AMSAT NEWS SERVICE
ANS-300
ANS is a free, weekly, news and information service of AMSAT North America, The
Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS 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.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to:
In this edition: * AMSAT Vision Updated
* New AMSAT Officers for 2008-2009
* News from the AMSAT Symposium * Historic Week for ARISS Operations
* Richard Garriott Lands Safely
* ARISS Status - 20 October 2008
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New AMSAT Officers for 2008-2009
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 300.01
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
October 26, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-300.01
The AMSAT Board of Directors approved the following Officers at the Board of Directors meeting in Atlanta on 23 October 2008.
President: Barry Baines, WD4ASW Vice President of Operations: Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA Vice President of User Services: Gould Smith, WA4SXM Treasurer: Gunther Meisse, W8GSM Secretary/VP Special Projects: Lee McLamb, KU4OS Manager: Martha Saragovitz Vice President Human Spaceflight: Frank Bauer, KA3HDO
[ANS thanks Lee, KU4OS, for the above information]
/EX
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AMSAT Vision Updated
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 300.02
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
October 26, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-300.02
AMSAT's Vision Statement was updated during the AMSAT Board of the Directors meeting on 23 October 2008. AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, explains, "The update to the Vision Statement represents a recognition of the reality that some of the events and time frames that were anticipated in 2004 did not develop." Barry continued, "Our updated vision represents our on-going commitment to the goal of providing satellite systems which provide wide-area coverage and eventually continuous coverage and also recognizes that opportunities other than the traditional Phase 3 GTO type orbit may be a route to fulfill our goals."
The new Vision reads:
Our Vision is to deploy satellite systems with the goal of providing wide-area and continuous coverage. AMSAT will continue active participation in human space missions and support a stream of LEO satellites developed in cooperation with the educational community and other amateur satellite groups.
[ANS thanks Barry, WD4ASW, for the above information]
/EX
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News from the AMSAT Symposium
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 300.03
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
October 26, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-300.03
The 2008 AMSAT Space Symposium and annual membership meeting was held 24-26 October in Atlanta, GA. An exciting line up of 20 speakers made presentations on a wide range of topics ranging from "Space Radio for Windows" a low cost, homebrewable receiver by Tony Montero, AA2TX, to concepts that may be implemented in a variety of amateur spacecraft in the future.
An extended annual meeting of the AMSAT membership was held on Saturday 25 October and carried on AMSAT's Echolink conference. During the annual meeting new AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, explained some of the challenges AMSAT has encountered in the past year, AMSAT's updated vision, and plans for developing, testing and flying hardware. Questions were also taken from both the members present as well as those over Echolink. The annual meeting also provided the opportunity to recognize the many volunteers who's efforts have assisted in AMSAT's activities over the past year.
The excellent and enjoyable AMSAT dinner banquet was held Saturday evening. Banquet keynote speaker Daniel Schultz, N8FQV, described the latest developments with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Repair Mission.
[ANS thanks Lee, KU4OS, for the above information]
/EX
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Historic Week for ARISS Operations
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 300.04
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
October 26, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-300.04
Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT-V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs and ARISS International Chairman said,"I think you all can agree that this has been a stellar and an historic week for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station!"
Frank continued, "Speaking on behalf of the ARISS international team of volunteers and the AMSAT community, we really appreciate the overwhelming flood of positive comments that we have received from the ham radio community and the general public regarding the ham radio operations on ISS this past week. Collectively, we have all made history….starting with Richard, W5KWQ and his father Owen, W5LFL and continuing with all of you that participated and/or volunteered in his ISS journey. And along the way, we have sparked the imaginations of thousands of students. Got more interest in satellite operations. And, I understand, excited some youths to the point where they are now licensed."
Richard Garriott, W5KWQ has been extremely prolific on the ARISS ham radio system, making hundreds of voice contacts, operating the packet system during the crew sleep times and transmitting hundreds of SSTV images throughout the day. He put the newest ARISS hardware, the Kenwood VC-H1 to good use, performing the vast majority of contacts with this hardware system coupled with the Kenwood D700 Transciever. The remaining SSTV downlinks were performed with the software-based SSTV system---using either the SpaceCam software or MMSSTV software that are on-board ISS. Given the limited availability of ISS computer systems, the ARISS team will continue to utilize the VC-H1 well after Richard's flight. So don't be surprised if you see some VC-H1 SSTV operations from Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, during his stay as the commander of Expedition 18.
The ARISS team apologizes for the temporary shut-down of the ARISS SSTV server. They have been a victim of their own success in that the site has been overwhelmed by the popularity of Richard's SSTV images. Hopefully the system will be operational very soon. This may take a URL change, so please check the listservs and the ARISS SSTV blog http://www.ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/ for updated information. http://www.ariss.org will also carry updates.
ARISS Development and Operations
As a reminder to all, the ARISS team is an international volunteer working group that is sponsored by three major entities in each ISS region---the National Amateur Radio Society, the International AMSAT organization and the National Space Agency. The 5 regions that comprise the ISS development are Canada, Europe Japan, Russia, and the USA. In the USA, the two ham radio sponsors are the ARRL and AMSAT-NA. NASA is the USA space agency sponsor.
Over 12 years ago, the formulation of the ARISS working group was a specific request from NASA. They wanted the amateur radio community to internationally consolidate into one team all the development and operations of the ISS Ham radio system. This specific request from NASA, and ultimately the other space agencies, was to provide a single focus of ham radio on ISS within the amateur radio community and within the space agencies. As a result, the 5 international delegations that make up ARISS tightly coordinate the day-to-day mission operations as well as the strategic hardware development planning and implementation. The success of this past week would not have been realized without this tight coordination, particularly between our Russian colleagues, led by Sergey Samburov, RV3DR and our international operations team, led by Will Marchant, KC6ROL.
Individuals are always welcome to volunteer their support to ARISS through their regional delegation. Please see the ARISS web site http://www.ariss.org for more information on your regional delegates.
Voice QSOs
Reports have been received of individuals providing advice to the ISS on-orbit crew or making specific requests to the ISS crew to change or modify the ARISS hardware, on-board software or ham radio operations. The ARISS team would like to remind the amateur community that we all have a duty to the international space agencies to coordinate ISS ham radio operations through ARISS. The ARISS team advises that if you have a specific request or idea, that you forward it to one of the ARISS international delegates or ARISS team leaders. These individuals are identified on the ARISS web site http://www.ariss.org. Also, please remember that there are a *lot* of hams that would like to get their QSO with the ISS. So please use courtesy and keep your contact short. And once you have made a contact, please do not go for a repeat…despite the intense temptation to do so. I think you all know that this is an "open" hobby. So all are listening in, observing and remembering your operating habits.
Frank concludes, "On behalf of the ARISS team, I thank you all for your interest in Ham Radio on ISS. Enjoy the contacts! And remember the ARISS teams and organizations that have made the ham radio system on ISS such a tremendous success. This includes the national amateur radio societies and international AMSAT organizations. As well as the international space agencies and the ISS on-board crew members."
73, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO AMSAT-V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs ARISS International Chairman
[ANS thanks Frank, KA3HDO, for the above information]
/EX
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Richard Garriott Lands Safely
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 300.05
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
October 26, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-300.05
Two Russian cosmonauts and an American space tourist undocked from the international space station and plunged back to Earth late today in a problem-free re-entry. Unlike the two previous Soyuz descents, which were marred by module separation problems that led to steep, off-course touchdowns, the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft landed on target northeast of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, at 0337 UTC.
Russian recovery forces stationed nearby watched the final stages of the descent and reached the capsule a few minutes after touchdown to assist Expedition 17 commander Sergey Volkov, flight engineer Oleg Kononenko and U.S. space tourist Richard Garriott. All three were flown back to Star City near Moscow for more extensive medical checks and debriefing.
Kononenko and Volkov, son of Russian cosmonaut Alexander Volkov and the first second-generation space flier, were launched aboard Soyuz TMA-12 on April 8. Garriott, son of former Skylab and shuttle astronaut Owen Garriott, was launched aboard the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft Oct. 12, along with Expedition 18 commander Mike Fincke and flight engineer Yury Lonchakov.
"This has met and in many ways exceeded my expectations," Garriott told reporters Monday. "There's no question, I've already begun to think about the next trip up. With this trip, I was trying to study and analyze how private citizens might be able to contribute to the success here in space. And I'll have a lot more thoughts on that when I come back down."
[ANS thanks SpaceFlightNow for the above information]
/EX
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ARISS Status - 20 October 2008
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 300.06
From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
October 26, 2008
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-300.06
1. Upcoming School Contacts
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled with Scuola Media Statale Donato Forlani in Conversano, Italy on Tuesday, October 28 at 09:37 UTC. Students have been introduced to amateur radio and have covered the importance of space missions. Media coverage is expected to include newspapers, radio and television.
Santa Teresa del Bambin Gesù in Rome, Italy has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, October 30 at 08:51 UTC.
2. Garriott Contacts Austin Mayor
On Wednesday, October 15, spaceflight participant Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, spoke with his friend, Austin Mayor Will Wynn via Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). Joining the conversation were three students from LBJ LASA (Liberal Arts and Science Academy) and the East Side Memorial Team who asked questions about the benefits of space travel. Approximately 35 students were present for the event. A press release was issued by News 8. See: http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=221997
The Statesman covered the contact: http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/local/10/16/1016space.h...
3. Challenger Learning Centers Speak with Garriott via Radio
Challenger Learning Centers in Lanham, Maryland, Columbia, South Carolina, Tampa, Florida and Brownsburg, Indiana participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Thursday, October 16. Garriott, W5KWQ, answered one question from each of the sixteen students and former astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL, finished the question and answer session with a discussion about ham radio. The contact was made possible through telebridge station W6SRJ in Santa Rosa, California. Audio was fed into IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) Reflector 9010. It was also fed into the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) server and received 7 connections from four countries. A Brownsburg press release was posted to Channel 13 Eyewitness News: http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=9186881 The webcast is available on the Challenger site: http://www.challenger.org/programs/garriottwebcasts.cfm
4. British Students Experience ARISS Contact
Students attending Budbrooke Primary School in Warwick, Warwickshire, England and Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, participated in a successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Friday, October 17. The British Amateur Television Club broadcasted the event live on streaming video and the contact received local news coverage: http://www.itvlocal.com/central/news/?player=CEN_News_15&void=247290
The BBC also covered the event: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7677274.stm
5. Second ARISS-Challenger Learning Center Contact, Successful
A second Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was arranged for Challenger Learning Centers in Indianapolis, Indiana, Paducah, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri. The contact took place on Friday, October 17 via the telebridge station W6SRJ in California. Fifteen students spoke with Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, and asked 22 questions. Former astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL, also participated. Audio was fed into IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) Reflector 9010 and the EchoLink AMSAT (101 377) server. EchoLink received nine connections from six countries. SpaceRef.com posted a press release on all the Challenger Center contacts: http://www.spaceref.com/calendar/calendar.html?pid=5171
The webcast is available on the Challenger site: http://www.challenger.org/programs/garriottwebcasts.cfm
6. Austin High School Speaks with Space Traveler
The Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) High School in Austin, Texas had a direct Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Sunday, October 19 with Richard Garriott, W5KWQ. Ten students asked two questions each of the space traveler, as approximately fifty students looked on. Television stations reported on the event. A press release was posted by the Statesman: http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/theticker/ent...
7. SSTV Update
Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, has been transmitting Slow Scan Television (SSTV) images during his flight. Amateur radio operators from around the world receiving these pictures have uploaded them to an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) SSTV Web site. Over one thousand images have been received from both SpaceCam and the VC-H1!
See: http://www.amsat.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php
8. JOTA and General Contacts
Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, participated in the 51st Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) over the October 18 weekend. JOTA is an annual event during which Scouts worldwide speak to each other using ham radio. Over the last week, Garriott and Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, also made many general contacts with amateur radio operators around the world.
9. ARISS Presentation at ASTC
The Association of Science – Technology Centers (ASTC) held its 2008 annual conference on October 18-21 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NASA representatives gave presentations on NASA’s education and outreach programs and NASA resources. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Deputy Program Manager Mark Steiner, K3MS, presented an ARISS overview.
10. Astronaut Training Status
Frank De Winne, ON1DWN, has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) simulated contact with students in Technopolis, Mechelen, Belgium on Monday, October 27. De Winne plans to fly on Expedition 19 in May 2009.
Chris Hadfield, KC5RNJ/VA3OOG, and Cady Coleman, KC5ZTH, have been scheduled for an ARISS simulated contact on Thursday, November 6. Hadfield and Coleman are currently assigned as back-up Expedition 19 crew members.
These simulated contacts/training sessions are terrestrial-based amateur radio contacts using ARISS-equivalent equipment.
[ANS thanks Carol, KB3LKI, for the above information]
/EX
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 additional benefits. Application forms are
available from the AMSAT Office.
73,
This week's ANS Editor,
Lee McLamb, KU4OS
ku4os at amsat dot org