Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 10:09:28 +0100
From: "H.Fagard" <herve.fagard@ign.fr>
To: Pascal Willis <Pascal.R.Willis@jpl.nasa.gov>
Cc: Martine Feissel <feissel@ensg.ign.fr>,
    Jean-Francois Cretaux <cretaux@cnes.fr>,
    John Ries <ries@csr.utexas.edu>,
    Ramesh Govind <Ramesh.Govind@ga.gov.au>,
    Adèle Guitart <Adele.Guitart@cnes.fr>,
    Serguei Kuzin <skuzin@inasan.rssi.ru>,
    Jean-Michel Lemoine <Jean-Michel.Lemoine@cnes.fr>,
    Jean-Jacques Valette <valette@cls.fr>,
    Jean-Paul Berthias <Jean-Paul.Berthias@cnes.fr>,
    Pascal Willis <Pascal.R.Willis@jpl.nasa.gov>, lebail@ensg.ign.fr,
    Zuheir Altamimi <altamimi@ensg.ign.fr>,
    Urs Hugentobler <urs.hugentobler@aiub.unibe.ch>,
    Petr Stepanek <pste@centrum.cz>,
    Jean-Pierre Granier <Jean-Pierre.Granier@cnes.fr>,
    Gilles Tavernier <Gilles.Tavernier@cnes.fr>,
    SIMB DORIS <simb.doris@cnes.fr>
Subject: Re: STJB - data gap 2002:231-2002:259 + storm

Dear Pascal and colleages,

At 14:23 -0800 12/03/04, Pascal Willis wrote:
>I checked the GECO meeting summaries and I found in the GECO #85 
>(2002, Sep 16) that the STJB beacon had to be reprogrammed due to a 
>violent storm.

This report and communication from the host agency says there was an 
"electric storm", not a "violent storm".

>Here are my questions :
>
>- was this intervention only software related? button to push? Or 
>was something done physically to the antenna, like fixing it more 
>solidly after the storm? Anybody else I should contact about solving 
>this issue?

No operation was carried out on the antenna. Only a beacon reset was performed.

>- is there any evidence that the storm could have damage the antenna 
>or the place where the antenna lie on? or not?

If there had been an antenna damage and subsequent reference point 
displacement (which was not reported to us by the host agency) you 
would see it on the horizontal components more than on the vertical 
one. The antenna is supported by a strong metal plate set on three 
metal rods embeded in a concrete pillar.

Hervé