SXT Status Report
                       1 May - 14 May 1995 (Weeks 18 &19)
                                  ---------

                                Loren W. Acton
                                  14-May-95

*****PLEASE NOTE: If you would like to be dropped from the distribution 
*****of these reports just let me know at sxt_co@isass0.solar.isas.ac.jp
*****and I'll take care of it.  Thank you.

     Local terrorist activities and the associated investigations keep
folks a-dither but the spring flowers and gardens don't know about these
troubles and are bright, cheerful and lovely.  Jim Leman returned to
California on May 3.  Visitors and work on papers have become the order
of the day with the approach of IAU Colloquium No.153 (Magnetodynamic
Phenomena in the Solar Atmosphere -- Prototypes of Stellar Magnetic
Activity) to be held in Makuhari, near Tokyo, on May 22 - 26. 

SOLAR ACTIVITY

     During most of the period the GOES x-ray level was running about
A4.  The opportunity to watch AR7869/7870 develop without obscuration
from adjacent bright regions was delightful.  AR7869 was smack on the
equator with a neutral line running off to the SE and with 3 tiny plage
to the north and NE.  The magnetic connections to the 3 plage evolved
over time and eventually the easternmost one became AR7870 with C-class
flaring activity.  BCS re-demonstrated its ability to provide beautiful
spectra in Fe, Ca and S from these flares.

     As the last week progressed the x-ray structures over the SE
neutral line grew and expanded with some highly sheared loops.  There
must have been an eruption (CME??) because characteristic post-eruption
x-ray loops were observed.  It "appeared" that this was in time
coincidence with flaring in AR7870 but, this may have indeed just been 
-- a coincidence. 

COORDINATED CAMPAIGNS

    The filament-watch campaign has been put on hold while AR7869/7870
crosses the disk.  Yohkoh images are being used by the GSFC team for
planning their pointing for the SERTS rocket scheduled for launch on
18-May-95 18:00 UT.  Yohkoh will support this mission with observations
of AR7870 -- unless solar conditions and the SERTS target change. 

SXT CALIBRATION AND INSTRUMENT STATUS

   Considerable effort is going into improving the database used to
correct for visible straylight from the failed entrance filter.  When
appropriate straylight correction images are available we can do a
remarkably good job of correcting.  The process of collecting these
images, which must be taken between 15 and 25 seconds before sunset, is
tremendously complex but, with practice, we are getting there.  We are
extremely fortunate that the SXT instrument, and the light leak, have
proven stable for the 2.5 years since entrance filter failure to allow
us time to learn to do this properly.

SEMINARS

     On 10 May 1995 the seminar speakers were T.  Hirayama and M. 
Takahashi.  Since retirement from NAOJ Hirayama sensei has devoted his
time to the physics of particle acceleration and says he is thoroughly
enjoying himself!  We owe much to him for wisdom and leadership as PI of
SXT, especially during the years of its creation, and as an enthusiastic
proponent during the initial phases of thinking about a Solar B mission.

PERSONNEL
     
Week 18 Tohbans:
   SSOC: Ohyama M. Yaji K.
   KSC:  Kubo A., Yashiro S.
Week 19 Tohbans:
   SSOC : Shinkawa, T. Akioka, M.
   KSC  : Yashiro, S. Yuda, S.
SXT Chief Observer:
   Acton, L.
SXT Systems and Data Engineer:
   Slater, G.