... Spacecraft that will search for planetary systems around 40 million stars and observe the largest explosions in the universe have been chosen as the next two missions in NASA's medium-class Explorer (MIDEX) program. ... The first mission, to be launched in 2003, is the Swift Gamma Ray Burst Explorer, a three-telescope space observatory for studying gamma ray bursts. ... During its three-year mission, Swift will also survey the sky for new black holes and other sources of cosmic gamma rays. ...

... Objectives of the study . To survey and evaluate the technical and economical feasibility of European initiatives by start-up companies, for privately-funded crew vehicles for commercial human space flight. ... New commercial markets, among them space tourism, have a great potential to become major drivers in space technology development. This study aims at the assessment of the feasibility of European initiatives to address these new markets through the development of crewed space vehicles. ...

... Schools . ... V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University is one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe. ... In October 1999, according to the decree of the President of Ukraine, Kharkiv State University gained the status of a national university and was named in honor of its founder, V.N. Karazin. ... V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University is involved in extensive international cooperation and is an active member of the international community of the leading European and world universities. ...

The possibility of recovery of the vertical distribution of the magnetic field in umbrae by line width differences S.G. Mozharovsky Ussuriysk Astrophysical Observatory of FEB RAS, Ussuriysk, Russia sw@newmail.ru Abstract. This article studies the possibility of recovery of the vertical distribution of the magnetic field in the photospheric layers of sunspot umbra by the Difference of the Line profile Absolute Widths of neutral zirconium ? ... 2) Line profiles for cold models have extended wings. ...

... The author attempts to approach the problem from the positions of systems analysis with account for the ideological grounds and history of space activities in Russia and abroad, comparing its current interpretation with the initial goals posed by leading theoreticians and practitioners who stood at the cradle of the space exploration era. ... The space systems recognized in Russia as priority projects are largely developed with violations of the systems approach principles. ...

... StarCalc Home Page - Downloads . ... File . StarCalc (English version) . ... With minimal configuration, version 5.72 of StarCalc includes the next interfaces: "Horizon", "Horizontal coordinategrid", "Equatorial coordinate grid", "Constellation boundaries", "Constellation lines", "Constellation names", "Star proper names", "Bright Star Catalog", "Deep-sky objects", "Sun", "Moon" and "Planets and satellites" . Plugins for StarCalc . ... Interface to NGC 2000 (plugin + catalog file) . ...

... 16-mm/2.8 Fish-eye . ... I set up my Edixa Prismaflex TTL on a tripod outside the dome at Zeiss 50" and opened the camera for several hours. The 2.6 m Shain reflector is visible at center. The time exposure of about 5 hours duration showing circumpolar stars. The dome can be seen to blur slightly due to their motion during the exposure. Back to Astronomical Images Home Page . ...