From Michael Rycroft                 e-mail Michael.J.Rycroft@ukgateway.net 

The European Science Foundation on Space Processes and Electrical Changes Influencing Atmospheric Layers (SPECIAL) set up a new Scientific Network. 

Full details are available at 
http://sgo.fi/SPECIAL 
and 
http://www.esf.org/physical/pn/Special/speciala.htm

The next meeting of the Network will be held at Lindau, in Germany, courtesy of Prof Kristian Schlegel, from 8 to 11 November 2000. 

***************************************************************** 2. Successful Launch of the Second Pair of Cluster II spacecraft
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From: Philippe Escoubet                              e-mail cpescoub@estec.esa.nl 

The second pair of ESA Cluster II spacecraft was successfully launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. at 11.13 UT on 9 August 2000. A Soyuz-Fregat launch vehicle provided by the European-Russian Starsem consortium lifted off with spacecraft 1 (now called Rumba) and spacecraft 4 (Tango). About 90 minutes later, the operation control centre at ESOC, Darmstadt in Germany, acquired the signal of the two spacecraft from the Kiruna receiving ground station. Preliminary checks have verified that both spacecraft were in good shape.

The pictures of the separation of the two spacecraft can be seen on the Cluster home page: http://sci.esa.int/cluster

After five main engine manoeuvres in the next 5 days, the spacecraft will join the first pair (Salsa and Samba) and the commissioning and verification phase will start for a period of three and a half months. 

To unify the presentations of results, a color and line style have been associated to each spacecraft: 

S/C  Name   Color       Line Style                 Symbol                Model 
C1   Rumba  Black       Solid                        Cross or Square      FM5 
C2   Salsa     Red         Dashed                     Plus or Diamond     FM6 
C3   Samba   Green      Dotted                     Asterix or Circle      FM7 
C4   Tango    Magenta  Dash-dot-dot-dot     Star or Triangle      FM8 

2 symbols are given: the first one can be drawn with lines, the other made as either outlines or solid. FYI Asterixes have 6 legs, stars 5 points. 

Note that it is not mandatory to use these colors/symbols. However, it will make the data analysis and comparison much easier if everybody uses the same. 

For latest news on the Cluster mission, see: http://sci.esa.int/cluster

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3. Publication by the Swiss Reinsurance Company 
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From Frank Jansen                                                   e-mail fjansen@aip.de

Published by the Swiss Reinsurance Company 

The world-wide acting Swiss Reinsurance Company has published their new brochure "Space weather - Hazard to the Earth?" with a press release on 27 June 2000. In the nearly 40 pages coloured publication the fundamentals of space weather, the practical consequences - historical ones, risks for electronics, risks for space flight, risks for aviation, risks for telecommunications, risks in electric power transmission, risk for the oil and gas industry and risk for railways are described. 

Moreover space weather forecasts are sketched. The brochure also examines the relevance of space weather for the insurance industry in more detail. 

The brochure is available in english and german language. For further information on the publication please contact the authors Dr. F. Jansen (fjansen@aip.de) or 

Dr. Risto Pirjola (risto.pirjola@fmi.fi) or access the Swiss Re's website at www.swissre.com and download the publication from the internet. 

Note: all people who already asked the authors at NATO ASI Space Storms & Space Weather Hazards (June 2000) in Crete and due to the first announcement in SWEN (January 2000) will get soon their publications by mail.

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4. Some ESA Tender Actions from ESA EMITS
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AO3621 
GENERIC COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EARTH OBSERVATION DATA DISTRIBUTION. 
(Open from 09/08/2000 to 17/10/2000, Act.Ref.: 98.1CA.11) 
For more information and the complete list of ESA Tender Actions
please look at:

http://emits.esa.int/emits/OpenTenders

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Note: This newsletter is an initiative of the ESA Space Systems Environment Analysis Section and is intended to establish a prototype of a potential mailing list or forum with news of interest for the Space 

Weather community in Europe. 
- SWEN contact group (which keeps SWEN informed of news coming from other channels)is currently: 
Eamonn Daly, ESA (excluding science programme) 
Richard Marsden, ESA science programme 
Maurizio Candidi, CNR 
Paul Cannon, URSI-Commission G 
Mike Hapgood, EGS 
Hannu Koskinen, SCOSTEP working group on Space weather 
Pierre Lantos, ISES 
Henrik Lundstedt, Lund space weather center 
Goetz Paschmann, ISSI 
Jean-Yves Prado, CNES Programme Directorate 
Michael Rycroft, ISU 
Volker Bothmer, EGS-Solar Physics Secretary 
Wolfgang Baumjohann, MPE-German Representative 
Jinbin Cao, Chinese Space Weather Activity Representative 
Barbara Poppe, NOAA Space Environment Centre 

- SWEN archives are currently available on: 
http://www.lund.irf.se/HeliosHome/SWEN/spweuro.html 

- Please direct all replies and submissions to the newsletter to: 
swen@wm.estec.esa.nl 

- To subscribe to the newsletter send your email address to: 
swen@wm.estec.esa.nl 

- Please update your e-mail address if it has been changed. Please send both your new and old e-mail address to the editor for easier updating of your file. 

We are looking forward to receiving your inputs. 
The SWEN editor 

Alain Hilgers 

Co-editor:
Jean-Baptiste Alberico
--------------- 
swen@wm.estec.esa.nl

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