August 10, 1999

Steve Roy
Media Relations Department
(256) 544-6535
steve.roy@msfc.nasa.gov

/centers/msfc/NEWSROOM/

ADVISORY: 99-187

NASA Coverage of Last Solar Eclipse of the Millennium

NASA will provide spectacular pictures of the Aug. 11 total solar eclipse -- the last in this millennium -- from Earth and a million miles out in space. That and other NASA experiments and activities available for coverage are summarized below:

Audio eclipse experiment. Scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., invite ham radio operators from around the world to participate in a scientific experiment by recording signals from European radio stations during the eclipse. The purpose is to help better understand the nature of ionospheric absorption, which may lead to less radio interference in the future. Information is available at

http://eclipsecast.com/

Allais global gravity experiment. This NASA experiment will observe the Aug. 11 solar eclipse in an unusual way: using a high precision state-of-the-art gravity sensor or gravitometer located at Marshall. The experiment will test the extraordinary findings of Nobel laureate Maurice Allais who detected anomalies in the movement of Foucault's Pendulum during total eclipses in the 1950s. Allais later said "this was quite inexplicable within the framework of currently accepted theories of gravity." Information is available at:

http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast17jun99_1.htm

Live eclipse feed from Amasya, Turkey, from 6 to 8 a.m. EDT. (Current weather reports indicate at least 80 percent chance of good weather in Turkey on Aug. 11). The feed will NOT be on NASA TV, but will be uplinked on Telstar 5, Ku transponder 11, 97 West, vertical polarity 11929 MHz downlink frequency, audio 6.2 / 6.8. Please use the following credit with this feed: "Courtesy Exploratorium/NASA"

Live Shots on NASA TV on Aug. 11 from 6:15 to 11:50 a.m. EDT.
Solar Researchers Steve Maran and Craig DeForest are available from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Md., to provide commentary during the eclipse. Stations can book an interview by contacting Deanna Corridon at (301) 286-0045 or Wade Sisler at (301) 286-6256.

Web resources:

The San Francisco Exploratorium will present a live interactive webcast with support from NASA's Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum at:

http://eclipse99.nasa.gov/

Eclipse Home Page:

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html

General eclipse information:

http://eclipsecast.com/

Science news stories related to the eclipse:

http://science.nasa.gov/

Note to Editors / News Directors: Interviews, photos and video supporting this release are available to media representatives by contacting Steve Roy of the Marshall Media Relations Department at (256) 544-6535. For an electronic version of this release, digital images or more information, visit Marshall's News Center on the Web at:

/centers/msfc/NEWSROOM/