Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: ВСША осуществлен запуск восьми спутников связи "Orbcomm"
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ВСША осуществлен запуск восьми спутников связи "Orbcomm"
Вчера в 5 часов 6 минут по Гринвичу осуществлен запуск восьми
американских спутников связи типа "Orbcomm". Пуск ракеты-носителя
"Pegasus-XL" был произведен с борта самолета L-1011 "Stargazer", за 54
минуты до
этого взлетевшего с аэродрома космодрома Уоллапс (штат Вирджиния). Когда
самолет находился над акваторией Атлантического океана приблизительно в
150
километрах от побережья, носитель был отделен от самолета, после чего
произошло включение ракетных двигателей и ракета устремилась в космос.
Отделение спутников от носителя произошло через 20 минут, когда трасса
полета
проходила над Западной Австралией.
Этим запуском число спутников системы связи ORBCOMM, находящихся
на околоземной орбите, доведено до 28. В четвертом квартале 1998 года
начнется
ограниченная эксплуатация системы, которая будет предоставлять
телекоммуникационные услуги клиентам в 120 странах и территориях мира.
24.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Ураган Georges повредил оборудование станции слежения на острове
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Ураган Georges повредил оборудование станции слежения на острове
Антигуа
Тропический ураган Georges, обрушившийся в минувшие двое суток на
карибский остров Антигуа, нанес ущерб станции слежения, на которой
осуществляется прием телеметрической информации во время стартов кораблей
многоразового использования с космодрома на мысе Канаверал. Оборудование
станции обслуживается 45-м космическим крылом военно-воздушных сил США.
Порывы ветра, достигавшие скорости 160 километров в час, нанесли ущерб
строениям станции, а также повредели радар и антенны. Когда ураган стал
стихать, персонал станции приступил к немедленной ликвидации его
последствий, чтобы не нарушить график пусков "шаттлов". Общая сумма ущерба
пока не определена.
24.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Система связи Globalstar начнет функционирование в третьем квартале 19
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Система связи Globalstar начнет функционирование в третьем квартале 1999
года
Международный консорциум Globalstar объявил, что функционирование его
системы космической мобильной связи начнется в третьем квартале 1999 года.
Задержка начала функционирования связана с происшедшей 9 сентября
нынешнего года аварией ракеты-носителя "Зенит-2", которой предстояло
вывести на околоземную орбиту 12 спутников связи типа "Globalstar".
Также сообщено об изменениях в построении космического сегмента
системы и об изменении графика пусков. Теперь намечено вывести на
околоземную орбиту 80 спутников, а не 56, как планировалось ранее. Тем
самым
будет создана избыточность системы, чтобы не допустить ее сбоев по тем или
иным причинам. Минимальное количество спутников на орбите, необходимое
для инициирования системы - 32. Это количество будет достигнуто к маю 1999
года после трех пусков российских ракет-носителей "Союз" и трех пусков
американских ракет-носителей "Delta-2", когда в каждом на орбиту будет
доставляться по 4 спутника (восемь спутников уже находятся на орбите).
Hовый график пусков предусматривает шесть стартов ракет-носителей
"Союз" (ноябрь и декабрь 1998 года, январь, март, апрель и май 1999 года),
шесть
стартов ракет-носителей "Delta-2" (весной и осенью 1999 года) и два старта
ракет-носителей "Зенит-2" (конец 1999 года). Первоначальный график
предусматривал основную нагрузку на "Зениты-2", которые должны были до
конца нынешнего года вывести на орбиту 36 спутников. Происшедшая 9
сентября
катастрофа спутала все планы консорциума Globalstar и заставила
пересмотреть
принятые раньше решения.
24.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Ураган Georges приближается к космодрому на мысе Канаверал
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Ураган Georges приближается к космодрому на мысе Канаверал
Тропический ураган Georges движется в сторону штата Флорида и реально
угрожает космодрому на мысе Канаверал. Метеорологическая служба космодрома
внимательно наблюдает за перемещениями эпицентра урагана. Если в течение
ближайших 24 часов направление движения не измениться, то придется срочно
перемещать установленный на стартовой площадке космический корабль
"Discovery" обратно в здание вертикальной сборки. В NASA все еще надеются,
что
ураган изменит свое направление и не потребуется убирать со старта корабль
"Discovery". Если это все-таки произойдет, то возможно придется отложить
дату
старта корабля, намеченную на 29 октября.
24.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Председатель Комитета по науке Конгресса США James Sensenbrenner
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Председатель Комитета по науке Конгресса США James Sensenbrenner
возражает против выделения средств российскому космическому ведомству
Председатель Комитета по науке Конгресса США James Sensenbrenner
выступил вчера с заявлением по поводу запроса NASA о выделении
дополнительных $660 млн. для финансирования работ российского космического
ведомства по созданию Международной космической станции. В заявлении
говорится: "Запрос NASA - лишнее подтверждение того факта, что Россия
неспособна выполнить свои обязательства как партнер по строительству и
эксплуатации МКС. Включение России в состав команды было большой
ошибкой. Удовлетворение запроса NASA, в результате чего за совершенную
ошибку будут расплачиваться американские налогоплательщики, недопустимо.
Если это произойдет, то возникнет опасный прецедент, когда США будут
платить за другую страну, чтобы она могла стать партнером. Если США примут
дополнительные обязательства, то соглашение с Россией должно быть
пересмотрено, чтобы отразить уменьшение вклада России в МКС. Американским
компаниям и американским рабочим необходимо дать возможность выполнить
работу вместо простого перевода денег за границу. Я категорически против
увеличения помощи России".
24.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Восстановлена работа бортовой аппаратуры станции "Mars Global
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Восстановлена работа бортовой аппаратуры станции "Mars Global
Surveyor"
Восстановлена нормальная ориентация солнечных батарей межпланетной
станции "Mars Global Surveyor", вращающейся по орбите вокруг Марса.
Ориентация была нарушена 17 сентября в результате посланной на борт
станции
ошибочной команды с Земли. В результате этого не удалось совершить маневр
по
переходу на орбиту аэродинамического торможения. К 21 сентября удалось
нормализовать работу программного обеспечения, восстановить работу
инерциальной системы управления и правильно соориентировать солнечные
батареи. Тестовый контроль показал, что все системы станции функционируют
нормально. В ближайшие дни будет совершен маневр по переходу на орбиту
аэродинамического торможения с низким периарием, на которой станция будет
находится до февраля 1999 года.
В настоящее время станция находится на расстоянии 350 миллионов
километров от Земли и движется по орбите с параметрами 172 х 17854
километра.
24.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: В NASA начат обратный отсчет времени до сближения межпланетного зонда
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В NASA начат обратный отсчет времени до сближения межпланетного зонда
"Galileo" с Европой
В NASA начат обратный отсчет времени до сближения межпланетного
зонда "Galileo" с юпитерианским спутником Европа. Hаибольшее сближение
произойдет в 3 часа 54 минуты, когда станцию и небесное тело будут
разделять
3582 километра. Это рандеву будет шестым за все время миссии "Galileo" в
системе Юпитера. Кроме Европы, объектами наблюдений станут кольца
Юпитера и другой спутник - Ио.
Специалисты Лаборатории реактивного движения ведут тщательную
подготовку предстоящей встречи, так предыдущее сближение в конце июля 1998
года прошло не совсем удачно - из-за сбоя в работе бортовой аппаратуры
оказалась потеряна большая часть научных данных.
24.9.98
Источник: InfoArt News Agency
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Penn State Researchers To Explore Origins of Life (Forwarded)
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Pennsylvania State University
Penn State Researchers To Explore Origins of Life
Contacts:
A'ndrea Elyse Messer, (814) 865-9481 (o), aem1@psu.edu
Vicki Fong, (814) 865-9481 (o), vyf1@psu.edu
9-21-98
University Park, Pa. -- This summer, a Penn State researcher,
three of his graduate students, a colleague from Scotland and five
from Japan met in Africa to collect 2.7 billion-year-old rocks as
part of their research into the origins of life on Earth and in
the Universe.
The researchers are investigating the evolution of atmospheric
oxygen and of organisms in oceans and on land. Recently, they
brought back 2.7 billion-year-old rocks from South Africa and 800
to 500 million-year-old rocks from Namibia to the United States
for chemical analyses. The scientists are part of the Penn State
Astrobiology Research Center, a member institution of the NASA
Astrobiology Institute. Penn State was one of 11 academic and
research institutes selected by NASA as initial members of the
Institute.
"We went to Africa because that is where very old rocks can be
collected from the surface," says Dr. Hiroshi Ohmoto, professor of
geochemistry in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and
director of the PSARC.
The origins of oxygen and evolution of marine and terrestrial
organisms are only some of the areas covered by a five-year, $4.5
million grant from NASA. One project at PSARC will try to
characterize the environment before there was life on Earth and
use a theoretical and experimental approach to understanding the
origins of life. Another will work on deciphering the time scale
for the early evolution of life using a molecular evolutionary
approach. Still another project will try to determine the role of
metals in the origin and evolution of life.
Researchers at the PSARC are not just interested in the origins of
life, but they also want to know what made some life forms
disappear. One group will look at the diversification and
extinction of early life forms including six Cambrian and
Ordovician extinction events and the organisms existing 850 to 520
million years ago.
The question of the origin of oxygen in the atmosphere takes on
added interest because advocates of two mutually exclusive
theories are both on the project. Ohmoto of Penn State believes
that oxygen in the atmosphere has been at steady levels through
time, while James F. Kasting, Penn State professor of geosciences
and meteorology, believes that oxygen levels in the early
atmosphere were very low, less than 1 millionth of the present
atmospheric level, and increased rapidly to nearly present levels
2.2 billion years ago.
"It will take many different lines of evidence to prove this one
way or the other," says Ohmoto.
This is where the African rocks come in. Chemical studies of these
rocks are one part of determining if oxygen levels were
continuously high or suddenly increased around 2.2 billion years
ago.
The PSARC is an interdisciplinary center with Penn State
representatives from the Departments Of Geosciences, Meteorology,
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology And Chemistry.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the State
University of New York, Stony Brook are also members of the
center. Associate members come from across the U.S. and around the
world.
The Penn State Astrobiology Research Center will celebrate its
formation on Sept. 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Earth and Mineral
Sciences Museum on the ground floor of the Steidle Building.
**aem**
EDITORS: Dr. Ohmoto may be reached at (814) 863-4074 or
hqo@psu.edu by email.
Andrew Yee
ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: ASTEROID HUNTERS TO MEET IN LOS ANGELES, CA
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Note: Registration for the Space Frontier Foundation's Space Frontier
Conference 7 in Los Angeles (Oct 9-11, 1998) is available on-line at
http://www.space-frontier.org.
ASTEROID HUNTERS TO MEET IN LOS ANGELES, CA
Los Angeles, CA, September 21, 1998 -- Somewhere out in space, a
very large rock is hurtling towards the Earth. How long till
"Armageddon", and how deep will the impact be on our planet's
survival? Several top experts on asteroids and comets will meet
at the Space Frontier Foundation's 7th annual conference to discuss
the state of our search for these potential planet killers, how
they might be dealt with if one is found to be heading our way,
and how we might turn their threat into a promise by mining them
for precious resources. The conference will be held over Columbus
Day weekend, October 9-11, 1998, at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel,
Los Angeles International Airport, CA.
"The effects of comet and asteroid impacts are potentially damaging
to life in general, and to human civilization in particular," said
Dr. John Lewis, Codirector of the NASA/University of Arizona Space
Engineering Research Center, author of the books Rain of Iron and
Ice and Mining the Sky, and a scheduled speaker at the conference.
"But the stick that threatens Earth is also a carrot. These same
objects might prove to be sources of vast mineral and energy wealth
to raise the living standard of people worldwide. We only need to
lift up our eyes and look at what surround us in space."
Dr. Lewis will be joined by Spacewatch Project director Dr. Tom
Gehrels, Dr. Eleanor Helin of NASA/JPL, Dr. David Morrison of
NASA/Ames Research Center and other experts at a Friday evening
reception sponsored by FINDS, the Foundation for the International
Non-government Development of Space. The event will celebrate the
creation of "The Watch", a non-government effort to search for
asteroids and comets that began with a $50,000 challenge grant from
FINDS. "The Watch" intends to raise $1 million per year using a
novel approach to be revealed at the event, and will presented awards
to SKG Dreamworks and Disney Studios for their awakening of the
public's awareness of the dangers of asteroid impacts. The evening
will start with a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the
Apollo 7 mission. Attending the event will be astronauts such as
Walter Cunningham, who flew on that mission, Dr. Buzz Aldrin
(Apollo 11), Charles "Pete" Conrad (Apollo 12) and Dr. Harrison
Schmitt (Apollo 17). The reception for conference attendees will
be open to members of the press.
The Space Frontier Foundation is an organization of people dedicated
to opening the space frontier to human settlement as rapidly as
possible. Our goals include protecting the Earth's fragile biosphere
and creating a freer and more prosperous life for each generation
by using the unlimited energy and material resources of space. Our
purpose is to unleash the power of free enterprise and lead a united
humanity permanently into the Solar System.
For information on the Space Frontier Foundation or The Watch, call
1-800-78SPACE, see <http://www.space-frontier.org>, or send email to
info@space-frontier.org.
The Space Frontier Foundation, 16 First Avenue, Nyack NY 10960
-30-
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Health research in space for the benefit of Canadians (Forwarded)
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Canadian Space Agency
St. Hubert, Quebec
HEALTH RESEARCH IN SPACE FOR THE BENEFIT OF CANADIANS
Toronto, Ontario - September 23, 1998: The Canadian Space Agency announced
today the launch of the Canadian experiments on board the NASA space shuttle
Discovery mission STS-95 scheduled for October 29, 1998. In a mission that
has been dedicated to the study of ageing, the Canadian experiments will
impact health care and medical science issues such as osteoporosis, protein
crystallisation and bone marrow transplant procedures. Support of these
experiments illustrates the Canadian Space Agency's commitment to the
development and application of space knowledge for the benefit of Canadians
and humanity.
The three experiments are important studies involving Canadian research and
development. The first is OSTEO (Osteoporosis Experiments in Orbit). It will
study the underlying processes of bone loss from osteoporosis and evaluate a
treatment for the condition. Osteoporosis affects 1.4 million painful
fractures, drastically impacting a person's life. The other experiments will
study how microgravity can enhance biological separation techniques and
protein crystallisation. The research will contribute to bone marrow
transplant procedures and possibly to treatments for breast cancer, diabetes
and meningitis.
"We are going to be seeing more and more outcomes from research done in
space," said CSA Astronaut Dr. Dave Williams. "Canadian experiments on this
mission are expected to influence health care and medical science issues that
affect Canadians and people around the world."
The potential of the OSTEO experiment has attracted much attention from
Canada's scientific, health, economic and government audiences. The Canadian
Space Agency is working in a joint venture with Allelix Biopharmaceuticals,
and supporting the participation of Millenium Biologix Inc., Mount Sinai
Hospital, University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto to
ensure the success of the scientific research. Also involved are the Ontario
Science Centre and the Osteoporosis Society of Canada. These partnerships
enhance the Canadian Space Agency's commitment to the development of a
knowledge-based economy.
This year will be Canada's most ambitious year in space in the past 15 years.
Space Science '98 saw ten major missions on shuttles, Mir space station,
satellites, rockets and high-altitude balloons. Canadian scientists and
engineers are working on experiments that could find solutions to ozone
depletion, global warming, atmospheric pollution and osteoporosis -- while
also developing technical and medical innovations. The Canadian experiments,
including OSTEO, will confirm Canada's leading position in international
space science research and support the private sector in their pursuit of a
premium competitive position in the health care markets.
- 30 -
For more information:
Isabelle Hudon
Canadian Space Agency Manager
Media Relations
Telephone: (450) 926-4350
Cellular: (514) 943-6808 / (514) 235-6827
We also invite the media to visit the CSA's Newsroom from our web site at:
www.space.gc.ca to obtain additional information.
STS-95 Time-line
September 23 Media Briefing, Ontario Science Centre at 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
October 15 L-14 Press Conference, Johnson Space Center, Houston at Noon ET
Link to Kennedy Space Center in Florida
October 16 National Space Day
Media event in Toronto with the Honourable John Manley,
Minister of Industry Canada and Minister responsible for the
CSA and various activities throughout Canada
October 28 L-1 Press Conference, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
October 29 LAUNCH, Kennedy Space Center, Florida at 2:00 p.m. ET
Andrew Yee
ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: WDC-A R&S Launch Announcement 12963: ORBCOMM-FM 21-28
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COSPAR/ISES
WORLD WARNING AGENCY FOR SATELLITES
WORLD DATA CENTER-A FOR R & S, NASA/GSFC
CODE 633, GREENBELT, MARYLAND, 20771. USA
SPACEWARN 12963
COSPAR/WWAS USSPACECOM NUMBER
SPACECRAFT INTERNATIONAL ID (CATALOG NUMBER) LAUNCH DATE,UT
ORBCOMM-FM 21 1998-053A 25475 23 SEPTEMBER 1998
" 22 " 053B 25476 "
" 23 " 053C 25477 "
" 24 " 053D 25478 "
" 25 " 053E 25479 "
" 26 " 053F 25480 "
" 27 " 053G 25481 "
" 28 " 053H 25482 "
DR. JOSEPH H. KING, DIRECTOR, WDC-A-R&S.
[PH: (301) 286 7355.
E-MAIL: KING@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV
23 SEPTEMBER 1998, 18:00 UT]
Further details will be in the next SPACEWARN Bulletin
Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II
_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ Mail Code 633
_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ NASA Goddard Space
_/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ Flight Center
_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Greenbelt, MD 20771
_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/ +1-301-286-1187
ed.bell@gsfc.nasa.gov
SPACEWARN home page: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacewarn/
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=SANA=
Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: VLA Reveals a Close Pair of Potential Planetary Systems (Forwarded)
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National Radio Astronomy Observatory
P.O. Box O
Socorro, New Mexico 87801
http://www.nrao.edu
Contacts:
Dave Finley, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
(505) 835-7302
dfinley@nrao.edu
Megan Watzke, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
(617) 495-7463
mwatzke@cfa.harvard.edu
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 2 p.m., EDT, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 1998
VLA Reveals a Close Pair of Potential Planetary Systems
Planets apparently can form in many more binary-star systems than previously
thought, according to astronomers who used the National Science Foundation's
Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope to image protoplanetary disks around
a close pair of stars.
"Most stars in the universe are not alone, like our Sun, but are part of
double or triple systems, so this means that the number of potential planets
is greater than we realized," said Luis Rodriguez, of the National
Autonomous University in Mexico City, who led an international observing
team that made the discovery. The astronomers announced their results in the
Sept. 24 issue of the scientific journal Nature.
The researchers used the VLA to study a stellar nursery -- a giant cloud of
gas and dust -- some 450 light-years distant in the constellation Taurus,
where stars the size of the Sun or smaller are being formed. They aimed at
one particular object, that, based on previous infrared and radio
observations, was believed to be a very young star.
The VLA observations showed that the object was not a single young star but
a pair of young stars, separated only slightly more than the Sun and Pluto.
The VLA images show that each star in the pair is surrounded by an orbiting
disk of dust, extending out about as far as the orbit of Saturn. Such dusty
disks are believed to be the material from which planets form.
Similar disks are seen around single stars, but the newly-discovered disks
around the stars in the binary system are about ten times smaller, their
size limited by the gravitational effect of the other, nearby star. Their
existence indicates, however, that such protoplanetary disks, though
truncated in size, still can survive in such a close double-star system.
"It was surprising to see these disks in a binary system with the stars so
close together," said Rodriguez.
"Each of these disks contains enough mass to form a solar system like our
own," said David Wilner, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
in Cambridge, MA. "However, we don't think these solar systems would be able
to form outer, icy planets like Uranus and Neptune, because of the small
size of the dust disks."
The new observations "imply that young protoplanetary disks can contain
considerably more mass within (a distance equal to Saturn's orbital radius)
than astronomers have been willing to contemplate," wrote Alan P. Boss of
the Carnegie Institution of Washington in an accompanying Nature article
analyzing the results.
If the stars were a few times closer together, the researchers point out,
the gravitational effects of both would disrupt the disks and prevent any
planets from forming.
"If these disks form planetary systems, they would be among the closest
possible adjacent sets of planets in the universe," said Rodriguez.
Boss suggested that a giant planet formed near the edge of one of the disks
might be ejected from the system by the gravitational effect of the
companion star. This, he says, might explain the possible "runaway planet"
shown in a Hubble Space Telescope image released in May. In that result, a
planet appears to have been ejected by a binary-star system similar in size
to that seen by the VLA. Further observations are required to confirm that
result.
In addition to Rodriguez and Wilner, the researchers are Paola D'Alessio,
Salvador Curiel, Yolanda Gomez, Susana Lizano, Jorge Canto, and Alejandro C.
Raga of the National Autonomous University in Mexico City; Paul Ho of the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; Jose M. Torrelles of the
Astrophysical Institute of Andalucia in Spain; and Alan Pedlar of the
Jodrell Bank observatory in Britain.
The observations of the double-star system were made at a radio wavelength
of 7 millimeters, a wavelength at which emission from cosmic dust is readily
detected. Astronomers long realized that the VLA had sufficient resolving
power -- the ability to see fine detail -- to make images of the dust disks
around young stars that form the building blocks of planets. Until 1993,
however, the VLA could not do so because it had no receivers that worked at
the required wavelength, 7 mm.
Rodriguez, an experienced VLA observer interested in how planetary systems
form, obtained a $1 million grant in 1992 from Mexico's National Science and
Technology Foundation (Spanish acronym CONACyT) to allow the National Radio
Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) to build such receivers for 13 of the VLA's 27
230-ton dish antennas. Those receivers were built and installed in 1993 and
1994, and now are used by numerous observers, including Rodriguez. With
these receivers, the VLA images show 10 times more detail than any previous
observations at these wavelengths.
"This research proves how valuable these receivers are in increasing the
scientific capability of the VLA," said Miller Goss, NRAO's director of VLA
operations. "In fact, this type of work is one reason the U.S. National
Science Foundation is providing the money to equip the rest of the VLA's
antennas with the same kind of receivers."
The additional receivers will greatly improve the quality of images for
complex objects, including planetary systems in formation, said NRAO
astronomer Rick Perley. "We plan a major upgrade to all aspects of the VLA
in the next few years," Perley said. "The VLA upgrade will mean that
astronomers using this wavelength can find about 60 times more objects of
any particular type and make better images of them. That improves the
chances of finding rare objects, which often are the signposts pointing to
new insights into physics."
The VLA is an instrument of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, a
facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative
agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
###
IMAGE CAPTION: [http://www.nrao.edu/pr/protodisks.html]
This is a VLA image of two protoplanetary disks in a molecular cloud
designated L1551 in the constellation Taurus. The colors represent relative
intensity, or brightness, of the radio emission coming from these disks; red
is strong emission and blue is weak emission. The scale bar shows a distance
of 20 Astronomical Units (AU). An Astronomical Unit is the distance between
Earth and the Sun. In our own Solar System, the planet Uranus is about 19 AU
from the Sun.
CREDIT: L.F. Rodriguez, et al., National Radio Astronomy Observatory,
Associated Universities, Inc.
Andrew Yee
ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca
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Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Arecibo Observatory survives Hurricane Georges' sweep across Puerto Ri
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News Service
Cornell University
Contact: Blaine P. Friedlander, Jr.
Office: (607) 255-3290
E-Mail: bpf2@cornell.edu
FOR RELEASE: Sept. 23, 1998
Arecibo Observatory survives Hurricane Georges' sweep across Puerto Rico
ARECIBO, Puerto Rico -- Initial information indicates that the massive
reflector dish of Arecibo Observatory apparently sustained minimal damage
from Hurricane Georges, which swept across Puerto Rico late Monday night,
observatory officials report.
In a telephone conversation early Tuesday observatory personnel also
indicated that the telescope's newly completed dome apparently escaped
without damage. The 15 employees and visitors using the observatory, at the
time of the hurricane, are reported safe.
A small number of panels on the telescope's 1,000-foot diameter reflector
suffered damage from flying debris. Telephone contact with the observatory
was lost late Tuesday morning, and full assessment of any damage is not yet
available.
As the eye of the hurricane passed just to the south of the telescope, 15
people remained at the observatory, according to Donald Campbell, associate
director of the National Astronomy Ionospheric Center at Cornell University
in Ithaca, N.Y., which manages the observatory for the National Science
Foundation (NSF). All were "bunkered down" and protected from the hurricane,
he said. The observatory has 140 employees and visitors.
There were reports of fallen trees and mud slides around the observatory.
Interestingly, at the time of the hurricane, a group of researchers from
Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., and from France were making radar
observations of thunderstorms. Instead, they used Arecibo's dish to record
observations of high-altitude wind speeds in the hurricane throughout Monday
night, using electrical power from an emergency generator.
Although government and communications officials say telephone lines are
open to the island, the NAIC and Cornell News Service were not in contact
with the observatory, as of Wednesday morning.
The surface of the Arecibo reflector dish is made of 38,800 reflective
aluminum panels, covering an area about the size of 26 football fields.
Campbell said that only a few panels on the 16,000 square feet of the dish's
surface were lost as the hurricane moved through.
The dome above the telescope, which was completed last year, survived the
hurricane without damage, Campbell said. The 90-ton, 86-foot diameter dome
attached to the end of the 304-foot moveable azimuth arm increases the
telescope's ability to observe the farthest reaches of the universe.
Snuggled into a bowl-shaped area in the hills of central Puerto Rico, the
radio-radar telescope received a $25 million upgrade in June 1997. It was
built in 1963 by the U.S. Air Force under the initiative of Cornell
Professor William Gordon and colleagues. Originally, it was intended to
study Earth's ionosphere. Today it is used for radio and radar astronomy,
as well as atmospheric and ionospheric studies.
The Arecibo Observatory was used to discover the first planets observed
outside the solar system, to establish the rotation rate of Mercury and to
discover first pulsar in a binary system. The telescope also has played a
starring role in two popular films: GoldenEye (1995) and Contact (1997).
Andrew Yee
ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca
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Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: Atlantis modifications images
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Four images supporting the Boeing news release "New-Look ATLANTIS Ready for
Date with Station", which was posted in this newsgroup yesterday, are now
available at
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/1998/news_release_980920a.html
Below are the image captions:
MEDS Unit Installed in Space Shuttle Atlantis (#R5z A980825J-25C)
Boeing employee Brian Crawford performs final analysis work on MEDS in the
cockpit of the Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Boeing Palmdale, Calif.,
facility.
MEDS Unit Installed (#R5w A980204J-14C)
Boeing employees Robert Moore (left) and Lorelee Anderson (right) help
install the framework to house the Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem
(MEDS) in the cockpit of the Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Boeing facility in
Palmdale, Calif.
NASA Logo for Atlantis (#R5x A980813A-6c)
Boeing employees make final preparations to the NASA "meatball" logo on the
wing of the Shuttle Atlantis during its major modifications at the company's
Palmdale, Calif., facility.
MEDS Unit Installed in Atlantis (#R5y A980616J-3C)
Boeing employees Robert Moore helps install the framework to house the
Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem (MEDS) in the cockpit of the
Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Boeing facility in Palmdale, Calif.
Andrew Yee
ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca
Hа сегодня все, пока!
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Дата: 25 сентября 1998 (1998-09-25)
От: Alexander Bondugin
Тема: As Space Missions Become Longer, Effects on Body and Mind Need Study ,
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National Academy of Sciences
Washington, D.C.
Contacts:
Cheryl Greenhouse, Media Relations Officer
Dumi Ndlovu, Media Relations Assistant
(202) 334-2138; e-mail: news@nas.edu
Publication Announcement
EMBARGOED: NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BEFORE 5 P.M. EDT TUESDAY, SEPT. 22
As Space Missions Become Longer, Effects on Body and Mind Need Study
Construction of the International Space Station scheduled to start
later this year marks another milestone in space exploration. Research
missions that once lasted only a few weeks, could routinely last many
months, even years. But health effects of the space environment
observed during short flights raise concerns about the safety and
performance of astronauts during longer missions.
Because these detrimental effects could be intensified by extended
missions, NASA should support additional research into the
consequences of space flight on the biology and behavior of humans and
other organisms, says a new report from a committee of the National
Research Council.
The report provides a comprehensive review of the findings to date
from a wide range of life sciences research for space. It also
outlines the areas of research on humans and other organisms that NASA
should pursue if it is to successfully achieve such long-term goals as
operating the International Space Station, colonizing the moon, and
sending humans to Mars.
NASA should mount at least one more Spacelab-type mission to continue
the momentum of life sciences research in space and generate
additional data on the biological and psychological effects of space
travel, the committee said. It recommended specific research
priorities to ensure the safety and optimal performance of crews on
future extended missions.
NASA should concentrate on fully understanding how weightlessness
affects bone and muscle mass, blood pressure, sensory orientation, and
movement, in order to devise effective countermeasures, the committee
said. Losses in bone and muscle mass pose two of the greatest
obstacles to health and safety on long missions. Crew members on the
Russian space station Mir showed an average loss in bone mass density
of up to 1 percent a month in weight-bearing bones, the report notes.
Significant muscle atrophy has been recorded after only five days in
space. In-flight exercise programs proved helpful, but did not fully
prevent deterioration.
Changes in cardiovascular and pulmonary function have not yet been a
hindrance during space flight. However, two-thirds of the astronauts
tested after flights showed an impaired ability to maintain adequate
blood pressure. This condition could have more serious consequences
during docking and landing maneuvers involving rapid transitions
between gravitational force levels.
The agency should use the latest advances in molecular and cellular
biology to explore the underlying processes by which humans respond to
changes in gravity, the report says. Low gravity alters the body's
ability to sense direction and control motion, sometimes impairing
astronauts' ability to walk when they first return to Earth. This
condition could be exacerbated, the committee observed, and could
undermine the crew's abilities to operate the craft or disembark
rapidly in an emergency.
While space-based research will be crucial for advancing knowledge in
these areas, most research funding should be directed to ground-based
experiments -- which are less costly to conduct -- to answer
fundamental questions and frame hypotheses for testing in outer space.
For example, self-supporting colonies in outer space will require the
cultivation of plants in completely contained environments for food
and an oxygen source. So far this has not been successfully achieved
either on Earth or in space, the report notes.
The report emphasizes the need for more research on the impact of the
space environment's isolating and confining nature on astronauts'
behavior and performance. This is one of the least-studied effects of
space flight, yet the compatibility of crew members and their mental
well-being can greatly influence the ultimate success of a mission.
NASA also should improve its collection of data from astronauts to
answer fundamental questions about the effects of space travel on the
human body and mind. This process thus far has been arbitrary and
often hindered by astronauts' concerns about confidentiality. The
agency should revise its policies and practices to create a more
systematic approach to collecting and disseminating such information,
and encourage full cooperation and compliance from the astronauts.
In addition, NASA should encourage more timely publication of results
of experiments in peer-reviewed journals, and the agency should
provide the funding necessary to analyze and archive data so that it
is readily accessible to the scientific community.
The study was funded by NASA. The National Research Council is the
principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the
National Academy of Engineering. It is a private, non-profit
institution that provides science advice under a congressional
charter. A committee roster follows.
Copies of A Strategy for Research in Space Biology and Medicine In the
New Century are available from the National Academy Press for $49.00
(prepaid) plus shipping charges of $4.00 for the first copy and $.50
for each additional copy; tel. (202) 334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242.
Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public
Information (contacts listed above).
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
Space Studies Board
Committee on Space Biology and Medicine
Mary J. Osborn, Ph.D.* (chair)
Professor and Head
Department of Microbiology
University of Connecticut Health Center
Farmington
Norma M. Allewell, Ph.D.
Professor of Biochemistry
Department of Biochemistry
University of Minnesota
St. Paul
Robert E. Cleland, Ph.D.
Professor of Botany, and
Director, Biology Program
Department of Botany
University of Washington
Seattle
Mary F. Dallman, Ph.D.+
Professor of Physiology
Department of Physiology
School of Medicine
University of California
San Francisco
F. Andrew Gaffney, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, and
Director, Clinical Cardiology
Division of Cardiology
School of Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tenn.
James R. Lackner, Ph.D.
Riklis Professor of Physiology, and
Director, Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory
Brandeis University
Waltham, Mass.
Anthony P. Mahowald, Ph.D.*
Lewis Block Professor, and
Chair, Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology,
and Committee on Developmental Biology
University of Chicago
Elliot M. Meyerowitz, Ph.D.*
Professor of Biology
Division of Biology
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena
Lawrence A. Palinkas, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Family and
Preventive Medicine, and
Director of Research, Division of Family Medicine
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla
Kenna D. Peusner, Ph.D.
Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology
Department of Anatomy
George Washington University School of Medicine
Washington, D.C.
Steven E. Pfeiffer, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology
Department of Microbiology
University of Connecticut Health Center
Farmington
Danny A. Riley, Ph.D.
Professor of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy
Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee
Gideon A. Rodan, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President
Bone Biology and Osteoporosis Research
Merck, Sharp, and Dohme Research Laboratories
West Point, Pa.
Richard B. Setlow, Ph.D.*
Associate Director for Life Sciences
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Upton, N.Y.
Gerald Sonnenfeld, Ph.D.
Director, Research Immunology, and
Senior Scientist, Department of General Surgery Research
Carolinas Medical Center
Charlotte, N.C.
T. Peter Stein, Ph.D.
Professor of Surgery and Nutrition
Department of Surgery
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Stratford
RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF
Sandra J. Graham, Ph.D.
Study Director
(*)Member, National Academy of Sciences
(+)Former committee member
[NOTE: Full report is available for online viewing at
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/enter2.cgi?0309060478.html]
Andrew Yee
ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca
Hа сегодня все, пока!
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