September 2011 - AMSAT-BB - mailman.amsat.org

ARISSat-1 KEDR Award
by Roland Zurmely 06 Sep '11

06 Sep '11

I am very happy! I received my certificate for SSTV ! http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/arissat.htm#m 73 de Roland.

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ARISSat observations
by Jack Colson 06 Sep '11

06 Sep '11

I have noticed on a number of daytime passes over the Southern US that the satellite is ON at AOS but within a minute or so switches off, NO FM, CW beacon or BPSK. Is this what is considered normal and I did not interpert the operation scheme correctly. Secondly, I have been sending in telemetry reports, should we hear that they are accepted ? 73 Jack, W3TMZ

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Info on Prospero
by John Heath 06 Sep '11

06 Sep '11

Hi, Looked to see what I had on Prospero from the previous attempts to hear it. This might be of interest. I only have this fragment, not the entire paper, or section 4.4 more's the pity. 73 John G7HIA Accession Number : AD0734634 Title : Orbital Operations Handbook for the X3 Satellite. Descriptive Note : Technical rept., Corporate Author : ROYAL AIRCRAFT ESTABLISHMENT FARNBOROUGH (ENGLAND) Personal Author(s) : Adams,V. W. Report Date : AUG 1971 Pagination or Media Count : 63 Abstract : The X3 satellite, the first technological spacecraft in the British National Space Programme, is scheduled to be launched on a Black Arrow vehicle in late 1971. The spacecraft carries experiments to investigate performance of solar cells, characteristics of thermal surfaces, micrometeoroid flux and performance in orbit of a hybrid electronics package: section 4.4 gives details. In addition newly developed data, telemetry, telecommand and power system will be tested in orbit. The micrometeoroid flux experiment has been contributed by the University of Birmingham, England. (Author)

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More On Apollo Landing Site Pictures
by B J 06 Sep '11

06 Sep '11

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/apollo-sites.html 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL

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New Views - Apollo Landing Sites
by Clint Bradford 06 Sep '11

06 Sep '11

RELEASE: 11-289 NASA SPACECRAFT IMAGES OFFER SHARPER VIEWS OF APOLLO LANDING SITES GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured the sharpest images ever taken from space of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 landing sites. Images show the twists and turns of the paths made when the astronauts explored the lunar surface. At the Apollo 17 site, the tracks laid down by the lunar rover are clearly visible, along with the last foot trails left on the moon. The images also show where the astronauts placed some of the scientific instruments that provided the first insight into the moon's environment and interior. "We can retrace the astronauts' steps with greater clarity to see where they took lunar samples," said Noah Petro, a lunar geologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., who is a member of the LRO project science team. All three images show distinct trails left in the moon's thin soil when the astronauts exited the lunar modules and explored on foot. In the Apollo 17 image, the foot trails, including the last path made on the moon by humans, are easily distinguished from the dual tracks left by the lunar rover, which remains parked east of the lander. "The new low-altitude Narrow Angle Camera images sharpen our view of the moon's surface," said Arizona State University researcher Mark Robinson, principal investigator for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC). "A great example is the sharpness of the rover tracks at the Apollo 17 site. In previous images the rover tracks were visible, but now they are sharp parallel lines on the surface." At each site, trails also run to the west of the landers, where the astronauts placed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) to monitor the moon's environment and interior. This equipment was a key part of every Apollo mission. It provided the first insights into the moon's internal structure, measurements of the lunar surface pressure and the composition of its atmosphere. Apollo 11 carried a simpler version of the science package. One of the details that shows up is a bright L-shape in the Apollo 12 image. It marks the locations of cables running from ALSEP's central station to two of its instruments. Although the cables are much too small for direct viewing, they show up because they reflect light very well. The higher resolution of these images is possible because of adjustments made to LRO's orbit, which is slightly oval-shaped or elliptical. "Without changing the average altitude, we made the orbit more elliptical, so the lowest part of the orbit is on the sunlit side of the moon," said Goddard's John Keller, deputy LRO project scientist. "This put LRO in a perfect position to take these new pictures of the surface." The maneuver lowered LRO from its usual altitude of approximately 31 miles (50 kilometers) to an altitude that dipped as low as nearly 13 miles (21 kilometers) as it passed over the moon's surface. The spacecraft has remained in this orbit for 28 days, long enough for the moon to completely rotate. This allows full coverage of the surface by LROC's Wide Angle Camera. The cycle ends today when the spacecraft will be returned to its 31-mile orbit. "These images remind us of our fantastic Apollo history and beckon us to continue to move forward in exploration of our solar system," said Jim Green, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. LRO was built and managed by Goddard. Initial research was funded by the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. In September 2010, after a one-year successful exploration mission, the mission turned its attention from exploration objectives to scientific research in NASA's Science Mission Directorate. To learn more about LRO, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/lro -end- Clint Bradford clintbradford(a)mac.com

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Is Prospero still TX'ing?
by John Heath 06 Sep '11

06 Sep '11

Is Prospero still transmitting? Sometime ago, I think in 2007 the BBC TV program Coast was on the Isle of White where there had been a test stand for rocket testing. They talked about Prospero and had a short piece with some people trying to hear it with a small yagi. Apologies but the memory is a bit hazy. Subsequently I spent quite a few hours listening for it with a tower mounted 5el X yagi, an up to date set of keps, and an FT847 - after several days, nothing heard. 73 John G7HIA

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6800 uF electrolitic capacitor purchased in Cina
by i8cvs 06 Sep '11

06 Sep '11

Hi All, Just for curiosity please look at this 6800 uF electrolitic capacitor purchased in Cina ! http://sinocom.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=2124&d=1302278111 The left capacitor is encapsulated in original conditions while the right capacitor has been decapsulated. Info received from my friend Paolo, IW2HEU 73" de i8CVS Domenico

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Re: Is Prospero still TX'ing?
by Trevor . 06 Sep '11

06 Sep '11

Although funding to command the satellite ceased in 1996 the Prospero real-time oribtal tracking page says it was heard in 2006. http://www.vk3ukf.com/Space/GadgetSatProspero.htm I would image now the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Surrey are attempting to command the satellite again the 137.560 MHz beacon would become operational if enough of the satellite is still working. Given the 40th anniversary of this historic UK spacecraft takes place in October I would expect the media would be very interested if any amateur succeeded in receiving it in the coming weeks. Audio recordings of the 0.3 watt phase modulated signal with PCM at 2048 bit/s from Prospero on 137.560 MHz can be heard on the Sounds from Space website of Matthias Bopp DD1US http://www.dd1us.de/spacesounds%204.html Bernhard VA6BMJ says that there's an item about Prospero in the Space Boffins podcast: http://audioboo.fm/boos/431009-space-boffins-podcast2 73 Trevor M5AKA

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ARISSat-1 status message
by Richard Ferryman 06 Sep '11

06 Sep '11

I use ARISSatTLM to decode and forward data from ARISSat-1. Usually the 'mode' shows HIGH POWER or LOW POWER but today I saw at least one frame showing EMERGENCY although a later frame was back to LOW POWER Can anyone tell me the conditions that trigger this EMERGENCY mode and what changes to operation take place in this mode. Dick G4BBH

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I8CVS
by ANTHONY JAPHA 06 Sep '11

06 Sep '11

Domenico, Wait till you see what's inside the 2200uf cap! 73, Tony, N2UN

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