From: Majordomo Account <majordomo@www-onlab.jpl.nasa.gov> (by way of Jan Wee <jwee@mail.arc.nasa.gov>)
Subject: JPL/ Marswatch Electronic Newsletter - October 1996
Date: Sat, 16 Nov 1996 09:15:12 -0600
FYI --
Jan Wee
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THE INTERNATIONAL MARSWATCH ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER
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Volume 2; Issue 3 (file imw.nov96)
October 1996
Circulation: 315
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CONTENTS---------------------------------------------------------
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- Latest Images of Mars Downloaded to MarsWatch!
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- HST Press Release Images of Martian Polar Dust Storms
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- First HST Images of Mars Pathfinder landing site
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- Mars Pathfinder on Schedule for a December Launch
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- Mars Global Surveyor Successfully Launched
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- Mars '96 Launch on Schedule
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- Observatory Techniques Magazine's "MarsQuest" joins Marswatch
project
- Next HST images scheduled; Groundbased supporting images
sought
- Reminder about Marswatch-related WWW pages and addresses
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Latest Images of Mars Downloaded to MarsWatch
---------------------------------------------
The latest and fifth series of images taken by Don Parker of
Coral Gables, Flordia have been downloaded. These amazing images
were acquired on November 8th using a Lynxx PC camera mounted on
a 16-in Newtonian telescope. These images can be found at:
http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/mpf/marswatch_images.html
HST Press Release Images of Martian Polar Dust Storms
-----------------------------------------------------
Spectacular new images from HST showing two polar dust storms
have just been released by Phil James' HST Mars observing team
and the Space Telescope Science Institute. This image and the
press release text can be found at:
http://marswatch.tn.cornell.edu/hst96.html
This is the first time that small storms like these have been
unequivocally observed near the receding north polar cap [Amateur
observers: is this really true?]. Analysis and interpretation of
these events would be greatly aided by any supporting groundbased
data taken around the same dates. If you have any supporting
observations, please submit them to the ftp archive!
First HST Images of Mars Pathfinder landing site
------------------------------------------------
HST obtained its first views during this apparition of the
Pathfinder landing site region on October 9. The images and all
subsequent update images (as Mars increases in apparent angular
diameter) can be found at:
http://www.physics.utoledo.edu/~pbj/pathpage.html
Mars Pathfinder on Schedule for a December Launch
-------------------------------------------------
Mars Pathfinder is on schedule for a December 2, 1996 launch.
The spacecraft has been buckled up, enclosed within its aeroshell
and heatshield, combined with the cruise stage, fueled, spin
balanced, tested, and is now ready to be mated with the
Delta II launch vehicle. Last week we successfully completed a
major Operations Readiness Test and everything is on schedule.
MPF has created a Mars "sandbox" in the mission operation area to
test the instruments and software for the lander. We have
included a live camera feed, and this can be viewed on the
following website:
http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/WEBCAMS/marsroom.html
Mars Global Surveyor Successfully Launched!
-------------------------------------------
MGS was launched from Cape Canaveral at 12:00:50 EST on November
7, and all indications are that the spacecraft is healthy and
proceeding normally on course to an encounter with Mars next
September. One of the solar arrays stopped about 20 degrees short
of full deployment, but mission personnel do not see this as a
threat to the mission and efforts are underway to resolve this
minor anomaly.
You can follow the details of the MGS cruise to Mars at:
http://mgs-www.jpl.nasa.gov
This is a very successful start to (at least) a decade-long
program of intense Mars exploration!
Mars '96 Launch on Schedule
---------------------------
The Russian Mars-96 spacecraft continues on schedule for a launch
on November 16 at 20:48 UT, on a Proton rocket from the Baikonur
launch site in Kazakhstan. You can follow the countdown and
mission progress on the WWW via:
http://www.iki.rssi.ru/mars96/news.htm
Observatory Techniques Magazine's "MarsQuest" joins MarsWatch
project
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>From Mike Otis, editor of Observatory Techniques Magazine:
Observatory Techniques Magazine is merging its own MarsQuest with
MarsWatch. The combination will allow members of either group to
enjoy the benefits of both! You can post your latest mars images
to the electronic web site via MarsWatch, then have your
collection of images, observations, and results published in
Observatory Techniques Magazine!
Observatory Techniques is a quarterly magazine published by
amateur astronomers about astronomy, observatories, fantastic
projects, and new research. It covers the entire range of
astronomy including "How to Build" projects. The magazine is
library-classified as unique research. It's also heavy into CCDs,
imaging, and sky projects. We are moving into our 6th year of
publishing and preparing issue #20.
More exciting things are planned for 1997, including the
introduction of color, and a full merge with Modern Astronomy to
support our rapid expansion. Observatory Techniques subscribers
will also have free access to our new on-line robotic telescope,
accessible through the Internet and CompuServe, once it is in
full operation. We will print updates about the progress in
Observatory Techniques.
To learn about Observatory Techniques magazine, visit the web
site at:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/observatory
For questions about Observatory Techniques, email the
editor/publisher Mike Otis at 72674.471@compuserve.com.
Next series of HST Mars Images Scheduled
----------------------------------------
HST will next observe Mars on November 29, between 17:58:55 and
18:44:35 UT (this is 12:58 to 13:44 U.S. Eastern Standard Time).
The best chance for simultaneous groundbased observations will be
from Australia, Japan, and the Far East. The images will be
obtained using 9 filters from the UV to the near-IR and are
designed to provide imaging of the Tharsis/Olympus Mons
hemisphere. Groundbased observations of Mars before and after
this time period may help to determine how the polar dust storm
events (see images above) are evolving with time. If you are able
to observe Mars during this time period, please submit your
observations to the MarsWatch ftp archive. You can find out
how to do this at URL:
http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/marswatch_ftp.html
MarsWatch Web Sites
-------------------
Just a reminder about some of the other URLs that you can link to
in order to find more information and background on the MarsWatch
project:
Main 1996-97 MarsWatch Web site:
http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/marswatch.html
Goals and Outline of the 1996-97 MarsWatch Project:
http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/marsnet/imw/marswatch96.info
HST Observations and MarsWatch:
http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/mpf/hst.html
1994-95 HST Mars image archive:
http://marswatch.tn.cornell.edu/hst_archive.html
1994-95 MarsNet Web site:
http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/marsnet/mnhome.html
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Jim Bell and Bob Anderson
Editors, IMW Newsletter
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