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Дата: 02 ноября 1998 (1998-11-02) От: Alexander Bondugin Тема: Astronomers discover galaxy in our cosmic back yard (Forwarded) Привет всем! Вот, свалилось из Internet... University Communications New Mexico State Univeristy Las Cruces, New Mexico Astronomers discover galaxy in our cosmic back yard By Karl Hill Two New Mexico State University astronomers teamed up with colleagues in the Netherlands to discover a large galaxy in the immediate neighborhood of our own Milky Way galaxy. Rene Walterbos, head of the astronomy department at NMSU, said the previously undetected galaxy is only about 20 million light years away -- a very close neighbor by galactic standards. "It is surprising that we apparently have not found all the large nearby galaxies," Walterbos said. "Astronomers have been finding a lot of dwarf galaxies, but this is a fairly substantial galaxy." Several large nearby galaxies lurking behind the dusty absorbing band of the Milky Way have also been discovered over the past decade, but this is the first large nearby galaxy found in the modern astronomical era that is only mildly obscured in this way. Because it is the first nearby galaxy discovered in the constellation Cepheus, the newly discovered galaxy was named Cepheus 1. It belongs to a class known as Low Surface Brightness (LSB) galaxies, in which stars are spread further apart than in most galaxies. Signs of Cepheus 1 were first noticed in observations made with the Dwingeloo 25-meter radio telescope in the Netherlands. Robert Braun of the Netherlands Foundation for Research in Astronomy and Butler Burton of Leiden University had been using that telescope to study compact clouds of hydrogen gas found swarming around the Milky Way. The motions of these gas clouds could be measured by their Doppler shifts -- changes in the wavelengths of the signals coming from the clouds -- and one was seen to move differently from the others. Braun and Burton contacted Walterbos and Charles Hoopes, a doctoral student in astronomy at NMSU, who used the 3.5-meter optical telescope at Apache Point Observatory to verify that the hydrogen gas signature corresponded to a new galaxy. Apache Point, high in the Sacramento Mountains on one of the best observing sites in North America, is operated by NMSU for the Astrophysical Research Consortium, a group of seven universities and research institutions. "This demonstrates very well the capabilities of Apache Point," Walterbos said. "It required a rapid response and it involved three different observational techniques." The optical picture obtained by Apache Point showed what the astronomers described as a "rather anemic-looking galaxy" with only a few sites of recent star formation scattered across a large area. Further radio observations from the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in British Columbia revealed that the weak optical signal was embedded in a much larger and rapidly rotating disk of hydrogen gas, characteristic of a robust spiral galaxy. Walterbos said Cepheus 1 is one of the dozen largest nearby spiral galaxies, "and one of only two large Low Surface Brightness spirals that we know of in the nearby universe." LSB galaxies can be massive, with copious amounts of gas within them, but the gas is evolving to form stars very slowly compared with other galaxies, the astronomers said. Most galaxies occur in large clusters or groups and interact with each other gravitationally. The largest galaxies are believed to evolve by cannibalizing smaller ones. The Milky Way and its nearest large neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, are on a collision course and probably will merge dramatically in a few billion years. LSB galaxies, on the other hand, are commonly found in quite empty regions of space. With little external influence on their internal circumstances, the process of star formation is not triggered efficiently, leaving vast reservoirs of gas but only a few young, bright stars. Discovery of Cepheus 1 gives astronomers a nearby example of LSB galaxies to study in detail. It also represents another step in completing the census of galaxies in the local neighborhood, which is important to determining the mass and luminosity characteristics of these fundamental building blocks of the universe. A scientific article on the discovery by the four astronomers will appear in the January 1999 issue of the "Astronomical Journal," published by the American Astronomical Society. Andrew Yee ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca Hа сегодня все, пока! =SANA=

Дата: 02 ноября 1998 (1998-11-02) От: Alexander Bondugin Тема: Air Force Weather Agency supports shuttle mission (Forwarded) Привет всем! Вот, свалилось из Internet... Air Force News Service Released: 28 Oct 1998 Air Force Weather Agency supports shuttle mission By Tech. Sgt. Mike Jones, Air Force Weather Agency Public Affairs OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFPN) -- Although technology characterizes shuttle launches as routine nowadays, pulling it off requires a unique combination of technical wizardry -- especially when it comes to predicting weather conditions. Members from the 45th Weather Squadron are helping to bridge that weather forecasting gap with a precise blend of information technology and training that appears to render it clairvoyant. Numerous pre-launch details have been completed this week as shuttle crew members, including Sen. John Glenn, make final preparations for an historic launch Oct. 29. Mastering such launch variables as predicting equipment operating efficiency, fuel requirements and orbital trajectories, technicians have coordinated countless successful launches. "We support a number of other launch, support and flight operations where unexpected weather conditions could be a show stopper," said Col. David P. Urbanski, 45th WS commander. Urbanski discussed the importance of weather forecasting during the solid rocket booster recovery phase. He also detailed contingency weather forecast services his squadron provides for the shuttle's search and rescue mission. "There's just so much more that goes into launching a shuttle mission than what most people see," Urbanski explained. "Every aspect is executed individually and then fused into the flawless launches people have come to expect. We've been doing this shuttle support mission for quite some time. In fact, Mr. Edward Priselac has been our dedicated launch weather officer for the past 11 years -- so if anyone knows the weather intricacies surrounding shuttle launches -- it's him." Priselac identified four critical operations that are completed prior to the shuttle's launch. He explained that each operation is conducted within a set of weather parameters that, if exceeded, would prohibit launch. "These prohibitions, or launch constraints as we refer to them, cover time periods from post flight inspections of the shuttle and boosters to fueling operations prior to a scheduled flight," said Priselac. The LWO works in conjunction with a nine-member, highly specialized launch weather team to ensure the myriad of constraint criteria are monitored. Winds, lightning, temperature and precipitation are tracked carefully, and must remain within identified ranges for the LWO to clear a launch. Each shuttle mission, based on its objective, has a specific launch window during which the craft must take off. Failure to meet that launch window results in a launch scrub and rescheduling, both timely and expensive set backs. The launch window for the Oct. 29 scheduled liftoff is 2 to 4:30 p.m. EST. Priselac, a veteran of several dozen weather launch delays, said that even with all of the improvements in forecasting capabilities weather forces are still pretty dynamic. "Even though wind and precipitation conditions are constantly changing we're forecasting a zero probability of weather conditions negatively impacting tomorrow's scheduled launch," Priselac said. "NASA requires weather forecasts projected four-days prior to scheduled shuttle launches. That lead time helps launch officials pinpoint the exact launch window. We're gleaning information from several sources to help analyze weather's potential impact." Priselac mentioned the Air Force Weather Agency here is a provider of specialized severe weather modeling products and satellite data which helps improve weather forecasting accuracy for launch officials. Other players in the Oct. 29 launch include the National Weather Service Spaceflight Meteorology Group. Referred to as SMG, the group is located in Houston at the Mission Control Center in NASA's Johnson Space Center. Wayne Baggett, a lead forecaster for SMG, said both military and civilian agencies generate a variety of highly detailed weather products. Some forecasters reference AFWA's Air Force Weather Information Network for hazardous weather updates on specific regional areas. These products help SMG prepare forecasts for shuttle mission aborts and improves awareness of local weather conditions at strategic tracking and alternate landing locations. Products provided by AFWIN also serve as a backup to information provided by other specialized weather agencies. The only thing left now for the Oct. 29 mission is the actual launch countdown. "It's still going to be a tough call," said Priselac. "Although weather conditions at launch time aren't projected to exceed constraints, we have to stay responsive to any potential developments. We fully expect another flawless launch given all of the technical support focused. This flight is tracking green for a go!" Andrew Yee ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca Hа сегодня все, пока! =SANA=

Дата: 02 ноября 1998 (1998-11-02) От: Alexander Bondugin Тема: Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Hubble Orbiting Systems Test to fly a Привет всем! Вот, свалилось из Internet... Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Contact: Buddy Nelson, (510) 797-0349 Pager: (888) 916-1797 Email: buddy1@home.com 98-112 LOCKHEED MARTIN MISSILES & SPACE HUBBLE ORBITING SYSTEMS TEST TO FLY ABOARD STS-95 SUNNYVALE, Calif., October 29, 1998 -- The Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Hubble Space Telescope (HST) project office at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md., is part of the team that prepared the Hubble Orbiting Systems Test (HOST) platform for flight aboard STS-95. The HOST platform will reside in the payload bay of the space shuttle Discovery throughout the flight. "Early in our preparations for the next Hubble Servicing Mission in May 2000, the HST team here saw STS-95 as a unique opportunity to validate some of the components that will be installed on the telescope," says Jim Kelley, Lockheed Martin Hubble Space Telescope program manager at GSFC. "The entire government and industry team pulled together to meet a very aggressive schedule and take advantage of this flight opportunity, and I'm certain that what we learn from HOST will greatly benefit the Hubble program." There are six experiments on the HOST platform: The Near-Infrared Camera Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Cooling System (NCS) will allow zero-g verification of a new cooler which should allow longer life operation than the current dewar system. This cooler is vibration free and could extend the life of NICMOS by at least 5 years. The HST 486 Computer will allow the identification of any radiation susceptible circuits in the computer replacement unit that will be installed during the next servicing mission. This computer will provide twice as much memory and three times the processor speed of the present computer and co-processor combined. Solid State Recorder (SSR) will compare on-orbit operation of the flight spare solid-state recorder with the current HST unit. Astronauts will install it during the next servicing mission to replace the tape recorder presently on Hubble. Fiber Optic Line Test will use a fiber optic line to examine the same data stream that is sent to the orbiter's Payload Data Interrogator. The results will be routed to a laptop computer for post-flight comparison. Fiber optics is expected to vastly improve Shuttle payload processing efficiency. Pulse Height Analysis (PHA) instrument will measure radiation levels of heavy ions that can affect the performance of electronic components. Space Acceleration Measurement System for Free Flyers (SAMS-FF) will measure vibrations produced by the NICMOS cooler. Large vibrations could affect HST's precision pointing capabilities. "The HST project will utilize data from HOST to better assess the performance of the NCS, the HST 486 computer, and the Solid-State Recorder," says Kelley. "We'll look at how well the NCS works, from both a cooling and jitter perspective, and further evaluate the susceptibility of the HST 486 and SSR to the space radiation environment. These aren't qualification tests or acceptance tests, but rather a special occasion to learn more about how these systems perform in space." Missiles & Space has played a leading role on the HST team since being selected by NASA in 1977 to design and build the spacecraft and provide spacecraft systems integration. Since the 1990 launch, Missiles & Space and Lockheed Martin Technical Operations personnel in Sunnyvale, Calif., and at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, have helped NASA manage the day-to-day spacecraft operations of the telescope, and have provided extensive preparation and training for the telescope servicing missions. In the eight years since launch on April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has proven to be a premier astronomical observatory that is performing dramatic observations and making discoveries at the forefront of astronomy. It has made over 120,000 observations, and given rise to thousands of scientific reports and research papers. HST has stayed on the scientific forefront because the telescope is serviced every few years to replace existing scientific instruments with advanced state of the art instruments; its scientific productivity has also increased as data and power systems have been upgraded with regular servicing missions. The telescope is scheduled to be serviced in March 2000 and again in March of 2003. HST is planned to operate until 2010. Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is a leading supplier of satellites and space systems to military, civil government and commercial communications organizations around the world. These spacecraft and systems have enhanced military and commercial communications; provided new and timely remote-sensing information; and furnished new data for thousands of scientists studying our planet and the universe. Andrew Yee ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca Hа сегодня все, пока! =SANA=

Дата: 02 ноября 1998 (1998-11-02) От: Alexander Bondugin Тема: News Media Can Track John Glenn's Return to Space on the MSFC Web (For Привет всем! Вот, свалилось из Internet... Steve Roy Media Relations Office Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL 35812 (256) 544-6535 Steve.Roy@msfc.nasa.gov http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news For Release: October 23, 1998 NOTE TO EDITORS: 98-213 News Media Can Track John Glenn's Return to Space on the Web Before and during Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-95 mission, the new Marshall Center Newsroom Website will post daily updates highlighting John Glenn's science and commercial product experiment activities during the nine-day mission. The "virtual newsroom" is at: http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news Available now: * Fact Sheet on John Glenn's microgravity experiments * Video and photographs of Glenn preparing for the mission. * Background on Glenn's experiments, featuring: * Latest research results on super insulator Aerogel * Latest research results on insulin crystal growth * Latest research results on Respiratory Syncytial Virus * Background on the Microgravity Research Program * Why NASA grows protein crystals in space * All recent news releases related to Glenn's microgravity experiments * Points of contact to call for interviews * Links to related material: * STS-95 mission press kit * Microgravity Research Program Website * Fact Sheets on the STS-95 microgravity experiments Available during the Discovery flight: * News tips on Glenn's next microgravity experiments -- updated daily * Still and video images of Glenn and Discovery's crew -- updated daily * Updated contact information for interviews with researchers at: * NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas * NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida * NASA's Marshall Center. Check out our Website today or call Steve Roy or Bob Thompson of the Marshall Center Media Relations Office at (256) 544-6535. Andrew Yee ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca Hа сегодня все, пока! =SANA=

Дата: 02 ноября 1998 (1998-11-02) От: Alexander Bondugin Тема: Full Circle: Inspired by John Glenn, Space Shuttle Managers Prepare , Привет всем! Вот, свалилось из Internet... June Malone Media Relations Office Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL 35812 (256) 544-7061/0034 June.Malone@msfc.nasa.gov http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news For Release: October 27, 1998 NEWS RELEASE: 98-214 Full Circle: Inspired by John Glenn, Space Shuttle Managers Prepare to Give Hero a Ride Back into Space Alex McCool remembers being "in awe" of John Glenn. Shortly after Glenn's historic Friendship 7 flight, McCool found himself sitting next to Glenn in a Houston meeting, listening as legendary rocket scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun outlined the propulsion strategy that would launch Americans to the Moon. Now, 36 years later, McCool, manager of the Space Shuttle Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., expresses a sense of honor and humility at the responsibility to safely return an American hero to space. "It really touches me," said McCool. "I feel honored to be part of the STS-95 mission of the Shuttle Discovery. It's a humbling experience to know that he's flying on our propulsion system." The Marshall Center is responsible for propulsion elements for all Shuttle flights, including the sophisticated Space Shuttle main engines, solid rocket boosters, solid rocket motors and the huge external fuel tank. McCool recalled the conversation over lunch that spring day in 1962. "John started talking about Ted Williams' baseball success -- they were Marine pilots together in World War II and the Korean War. Williams was about 40 years old and his baseball career was ending," said McCool. "Back then, folks in their 40s seemed old, and I remember John saying, 'You're not over the hill when you turn 40.' "That stuck with me ever since," said McCool, 74, "and now he's almost twice that age and getting ready to fly again." Like McCool, many of the people who are now responsible for Glenn's ride back into space were somehow inspired or motivated by his achievement. John Chapman, deputy manager of the Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster project at Marshall, was a fifth grader at Pine Street School in Spartanburg, S.C., when Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. "I remember it like it was yesterday," said Chapman. "Our typically squirming fifth-grade class was totally calm and quiet listening to the launch on the radio. "When I got home from school that afternoon, my dad -- who was an architect and happened to stay home from work that day -- was bowled over, choked up with emotion, the whole day after watching Glenn's launch on TV," said Chapman. "Americans felt a phenomenal sense of pride in what Glenn did then, and I'm just tickled to death and extremely honored to be part of his second flight," he said. Adding to Chapman's keen interest in Glenn's first flight was a family vacation to Washington, D.C., only months before Glenn's 1962 flight atop an Atlas rocket. "Dad took a picture of me next to a full-size, bright silver, stainless steel mock-up of an Atlas rocket at the Smithsonian Institution," remembered Chapman, "and after that, he says I told him I was going to work on those things." Chapman said he doesn't remember a time when he didn't want to make "flying machines" his career. He's spent all 25 years of his career working on rockets -- namely the Space Shuttle. And will this Shuttle launch be different than others? "Slightly, perhaps," said Chapman. "It will be an emotional moment to hear whatever is said as we approach liftoff. But in terms of our standard responsibility to make sure everything is done right, it's absolutely no different than any other I've ever been involved in -- they've all got to be done exactly right." Keith Henson, manager of the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor project at the Marshall Center, echoes Chapman. "Every person working on propulsion for the Space Shuttle has a strong awareness that this is serious business. In that regard, this one is just as serious but no different than the last one and the next one," said Henson. Fresh out of college, Henson started work in the Aeroballistics Laboratory at the Marshall Center about a year before Glenn's flight. "We were doing aerodynamic work on the Saturn program, headed to the Moon. John Glenn's flight proved to us that it would work, that you could do it," said Henson. "Now, we're really pulling for him because this man has again committed to serve our country, to go beyond the call of duty," said Henson. "It's an honor for us to be giving him this ride to space. It makes us feel like we're in the saddle with him." George Hopson, manager of the Space Shuttle Main Engine project office at the Marshall Center, was working in Fort Worth, Texas, for General Dynamics when Glenn made history. Hopson recalled the American public was "genuinely alarmed" after the Russians launched the first satellite and the first human in space. "John Glenn's flight helped restore the confidence of Americans and captured my imagination for working on a program that almost had patriotic connotations," said Hopson. "When a recruiting team from Marshall Space Flight Center came to Fort Worth, I applied," said Hopson, "and I've enjoyed every minute of my work here. Working on the Saturn launch vehicle and the Space Shuttle makes a person feel like a small part of history." Parker Counts, manager of the External Tank project at the Marshall Center, was a senior at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville when Glenn achieved what Counts remembers as the "magnificent event." "It's a privilege to be involved in this next launch and to reflect on all the accomplishments of almost 40 years of human space flight," said Counts. "In a way, it brings the loop to full closure to send a pioneer back to space. We're coming full circle and it's a wonderful tribute to John Glenn's abilities and to America's space program." - end - Note to Editors: Interviews supporting this release are available to media representatives by contacting June Malone, Media Relations Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, at Kennedy Space Center, (407) 867-2468. For an electronic version of this release, visit Marshall's new virtual News Center: http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news Other NASA Web sites featuring Space Shuttle information include: Space Shuttle Projects Office http://shuttle.nasa.gov Andrew Yee ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca Hа сегодня все, пока! =SANA=

Дата: 02 ноября 1998 (1998-11-02) От: Alexander Bondugin Тема: Air Force research laboratory researchers recall John Glenn before his Привет всем! Вот, свалилось из Internet... Air Force News Service Released: 26 Oct 1998 Air Force research laboratory researchers recall John Glenn before his earth orbit By Bobbie Mixon Jr., Aeronautical Systems Center Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- Before John Glenn was "John Glenn," he was one of about three dozen people who might be famous someday. So says Air Force Research Laboratory research physiologist John Frazier, who was here in 1959 when the erstwhile astronaut candidate arrived for physiological and psychological testing. "An astronaut? What's that?" Frazier mused remembering his first impressions of a group of 40 men, largely fighter pilots, who were vying to be the country's first spacemen. "We knew they were special, but didn't fully appreciate how famous they were going to become." Today, John Glenn is the senior U.S. Senator from Ohio. In 1962, he was the first American to orbit Earth. More than 36 years later, Glenn, now 77, is poised to venture into space a second t