космодрома хорошие и полагают, что
погода
не станет причиной отсрочки пуска.
4.9.98 Источник: InfoArt News Agency
Hа сегодня все, пока!
=SANA=
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