- Email: [email protected]
Meetings of interest to COSPAR
3.
MEETINGS OF INTEREST TO COSPAR
3.1
List of Forthcoming Meetings
4-8 Seotember 2000 Alicante, Spain Place: ’ 4th Integral Workshop Subject: V. Reglero, Dept. Astronomy and Contact: Astrophys., Dr Moliner 50, E46100 Burjassot, Spain. [email protected] (http://www.integral.ua.es) 4-8 September 2000 Palermo, Italy Place: X-ray Astronomy 2000 Subject: Contact: D. Randazzo, Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Piazza del Parlamento 1, I-901 34 Palermo, Italy. xray2000Qastropa.unipa.it 1 l-1 5 September 2000 Place: Sunspot, New Mexico, USA Advanced Solar Polarimetry Subject: Theory, Observation and Instrumentation (20th NSO/Sac Peak Summer Workshop) M.Sigwarth, National Solar ObserContact: vatory, PO Box 62, Sunspot, NM 88349-0062, USA. sigwarthQsunspot.noao.edu 25-30 September 2000 Tenerife, Spain Place: Sponsor: EU The Solar Cycle and Terrestrial Subject: Climate (Euroconference) Contact: [email protected] (http:llwww.iac.eslproyectl solspa/index.html) 27-29 September 2000 Taipei, Taiwan Place: Sponsor: COSPAR Space Weather Study Using Subject: Multipoint Techniques (COSPAR Colloquium) COSPAR Secretariat Contact:
2-6 October 2000 Sapporo, Japan Place: Sponsor: SCOSTEP, COSPAR STEP - Results, Applications Subject: and Modelling (First S-RAMP Conference) Y. Kamide, Solar-Terrestrial Contact: Environment Lab., Nagoya UniHonohara 3-13, versity, Toyokawa, Aichi 442-6507, Japan. [email protected] (http://www.kurasc.kyotou.ac.jp/s-ramp/) 2-6 October 2000 Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Spain Place: Helio- and Astero-seismology at Subject: the Dawn of the Millenium sogo@ Il.iac.es Contact: (http://www.iac.es/proyectlsogo) 2-6 October 2000 Santa Barbara, USA. Place: Spin and Magnetism in Young Subject: Neutron Stars D.Iverson, Inst. for Theoretical Contact: Physics, Univ. California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. dorene@ itp.ucsb.edu (http://www.itp.ucsb.edu/ conference/conf2000.htmI) 3-6 October Place: Sponsor: Subject: Contact:
2000 Noordwijk, The Netherlands ESA The 3-D Heliosphere at Solar Maximum R.G. Marsden, SSD, ESTEC, PQ Box 299,220O AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands. rmarsden @estec.esa.nl
9-12 October 2000 Garching, Germany Place: Deep Fields Subject: S.Cristiani, Space Telescope Contact: European Coordinating Facility, Karl Schwartzschild Str. 2, D85748 Munchen, Germany. 2-5 November 2000 Lucerne, Switzerland Place: Space Technology’s Contribution Subject: to Transportation (8’” EURISY Youth Forum) eurisyQmicronet.fr Contact:
6-10 November 2000 Place: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA Subject: High Energy Astrophysics (Meeting of AAS Division) Contact: J.Vallerga, Eureka Scientific Inc., 2452 Delmer St., Suite 100, Oakland, CA 94601-3017, USA. [email protected] (http://www.eurekasci.com)
19-21 March 2001 Place: Darmstadt, Germany Sponsor: ESA, COSPAR, ASI, BNSC, CNES, DLR, IAA Space Debris (Third European Subject: Conference) Contact: W. Flury, ESOC, Robert-BoschStr. 5,54293 Darmstadt, Germany.
6-10 November 2000 Place: Mar del Plata, Argentina Sponsors: EU, UN, UNEP, SCOSTEP, NASA, ESA, NOAA, NASDA, CNES, CNRS among others Subject: Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (2ndSPARC General Assembly) Contact: sparc2000@atl .fcen.uba.ar (http://www.sparc200O.at.fcen. uba.ar)
18-30 August 2001 Place: Hanoi, Vietnam IAGA, IASPEI Sponsor: Subject: IAGA 9’” Scientific Assembly and 3d” IASPEI General Assembly Contact: Secretariat, Inst. of Geophysics, Box 411, Buu Dien Bo Ho, Hanoi, Vietnam. laga.iaspeiQfpt.vn. (http://www.IAGAandlASPEl. org.vn)
13-l 7 November 2000 Place: Marrakesh, Morocco Subject: Astronomical Site Evaluation in the Visible and Radio Range Contact: B.Zouhair, Faculte des Sciences, Semlalia, Bd. Du Prince My Abdellah, BP S15, Marrakesh, Morocco. zouhairQucam.ac.ma (http:/lwww.esa.orglgenfaclpubs/ astclim/espas/iau_site2000/) 4-8 January 2001 Place: Kenting National Park, Taiwan, China. Sponsor: IAU Subject: Small-Telescope Astronomy on Global Scales (IAU Colloq. 183) Contact: W.-P. Chen, Graduate Inst. of Astronomy, National Central University, Chung-Li, 32054 Taiwan, China. wchenQjoule.phy.ncu.edu.tw 6-10 February 2001 Place: Warsaw, Poland Sponsor: COSPAR Subject: Acceleration and Heating in the Magnetosphere (COSPAR Colloquium) Contact: jbleckiOcbk.waw.pl
August 2001 Hanoi, Vietnam Place: Subject: Geomagnetism, Aeronomy and Space Research in History Contact: W. Schroder, Geophysical Inst., Hechelstr. 8, D-28777 Bremen, Germany. 1O-l 2 September 2001 Place: Beijing, China Sponsors: COSPAR, IAU, Chinese National Committee for COSPAR. Solar-Terrestrial Magnetic AcSubject: tivity and the Space Environment (COSPAR Colloquium) Contact: Prof. Guoxiang Ai, Beijing Astronomical Observatory, Beijing 100012, China. October 2001 Place: _St Denis de La Reunion, France Subject: The Evolution of Galaxies II Basic Building Blocks Contact: L.Vigroux, CEA, Service d’Astrophysique, F 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France. [email protected] (http://www.daec.obspm.fr/ ThreeConf.html) May 2002 Place: Subject: Contact:
Kiel, Germany The Evolution of Galaxies. III From Simple Approaches to Self Consistent Models G.Hensler, Univ. Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, D 24098 Kiel, Germany. [email protected] (http://www.daec.obspm.fr/ ThreeConf.html)
permanent acceleration at scales comparable to the size of the magnetosphere. The multiscale processes might have deep physical implications for laboratory and space plasmas, and in-situ spacecraft -such as those linked to activities within IACG - provide unique information for our knowledge of plasma physics. The Geotail, Interball, Polar, Wind and Fast spacecraft provide observations of almost all critical regions where energy transformations occur, from the collisionless bow shock (where the solar wind kinetic energy is converted to thermal energy) to the polar cusps (where directly penetrating solar wind plasma excites small-scale instabilities) and the magnetotail (where energy is periodically released through magnetic reconnection processes). In addition to the results from these established missions which allow studies of many aspects of heating and acceleration in the magnetosphere, the meeting will include first results from the Cluster /I mission. For more information, contact: Professor Jan Blecki at [email protected].
October 2002 Houston, USA Place: Sponsors: COSPAR, AIAA, IAF World Space Congress 2002 Subject: COSPAR Secretariat Contact:
3.2.
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS
COSPAR Colloquium on Solar-Terrestrial Magnetic Activity and the Space Environment A COSPAR Colloquium on Solar-Terrestrial Magnetic Activity and the Space Environment will be held in Beijing, China from 10 to 12 September 2001. The meeting is sponsored by the Chinese National Committee for COSPAR, COSPAR and the IAU. During the last three decades, a large amount of solar observational data has been obtained with space-borne and ground-based instruments covering a wide spectral range. In particular, observations from Yohkoh, SOHO, Ulysses and TRACE have revealed a multitude of phenomena and processes in the Sun’s atmosphere which can influence the Earth’s environment. The study of ‘space weather’ is the endeavour to understand the response of our space environment to the constantly changing Sun, and studies of solar magnetic fields are critical to space weather forecasting. It is thus timely and appropriate to bring together international expertise in solar and heliospheric physics for a COSPAR Colloquium. The meeting will focus on (1) solar surface magnetism, (2) solar magnetic activity, (3) the dynamical response of the heliosphere, (4) space weather prediction, (5) space exploration and monitoring, and (6) the effects of the space environment on spacecraft. For more information, contact: Professor Guoxiang Ai, Beijing Astronomical Observatory, Beijing 100012, China.
Third European Conference on Space Debris The Third European Conference on Space Debris will be held in Darmstadt, Germany from 19 to 21 March 2001. The meeting is sponsored by ESA, ASI, BNSC, CNES, DLR, COSPAR and the IAA. This list stresses how seriously the space debris issue is being taken. Since 1957, more than 4000 space launches have led to a current population of approximately 8500 trackable objects (i.e., objects larger than 10 cm) in near-Earth space; only 600 to 700 of these are operational spacecraft. The remainder is space debris. There are far more fragments in orbit that cannot be tracked. However, cm-sized debris can seriously damage or even destroy operational spacecraft. Current design and operational practices must be reviewed and adapted. The purpose of this conference is to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of new results from research on space debris, to assist in defining future directions of research, to identify methods of debris control, reduction and protection, and to discuss international implications and policy issues. For more information, contact: W. Flury, ESOC, Robert-Bosch-Str. 5, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany.
COSPAR Colloquium on Acceleration and Heating in the Magnetosphere The first ‘new millenium’ COSPAR Colloquium will be held in or near Warsaw, Poland, from 6 to1 0 February 2001, and will focus on Acceleration and Heating in the Magnetosphere. The interaction of the Earth’s magnetic field with the supersonic flow of the solar wind plasma drives processes which convert energy between various forms, such as kinetic, magnetic, thermal and electromagnetic. Spatiotemporal manifestations of the energy transformations are very diverse. They range from localized burst-like events to global quasi9
.
MST Radar Workshop (Report by Juergen Roettger) The Ninth international Workshop on Technical and Scientific Aspects of MST Radar (MSTS), combined with the COST-76 Final Profiler Workshop (COST76), was held at the International Conference Centre of Meteo France in Toulouse, 13-18 March 2000. The merging of these two workshops was a natural consequence of the evolution of mesospherestratosphere-troposphere (MST) radars into wind profiling applications. It proved to be a major event drawing together experts from round the world who were engaged in research and development of these radar techniques to study the troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere, as well as the ionosphere. It provided excellent opportunities to young scientists, research students, operators and meteorologists for close interaction with experts on technical and scientific aspects of MST radar and wind profilers and the corresponding operational applications, governed by COST (Cooperation on Science and Technology - a European Union project). The workshop was prepared by the International Steering Group (J. Roettger, S. Fukao, M.F. Larsen, C.H. Liu, A.P. Mitra and W. Monna), the Programme Committee (L. Alonso, K.S. Gage, E. Legrand, G. Nastrom, G. Peters, M. Piringer, P.B. Rao, R.A. Vincent and R.F. Woodman) and the Local Organizing Committee (J.P. Aubagnac and V. Klaus). It was sponsored by URSI, SCOSTEP, COST/European Union, the Universite de Midi Pyrenees and Meteo France. The workshop was attended by 156 participants from 27 countries and 6 continents; 195 papers were presented, of which 76 were posters. The Director of the Research Division of Meteo France, Dr Daniel Cariolle, was present at the formal opening session The participants were invited by the Lord Major of Toulouse to a reception in the town hall, and also enjoyed a banquet in a countryside restaurant. The workshop ended with a plenary session and a tour of the facilities of Meteo France on final day of the meeting. The scientific and technical parts of the workshop were arranged in 8 major sessions as listed below; each being highlighted by one or two review papers.
10
In Session 1 (11 oral/l 0 poster papers) on Scattering Processes and Refractive Index Irregularities in the Neutral Atmosphere, attention was given to the high resolution interferometer and imaging techniques which, since they help to improve understanding of the atmospheric structures causing radar scatter, play a dominant role in this field. Session 2 (20/19) was devoted to Mesosphere, Lower Thermosphere and lonosphere studies, where the latter essentially concentrated on coherent scatter from electron density irregularities. The VHF radar studies of meteors, of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes (PMSE) and Quasi-Periodic (QP) Echoes from the mid-latitude Eregion were the highlights of this session. Session 3 (2617) on Waves and Turbulence covered planetary and gravity wave climatology and momentum flux measurements with radars. Particular attention was given to simulations of turbulence generation and development, and the observations by radar and radio acoustic sounding systems (RASS). Session 4 (9/9) on Boundary Layer Meteorology, during which it was shown that UHF and VHF profilers are particularly useful observing instruments, and RASS and SODAR are valuable complements. Session 5 (7/5) - Studies of Precipitation and Clouds. The most obvious deduction from this session was that profiler observations provide suitable ground truth calibration for remote sensing of rainfall rates. Session 6 (10/3) dealt with Synoptic and Larger-Scale Meteorology and included radar observations of thunderstorms, the tropopause, fronts, hurricanes, Hadley circulation and the potential of wind profiler radars for studies of El Nifio related effects. Session 7 (25/l 4) focused on Wind Profilers and Complementary Techniques (including RASS and SODAR). Reports from radar facilities, networks and new systems were presented. Many details of methods, parameter estimation, and of optimization and calibration procedures were discussed and evaluated. In Session 8 (1 l/9), the Operational Aspects of Wind Profilers were discussed and provided the final highlight of the workshop. The inclusion of wind profiler data into weather forecasting projects and models has proved a most rational development. It was also pointed out that, essentially, wind profiler measurements have the same accuracy as radiosonde wind measurements.
At the concluding Plenary Session, W. Monna presented a report on the COST-76 project on radar wind profiler networks. The future activities within this framework are expected to focus on combining various observing techniques. Reports from the five Permanent Working Groups (PWG) of the MST radar community were given and the continuation of the groups approved: -
PWG-1 on System Calibrations and Definitions (co-chaired by P. Chilson and J. Roettger) has to fulfil a most tedious task in preparing a glossary of specific terms, which could be undertaken at the same time as preparing lecture material on atmospheric radar for future schools. Calibration procedures need to be worked out, for instance, to facilitate better estimates of turbulence parameters and comparisons of the observations done with different radars.
-
PWGB on Data Analysis, Validation and Parameter Deduction Methods (co-chaired by D. Holdsworth and M. Yamamoto) has been divided into three distinct groups on: (1) general processing, (2) analysis techniques, (3) post-analysis techniques. The group will examine the feasibilityof making time-series of raw data available to verify the results of different analysis techniques, and of making libraries of analysis routines available to the community.
-
PWG-3 on Accuracies and Requirements for Meteorological Applications (chaired by G. Nastrom) is considering options for data distribution, archiving and the corresponding formats.
-
-
In 2003, the Third International School on Atmospheric Radar (ISAR3) should also take place in Trieste. To take care of these subjects, an ISAR Working Group was established with S. Fukao, D.N. Rao, J. Roettger and R.F. Woodman as members. It was also decided to intensify the interaction between the working groups and similar groups in other scientific communities. Consideration is to be given to the possibility of establishing a permanent MST radar web page and an e-mail discussion group. SCOSTEP and Meteo France will supervise the publication of the extended abstracts in the Workshop Proceedings. Papers related to COST76 will be published in Zeitschtifi fiir Mefeorologie and those on MST radar in Anna/es Geophysicae. In considering the format of future workshops, it was generally agreed to emphasize the workshop aspect more clearly on timely topics within the MST radar techniques and science field; there was no conclusion as to whether future workshops should be organized in the form of a conference or in some less formal style. It was agreed that the steering committee and the chairs of the working group should consider this issue in more depth. Invitations to hold the MST10 workshop in late 2002 in either Adelaide, Australia or Peru were presented. Further details on this workshop can be found on the homepage of Meteo France at: http:/www.cnrm.meteo.fr/mst/ Research and Education in Basic Space Science - The Approach Pursued in the lJN/ESA Workshops
The report of PWG4 on International Collaborations (chaired by P.B. Rao) was given by S. Fukao. Several projects had been carried out and others, such as those on mid-latitude sporadic-E echoes, gravity waves and turbulence, will continue.
M.K. Al-Naimiya (Jordan), Cynthia P. Celebreb (Philippines), Khalil ChamchamC (Morocco), H.S. Padmasiri de Alwisd (Sri Lanka), Maria C. Pineda de Caria$ (Honduras), Hans J. Haubold’ (UnitedNations), Alexis E. Troche Bogginog (Paraguay)
A short report on observations during the Leonid meteor shower emerged from PWG5 on Transient Phenomena.
Introduction
A.P. Mitra gave a report on activities with respect to international projects for atmospheric studies in the Indian region. It was agreed that a proposal for a new working group on education and training should be handled in the context of future schools on atmospheric radars. A special school for students from developing countries has already been scheduled for November 2000 in Trieste.
Research and education in astronomy and astrophysics are international enterprises and the astronomical community has long shown leadership in fostering international collaboration and cooperation because (i) astronomy has deep roots in virtually every human culture, (ii) astronomical studies help understanding of humanity’s place in the vast scale of the universe, and (iii) the science teaches humani11
Over the past ten years, the workshops established a close interaction between scientists from developing and industrialized nations to discuss research findings at the current front lines in basic space science. The workshops also initiated a direct interaction between scientists from developing nations. In depth discussions in working groups were fostered to allow the identification of the needs - especially common needs, which could be addressed on a larger scale - to enhance the participation of the developing nations in basic space science and to identify the best ways and means in which each nation could accelerate its participation in a meaningful endeavour.
ty about its origins and evolution. Humanity’s activity in the quest to explore the universe is reflected in the history of scientific institutions, enterprises, and sensibilities. The institutions that sustain science; the moral, religious, cultural and philosophical sensibilities of scientists themselves; and the goal of the scientific enterprise in different regions on Earth are all the subject of intense study (Pyenson & Sheets-Pyenson 1999). The Bahcall report for the last decade of the 20’” century (Bahcall 1991) has been prepared primarily for the North American astronomical community, but it may not have gone unnoticed that this report also had an impact on a broader international scale, as the report can be used, to some extent, as a guide for introducing basic space science, including astronomy and astrophysics, in countries where this field of science is still in its infancy. At http://www.seas.columbia.edu/-ah297/unesa/ there is an account of how developing nations are making efforts to introduce basic space science into research and education curricula at the university level. This initiative was born in 1990 as a collaborative effort between a variety of developing nations, the United Nations (UN), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Government of Japan, and covers last decade of the 20th century. Through annual workshops and subsequent follow-up projects, particularly the establishment of astronomical telescope facilities, this initiative is gradually yielding results in the regions of Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and Western Asia.
The eighth in the series of UN/ESA Workshops on Basic Space Science which, among other topics, addressed the feasibility of establishing a World Space Observatory (WSO), was held at Jordan in 1999. The ninth workshop will be held at France in 2000 and preparations are ongoing for the tenth workshop to be held in Mauritius in 2001. The UN, ESA, Japan, and the relevant international organizations will continue to provide assistance for the establishment and operation of astronomical facilities in Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, Jordan, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Uruguay. Astronomical Telescope Facilities A number of Governments (among them Honduras 1997 and Jordan 1999), in cooperation with international partners, have acquired and established astronomical telescope facilities (Meade 16” Schmidt-Cassegrain models).
Workshops on Basic Space Science In conjunction with the workshops, to support research and education in astronomy, the Government of Japan (ODA scheme) donated high-grade equipment, specifically 45 cm highgrade astronomical telescopes furnished with photoelectric photometer, computer equipment, and spectrograph (or CCD), to a number of developing nations including Sri Lanka 1995, Paraguay 1998 and the Philippines 2001 (Kitamura 1999). After the installation of the telescope facilities by the host countries and Japan, young observatory staff members from Sri Lanka and Paraguay were invited by the Bisei Astronomical Observatory for education and training, sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA] (Kitamura 1999 Kogure 1999), to enable them to operate these high-grade telescopes,.
In 1959, the United Nations recognized a new potential for international cooperation and established the permanent Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). In 1970, COPUOS formalized the UN Programme on Space Applications to strengthen cooperation in space science and technology between non-industrialized and industrialized nations. In 1991, the UN, in close cooperation with developing countries, ESA, and the Government of Japan, started a series of annual Workshops on Basic Space Science under the auspices of COPUOS, which were hosted by UN member states, namely, India, Costa Rica, Colombia, Nigeria, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Germany, Honduras, Jordan, and France in the five economic regions defined by the UN (Haubold 1998).
12
The research and education programmes at the newly established telescope facilities will focus on time-varying phenomena of celestial objects. The 45 cm class reflecting telescope with photoelectric photometer attached is able to detect celestial objects up to the 12’h magnitude and with a CCD attached up to the 15th magnitude. Such results have been demonstrated for the light variation of the eclipsing close binary star V505 Sgr, the X-ray binary Cyg X-l, the eclipsing part of the long-period binary E Aur, the asteroid No. 45 Eugenia, and the eclipsing variable FIT Cma Teles (Kitamura 1999). In forthcoming workshops, common observational programmes for variable stars for all the telescope facilities are envisaged. Observing with the Telescopes: Research In the course of preparing the establishment of the astronomical telescope facilities described above, the workshops made intense efforts to identify available material to be used in research and education by utilizing such facilities. It was discovered that variable star observing by photoelectric or CCD photometry can be a prelude to rather more advanced astronomical studies. Variable stars are those which have properties such as brightness or colour that varies with time. If measured sufficiently carefully, almost every star turns out to be variable. The variation may be due to geometry, such as the eclipse of one star by a companion star, or the rotation of a spotted star, or it may be due to physical processes such as pulsations, eruptions or explosions. Variable stars provide astronomers with essential information about the internal structure and evolution of the stars. The predominant institution in this specific field of astronomy is the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) which coordinates variable star observations made by amateur and professional astronomers, and compiles, processes, publishes and distributes these data. The AAVSO receives over 350 000 measurements a year, from more than 550 observers worldwide, and are entered into the AAVSO electronic database, which contains close to 10 million measurements of several thousand stars.
dozen stars, user-friendly computer programs to analyse them and to enter new observations into the database, an instructional video in three segments, and a comprehensive manual for teachers and students (http://www. aavso.org/, http://www.aspsky.org/). Providing a telescope is properly operational, variable stars can be observed, measurements can be analysed and sent electronically to the AAVSO. The flexibility of the Hands-On Astrophysics material allows an immediate link to the teaching of astronomy or astrophysics at university level by using the astronomy, mathematics, and computer elements of the package. It can be used to involve both lecturer and student in real science with real observational data. After a careful exploration of Hands-On Astrophysics and thanks to the generous cooperation of AAVSO, it was adopted by the above astronomical telescope facilities for their observing programmes (Mattei & Percy 1999, Percy 1991). The results of this effort will be reviewed at forthcoming workshops on basic space science. Teaching Astrophysics: Education Various strategies for introducing the spirit of scientific inquiry to universities, including, those in developing nations, have been developed and analysed (Wentzel 1999a). The workshops on basic space science have been organized and hosted by Governments and local scientific communities which agreed beforehand on the need to introduce or further develop basic space science at university level and to establish adequate facilities for pursuing such a field of science in practical terms, i.e., to operate an astronomical facility for the benefit of the university or research establishment (and prospectively to make the results from the facility available for public educational efforts). In addition to hosting workshops, the governments agreed to operate any telescope facilities that might be provided in a sustained manner with the support and cooperation of the international community in devising appropriate research and educational programmes. Gradually, this policy is being implemented for those telescope facilities established through the workshops in cooperation with the UN, ESA, Japan, and other national and international organizations.
To facilitate the operation of variable star observing programmes and to prepare a common ground for such programmes, AAVSO developed a unique package entitled HandsOn Astrophysics which includes 45 star charts, 31 35 mm slides of five constellations, 14 prints of the Cygnus star field at seven different times, 600 000 measurements of several
Organizers of the workshops have acknowledged the desire of the local scientific communities to use educational material available at the local level (prepared in the local language), and have also been called upon to 13
explore the possibility of educational material (additional to the above mentioned Hands-On Astrophysics package) being developed for use by as many university staff in different nations as possible while preserving the specific cultural environment in which astronomy is being taught and the telescopes are being used. A first promising step in this direction was made with the project ‘Astrophysics for University Physics Courses’ (Wentzell999b). This project has been highlighted at the IAU/COSPAR/ UN Special Workshop on Education in Astronomy and Basic Space Science, held during the UNISPACE III Conference at the United Nations Office Vienna in 1999 (Isobe 1999). Additionally, a number of text books and CDROMs have been identified over the years that, in the view of astronomers from developing nations, are particularly useful in the research and teaching process (for example, just to name three: Bennett et a/. 1999, for teaching purposes; Lang 1999, a reference work for research; Hamilton 1996, a CD-ROM for astronomy in the classroom). This topic may be discussed at greater length in the Newsletters, specifically published for the benefit of Africa (Querci & Martinez 1999), Asia and the Pacific (Isobe 1999), and Latin America and the Caribbean (Eenens & Corral 1999). What Next? The Ninth UN/ESA Workshop on Basic Space Science: Satellites and Telescopic Networks -Tools for Global Participation in the Studies of the Universe, hosted by the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) at the Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees (Universite Paul Sabbatier), on behalf of the Government of France, 27-30 June 2000, Toulouse, France, surveyed the obstacles encountered and the progress made, as observed in the ten-years’ long approach pursued in the UN/ESA Workshops as described above. The Workshop considered the benefits of basic space science to society, particularly developing nations, and the experience with, results from, and the need for networks of astronomical telescopes (such as those donated by Japan) in terms of common research and education programmes. During this workshop, additional working group sessions were held to review the topics in sections 1 to 5 above and to chart the course for the future.
veloping nations in such an effort - both from the point of view of research and education (Wamsteker & Gonzales Riestra 1997, United Nations GA Document A/AC.1 05/723). Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to the following for sharing the pleasure of organizing the UN/ESA Workshops on Basic Space Science and their follow-up projects as described: J. Andersen (IAU), J. Bennett (USA), S.C. Chakravarty (India), W. Fernandez (Costa Rica), S. lsobe (Japan), M. Kitamura (Japan), T. Kogure (Japan), K.R. Lang (USA), P. Martinez (South Africa), J. Mattei (AAVSO), P.N. Okeke (Nigeria), L.I. Onuora (UK), L. Pyenson (USA), F.-R. Querci (France), S. Rughooputh (Mauritius), R. Schwartz (Germany), M.A. Shaltout (Egypt), S. Torres (Colombia), and W. Wamsteker (ESA). Notes a) Astronomical Observatory, Higher institute of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Al alBayt University, P.O. Box 130302, Al Mafraq, Jordan, [email protected] b) Astronomical Observatory, Philippines Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration, 1424 Asia Trust Bank Building, Quezon Avenue, Quezon Philippines, cynthia_celebre@ City, hotmail.comc) c) Faculty of Science Ain Chock, .University Hassan II, B.P. 5366 Maarif, Casablanca M o r o c c o , 0 5 chamch’[email protected] d) Astronomical Observatory, Arthur C. Clarke lnstitut for Modern Technologies, Katubedda, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, aselaQslt.lk e) Observatorio Astronomico, Universidad National Autonoma de Honduras, Apartado Postal 4432, Tegucigalpa M.D.C., Honduras, mcariasQ hondutel.hn f) Office for Outer Space Affairs, United Nations, Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, [email protected] g) Observatorio Astronomico, Facultad Universidad National de Politecnica, Asuncion, Ciudad Universitaria, San Lorenzo, Paraguay, [email protected] References
The workshop in France also addressed in detail the feasibility of establishing a World Space Observatory (WSO), an ambition that has been discussed since the workshop in Sri Lanka in 1995, and the participation of de-
Bahcall, J.N. 1991 The Decade of Discovery in Astronomy and AstrophysicsWashington DC: National Academy Press.
14
Lang, K.R.1999 Astrophysical Formulae, Votume I: Radiation, Gas Processes and High Energy Astrophysics, Volume II: Space, Time, Matterand Cosmology. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Mattei, J. & Percy, J. R. (ed.) 1998 Hands-On Astrophysics. Cambridge, MA: American Association of Variable Star Observers; http://www.aavso.org/. Percy, JR. (ed.) 1991 Astronomy Education: Current Developments, Future Cooperation: In: Proceedings Astronomical Society of the Pacific Symposium, Conference Series Vol. 89. Pyenson, L.& Sheets-Pyenson, S. 1999 Servants of Nature: A History of Scientific Institutions, Enterprises, and Sensibilities. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Querci, F.-R. & P. Martinez (ed.), African SkiesKieux Africains, Newsletter, four issues published since 1997, http://www.saao.ac.zal-wgssaf. United Nations Report on the UN/ESA Workshop on Basic Space Science, hosted by Al alBayt University, Mafraq, Jordan, on behalf of the Government of Jordan, A/AC.l05/723, 18 May 1999. Wamsteker, W. & Gonzales Riestra, R. (ed.) 1997 Ultraviolet Astrophysics Beyond the IUE Final Archive. In: Conference Proceedings, Sevilla, Spain, 77-74 November 1997. Paris: ESA SP-413, pp. 849-855. Wentzel, D.G. 1999a National strategies for science development. In: Teaching of Astronomy in Asian-Pacific Region, Bulletin No. 15, pp. 4-10. Wentzel, D.G.1999b Astroffsica para Cursos Universitanos de Fisica, La Paz, Bolivia; English language version available at http://www.seas.columbia.edu/-ah297/unesa/ astrophysics.
Bennett, J., Donahue, M., Schneider, N. & Voit, M.1999 The Cosmic Perspective. Menlo Park, California: Addison Wesley Longman Inc.; a www site, offering a wealth of additional material for teachers and students, specifically developed for teaching astronomy with this book and upgraded on a regular basis is also available: http://www.astrospot.com/. Eenens, Ph. & Corral, L. Astronomfa Latino Americana (ALA) - electronic Bulletin, http://www.astro.ugto.mx/-ala/. Hamilton, C.J. 1996 Views of the Solar System CD-ROM. Arlington: National Science Teachers Association. Haubold, H.J. 1998 UN/ESA Workshops on Basic Space Science: an initiative in the worldwide development of astronomy. In: Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage l(2): 105 121; an updated version of this paper is available at http://lanl.gov/abs/physics/9910042. Isobe, S. 1999 Teaching of Astronomy in Asian-Pacific Region, Bulletin No. 15; Bulletin published since 1991; see also [email protected]. Kitamura, M. 1999 Donation of astronomical instruments to developing countries by Japanese ODA with emphasis on research observations by donated 45 cm reflectors in Asia.ln: Proceedings Conference on Space Sciences and Technology Applications for National Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2 l-22 January 7999, pp. 147-l 52. Ministry of Science and Technology of Sri Lanka, Kogure, T.1999 Stellar activity and needs for multi-site observations. In: Proceedings Conference on Space Sciences and Technology Applications for National Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 21-22 January 1999, pp. 124-l 31. Ministry of Science and Technology of Sri Lanka.
I
IL
&I
I
4l
I
34th COSPAR SCIENTIFIC ASSEMBLY at the World Space Congress HOUSTON, USA OCTOBER 2002 I
,P 15
MEETINGS OF INTEREST TO COSPAR
3.1
List of Forthcoming Meetings
4-8 Seotember 2000 Alicante, Spain Place: ’ 4th Integral Workshop Subject: V. Reglero, Dept. Astronomy and Contact: Astrophys., Dr Moliner 50, E46100 Burjassot, Spain. [email protected] (http://www.integral.ua.es) 4-8 September 2000 Palermo, Italy Place: X-ray Astronomy 2000 Subject: Contact: D. Randazzo, Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Piazza del Parlamento 1, I-901 34 Palermo, Italy. xray2000Qastropa.unipa.it 1 l-1 5 September 2000 Place: Sunspot, New Mexico, USA Advanced Solar Polarimetry Subject: Theory, Observation and Instrumentation (20th NSO/Sac Peak Summer Workshop) M.Sigwarth, National Solar ObserContact: vatory, PO Box 62, Sunspot, NM 88349-0062, USA. sigwarthQsunspot.noao.edu 25-30 September 2000 Tenerife, Spain Place: Sponsor: EU The Solar Cycle and Terrestrial Subject: Climate (Euroconference) Contact: [email protected] (http:llwww.iac.eslproyectl solspa/index.html) 27-29 September 2000 Taipei, Taiwan Place: Sponsor: COSPAR Space Weather Study Using Subject: Multipoint Techniques (COSPAR Colloquium) COSPAR Secretariat Contact:
2-6 October 2000 Sapporo, Japan Place: Sponsor: SCOSTEP, COSPAR STEP - Results, Applications Subject: and Modelling (First S-RAMP Conference) Y. Kamide, Solar-Terrestrial Contact: Environment Lab., Nagoya UniHonohara 3-13, versity, Toyokawa, Aichi 442-6507, Japan. [email protected] (http://www.kurasc.kyotou.ac.jp/s-ramp/) 2-6 October 2000 Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Spain Place: Helio- and Astero-seismology at Subject: the Dawn of the Millenium sogo@ Il.iac.es Contact: (http://www.iac.es/proyectlsogo) 2-6 October 2000 Santa Barbara, USA. Place: Spin and Magnetism in Young Subject: Neutron Stars D.Iverson, Inst. for Theoretical Contact: Physics, Univ. California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. dorene@ itp.ucsb.edu (http://www.itp.ucsb.edu/ conference/conf2000.htmI) 3-6 October Place: Sponsor: Subject: Contact:
2000 Noordwijk, The Netherlands ESA The 3-D Heliosphere at Solar Maximum R.G. Marsden, SSD, ESTEC, PQ Box 299,220O AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands. rmarsden @estec.esa.nl
9-12 October 2000 Garching, Germany Place: Deep Fields Subject: S.Cristiani, Space Telescope Contact: European Coordinating Facility, Karl Schwartzschild Str. 2, D85748 Munchen, Germany. 2-5 November 2000 Lucerne, Switzerland Place: Space Technology’s Contribution Subject: to Transportation (8’” EURISY Youth Forum) eurisyQmicronet.fr Contact:
6-10 November 2000 Place: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA Subject: High Energy Astrophysics (Meeting of AAS Division) Contact: J.Vallerga, Eureka Scientific Inc., 2452 Delmer St., Suite 100, Oakland, CA 94601-3017, USA. [email protected] (http://www.eurekasci.com)
19-21 March 2001 Place: Darmstadt, Germany Sponsor: ESA, COSPAR, ASI, BNSC, CNES, DLR, IAA Space Debris (Third European Subject: Conference) Contact: W. Flury, ESOC, Robert-BoschStr. 5,54293 Darmstadt, Germany.
6-10 November 2000 Place: Mar del Plata, Argentina Sponsors: EU, UN, UNEP, SCOSTEP, NASA, ESA, NOAA, NASDA, CNES, CNRS among others Subject: Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate (2ndSPARC General Assembly) Contact: sparc2000@atl .fcen.uba.ar (http://www.sparc200O.at.fcen. uba.ar)
18-30 August 2001 Place: Hanoi, Vietnam IAGA, IASPEI Sponsor: Subject: IAGA 9’” Scientific Assembly and 3d” IASPEI General Assembly Contact: Secretariat, Inst. of Geophysics, Box 411, Buu Dien Bo Ho, Hanoi, Vietnam. laga.iaspeiQfpt.vn. (http://www.IAGAandlASPEl. org.vn)
13-l 7 November 2000 Place: Marrakesh, Morocco Subject: Astronomical Site Evaluation in the Visible and Radio Range Contact: B.Zouhair, Faculte des Sciences, Semlalia, Bd. Du Prince My Abdellah, BP S15, Marrakesh, Morocco. zouhairQucam.ac.ma (http:/lwww.esa.orglgenfaclpubs/ astclim/espas/iau_site2000/) 4-8 January 2001 Place: Kenting National Park, Taiwan, China. Sponsor: IAU Subject: Small-Telescope Astronomy on Global Scales (IAU Colloq. 183) Contact: W.-P. Chen, Graduate Inst. of Astronomy, National Central University, Chung-Li, 32054 Taiwan, China. wchenQjoule.phy.ncu.edu.tw 6-10 February 2001 Place: Warsaw, Poland Sponsor: COSPAR Subject: Acceleration and Heating in the Magnetosphere (COSPAR Colloquium) Contact: jbleckiOcbk.waw.pl
August 2001 Hanoi, Vietnam Place: Subject: Geomagnetism, Aeronomy and Space Research in History Contact: W. Schroder, Geophysical Inst., Hechelstr. 8, D-28777 Bremen, Germany. 1O-l 2 September 2001 Place: Beijing, China Sponsors: COSPAR, IAU, Chinese National Committee for COSPAR. Solar-Terrestrial Magnetic AcSubject: tivity and the Space Environment (COSPAR Colloquium) Contact: Prof. Guoxiang Ai, Beijing Astronomical Observatory, Beijing 100012, China. October 2001 Place: _St Denis de La Reunion, France Subject: The Evolution of Galaxies II Basic Building Blocks Contact: L.Vigroux, CEA, Service d’Astrophysique, F 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France. [email protected] (http://www.daec.obspm.fr/ ThreeConf.html) May 2002 Place: Subject: Contact:
Kiel, Germany The Evolution of Galaxies. III From Simple Approaches to Self Consistent Models G.Hensler, Univ. Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, D 24098 Kiel, Germany. [email protected] (http://www.daec.obspm.fr/ ThreeConf.html)
permanent acceleration at scales comparable to the size of the magnetosphere. The multiscale processes might have deep physical implications for laboratory and space plasmas, and in-situ spacecraft -such as those linked to activities within IACG - provide unique information for our knowledge of plasma physics. The Geotail, Interball, Polar, Wind and Fast spacecraft provide observations of almost all critical regions where energy transformations occur, from the collisionless bow shock (where the solar wind kinetic energy is converted to thermal energy) to the polar cusps (where directly penetrating solar wind plasma excites small-scale instabilities) and the magnetotail (where energy is periodically released through magnetic reconnection processes). In addition to the results from these established missions which allow studies of many aspects of heating and acceleration in the magnetosphere, the meeting will include first results from the Cluster /I mission. For more information, contact: Professor Jan Blecki at [email protected].
October 2002 Houston, USA Place: Sponsors: COSPAR, AIAA, IAF World Space Congress 2002 Subject: COSPAR Secretariat Contact:
3.2.
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS
COSPAR Colloquium on Solar-Terrestrial Magnetic Activity and the Space Environment A COSPAR Colloquium on Solar-Terrestrial Magnetic Activity and the Space Environment will be held in Beijing, China from 10 to 12 September 2001. The meeting is sponsored by the Chinese National Committee for COSPAR, COSPAR and the IAU. During the last three decades, a large amount of solar observational data has been obtained with space-borne and ground-based instruments covering a wide spectral range. In particular, observations from Yohkoh, SOHO, Ulysses and TRACE have revealed a multitude of phenomena and processes in the Sun’s atmosphere which can influence the Earth’s environment. The study of ‘space weather’ is the endeavour to understand the response of our space environment to the constantly changing Sun, and studies of solar magnetic fields are critical to space weather forecasting. It is thus timely and appropriate to bring together international expertise in solar and heliospheric physics for a COSPAR Colloquium. The meeting will focus on (1) solar surface magnetism, (2) solar magnetic activity, (3) the dynamical response of the heliosphere, (4) space weather prediction, (5) space exploration and monitoring, and (6) the effects of the space environment on spacecraft. For more information, contact: Professor Guoxiang Ai, Beijing Astronomical Observatory, Beijing 100012, China.
Third European Conference on Space Debris The Third European Conference on Space Debris will be held in Darmstadt, Germany from 19 to 21 March 2001. The meeting is sponsored by ESA, ASI, BNSC, CNES, DLR, COSPAR and the IAA. This list stresses how seriously the space debris issue is being taken. Since 1957, more than 4000 space launches have led to a current population of approximately 8500 trackable objects (i.e., objects larger than 10 cm) in near-Earth space; only 600 to 700 of these are operational spacecraft. The remainder is space debris. There are far more fragments in orbit that cannot be tracked. However, cm-sized debris can seriously damage or even destroy operational spacecraft. Current design and operational practices must be reviewed and adapted. The purpose of this conference is to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of new results from research on space debris, to assist in defining future directions of research, to identify methods of debris control, reduction and protection, and to discuss international implications and policy issues. For more information, contact: W. Flury, ESOC, Robert-Bosch-Str. 5, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany.
COSPAR Colloquium on Acceleration and Heating in the Magnetosphere The first ‘new millenium’ COSPAR Colloquium will be held in or near Warsaw, Poland, from 6 to1 0 February 2001, and will focus on Acceleration and Heating in the Magnetosphere. The interaction of the Earth’s magnetic field with the supersonic flow of the solar wind plasma drives processes which convert energy between various forms, such as kinetic, magnetic, thermal and electromagnetic. Spatiotemporal manifestations of the energy transformations are very diverse. They range from localized burst-like events to global quasi9
.
MST Radar Workshop (Report by Juergen Roettger) The Ninth international Workshop on Technical and Scientific Aspects of MST Radar (MSTS), combined with the COST-76 Final Profiler Workshop (COST76), was held at the International Conference Centre of Meteo France in Toulouse, 13-18 March 2000. The merging of these two workshops was a natural consequence of the evolution of mesospherestratosphere-troposphere (MST) radars into wind profiling applications. It proved to be a major event drawing together experts from round the world who were engaged in research and development of these radar techniques to study the troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere, as well as the ionosphere. It provided excellent opportunities to young scientists, research students, operators and meteorologists for close interaction with experts on technical and scientific aspects of MST radar and wind profilers and the corresponding operational applications, governed by COST (Cooperation on Science and Technology - a European Union project). The workshop was prepared by the International Steering Group (J. Roettger, S. Fukao, M.F. Larsen, C.H. Liu, A.P. Mitra and W. Monna), the Programme Committee (L. Alonso, K.S. Gage, E. Legrand, G. Nastrom, G. Peters, M. Piringer, P.B. Rao, R.A. Vincent and R.F. Woodman) and the Local Organizing Committee (J.P. Aubagnac and V. Klaus). It was sponsored by URSI, SCOSTEP, COST/European Union, the Universite de Midi Pyrenees and Meteo France. The workshop was attended by 156 participants from 27 countries and 6 continents; 195 papers were presented, of which 76 were posters. The Director of the Research Division of Meteo France, Dr Daniel Cariolle, was present at the formal opening session The participants were invited by the Lord Major of Toulouse to a reception in the town hall, and also enjoyed a banquet in a countryside restaurant. The workshop ended with a plenary session and a tour of the facilities of Meteo France on final day of the meeting. The scientific and technical parts of the workshop were arranged in 8 major sessions as listed below; each being highlighted by one or two review papers.
10
In Session 1 (11 oral/l 0 poster papers) on Scattering Processes and Refractive Index Irregularities in the Neutral Atmosphere, attention was given to the high resolution interferometer and imaging techniques which, since they help to improve understanding of the atmospheric structures causing radar scatter, play a dominant role in this field. Session 2 (20/19) was devoted to Mesosphere, Lower Thermosphere and lonosphere studies, where the latter essentially concentrated on coherent scatter from electron density irregularities. The VHF radar studies of meteors, of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes (PMSE) and Quasi-Periodic (QP) Echoes from the mid-latitude Eregion were the highlights of this session. Session 3 (2617) on Waves and Turbulence covered planetary and gravity wave climatology and momentum flux measurements with radars. Particular attention was given to simulations of turbulence generation and development, and the observations by radar and radio acoustic sounding systems (RASS). Session 4 (9/9) on Boundary Layer Meteorology, during which it was shown that UHF and VHF profilers are particularly useful observing instruments, and RASS and SODAR are valuable complements. Session 5 (7/5) - Studies of Precipitation and Clouds. The most obvious deduction from this session was that profiler observations provide suitable ground truth calibration for remote sensing of rainfall rates. Session 6 (10/3) dealt with Synoptic and Larger-Scale Meteorology and included radar observations of thunderstorms, the tropopause, fronts, hurricanes, Hadley circulation and the potential of wind profiler radars for studies of El Nifio related effects. Session 7 (25/l 4) focused on Wind Profilers and Complementary Techniques (including RASS and SODAR). Reports from radar facilities, networks and new systems were presented. Many details of methods, parameter estimation, and of optimization and calibration procedures were discussed and evaluated. In Session 8 (1 l/9), the Operational Aspects of Wind Profilers were discussed and provided the final highlight of the workshop. The inclusion of wind profiler data into weather forecasting projects and models has proved a most rational development. It was also pointed out that, essentially, wind profiler measurements have the same accuracy as radiosonde wind measurements.
At the concluding Plenary Session, W. Monna presented a report on the COST-76 project on radar wind profiler networks. The future activities within this framework are expected to focus on combining various observing techniques. Reports from the five Permanent Working Groups (PWG) of the MST radar community were given and the continuation of the groups approved: -
PWG-1 on System Calibrations and Definitions (co-chaired by P. Chilson and J. Roettger) has to fulfil a most tedious task in preparing a glossary of specific terms, which could be undertaken at the same time as preparing lecture material on atmospheric radar for future schools. Calibration procedures need to be worked out, for instance, to facilitate better estimates of turbulence parameters and comparisons of the observations done with different radars.
-
PWGB on Data Analysis, Validation and Parameter Deduction Methods (co-chaired by D. Holdsworth and M. Yamamoto) has been divided into three distinct groups on: (1) general processing, (2) analysis techniques, (3) post-analysis techniques. The group will examine the feasibilityof making time-series of raw data available to verify the results of different analysis techniques, and of making libraries of analysis routines available to the community.
-
PWG-3 on Accuracies and Requirements for Meteorological Applications (chaired by G. Nastrom) is considering options for data distribution, archiving and the corresponding formats.
-
-
In 2003, the Third International School on Atmospheric Radar (ISAR3) should also take place in Trieste. To take care of these subjects, an ISAR Working Group was established with S. Fukao, D.N. Rao, J. Roettger and R.F. Woodman as members. It was also decided to intensify the interaction between the working groups and similar groups in other scientific communities. Consideration is to be given to the possibility of establishing a permanent MST radar web page and an e-mail discussion group. SCOSTEP and Meteo France will supervise the publication of the extended abstracts in the Workshop Proceedings. Papers related to COST76 will be published in Zeitschtifi fiir Mefeorologie and those on MST radar in Anna/es Geophysicae. In considering the format of future workshops, it was generally agreed to emphasize the workshop aspect more clearly on timely topics within the MST radar techniques and science field; there was no conclusion as to whether future workshops should be organized in the form of a conference or in some less formal style. It was agreed that the steering committee and the chairs of the working group should consider this issue in more depth. Invitations to hold the MST10 workshop in late 2002 in either Adelaide, Australia or Peru were presented. Further details on this workshop can be found on the homepage of Meteo France at: http:/www.cnrm.meteo.fr/mst/ Research and Education in Basic Space Science - The Approach Pursued in the lJN/ESA Workshops
The report of PWG4 on International Collaborations (chaired by P.B. Rao) was given by S. Fukao. Several projects had been carried out and others, such as those on mid-latitude sporadic-E echoes, gravity waves and turbulence, will continue.
M.K. Al-Naimiya (Jordan), Cynthia P. Celebreb (Philippines), Khalil ChamchamC (Morocco), H.S. Padmasiri de Alwisd (Sri Lanka), Maria C. Pineda de Caria$ (Honduras), Hans J. Haubold’ (UnitedNations), Alexis E. Troche Bogginog (Paraguay)
A short report on observations during the Leonid meteor shower emerged from PWG5 on Transient Phenomena.
Introduction
A.P. Mitra gave a report on activities with respect to international projects for atmospheric studies in the Indian region. It was agreed that a proposal for a new working group on education and training should be handled in the context of future schools on atmospheric radars. A special school for students from developing countries has already been scheduled for November 2000 in Trieste.
Research and education in astronomy and astrophysics are international enterprises and the astronomical community has long shown leadership in fostering international collaboration and cooperation because (i) astronomy has deep roots in virtually every human culture, (ii) astronomical studies help understanding of humanity’s place in the vast scale of the universe, and (iii) the science teaches humani11
Over the past ten years, the workshops established a close interaction between scientists from developing and industrialized nations to discuss research findings at the current front lines in basic space science. The workshops also initiated a direct interaction between scientists from developing nations. In depth discussions in working groups were fostered to allow the identification of the needs - especially common needs, which could be addressed on a larger scale - to enhance the participation of the developing nations in basic space science and to identify the best ways and means in which each nation could accelerate its participation in a meaningful endeavour.
ty about its origins and evolution. Humanity’s activity in the quest to explore the universe is reflected in the history of scientific institutions, enterprises, and sensibilities. The institutions that sustain science; the moral, religious, cultural and philosophical sensibilities of scientists themselves; and the goal of the scientific enterprise in different regions on Earth are all the subject of intense study (Pyenson & Sheets-Pyenson 1999). The Bahcall report for the last decade of the 20’” century (Bahcall 1991) has been prepared primarily for the North American astronomical community, but it may not have gone unnoticed that this report also had an impact on a broader international scale, as the report can be used, to some extent, as a guide for introducing basic space science, including astronomy and astrophysics, in countries where this field of science is still in its infancy. At http://www.seas.columbia.edu/-ah297/unesa/ there is an account of how developing nations are making efforts to introduce basic space science into research and education curricula at the university level. This initiative was born in 1990 as a collaborative effort between a variety of developing nations, the United Nations (UN), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Government of Japan, and covers last decade of the 20th century. Through annual workshops and subsequent follow-up projects, particularly the establishment of astronomical telescope facilities, this initiative is gradually yielding results in the regions of Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and Western Asia.
The eighth in the series of UN/ESA Workshops on Basic Space Science which, among other topics, addressed the feasibility of establishing a World Space Observatory (WSO), was held at Jordan in 1999. The ninth workshop will be held at France in 2000 and preparations are ongoing for the tenth workshop to be held in Mauritius in 2001. The UN, ESA, Japan, and the relevant international organizations will continue to provide assistance for the establishment and operation of astronomical facilities in Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, Jordan, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Uruguay. Astronomical Telescope Facilities A number of Governments (among them Honduras 1997 and Jordan 1999), in cooperation with international partners, have acquired and established astronomical telescope facilities (Meade 16” Schmidt-Cassegrain models).
Workshops on Basic Space Science In conjunction with the workshops, to support research and education in astronomy, the Government of Japan (ODA scheme) donated high-grade equipment, specifically 45 cm highgrade astronomical telescopes furnished with photoelectric photometer, computer equipment, and spectrograph (or CCD), to a number of developing nations including Sri Lanka 1995, Paraguay 1998 and the Philippines 2001 (Kitamura 1999). After the installation of the telescope facilities by the host countries and Japan, young observatory staff members from Sri Lanka and Paraguay were invited by the Bisei Astronomical Observatory for education and training, sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA] (Kitamura 1999 Kogure 1999), to enable them to operate these high-grade telescopes,.
In 1959, the United Nations recognized a new potential for international cooperation and established the permanent Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). In 1970, COPUOS formalized the UN Programme on Space Applications to strengthen cooperation in space science and technology between non-industrialized and industrialized nations. In 1991, the UN, in close cooperation with developing countries, ESA, and the Government of Japan, started a series of annual Workshops on Basic Space Science under the auspices of COPUOS, which were hosted by UN member states, namely, India, Costa Rica, Colombia, Nigeria, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Germany, Honduras, Jordan, and France in the five economic regions defined by the UN (Haubold 1998).
12
The research and education programmes at the newly established telescope facilities will focus on time-varying phenomena of celestial objects. The 45 cm class reflecting telescope with photoelectric photometer attached is able to detect celestial objects up to the 12’h magnitude and with a CCD attached up to the 15th magnitude. Such results have been demonstrated for the light variation of the eclipsing close binary star V505 Sgr, the X-ray binary Cyg X-l, the eclipsing part of the long-period binary E Aur, the asteroid No. 45 Eugenia, and the eclipsing variable FIT Cma Teles (Kitamura 1999). In forthcoming workshops, common observational programmes for variable stars for all the telescope facilities are envisaged. Observing with the Telescopes: Research In the course of preparing the establishment of the astronomical telescope facilities described above, the workshops made intense efforts to identify available material to be used in research and education by utilizing such facilities. It was discovered that variable star observing by photoelectric or CCD photometry can be a prelude to rather more advanced astronomical studies. Variable stars are those which have properties such as brightness or colour that varies with time. If measured sufficiently carefully, almost every star turns out to be variable. The variation may be due to geometry, such as the eclipse of one star by a companion star, or the rotation of a spotted star, or it may be due to physical processes such as pulsations, eruptions or explosions. Variable stars provide astronomers with essential information about the internal structure and evolution of the stars. The predominant institution in this specific field of astronomy is the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) which coordinates variable star observations made by amateur and professional astronomers, and compiles, processes, publishes and distributes these data. The AAVSO receives over 350 000 measurements a year, from more than 550 observers worldwide, and are entered into the AAVSO electronic database, which contains close to 10 million measurements of several thousand stars.
dozen stars, user-friendly computer programs to analyse them and to enter new observations into the database, an instructional video in three segments, and a comprehensive manual for teachers and students (http://www. aavso.org/, http://www.aspsky.org/). Providing a telescope is properly operational, variable stars can be observed, measurements can be analysed and sent electronically to the AAVSO. The flexibility of the Hands-On Astrophysics material allows an immediate link to the teaching of astronomy or astrophysics at university level by using the astronomy, mathematics, and computer elements of the package. It can be used to involve both lecturer and student in real science with real observational data. After a careful exploration of Hands-On Astrophysics and thanks to the generous cooperation of AAVSO, it was adopted by the above astronomical telescope facilities for their observing programmes (Mattei & Percy 1999, Percy 1991). The results of this effort will be reviewed at forthcoming workshops on basic space science. Teaching Astrophysics: Education Various strategies for introducing the spirit of scientific inquiry to universities, including, those in developing nations, have been developed and analysed (Wentzel 1999a). The workshops on basic space science have been organized and hosted by Governments and local scientific communities which agreed beforehand on the need to introduce or further develop basic space science at university level and to establish adequate facilities for pursuing such a field of science in practical terms, i.e., to operate an astronomical facility for the benefit of the university or research establishment (and prospectively to make the results from the facility available for public educational efforts). In addition to hosting workshops, the governments agreed to operate any telescope facilities that might be provided in a sustained manner with the support and cooperation of the international community in devising appropriate research and educational programmes. Gradually, this policy is being implemented for those telescope facilities established through the workshops in cooperation with the UN, ESA, Japan, and other national and international organizations.
To facilitate the operation of variable star observing programmes and to prepare a common ground for such programmes, AAVSO developed a unique package entitled HandsOn Astrophysics which includes 45 star charts, 31 35 mm slides of five constellations, 14 prints of the Cygnus star field at seven different times, 600 000 measurements of several
Organizers of the workshops have acknowledged the desire of the local scientific communities to use educational material available at the local level (prepared in the local language), and have also been called upon to 13
explore the possibility of educational material (additional to the above mentioned Hands-On Astrophysics package) being developed for use by as many university staff in different nations as possible while preserving the specific cultural environment in which astronomy is being taught and the telescopes are being used. A first promising step in this direction was made with the project ‘Astrophysics for University Physics Courses’ (Wentzell999b). This project has been highlighted at the IAU/COSPAR/ UN Special Workshop on Education in Astronomy and Basic Space Science, held during the UNISPACE III Conference at the United Nations Office Vienna in 1999 (Isobe 1999). Additionally, a number of text books and CDROMs have been identified over the years that, in the view of astronomers from developing nations, are particularly useful in the research and teaching process (for example, just to name three: Bennett et a/. 1999, for teaching purposes; Lang 1999, a reference work for research; Hamilton 1996, a CD-ROM for astronomy in the classroom). This topic may be discussed at greater length in the Newsletters, specifically published for the benefit of Africa (Querci & Martinez 1999), Asia and the Pacific (Isobe 1999), and Latin America and the Caribbean (Eenens & Corral 1999). What Next? The Ninth UN/ESA Workshop on Basic Space Science: Satellites and Telescopic Networks -Tools for Global Participation in the Studies of the Universe, hosted by the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) at the Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees (Universite Paul Sabbatier), on behalf of the Government of France, 27-30 June 2000, Toulouse, France, surveyed the obstacles encountered and the progress made, as observed in the ten-years’ long approach pursued in the UN/ESA Workshops as described above. The Workshop considered the benefits of basic space science to society, particularly developing nations, and the experience with, results from, and the need for networks of astronomical telescopes (such as those donated by Japan) in terms of common research and education programmes. During this workshop, additional working group sessions were held to review the topics in sections 1 to 5 above and to chart the course for the future.
veloping nations in such an effort - both from the point of view of research and education (Wamsteker & Gonzales Riestra 1997, United Nations GA Document A/AC.1 05/723). Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to the following for sharing the pleasure of organizing the UN/ESA Workshops on Basic Space Science and their follow-up projects as described: J. Andersen (IAU), J. Bennett (USA), S.C. Chakravarty (India), W. Fernandez (Costa Rica), S. lsobe (Japan), M. Kitamura (Japan), T. Kogure (Japan), K.R. Lang (USA), P. Martinez (South Africa), J. Mattei (AAVSO), P.N. Okeke (Nigeria), L.I. Onuora (UK), L. Pyenson (USA), F.-R. Querci (France), S. Rughooputh (Mauritius), R. Schwartz (Germany), M.A. Shaltout (Egypt), S. Torres (Colombia), and W. Wamsteker (ESA). Notes a) Astronomical Observatory, Higher institute of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Al alBayt University, P.O. Box 130302, Al Mafraq, Jordan, [email protected] b) Astronomical Observatory, Philippines Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration, 1424 Asia Trust Bank Building, Quezon Avenue, Quezon Philippines, cynthia_celebre@ City, hotmail.comc) c) Faculty of Science Ain Chock, .University Hassan II, B.P. 5366 Maarif, Casablanca M o r o c c o , 0 5 chamch’[email protected] d) Astronomical Observatory, Arthur C. Clarke lnstitut for Modern Technologies, Katubedda, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, aselaQslt.lk e) Observatorio Astronomico, Universidad National Autonoma de Honduras, Apartado Postal 4432, Tegucigalpa M.D.C., Honduras, mcariasQ hondutel.hn f) Office for Outer Space Affairs, United Nations, Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, [email protected] g) Observatorio Astronomico, Facultad Universidad National de Politecnica, Asuncion, Ciudad Universitaria, San Lorenzo, Paraguay, [email protected] References
The workshop in France also addressed in detail the feasibility of establishing a World Space Observatory (WSO), an ambition that has been discussed since the workshop in Sri Lanka in 1995, and the participation of de-
Bahcall, J.N. 1991 The Decade of Discovery in Astronomy and AstrophysicsWashington DC: National Academy Press.
14
Lang, K.R.1999 Astrophysical Formulae, Votume I: Radiation, Gas Processes and High Energy Astrophysics, Volume II: Space, Time, Matterand Cosmology. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Mattei, J. & Percy, J. R. (ed.) 1998 Hands-On Astrophysics. Cambridge, MA: American Association of Variable Star Observers; http://www.aavso.org/. Percy, JR. (ed.) 1991 Astronomy Education: Current Developments, Future Cooperation: In: Proceedings Astronomical Society of the Pacific Symposium, Conference Series Vol. 89. Pyenson, L.& Sheets-Pyenson, S. 1999 Servants of Nature: A History of Scientific Institutions, Enterprises, and Sensibilities. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Querci, F.-R. & P. Martinez (ed.), African SkiesKieux Africains, Newsletter, four issues published since 1997, http://www.saao.ac.zal-wgssaf. United Nations Report on the UN/ESA Workshop on Basic Space Science, hosted by Al alBayt University, Mafraq, Jordan, on behalf of the Government of Jordan, A/AC.l05/723, 18 May 1999. Wamsteker, W. & Gonzales Riestra, R. (ed.) 1997 Ultraviolet Astrophysics Beyond the IUE Final Archive. In: Conference Proceedings, Sevilla, Spain, 77-74 November 1997. Paris: ESA SP-413, pp. 849-855. Wentzel, D.G. 1999a National strategies for science development. In: Teaching of Astronomy in Asian-Pacific Region, Bulletin No. 15, pp. 4-10. Wentzel, D.G.1999b Astroffsica para Cursos Universitanos de Fisica, La Paz, Bolivia; English language version available at http://www.seas.columbia.edu/-ah297/unesa/ astrophysics.
Bennett, J., Donahue, M., Schneider, N. & Voit, M.1999 The Cosmic Perspective. Menlo Park, California: Addison Wesley Longman Inc.; a www site, offering a wealth of additional material for teachers and students, specifically developed for teaching astronomy with this book and upgraded on a regular basis is also available: http://www.astrospot.com/. Eenens, Ph. & Corral, L. Astronomfa Latino Americana (ALA) - electronic Bulletin, http://www.astro.ugto.mx/-ala/. Hamilton, C.J. 1996 Views of the Solar System CD-ROM. Arlington: National Science Teachers Association. Haubold, H.J. 1998 UN/ESA Workshops on Basic Space Science: an initiative in the worldwide development of astronomy. In: Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage l(2): 105 121; an updated version of this paper is available at http://lanl.gov/abs/physics/9910042. Isobe, S. 1999 Teaching of Astronomy in Asian-Pacific Region, Bulletin No. 15; Bulletin published since 1991; see also [email protected]. Kitamura, M. 1999 Donation of astronomical instruments to developing countries by Japanese ODA with emphasis on research observations by donated 45 cm reflectors in Asia.ln: Proceedings Conference on Space Sciences and Technology Applications for National Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2 l-22 January 7999, pp. 147-l 52. Ministry of Science and Technology of Sri Lanka, Kogure, T.1999 Stellar activity and needs for multi-site observations. In: Proceedings Conference on Space Sciences and Technology Applications for National Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 21-22 January 1999, pp. 124-l 31. Ministry of Science and Technology of Sri Lanka.
I
IL
&I
I
4l
I
34th COSPAR SCIENTIFIC ASSEMBLY at the World Space Congress HOUSTON, USA OCTOBER 2002 I
,P 15