Aminocyclopyrachlor (AMCP) is a newly developed synthetic auxin herbicide for broadleaf weed control in turfgrass systems. AMCP has been observed to undergo rapid photodecomposition in shallow water when exposed to sunlight. Most herbicide applications on golf courses occur during the morning when dew is still present on the turfgrass canopy. These conditions could result in efficacy loss if photolysis occurred while AMCP is suspended in dew droplets. Research was conducted to determine the effect of ambient moisture on AMCP efficacy. AMCP (79 and 105 g ae ha−1), aminopyralid (280 g ae ha −1), and two AMCP granular formulations (84 g ha−1) were applied to dew-covered (WET) and dew-excluded (DRY) ‘Tifway' bermudagrass plots. Herbicide treatments applied to WET plots had greater visually rated bermudagrass injury than respective treatments applied to DRY plots at 7 and 21 d after treatment (DAT), with the exception of aminopyralid at 21 DAT. Normalized difference vegetative index on turfgrass quality complemented visual ratings, indicating greater turfgrass quality reductions when applied to WET vs. DRY plots. These results indicate that AMCP applications made to dew-covered turfgrass can increase herbicidal efficacy, and no significant losses due to photodegradation were observed.

The Full-sky Astrometric Mapping Explorer (FAME) is designed to perform an all-sky, astrometric survey with unprecedented accuracy. It will create a rigid astrometric catalog of 4 × 107 stars with 5 < mV < 15. For bright stars, 5 < mV < 9, FAME will determine positions and parallaxes accurate to < 50 μas, with proper motion errors < 50 μas/yr. For fainter stars, 9 < mV < 15, FAME will determine positions and parallaxes accurate to < 500 μas, with proper motion errors < 500 μas/yr. It will also collect photometric data on these 4 × 107 stars in four Sloan Digital Sky Survey colors. NASA selected FAME to be one of five MIDEX missions funded for a concept study. In October 1999, NASA selected FAME for launch in 2004 as the MIDEX-4 mission in its Explorer program.