Xref: utzoo sci.astro:10699 sci.space:26074 sci.space.shuttle:6787 Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!psuvax1!rutgers!mcnc!uvaarpa!murdoch!news From: gsh7w@astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg Hennessy) Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.space.shuttle Subject: assorted clippings about Astro Message-ID: <1990Dec4.215904.15434@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> Date: 4 Dec 90 21:59:04 GMT Sender: news@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU Organization: University of Virginia Lines: 599 From gull@stars.dnet.nasa.gov Tue Dec 4 16:55:11 1990 Received: from virginia.acc.Virginia.EDU by astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU (5.61/1.34) id AA25836; Tue, 4 Dec 90 16:55:07 -0500 Received: from uvaarpa.Virginia.EDU by virginia.edu id aa25712; 4 Dec 90 16:47 EST Received: from east.gsfc.nasa.gov by uvaarpa.virginia.edu id aa12071; 4 Dec 90 16:46 EST Received: from STARS.DECnet MAIL11D_V3 by east.gsfc.nasa.gov (5.57/Ultrix3.0-C) id AA28557; Tue, 4 Dec 90 16:46:16 -0500 Date: Tue, 4 Dec 90 16:46:15 -0500 Message-Id: <9012042146.AA28557@east.gsfc.nasa.gov> From: gull@stars.dnet.nasa.gov To: "SENT TO @MPLAN,8202::ASTROPI" Subject: PRESS RELEASES Status: R UIT Status Report #01 2:30 p.m. CST Dec. 3, 1990 Spacelab Mission Operations Control Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL Sunday night, the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) obtained 11 photographs of the Earth's airglow, a luminous phenomenon in the upper atmosphere. These photographs will be used to calibrate the UIT's photographs of celestial objects. The UIT photographs are recorded on film and cannot be developed and examined until Columbia returns to Earth. However, team members saw telemetry readouts which showed that the motor which drives the UIT's internal film transport turned on after each of the 11 photographs, indicating that the film was advanced through the camera. The UIT team, led by Principal Investigator Theodore P. Stecher of Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD, is awaiting the go ahead from project controllers to proceed with the first UIT photographs of objects beyond Earth. This may occur as soon as this afternoon, CST. Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 11:15 AM EST Msg: UJJA-1657-4336 From: PAO.POST To: PAO Subj: Astro 1 Mission Report No. 12 Posted: Mon, Dec 3, 1990 6:24 PM EST Msg: VJJA-1524-2497/20 From: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,SN:MSFC,FN:PUBINFO) To: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:P), (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:PAO.LOOP), JRUFF/GSFCMAIL Subj: ASTRO 1 MISSION REPORT NO. 12 Astro 1 Mission Report #12 1:50 p.m. CST, December 3, 1990 1/13:01 MET Spacelab Mission Operations Control Marshall Space Flight Center Astro 1 gathered its first piece of scientific data from the Seyfert Galaxy today at 11:30 a.m., CST when Payload Specialist Sam Durrance successfully locked onto the target using the JPL Astro Star Tracker, an element of the Image Motion Compensation System aboard Shuttle Columbia. The Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope was successful in obtaining data from the ultraviolet radiation found in the Earth's airglow, or upper atmosphere. Next, HUT focused on its first outside target, NGC-4151 the Seyfert Galaxy, a bright galaxy which radiates strong ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths. By using Astro's star tracker, designed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the team was able to steady the Instrument Pointing System and focus on its target. After fixing on its target, the instrument coordinated with another star and sent information to the electronics system which made adjustments with the telescope's mirrors for primary observations. Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 11:20 AM EST Msg: DJJA-1657-4345 From: PAO.POST To: PAO Subj: WUPPE Status Report No. 4 Posted: Mon, Dec 3, 1990 9:59 PM EST Msg: LJJA-1524-2539/20 From: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,SN:MSFC,FN:PUBINFO) To: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:P), (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:PAO.LOOP), JRUFF/GSFCMAIL Subj: WUPPE STATUS REPORT NO 4 WUPPE STATUS REPORT #04 7:30 P.M. CST, DEC. 3, 1990 SPACELAB MISSION OPERATIONS CONTROL MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, HUNTSVILLE, AL The University of Wisconsin-Madison telescope aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia took its first look at the stars today. The telescope, known as the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment, achieved "first light" at approximately 4:30 p.m. CST and took spectra -- readings of the wavelengths of starlight -- from a variable binary system where one star stirs up the other and causes massive blobs of material to spin off, a phenomenon that can be traced by polarization measurements. The observation was used to start the process of aligning and focusing the Wisconsin telescope, a procedure that will be completed when Astro's Instrument Pointing System is fully calibrated. Subsequent to the focusing and aligning procedure, science measurements of HR 1099 were accomplished by the Wisconsin instrument. Following WUPPE's observation of HR 1099, at approximately 5:15 CST, the Wisconsin instrument made its second stellar observation, this time of a rapidly rotating star known as 21 Vulpecula. 21 Vulpecula and other rapidly rotating stars are of particular interest to the WUPPE science team because of their tendency to produce polarized ultraviolet light. If a star spins fast enough, according to University of Wisconsin astronomer Arthur D. Code, it will have an elongated instead of a spherical shape. The faster the star spins, the more it is flattened. The flatter a star, the more its light is polarized. In effect, astronomers can determine the shape of star by measuring polarization. To date, there have been very few readings of polarized ultraviolet starlight, so virtually everything WUPPE looks at will provide astronomers with new insights into stars and other celestial objects such as comets, quasars and interstellar dust and gas, the material from which new stars are made. In the next few hours, WUPPE will continue to take science observations. Plans now call for the reacquisition of 21 Vulpecula and magnetic white dwarf star known as G70D8247. Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 11:22 AM EST Msg: FJJA-1657-4347 From: PAO.POST To: PAO Subj: MSFC Astro Shift Summary 06 Posted: Mon, Dec 3, 1990 11:42 PM EST Msg: QJJA-1524-2544/20 From: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,SN:MSFC,FN:PUBINFO) To: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:P), (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:PAO.LOOP), JRUFF/GSFCMAIL Subj: MSFC ASTRO SHIFT SUMMARY 06 Astro 1 Shift Summary #06 9:30 p.m. CST, December 3, 1990 1/20:40 MET Spacelab Mission Operations Control Marshall Space Flight Center During the past eight to nine hours, Astro-1 payload operations aboard Columbia began to settle into the type of routine which had been hoped for pre-mission. Around noon (CST), one of the major milestones to date for the mission was passed when a successful observation was made on the mission's first target outside the Earth's atmosphere. It occurred when the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope was able to acquire and observe a distant galaxy designated by astronomers as NGC (New General Catalogue) 4151. The brightest Seyfert galaxy known, this object has a number of interesting features including emissions of blue and ultraviolet light -- characteristics which are unusual for this type of galaxy. The Astro-1 crew was able to acquire the target using a manual pointing mode of the Instrument Pointing System. The procedure, called "contingency target acquisition," involves using data from a star tracker system developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and incorporated into Astro-1's Image Motion Compensation System. Following the successful galaxy observation, efforts continued to obtain full acquisition capabilities with the Instrument Pointing System's Optical Sensor Package. The Optical Sensor Package star trackers, along with the Spacelab computer system's stellar software, provides the normal mode of automatically acquiring and locking onto desired celestial objects. With engineering support from both Houston and Huntsville, successive refinements over a several-hour period were made to the Optical Sensor Package pointing geometry. The efforts culminated around 7:30 p.m. CST when Payload Specialist Sam Durrance reported accomplishing the first successful IDOP, or operational identification, of a desired target. The target acquired with this pointing was a magnetic white dwarf designated as G70D8427, one which is of interest in the Astro-1 observational program because it has been studied quite thoroughly in visible and near ultraviolet light, but not in the far ultraviolet region. Another key milestone during the period was bringing all three ultraviolet telescopes into observe mode simultaneously at approximately 4:30 p.m. CST. Successful acquisition of scientific data was reported by principal investigators for both the Hopkins and Wisconsin instruments, and a photographic exposure was made by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. During the period, ground controllers for the Broad Band X-ray Telescope continued working procedures to bring their instrument into precise alignment with its Two-Axis Pointing System, which is separate from the Instrument Pointing System used by the ultraviolet telescopes. The BBXRT team reported progress and, as of late evening, was optimistic about reaching full operating status soon. The X-ray telescope did demonstrate successful acquisition of X-ray photons during the period, while aimed at the Crab Nebula. Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 11:23 AM EST Msg: IJJA-1657-4350 From: PAO.POST To: PAO Subj: MSFC Status Report No. 15 Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 7:39 AM EST Msg: LJJA-1524-2591/20 From: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,SN:MSFC,FN:PUBINFO) To: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:P), (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:PAO.LOOP), JRUFF/GSFCMAIL Subj: MSFC STATUS REPORT NO. 15 Astro 1 Mission Report #15 05:50 a.m. CST, December 4, 1990 2/05:00 MET Spacelab Mission Operations Control Marshall Space Flight Center "Intensive efforts continue in trying to get good optical holds with the Instrument Pointing System in order to obtain the desired science targets that we have selected," said Astro-1 Assistant Mission Manager Stu Clifton, from Huntsville's Spacelab Mission Operations Control. "Following the sub-system computer crash earlier this evening, one of the star trackers on the optical sensor package failed to return to operating condition. This has made it much more difficult to acquire the targets we've scheduled. "Efforts are under way to recycle the star tracker to bring it back to full operating condition," said Clifton. "It is in these situations that one can see the value of the many simulations that we've held on Astro. We have simulated many failures, and having done so, the procedures for resolving these failures have been developed. And this has certainly facilitated our ability to resolve the problems that we get on a real mission." Mission Scientist Gene Urban made these comments regarding the status of the mission: "Before the sub-system computer crash, we got some beautiful data. We got some extremely good spectra. The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope has been operating well, and we're waiting to get the X-ray telescope realigned." UIT's first science data was received at approximately 11:13 CST. And the Broad Band X-ray Telescope is still performing tests during night passes to coalign the telescope with its Two Axis Pointing System. Attempts to automatically acquire scheduled science targets including Supernova 1987A were not successful. Though the targets are often apparently in the field of view, the crew was unsuccessful in locking onto guide stars. Therefore, Mission Specialist Bob Parker, using a joy stick, called a paddle, and Payload Specialist Ron Parise, typing on a keyboard, attempted to locate targets manually to acquire science data. "Give me a paddle and a telescope and I can move the universe!" said Parker. Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 11:25 AM EST Msg: SJJA-1657-4360 From: PAO.POST To: PAO Subj: Shuttle Status Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 10:37 AM EST Msg: ZJJA-1524-2631/20 From: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,SN:YOUNG,FN:DICK) To: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:DRYDENTV), (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:P), (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:PAO.LOOP), JRUFF/GSFCMAIL Subj: KSC SHUTTLE STATUS KSC SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT - Tuesday, Dec. 4, 1990 9:30 a.m. STS-35 - COLUMBIA (OV 102) The solid rocket booster retrieval ships arrived at Hangar AF on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at about noon yester- day. The right booster parachute failed to separate from the booster at water impact. Officials are looking into why the pyrotechnic parachute separation devices failed. The boosters will be disassembled at Hangar AF in preparation for refurbish- ment. STS-39 - DISCOVERY (OV 103) - OPF BAY 1 Freon servicing is planned this week. Operations scheduled this week include tests of the Ku-band antenna, servicing of the water spray boilers, and a functional test of the waste contain- ment system. Tests of the right orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod to verify the internal screens in the propellant tanks have been successful at the Hypergolic Maintenance Facility (HMF). Tests will continue this week with the pod in a horizontal position. STS-37 - ATLANTIS (OV 104) - OPF BAY 2 Residual oxidizer and fuel propellants were drained from the orbital maneuvering system crossfeed lines and manifold and the bay was reopened for normal work early this morning. Tests of the radar altimeter and landing gear hydraulic struts are scheduled this week. Preparations are underway to remove the left OMS pod. Pod removal is scheduled Saturday, to be followed by transfer to the HMF for post-flight operations. The number 3 auxiliary power unit was disconnected in preparation for removal. STS-39 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB Stacking operations are continuing in the VAB. The right aft center segment was mated shortly after midnight. The right for- ward center segment was transferred from the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility to the VAB and stacking of that segment is scheduled to begin today. # # # # Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 2:32 PM EST Msg: MJJA-1657-4614 From: PAO.POST To: PAO, (C:USA, ADMD:TELEMAIL, PRMD:NASAMAIL, O:NASA, UN:GSFC) Subj: Dateline for Wednesday, December 5, 1990 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1990 LABORATORY FOR ASTRONOMY AND SOLAR PHYSICS SEMINAR: Dr. Leo Blitz, from the University of Maryland, will present a seminar, entitled "Direct Evidence for the Bar at the Galactic Center." The seminar will be held tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. in building 21, room 183A. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN SPACE DATA AND INFORMATION SCIENCES: Dr. David Kuck will present a seminar on "Delivering Parallel Performance" tomorrow from 10:30 a.m.-noon in the building 3 auditorium. Dr. Kuck is a professor in the computer science and electrical and computer engineering departments at the University of Illinois at Urbana. He is also the director of the Center for Supercomputing Research and Development. This seminar is part of the Space Data and Computing Division's Advances in Computational Science Seminar series. CODE 200 ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY: Take a stroll down Bourbon Street to the Management Operations Directorate Mardi Gras Festival. The Code 200 Annual Awards Ceremony will be held tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the building 8 auditorium. Mardi Gras attire is encouraged. SEMINAR: Legg, Mason, Wood, Walker, Inc., will present a seminar on 1990's Guide to Financial, Estate and Retirement Planning. The seminar will be held today, building 3 auditorium from ll:30 a.m. to l2:30 p.m. Some of the topics covered will be IRA Rollover, 5-10 year forward averaging, tax management consideration and much more. The seminar is sponsored by GEWA. RED CROSS BLOODMOBILE: The Red Cross Bloodmobile will accept blood donations in the building 8 auditorium today from 8:30 a.m. until 2:15 p.m. We need all types of blood, but especially B and O. Please call x6-8601 to schedule your donation. GSFC SAFETY AWARD CEREMONY: The Goddard Safety Award Ceremony will be held today. Dr. John Klineberg will present the awards in the building 3 auditorium from 2:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. Refreshments will follow. Call Pat Greco on x6-6118 or Phillip Nessler on x6- 4693 for more information. There will be an interpreter for hearing impaired employees. PRODUCT DEMONSTRATION: Tomorrow, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the ITC (building 18, room 173), ESDU International invites you to a presentation of its "Validated Engineering Data & Software." ESDU provides a service of validated design data comprising accurate, up-to-date information, based on worldwide sources. It is validated and endorsed by committees of international experts. If you have any questions, please call the ITC Coordinator at x6-7285. APPALACHIA MOUNTAIN TRUCK: The Appalachia Mountain Truck will be parked in the building 8 visitor's parking lot tomorrow to receive your Christmas donations of clean useable or new toys, household items, clothing and canned food for the Appalachia poor. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: There is a need for volunteers to help load the Appalachian Mountain Trucks on pickup days. An hour of your time during lunch or after work will help to ensure that this important work can continue. PROJECT ANGEL TREE: A heartfelt thank you from the Goddard Bible Club to over 100 generous GSFC employees who purchased Christmas gifts for the children of prison inmates. A total of 160 gifts plus monetary donations have been pledged. If you took an angel but have not yet returned the gift, please do so this week. For more information, call Barbara Scott at x6-6756. ITEMS OF INTEREST: Join the Goddard Running and Orienteering Club for an introduction to the sport of Orienteering, or "cunning running." We will have an introductory video followed by a question and answer period tomorrow at noon in building 22, room 271. An orienteering meet in Greenbelt Park on December 16 (registration from 12-2 p.m.) will allow our members to try their hand at this novel sport. GODDARD CONSERVATION CLUB: The Goddard Conservation Club would like to invite you to come to the next meeting to learn about local environmental action. We also will discuss ways to take action as an individual. Join us today, from 12-1 p.m. in room 8 of building 2. MAD AUDITIONS FOR "ON GOLDEN POND": Auditions will be held December 7 at 6 p.m. and December 8 at 10 a.m. in building 3 auditorium. Callbacks will be December 9 at noon in building 3 auditorium. Cuttings are available from Tricia Kennedy in building 1, room 239, extension x6-2329. ART SALE: The Hauss Galleries Art Sale, sponsored by the Goddard Art Club, is today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the entrance lobby outside the library in building 21. Stop by at lunchtime and shop for paintings as low as $9.50. Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 3:53 PM EST Msg: BJJA-1657-4785 From: PAO.POST To: PAO Subj: MSFC Status Report No. 16 Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 3:31 PM EST Msg: BJJA-1524-2711/20 From: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,SN:MSFC,FN:PUBINFO) To: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:P), (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:PAO.LOOP), JRUFF/GSFCMAIL Subj: MSFC STATUS REPORT NO. 16 & WUPPE STATUS REPORT NO. 5 Astro 1 Mission Report #16 12:23 p.m. CST, December 4, 1990 2/11:33 MET Spacelab Mission Operations Control Marshall Space Flight Center "We had some last minute excitement at the control center this morning," Astro Mission Manager Jack Jones began his press briefing at 9:30 a.m. CST today. "It appears at this time we have a good healthy payload. All the instruments are up and working, and all the pointing systems appear to be pointing nominally at this time. Eliminating any unforeseen events, I think we're off and ready to go. There may be some minor refinements, but I believe we're in the mode to start getting science." Spacelab operators had stayed busy during the night bringing up the Instrument Pointing System and its optical sensor package which provide automatic pointing to target stars for the three Astro ultraviolet telescopes. After early difficulties loading software into the star trackers, a misloaded computer patch had put the system back at "square zero," according to Jones. But efforts to reload the system proceeded much more quickly the second time, and by the time of the briefing, Jones reported that the IPS was in the "automatic fine track mode, working very stably now." Also at the briefing, Broad Band X-Ray Telescope principal investigator Peter Serlemitsos showed "first light" spectra for his independently-mounted telescope, taken of the star Capella around 6 a.m. CST. Asked if the instrument would be making discoveries not possible with previous telescopes, Serlemitsos replied, "We did not work for the last ten years to say 'me too.' We are putting up an instrument that does observations for the first time." He pointed out that the X-ray telescope would have better resolution and observe across wider energy bands than any before it. In addition, co-observations of the same targets in both the ultraviolet and X-rays would multiply the discoveries. Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 3:54 PM EST Msg: LJJA-1657-4795 From: PAO.POST To: PAO Subj: WUPPE Status No. 5 Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 3:36 PM EST Msg: CJJA-1524-2712/20 From: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,SN:MSFC,FN:PUBINFO) To: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:P), (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:PAO.LOOP), JRUFF/GSFCMAIL Subj: WUPPE STATUS REPORT NO. 5 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON WUPPE STATUS REPORT NO. 5 A.M., TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1990 The Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE) acquired its third object, a magnetic white dwarf star, at approximately 7 p.m. Monday (December 3). The WUPPE science team was able to obtain about 4 minutes of observation time on the star known as G70D8247. White dwarfs are small stars, about the size of the Earth, but that have masses approximating those of our sun. Some astronomers have likened white dwarfs to stellar diamonds, because as they evolve they produce large amounts of carbon at their cores. And since they are so massive, gravity exerts anormous pressure, similar to subterranean pressures of Earth that produce diamonds. In the presence of oxygen, such conditions produce diamonds. The white dwarf observed by WUPPE has a magnetic field about 100 million times stronger than the Earth's. Only about 1 to 5 percent of white dwarfs have strong magnetic fields. The strong magnetic field is of interest to WUPPE because light emitted in the prescence of a strong magnetic fields polarizes light, a condition where the photons that make up the light waves, instead of having random mations (up, down, back, forth and diagonally), all move in the same direction. The WUPPE instrument continues to perform well. Despite the loss of one of its onboard computers, the WUPPE science team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison is extremely pleased with quality of the data being collected by the telescope now orbiting the Earth aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. ### Command? -- -Greg Hennessy, University of Virginia USPS Mail: Astronomy Department, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475 USA Internet: gsh7w@virginia.edu UUCP: ...!uunet!virginia!gsh7w Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com