Luc,
As long as the USAF Academy students are legally licensed amateur operators, what is the issue? If they can take advantage of an AO-51 "downtime" to perform an experiment, I would hope that the control operators and AMSAT-NA could accommodate them, and any other educational non-profit organization. I didn't see anywhere in Drew's email stating that the S-Band mode would be restricted to the USAF-A. As far as I know, there is nothing stopping anyone (military or otherwise) from using AO-51 or any Amsat (with or without the public's knowledge).
If you're concerned about military involvement in AMSAT or any other space activity, you'll be hard-pressed to find a launch vehicle that was NOT subsidized by a government or military organization.
73,
Dave NøTGD
On 2/14/07, Luc Leblanc lucleblanc6@videotron.ca wrote:
On 14 Feb 2007 at 0:00, Andrew Glasbrenner wrote:
Luc,
Your research is faulty. This information below is not the same Falconsat as the USAFA satellite I mentioned:
Here is a link where the falconsats are depicted:
http://space.skyrocket.de/index_frame.htm?http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat... consat-3.htm
I respecfully submit to your attention theses sats are Military satellite made by, launch by, and controlled by military (even cadets).
Here is the mission and payloads of the Falconsats
Falcon gold
Falcon Gold was an US Air Force Academy experiment to demonstrate use of GPS navigation in orbits above the Navstar constellation. The instrument package was bolted to the Centaur-2A stage of an Atlas-2A, which launched the DSCS-3 B13 satellite. All systems operated nominally during the successful mission until primary battery power on the spacecraft was depleted. Cadets participated in all phases of the mission including systems design, fabrication, launch vehicle integration, qualification testing, launch site operations, and mission operations.
FalconSat 1
The first free-flying Academy satellite, FalconSat-1 carried the CHAWS (Charging Hazards and Wake Studies) experiment developed by the Physics Department at the Academy. The launch was successful and the satellite was deployed into its orbit without problems. However, the following weeks, cadets working in the Academy ground station struggled to bring the satellite totally on-line. Initial communication contacts with the satellite went well, but during subsequent it became apparent that the spacecraft's power system was not functioning correctly to properly charge the batteries during daylight. Unfortunately, after about 1 month, the mission was satellite the mission was terminated.
While FalconSAT-1 was a technical failure, it was a resounding academic success. Cadets participated in all phases of the mission from conceptual design though assembly, integration, testing, launch and on-orbit operations.
FalconSat 2
The mission of the FalconSat-2 will be to measure space plasma phenomena that are known to adversely affect space-based communication, such as the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS), and other civil and military communications. Originally planned to be deployed from a Shuttle mission, it has been moved to a dedicated launch on the maiden flight of the Falcon-1 rocket.
FalconSat 3
FalconSAT-3, is a 50 kg microsatellite being developed by faculty and cadets, and is the Air Force Academy´s first attempt at achieving three axis attitude determination and control (ADCS). FalconSAT-3 will carry three payloads to conduct DoD research. The attitude requirements for FalconSAT-3 include pointing the satellite within +/- five degrees of ram direction, as well as attitude knowledge to within one degree. FalconSAT-3 will provide sophisticated characterization of plasma turbulence in the F region ionosphere. Significant advances in technology have enabled miniaturization of instruments that enable comprehensive measurements of both ambient and spacecraft-specific turbulence.
The three primary experiments include
* the Flat Plasma Spectrometer (FLAPS), a planar electrostatic analyzerused to measure ion spectra differential in energy with a DE/E ~ 4%; * the Plasma Local Anomalous Noise Environment (PLANE) experiment, a bifurcated retarding potential analyzer capable of distinguishing between ambient and spacecraft-induced turbulence; and * the Micro-Propulsion Attitude Control System (MPACS), consisting of a set of Teflon-fueled pulsed plasma thrusters used to stabilize satellite attitude.
The FalconSAT-3 satellite bus is custom fabricated at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and is manifested for launch into a 35° inclination, 560 km circular orbit in late 2006. Satellite operations will be managed from the USAFA ground station. Complementary ground-based observations of the ionosphere will be taken both at USAFA and at remote locations at low magnetic latitudes, where equatorial ionospheric processes are particularly effective at stimulating plasma turbulence.
You are right about the FALCONSAT NSSDC ID: 2000-004D Other Names* 26064 As you not quote FalconSat 3 you confirm that FalonSat 3 is a military satellite. There is some military spy satellite and some "science" military satellite, My point is why AMSAT-NA is helping the US air force with an amateur radio satellite?
If you read carefully i wrote "Did AMSAT-NA will condemned military endeavour or support it?" I never say it was an AMSAT-NA project "hopefully" .
You wrote " please be patient as we cooperate with our friends at the USAFA" Placing AO-51 an AMSAT-NA amateur satellite in a configuration to help "our friends at the USAFA" just make me ask again "Did AMSAT-NA will condemned military endeavour or support it?".
I never speak about any conspiracy but as you raised the subject could be an AMSAT-NA official can also do his homework and tell us how they let an amateur radio satellite involved in a military conducted business?
If you feel pointed out it's probably because the shoe fits! Otherwise you will never come up with you hollow post where you don't even give us a glimpse of an answer about my questions.
Set aside the good old volunteer saga and their time spent that we all know and that we admire and just focus your attention on this part of you post "badgering by the likes of you may deprive hams from the use of a fine satellite." Reads if you don't let us do what we want and you don't shut your /x%6 mouth you will don't get this satellite! That's what i wrote "driven by any floating interest who probably blackmailed them "AGAIN" note the "AGAIN" and change the "them" for "us".
Just an historical note. There was a bunch of rocket scientist in Peenemünde who from 1936 to 1943 where making also scientific rocket search and test and you probably know also their final product! the V-1 and V-2 rocket.
AMSAT-NA should not be involved with any military testing or actions nor letting an IARU/ITU OSCAR satellite be used to help an armed forces wing.
I suggest a former letter of protest should be sent to the IARU condemning this military satellite use.
P.S. If my home work is not correct this time don't hesitate to correct me!
"-"
Luc Leblanc VE2DWE Skype VE2DWE www.qsl.net/ve2dwe WAC BASIC CW PHONE SATELLITE
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