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(meteorobs) Excerpts from "CCNet DIGEST 26 JANUARY 1999"


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From: Benny J Peiser <b.j.peiser@livjm.acdot uk>
To: cambridge-conference@livjm.acdot uk
Subject: CCNet DIGEST 26/01/99
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 11:37:55 -0500 (EST)

CCNet DIGEST 26 JANUARY 1999
----------------------------

Sorry for yesterday's transmission problems - and don't even think
about mentioning that match..... BJP

...

(6) ENOUGH (SPACE) DUST TO MAKE A HOUSEKEEPER WEEP
    THE NEW YORK TIMES, 26 January 1999
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/012699sci-science-watch.=
html

(7) ROSETTA SCIENCE WORKING TEAM REPORTS EXCELLENCE PROGRESS
    Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro.utorontodot ca>=20

(8) DETECTION OF WATER ICE ON CENTAUR 1997 CU26
    M.E. Brown & C.D. Koresko, CALTECH

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(6) ENOUGH (SPACE) DUST TO MAKE A HOUSEKEEPER WEEP

>From THE NEW YORK TIMES, 26 January 1999
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/012699sci-science-watch.html

SCOURING SPACE FOR DUST

By HENRY FOUNTAIN

Space may look pristine, but the part of it near Earth, at least, is=20
really quite trashy. In orbit is the weightless flotsam of human=20
exploration -- a used package of Tang here, a spent rocket stage=20
there -- as well as enough dust to make a housekeeper weep.=20

The larger debris is generally accounted for and tracked, for even a=20
lost spacesuit glove whizzing along at an orbital speed of 17,000=20
miles an hour an damage a satellite or other object in its path. But=20
dust bombardment can cause damage as well, and less is known about=20
the scope of the dust problem.=20

An instrument being carried aboard an unclassified Air Force
satellite is designed to get some answers. The experiment, kind of a=20
white-glove test in space, will measure the mass and speed of=20
individual dust particles, as well as their trajectory, in order to=20
determine their origin and distribution.=20

Some dust particles are left behind by comets; others are the result=20
of human activity. And by continually colliding with and abrading=20
larger orbiting objects, dust begets more dust.....

More at:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/012699sci-science-watch.html

Copyright 1999, The New York Times

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(7) ROSETTA SCIENCE WORKING TEAM REPORTS EXCELLENCE PROGRESS

>From Andrew Yee <ayee@nova.astro.utorontodot ca>

ESA Science News
http://sci.esa.int

[
 By the way, the following article is somewhat unclearly written...
 For those of you - like me - who might not immediately recall what
 this important Rosetta mission is all about, I quote the Rosetta
 Mission Overview from ESA's Web site: http://sci.esa.int/rosetta

 -Lew Gramer

 Rosetta - Mission Overview 

 The International Rosetta Mission was approved in November 1993 by ESA's
 Science Programme Committee as the Planetary Cornerstone Mission in ESA's
 long-term space science programme. The mission goal is a rendezvous with
 comet 46 P/ Wirtanen. On its eight-year journey to the comet, the spacecraft
 will pass close to 2 asteroids, (Otawara and Siwa are now planned targets).

 Rosetta will study the nucleus of comet Wirtanen and its environment in
 great detail for a period of nearly 2 years, the near-nucleus phase starting
 at a heliocentric distance of about 3.25 AU, with far-observation activities
 leading ultimately to close observation (from about 1 km distance). 
]

Rosetta science working team reports excellent progress

Some 100 scientists and engineers came together during the latest=20
meeting of the Rosetta Science Working Team (SWT) at the European Space
Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, Netherlands, on 14
and 15 January. Those present included representatives from the United
States as well as all ESA member states.

Following the completion of various design reviews, it was generally
agreed that Rosetta is making excellent progress. With very few
exceptions, the project was proceeding smoothly and attendees expressed
confidence that the mission would be a great success.

Reporting on the current status, Rosetta project manager Bruno Gardini
noted that the ESA Industrial Policy Committee had given final approval
for the phase C/D contract and that the build-up of the Rosetta industrial
team is now complete.

Mr Gardini also noted the following points:

* The locations of the various scientific instruments on the spacecraft
  have now been finalised.

* The thermal design of the spacecraft has been confirmed as satisfactory,
  bearing in mind the great changes in temperature which the spacecraft
  will have to undergo.

* In addition to the S-band up/down link, an X-band radio uplink will be
  installed. This is due to potential conflicts with frequencies used by
  future mobile telephone systems involving constellations of satellites
  in low-Earth orbit.

* Arianespace is confident that the upgraded Ariane-5 will be sufficiently
  powerful to launch Rosetta, but there is little margin to spare so science
  and engineering teams must take care to meet specified target weights.

* With the spacecraft industrial consortium now complete, activities
  are focusing on detailed design at unit level. Payload Design Reviews are
  under way, and system level Mechanical and Electrical Hardware Design
  Reviews are planned for later in the year.

* The programme to develop the spacecraft structural and thermal model
  will be given priority in the immediate future.

USEFUL LINKS FOR THIS STORY

Rosetta scientific instruments pages:
http://www.estec.esadot nl/spdwww/rosetta/html/instrum.html

-------------------------------------------------------------
(8) DETECTION OF WATER ICE ON CENTAUR 1997 CU26

M.E. Brown & C.D. Koresko: Detection of water ice on the Centaur 1997=20
CU26. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, 1998, Vol.505, No.1 Pt2, pp.L65-L67

CALTECH, DIV GEOL & PLANETARY SCI, PASADENA, CA, 91125

We report the detection of the 1.5 and 2.0 mu m absorption bands due to water
ice in the near-infrared reflection spectrum of the Centaur 1997 CU26, which is
currently located just outside the heliocentric distance of Saturn. The water
ice hands are weaker than those detected on the surface of any other solar
system body; the spectrum is well fit with a model surface consisting
predominantly of a neutral dark absorbing substance with only similar to 3%
areal coverage of water ice. The spectrum thus appears very different from that
of the Centaur 5140 Pholus, although both objects are of similar brightness and
are at similar heliocentric distances.

Copyright 1999, Institute for Scientific Information Inc.

----------------------------------------
THE CAMBRIDGE-CONFERENCE NETWORK (CCNet)
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