AMSAT NEWS SERVICE ANS-038
The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and infor- mation service of AMSAT North America, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor at amsat.org.
In this edition:
* ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 Launch Information * AMSAT Dayton Booth Volunteers Needed * Dayton Thursday Dinner and Beverages at Tickets Pub and Eatery * FoxTelem Version 1.03 Released * AMSAT Partners With Ragnorak Industries Cubesat Challenge Team * Announcement of the 8th European CubeSat Symposium, 7-9 Sept 2016 (London) * 2016 NASA Academy
SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-038.01 ANS-038 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 038.01 From AMSAT HQ Kensington, MD. February 7, 2016 To All RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-038.01
ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3 Launch Information
Nagoya University(NU) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI) developed 50kg microsatellite ChubuSat-2(NU) and ChubuSat-3(MHI). These satellites have amateur VHF receiver and amateur UHF transmitter, and will be launched on Feb. 12 2016 from Tanegashima, Japan. Komaki Amateur SATCOM Club operates these satellites from Komaki, Japan.
After the satellite separation, each satellite will transmit UHF CW beacon message including battery voltage etc. which is very important information for our initial and critical operation. So we are very happy if you receive the CW beacon message and report to us chubusat2@frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp
In following WEB site, we show the information(frequency, format, TLE, etc.) about ChubuSat-2 and ChubuSat-3. If we have your report, we will show your report in this page.
https://www.frontier.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/chubusat/chubusat_satellite2.htm...
Both satellite will provide the message exchange service. After the on-orbit checkout of the satellite(maybe one month after launch), you can use this service, sending your message with VHF uplink, then your message is written to the on-board memory. By sending inquiry message, anyone can read your message with UHF downlink.
ChubuSat-2 Satellite Uplink: 145.815 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.100 MHz GMSK 9600bps
ChubuSat-3 Satellite Uplink: 145.840 MHz FSK 1200bps Downlink: 437.425 MHz GMSK 9600bps
The uplink/downlink format will be uploaded in above WEB site.
We hope you get interested in our satellites, receive beacon messages, and enjoy the message exchange service.
Best regards,
Yasutaka Narusawa (JR2XEA)
[ANS thanks Yasutaka Narusawa, JR2XEA, and the KOMAKI Amateur SATCOM Club for the above information]
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AMSAT Dayton Booth Volunteers Needed
Call for Volunteers for the AMSAT Booth at Dayton 2016
The 2016 Dayton Hamvention®, sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association will be held this year on May 20-22. “Dayton” is the largest hamfest in the United States, and AMSAT will be there again this year.
You can assist AMSAT by volunteering to help staff the booth. While there, you will meet other AMSAT members, interact with the satellite designers, builders, and operators, and enjoy all that Dayton has to offer.
People are needed to assist with the setup of the booth on Thursday, May 19 (A few people to move the equipment from the storage area leaving the hotel at 9 am, most at the Arena from 11am to 4 pm), to staff the booth Friday (9 am to 6 pm), Saturday (9 am to 5 pm), and Sunday (9 am to 1 pm), and pack up on Sunday (1 pm to 3 pm). If you are leaving late Sunday, or Monday morning, please consider helping transport the display to the storage area on the south side of Dayton. This is normally completed by 5 pm. Most people volunteer for one or more 2 hour shifts in the booth.
Please send an e-mail to Steve Belter, N9IP if you are willing to help AMSAT at the Hamvention. Please let Steve know as soon as possible if you¹re available to assist.
If you missed the Hamvention the last few years, there were some changes in the Ball Arena, and the AMSAT exhibit was part of that change. We now have a 3 X 3 booth arrangement, with the engineering and software display on one side of the aisle, and the sale area on the opposite side. The booth numbers are now 444-446 and 433-435. We will be very near the old exhibit area, within sight of the ARRL exhibit.
[ANS thanks Steve, N9IP, for the above information]
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Dayton Thursday Dinner and Beverages at Tickets Pub and Eatery
Thursday night, 1800-2000. The annual AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets” party will be held Thursday, May 19, at 1800 EDT at the Tickets Pub & Eatery. Everyone is invited regardless of whether or not they helped with setup or plan to work in the booth.
You’ll find a great selection of Greek and American food and excellent company! No program or speaker, just good conversation. Food can be ordered from the menu; drinks (beer, wine, sodas and iced tea) are available at the bar. Come as you are. Bring some friends and have a great time the night before Hamvention®.
Tickets Pub and Eatery, 7 W. Main St. Fairborn, OH 45324 (937) 878-9022
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Office for the above information]
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FoxTelem Version 1.03 Released
This version of FoxTelem uses a new datafile format. While we store our data on the server in an SQL database, we use a flat file database for FoxTelem. A flat file format is nearly optimal for a program that mostly adds new data to the end of a growing list. With that said, we need to be able to load sections of the data into memory for efficient analysis. The new data file format allows that. If you have been downloading data from the server for analysis, you will see that this format is much faster.
One major change is the ability to automatically switch between low speed and high speed. This will help unattended stations gather as much telemetry as possible. The "auto" mode actually runs both decoders at the same time, so make sure your computer has enough CPU power to cope.
Graphing has been updated to support better analysis of the spacecraft by the AMSAT Operations team and amateur scientists everywhere.
This version also contains new features that will be required for Fox-1Cliff and Fox-1D.
You can download it here: http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/windows/foxtelem_1.03_windows.zip http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/mac/FoxTelem_1.03_mac.zip http://amsat.us/FoxTelem/linux/foxtelem_1.03_linux.tar.gz
[ANS thanks Chris, G0KLA, for the above information]
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AMSAT Partners With Ragnorak Industries Cubesat Challenge Team
AMSAT is participating in the Cube Quest Challenge as a partner with Ragnarok Industries. Members of the AMSAT - ASCENT team are designing the communications package which will be 5.6 GHz uplink and 10.5 GHz. downlink and will use digital modulation. At the end of the mission, the 6U cubesat will be put into a stable lunar orbit and AMSAT will be able to operate the satellite as a digital regenerative transponder.
Many of the details are still in development and the ASCENT team is always looking for U.S. citizen volunteers to help with the design, prototype and testing. There is no guarantee Ragnarok's submission will be accepted by NASA but if it is, this could be an exciting mission for the amateur community that allows amateurs to have an active role in collecting telemetry and range rate data that is crucial to the mission and end up with a satellite that allows EME type communications between relatively small (1-2meter) earth stations.
[ANS thanks Howie, AB2S, for the above information]
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Announcement of the 8th European CubeSat Symposium, 7-9 Sept 2016 (London)
Dear CubeSat Community,
This year the 8th European CubeSat Symposium will take place in the vibrant city of London on September 7th-9th 2016. The Symposium, co-organized by the von Karman Institute (Belgium) and the Knowledge Transfer Network (UK), will be hosted in the premises of the historical buildings of the Imperial College London. In particular the South Kensington Campus is located in the very heart of London only few steps away from Kensington Palace and the Natural History Museum.
We have tried to organize this Symposium giving importance to the most relevant topics in the CubeSat world. From Technology Demonstrators and Scientific Missions to the Future Technologies and the Space Exploration with CubeSats.
In detail, the Symposium is covering the following topics: - Scientific Instruments/Sensors on CubeSats - Technology Demonstration on CubeSats (e.g. formation flying, IODs) - Micro-g Experiments on CubeSats - Micropropulsion Subsystems - Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem - CubeSat Flight Experience and Lessons Learned - CubeSat Networks and Constellations - Telecommunications, Ground Stations and Ground Station Networks - Orbital Dynamics (e.g. de-orbiting and debris mitigation) - Launchers and Deployers for CubeSats - Future Technologies on CubeSats - Space Exploration Missions with CubeSat (i.e. beyond Earth orbit)
Renowned speakers from NASA, ESA and NanoRacks LLC will give an account of their view of the past and future development of CubeSats.
If you are interested in contributing to this event, please submit your abstract before May 31st 2016. Registrations and abstract submission will be opened from March 1st 2016. For more information on the venue, registration, deadlines, abstract guidelines, sponsorship and exhibitors, please visit the symposium website www.cubesatsymposium.eu
As in the previous years the Symposium is open to the all CubeSat community around the World, so please feel free to disseminate this information further.
See you there! Best Regards Davide Masutti on behalf the Organising Committee
[ANS thanks Davide Masutti for the above information]
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2016 NASA Academy
The 2016 NASA Academy is being offered at three locations: NASA's Ames Research Center in California, NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio, and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Applications are being solicited for this 10-week summer experience for college students with emphasis on immersive and integrated multidisciplinary exposure and training. Activities include laboratory research, a group project, lectures, meetings with experts and administrators, visits to NASA centers and space-related industries, and technical presentations. Students learn how NASA and its centers operate, gain experience in world-class laboratories, and participate in leadership development and team-building activities.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens (including citizens of the U.S. territories Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Marianas) majoring in a STEM discipline. The applicants must be undergraduate or graduate students enrolled full-time in accredited universities and colleges in the U.S. and its territories. Students may apply to any of the NASA Academy opportunities by following these steps:
1. Log into the NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative, or OSSI, site at https://intern.nasa.gov. 2. Register and set up an account. 3. Select the "Search Opportunities" tab at the top bar. 4. Select "NASA Center(s) of Interest" under "NASA Center/Facility." 5. Enter "Academy" in the "Keywords" block at the bottom of the screen. 6. Click the "Search" button at the very bottom of screen; a list of Academy Opportunities will then be displayed. 7. Click on the "View" icon in the first column under "Action" to read about the Opportunity of interest, followed by comments on additional instructions for completing the application, including two requested essays.
The deadline for receipt of NASA Academy application(s) and associated documents is Feb. 16, 2016.
Please direct questions about NASA Academy to NASA-Academy-Application@mail.nasa.gov.
[ANS thanks the NASA Education Express Message -- Feb. 4, 2016 for the above information]
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In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership in the President's Club. Members of the President's Club, as sustaining donors to AMSAT Project Funds, will be eligible to receive addi- tional benefits. Application forms are available from the AMSAT Office.
Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate. Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the stu- dent rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status. Contact Martha at the AMSAT Office for additional student membership information.
73, This week's ANS Editor, Lee McLamb, KU4OS ku4os at amsat dot org