Return-Path: <@earn-relay.ac.uk:spacenws-request@ISU.ISUNET.EDU> Received: from mail-relay.ja.net by elegabalus.cs.qub.ac.uk (NeXT-1.0 (From Sendmail 5.52)/NeXT-2.0) id AA00335; Thu, 29 Sep 94 10:43:55 BST Message-Id: <9409290943.AA00335@ elegabalus.cs.qub.ac.uk > Via: uk.ac.earn-relay; Thu, 29 Sep 1994 10:44:41 +0100 Received: from UKACRL by UK.AC.RL.IB (Mailer R2.10 ptf000) with BSMTP id 2371; Thu, 29 Sep 94 10:38:34 BST Received: from IB.RL.AC.UK by UKACRL.BITNET (Mailer R2.10 ptf000) with BSMTP id 6120; Thu, 29 Sep 94 10:36:57 BST Date: Thu, 29 Sep 1994 05:20:38 LCL Reply-To: Space-News-request@isu.isunet.edu Sender: spacenws-request@isu.isunet.edu From: Space News Digest maintainer Subject: Space News Digest V1 #117 Comments: To: "Space News Digest Readers"@isu.isunet.edu To: Multiple recipients of list SPACENWS Status: O X-Status: Space News Digest Thu, 29 Sep 94 Volume 1 : Issue 117 Today's Topics: Daily Summary of Solar Geophysical Activity for 28 September JPL/TOPEX/Poseidon El Nino remnants Orbiting Satellites, 09/22/94 Welcome to the Space News Digest!! Please send your (un)subscription requests of the form "Subscribe SpaceNws " to: listserv@uga.cc.uga.edu . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 28 Sep 1994 21:40:47 -0700 From: Cary Oler Subject: Daily Summary of Solar Geophysical Activity for 28 September Newsgroups: sci.space.news /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ DAILY SUMMARY OF SOLAR GEOPHYSICAL ACTIVITY 28 SEPTEMBER, 1994 /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ (Based In-Part On SESC Observational Data) SOLAR AND GEOPHYSICAL ACTIVITY INDICES FOR 28 SEPTEMBER, 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------- !!BEGIN!! (1.0) S.T.D. Solar Geophysical Data Broadcast for DAY 271, 09/28/94 10.7 FLUX=074.0 90-AVG=079 SSN=035 BKI=4344 2110 BAI=013 BGND-XRAY=A2.3 FLU1=1.8E+05 FLU10=1.4E+04 PKI=4344 2221 PAI=013 BOU-DEV=042,031,063,065,010,006,006,003 DEV-AVG=028 NT SWF=00:000 XRAY-MAX= A7.7 @ 0335UT XRAY-MIN= A1.9 @ 0114UT XRAY-AVG= A3.3 NEUTN-MAX= +002% @ 2325UT NEUTN-MIN= -001% @ 1210UT NEUTN-AVG= +0.5% PCA-MAX= +0.1DB @ 1635UT PCA-MIN= -0.1DB @ 2145UT PCA-AVG= +0.0DB BOUTF-MAX=55215NT @ 0251UT BOUTF-MIN=55183NT @ 1648UT BOUTF-AVG=55201NT GOES7-MAX=P:+000NT@ 0000UT GOES7-MIN=N:+000NT@ 0000UT G7-AVG=+063,+000,+000 GOES6-MAX=P:+117NT@ 2126UT GOES6-MIN=N:-019NT@ 1846UT G6-AVG=+091,+030,-004 FLUXFCST=STD:074,075,077;SESC:074,075,077 BAI/PAI-FCST=012,010,007/012,010,010 KFCST=2222 3111 2222 2111 27DAY-AP=011,006 27DAY-KP=4323 1133 3311 2111 WARNINGS= ALERTS= !!END-DATA!! NOTE: The Effective Sunspot Number for 27 SEP 94 was 18.0. The Full Kp Indices for 27 SEP 94 are: 4- 3o 4- 4+ 3o 2o 2- 3- The 3-Hr Ap Indices for 27 SEP 94 are: 22 16 24 32 14 9 7 13 Greater than 2 MeV Electron Fluence for 28 SEP is: 2.4E+07 SYNOPSIS OF ACTIVITY -------------------- Solar activity was very low. No significant activity noted as disk and limb remain stable. Solar activity forecast: solar activity is expected to be very low. The geomagnetic field has been at mostly quiet to active levels for the past 24 hours with a brief period of minor storm activity reported at high latitude stations from 28/09-12Z. The greater than 2 MeV energetic electron flux was generally moderate with a brief period of high activity from 28/21-23Z. Geophysical activity forecast: the geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly quiet to unsettled for the next three days. Event probabilities 29 sep-01 oct Class M 01/01/01 Class X 01/01/01 Proton 01/01/01 PCAF Green Geomagnetic activity probabilities 29 sep-01 oct A. Middle Latitudes Active 20/10/10 Minor Storm 05/05/01 Major-Severe Storm 01/01/01 B. High Latitudes Active 20/15/10 Minor Storm 15/10/05 Major-Severe Storm 05/01/01 HF propagation conditions continued below-normal over the high and polar latitude paths, although conditions were improving by the end of the UTC day. Propagation should continue to improve over all regions and return to near-normal by 30 September. STD ESTIMATED CORONAL HOLE BOUNDARY LOCATIONS DERIVED FROM YOHKOH X-RAYS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VALID AT 01:10UTC 28SEP94 "!H!" = Highly probable coronal hole locations. "!W!" = Weak x-ray emissions (possible weak coronal holes). !!! ! ! DOY=271 VALID=01:10UTC 28SEP94 !H! N33E90 N32E80 N26E81 N24E78 N26E72 N24E63 N18E61 N13E57 N12E55 !H! N10E55 N08E57 N08E52 N11E51 N12E47 N10E41 N06E35 N04E34 N06E30 N14E33 !H! N15E39 N18E41 N24E42 N28E40 N30E33 N30E24 N32E26 N36E34 N42E50 N48E59 !H! N52E76 N62E73 N68E67 N76E66 N80E41 N77E04 N72W29 N66W37 N60W53 N61W60 !H! N64W90 ! ! !H! S70E90 S56E37 S56E26 S62E22 S80E90 ! ! !W! S16E03 S21W06 S18W10 S14W03 S14E01 S16E03 !!! COPIES OF JOINT USAF/NOAA SESC SOLAR GEOPHYSICAL REPORTS ======================================================== REGIONS WITH SUNSPOTS. LOCATIONS VALID AT 28/2400Z SEPTEMBER ------------------------------------------------------------ NMBR LOCATION LO AREA Z LL NN MAG TYPE 7781 S07W74 223 0050 CSO 06 003 BETA 7782 N03W79 227 0000 AXX 01 001 ALPHA 7783 S07E45 103 0070 HSX 02 001 ALPHA REGIONS DUE TO RETURN 29 SEPTEMBER TO 01 OCTOBER NMBR LAT LO 7776 S03 053 LISTING OF SOLAR ENERGETIC EVENTS FOR 28 SEPTEMBER, 1994 -------------------------------------------------------- BEGIN MAX END RGN LOC XRAY OP 245MHZ 10CM SWEEP NONE POSSIBLE CORONAL MASS EJECTION EVENTS FOR 28 SEPTEMBER, 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------ BEGIN MAX END LOCATION TYPE SIZE DUR II IV NO EVENTS OBSERVED INFERRED CORONAL HOLES. LOCATIONS VALID AT 28/2400Z --------------------------------------------------- ISOLATED HOLES AND POLAR EXTENSIONS EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH CAR TYPE POL AREA OBSN 06 N30E63 N07E42 N18E23 N45E63 111 ISO POS 023 10830A 07 N65E88 N51E43 N51E43 N65E88 086 EXT POS 006 10830A SUMMARY OF FLARE EVENTS FOR THE PREVIOUS UTC DAY ------------------------------------------------ Date Begin Max End Xray Op Region Locn 2695 MHz 8800 MHz 15.4 GHz ------ ---- ---- ---- ---- -- ------ ------ --------- --------- --------- 27 Sep: 0754 0823 0859 B1.4 0925 0929 0932 B1.3 1507 1515 1549 B2.0 SF 7781 S09W55 1843 1847 1850 B1.1 SF 7781 S06W59 REGION FLARE STATISTICS FOR THE PREVIOUS UTC DAY ------------------------------------------------ C M X S 1 2 3 4 Total (%) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --- ------ Region 7781: 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 002 (50.0) Uncorrellated: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 002 (50.0) Total Events: 004 optical and x-ray. EVENTS WITH SWEEPS AND/OR OPTICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE LAST UTC DAY ---------------------------------------------------------------- Date Begin Max End Xray Op Region Locn Sweeps/Optical Observations ------ ---- ---- ---- ---- -- ------ ------ --------------------------- NO EVENTS OBSERVED. NOTES: All times are in Universal Time (UT). Characters preceding begin, max, and end times are defined as: B = Before, U = Uncertain, A = After. All times associated with x-ray flares (ex. flares which produce associated x-ray bursts) refer to the begin, max, and end times of the x-rays. Flares which are not associated with x-ray signatures use the optical observations to determine the begin, max, and end times. Acronyms used to identify sweeps and optical phenomena include: II = Type II Sweep Frequency Event III = Type III Sweep IV = Type IV Sweep V = Type V Sweep Continuum = Continuum Radio Event Loop = Loop Prominence System, Spray = Limb Spray, Surge = Bright Limb Surge, EPL = Eruptive Prominence on the Limb. SPECIAL INSERT: YOHKOH FULL-DISK X-RAY IMAGE -------------------------------------------- 28 September 1994, 01:10 UTC North ...... . ....,.,.,,,.,.......... .....,,,,::::::::::::::,,,..... ..,.,,,,,.... . ......,,,,,,,,:,:::::,:::::,:,,,,....,,,,,::::,.... . ...,. .,::,,,,,,,,,,,,::;:::,,,,,,,,,,,,.,,,,,:::,,... ..... .,.,.,,,..,,...,,,,,,,:,,,,,,,.,,,,,....,,,,::,,... . .,. ........,.,.,.,...,,,,,,,,:,,,,,,.,,....,,,,::::,,,.. ...,:, ...,::::,,.,,,,,.,,:,,,,,,,,,,,.,,..,,,,,,,:::,,,... ...,,. . ..,:::::,,,,,,..,,,,:,:,,,,,:,..,,.,.,,,,,,::::,... ..,::,,. ...,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.....,..,,,,,,;;::,,.. ..,,:;;:,. . ,,,,,:::::,,.,::::,,,:,,,,::,:,,,,,,.,,......,,,,,:-;;::,.. ....,:;---;:, . .,,,,,,,::,,:::::::::,::::,:::::::,,,,,-;.......,,,,;;;::,.. ...,:;-|++;:,. ...,,,,::::::::,,:::,,:::::::::,,,,,.,..,,...,,,,,:;;;::,,. .,::;-+++-;:,..,,,,. ,,:,,,,.,,,,,,::::,:,::::,:,:,,,,..........,,,,,:;-;::,. .,:;;-++;;;;;,::;+|+:. ..,,,,,,.,,...::;;::::,,,,,,,,..........,,,,:;1+:;-;:,,. ,,:;;-||----;:;-;;-+:,..,,,,...,,..,..,:-;:,,,,,,,...,,....,,,,,,,:;|31--;;:,,. .,:;-+|1+|22-;--;;;;::,,..........,,........,,..,,,,.......,...,,:-|!21|-;::,,. .,:;;-+!|!*#!---;:::,:,..,,,.,,,,,,...., ......,,,,,,..........,,:-1@@2+-;;::,, .,::;++|!!3*3---;:,,.,,,,:::,,,,,,,......,...,,,..,,,,,,,....,.,,:;122+--;;::,, ..,;;-+|!!1!+::::,,..,:,,,,,,,:,,,,............,,:,,,,,,,,,;,...,,:;----;;::,,, ..,:;-++|+-:,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:::::,,,,,:.... .,,:;;;,:,,,.......,,,::;;;::::,,, ..,,:;;;;;:,,,,,,,,,,,:::::::,,,,,...,......:;-++-:,:,,,..,,..-:,:;;::,,,,,,. ..,,:::;;;;:,,,,,,,::,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,.,,,:-+++;:::::::,,,,,,,,;::,,,...... ..,,:::::;;::,,,,,:,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,......,:;---+-:::;::::,,,,,,:;:,,,,..... ..,,,:,:::;;;::,,,,,,,,,,,.,.,.,,..,....,,:::::;:::::::,,:::::::,,.... ...,,,,:::;;--;;:::,,,,,,,,,,,,,...,,,,,,,,::::::::::::::;;::,,,,.... ...,,,:::;;;----;:::,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:::::::::::::::::;;;::,,,...... ....,,,:::::;;;;:::,,,.. ....,,,,::::::::,,,,,,,::::::,,,,.... .....,.,.,.,,,....... ....,,,.,,,.... .. South KEY: East and west limbs are to the left and right respectively. Emission strength, from minimum to maximum are coded in the following way: [space] . , : ; - + | ! 1 2 3 4 * # @ Units used are arbitrary, for illustrative purposes. Get "showasc.zip" from "pub/solar/Software" at the anonymous FTP site: ftp.uleth.ca (IP # 142.66.3.29) to view these images on VGA screens. Remove all but the image data before typing "showasc filename". ** End of Daily Report ** ------------------------------ Date: 28 Sep 1994 17:55:27 -0700 From: Admin@ccmail.Jpl.Nasa.Gov Subject: JPL/TOPEX/Poseidon El Nino remnants Newsgroups: sci.space.news PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 Contact: Mary Hardin FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 28, 1994 More than a decade after affecting climate on a global scale, residual signs of a powerful El Nino are still visible from space. Oceanographers using data from the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite are tracking the remnant wave of the 1982-83 El Nino event as it moves across the Northwest Pacific Ocean, where some scientists theorize it may still be affecting weather in the region. El Nino is a climatic phenomenon that can bring devastating weather to several global regions, including heavy rains and flooding to California, colder than normal winters across the United States and severe droughts and dust storms to Australia. "The fact that we are seeing this wave 10 years later is an amazing discovery in and of itself," said Dr. Gregg Jacobs of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) facility located at the Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. "The ability to observe changes in global ocean circulation as we have seen over the Kuroshio region is a demonstration that the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite is the most valuable global ocean observing tool we have. We wouldn't have been able to do this work without TOPEX/Poseidon," Jacobs continued. An El Nino begins when warm water builds up in the equatorial Pacific and moves eastward toward the coast of the Americas. When this movement, called a Kelvin wave, reaches the coastline, it is "reflected" and moves back across the Pacific in the form of a Rossby wave that continues to affect climate and ocean circulation. The 1982-83 El Nino was the worst such event this century, and its effects were felt around the world. NRL oceanographers noticed the Rossby wave produced by the 1982-83 El Nino while they were studying TOPEX/Poseidon ocean-circulation data of the Kuroshio current off the coast of Japan. "The TOPEX/Poseidon data showed the Kuroshio current farther north than it has been observed in earlier data sets," said Jacobs. "While we were investigating this intriguing change, we discovered the Rossby wave was actually pushing the current northward, raising the temperature of the northwest Pacific." TOPEX/Poseidon, a joint program of NASA and the Centre Nationale d'Etudes Spatiales, the French space agency, uses a radar altimeter to precisely measure sea-surface height. Scientists use the TOPEX/Poseidon data to produce global maps of ocean circulation, which can be used to identify Kelvin and Rossby waves. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. portion of the TOPEX/Poseidon mission for NASA. TOPEX/Poseidon is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, a coordinated, long-term research program to study the Earth as a single global environment. TOPEX/Poseidon's sea- surface height data are essential to understanding the role oceans play in regulating global climate, one of the least understood areas of climate research. The TOPEX/Poseidon data will enable oceanographers to monitor the movement of other Rossby waves initiated by El Nino events during the past decade. The El Ninos of 1986-87 and 1991-93 have produced Rossby waves that are now propagating across the Pacific Ocean. With continued observations from TOPEX/Poseidon, oceanographers will be able to study the development and impact of these waves. "As we now know, these waves are capable of producing dramatic changes in climate, and TOPEX/Poseidon provides the key to watching for these changes and allowing us to prepare for them," Jacobs said. While oceanographers still can't predict exactly when an El Nino event will occur, the TOPEX/Poseidon data do give them several months warning before the onset of a new event. "And unlike El Nino events, Rossby waves are much more predictable," according to Jacobs. "Given the year of an El Nino, we know exactly when the Rossby wave's effects will be felt on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean. "As the world's population grows, humanity becomes more dependent upon reliable resources. Interruptions such as El Nino are made more devastating by their sudden, unforeseen appearance. The monitoring and understanding of the world's oceans provided by TOPEX/Poseidon helps mitigate the possible disastrous consequences of what is Earth's nature cycle." Launched Aug. 10, 1992, the satellite has completed two years of its three-year prime mission and has provided oceanographers with unprecedented global sea level measurements that are accurate to less than 5 centimeters (2 inches). ##### 9-28-94 FOD #9457 ------------------------------ Date: 28 Sep 1994 06:36:38 -0700 From: Steve Andrews Subject: Orbiting Satellites, 09/22/94 Newsgroups: sci.space.news CODE :602 INDIVIDUAL:Paul J. Pashby TITLE :Orbiting Satellites Project WEEK OF :September 22 to September 28, 1994 COMPTON GAMMA RAY OBSERVATORY (GRO) - R. Wilson ----------------------------------- The Compton observatory is in normal pointing mode. Since September 20, the +Z axis has been oriented toward 3C 317, the final science target in the phase 3 viewing plan. At this attitude the high-gain antenna boom angle with respect to the equatorial plane is 18 degrees. The next attitude maneuver, planned for October 4 to the CAS A science target, will begin the cycle 4 viewing plan. Based on the number of packets of data delivered to the instrument teams from the Packet Processor facility, the percentage of full-time coverage achieved with 32 Kbps real-time data from September 13 through September 19 was 83 percent, including 22 percent from the GRO Remote Terminal System (GRTS). Additional coverage of 5 percent was achieved with the BATSE 1 Kbps subset of data during this time. The high-gain antenna boom angle with respect to the equatorial plane was 47 degrees. INTERNATIONAL COMETARY EXPLORER (ICE) - G. Bullock ------------------------------------- Support of the ICE spacecraft continues on a routine basis. During the week of 09/19/94 through 09/25/94, 2 real time passes were supported with 15 commands transmitted. INTERPLANETARY MONITORING PLATFORM (IMP) - G. Bullock ---------------------------------------- Support of the IMP-8 spacecraft continues on a routine basis. During the week of 09/19/94 through 09/25/94, 7 real time passes were supported with 40 commands transmitted. INTERNATIONAL ULTRAVIOLET EXPLORER (IUE) - G. Bullock ---------------------------------------- HIGHLIGHTS A successful 11.3664 second orbit adjust maneuver was performed on Sept. 20 (Day 263). The spacecraft performed nominally throughout this operation. A total of 131 minutes was required to configure the spacecraft, execute the burn, and reacquire the spacecraft's pointing attitude following the burn. On Sept. 22 (Day 265), 12 minutes of science time was lost due to problems with the data received from Wallops. The cause for this data loss appears to be associated with the lines between Wallops and the IUEOCC. On Sept. 24 (Day 267), 8 minutes of science time was lost, again due to problems with the data received from Wallops. In this case it appears that the problem originated in equipment at the Wallops facility. OPERATIONS A total of 102 images were taken during the week: Long Wavelength Primary (LWP) . . . . . . . . 42 Long Wavelength Redundant (LWR) . . . . . . . 0 Short Wavelength Primary (SWP) . . . . . . . 60 OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS Total Time Available : . . . . . . . 6720 minutes Minus losses due to: Engineering tests. . . . . . . . . . .131 minutes Spacecraft Problems. . . . . . . . . . .0 minutes Ground System Problems . . . . . . . . 20 minutes Operations Problems. . . . . . . . . . .0 minutes Natural Phenomena. . . . . . . . . . . .0 minutes Time used in Science Data Ops: . . . 6570 minutes Effectiveness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97.8% EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET EXPLORER (EUVE) - K. Hartnett ----------------------------------- EUVE conducted successful observations of HD220657, the Moon and EUVE-J0053 during the reporting period. Payload and spacecraft bus performances were nominal. Reconfiguration of the payload detector electronics for the Moon observation was done completely from stored commands. This was the first operational use of this capability. Analysis, testing and test planning is ongoing for a number of other items. EUVE will continue the dithered observation of EUVE-J0053 into the coming week. SPACECRAFT STATUS The Explorer Platform performed well during the week. Plans are being developed to exercise the anomalous tape recorder B, TU-1 in the near future and assess its remaining utility. On Sept. 20, Flight Controllers at GSFC in cooperation with the GSFC FDF TONS Experimenters and the JPL DSN embarked on a six week test using EUVE to explore the technical feasibility of an alternative autonomous navigation system using the GN. The FOT is also actively participating in prototype demonstrations, requirements reviews and planning meetings as part of the ongoing POCC Multisat-to-TPOCC rehosting activity. Testing with STGT also continues. A problem with degraded I channel data following a Mode 4 to Mode 1 reconfiguration is still being worked. Two engineering test periods with EUVE (Oct. 12, 19) are being prepared for next month. The first will put EUVE into a bi- rotational Survey Mode to gather performance trend data on the star trackers. The second is a special engineering test being done in cooperation with UCB to define the true angle of interference between the Moon and the boresights of the star trackers. The GSFC Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) is actively supporting both these tests. Finally, flight software patch testing is in progress for code changes necessary to implement a TMON-driven Group Disable for UCB supplied ATC loads. INSTRUMENT STATUS A routine WSZ test was performed at the beginning of the observation of EUVE-J0053. Analysis of this data will be done to determine if the detectors' performance characteristics have changed since the last WSZ test. Payload configuration commands for the observation of the Moon on 9/23 were executed from the stored command processor and monitored in realtime. All commands were successful. UPCOMING EVENTS EUVE continues to conduct a dithered observation of EUVE-J0053. A Survey Mode test is planned for 10/12; a star tracker test for 10/19. EARTH RADIATION BUDGET SATELLITE (ERBS) - J. Williamson --------------------------------------- The ERBS spacecraft continues to acquire science data from both the ERBE-NS and the SAGE instruments, and the battery and other spacecraft operations remain stable. ERBS will require a 180-degree yaw turn this week in order to keep sunlight on the solar arrays. ERBS still plans to switch some of its operations to the new STGT (Second TDRS Ground Terminal) next week. ERBS also celebrates its 10-year anniversary next week. SAMPEX - J. Williamson ----------------------- SAMPEX continues to acquire all science and engineering data without any significant problems or operational errors. The spacecraft is still in a three week period of continuous sun-light. The "blind" recorder dumps at the Wallops station continue to be working well. This ops change allows the SAMPEX Control Center to reduce its staffing to a 12-hour day (7AM - 7PM). SAMPEX support of the JPL LEO-D (Low Earth Orbiter- Demo) ground station should be complete, and no more tests are contemplated. However, SAMPEX continues testing with the Poker Flat station in Alaska for the FAST Project. The SAMPEX experimenters have requested that the Flight Ops Team start power cycling their MAST/PET instrument once every orbit instead of every week. Steve A. Stephen.Andrews@gsfc.nasa.gov ------------------------------ End of Space News Digest Volume 1 : Issue 117 ------------------------------