Aug 29 1995
From The Space Library
A natural laser in space was detected coming from a young, very hot, luminous star in the constellation Cygnus. The laser was created as intense ultraviolet light from the star excites the densely packed hydrogen atoms in the gaseous, dusty disk surrounding the star. When infrared light shines on the excited hydrogen atoms, it causes the atoms to emit an intense beam of light at exactly the same wavelength, creating the circumstellar laser. This natural laser was detected on NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) during missions based on Hawaii. The existence of such natural lasers was predicted more than 15 years ago. (NASA Release 95-148; Reuters, Aug 29/95; Fla Today, Sep 10/95; Science, Sep 8/95)
The Galileo spacecraft is plowing through the most intense interplanetary dust storm ever measured. This is the greatest of several large dust storms encountered since December 1994, when the spacecraft was still almost 110 million miles from Jupiter. (NASA Releases 95-147; NY Times, Sep 3/95; USA Today, Aug 31/95; Fla Today, Aug 31/95; Space News, Sep 4/95; AP, Aug 29/95 & Aug 31/95; Av Wk, Sep 11/95)
TOPEX/Poseidon, the U.S./French ocean-observing satellite, has completed its three-year mission. Fortunately, the health of the satellite leads its managers to expect it to continue operating another four years. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. portion of the mission for NASA's Office of Mission to Planet Earth. The satellite has detected the oceans to have risen more than a tenth of an inch in each of the past two years. However, it may be too soon to tell whether the rise seen by the TOPEX/Poseidon ocean observing satellite will continue. (NASA Release 95-146; AP, May 4/95; UPI, May 4/95; Fla Today, Jun 25/95; Space News, Sep 4/95; Science, May 5/95)
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) warns that "the long term effects of dismantling a coherent scientific enterprise could be very harmful." (NY Times, Aug 29/95; W Post, Aug 29/95)
Seven U.S. rockets will be launched into space from Australia. Five U.S. universities will be watching the launches very closely. The payloads will be launched aboard Black Brant IX rockets. (NASA Release 95-187; Space News, Nov 27/95; AP, Aug 29/95)
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