The Working Group FITS (WG-FITS) is the international control authority for the Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) data format. The WG-FITS was formed in 1988 by a formal resolution of the IAU XX General Assembly in Baltimore (MD, USA), 1988, to maintain the existing FITS standards and to approve future extensions to FITS.

The business meeting began with a brief review of the current rules and procedures of the WG, which are documented on the WG web page. Four regional FITS committees have been established by the WG, covering North American, Europe, Japan, and Australian/New Zealand, to provide advice to the WG on pending proposals. While it is recognized that this committee structure might need to be revised to provide representation to other regions, the current system is working well, and there were no motions to make any changes at this time.

BOOMERanG has recently resolved structures on the last scattering surface at redshift ˜ 1100 with high signal to noise ratio. We review the technical advances which made this possible, and we focus on the current results for maps and power spectra, with special attention to the determination of the total mass-energy density in the Universe and of other cosmological parameters.

In the 1998-99 flight, BOOMERanG has produced maps of ∼4% of the sky at high Galactic latitudes, at frequencies of 90, 150, 240 and 410 GHz, with resolution ≳ 10'. The faint structure of the Cosmic Microwave Background at horizon and sub-horizon scales is evident in these maps. These maps compare well to the maps recently obtained at lower frequencies by the WMAP experiment. Here we compare the amplitude and morphology of the structures observed in the two sets of maps. We also outline the polarization sensitive version of BOOMERanG, which was flown early this year to measure the linear polarization of the microwave sky at 150, 240 and 350 GHz.

We show how estimates of parameters characterizing inflation-based theories of structure formation localized over the past year when large scale structure (LSS) information from galaxy and cluster surveys was combined with the rapidly developing cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, especially from the recent Boomerang and Maxima balloon experiments. All current CMB data plus a relatively weak prior probability on the Hubble constant, age and LSS points to little mean curvature (Ωtot = 1.08±0.06) and nearly scale invariant initial fluctuations (ns = 1.03±0.08), both predictions of (non-baroque) inflation theory. We emphasize the role that degeneracy among parameters in the Lpk = 212 ± 7 position of the (first acoustic) peak plays in defining the Ωtot range upon marginalization over other variables. Though the CDM density is in the expected range (Ωcdmh2 = 0.17 ± 0.02), the baryon density Ωbh2 = 0.030 ± 0.005 is somewhat above the independent 0.019 ± 0.002 nucleosynthesis estimates. CMB+LSS gives independent evidence for dark energy (ΩΛ = 0.66 ± 0.06) at the same level as from supernova (SN1) observations, with a phenomenological quintessence equation of state limited by SN1+CMB+LSS to wQ < −0.7 cf. the wQ=−1 cosmological constant case.

In the Milky Way, the 12CO J = 1 → 0 line traces the molecular gas content. The conversion factor, XGAL, between the H2 column density, N(H2), and the velocity integrated intensity of CO, I(CO), has been measured via the virial theorem or via γ-ray emission (Solomon et al. 1987; Bloemen et al. 1986; Digel et al. 1997; and references therein).

How can we apply XGAL to other galaxies where the metallicities are different from that of our Galaxy? The metallicity dependence of the conversion factor has been an issue. Cohen et al. (1988), Wilson (1995), and Arimoto, Sofue, & Tsujimoto (1996) argued that the value of X increases as the metallicity of the individual galaxy decreases. In contrast, Taylor, Kobulnicky, & Skillman (1996) showed that some low abundance galaxies have lower X.

The sorption of organic penetrants is found to be sensitive to thermal annealing conditions in a series of glassy, nematic, thermotropic, random copolyesters. Controlled thermal annealing of two polymers in this series permitted a systematic variation of chain packing and, presumably, higher order molecular suprastructure, ranging from a disordered amorphous morphology to More ordered nematic liquid crystalline and semi-crystalline morphologies. The development of liquid crystalline order appears to reduce or preclude small molecule solubility in nematically ordered forms of these polymers.

Warm molecular gas is important in a large range of astronomical contexts. We discuss here determinations of the temperature and mass of warm material in protostellar disks and cores, photon dominated regions, and molecular material shocked by protostellar outflows. We then compare these results to heating and cooling models. The models of dense cores and photon dominated regions are not adequate to explain the large amounts of warm material observed. This conclusion raises the possibility that there may be other heating mechanisms at work in these regions which theorists have not yet included in their models.

The detected 13CO J = 3 → 2 line in the center of the Sc galaxy NGC 253, along with lower frequency line data, provide further evidence that the starburst nucleus contains warm (TK ∼ 100 K), dense (n(H2) ∼ 104−105 cm−3) molecular gas.

We present new far-IR and submillimeter broad-band and spectroscopic results on the dense and very luminous cores of massive star formation regions. The best-studied region, W51, contains one core around the source IRS2 and another around W51 MAIN. Our earlier submillimeter continuum mapping has shown that these two cores are very massive (2-4 × 104 M⊙) and have average densities of nH2 ∼ 105 over their inner parsec. New far-IR maps show that both cores are very luminous (L(MAIN) ∼2 × 106 L⊙; L(IRS2) ∼4x106 L⊙). Observations of the (1,1) and (2,1) transitions of NH3, indicate high kinetic temperatures (200-400 K) for the quiescent gas in the inner several arc seconds (0.1 pc) of both cores. Spectroscopy of the 370 μm J = 7 → 6 and 163 μm J = 16 → 15 transitions of CO toward the cores allows us to characterize the hot high velocity material seen previously on the H2O maser transitions and not readily visible in the low J transitions of CO. The high velocity flow in IRS2 is ∼ 60 times more massive than the very similar outflow in the ∼ 30 times less luminous Orion/KL core. The mass loss rate is ∼ 30 times greater than in Orion. Additional observations of W49 allow us to draw a few general conclusions about the most luminous star formation regions in our galaxy: (1) The luminous cores are 102-103 more massive than the Orion core with the same density. (2) Outflows and warm regions in these cores have physical conditions similar to those in their less luminous counterparts but far more mass is involved in the flows.

This paper considers science aspects of a 1980 spacecraft reconnaissance of Comet Encke. The mission discussed is a ballistic flyby (more exactly, a fly-through) of P/Encke, using either a spin-stabilized spacecraft, without despin of instruments, or a 3-axis-stabilized spacecraft. Celestial mechanics and imaging aspects of such a mission have been considered in more detail by Bender (1) and by Jaffe et al (2), respectively. Engineering designs (3, 4) and more detailed accounts of science aspects are given in other documents. A different approach to an Encke ballistic flyby has been suggested by Farquahar et al (5). Yeomans (6) has considered ephemeris uncertainties associated with such missions.

The present observational problem of understanding the nature and origin of comets is analogous to that we would face in attempting to understand a planet and its atmosphere if we possessed only data on its ionosphere and exosphere. Virtually everything we can observe remotely is a part of the rapidly escaping gas and dust atmosphere of the comet.