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"2_6_4.TXT" (66672 bytes) was created on 10-08-92
08-Oct-92 Daily File Collection
These files were added or updated between 07-Oct-92 at 21:00:00 {Central}
and 08-Oct-92 at 21:00:20.
=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:921008.REL
10/08/92: HUBBLE USES NATURE'S LENS TO EXPLORE THE COSMOS
HQ92-168/HST EXPLORES COSMOS
Paula Cleggett-Haleim
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. October 8, 1992
Jim Elliott
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
RELEASE: 92-168
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has photographed a striking
mirror-image of a very distant galaxy.
The observations might unlock the secrets of the dark matter mystery that
have puzzled astronomers for decades. Understanding the nature of dark matter
might lead to predictions of whether the universe will expand indefinitely or
collapse of its own gravity.
The mirror image is seen through a huge cluster of foreground galaxies
located four billion light-years away. The gravity of the galaxy cluster acts
as a natural lens or magnifying glass, bending, concentrating and focusing the
light of the distant galaxy into several images, each of which is bigger and
brighter than otherwise would be the case.
"This rare combination of Hubble's powerful telescope mirrors and the
natural 'telephoto lens' gives astronomers new information on the nature of
distant galaxies," says Richard Ellis of Durham University, England.
By studying how the natural lens bends the light, investigators also can
deduce the amount and location of mysterious "dark matter," thought to make up
most of the cluster's mass.
Astronomers estimate that at least 90 percent of the universe consists of
material that does not emit any radiation detectable by current
instrumentation. Although dark matter cannot be seen directly, the phenomenon
of gravitational lensing provides a powerful probe in the search for dark
matter.
"We already knew from ground-based images that this cluster of galaxies
could act as a gravitational lens," says Ellis. "The remarkable feature of the
new data is the detail with which we can study background galaxies by combining
the lensing phenomenon with the excellent image quality possible with HST.
"The unique combination has allowed us to measure the bending power of the
lens very precisely, enabling us to determine the distribution of matter in the
cluster regardless of whether or not it emits light."
Ellis and co-researchers Dr. Warrick Couch (University of New South Wales,
Australia), Dr. Ray Sharples and Ian Smail (Durham University) made the
discovery when observing the cluster called AC114 in one of the first long
exposures with the spacecraft's Wide Field Camera.
Two, 6-hour exposures revealed a striking pair of faint objects close to
the center of the cluster. Each image has a faint structure attached to it.
These structures show perfect mirror-symmetry, as expected if both are lensed
images of the same source. The images are unusually far apart for a lensed
system, implying AC114 has a dense massive core.
"Despite their wide separation, the high degree of symmetry and near-
identical colors of the objects are a strong indication that they are images of
the same source, supporting the hypothesis that we have discovered a very
massive lens," Ellis explained.
"We believe that we are looking at a very faint, distant galaxy undergoing
an energetic period of star formation. At first we thought we were privileged
to see such a dramatic feature in the first long exposure with Hubble, but we
now believe that similar, highly magnified, multiple images will be observed
when the spacecraft looks through the centers of other massive clusters."
A Zoom Lens In Space
Albert Einstein was the first to point out that gravitational fields
deflect light as well as matter. The gravitational field of a massive object
-- such as a cluster of galaxies -- will deflect light rays from more distant
sources seen close to the cluster center.
This has the effect of shifting their apparent positions and magnifying
and distorting their shapes and brightness. The greater the cluster's mass,
the greater the effect. If the cluster is dense enough it can create several
images of a single distant object.
Multiple-lensed systems provide astronomers with a powerful probe to
investigate the form of the gravitation field of the lens. Ellis and fellow
researchers have developed numerical models based on Einstein's theory.
Starting from the location and shapes of the first two images, they
predict the existence and location of further images. The remarkably blue
color and unusual morphology of the source has enabled them to identify a third
fainter image.
This, and any further images similarly located, will enable the group to
refine their lens model. The goal is to make it precise enough to find the
distances and properties of hundreds of very faint galaxies viewed through the
cluster.
These objects are far too faint for more traditional distance-measuring
techniques and promise to reveal the nature of the very early universe. "Just
as in school optics, once you know the basic properties of a lens, you can
examine the images it produces and figure out how far away the sources are,"
Ellis explained.
The Search for Dark Matter
Although dark matter cannot be seen, its existence has been inferred from
its gravitational influence on the motions of galaxies in clusters. Clusters
like AC114 are not only very useful probes of the galaxies at the limits of the
universe, their lensing properties also show how much dark matter they contain.
More importantly, the amount can be measured directly via gravitational
lensing. Ellis' model for AC114 provides an important new measurement of the
amount of dark matter in AC114 which agrees with previous estimates based on
the motions of its galaxies.
It also suggests, however, that the dark matter is more concentrated
toward the center of the cluster than the individual galaxies. This is
contrary to the predictions of models in which the dark matter is made up of
subatomic non-interacting particles.
The group plans to extend this work to other clusters at different
distances. This will allow the researchers to probe the universe at different
times in the distant past (because of the effect of light-travel time). Such
observations will enable them to follow the evolution of the dark and visible
matter independently.
"We intend to use HST's superlative image quality to search for similar
lensed systems in other rich clusters," said Ellis. "Using these we will be
able to directly probe the changes in the structure of clusters as they evolve
and grow in the universe."
The Space Science Telescope Institute is operated by the Association of
Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA under contract with the
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Hubble Space Telescope is a
project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space
Agency.
- end -
Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=
=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:921008.SHU
KSC SUHTTLE STATUS REPORT 10/8/92
SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT: STS-52
Thursday, October 8, 1992
George Diller
Kennedy Space Center
Vehicle: Space Shuttle Columbia/OV-102
Location: Launch Pad 39-B
Primary Payloads: IRIS/LAGEOS-2
USMP-1
Launch Date: Thursday, October 22
Available launch window: 11:16 a.m.-2:21 p.m. EDT (3 hrs 5 min)
Nominal Landing: KSC 7:02 a.m. EST Sunday, November 1
IN WORK:
- power-on testing
- preparations for hypergolic propellant loading
- helium signature leak checks of the main
engines and main propulsion system
- preparations for payload bay door closure required for
propellant servicing activities
- thermal protection system closeouts
COMPLETED:
- APU #1 quick disconnect changeout
- Galley water tank changeout
- SSME #3 changeout
- SSME #3 leak checks
- SSME ## heat shield and eye lid installation
- USMP payload Interface Verification Test (IVT) with Columbia
- USMP payload cryogenic top off
- Potable water sampling
SCHEDULED:
- Hypergolic storable propellant loading on Friday and Saturday
- IRIS/LAGEOS payload Interface Verification Test (IVT) with
Columbia on Saturday
- Flight Readiness Test on Sunday
- Begin aft main engine compartment closeouts on Monday
A summary of other orbiter vehicles, associated payloads and
the VAB activities will be released weekly on Friday covering the
schedule for the upcoming week and the previous week. Issues and
concerns having potential schedule impact will be addressed if
and when they occur.
Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=
=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:921008.SKD
DAILY NEWS/TV SKED 10/8/92
Daily News
Thursday, October 8, 1992 24-hour audio service at 202/755-1788
% Columbia activity on schedule, hypergolic fuel loading to begin today;
% Hubble telescope battery reconditioning program successfully underway;
% Goddard awards service contract for Hubble to Lockheed Missiles & Space;
% Hubble & Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer science update today at 1:00 pm;
% Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite still down one instrument;
% Compton science team focusing on unusual X-ray nova source.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Preparations for Columbia's STS-52 mission, two weeks hence, are continuing on
schedule at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B. Hypergolic fuel loading
will occur today and tomorrow with the hydraulic, mechanical and electrical
flight readiness test set to occur this Sunday. The mission will be the 51st in
the shuttle program and the 13th flight for NASA's pioneering orbiter. The
window for Columbia's launch opens at 11:16 am EDT on Thursday, October 22 and
closes two-and-a-half hours later. The mission is planned as a 9-day, 20-hour
flight with a scheduled end-of-mission landing at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing
Facility.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hubble Space Telescope flight controllers at the Goddard Space Flight Center
report success in their spacecraft battery reconditioning program. The first
four of the telescope's six nickel-hydrogen batteries have been fully
discharged and are presently being recharged. Following an analysis of the
discharge/recharge profile of these four batteries, the Goddard team will begin
a reconditioning of the remaining two batteries.
Goddard has awarded Lockheed Missiles and Space Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., a
cost-plus-award-fee contract for the Hubble Space Telescope Flight Systems and
Servicing effort. The contract is a follow-on to current, expiring, contracts,
and will be in excess of $147 million for a 3-year period. The effort includes
defining, planning, integrating and executing the on-orbit servicing program
for the telescope, including the first servicing mission in December 1993.
That first mission will involve the exchange of one of the telescope's present
instruments for the corrective optics package. Also, astronaut crewmembers
will upgrade the planetary camera with a new generation assembly, install new
solar arrays and install replacement gyro assembly units.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NASA and university astronomers will present another in the Space Astronomy
Update series today at 1:00 pm EDT in the NASA Headquarters auditorium. The
panel members will present a striking Hubble Space Telescope picture of a
gravitational lens-produced mirror image of a distant galaxy and an Extreme
Ultraviolet Explorer image of a powerful object two billion light years from
the Milky Way. The presentation will be shown live on NASA Select television.
The Hubble observations will help provide new information on distant galaxies
and on the distribution of dark matter, the nature of which remains unknown.
The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer data provide new information about objects
visible in that wavelength of light. Briefers will be Richard Ellis,
University of Durham, U.K.; Bruce Margon, University of Washington, Seattle;
Daniel Weedman, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; and Extreme
Ultraviolet Explorer principal scientist Stuart Bowyer, University of
California at Berkeley; Steve Maran, Goddard Space Flight Center astronomer and
Hubble co-investigator, will serve as panel moderator.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Goddard controllers working with the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite report
that continued attempts to restart the chopper wheel motor on the Improved
Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder instrument have been unsuccessful. With
the exception of carbon monoxide, data which the sounder would acquire are
being taken by a combination of the other five atmospheric measuring
instruments aboard the satellite.
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory scientists report they are continuing their
observations of an unusually bright X-ray nova in the constellation Perseus.
The science team also reports that since their observations began last summer
the observatory has detected 436 cosmic gamma-ray bursts.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select TV.
Note that all events and times may change without notice, and that all times
listed are Eastern. Live indicates a program is transmitted live.
Thursday, October 8, 1992
12:00 pm The Unwritten Contract.
12:15 pm Aeronautics & Space Report.
12:30 pm Visions of Other Worlds.
Live 1:00 pm Space Astronomy Update presenting new
Hubble Space Telescope and Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer
images and featuring Richard Ellis, University of
Durham, U.K.; Bruce Margon, University of Washington,
Seattle; Daniel Weedman, Pennsylvania State University,
University Park; and Steve Maran, Goddard Space Flight
Center. Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer principal scientist
Stuart Bowyer, University of California at Berkeley, will
present his team's findings via videotape.
2:00 pm Total Quality Management Colloquium with
Edward Stone, Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
on the topic of "Restructuring Cassini."
2:36 pm Around the World and on the Way.
3:00 pm Total Quality Management program #40 from
the University of New Mexico series.
4:00 pm 8:00 pm & 12:00 midnight programming
repeats.
NASA Select TV is carried on GE Satcom F2R, transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees
West Longitude, transponder frequency is 3960 MegaHertz, audio subcarrier is
6.8 MHz, polarization is vertical.
Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=
=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:921008A.REL
10/08/92: NASA SPACECRAFT "SEES" OBJECT 2 BILLION LIGHT YEARS AWAY
HQ92-169/EUVE SEES 2 BILLION LIGHT YEARS AWAY
Mike Braukus
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. October 8, 1992
Dolores Beasley
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Dr. Bernhard Haisch
Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Astrophysics
University of California, Berkeley
RELEASE: 92-169
A powerful, exotic object 2 billion light-years beyond the Milky Way
galaxy has been observed by astronomers using a new NASA spacecraft designed to
detect radiation in the little-explored extreme ultraviolet portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
"Twenty years ago no one would have believed you could see out of the
solar system at EUV wavelengths. But now -- for the first time -- we actually
have obtained a EUV spectrum for an object beyond our galaxy," said Dr. Ed
Weiler, Chief of NASA's Ultraviolet and Visible Astrophysics Branch.
The radiation source was observed by the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer
(EUVE) Spacecraft, launched into Earth orbit on June 7 to search the spectrum
between visible light and x-rays.
Observation of the EUV spectrum both inside and out of the Milky Way
galaxy is often blocked by gas and dust in interstellar space. However, the
distribution of the gas and dust is uneven which allows the EUVE telescopes to
see distant sources of radiation.
According to the EUVE science team, the object is a tremendously energetic
elliptical galaxy that radiates as much energy as a trillion suns. Some
astrophysicists think such a galaxy, called a "BL Lac Object," may contain at
its center a super-sized black hole with a mass of 100 million suns and may be
a cousin to the even more mysterious quasars.
The science team is headed by Prof. Stuart Bowyer and Dr. Roger Malina at
the University of California-Berkeley Center for Extreme Ultraviolet
Astrophysics.
BL Lac Objects, like PKS 2155-304, vary dramatically in brightness in all
other spectral regions. Now scientists have discovered that it was rock steady
in the EUV for a day and a half, according to Dr. Herman Marshall, EUVE
astronomer.
"This result is extremely interesting, but we would like more observations
to confirm this," said Goddard's Dr. Yoji Kondo, EUVE Project Scientist.
"But it might be that we have found the right window, as Dr. Marshall has
indicated, to see the steady infall of material onto the giant black hole that
the theorists think may be at the very center of this object," said Dr. Kondo.
The EUVE satellite is now 11 weeks into a survey of the entire sky. It
will provide astronomers with their first detailed maps in several EUV energy
bands. Radiation at these energies is emitted by multi-million degree coronae
on stars, by giant eruptions on novae, by the hot surfaces of white dwarfs and
by other exotic sources in the cosmos such as the BL Lac object.
Other Observations
One of the new EUV sources detected by the satellite early in the mission
was the corona of a star much like the sun, located about 16 light- years away
from Earth. A white dwarf companion 7 arc-minutes away also appears in the EUV
image.
On July 8-9, an outburst was observed from a cataclysmic variable, RE
1938-461, a closely orbiting pair of stars in which gravitational forces pull
matter from the outermost layers of one star onto the surface of the other, a
white dwarf companion. The hot compressed stellar material generates an
explosive burst of EUV radiation as it falls into the deep gravitational field
of the white dwarf.
Other explosive events are flares on stars. These are unpredictable,
giant versions of eruptions known to occur on a much smaller scale on the sun.
The EUVE caught two such events on the red dwarf stars AT Mic and AU Mic.
Spacecraft, Operations Performing Fine
All instruments are performing at or above expected levels, according to
instrument Principal Investigator Roger Malina. The EUVE Science Operations
Center, based at CEA, operates around the clock, sending commands to point the
instruments at selected astronomical sources and recording the findings of the
satellite's four telescopes and three spectrometers.
A novel feature is that the staff includes more than two dozen
undergraduate students who are getting a unique hands-on educational
experience.
Researchers and engineers in Berkeley are pouring over the calibration and
check-out data obtained during the first 6 weeks of the mission. These data
serve a dual purpose. They verify the instrument performance and at the same
time, give astronomers valuable, new measurements to test their models.
The EUVE Project is managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Md., for the Office of Space Science and Applications, Washington,
D.C.
- end -
Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=
=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_14_2_2.TXT
NASA TO BEGIN SEARCH FOR INHABITED PLANETS
RELEASE: 92-161
On Oct. 12, NASA will begin the most comprehensive search ever conducted
for evidence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.
The search will use telescopes and antennas to detect radio transmissions
from other planetary systems. The search will commence 500 years after
Columbus landed in North America.
"In the first few minutes, more searching will be accomplished than in all
previous searches combined," according to Dr. John Billingham of NASA's Ames
Research Center, Mountain View, Calif.
"Over the past few decades, " Billingham added, "scientific opinion has
increasingly supported the theory that complex life may have evolved on planets
orbiting other stars in the galaxy and the universe. In some cases, further
evolution may have led to the emergence of intelligence, culture and
technology."
Billingham, the program chief at Ames, said the High Resolution Microwave
Survey (HRMS) consists of two parts -- a Targeted Search and a Sky Survey.
The Targeted Search will use the largest available radio telescopes around
the world to search the frequency range from 1,000 to 3,000 megahertz, seeking
a variety of patterns that may indicate the presence of an artificially
generated signal. A megahertz is a unit of frequency equal to one million
cycles per second.
The Targeted Search will perform the most sensitive search ever conducted
of solar-type stars less than 100 light-years distant. The Targeted Search
begins from the world's largest radio telescope at the National Astronomy and
Ionosphere Center's Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. It is operated for the
National Science Foundation by Cornell University.
The Sky Survey will use the 34-meter antennas at NASA's Deep Space Network
sites in the northern and southern hemispheres to scan the entire sky over the
frequency range from 1,000 to 10,000 megahertz. The Sky Survey begins at the
Goldstone, Calif., site.
"Because of the large increase in the area of sky and frequencies covered,
a signal will have to be stronger to be detected by the Sky Survey," Billingham
said. "But it could detect signals emitted in distant regions from directions
that would be overlooked if the search were limited to nearby solar- type
stars," he added.
Both elements of the HRMS are using specially developed digital signal
processing systems capable of simultaneously analyzing tens of millions of
radio frequency channels.
The HRMS is managed by NASA's Ames Research Center, which also is
responsible for the Targeted Search project. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, Calif., is responsible for the Sky Survey.
The HRMS is part of NASA's Toward Other Planetary Systems program in the
Solar System Exploration Division, Office of Space Science and Applications at
NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
- end -
MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION
NASA SELECT TELEVISION TRANSMISSION
There will be no live NASA Select coverage of the HRMS deployment on Oct.
12, 1992. Video footage oftghe HRMS deployment will be taken for documentary
and archival purposes.
HRMS QUICK LOOK
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS) operates
under the aegis of the Toward Other Planetary Systems (TOPS) program in the
Solar System Exploration Division at NASA Headquarters. The TOPS program will
employ a variety of astronomical techniques, including microwave surveys, to
search for planets around other stars. The HRMS Targeted Search and the Sky
Survey will begin concurrently at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and Goldstone, Calif.
The project's initiation is called the "Initial Deployment of the NASA High
Resolution Microwave Survey."
INITIAL DEPLOYMENT DATE/SITES: Oct. 12, 1992 - The National Astronomy and
Ionosphere Center's 305-meter (1,000-foot diameter) radio telescope near
Arecibo, Puerto Rico, will be used for the Targeted Search. This telescope is
operated for the National Science Foundation by Cornell University. The new
34-meter (112-foot diameter) antenna at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space
Communications Complex near Barstow, Calif., willbe used for the Sky Survey.
Time of Deployment: Targeted Search at 3 p.m. EDT, Arecibo, Puerto Rico; Sky
Survey at noon PDT, Goldstone, Calif.
Project Duration: Expected to last until about 2001.
Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=
=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_14_2_3.TXT
HIGH RESOLUTION MICROWAVE SURVEY PROJECT HISTORY
The Earth is the only location known to harbor life. But as knowledge of
the nature of life has grown, so too have estimates of the likelihood of life
beyond Earth. Some locations can be searched directly for signs of life, as
Mars was by the Viking Project of the mid-1970's. There are billions of other
locations outside of this solar system that cannot be searched directly because
of the enormous distances involved.
In 1959, it was first proposed that a method existed to accomplish an
indirect search for life by the use of radio astronomy techniques to detect
signals that might be produced on other planetary systems. Such signals would
provide unique evidence of the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the
universe.
In 1972, a National Academy of Sciences report on astronomy and
astrophysics stated that "a project with the goal of detection of intelligent
life elsewhere may, in the long run, be one of science's most important and
most profound contributions to mankind and to our civilization." Also in 1972,
NASA published its first report describing how NASA-developed technology could
make such a search possible.
In the years between 1972 and 1988, NASA maintained a low-level research
and development activity that resulted in the initiation of the Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence Microwave Observing Project (MOP) in FY 1989.
In 1992, NASA established the High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS) as
part of the Toward Other Planetary Systems (TOPS) program within NASA's Solar
System Exploration Division. The Sky Survey (scanning the entire sky for
strong signals coming from any direction) will begin observations at noon PDT
using a 34-meter antenna at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex
near Barstow, Calif.
The HRMS will be initiated on Oct. 12, 1992 in two concurrent phases, the
Targeted Search, managed by NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif.,
and the Sky Survey, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
The Targeted Search (focusing with a very high degree of sensitivity on
1,000 nearby stars similar to the sun) will begin observations at 3 p.m. EDT
using the National Science Foundation's National Astronomy and Ionosphere
Center's 305-meter telescope near Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
The Sky Survey (scanning the entire sky for strong signals coming from any
direction) will begin observations at noon PDT using a 34-meter antenna at
NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, Calif.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The detection and characterization of planetary systems around other stars
is the goal of NASA's Toward Other Planetary Systems (TOPS) program. Earth's
solar system is still the only known example of a planetary system, and Earth
is the only known planet that sustains life. Recent astrophysical observations
suggest the existence of other planetary systems around distant stars. The
existence of these systems could support the hypothesis that life may exist
beyond Earth in another solar system.
Beginning in fiscal year 1993, NASA's Solar System Exploration Division
will expand it TOPS program to include a new project called the High Resolution
Microwave Survey (HRMS). The project will observe the microwave region of the
electromagnetic spectrum in a manner that can detect signals produced by a
distant technology.
Potentially, there are billions of solar systems in the Milky Way galaxy
at tremendous distances from Earth. There are billions of locations outside
Earth's solar system that may contain life but cannot be searched by robotic
spacecraft. By providing a means of locating and studying distant planetary
systems for evidence of technology generated by life in those systems, the
addition of HRMS to TOPS will expand and enhance this search for evidence of
life.
The TOPS program originally was designed to be fully responsive to the document
"Strategy for the Detection and Study of Other Planetary Systems and Extrasolar
Material: 1990-2000," issued in 1990 by the Space Studies Board's Committee on
Planetary and Lunar Exploration. In the same year, the Space Studies Board's
Committee on Planetary Biology and Chemical Evolution recommended the following
four objectives in its report entitled "Search for Life's Orign":
1) To determine the frequency and morphology of nearby planetary systems.
2) To determine the frequency of occurrence of conditions suitable to the
orign of life.
3) To search for presumptive evidence of life in other planetary systems.
4) To search for evidence of extraterrestrial technology.
With the incorporation of the HRMS, the TOPS program will address each of
these objectives and provide for an expanded comparative study of the universe.
Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61
=--=--=-END-=--=--=
=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_14_2_4.TXT
HIGH RESOLUTION MICROWAVE SURVEY TARGETED SEARCH
Scientists at NASA's Ames Research Center will conduct the Targeted Search
portion of the HRMS.
The Targeted Search will examine 1,000 nearby solar-type stars within 100
light years distance from Earth (one light year is approximately 5.9 trillion
miles). The objective is to test the hypothesis that extraterrestrial
technologies are transmitting radio signals whose characteristics are greatly
different from natural sources of radio emissions and that the HRMS radio
telescopes are sensitive enough to detect them. Some stellar clusters and
nearby galaxies also will be observed. The frequency range covered will be
1,000 to 3,000 megahertz (MHz).
Scientists believe that electromagnetic radiation is the most efficient
means for accompishing information transfer over interstallar distances. All
electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light, but radio waves use lower
energy photons than light or other radiation and are not absorbed by the
interstaller medium.
Of all possible electromagnetic frequencies, the radio portion of the
spectrum suffers least from natural background noise. Microwave radio
frequencies between about 1,000 and 10,000 megahertz allow detection of the
weakest signals because the background noise, due to our galaxy and the Earth's
atmosphere, is least.
To achieve the highest possible sensitivity, the largest available radio
telescopes will be used to conduct the Targeted Search. The number of targets
covered will be much larger than previous searches, and the range of
frequencies covered will be thousands of times greater than all previous
searches combined.
To accomplish this, specialized digital signal processing equipment has
been constructed to listen for microwave radio transmissions reaching the Earth
from distant planetary systems.
The specialized digital signal processing equipment will simultaneously
study the radio spectrum over tens of millions of individual frequency
channels, at spectral resolutions ranging from 1, 2, 4, 7, 14 and 28 hertz
(cycles per second). The equipemnt can automatically detect continuous carrier
waves or narrow band (limited range of frequencies) pulses whether they remain
constant in frequency or drift slowly because of some relative acceleration
between transmitter and receiver. Low noise feeds and cryogenically cooled
receivers will provide access to all frequencies between 1,000 and 3,000
megahertz.
A special wide frequency bandwidth Multi Channel Spectrum Analyzer (MCSA)
and real-time pattern recognition systems will be deployed at radio astronomy
observatories with the largest existing antennas. The MCSA is a spectroscope
that dissects the incoming radio signal into a large number of very fine
resolution frequency channels. When combined with the NASA signal detectors
built for the project, the sytem also is capable of detecting continuous wave
signals as well as narrow band pulses, a likely form of interstellar
transmission. An automatic data analysis subsystem will be used to detect the
presence of fixed frequency or drifting continuous wave (CW) signals or
sequences of regularly spaced pulses.
The Targeted Search will use the National Science Foundation's National
Astronomy and Ionosphere Center's 305-meter (1,000-ft) diameter radio telescope
located at the Arecibo Observatory near Arecibo, Puerto Rico, for the initial
deployment of the HRMS on Oct. 12, 1992. The system will have a total of 10
megahertz of bandwidth. It will simultaneously analyze tens of millions of
channels of spectral data at 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, and 28 hertz resolutions. The
system will be transported to other large radio telescopes around the world in
a systematic fashion over the 10-year period of the search. This will ensure
that all target stars have been fully covered.
In 1995, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's (NRAO) 140-foot
telescope in Green Bank, W. Va., will become a dedicated facility for the HRMS,
permitting very large observations of each target at each frequency. It will
serve as the logistical hub of the HRMS Targeted Search. Over the next 3 years,
three more such systems will be built and packaged into two mobile research
facility trailers for air transport to the observation sites.
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HIGH RESOLUTION MICROWAVE SURVEY SKY SURVEY
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will conduct the Sky
Survey portion of NASA's HRMS to search for radio signals from other planetary
systems. The Sky Survey will scan all directions of the sky to cover a wide
range of frequencies from 1,000 to 10,000 megahertz.
NASA's HRMS will conduct a comprehensive, systematic search of a portion
of the microwave radio spectrum to detect evidence of radio transmissions from
other planetary systems. An intentionally transmitted signal is easiest to
detect in a frequency band where the background radio noise or static is
minimal. One of the quietest frequency bands is the "microwave window," which
lies between 1,000 and 10,000 megahertz. Since the quiet characteristic of
microwave frequencies does not change throughout the galaxy, it is
reasonable to assume that others might also choose this band.
The Sky Survey observation technique involves automatically mapping small
areas of the sky, called sky frames. As the observations are completed, the
sky frames will be assembled to form mosaic maps, one for each frequency band,
of all the microwave detections over the entire sky. For each of the 31
frequency bands, the sky is divided into several hundred frames, as if the sky
were a giant checkerboard. Each frame takes 1 to 2 hours to map.
The Sky survey will initially use the 34-meter (112-foot) diameter
antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications complex of NASA's Deep
Space Network in California's Mojave Desert. Toward the latter part of the
survey, the search will move to a similar antenna near Canberra, Australia.
In 1992, the Sky Survey will begin with a prototype system. The
prototype receiver, spectrum analyzer and signal processor will break up
incoming microwave radio signals into 2 million separate frequency
channels. The system can be configured in a single polarization mode
with 40 megahertz total bandwidth or a dual polarization mode with 20 megahertz
total bandwidth. Specially designed digital hardware, operating at
supercomputer speeds, will simultaneously process the 2 million channels to
identify and separate interstallar signals that have "artificial"
characteristics from background radio noise and terrestrial interference, such
as Earth-orbiting satellites. The most promising candidate signals will be
subjected to detailed screening and will be saved for subsequent verification
and study by the scientific community.
The prototype will be used to test and verify the design of the Sky Survey
control and data processing algorithms. The operational Sky Survey system
currently is being designed and constructed. It will provide 16 times the
capability of the prototype and will feature a 32 million channel spectrum
analyzer with a bandwidth of at least 320 megahertz. Starting in 1996, the
system will begin to map the entire sky 31 times in both the northern and
southern hemispheres during an observational phase that is expected to last 6
years and produce more than 25,000 sky frames.
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HIGH RESOLUTION MICROWAVE SURVEY SIGNAL DETECTION PLANS
In the event that a signal is detected from another planetary system, a
formal verification procedure will be implemented. The procedure stipulates
that before any public announcement is made, the signal detection must be
independently onfirmed by other observers or research organizations.
After the discovery has been verified, national and international
authorities are to be informed. News of the confirmed discovery then will be
disseminated promptly, openly and widely through scientific channels and the
news media. All data necessary for the confirmation of the detection will be
made available to the international scientific community through publications,
meetings, conferences and other appropriate means.
No response to any confirmed signal will be sent from Earth until
appropriate international consultations have occurred.
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HIGH RESOLUTION MICROWAVE SURVEY PROJECT MANAGEMENT
NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Wesley Huntress Director, Solar System Exploration Division
Dr. Nicholas Renzetti Manager, Telecommunications and Data Acquisition Science
Complex, Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex
Dr. Michael J. Klein JPL SETI Project Manager and HRMS Sky Survey Manager
Dr. Samuel Gulkis HRMS Deputy Project Scientist
J. Richard Kolden HRMS Sky Survey Implementation Manager
Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico
Dr. Daniel Altschuler Director
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NOTE: This file is too large {18674 bytes} for inclusion in this collection.
The first line of the file:
HIGH RESOLUTION MICROWAVE SURVEY HRMS
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UARS MONTHLY STATUS REPORT 9/30/92
UARS: (UPPER ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH SATELLITE)
UARS is operating nominally. However, attempts to restart the UARS
Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (ISAMS) chopper wheel motor
still have not been successful and so ISAMS remains inoperative. The motor
stopped working on July 29. Automated attempts to restart the motor continue.
On September 21, the observatory made a routine forward to backward yaw around.
This maneuver, executed approximately every 36 days, keeps the solar array on
the Sun side of the observatory and the instruments in the correct orientation
with respect to the Sun. UARS launched September 12, 1991 from the Space
Shuttle Discovery.
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HST MONTHLY STATUS REPORT 9/30/92
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
The first four batteries (#2,3,5 and 6) have been discharged successfully
under a battery reconditioning program started in August. Recharging is in
progress. After an analysis of the discharge and recharge profiles of the
first four batteries, reconditioning of the last two will be undertaken. HST
launched April 24, 1990 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.
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HUBBLE USES NATURE'S LENS TO EXPLORE THE COSMOS
HQ92-168/HST EXPLORES COSMOS
Paula Cleggett-Haleim
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. October 8, 1992
Jim Elliott
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
RELEASE: 92-168
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has photographed a striking
mirror-image of a very distant galaxy.
The observations might unlock the secrets of the dark matter mystery that
have puzzled astronomers for decades. Understanding the nature of dark matter
might lead to predictions of whether the universe will expand indefinitely or
collapse of its own gravity.
The mirror image is seen through a huge cluster of foreground galaxies
located four billion light-years away. The gravity of the galaxy cluster acts
as a natural lens or magnifying glass, bending, concentrating and focusing the
light of the distant galaxy into several images, each of which is bigger and
brighter than otherwise would be the case.
"This rare combination of Hubble's powerful telescope mirrors and the
natural 'telephoto lens' gives astronomers new information on the nature of
distant galaxies," says Richard Ellis of Durham University, England.
By studying how the natural lens bends the light, investigators also can
deduce the amount and location of mysterious "dark matter," thought to make up
most of the cluster's mass.
Astronomers estimate that at least 90 percent of the universe consists of
material that does not emit any radiation detectable by current
instrumentation. Although dark matter cannot be seen directly, the phenomenon
of gravitational lensing provides a powerful probe in the search for dark
matter.
"We already knew from ground-based images that this cluster of galaxies
could act as a gravitational lens," says Ellis. "The remarkable feature of the
new data is the detail with which we can study background galaxies by combining
the lensing phenomenon with the excellent image quality possible with HST.
"The unique combination has allowed us to measure the bending power of the
lens very precisely, enabling us to determine the distribution of matter in the
cluster regardless of whether or not it emits light."
Ellis and co-researchers Dr. Warrick Couch (University of New South Wales,
Australia), Dr. Ray Sharples and Ian Smail (Durham University) made the
discovery when observing the cluster called AC114 in one of the first long
exposures with the spacecraft's Wide Field Camera.
Two, 6-hour exposures revealed a striking pair of faint objects close to
the center of the cluster. Each image has a faint structure attached to it.
These structures show perfect mirror-symmetry, as expected if both are lensed
images of the same source. The images are unusually far apart for a lensed
system, implying AC114 has a dense massive core.
"Despite their wide separation, the high degree of symmetry and near-
identical colors of the objects are a strong indication that they are images of
the same source, supporting the hypothesis that we have discovered a very
massive lens," Ellis explained.
"We believe that we are looking at a very faint, distant galaxy undergoing
an energetic period of star formation. At first we thought we were privileged
to see such a dramatic feature in the first long exposure with Hubble, but we
now believe that similar, highly magnified, multiple images will be observed
when the spacecraft looks through the centers of other massive clusters."
A Zoom Lens In Space
Albert Einstein was the first to point out that gravitational fields
deflect light as well as matter. The gravitational field of a massive object
-- such as a cluster of galaxies -- will deflect light rays from more distant
sources seen close to the cluster center.
This has the effect of shifting their apparent positions and magnifying
and distorting their shapes and brightness. The greater the cluster's mass,
the greater the effect. If the cluster is dense enough it can create several
images of a single distant object.
Multiple-lensed systems provide astronomers with a powerful probe to
investigate the form of the gravitation field of the lens. Ellis and fellow
researchers have developed numerical models based on Einstein's theory.
Starting from the location and shapes of the first two images, they
predict the existence and location of further images. The remarkably blue
color and unusual morphology of the source has enabled them to identify a third
fainter image.
This, and any further images similarly located, will enable the group to
refine their lens model. The goal is to make it precise enough to find the
distances and properties of hundreds of very faint galaxies viewed through the
cluster.
These objects are far too faint for more traditional distance-measuring
techniques and promise to reveal the nature of the very early universe. "Just
as in school optics, once you know the basic properties of a lens, you can
examine the images it produces and figure out how far away the sources are,"
Ellis explained.
The Search for Dark Matter
Although dark matter cannot be seen, its existence has been inferred from
its gravitational influence on the motions of galaxies in clusters. Clusters
like AC114 are not only very useful probes of the galaxies at the limits of the
universe, their lensing properties also show how much dark matter they contain.
More importantly, the amount can be measured directly via gravitational
lensing. Ellis' model for AC114 provides an important new measurement of the
amount of dark matter in AC114 which agrees with previous estimates based on
the motions of its galaxies.
It also suggests, however, that the dark matter is more concentrated
toward the center of the cluster than the individual galaxies. This is
contrary to the predictions of models in which the dark matter is made up of
subatomic non-interacting particles.
The group plans to extend this work to other clusters at different
distances. This will allow the researchers to probe the universe at different
times in the distant past (because of the effect of light-travel time). Such
observations will enable them to follow the evolution of the dark and visible
matter independently.
"We intend to use HST's superlative image quality to search for similar
lensed systems in other rich clusters," said Ellis. "Using these we will be
able to directly probe the changes in the structure of clusters as they evolve
and grow in the universe."
The Space Science Telescope Institute is operated by the Association of
Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA under contract with the
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Hubble Space Telescope is a
project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space
Agency.
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COMPTON MONTHLY STATUS REPORT 9/30/92
COMPTON GAMMA RAY OBSERVATORY (GRO)
Compton scientists continued studying an unusually bright X-ray nova
in the constellation Perseus this month. The spacecraft was reoriented to get
an even closer look at the object, which was seen continuously for
approximately one month before fading in mid-September. After September 17,
the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) and Imaging Compton
Telescope (COMPTEL) instruments resumed the nearly complete all-sky survey. As
of September 22, the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) detected 436
cosmic gamma-ray bursts. Compton launched April 5, 1991 aboard the Space
Shuttle Atlantis.
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8/31/92: NASA SATELLITE DETECTS NEW EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET SOURCES
Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Randee Exler
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
RELEASE: 92-138
An object emitting extreme ultraviolet light located outside the
Milky Way galaxy was detected by a NASA satellite through interstellar
gas and dust, once thought to block this source of radiation. This
discovery assures that astronomers will have a new tool to probe the
universe.
Also, EUVE has detected a new source of extreme ultraviolet
radiation (EUV) from the corona of a star much like the sun, located
about 16 light years from Earth. A white dwarf companion star also
appears in the photograph released today.
On July 8 and 9, NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE)
measured an outburst from a "cataclysmic variable," a closely orbiting
pair of stars in which gravitational forces pull matter from the
outermost layers of a normal star onto the surface of a white dwarf
companion. The hot, compressed stellar material generates an explosive
burst of extreme ultraviolet radiation as the material falls into the
deep gravitational field of the white dwarf.
Other explosive events are flares on stars. These are
unpredictable, giant versions of eruptions known to occur on a smaller
scale on our own sun. EUVE caught two such events on the red dwarf stars
called AT Microscopium and AU Microscopium.
Also, EUVE astronomers were surprised when they detected an
object located outside our own Milky Way galaxy that was emitting extreme
ultraviolet radiation (EUV). At one time, astronomers had thought that
the interstellar medium, the gas and dust spread throughout the galaxy,
effectively would block their view of even nearby objects, because it is
highly opaque to EUV radiation.
Each first view in a new spectral band gives astronomers a new
tool to probe the universe. The EUV window is one of the last unexplored
spectral regions.
EUVE Principal Investigators Professor Stuart Bowyer and Dr.
Roger Malina, of the University of California at Berkeley's Center for
Extreme Ultraviolet Astrophysics (CEA), presented the findings today to
space scientists at the World Space Congress in Washington, D.C.
According to Professor Bowyer, initiator of the EUV program at
Berkeley, "Years ago a lot of our colleagues thought we were crazy to
observe in the EUV. Everyone "knew" that trying to look through the
interstellar medium at these wavelengths would be like trying to use a
telescope in a San Francisco fog."
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation is visible only to
instruments above Earth's atmosphere. Radiation at these energies is
emitted by multi-million degree coronae on stars, by giant eruptions on
novae, by the hot surfaces of white dwarfs and by other exotic sources in
the cosmos.
The EUVE was launched June 7, 1992, to study the extreme
ultraviolet, the part of the electromagnetic spectrum lying between
optical and x-ray wavelengths. It represents NASA's 67th Explorer
mission. The first Explorer was launched on Jan. 31, 1958, and it
discovered the Van Allen radiation belts.
The EUVE satellite, now 6 weeks into a survey of the entire sky,
will provide astronomers with their first detailed maps in multiple EUV
energy bands.
Officials at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.,
report that the satellite has functioned smoothly since its launch. All
instruments are performing at or above expected levels, and data analysis
is 50-percent ahead of schedule.
The EUVE Science Operations Center, based at CEA, operates around
the clock, sending commands to point the instruments at selected
astronomical sources and recording the findings of the satellite's four
telescopes and three spectrometers. The CEA has adopted a novel approach
for operating the project with a staff that includes more than two dozen
undergraduate students who are getting a unique hands-on educational
experience.
Researchers and engineers are studying the calibration and
check-out data obtained during the first 6 weeks of the mission. These
data serve a dual purpose. They verify the instrument performance and at
the same time, give astronomers valuable new measurements to test their
models.
NASA's Guest Observer Program begins at the conclusion of the
6-month sky survey. Scientists from around the world have applied to
NASA to use the capabilities of the EUVE spectrometers. Stiff
competition will assure that only the very best of the 140 submitted
proposals will result in allocated observing time.
Goddard is responsible for the design, construction, integration,
checkout and operation of EUVE. The spacecraft's science instrumentation
was designed, constructed and calibrated by the Space Science
Laboratories of the University of California, Berkeley. The EUVE is
managed by Goddard for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications,
Washington, D.C.
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EUVE MONTHLY STATUS REPORT 9/30/92
EUVE: (EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET EXPLORER)
All EUVE instruments are performing at or better than expected levels.
The satellite is now 11 weeks into a survey of the entire sky which will
provide astronomers with their first detailed maps in several EUV energy bands.
NASA's Guest Observer program will begin at the conclusion of the sky survey in
Freshman 1993. EUVE was lunched June 7, 1992 from Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station onboard a Delta II rocket.
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NASA SPACECRAFT "SEES" OBJECT 2 BILLION LIGHT YEARS AWAY
HQ92-169/EUVE SEES 2 BILLION LIGHT YEARS AWAY
Mike Braukus
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. October 8, 1992
Dolores Beasley
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Dr. Bernhard Haisch
Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Astrophysics
University of California, Berkeley
RELEASE: 92-169
A powerful, exotic object 2 billion light-years beyond the Milky Way
galaxy has been observed by astronomers using a new NASA spacecraft designed to
detect radiation in the little-explored extreme ultraviolet portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
"Twenty years ago no one would have believed you could see out of the
solar system at EUV wavelengths. But now -- for the first time -- we actually
have obtained a EUV spectrum for an object beyond our galaxy," said Dr. Ed
Weiler, Chief of NASA's Ultraviolet and Visible Astrophysics Branch.
The radiation source was observed by the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer
(EUVE) Spacecraft, launched into Earth orbit on June 7 to search the spectrum
between visible light and x-rays.
Observation of the EUV spectrum both inside and out of the Milky Way
galaxy is often blocked by gas and dust in interstellar space. However, the
distribution of the gas and dust is uneven which allows the EUVE telescopes to
see distant sources of radiation.
According to the EUVE science team, the object is a tremendously energetic
elliptical galaxy that radiates as much energy as a trillion suns. Some
astrophysicists think such a galaxy, called a "BL Lac Object," may contain at
its center a super-sized black hole with a mass of 100 million suns and may be
a cousin to the even more mysterious quasars.
The science team is headed by Prof. Stuart Bowyer and Dr. Roger Malina at
the University of California-Berkeley Center for Extreme Ultraviolet
Astrophysics.
BL Lac Objects, like PKS 2155-304, vary dramatically in brightness in all
other spectral regions. Now scientists have discovered that it was rock steady
in the EUV for a day and a half, according to Dr. Herman Marshall, EUVE
astronomer.
"This result is extremely interesting, but we would like more observations
to confirm this," said Goddard's Dr. Yoji Kondo, EUVE Project Scientist.
"But it might be that we have found the right window, as Dr. Marshall has
indicated, to see the steady infall of material onto the giant black hole that
the theorists think may be at the very center of this object," said Dr. Kondo.
The EUVE satellite is now 11 weeks into a survey of the entire sky. It
will provide astronomers with their first detailed maps in several EUV energy
bands. Radiation at these energies is emitted by multi-million degree coronae
on stars, by giant eruptions on novae, by the hot surfaces of white dwarfs and
by other exotic sources in the cosmos such as the BL Lac object.
Other Observations
One of the new EUV sources detected by the satellite early in the mission
was the corona of a star much like the sun, located about 16 light- years away
from Earth. A white dwarf companion 7 arc-minutes away also appears in the EUV
image.
On July 8-9, an outburst was observed from a cataclysmic variable, RE
1938-461, a closely orbiting pair of stars in which gravitational forces pull
matter from the outermost layers of one star onto the surface of the other, a
white dwarf companion. The hot compressed stellar material generates an
explosive burst of EUV radiation as it falls into the deep gravitational field
of the white dwarf.
Other explosive events are flares on stars. These are unpredictable,
giant versions of eruptions known to occur on a much smaller scale on the sun.
The EUVE caught two such events on the red dwarf stars AT Mic and AU Mic.
Spacecraft, Operations Performing Fine
All instruments are performing at or above expected levels, according to
instrument Principal Investigator Roger Malina. The EUVE Science Operations
Center, based at CEA, operates around the clock, sending commands to point the
instruments at selected astronomical sources and recording the findings of the
satellite's four telescopes and three spectrometers.
A novel feature is that the staff includes more than two dozen
undergraduate students who are getting a unique hands-on educational
experience.
Researchers and engineers in Berkeley are pouring over the calibration and
check-out data obtained during the first 6 weeks of the mission. These data
serve a dual purpose. They verify the instrument performance and at the same
time, give astronomers valuable, new measurements to test their models.
The EUVE Project is managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Md., for the Office of Space Science and Applications, Washington,
D.C.
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7/15/92: SAMPEX Status Report
Dolores Beasley July 15, 1992
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
SAMPEX STATUS REPORT:
SCIENCE OPERATIONS BEGIN
All four instruments are turned on and science operations
officially began this week on NASA's Solar Anomalous and
Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) satellite.
SAMPEX, launched at 10:19 a.m. EDT July 3, 1992 from
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., will contribute new information
on the composition of the solar atmosphere which will enable
scientists to learn more about the origin of our solar system.
Turn on of all four instruments was completed on Friday, July
10 -- one week after launch. Gilberto Colon, SAMPEX mission
manager, said that the check-out was completed one week ahead of
schedule. All instruments and the spacecraft are working perfectly.
"We're now starting observations," reported SAMPEX Principal
Investigator Dr. Glenn Mason, of University of Maryland, College
Park. "We're getting data from Goddard every 24 hours and the
instrumentation appears to be operating beautifully."
The University of Maryland Science Operations Center (UMSOC)
is responsible for all science operations. First, NASA captures the
data from the spacecraft at Goddard's Wallops Flight Facility,
Wallops, Island, Va., then the UMSOC receives the scientific data
from Goddard and distributes it to 10 SAMPEX co-investigators at
different institutions.
SAMPEX is managed by Goddard for NASA's Office of Space
Science and Applications, Washington, D.C.
###
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SAMPEX STATUS 8/31/92
SOLAR ANOMALOUS MAGNETOSPHERIC PARTICLE EXPLORER (SAMPEX):
Project officials report that the ground system and three of the
instruments are performing well. Team members continue to
troubleshoot the anomaly with the LEICA instrument's high
voltage, which was reported July 21-23. The high voltage is
disabled until the project and principal investigator identify
possible solutions. SAMPEX, a small explorer satellite, launched
July 3, 1992 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, Calif.,
aboard a Scout rocket.
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SAMPEX STATUS 9/4/92
Dolores Beasley
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
SAMPEX STATUS REPORT
September 4, 1992
NASA's Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX)
spacecraft is performing satisfactorily and well within the design parameters,
according to project officials.
The flight operations team, engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center, Greenbelt, Md., and the Principal Investigator continue to investigate
an anomaly on the Low Energy Ion Composition Analyzer (LEICA) instrument. On
five occasions since July 20, the LEICA instrument has exhibited unacceptably
high voltage parameters. On August 11, the SAMPEX Flight Operations Team
uploaded a software patch to the Instrument Data Processing Unit to monitor the
voltage. Controllers continue to troubleshoot this problem, with tests being
performed at the University of Maryland, College Park and with the instruments
onboard. The University of Maryland Science Operations Center is responsible
for all SAMPEX science operations.
SAMPEX Mission Manager Gilberto Colon, reports that scientists are
continuing to collect good data from the remaining three instruments onboard
SAMPEX. One of the analog to digital converters on the Proton/Electron
Telescope (PET) has showed excessive noise, but the instrument is still
receiving data, scientists report. The Mass Spectrometer Telescope (MAST)
instrument showed increasing noise in one of its four detectors. On August 25,
MAST was turned off for a period of one orbit (97 minutes) to evaluate the
detector's performance after cycling power to it. This problem is also under
investigation. There are no anomalies reported on the Heavy Ion Large
Telescope (HILT).
SAMPEX was launched July 3, 1992 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
SAMPEX is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., for
NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications, Washington, D.C.
###
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SAMPEX MONTHLY STATUS REPORT 9/30/92
SOLAR ANOMALOUS and MAGNETOSPHERIC PARTICLE EXPLORER
The Low Energy Ion Composition Analyzer (LEICA) reached a nominal
operating state Sept. 23. Spacecraft operators currently are collecting data
from all four SAMPEX instruments. However, analysis of the anomaly with
LEICA's high voltage, first reported July 21, is ongoing. SAMPEX, a small
explorer satellite, was launched July 3, 1992 from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
Lompoc, Calif., aboard a Scout rocket.
Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_9_11_4.TXT
GEOTAIL MONTHLY STATUS REPORT 9/30/92
Geotail is now in full science mode with the first segment of the
mission, the deep tail phase, during which the spacecraft will use several
orbits to travel deep into the geomagnetic tail, using lunar swing-bys to
achieve the deep orbits. On Sept. 26, Geotail reached its first deep tail
apogee, and conducted a velocity adjustment to shape the orbit for the first
in-bound lunar swingby scheduled for October 14. Geotail was launched July 24,
1992 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station onboard a Delta II rocket.
Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61
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=--=--=START=--=--= NASA Spacelink File Name:6_9_11_5.TXT
GEOTAIL MONTHLY STATUS REPORT 9/30/92
GEOTAIL:
Geotail is now in full science mode with the first segment of the
mission, the deep tail phase, during which the spacecraft will use several
orbits to travel deep into the geomagnetic tail, using lunar swing-bys to
achieve the deep orbits. On Sept. 26, Geotail reached its first deep tail
apogee, and conducted a velocity adjustment to shape the orbit for the first
in-bound lunar swingby scheduled for October 14. Geotail was launched July 24,
1992 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station onboard a Delta II rocket.
Source:NASA Spacelink Modem:205-895-0028 Internet:192.149.89.61
