TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 273 SUBJECT: GRB 990308a and GRB 990308b DATE: 99/03/10 16:17:22 GMT FROM: R. Marc Kippen at BATSE/UAH/MSFC Peter Woods, Marc Kippen, Georgia Richardson (UAH/MSFC), and Chryssa Kouveliotou (USRA/MSFC) report on behalf of the BATSE team : We have classified the two bursts mentioned in GCN 271 (BATSE triggers 7456 and 7460) as classical GRBs. The first is a single pulse lasting ~ 0.5 sec with substructure and a very hard spectrum (photon index ~ -1). The second event is much softer (photon index ~ -2) and longer (~ 25 sec). Although these bursts are positionally consistent with one another (within 1 sigma), neither shows characteristics consistent with any of the other known SGRs. Their properties indicate they are classical GRBs. We have searched the DISCLA data for burst emission (1.024 sec time resolution) at the Konus event times reported in GCN 271. The locations of triggers 7456 and 7460 are not occulted at the times given for 990307, but no bursts are detected. For 990308a, we detect the trigger (7456) and a phosphorescence spike at T+45 sec.